The Friedrich Engels Military Academy (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

: Militärakademie „Friedrich Engels“) was the first military institution founded in

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

and the highest leveled military teaching and research institution. Located in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

, the academy was the center of

military science Military science is the study of military processes, institutions, and behavior, along with the study of warfare, and the theory and application of organized coercive force. It is mainly focused on theory, method, and practice of producing mi ...

of East Germany. The academy was formed on January 5, 1959, to provide training and military-related studies to officers of all branches of the newly formed

National People's Army The National People's Army (, ; NVA ) were the armed forces of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (DDR) from 1956 until 1990. The NVA was organized into four branches: the (Ground Forces), the (Navy), the (Air Force) and the (Bord ...

(NVA),

Border Troops of the German Democratic Republic The Border Troops of the German Democratic Republic () was the border guard of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1946 to 1990. The were the primary force guarding the Berlin Wall and the Inner German border, the GDR's international bo ...

, and other security organs as well as armed forces from other nations. The academy's training was comparable to military academies in the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. In addition to training and research for the implementation of the defense policy of East Germany, the Friedrich Engels Military Academy also focused on the maintenance of the military-scientific heritage and the development to the center of military-scientific work.

History

Before foundation

Foundations for what would become the Friedrich Engels Military Academy were set in February 1949 by the ''University of the German Administration of the Interior'', which was relocated from

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

to the village of Kochstedt in

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a States of Germany, state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the List of German states ...

. On November 15, 1949, the teaching company opened and was renamed to the ''Kochstedt Officers' School of Central Administration Training of the Ministry of the Interior'', under the leadership of Chief Inspector of the Barracked People's Police Walter Freytag. From September 1952, the academy was renamed the ''Higher Officer School of the Ministry of the Interior''. The location also moved from Kochstedt to

and continued to be led by Lieutenant General Walter Freytag. Soon after in 1953 it was renamed to the ''College of the Barracked People's Police'' (KVP). Colonel

Wilhelm Adam Wilhelm Adam (28 March 1893 – 24 November 1978) was an officer in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. Following the German surrender after the Battle of Stalingrad, he became a member of the National Committee for a Free Germ ...

, former adjutant to the commander-in-chief of the 6th Army of the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

, post-1945 Minister of Finance of the State of

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, and member of the

Volkskammer The Volkskammer (, "People's Chamber") was the supreme power organ of East Germany. It was the only branch of government in the state, and per the principle of unified power, all state organs were subservient to it. The Volkskammer was initia ...

, took over the post of commander of the university. The former

Generalfeldmarschall ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (; from Old High German ''marahscalc'', "marshal, stable master, groom"; ; often abbreviated to ''Feldmarschall'') was a rank in the armies of several German states and the Holy Roman Empire, (''Reichsgeneralfeldmarsch ...

Friedrich Paulus Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus (23 September 1890 – 1 February 1957) was a German ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (Field Marshal) during World War II who is best known for his surrender of the German 6th Army (Wehrmacht), 6th Army during the Battle ...

used to give lectures at the university after his return from captivity, and by 1954, he led a small working group called the ''War History Research Center in Dresden''. His small working group eventually became the foundations for the Institute for German Military History, which was later renamed the Military History Institute of the German Democratic Republic in 1972. When the

(NVA) was formed by the

on January 18, 1956, which effectively replaced the Barracked People's Police, allowed for the ''College for Officers of the NVA'' in Dresden to emerge as the highest military teaching facility in

. Colonel Wilhelm Adam became the first commander; followed by Major General Heinrich Dollwetzel from April 1, 1958. This also effectively allowed the NVA to take over the politically reliable and technically competent officers of the Barracked People's Police. The university was commissioned to raise the scientific level of training in all subject areas in order to create the conditions for a military academy. When it was founded, the chairs of social science training, infantry training, artillery training and tank training were created. In addition to the two-year courses, in which officers who were already experienced in the troop service were trained as regimental commanders, their deputies and chiefs of staff for motor gunner, tank and artillery units, heads of special troops and services, the university carried out one-year qualification courses for senior officers. After the West German

Bundeswehr The (, ''Federal Defence'') are the armed forces of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. The is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part consists of the four armed forces: Germ ...

joined

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

in 1955, the National People's Army joined the rivaling

Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a Collective security#Collective defense, collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Polish People's Republic, Poland, between the Sovi ...

on May 24, 1958. A formal military academy had to be established to train the National People's Army up to Warsaw Pact standards and requirements.Siehe Rolf Lehmann: ''Die Militärakademie der DDR in Dresden – Struktur und Auftrag.'' In: Dresdner Geschichtsverein e. V. (Hrsg.), ''Dresdner Hefte'', Heft 53, Dresden 1998, Januar, S. 65–69. Ministerial order 52/58 began in May 1958, which called for the conversion of the college for officers into a military academy. According to the decision of the Council of Ministers of November 28, 1958, it was to become the first military institution to be granted the right to confer the academic degree of "diploma military scientist" and "diploma engineer" and to set up scientific aspirations.

Foundation

The founding of the new military academy was not an instant decision, but more of a reaction to the

arms race An arms race occurs when two or more groups compete in military superiority. It consists of a competition between two or more State (polity), states to have superior armed forces, concerning production of weapons, the growth of a military, and ...

during the Cold War and the establishment of the

Bundeswehr Command and Staff College The Bundeswehr Command and Staff College (, ''FüAkBw'') is the Staff college, General Staff College (''Senior Military Academy'') of the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, established in 1957 as the successor of the Prussian Military Academy, ...

. The military academy's leadership had a particularly close relationship with the

Socialist Unity Party The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (, ; SED, ) was the founding and ruling party of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from the country's foundation in 1949 until its dissolution after the Peaceful Revolution in 1989. It was a Ma ...

leadership, whose political leadership claim was secured by Article 1 of the

Constitution of East Germany The original Constitution of East Germany (the German Democratic Republic; ) was promulgated on 7 October 1949. It was heavily based on the Weimar Constitution () and nominally established the GDR as a liberal democratic republic. In 1968, the Ea ...

. This can be evidenced by the awarding of the honorary name "

Friedrich Engels Friedrich Engels ( ;"Engels"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. File:Anheften der Fahnnenschleife „Kampforden in Gold“ für die Militärakademie „Friedrich Engels“ 1969.jpg, Flag loop for "Battle Order in Gold", awarded by

Heinz Kessler The Kraft Heinz Foods Company, formerly the H. J. Heinz Company and commonly known as Heinz (), is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 186 ...

on January 10, 1969. File:Militärakademie „Friedrich Engels“, 1969, Enthüllung des Denkmals für Friedrich Engels im Innenhof vor Eingang F.jpg,

Friedrich Engels Friedrich Engels ( ;"Engels"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''.National People's Army The National People's Army (, ; NVA ) were the armed forces of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (DDR) from 1956 until 1990. The NVA was organized into four branches: the (Ground Forces), the (Navy), the (Air Force) and the (Bord ...

and the

, including the Friedrich Engels Military Academy in December 1989.

Status

The military academy had the legal status of a university in East Germany and thus had the right to award graduates and aspirants with academic degrees, such as Graduate Military Scientist, Graduate Engineer, Graduate Social Scientist, Graduate Teacher, and so forth. The military academy belonged to the second sector of the East German university system, to the so-called universities with special status. However, due to its integration with the National People's Army, there were a few significant differences from civilian universities. * The responsibilities of the Ministry of Higher and Technical Education were essentially transferred to the

Ministry of National Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divide ...

, who, in consultation with the Ministry of Higher and Technical Education, issued regulations for the enforcement of statutory university regulations. * Unlike other universities in East Germany, the rector, the protectors (deputy of the boss), the section directors, and the deans could not be elected. The military academy executives were generals and officers and were assigned to their positions by order/rank. * The students (officer hearers, around 30 years of age) and course participants were officers and generals who had already completed a technical or university degree and had gained professional experience. * Military teaching and research subjects were largely subject to military secrecy. * Although the Friedrich Engels Military Academy was based on the image of Soviet military academies, the merging of all branches of the armed forces, the military-technical and the social-scientific disciplines under one academic roof was a novelty among

states. * Until 1990, a

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

general with the service title ''Military Specialist'' was a representative of the Warsaw Pact United Armed Forces at the academy The term ''special status'' also extends to the fact that the military academy, together with the others universities of the National People's Army, Border Troops of the German Democratic Republic, the other protection and security organs as well as the social organizations in the state official representations (statistics, yearbooks,

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

reports) about the university landscape were left out.

Leadership Structure

Head The military academy was subordinate to the Minister of National Defense of East Germany, who entrusted the duty supervision to one of his deputies. The academy was headed by a commander from 1959 to 1970 and then a chief from 1970 to 1990.

University Structure

The Friedrich Engels Military Academy was unique among Warsaw Pact nations due to its internal structure. All branches of the National People's Army and their sub-branches were under one academic roof. The sections and chairs of the military and military-technical scientific areas were primarily structured according to armed forces, branches of service and military services. The university structure was subject to multiple changes. In 1990, there were 73 professors or chairs at the military academy. The number of chairs fluctuated depending on the number of students. At its lowest point, there were 44 chairs. The academy was divided into faculties (called ''sections'' after 1970), which in turn were divided were divided into chairs. Their leaders were under the command of the military academy; they were the direct superiors of the officers' hearers themselves. Initially, only the officer's office of the disciplines (or uses, later: profiles) were assigned to four faculties: * General leadership * Artillery * Tank engineer service * Back services From 1960, the chairs and officer listeners were classified into the following faculties: * Land Forces Faculty * Tank Engineer Service Faculty * Air Forces/ Air Defense Faculty * Social Sciences Faculty * Naval Forces Faculty The Social Sciences Faculty was entrusted with the academic training of all political officers in the armed forces in accordance with the three-year program of the

Parteihochschule Karl Marx The Party Academy Karl Marx (''Parteihochschule Karl Marx'') was an academy (''Hochschule'') that was founded in 1946 in the Soviet occupation zone. During the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), it was subordinate to the Central Committee ...

and the Marxist–Leninist basic courses for the officers.

References

{{Authority control National People's Army 1959 establishments in East Germany 1990 disestablishments in East Germany Staff colleges Military academies of Germany