1st motorized rifle division
|
1st motor rifle division (1st MSD) |
|
|---|---|
| active | April 30, 1956 to October 2, 1990 |
| Country |
.svg){kind=small} GDR
|
| Armed forces | National Peoples Army |
| Armed forces | Land forces of the NVA |
| Branch of service | Mechanized infantry |
| Type | Mechanized Infantry Division |
| structure | structure |
| Strength | Should war: 14,999 Should peace: 10,520 |
| Insinuation |
Military District V (Peace) Special grouping Berlin (war) |
| headquarters | Potsdam ( location ) |
| equipment | equipment |
| Commanders | |
| list of | Commanders |
The 1st Motorized Rifle Division , or 1st MSD for short , was a large association of the National People's Army of the GDR .
history
Lineup
The division was created on April 30, 1956 as the 1st Mechanized Division from the Mechanized Readiness Potsdam of the Barracked People's Police (KVP) in Military District V and was renamed the 1st Motorized Rifle Division on December 20, 1956.
The land forces of the GDR were divided into two military districts, V North and III South, which each had to set up an army in the event of war. From 1972 it became the Land Forces Command , which replaced the military districts as a training command , including the 1st MSD.
The 1st motorized rifle division was the first officially established association of the NVA with the handover of the troop flag on April 30, 1956 and took part in the parade on May 1, 1956 .
Construction of the wall
As part of the construction of the Berlin Wall , the 1st motorized rifle division was deployed together with the 8th motorized rifle division and forces of the Soviet Armed Forces in Germany (GSSD) group as a second "security team" at a depth of approx. 1000 m behind the border. The first security squadron directly at the border consisted of units of the working class combat groups , the border police and the people's police . The forces were instructed in their duties on the evening of August 12, 1961 by the Minister for National Defense, Army General Heinz Hoffmann , and were called in under the order 01/1961 “to secure the sector border and the outer ring of West Berlin”. The 1st MSD was involved in the security measures with at least 4,200 men, 140 tanks and 200 armored personnel carriers. From the division's inventory, the motorized rifle regiments 1, 2 and 3, the tank regiment 1, the reconnaissance battalion 1, the artillery battalion 1 and the engineer battalion 1. The command post of the 1st MSD was located in the barracks of the Mot during this deployment 1st Rifle Regiment in Oranienburg. The relocation of the bulk of the division's forces deployed to the sites took place - in accordance with the order 03/1961 issued by the Minister for National Defense on September 20, 1961 - by September 22, 1961.
Special grouping Berlin
In the event of war, the formation of a “Special Grouping Berlin” was intended to carry out the “Operation Center”. "Operation Center" (also known as "Operation Stoss" or "Operation Mitte") was the name given to the planned capture of West Berlin. The 1st motorized rifle division was - together with some other units of the NVA and forces of the GSSD, the fighting groups of the working class, the border troops of the GDR and the VP readiness - intended as part of the "Special Grouping Berlin". The total strength of the group was about 32,000 men. She was equipped u. a. with 400 tanks, 400 armored personnel carriers and 450 guns and grenade launchers. The exercises of the leadership bodies of the group were carried out in the strictest of secrecy as part of the training measures “Tournament” (1973) and “Bordkante” (1985–1988).
Fall of the wall
As part of the events surrounding the fall of the Berlin Wall located SED - General Secretary Egon Krenz on the morning of November 10, 1989 increased combat readiness for the first MSD and the LSR 40 in. Soldiers and SPW 70 were ammunitioned, but no order was given. The increased combat readiness was lifted again in the afternoon of the next day.
resolution
On October 3, 1990 , the NVA was integrated into the Bundeswehr and the individual units of the 1st motorized rifle division placed under the command of the Bundeswehr Command East .
organization
Their structure largely corresponded to that of the motorized rifle divisions of the Soviet Army . In contrast to these, the NVA divisions had no combat helicopters and fewer battle tanks .
structure
| unit | Honorary name | Stationing place |
|---|---|---|
| Motorized Rifle Regiment 1 | Hans Beimler | Oranienburg (Julius Fucik barracks, location ) |
| Motorized Rifle Regiment 2 | Arthur Ladwig | Stahnsdorf ( location ) |
| Motorized Rifle Regiment 3 | Paul Hegenbarth | Brandenburg-Hohenstücke (Paul Hegenbarth barracks, location ) |
| 1st Panzer Regiment | Friedrich Wolf | Beelitz ( location ) |
| Artillery Regiment 1 | Rudolf Gyptner | Lehnitz ( location ) |
| Anti-aircraft missile regiment 1 | Anton Fischer | Brück ( location ) |
| Missile Division 1 | Rudi Arndt | Groß Behnitz (Rudi Arndt barracks, location ) |
| Missile Launcher Department 1 | Hermann Rentzsch | Beelitz ( location ) |
| Reconnaissance Battalion 1 | Dr. Richard Sorge | Beelitz ( location ) |
| Engineer Battalion 1 | Willi Becker | Kirchmöser (pioneer barracks, location ) |
| Artillery Division 1 (previously Panzerjägerabteilung 1) | Willy Sägebrecht | Beelitz |
| News Battalion 1 | Bodo Uhse | Oak ( location ) |
| Battalion Material Seizure 1 | Georg Handke | Damsdorf (Georg Handke barracks, location ) |
| Repair Battalion 1 | Otto Schliwinski | Potsdam |
| Chemical Defense Battalion 1 | Herbert Kittelmann | Lehnitz ( location ) |
| Medical Battalion 1 | Damsdorf (Georg Handke barracks, location ) | |
| Replacement Regiment 1 | Damsdorf (Georg Handke barracks, location ) |
equipment
The division was equipped with T-34 tanks when it was deployed, and they were used well into the 1960s. On March 1, 1968, of 190 Division 186 tanks were of the T-34 type and only 4 were T-55 . The conversion continued in the 1970s and 1980s and was completed with the complete equipment with T-55 tanks in the late 1980s.
When they were set up, the division's Mot rifle associations were equipped with BTR-40 (SPW-40) and BTR-152 (SPW-152) armored personnel carriers. In the mid-1960s, BTR-60 (SPW-60) and from 1978 BTR-70 (SPW-70) and BMP-1 were delivered.
The actual stock in 1990 included:
- 4 start ramps FROG-7
- 214 T-55
- 112 BMP
- 279 SpW 70
- 162 artillery pieces and projectiles
Commanders
| Rank at that time | Surname | Period | comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colonel | Erich Jackel | April 30, 1956 - May 13, 1957 | |
| Lieutenant colonel | Horst Stechbarth | May 15, 1957 - May 30, 1959 | |
| Colonel | Helmut Klebsch | June 1, 1959 - October 15, 1959 | |
| Colonel | Leopold Gotthilf | October 15, 1959 - August 31, 1963 | |
| Lieutenant colonel | Walter Krysmann | November 1, 1963 - October 31, 1966 | |
| Colonel | Horst Skerra | November 1, 1966 - August 31, 1969 | |
| Colonel | Klaus Winter | September 1, 1969 - August 31, 1974 | |
| Colonel | Horst Zander | September 1, 1974 - October 31, 1978 | |
| Colonel | Siegfried Zabelt | November 1, 1978 - October 31, 1983 | |
| Colonel | Hans-Georg Loeffler | November 1, 1983 - September 30, 1986 | |
| Colonel | Rolf Bogdanow | October 1, 1986 - May 31, 1988 | |
| Colonel | Peter Priemer | June 1, 1988 - October 2, 1990 |
Remarks:
- ^ Colonel from October 7, 1964
- ↑ Major General from March 1, 1967
- ↑ Major General from March 1, 1972
- ↑ Major General from October 7, 1977
- ↑ Major General from October 7, 1980
Honors
- October 1, 1984 Karl Marx Order
literature
- Klaus Froh: The 1st MSD of the NVA. On the history of the 1st motorized rifle division 1956-1990 , Helios, Aachen, 2017, ISBN 978-3-86933-177-5 .
- Klaus Froh, Rüdiger Wenzke : The generals and admirals of the NVA. A biographical manual. 5th revised edition. Ch. Links Verlag , Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-86153-438-9 ( A publication by the Military History Research Office for research on GDR society ).
- Guntram König: The great book of the National People's Army. History, tasks, equipment. Das Neue Berlin, Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-360-01954-7 .
- Wilfried Copenhagen : The land forces of the NVA. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-613-02297-4 ( Motorbuch-Verlag special ).
- Klaus Naumann (Ed.): NVA. Claim and Reality. According to selected documents. 2nd Edition. Mittler, Hamburg a. a. 1996, ISBN 3-8132-0430-8 ( open words ).
- Jörg Siegert : Type compass tanks of the NVA. 1956-1990. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-613-02954-5 ( type compass. Basic knowledge for tank fans ).
- Walter J. Spielberger, Jörg Siegert, Helmut Hanske: The battle tanks of the NVA. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 3-613-01759-8 ( military vehicles 16).
Web links
- Olaf Kersten: NVA Structure NVA Forum, April 30, 2009.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Wilfried Copenhagen: The land forces of the NVA . Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-613-02297-4 , p. 179.
- ↑ Wilfried Copenhagen, p. 41
- ↑ Klaus Naumann (Ed.): NVA - Claim and Reality, according to selected documents . Hamburg / Berlin / Bonn 1996, p. 102
- ↑ Wilfried Copenhagen, p. 173
- ↑ Klaus Naumann (Ed.): NVA - Claim and Reality, according to selected documents . Hamburg / Berlin / Bonn 1996, p. 286 f.
- ↑ Hans Halter: On the edge of the civil war . In: Der Spiegel . No. 40 , 1995 ( online ).
- ↑ Wilfried Copenhagen, p. 39
- ↑ panzerregiment-1.de
- ↑ nva-futt.de
- ↑ Klaus Froh: Chronicle of the NVA . 2010 ISBN 978-3-89574-745-8 , p. 546
Map with all coordinates: