The National People's Army (, ; NVA ) were the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990.
The NVA was organized into four branches: the (Ground Forces), the (Navy), the (Air Force) and the (Border Troops). The NVA belonged to the Ministry of National Defence and commanded by the National Defense Council of East Germany, headquartered in Strausberg east of East Berlin. From 1962, conscription was mandatory for all GDR males aged between 18 and 60 requiring an 18-month service, and it was the only Warsaw Pact military to offer non-combat roles to conscientious objectors, known as "construction soldiers" (). The NVA reached 175,300 personnel at its peak in 1987.
The NVA was formed on 1 March 1956 to succeed the (Barracked People's Police) and under the influence of the Soviet Army became one of the Warsaw Pact militaries opposing NATO during the Cold War. The majority of NATO officers rated the NVA the best military in the Warsaw Pact based on discipline, thoroughness of training, and the quality of officer leadership. The NVA did not see significant combat but participated in the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, deployed military advisors to communist governments in other countries, and manned the Berlin Wall where they were responsible for numerous deaths.
The NVA was dissolved on 2 October 1990 with the GDR before German reunification, and its facilities and equipment were handed over to the (the armed forces of West Germany), which also absorbed most of its personnel below the rank of non-commissioned officer.
History
The German Democratic Republic (GDR) established the National People's Army on 1 March 1956 (six months after the formation of the West German ) from the . This formation culminated years of preparation during which former officers and communist veterans of the Spanish Civil War helped organize and train paramilitary units of the People's Police. Though the NVA featured a German appearance – including uniforms and ceremonies patterned after older German military traditions – its doctrine and structure showed the strong influence of the Soviet Armed Forces.
During its first year, about 27 percent of the NVA's officer corps had formerly served in the Wehrmacht. Of the 82 highest command positions, ex- officers held 61; however, very few of them had served in high ranks. The military knowledge and combat experience of these veterans were indispensable in the NVA's early years, although by the 1960s most of these World War II veterans had retired. (The West German was even more reliant on veterans, who initially comprised the majority of its commissioned ranks.)
Notable former officers in the NVA command
The following list includes the NVA generals who were awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in the during the Second World War.
Wilhelm Adam (17 December 1942 as ) Otto Korfes (22 January 1943 as ) Vincenz Müller (7 April 1944 as )
The following list includes the NVA generals who were awarded the German Cross in the Wehrmacht during the Second World War.
Rudolf Bamler (12 March 1942 as ) Bernhard Bechler (28 January 1943 as ) Otto Korfes (11 January 1942 as ) Arno von Lenski (21 January 1943 as ) Vincenz Müller (26 January 1942 as i.G.) Hans Wulz (25 January 1943 as )
In its first six years the NVA operated as an all-volunteer force. (West Germany, in contrast, re-introduced universal military service in 1956.) The GDR introduced conscription in 1962. According to the Parallel History Project on Cooperative Security:
Like the ruling communist parties of other Soviet satellites, the East German Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) assured control by appointing loyal party members to top positions and by organizing intensive political education for all ranks. The proportion of SED members in the officer corps rose steadily after the early 1960s, eventually reaching almost 95 percent.
The NVA saw itself as the "instrument of power of the working class" (). According to its doctrine, the NVA protected peace and secured the achievements of socialism by maintaining a convincing deterrent to imperialist aggression. The NVA's motto, inscribed on its flag, read: "For the Protection of the Workers and Farmers' Power".