Land Forces of the National People's Army


The Land Forces of the National People's Army, was the ground-based military branch of the German Democratic Republic National People's Army. The Land Forces Command, located at Geltow was established on 1 December 1972 as a management body created for the land forces. The NPA itself was created on March 1, 1956 from the Kasernierte Volkspolizei.

Organisation

The LaSK had a peacetime organisation since 1972 under the command of the Kommando Landstreitkraefte. Its largest formations between 1956 and 1990 were the Military Districts III and V, which generally consisted of three active divisions each, plus training-, combat support and logistic units. The 1st Motor Rifle Division was additionally attached to the Military District V, but was designated to leave that formation in wartime to play a key role in the assault on West-Berlin. The 6th Motor Rifle Division existed only for two years as an active formation.
While the two districts held the bulk of the GDR´s land forces, additional artillery- and support elements, as well as the paratroopers of the 40th Paratrooper Battalion were under direct command of the Kdo. LaSK.
In wartime both military districts would have been transformed into armies. The 3rd Army in the South, reinforced by the GDR 6th, 10th, and 17th reserve divisions, and the 5th Army in the North, reinforced by the Soviet 94th Guards Motor Rifle Division and the 138th and 221st independent tank regiments of the Red Army. Both armies would have been commanded by the Soviet high-command, while the Kommando Landstreitkräfte was to focus on the military supply chain, medical services, internal security and assist in the capture of West-Berlin.
The order of battle of the ground forces :

Military District V (North)

The headquarters of the northern district was in Neubrandenburg.
1st Motor Rifle Division
8th Motor Rifle Division
9th Panzer Division
The headquarters of the southern district was in Leipzig.
4th Motor Rifle Division
7th Panzer Division in
11th Motor Rifle Division
In the event of a full-scale mobilisation, the six regular divisions of the NVA would have been supplemented by three mobilisation divisions and two reserve divisions. All five divisions would be mobilised on M+2. The cadre of each mobilisation/reserve division remained on hand as the regular staff of training centers/non-commissioned officer schools. The five second line divisions were the 6th Motor Rifle Division, the 10th Motor Rifle Division, the 17th Motor Rifle Division, the 19th Motor Rifle Division, and the 20th Motor Rifle Division.
Mobilisation Divisions - command of the Military District III of land forces
6th Motor Rifle Division
10th Motor Rifle Division
17th Motor Rifle Division
Reserve divisions - command of the Military District V of land forces
19th Motor Rifle Division
20th Motor Rifle Division
The Kommando Landstreitkräfte also contained some specially trained units - like the 40th Paratrooper Battalion. The structure and equipment was mostly of Soviet design, and the NVA operated in close collaboration with the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. There were also reports of a special NVA diversionary battalion in south Germany equipped with M-48s and M-113s, able to cause confusion amongst NATO forces if war came. However more recent reports throw doubt on the existence of any such unit.

Types of units

Divisions
Regiments
Battalions
Detachments

Equipment

Small Arms:
NameCountry of originTypeQuantityNotes
Walther PP
Semi-automatic pistol-
Makarov PM
Semi-automatic pistol-
Nagant M1895RevolverImported in small numbers and saw little use
PPSh-41Submachine gun-
FB PM-63Submachine gun-
Mauser Kar98kBolt action rifleIn use by the Combat Groups of the Working Class and remained in standard use until the 1960s and continued its service in limited circumstances-
Mosin–NagantBolt action rifleIn use by the Combat Groups of the Working Class and in remained standard use until the 1960s and continued its service in limited circumstances-
STG44Assault rifleLeft over from World War II, used until the early 1960s-
SKSSemi-automatic carbineUsed in ceremonies and when marching in parades
AKM
Assault rifleManufactured by the state arsenal as the MPi-KM and MPi-KMS-72 with a single strut "coathanger" side-folding stock-
AK-74
Assault rifleMPi-AK-74N, MPi-AKS-74N, MPi-AKS-74NK variants made by the state arsenal for a short period of time starting in 1983 -
RPD
Light machine gun-
RPKLight machine gun-
PKMGeneral-purpose machine gun-
Dragunov SVDDesignated marksman rifle-
RPG-7DLight AT-weapon-
RPG-18Light AT-weapon-

Armoured Vehicles:
NameCountry of originTypeQuantityNotes
BMP-1
Infantry fighting vehicle1133
BMP-2
Infantry fighting vehicle24Tracked IFVs in first-line Panzergrenadier units
BRDM-1Amphibious armoured patrol car150
BRDM-2Amphibious armoured patrol car
BTR-40Armoured personnel carrier300
BTR-50Amphibious armored personnel carrier200
BTR-60Armoured personnel carrier2260
BTR-70
Armoured personnel carrier1316Wheeled APCs in mechanised and motorised units
BTR-80Armoured personnel carrierWheeled APCs in mechanised and motorised units
BTR-152Armoured personnel carrier759
PT-76Amphibious Light tank170
T-34
Medium tank872In service as first MBT of the NVA Land Forces from 1952-1965. Afterward, used only in modified recovery/engineering versions
T-54
Main battle tank690
T-55
Main battle tank2099Upgraded to T-55AM standard
T-72
Main battle tank583In first-line Panzer units

Field artillery and rocket artillery

Rocket systems

Mobile missile