Soldaten und Matrosen / Soldiers and Sailors

🇬🇧 Border Troops

The German Border Police and later the Border Troops were responsible for securing the state borders of the SBZ/GDR across a total length of 2,236 km (including 1,378 km along the inner-German demarcation line) and monitoring the barrier facilities to prevent illegal border crossings; in the event of war, their role was to defend the border militarily.

Border control in the GDR remained under the authority of Soviet units until 1955. In light of the high number of refugees fleeing the former Soviet Zone of Occupation (SBZ), the Soviet Military Administration deemed it necessary as early as November 1946 to establish and arm the German Border Police. By 1948, the force which had grown to around 10,000 men, was garrisoned and given military training. The Border Police (renamed Border Troops / Grenztruppen from 1974) was temporarily placed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior or the Ministry for State Security (MfS), but following the construction of the Berlin Wall, it was assigned to the Ministry of National Defence. Its powers were most recently set out in the "Border Act" of 25 March 1982.

After the construction of the Berlin Wall, the Border Police had a strength of 50,000 men. In addition, around 2,000 "voluntary assistants to the border troops" helped monitor the border area once a month for a twelve-hour shift. Originally, the 18-month military service with the Border Troops was based on a voluntary principle. However, authorities later shifted towards selecting strictly vetted conscripts, giving the Border Troops the character of a military elite. Its commanders were Hermann Rentzsch (1948/49), Josef Schütz (1949-1952), Richard Smolosz (1952/53), Heinrich Garthmann (1953â-1956), Paul Ludwig (1957-1960), Erich Peter (1960-1979), Klaus-Dieter Baumgarten (1979-1990), and Dieter Teichmann (1990).

Increasing perfectionism defined the border regime. In May 1952, modeled on the Soviet system, a five-kilometre-deep restricted zone, a 500-metre-wide protective strip, and a ten-metre-wide control strip were established in front of the actual border. At the same time, the western border was closed across both land and waterways. Furthermore, during Operation "Vermin" (Aktion Ungeziefer), led by the MfS, over 8,000 residents in the border region were relocated, with a further 3,000 relocated during Operation "Consolidation" (Aktion Festigung) in September 1961. At Soviet insistence, a "strict border regime" was to be implemented, leading to the installation of the first landmines. Five years later, the SED leadership expanded the barrier facilities into a "modern border". Depending on the terrain, this included barbed-wire fences, some electric wire-mesh fences, reinforced concrete walls, anti-vehicle trenches, tripwires, minefields, automatic spring-gun devices, light barriers, as well as acoustic and electric warning systems. Furthermore, 715 watchtowers, underground bunkers, dog-run facilities, patrol roads, and a communications network were installed. For the period between 1988 and 2000, plans were made to modernise the border with microwave and infrared technology; the material alone was estimated at 257 million Marks.

However, the single most important containment measure was the construction of the Berlin Wall. From the outset of their duties, the Border Troops operated under the directive to use firearms if necessary to stop "border violators". This placed a severe burden on the mostly young border guards.

The inspection of passenger traffic at border crossing points (GÜSt) was not the responsibility of the Border Troops, but of the Passport Control Units (PKE) of the MfS. Although they wore Border Troop uniforms and were formally subordinate to the border commander, they were actually under the control of the MfS. Their higher pay and different regulations granted them a special status, which strained relations with members of the Border Troops, especially as the notoriously harassing behavior during checks was also attributed to the latter's reputation.

The monitoring of cross-border goods, foreign currency, and gift traffic fell to the Customs Administration, founded in 1962. It had developed out of the Office for Customs and Control of Goods Traffic (AZKW), created in 1950. It exercised regulatory and police powers to a significant degree.

In January 1990, the GDR government ordered a 50% reduction of the Border Troops; on 30 June 1990, immediately prior to the monetary union, border controls between the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany were abolished.

Unteroffiziere und Maate auf Zeit / Non-career NCOs

Berufsunteroffiziere / Career NCOs

Offiziersschüler / Officer cadets

Fähnriche / Warrant Officers

 Offizieren / Junior officers

 Stabsoffizieren /Staff officers