Wolfgang Neidhardt (General)

Wolfgang Neidhardt (born April 29, 1930 in Chemnitz ) is a former German lieutenant general of the National People's Army (NVA). He was head of the military division of the State Planning Commission (SPK) of the German Democratic Republic (GDR).

Life

The son of a worker began an apprenticeship as a machinist in 1944. After the Second World War , he worked as an auxiliary fitter in 1945/1946 and completed his apprenticeship as a machinist in the Reichsbahn repair shop in Chemnitz in 1947/1948 . Neidhardt became a member of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) in 1948 . On September 15, 1948, he joined the German People's Police as a candidate for the VP and served in the People's Police District Office (VPKA) in Chemnitz and in the Frankenberg VP readiness until 1949 . From 1949 to 1950 he was a student at the VP School Eggesin. In 1950/1951 he was head of department and in 1952 deputy chief of staff in the VP office in Prenzlau. From 1952 to 1958 he attended the military academy of artillery "MI Kalinin" in Leningrad with a degree in engineering. During this time he became an officer in the newly formed NVA in 1956. He was then head of the armament subdivision of the 9th Armored Division .

From 1959 he acted as head of the chair or deputy commander for technical training at the artillery and tank school. From 1963 he worked as head of the artillery technology administration in the Ministry of National Defense (MfNV), from 1964 to 1969 he was deputy minister for national defense for equipment and head of the technology administration of the MfNV.

Neidhardt was promoted to colonel in 1966. From 1969 to 1973 he was Deputy Head of the Technical Committee of the United Armed Forces of the Warsaw Treaty (successor to Bruno Petroschka ). From 1973 to 1981 he was the deputy head of technology / armament in the MfNV. On February 18, 1974 he was appointed major general by the chairman of the National Defense Council of the GDR , Erich Honecker , and was promoted to lieutenant general on September 25, 1979.

From 1982 to 1990 he was deputy chairman of the State Planning Commission and head of the military sector (successor to Friedrich Zeiler ). From the Modrow government he was appointed head of the GDR delegation in the Standing Commission for Defense and head of the GDR delegation in the special bilateral commissions as well as a member of the GDR part of the mixed German-Soviet Commission. On March 31, 1990, he was released from military service and disabled.

Neidhardt is a member of the Initiative Group for the Protection of Social Rights (ISOR) and lives in Strausberg .

Awards

• 1976 Artur Becker Gold Medal
• 1979 Honorary title of Honored Technician of the People
• 1981 Patriotic Order of Merit in bronze and later in silver
• Battle medals "For services to people and fatherland" in gold

literature

• Günther Buch: Names and dates of important people in the GDR. 4th, revised and expanded edition. Dietz, Berlin (West) / Bonn 1987, ISBN 3-8012-0121-X , p. 227.
• Klaus Froh, Rüdiger Wenzke (ed.): The generals and admirals of the NVA: A biographical manual. 5th edition, Ch. Links, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-86153-438-9 , p. 150.
• Andreas Herbst :  Neidhardt, Wolfgang . In: Who was who in the GDR? 5th edition. Volume 2. Ch. Links, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-86153-561-4 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ 18th meeting of the Council of Ministers on March 15, 1990 - Federal Archives.
2. ↑ ISORaktuell , No. 10/2014, p. 2 (accessed on October 21, 2015).
3. ↑ Neue Strausberger Zeitung congratulates on its 85th birthday  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (accessed on October 21, 2015).