Theodor Hoffmann (Admiral)

Theodor Hoffmann

Theodor Hoffmann (born February 27, 1935 in Gustävel , Wismar district , Mecklenburg ; † November 1, 2018 in Berlin ) was an officer in the People's Navy , most recently in the rank of admiral . He was the last minister for national defense of the GDR , then head of the NVA .

Life

Theodor Hoffmann was born on February 27, 1935. He was the second child of the groom Heinrich Hoffmann and his wife Betti. Hoffmann worked in agriculture from 1949 to 1951 and was a full-time pioneer leader from 1951 to 1952 .

In 1952 he became a seaman in the maritime police . From 1952 to 1955 he attended the officers' school of the People's Police See in Stralsund . After completing his studies, he was initially an officer on watch on a torpedo speedboat . In 1956 he became a member of the SED . From 1956 to 1959 he was in command of a torpedo speedboat. From 1960 to 1963 he attended the Seekriegsakademie in Leningrad , where he completed his studies as a graduate - Military scientists with distinction. He then held various management positions in the 6th Flotilla of the People's Navy :

1963 to 1964 Chief of Staff of the Missile Speedboat Brigade,
1964 to 1968 head of the missile speedboat brigade,
1968 to 1971 Chief of Staff of the 6th Flotilla
1971 to 1974 head of the 6th flotilla with the rank of sea captain .

In 1974 he was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff for operational work in the command of the People's Navy and in this role in 1977 he was appointed Rear Admiral. In 1985 he became Deputy Chief of the People's Navy and Chief of Staff, in 1987 he became Chief of the People's Navy (also Deputy Minister for National Defense) and was promoted to Vice Admiral.

In accordance with the decision of the People's Chamber of the GDR on November 17, 1989, he was appointed Minister for National Defense of the German Democratic Republic and promoted to Admiral on the same day on the basis of Order 14a / 89 of the Chairman of the National Defense Council. The original order 14/89 provided for Vice Admiral Hoffmann to be promoted to Colonel General. However, he firmly refused. So the order was rewritten and had the number 14a / 89. From April 23, 1990 until early retirement on September 24, 1990, he assumed the position of head of the NVA at the request of the new Minister for Disarmament and Defense , Rainer Eppelmann . From 1990 to 2003 he worked as a management consultant.

Hoffmann married Helga Qualo in October 1957. They had two sons: Norbert (* 1959) and Rene (* 1965). Hoffmann died on November 1, 2018 at the age of 83.

Fonts

The last command - a minister remembers. ES Mittler & Sohn, Herford 1994, ISBN 978-3-8132-0463-6 .
Baltic Sea Command - From sailor to admiral. ES Mittler & Sohn, Hamburg 1995, ISBN 978-3-8132-0471-1 .
At escort. In: Military Academy 'Friedrich Engels'. Historical-critical review of the 50th anniversary of its foundation. Contributions to the colloquium on January 10, 2009 in Dresden City Hall. (Ed.) Dresdener Studiengemeinschaft Sicherheitsppolitik (DSS) e. V .: DSS working papers , Dresden 2009, issue 95, 42 pp. Urn : nbn: de: bsz: 14-qucosa2-321515
Respect and thanks for what has been achieved. In: Peace Thought and Peace Movement in Symbiosis. Closing event of the Dresden Study Group Security Policy, October 2015. (Ed.) Dresdener Study Group Security Policy (DSS) e. V .: DSS working papers, Dresden 2015, issue 116, p. 20 f. urn : nbn: de: bsz: 14-qucosa2-327023

Awards

literature

Klaus Froh, Rüdiger Wenzke : The generals and admirals of the NVA. A biographical manual. 4th edition. Ch. Links, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-86153-209-3
Helmut Müller-Enbergs : Hoffmann, Theodor . In: Who was who in the GDR? 5th edition. Volume 1. Ch. Links, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-86153-561-4 .

Web links

Literature by and about Theodor Hoffmann in the catalog of the German National Library

Individual evidence

↑ Gerhard Beckmann, Klaus-Ulrich Keubke, Ralf Mumm: Naval officers from Mecklenburg 1849-1990. Schwerin 2006 (Writings on the History of Mecklenburg, Volume 18), p. 69. ISBN 978-3-00-019944-8 .
↑ Klaus Froh & Rüdiger Wenzke , Military History Research Office (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 .
^ GDR politician dead: Ex-Minister Hoffmann († 83) dies in a clinic. In: TAG24 . November 2, 2018. Retrieved November 4, 2018 . Ralph Sommer, Gabriel Kords: Theodor Hoffmann: Ex-GDR Defense Minister is dead. In: Nordkurier . November 2, 2018. Retrieved November 4, 2018 .

personal data
SURNAME	Hoffmann, Theodor
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German military, head of the NVA and Minister for National Defense of the GDR
DATE OF BIRTH	February 27, 1935
PLACE OF BIRTH	Gustävel , Wismar District , Mecklenburg State , German Empire
DATE OF DEATH	1st November 2018
Place of death	Berlin

[1] Gerhard Beckmann, Klaus-Ulrich Keubke, Ralf Mumm: Naval officers from Mecklenburg 1849-1990. Schwerin 2006 (Writings on the History of Mecklenburg, Volume 18), p. 69. ISBN 978-3-00-019944-8 .

[2] Klaus Froh & Rüdiger Wenzke , Military History Research Office (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 .

[3] GDR politician dead: Ex-Minister Hoffmann († 83) dies in a clinic. In: TAG24 . November 2, 2018. Retrieved November 4, 2018 . Ralph Sommer, Gabriel Kords: Theodor Hoffmann: Ex-GDR Defense Minister is dead. In: Nordkurier . November 2, 2018. Retrieved November 4, 2018 .