Missile and Weapons Service

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Service career badge for soldiers of the rocket and weapons service of the NVA

The Missile and Weapons Service , or RWD for short , the former National People's Army of the GDR was responsible for providing the land forces of the NVA with timely, complete and uninterrupted security for the troops with armaments, missile technology and ammunition as well as the organization of scheduled maintenance measures. The Missile and Weapons Technical Service was responsible for the procurement, stockpiling and storage, technical readiness for use and the supply of weapons and ammunition to the land forces. To carry out this task, departments, sub-departments and working groups were set up at the various management levels. The Missile and Weapons Service also had special workshops and stores in which weapons and ammunition were repaired and stored. The spectrum of armaments to be supervised ranged from the paring knife to the short-range missile and included optical devices, guidance systems, computing devices and radio measuring devices . The range of ammunition to be looked after was just as extensive. In the 1990s, RWD was responsible for almost 1,400 items of armament and equipment and 1290 types of ammunition with a total weight of 245,000 t.

background

In organizing material security, the East German NVA largely followed the principles of the Soviet Army , which ultimately drew on the experience of the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht . In addition to the command lines for commanding units and associations, so-called specialist services were created for special equipment and armament. Operationally subordinate to the respective troop commander, the specialist services were responsible for questions relating to the procurement and maintenance of this device. From a technical point of view, the respective organizational elements of these specialist services were subordinate to the corresponding element of the next higher management level. In addition to the RWD, the NVA also had, for example, the tank service, the automotive engineering service, the chemical service and the medical service.

One advantage of this system was the high level of qualification and the associated high level of specialization of the workforce; the troop leader was also largely relieved of material security issues. Disadvantages can be the establishment of parallel management structures and the necessary high staffing requirements.

With the introduction of complex weapon systems, the cooperation between the individual specialist services became more complicated. While the RWD was still solely responsible for all elements of the weapon system on the 37 mm Flak 61-K , its responsibility for the Fla-Sfl ZSU-23-4 extended to the primary power supply, the weapon system, the radar device and the computing device the tank service was responsible for the chassis and the propulsion system. The cooperation between the individual specialist services had to be coordinated, usage periods and repairs had to be coordinated.

staff

Classification badge for soldiers in the Missile and Weapons Service

While officers, ensigns and non-commissioned officers were primarily on duty in the staffs of the units and associations who had appropriate technical training and a qualification as engineers or technicians, conscripts and qualified civilian workers were also employed in the workshops and camps. As a rule, the officers, ensigns and professional non-commissioned officers remained in the missile and weapons technology service throughout their service relationship and, depending on their suitability and qualifications, were deployed to higher staffs and command authorities or in management functions of the RWD.

Since the training of the officers of the RWD was partly highly specialized, on the other hand there was only a small need in numbers, these were primarily trained at training institutions of the Soviet Army. The initially six-year, from 1981 five-year course ended with the appointment of lieutenant and the award of the academic degree of a graduate engineer. Training institutions in the Soviet Union, at which officers of the RWD were trained, were the anti-aircraft missile technical college SM Kirov in Kiev and the officers college of the artillery in Kazan and Penza . Individual officers were also trained at the officers' college of the land forces "Ernst Thälmann" in the GDR. Until the beginning of the 1980s, individual RWD officers received their professional qualifications as officers' auditors at the military academy for air defense "Marshal of the Soviet Union Vasilevsky" in Kiev. The further qualification of suitable officers took place at the Military Academy Friedrich Engels of the NVA or the Military Academy of Artillery “MI Kalinin” in Leningrad .

NCOs received their training primarily at the rocket training center 40 (RAZ-40) in Prora or at the anti-aircraft rocket training center 40 (FRAZ-40) in Zingst .

The further education of the members of the RWD took place through a large number of courses, which were carried out in particular in preparation for the introduction of new weapons systems in military facilities of the Soviet Army.

The procedures for supplying ammunition and repair work were regularly practiced in staff and troop exercises. In doing so, the RWD made use of a large number of reservists.

Soldiers of the missile and weapons technology service were required to regularly prove their qualifications in tests. The successful passing of the test was documented by wearing a classification badge. The badge was awarded in three stages, depending on the examination. The award of the classification mark was associated with a financial contribution.

Ranks, uniform and weapon color

The weapon color of the soldiers of the rocket and weapons technology service was brick red, as was that of the rocket troops and artillery and the air defense. Until 1974 this was still recognizable by the tucks, lugs and collar tabs as well as shoulder pieces or flaps of the uniform, after that for officers only on the shoulder pieces. NCOs kept the brick-red cantilla filling on the collar tabs until 1979.

development

The Weapons Technical Service (WD) was set up in 1956 when the National People's Army was founded. Since the WD was mainly responsible for artillery weapons and artillery accessories in addition to rifle weapons and ammunition in the 1950s, the WD was initially subordinate to the head of artillery . Even after the anti-aircraft artillery, initially part of the artillery, had developed into an independent class of troops as air defense, and the RWD was responsible for the corresponding technology and armament, this assumption did not initially change. In 1962 the artillery branch was renamed to rocket troops and artillery, consequently the name of the chief artillery changed to chief rocket troops and artillery , but the name of the weapons technical service was also changed to rocket and weapons technical service in 1972.

Also in 1972, in the course of profound organizational changes in the NVA, in the course of which the Land Forces Command was created, the RWD was subordinated to the head of the rear services . This subordination remained until 1983. In this year, the subordination to the chief technical services , which existed in 1990. As a result of the social upheaval in the GDR, the Ministry of National Defense was restructured based on the structures of the NATO countries. The RWD was subject to the chief security until the NVA was dissolved . However, the tasks and organizational structure of the RWD did not change.

tasks

The parachute parachute knife was part of the device that was looked after by the RWD
The RWD was also responsible for the OTR-23 Oka .
With the dissolution of the NVA, the RWD was responsible for scrapping technology and armament, as here the OTR-23 Oka , unless it was returned to the Soviet Union as so-called sensitive technology or could not be used in any other way.

The tasks of the missile and weapons technology service remained essentially unchanged during the existence of the NVA, but were constantly adapted to the existing technology and armament as well as to the organizational structures.

The RWD was primarily responsible for the availability and technical readiness for use of the technology, weapons and ammunition.

The RWD managed the ammunition depots under it and managed the on-site ammunition depots belonging to the associations and units. The NVA divisions had more than 4,000 tons of ammunition, of which around 2,000 were stored in the on-site ammunition stores. The mobilization divisions had 3,000 to 4,000 tons of ammunition, most of which was stored in the ammunition stores. This ammunition had to be checked, stored, serviced and prepared for handover to the consuming units or for disposal on a regular basis, but the transport itself was carried out by the rear services or the consuming units. In the course of the dissolution of the NVA, proper storage and the guarding of the individual ammunition depots could no longer be ensured. Therefore, ammunition was grouped in a few ammunition stores. This led to overcrowding. 40,400 t of ammunition were stored in ammunition store 22, although the store was only designed for 30,000 t. The ammunition store 15, designed for 19,430 t, contained 25,460 t, of which over 5,600 t were in free stacks and 340 t without lightning protection.

The tasks of the RWD also included keeping the relevant inventory documents for weapons, rockets and ammunition. This included the proof of edged weapons and rifle weapons, but also of optical and artillery equipment and the various weapon systems. In one division there were documents for about 22,000 rifles and about the same number of optical and artillery devices. These inventory documents also provided a basis for operational evidence of the main types of armament, missiles and ammunition . This evidence gave the respective commanders an overview of the availability and operational readiness of the most important weapon systems and ammunition and was a prerequisite for the development of operational planning.

Another task of the RWD was the planning of repair work. This repair work was planned either after the specified usage indicators had been reached or after the passage of time. This scheduled repair work was carried out in the listed repair facilities of the Land Forces Command and the military districts, but also in the repair battalions and companies of the divisions and regiments. Major repair work was carried out in companies belonging to the GDR economy. Certain technology, such as anti-aircraft missile and missile systems, radio measuring devices and command systems, was also repaired in the USSR and the then People's Republic of Hungary. In 1990, repairs were planned for 195 main types of armament. For repairs in the GDR 55 million marks from the GDR were available, for repairs abroad around 75 million marks.

From the mid-1980s, IT applications were available for inventory management and maintenance planning, which were developed in the Land Forces Command. Automated field management systems were used for the preparation of the operational evidence and the preparatory work for the operational planning of the respective commanders, which enabled the input, maintenance and transmission of the data as well as the collaborative development of commands.

So-called impact shootings were also planned and carried out under the responsibility of the RWD . These shootings were used to assess the effectiveness of various weapon systems, the susceptibility of one's own technology to damage by fire and the planning of procedures for makeshift repairs. Half the ammunition standard was used to shoot real targets in and outside cover.

organization structure

Elements of the missile and weapon technology service were available in the land forces of the NVA from the Ministry for National Defense (MfNV) at all management levels. The structure from the mid-1980s is shown below.

Ministry of National Defense level

Missile complexes such as the 9K79 Totschka were taken over in the RTB-2 and prepared for use in the NVA.
Other technology and armament, such as the NSPU night vision device here, was adopted in RWTL-2 and prepared for use in the NVA.

In the Ministry of National Defense there was an administration for the Missile and Weapons Technical Service as the highest technical management body of the Missile and Weapons Technical Service. The administration was led by the head of missile and weapons technology service of the NVA , who was subordinate to the head of the technology and armament of the NVA . The last head of the NVA's missile and weapons service was Major General Heinz Hampel. This department not only had ministerial tasks, facilities and camps were also subordinate to it. This mixture of ministerial and operational tasks was originally intended to be eliminated by the formation of the Land Forces Command, but tasks and subordinate relationships remain for the RWD.

Were directly subordinate to the RWD administration

  • missile and weapons warehouse 2 (RWTL-2)
  • the missile technology base 2 (RTeB-2)
  • the repair base for armament 2 (IBB-2)
  • the repair base for ammunition 2 (IBM-2)
  • the laboratory for ammunition 2 (LfM-2)
  • the ammunition store 32 (ML-32)
  • the ammunition store 42 (ML-42)
  • the ammunition store 22 (ML-22) in Weichensdorf near Beeskow
  • two further sub-warehouses (in Güterfelde and Gorgast)

The missile and weapon technology warehouse 2 in Hennersdorf served as an import warehouse for technology and armament of the RWD with the exception of missiles and rocket technology. The technology, which was primarily imported from the Soviet Union, but also from other countries, was prepared here for use in the NVA. This included the retrofitting in accordance with the technical standards, quality regulations and delivery conditions valid in the GDR and NVA , but also the retrofitting of equipment parts used in the NVA. The spare parts, tools and accessories required for the repair of the technology and armament were stored in the RWTL-2 as well as consumables. After the end of use, the RWD's technology and armament were also demilitarized or scrapped in RWTL-2.

The rocket technology base - 2 in Brück served as an import warehouse for rockets and rocket technology. The technology, which was usually imported from the Soviet Union, was tested, and if necessary, converted to German regulations and stored. The scheduled work on the anti-aircraft missiles and the short-range missiles of the 8K14 weapon system was carried out in RTeB-2. For the work on the 9M79 and 9M714 missiles , personnel and technology from the Mobile Missile Technical Bases 3 and 5 were called in. Finally, the RTeB-2 was also responsible for delivering missiles, anti-aircraft missiles and warheads to the units of the missile troops and artillery as well as the air defense . In the case of defense, two missile transport departments (plus a stationary missile warehouse) were formed from the RTeB-2, which had to supply the mobile missile technical bases and the mobile anti-aircraft missile technical bases of the two armies of the NVA land forces.

In the repair base for armament - 2 in Doberlug-Kirchhain , the technology and armament to be looked after by the RWD was repaired and, if necessary, modernized. The repair base for ammunition - 2 was in Vogelsang - took on similar tasks in the field of ammunition .

In the ammunition store - 32 in Wolfsruh and in the ammunition store - 42 in Vogelsang, rifle, artillery and anti-aircraft ammunition with the exception of rockets and anti-aircraft missiles was stored and repaired.

Land forces command level

In the final phase of the NVA, the command of the land forces of the NVA (Kdo LaSK) had the RWD department. This was led by the head of rocket technology and armament.

The RWD department of the Land Forces Command was not directly subordinate to any units or units. This meant that the department's responsibility was limited to technical management and supervision, and the department was unable to allocate material.

Military district level

The anti- aircraft missiles 3M8 of the anti- aircraft missile system 2K11 Krug were stored in the mobile anti- aircraft missile bases of the military districts, serviced and supplied to the anti-aircraft missile regiments.
Ammunition of all calibres and types of use was stored, serviced and, if necessary, prepared for disposal in the ammunition stores of the military districts

At the military district level, the Missile and Weapons Service departments existed from 1983 . These were led by a head of the Missile and Weapons Service Department , who reported directly to the Deputy Chief MB and Chief Technical Services . The technical management by the RWD administration of the MfNV and the RWD department of the Land Forces Command remained unaffected. The large number of official and professional subordinate relationships resulted in inconsistent management relationships. There were three working groups within the department: one each for missile technology and armament, one for anti-aircraft armament and one for material planning.

Since an army and a military district responsible for territorial defense were to be formed from the military districts that existed in peacetime in the event of war, in this case a RWD department was formed from the RWD department for field management and territorial command.

Were directly subordinated

  • the artillery workshop and equipment store - 13 (AWL-13) or artillery workshop and equipment store - 15 (AWL-15)
  • the mobile anti-aircraft missile base - 3 (B'FRTB-3) or mobile anti-aircraft missile base-5 (BFRTB-5)
  • the Mobile Missile Technical Base - 3 (BRTB-3) or Mobile Missile Technical Base - 5 (BRTB-5)
  • the ammunition depots -32, - 42

Facilities with the last digit "3" belonged to Military District III in Leipzig , with the last digit "5" to Military District V in Neubrandenburg .

The artillery workshops and equipment depots (AWL) were responsible for the preventive, scheduled repair of the technology and armament of the respective military districts. Ongoing repair work was also carried out here to support the repair units of the associations and units of the military district. Furthermore, these were supplied with firearms, artillery equipment, spare parts and consumables via the artillery workshops and equipment stores. Another task was the calibration of the measurement technology used in the stationary and mobile measurement technology test centers (MTP). During the war, the AWL formed the core of the Armament Repair Battalions (IBB) of the repair brigades to be set up.

The mobile anti-aircraft missile bases were responsible for the storage, maintenance and delivery of anti-aircraft missiles of the weapon systems 2K11 Krug and 2K12 Kub . The so-called operational stock of anti-aircraft missiles was stored here. Regular work on the anti-aircraft missiles was carried out during storage. Each mobile anti-aircraft missile technology base had a measuring test center, which was responsible for the calibration and repair of measuring devices of the anti-aircraft missile regiments. The training rockets used for training purposes were also serviced and repaired in the mobile anti-aircraft missile technical bases.

The mobile missile technology bases performed similar tasks for the missile complexes of the armies and divisions of the land forces.

Ammunition of all calibres and uses - except for anti-aircraft missiles and short-range missiles - was stored and serviced in the ammunition depots. Ammunition that was no longer needed was taken from the ammunition depots and prepared for disposal.

The RWD department of the military district was also responsible for the on-site ammunition depots (St. ML) of the troops and territorial defense units, the central armory (ZWK), the material replenishment points (MASt), the WIZt and the TZ-Mun.

Level division

Ural-375D with easily removable case LAK . The mechanical workshops MRM and MRM-M1 used in the repair battalions were housed on such vehicles. Both the box body and the workshop were developed in the GDR.

In the staffs of the armored and motorized rifle divisions of the land forces of the NVA there was a subdivision for missile and weapons technology . The mobilization divisions formed an exception , here there was only one working group for missile and weapons technology service . In the event of a war, however, these working groups would have grown into subdivisions. The subdivisions or working groups were led by a head who was directly subordinate to the deputy commander for technology and armament of the division. The technical guidance by the RWD department of the command of the respective military district remained unaffected.

No units were directly subordinate to the subdivision or the working group, but they were responsible for the technical management of the special repair companies (usually the 3rd company) and platoons of the repair battalions of the division or the repair companies of the mobilization divisions as well as the site ammunition storage. In the mobilization divisions, the working group was also responsible for the technology, armament and ammunition stored in the complex camps for a long time. Below the division level, the tasks of the missile and weapons service in the anti-aircraft missile regiments were carried out by the deputies of the commander for anti-aircraft missile service (StKFRTD), in the missile departments by the deputies of the missile commander (StKRTD) and in the regiments, independent departments and battalions perceived by the senior officers or the officers of the missile and weapons service . These were subordinate to the respective deputies of the commander for technology and armament , but the head of the subdivision or RWD working group of the division was authorized to issue instructions to them in technical matters.

Documents

The radar station 1L13 Nebo was included in the list of numbers 50 401 for armament of the missile and weapons service in 1989 , but was no longer introduced into the NVA.

The RWD developed and used a large number of service regulations, instructions and catalogs. In addition to basic regulations for the management of the service and the use of the subordinate units, technical regulations were drawn up for the device to be supported.

The technology and armament to be looked after was contained in the K 050/3/016 armament in the RWD's customers - takt. Technical information . This catalog is a complete list of all vehicles, weapons and equipment used under the responsibility of the RWD and contains the most important information on this technology. The catalog was updated periodically.

Since the technology and armament used in the NVA did not follow a uniform system of names, the numbering list no. 50 401 was created for armament of the missile and weapons service . It enabled ammunition, vehicles, weapons and equipment to be clearly identified, regardless of the various designation systems used by the manufacturers, other armed forces or camouflage names. A six-digit number was assigned to each device. For example, the reconnaissance and control station 1S91M1 of the anti-aircraft missile system 2K12 received the number 92 01 00, the version 1S91M2 the number 93 01 00. This number was used for inventory management and maintenance planning as well as for internal documents, but was hardly known outside the RWD. since it was kept secret. In the last edition of the list of numbers, published in 1989, technology was listed that was planned for introduction from 1990. However, due to the social changes in the GDR, this technology was no longer imported. In detail it concerns:

  • the reconnaissance and command system 9S80 Sborka
  • the management and evaluation complex 9S467-2 Pori-P2
  • the automated guidance system 9S468M Poljana-D1
  • the radio measuring station 1L13-1 Nebo-SW

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Wilfried Copenhagen: The land forces of the NVA , Motorbuch-Verlag, 1999, pp. 104-106.
  2. ↑ Missile and Weapons Service in Kdo.MB III, level of ammunition equipment as of September 1, 1990
  3. ↑ Missile and Weapons Technical Service in Kdo. MB III Overview of regulations and instructions of the RWD and the WG / services on missile technology and armament
  4. ↑ Missile and Weapons Technical Service in Kdo. MB III, Planned Air Defense Technology

Web links

literature