Territorial Defense Command

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Territorial Defense Command
- Kdo TV -
XXXX

Association badge, Territorial Defense Command

Association badge
active June 1, 1957 to March 31, 1970
Country GermanyGermany Germany
Armed forces armed forces
Armed forces Territorial Army
Type Higher command authority
Insinuation BMVg.svg Headquarters of the armed forces
Location Bonn
commander
Last in command Lieutenant General Anton Detlev von Plato

The Territorial Defense Command ( Kdo TV , in the deployment phase also the Territorial Defense Command ) was the highest command authority in the territorial army of the Bundeswehr . In addition to the army , navy and air force , the territorial army was designed as an independent division of the Bundeswehr. The command was initially planned on June 1, 1957 under the name Office for Territorial Defense ( ATV ) and decommissioned in 1969.

tasks

The territorial army was of particular importance for the Bundeswehr reserve . The territorial army trained reservists and prepared mobilization in the event of a defense . In addition, the territorial army operated numerous depots and mobilization bases and had planned numerous inactive units . In the event of a defense, the territorial army should quickly grow up to many times its peace structure .

The subordinate troops were supposed to ensure the freedom of operation of the NATO armed forces in West Germany. Part of the task was to ensure the military order and security in the rear area . The fight against enemy troops was not the main mission of the territorial army. However, it was able to perform security or combat tasks with its own infantry and military police for a limited time and place . This included the defense of important infrastructure in the rear area, e.g. B. Ports , the NATO pipeline , marching roads, bridges, traffic hubs, command posts or telecommunications facilities. In the rear area one had to reckon with airborne , infiltrated or breached Warsaw Pact troops or covertly operating irregular combat groups . The territorial army supported the basic logistics and through the operation of military training areas the training projects of the units stationed in West Germany. Bridge-building pioneers of the territorial army promoted the mobility of the troops in West Germany. Wallmeister inhibited the mobility of opposing associations. An extensive telecommunications organization operated a fixed basic communication network with numerous basic network switching and switching centers, transmitting, receiving and telecommunication reconnaissance systems in western Germany.

The territorial army promoted civil defense measures . In addition to coordination with the other German armed forces and NATO forces, the territorial army was particularly dependent on cooperation with civil authorities. In cooperation with civil authorities, an effective disaster control system , NBC protection for the civilian population and an efficient reserve hospital organization should be set up in the event of a defense, and in an emergency also in peace .

All tasks described have been summarized under the term territorial defense .

Structure and organization

Structure and subordination

The Territorial Defense Command was subordinate to the Federal Minister of Defense or the command staff of the armed forces . Around 1965, the command was essentially divided into Defense District Command I to VI and the Defense District Command subordinate to them . In order to cope with the diverse tasks of the Territorial Army, the following active units were among others subject from 1965:

history

Established as an office for territorial defense

The command was initially planned on June 1, 1957 in Bonn under the designation Office for Territorial Defense. It was essentially created through the outsourcing of subdivision IV G "Territorial Defense" from the "Armed Forces" department of the Federal Ministry of Defense . On October 28, 1957, the office was renamed the Territorial Defense Command. In addition to the army , navy and air force , the territorial army was designed as an independent division of the Bundeswehr . The idea was to lead the territorial army as a separate armed force .

expansion

From 1958 to 1961, 25 TV staffs (territorial defense staffs ) were set up, which were reclassified into defense district commands from 1963 and represented the second level of division below the military area commands directly subordinate to the territorial defense command . From 1964 the establishment of subordinate defense district commands began. By 1967, 69 defense district commands had been set up.

In April 1961, the establishment of the organization for reservists began with a stage manager at the territorial defense command, staff officers for reservists at the military area and defense district commands and sergeants for reservists at the district military replacement offices . In 1963 the establishment of a territorial reserve began, initially with reservists doing voluntary service . From December 1965 reservists were also compulsorily ordered. The Territorial Reserve was renamed Homeland Security Force in 1965 . By April 1967, two training centers (three in Military Area III) were set up in each military area to train these reservists. In 1965 a total of around 35,000 soldiers were assigned to the territorial army.

In 1962, the Territorial Defense Command was charged with managing the flood disaster in northern Germany in February 1962 .

resolution

In 1969, the Territorial Defense Command was decommissioned as part of the capture of Army Structure III and dissolved on March 31, 1970. The concept of an independent armed forces under national leadership was abandoned. Instead, the troops previously subordinated to the Territorial Defense Command were assigned en masse to the Army . From then on, the army was divided into the field army, which was integrated into the NATO command structure , and the territorial army under national command. Many of the previous orders were transferred to the command authorities in the army, in particular the territorial commands Schleswig-Holstein , North and South .

Commander

The command was given by the following commanders :

No. Surname Beginning of the term of office Term expires
1 Colonel Joachim Möller-Döling June 1, 1957 17th November 1957
2 Lieutenant General Hans-Joachim von Horn November 18, 1957 September 30, 1961
3 Lieutenant General Joachim Schwatlo-Gesterding October 1, 1961 March 31, 1964
4th Lieutenant General Friedrich Alfred Übelhack April 1, 1964 March 31, 1968
5 Lieutenant General Anton Detlev von Plato April 1, 1968 March 31, 1970

Association badge

Association badge of the Territorial Defense Command and other areas of support in the Federal Ministry of Defense

The Territorial Defense Command carried a federation badge with the following blazon :

Clasped by a silver cord with woven black thread, divided into black, red, gold in a golden central shield a single-headed black eagle , its head turned to the right, the wings open, but with closed plumage, beak, tongue and fangs of red color (federal eagle ).

The shield division corresponded to the flag of Germany . The motifs of the association badge were also similar to the coat of arms of Germany . The federal eagle was the German heraldic animal . He was depicted similarly on the troop flags . The close reference to the coat of arms and the flag of Germany made it clear that the territorial army remained under the command of the national commander even in the event of a defense and was not assigned to NATO . The association badge clarified the direct subordination to the Federal Ministry of Defense , which had an identical badge except for the board . The here silver border symbolized the position below the Federal Ministry of Defense, which accordingly had a "higher quality" golden cord.

The association badge was later also worn by many associations in the area directly subordinate to the Federal Ministry. Some examples of these associations are the staff music corps of the Federal Armed Forces , the Guard Battalion BMVg , the Logistics Office of the Federal Armed Forces , the Office for Geoinformation of the Federal Armed Forces , the Logistics Center of the Federal Armed Forces , the Command Management Operations of Special Forces .

literature

  • Sleeping army . In: Der Spiegel . No. 35 , 1970 ( online ).
  • Rolf Clement, Paul Elmar Jöris : 50 years of the Bundeswehr . Mittler & Sohn, Hamburg, Berlin, Nonn 2005, ISBN 3-8132-0839-7 .
  • Erich Vorwerck: The homeland security force. Organization, development and training . In: Defense . No. 15 , 1966, pp. 202-207 .
  • Major Heinz Post: Fight against X-forces (X = guerrillas, saboteurs, terrorists and gangs) . In: Troop Practice. Magazine for tactics, technology and training . No. 10 , 1967, p. 731-734 .
  • Colonel i. G. Gerhard Schirmer: The Territorial Reserve as a way to the homeland security force - new content and new name . In: Troop Practice. Magazine for tactics, technology and training . No. 2 , 1966, p. 151-154 .
  • Lieutenant Colonel i. G. Heinz Schneider: The homeland security force. Further strengthening of the national defense of the Federal Republic . In: Troop Practice. Magazine for tactics, technology and training . No. 3 , 1966, pp. 231-234 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Der Reibert 1. Service instruction in the army - basic edition . MES Mittler & Sohn, 1963 ( digitized version of the corresponding page ).
  2. ^ Martin Rink: The Bundeswehr 1950 / 55-1989 . De Gruyter, Oldenbourg 2015, ISBN 3-11-043671-X .