Overview
| Life in
the Grenztruppen, as in most communist military organizations of the era,
was not an easy life. The hours were long, the duty strenuous, and a sense
of isolation compounded the deprivations of a Spartan life style. The
average soldier in the Grenztruppen was a conscript serving an 18 month
obligation, and as a new conscript, faced a sometimes brutal passage of
rites inherited from the Soviet military. This initiation, known as devdovshchina,
permitted the more senior conscripts to instill a form of internal
barracks discipline through intimidation. In some cases, the old hands
would help themselves to the newer equipment of the recruit, or if a new
arrival failed to cooperate, physical beatings were dished out.
According to one former East German officer, “In units filled
with conscripts of varying service years, there was always discrimination
and repression of the more junior ones. Neither discussions nor
punishments helped. We were never able to deal correctly with the
problem.”
The soldiers faced other problems as well. A conscript earned 150 DM a month ($15 U.S.) and had to deal with a host of restrictions that made taking pass and leave difficult. Additionally, a border soldier had to deal with a sense of isolation encouraged by the government and the military hierarchy in order to protect the sovereignty of the "anti-fascist protective wall." Fellow soldiers were potential informers so every word had to be guarded or "barracks arrest" was just a slip of the tongue away. Soldiers were also not allowed to listen or watch western radio or television programs or have contact with visiting relatives from West Germany. Possession of western currency and newspapers was also forbidden and any border guard caught with these items could receive jail time, a suspension from the Grenztruppen, or both. Still, soldiers always find ways to circumvent the rules. One former, enterprising border guard in Berlin hid western newspapers that blew over the wall in a special compartment in his wall locker. As in any service, time in the Grenztruppen allowed the soldiers to form friendships that would endure longer than their military service, and despite the rigors of military life soldiers always find time to make the best of any situation. |
Members of the Coastal Border Brigade dressed in long underwear clowning around in the barracks. |
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Posing in the motor pool. |
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Source: Requiem For An Army Photos: coldwartowerrat202@yahoo.com For more information on Grenzer life visit the web site of former border guard Richard Hebstreit at www.rhebs.de/mauer/gr35-1.htm . The site is in German but there are also photos. |
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