Combat mission of the FDJ

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The departure of an FDJ regiment in Karl-Marx-Stadt in August 1961.

The combat mission of the FDJ was a propaganda campaign initiated by the SED and FDJ in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), which was supposed to increase the number of volunteers for the National People's Army (NVA) after the wall was built. It was published on August 18, 1961 by the Central Council of the FDJ and contained the list “The Fatherland is calling. Protect the socialist republic! ”Which, citing the alleged danger of war, demanded the recruitment of young men in the GDR.

requirements

The points that the combat mission required were:

  • 1. "Defense readiness" of all men between 18 and 23 years of age;
  • 2. Assure harvest aid, plan fulfillment in production;
  • 3. Do not listen to “West stations” (campaign: “Lightning versus NATO stations”);
  • 4. Support the " interference clearance ";
  • 5. In the popular election on September 17, 1961, elect the candidates for the National Front

consequences

After the combat mission was published in the Junge Welt , some young people who had followed the contingent were drafted into the NVA very quickly. Special FDJ regiments were formed for this purpose. The combat mission prepared the Defense Act, which resulted in general conscription on January 24, 1962 . At the same time, the order groups of the FDJ were officially founded, which were supposed to secure the combat mission and the claims contained therein (such as the action “lightning versus NATO broadcasters”) and to take action against protests.

Medal "Combat mission of the FDJ 1961"

The medal for the combat mission.

purpose

In August 1961, an award of the FDJ was donated to the ideal enhancement of the propaganda campaign, which bore the same name. The award was given to those young people who followed the "FDJ combat mission" in connection with the construction of the Wall on August 13, 1961.

Appearance

The gold shimmering medal with a diameter of 28.5 mm shows a hand on its obverse , which is stretching a submachine gun into the sky, in front of the outlines of a factory. At the lower edge there is a laurel branch that bends up to the right and takes up about 1/4 of the medal edge. The reverse of the coin shows the other hand, the middle three-line inscription KAMPFAUFTRAG / DER FDJ / AUGUST 1961. The medal was worn on a blue enameled clasp with the symbol of the FDJ in the middle on the upper left side of the chest.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Junge Welt, August 18, 1961, p. 1.
  2. ↑ Anita Krätzner: Between “Störfreimachung” and “Combat mission”. On the situation at the universities of the GDR in 1961 In: Benjamin Schröder, Jochen Staadt (Hrsg.): Unter Hammer und Zirkel. Repression, opposition and resistance at the universities of the SBZ / GDR . Studies of the SED State Research Association at the Free University of Berlin 16. Peter Lang Verlag, Frankfurt am Main a. a. 2011, p. 193.
  3. ^ Marc-Dietrich Ohse: Youth after the Wall was built. Adaptation, protest and obstinacy (GDR 1961–1974) . Ch.links, Berlin 2003, p. 31f.
  4. ^ Frank Bartel, Jürgen Karpinski: Awards of the German Democratic Republic . Military Publishing House of the GDR, Berlin 1979, p. 189.