The
Combat Groups of the Working Class (
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
:
Kampfgruppen der Arbeiterklasse, KdA) was a
paramilitaryA paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military force, but which is not regarded as having the same status...
organisation in East Germany, founded in 1953 and abolished in 1990. It numbered about 400,000 volunteers for much of its existence.
History
The
Kampfgruppen were formed on September 29, 1953 after the
workers' uprisingthumb|Soviet tank in Leipzig on 17 June 1953The Uprising of 1953 in East Germany took place in June 1953. A strike by East Berlin construction workers on June 16 turned into a widespread uprising against the Stalinist German Democratic Republic government the next day...
of June 1953. The KdA made its first public appearance at the annual May Day demonstration on May 1, 1954. It was intended to be the East German equivalent to the
Factory Units of the Worker's MilitiaPeople's Militias was a militia organisation of Communist Party of Czechoslovakia during 1948 - 1989.- History :...
of CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
which played a very important part in the Communist consolidation of power in Czechoslovakia in 1948. Their formation also fit the East German ethos of the worker being the centre of power in the new Communist state.
A central school for KdA leaders was set up in Schmerwitz in 1957.
Der Kämpfer was the monthly newspaper and voice of the KdA; it was printed by the SED's
Neues DeutschlandNeues Deutschland is a national German daily newspaper. It was the official party newspaper of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany , which governed the German Democratic Republic , and as such served as one of the party's most important organs...
publishing house.
The largest use of the KdA was during the construction of the
Berlin Wall|-||-||-||-||}The Berlin Wall was a physical barrier erected by the German Democratic Republic completely encircling West Berlin, separating it from East Germany, including East Berlin. The longer inner German border demarcated the border between East and West Germany...
in the summer and fall of 1961. The best trained and most politically reliable KdA units and members from Saxony, Thuringia and East Berlin participated in the construction and guarding of the Wall. Over 8,000 KdA, about 20% of all military units, were involved in this effort. During the six week deployment of the KdA to the East-West Berlin sector boundary, only eight members escaped to the West, indicating a high state of morale and political reliability.
The KdA were not used during the peaceful mass protests in late 1989 at the
Nikolaikirche in
LeipzigLeipzig is, with a population of 515,459, the largest city in the federal state of Saxony, Germany.-Origins:Leipzig's name is derived from the Slavic word Lipsk, which means "settlement where the lime trees stand"....
as many KdA members identified with the protesters and some participated in the marches. The decline of the
Socialist Unity PartyThe Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a Communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
(SED) and rapid political changes in East Germany after the Wall was opened made the KdA no longer relevant or necessary. The decision to disband the KdA was made by the East German parliament
(VolkskammerThe People's Chamber was the unicameral legislature of the German Democratic Republic . From its founding in 1949 until the first free elections on 18 March 1990, all members of the Volkskammer were elected on a slate controlled by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany , called the National Front...
) in December 1989. Disarmament of the KdA began that month and was supervised by the police who consolidated and stored weapons and equipment along with the
National People's ArmyThe National People’s Army was the military of the German Democratic Republic. Since East Germany was at the frontline of the Cold War, the GDR's military was considered to be the most advanced in the whole Warsaw Pact, excluding the Soviet Union...
(NVA). The final 189,370 fighters (in 2,022 units) were completely demobilized in May 1990.
Aid to other countries
There are indications that the KdA was involved in East German military aid to Africa. On May 23, 1980, Radio Brazzaville reported the visit of a KdA delegation in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. The KdA delegation had announced they were willing to train Congolese people's militiamen in East Germany as well and supply them with equipment.
Command and control
The KdA fell under the authority of the Central Committee
(Zentralkomitee) (ZK) of the SED. The KdA was the political-military instrument of the SED; it was essentially a "party Army". All KdA directives and decisions were made by the ZK's
PolitbüroPolitburo, from German Politbüro, short for Political Bureau, , is the executive committee for a number of communist political parties.- Marxist-Leninist states :...
. The ZK also supervised the rest of the armed forces through its security commission (
Sicherheitskommission).
The ZK exercised this power through two chains-of-command. The first ran through the Ministry of the Interior and the People's Police
(VolkspolizeiThe Volkspolizei was the national police of the German Democratic Republic . The Volkspolizei was responsible for most law enforcement in East Germany, but its organisation and structure were such that it could be considered a paramilitary force as well...
), which provided military training, equipment and operational expertise. Second was through the SED district
(Bezirk) and county
(Kreis) directorates in the areas of personnel and political suitability of members.
Commanders of battalions and companies
Hundertschaften were appointed by the Party organization in the major factories or enterprises in the area. They were confirmed by the SED county leadership
(Kreisleitung) which received regular reports on the state of training, equipment and membership.
Membership
By 1989, the KdA's membership totaled approximately 210,000 including approximately 187,000 active members and the remainder in reserve. Recruitment was accomplished by the party branches in the factories and enterprises. Membership was voluntary, but SED party members were required to join as part of their party obligation. Non-party members were compelled to join by the
Free German Trade Union FederationThe Free German Trade Union Federation, in German Freier Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund , was the trade union federation in East Germany. It was part of the National Front and had representatives in the Volkskammer....
(FDGB). Men between the ages of 25 to 60 were eligible for membership. Younger men, if they were not performing military service, were part of the Paramilitary Society for Sport and Technology (GST). The KdA also had a large number of women who were mainly used in the medical and supply services.
Organization
The KdA were organized into units based on their workplace. General units were closely tied to their local based nationalized enterprises, state and local administration offices and other workplaces, and their organizations and their employment did not extend beyond the district level. The mobile or motorized units, designated Battalions of the Regional Reserve, could be employed outside their local and district areas.
The organization was similar to the
United States National GuardThe National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States...
or British Territorial Army; however, unlike a national guard or territorial army, the KdA was strictly controlled by the governing SED.
Each large
factoryA factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where workers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
, along with many neighbourhoods, had their own
Kampfgruppe, each made up of about 100 workers who sought to "defend the
propertyProperty is any physical or intangible entity that is owned by a person or jointly by a group of persons. Depending on the nature of the property, an owner of property has the right to consume, sell, rent, mortgage, transfer, exchange or destroy his or her property, and/or to exclude others from...
of the people". The KdA were organised like
infantryInfantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of the Combat Arms they are the backbone of armies...
, and were to supplement the
militaryA military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. As an adjective the term "military" is also used to refer to any property or aspect of a military...
and
policeA police service is a public force empowered to enforce the law and provide security through the legitimized use of force.The term is most commonly associated with police services of a state that are authorized to exercise the police power of that state within a defined legal or territorial area of...
serving as security in rear areas during wartime or in political
emergenciesA state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend certain normal functions of government, alert citizens to alter their normal behaviors, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale for suspending civil liberties...
, such as
protestProtest expresses relatively overt reaction to events or situations: sometimes in favor, though more often opposed. Protesters may organize a protest as a way of publicly and forcefully making their opinions heard in an attempt to influence public opinion or government policy, or may undertake...
s against the government.
Training and equipment
Training was conducted by the People's Police
(VolkspolizeiThe Volkspolizei was the national police of the German Democratic Republic . The Volkspolizei was responsible for most law enforcement in East Germany, but its organisation and structure were such that it could be considered a paramilitary force as well...
) to avoid the KdA being counted as part of the total strength of the armed forces under international treaties. The KdA also provided economic savings to the SED which didn't have to construct barracks for these forces, whose members continued their civilian work while training in their spare time. A KdA member trained with his group after work and on weekends for a total of 136 hours annually. KdA training camps were held annually, usually in the wilderness.
The KdA had at their disposal many of the weapons that the police would use in riot situations, and also
SK-1 armoured carThe Garant 30k SK-1 better known as the SK-1 was an East German armored patrol vehicle was used only by the Alert Police of the East German Police and not used by the East German Army. Though similar in appearance to the Russian BA-64, the SK-1 is an independent development and much bigger than the...
s, SK-2 water cannon (both armoured and unarmoured versions), 82mm mortars; 76mm antitank guns; and 23mm and 37mm antiaircraft guns.
Ranks
- Truppführer/Gruppenführer/Geschützführer/Werferführer - squad leader/group leader/cannon leader/ejector leader,
- Zugführer - platoon leader
- Stellvertreter des Kommandeurs des selbständigen Zuges - deputy leader of the independent platoon
- Kommandeur des selbständigen Zuges -leader of the independent platoon
- Stellvertreter des Hundertschaftskommandanten, Stellvertreter des Batteriekommandanten - deputy of a company commander, deputy leader of a artillery battery
- Hundertschaftskommandeur, Batteriekommandeur - company commander, (artillery) battery commander
- Gehilfe des Stellvertreters des Bataillonskommandeurs, Propagandist, Fahrlehrer - adjutant of the deputy battailon leader, propagandist, driving instructor
- Stellvertreter des Stabschefs, Bataillonsarzt - deputy chief of staff, battalion's physician
- Stellvertreter des Bataillonskommandeurs, Parteisekretär - deputy battalion commander, party secretary
- Bataillonskommandeur - battalion commander
- Innendienstleiter - duty officer
Badges, awards and insignia
There were a series of badges as well as service and merit
medalA Medal is usually a coin-like sculpted object of metal or other material that has been die-struck with an insignia, portrait or other artistic rendering. A medal may be awarded to a person or organization as a form of recognition for athletic, military, scientific, academic or some other kind of...
s awarded to KdA members. The KdA also wore distinctive red rank insignia on the right arm of their uniform.
Oath of the combat groups
"I am ready, as a fighter of the Working Class to fulfill the directives of the Party to defend the German Democratic Republic and its Socialist achievements at any time with my weapon in my hand and to lay down my life for them. This I swear."..
See also
- National People's Army
The National People’s Army was the military of the German Democratic Republic. Since East Germany was at the frontline of the Cold War, the GDR's military was considered to be the most advanced in the whole Warsaw Pact, excluding the Soviet Union...
- Eastern Bloc politics
Eastern Bloc politics followed the Red Army's occupation of much of eastern Europe at the end of World War II and the Soviet Union's installation of Soviet-controlled communist governments in the Eastern Bloc through a process of bloc politics and repression...