Organization of volunteer air protection workers

Well known to many GDR citizens, a sign about the "LSR", the air raid shelter or "LSK" air raid shelter

The Organization of Voluntary Air Protection Helpers (OfL) was an organization of the German Democratic Republic , the majority of which consisted of voluntary civilian helpers, whose aim was to take into account the will of the population not to be defenseless against possible attacks by imperialist forces. It was founded on February 11, 1958. It was thus a counterpart to the voluntary helpers of the People's Police and the voluntary helpers of the border troops . Until 1978 it was completely part of the civil defense of the GDR and can therefore partly be regarded as the forerunner of today's THW .

Origin and tasks

The OfL united in its ranks all those voluntary citizens of the GDR who had reached the age of 14 and were willing to take an active part in solving the tasks of air protection and thus in increasing the defense capabilities of workers and peasants. The opening words of their regulation were:

“ The active struggle for peace, the ban on all weapons of mass destruction and general disarmament is and remains the demand of the government of the German Democratic Republic. However, the danger of a new war evoked again by the imperialist warmongers, especially by German militarism, compels the German Democratic Republic to constantly increase its defense capabilities. This also includes the establishment of air protection. Air protection is only effective, however, if the population actively supports the state air protection measures, is informed about the dangers and what to do in the event of possible attacks by imperialist forces from the air, and organizes all preparations for the protection of themselves, their property and that for satisfaction meets their vital needs in important institutions. With the formation of an organization of voluntary air raid helpers, the government creates the conditions for realizing this task and thus takes into account the will of the population not to be defenseless against possible attacks by imperialist forces from the air. "

The legal basis for all further ordinances was the "Air Protection Act in the German Democratic Republic" of February 11, 1958, in whose paragraphs two and three the participation of the population in air protection could take place voluntarily. For the purpose:

to protect oneself, one's homes and property from the consequences of attacks from the air in self-protection,
for the protection of factories, companies and other important economic facilities in air protection and
for the implementation of preventive measures in accordance with the requirements of modern air protection as well as for combating and remedying disasters in the services of air protection, which were formed on the basis of the state organs and their facilities for local and regional deployment.

Essentially, the OfL had the following tasks: It had to inform the population about the dangers and what to do in the event of possible air attacks, to train them accordingly, to organize self-protection and thus to contribute to increasing the GDR's defense capability. She supported the heads of air protection in the districts, cities and municipalities as well as the heads of air protection in the companies in carrying out their tasks in air protection. OfL exercised its activities in the districts, cities, city districts and local communities and was under the guidance and guidance of the Ministry of the Interior of the GDR. These, in turn, had to ensure that OfL had a uniform structure, could optimize its working methods and ensure strict discipline.

Employment requirements / training / membership

As already mentioned, every citizen of the GDR who had reached the age of 14 could become a volunteer of the OfL. The only specific requirement for hiring was that the members had to demonstrate a high level of political and technical knowledge in order to carry out their tasks. The Ministry of the Interior was also entrusted with the training of the members of the OfL and provided relevant training materials. According to the intended training, the OfL volunteers were trained and deployed in the following areas:

spotter
Teacher
instructor
Organizers and
Head of the self-protection of the population

The membership in the OFL was contributory for the volunteers, with the membership during the time in the National People's Army just rested. Admission usually took place after submitting a written declaration of membership, with the final decision on admission being made by the responsible committee. All of the OfL helpers received an identity card that had to be returned upon departure. Membership ended either through resignation, exclusion or death.

Areas of application

The volunteer air raid rescue workers were mainly deployed in apartment blocks, important companies, public buildings and facilities such as train stations. The helpers were divided into groups of volunteers . At their head there was an air raid protection line. The heads of the air protection of the districts and the districts and cities had to support the groups of OfL in their respective areas in accomplishing their task, but also to control them. In doing so, OfL relied on the committees of the

as well as in close cooperation with the Society for Sport and Technology , the German Red Cross of the GDR and the volunteer fire brigades to disseminate scientific knowledge.

Awards

In addition, the members of the OfL were honored for their services to the protection of the population, property and their facilities.

Rights and obligations

Obligations of the members of the OfL	Rights of the members of the OfL
active and conscientious fulfillment of the defined tasks of organizing voluntary air raid helpers as well as participation in organizational assignments Disciplined appearance Acquisition of the required knowledge and its deepening and expansion to protect, maintain and prevent misuse of all training and education equipment and materials de-register or de-register with the responsible committee in the event of a change of residence Confidentiality, even after leaving the company	to use all available opportunities for training and education and to be delegated to schools and courses to take on a task in the OfL that corresponds to one's own abilities Bringing suggestions for improvement Consultation by the committee in case of expulsion Insurance coverage Reimbursement of loss of wages that the OfL member incurs as a result of his exercise for OfL Compensation for personal property that has been impaired or lost as a result of the tasks for the OfL

Governing bodies

The governing bodies of the OfL were:

the district committees for the districts
the city committees for the city districts and cities belonging to the district
the borough committees for the boroughs of major cities
the local committees for the communities
the section committees, which were to be formed in cities with more than ten residential districts and taking local conditions into account and should comprise five to ten residential districts
the residential district committees established in cities with multiple residential districts, taking into account local conditions, usually on the basis of the residential districts of the National Front

The governing bodies, on the other hand, consist of the head of the committee, his deputy for political work, his deputy for organizing the self-protection of the population, the deputy for education and training and up to seven other members. The task of the district, city and city district committees consisted of:

Instruction and support to educate and win over the population to work at OfL by exchanging experiences, arranging suitable speakers, public relations etc.
Guidance and support in organizing the self-protection of the population
Education and training of the members of the organization through evening and weekend training courses, lecture evenings, etc. and the preparation of such training and training plans

The local, section and residential district committees had similar tasks to fulfill, primarily the acquisition of new members, also for the management team. In addition, they carried out educational work, training courses, trial and operational exercises, etc.

resolution

Against the background of the massive increase in weapons of mass destruction, such as that of nuclear weapons from the mid-1960s, the regulation of the OfL was soon outdated. It was the beginning of the civil defense of the GDR and the beginning of the end of the OfL. From 1970 to 1978 more and more tasks of air protection were now transferred to the new civil defense law of the GDR, which soon took over the entire range of tasks of the OfL.

Web links

Individual evidence

↑ Ordinance on the formation of the organization of voluntary air raid helpers of February 11, 1958 § 1, GDR Law Gazette of February 20, 1958 No. 12
^ Ordinance on the formation of the organization of voluntary air raid helpers of February 11, 1958, Section 2, GDR Law Gazette of February 20, 1958 No. 12
↑ Ordinance on the formation of the organization of voluntary air raid helpers of February 11, 1958 § 3, GDR Law Gazette of February 20, 1958 No. 12
^ Ordinance on the formation of the organization of voluntary air raid helpers of February 11, 1958, Section 7, Paragraph 1, GDR Law Gazette of February 20, 1958 No. 12
^ Statute of the Organization of Voluntary Air Raid Helpers of November 24, 1958 § 2, GDR Law Gazette of December 12, 1958 No. 72
↑ Statute of the Organization of Voluntary Air Rescue Workers of November 24, 1958 Section 4, GDR Law Gazette of December 12, 1958 No. 72
^ Statute of the Organization of Voluntary Air Raid Helpers of November 24, 1958, Section 5, GDR Law Gazette of December 12, 1958 No. 72
↑ Statute of the Organization of Voluntary Air Protection Helpers of November 24, 1958, Section 6, GDR Law Gazette of December 12, 1958 No. 72
^ Ordinance on the formation of the organization of voluntary air raid helpers of February 11, 1958, Section 5, GDR Law Gazette of February 20, 1958 No. 12
^ Ordinance on the formation of the organization of voluntary air raid helpers of February 11, 1958, Section 6, GDR Law Gazette of February 20, 1958 No. 12
^ Statute of the Organization of Voluntary Air Raid Helpers of November 24, 1958 § 1, GDR Law Gazette of December 12, 1958 No. 72
^ Ordinance on the formation of the organization of voluntary air raid helpers of February 11, 1958, Section 7, Paragraph 2, GDR Law Gazette of February 20, 1958 No. 12
↑ Statute of the Organization of Voluntary Air Raid Helpers of November 24, 1958 Section 9, GDR Law Gazette of December 12, 1958 No. 72
↑ Statute of the Organization of Voluntary Air Rescue Workers of November 24, 1958, Section 7, GDR Law Gazette of December 12, 1958 No. 72
^ Ordinance on the extension of insurance coverage in the event of accidents in the exercise of social, cultural and sporting activities, Business Journal of the GDR of April 11, 1973, No. 22, pages 199–201
^ Statute of the Organization of Voluntary Air Raid Helpers of November 24, 1958 Section 8, GDR Law Gazette of December 12, 1958 No. 72
^ Statute of the Organization of Voluntary Air Raid Helpers of November 24, 1958, Section 10, GDR Law Gazette of December 12, 1958 No. 72
^ Statute of the Organization of Voluntary Air Raid Helpers of November 24, 1958, Section 11, GDR Law Gazette of December 12, 1958 No. 72
↑ Statute of the Organization of Voluntary Air Raid Helpers of November 24, 1958 Section 12, GDR Law Gazette of December 12, 1958 No. 72
↑ Statute of the Organization of Voluntary Air Raid Helpers of November 24, 1958 Sections 13, 14, 15 of the GDR Law Gazette of December 12, 1958 No. 72

[1] Ordinance on the formation of the organization of voluntary air raid helpers of February 11, 1958 § 1, GDR Law Gazette of February 20, 1958 No. 12

[2] Ordinance on the formation of the organization of voluntary air raid helpers of February 11, 1958, Section 2, GDR Law Gazette of February 20, 1958 No. 12

[3] Ordinance on the formation of the organization of voluntary air raid helpers of February 11, 1958 § 3, GDR Law Gazette of February 20, 1958 No. 12

[4] Ordinance on the formation of the organization of voluntary air raid helpers of February 11, 1958, Section 7, Paragraph 1, GDR Law Gazette of February 20, 1958 No. 12

[5] Statute of the Organization of Voluntary Air Raid Helpers of November 24, 1958 § 2, GDR Law Gazette of December 12, 1958 No. 72

[6] Statute of the Organization of Voluntary Air Rescue Workers of November 24, 1958 Section 4, GDR Law Gazette of December 12, 1958 No. 72

[7] Statute of the Organization of Voluntary Air Raid Helpers of November 24, 1958, Section 5, GDR Law Gazette of December 12, 1958 No. 72

[8] Statute of the Organization of Voluntary Air Protection Helpers of November 24, 1958, Section 6, GDR Law Gazette of December 12, 1958 No. 72

[9] Ordinance on the formation of the organization of voluntary air raid helpers of February 11, 1958, Section 5, GDR Law Gazette of February 20, 1958 No. 12

[10] Ordinance on the formation of the organization of voluntary air raid helpers of February 11, 1958, Section 6, GDR Law Gazette of February 20, 1958 No. 12

[11] Statute of the Organization of Voluntary Air Raid Helpers of November 24, 1958 § 1, GDR Law Gazette of December 12, 1958 No. 72

[12] Ordinance on the formation of the organization of voluntary air raid helpers of February 11, 1958, Section 7, Paragraph 2, GDR Law Gazette of February 20, 1958 No. 12

[13] Statute of the Organization of Voluntary Air Raid Helpers of November 24, 1958 Section 9, GDR Law Gazette of December 12, 1958 No. 72

[14] Statute of the Organization of Voluntary Air Rescue Workers of November 24, 1958, Section 7, GDR Law Gazette of December 12, 1958 No. 72

[15] Ordinance on the extension of insurance coverage in the event of accidents in the exercise of social, cultural and sporting activities, Business Journal of the GDR of April 11, 1973, No. 22, pages 199–201

[16] Statute of the Organization of Voluntary Air Raid Helpers of November 24, 1958 Section 8, GDR Law Gazette of December 12, 1958 No. 72

[17] Statute of the Organization of Voluntary Air Raid Helpers of November 24, 1958, Section 10, GDR Law Gazette of December 12, 1958 No. 72

[18] Statute of the Organization of Voluntary Air Raid Helpers of November 24, 1958, Section 11, GDR Law Gazette of December 12, 1958 No. 72

[19] Statute of the Organization of Voluntary Air Raid Helpers of November 24, 1958 Section 12, GDR Law Gazette of December 12, 1958 No. 72

[20] Statute of the Organization of Voluntary Air Raid Helpers of November 24, 1958 Sections 13, 14, 15 of the GDR Law Gazette of December 12, 1958 No. 72