Franz Erdmann (General)

Franz Erdmann (born April 23, 1939 in Allenstein , East Prussia) is a former major general of the East German NVA .

Life

As the son of a plumber, he attended the EOS in the GDR after the end of the Second World War , where he graduated from high school.

Immediately after finishing school, Erdmann joined the NVA in 1958 and became a soldier in the 23rd Panzer Regiment in the northeast of the GDR. From 1958 to 1959 he completed his training as a tank driver in training battalion 9 and returned to his unit as a sergeant and tank driver.

From 1959 to 1961 he was trained as an officer of the tank force at the tank officer school in Großenhain . After completing the officer's school, he was employed as an officer in the 9th Panzer Division in the tank battalion of the 9th Mot.-Rifle Regiment (MSR-9). There, Franz Erdmann became a member of the SED in 1963 and in 1968 deputy battalion commander for political work. His return to an operational commanding career was unusual for the NVA. From 1970 to 1973 he was battalion commander of the tank battalion in MSR-9.

From 1973 to 1975 he studied at the NVA military academy in Dresden. The degree took place with a diploma as a military scientist. After completing his studies, he was deployed again in the 9th Panzer Division in 1975. Franz Erdmann became deputy commander for training in his old regiment , the 23rd Panzer Regiment. A year later, in 1976, he became deputy commander and chief of staff there . From 1977 to 1979 Franz Erdmann commanded the 22nd Panzer Regiment as its commander.

From 1979 to 1980 Colonel Erdmann was appointed as the deputy commander for training of the 9th Panzer Division. In the summer of 1980 he was studying at the General Staff Academy of the USSR in Moscow. Erdmann was able to complete this academy with a diploma as a military scientist without any special linguistic preparation.

In 1982 he was used as commander of the 9th Panzer Division in Eggesin . On March 1, 1984 he was appointed major general of the NVA.

During 1987 and 1988 a short phase of the command to exercise service with the chief of military district V (Neubrandenburg) followed, he then succeeded Major General Heinz Exner as chief of the military district command in Berlin. With this position Erdmann left the National People's Army on September 30, 1990.

In the course of his service he was u. a. awarded the gold medal for “For services to the people and fatherland” .

literature

• Klaus Froh & Rüdiger Wenzke, (ed.): The generals and admirals of the NVA: A biographical manual. 5th, through. Edition. Ch. Links Verlag, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-86153-438-9