Wilhelm Ehm

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Wilhelm Ehm (at the microphone), center, on the occasion of a fleet parade for the 30th anniversary of the GDR in 1979

Wilhelm Ehm (born August 30, 1918 in Pula , coastal region , Austria-Hungary , † August 9, 2009 in Rostock ) was a German naval officer , most recently an admiral and two-time chief of the People's Navy . As such, he was Deputy Minister for National Defense in the Council of Ministers (GDR)

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Ehm's father was a carpenter and served as an armorer in the KuK Kriegsmarine . He was born on August 30, 1918 during his service. After the end of the war, the family moved back to Komotau in Bohemia , the father's hometown. Wilhelm Ehm learned the profession of electrician and radio mechanic from 1932 to 1938 and during this time became a member of the Socialist Workers' Youth . After the annexation of the Sudetenland, he became a citizen of the Reich and served as chief radio master in the navy during the Second World War . After the surrender of Army Group North in the Kurland basin , he went into Soviet captivity in 1945 .

After his return in 1947, Ehm worked in the Rügen SED district leadership, the party he joined in 1948. From 1950 to 1951, Ehm was an intelligence officer at the Maritime Police Headquarters . From 1954 to 1957 he was deputy chief of staff and head of the organization department of the People's Police Sea . This was followed by the service as deputy chief of the naval forces. In this role, Ehm was responsible for the rear services from 1958 to 1959 . With his appointment as Rear Admiral on August 1, 1959, he took over the leadership of the naval forces / People's Navy. He held this position until his retirement on November 30, 1987. The activity was interrupted by his studies at the Naval War Academy of the Soviet Union from 1961 to 1963. In addition to his service as chief of the People's Navy, Wilhelm Ehm was entrusted with the position of Deputy Minister for National Defense from 1972. On the 28th anniversary of the founding of the GDR in 1977, Wilhelm Ehm, who had been Vice Admiral since March 1, 1964 , was promoted to Admiral . From 1981 to 1989 Wilhelm Ehm was a member of the SED Central Committee . In addition to his degree in military science, Wilhelm Ehm also had the degree of Dr. phil.

Awards

Private

Ehm married his wife Melitta (née Čapek) in Komotau in 1942, who had landed with her son on the island of Rügen at the end of the war. After his release from captivity, he made his way to the island. The couple had two sons, and they all became officers in the People's Navy.

Involved in the wall rifle trials

In the proceedings before the Berlin district court , he was declared incapable of standing.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hans Ehlert, Armin Wagner: Comrade General! The military elite of the GDR in biographical sketches, Ch Links Verlag, Berlin, 2003.
personal data
SURNAME Um, Wilhelm
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German politician (SED), Deputy Minister for National Defense in the GDR Council of Ministers and Chief of the People's Navy
DATE OF BIRTH August 30, 1918
PLACE OF BIRTH Pula , coastal country , Austria-Hungary
DATE OF DEATH August 9, 2009
Place of death Rostock