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The sleeve insignia of a Grenztruppen engineer. |
Although guarding the border could be risky (border guards had been shot by escapees or their fellow guards during escapes), no job was as dangerous as the task that fell on the engineers that supported the Grenztruppen. Risking life and limb these soldiers had the unenviable tasks of installing and clearing the border minefields. Since 1960 East German engineers had emplaced approximately 1.3 million land mines and attached another 60,000 shrapnel mines to the border fences. Once in place, though, the minefields were not undisturbed for long. As new anti-personnel mines were introduced into the inventory of the East German regime, the engineers were sent out once again to increase the lethality of the minefields. | ||
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In each Border Command area there was designated engineer support to build and maintain the border fortifications. In addition to units normally designated to support the Grenztruppen, other engineering groups were also brought in to assist during times of heavy construction or minefield activity. Depending on the amount of work and organic support available, elements of an engineering company were deployed to work in the minefields. In1984, for example, a company from the 11th Engineer Battalion deployed four officers, four non-commissioned officers, and 15 soldiers to work in the minefields near Sonnenberg. Prior to working in the minefields unit personnel underwent refresher training in probing, marking lanes, and other vital skills necessary for the dangerous job. Despite the training it was not uncommon during minefield operations that engineers were killed or seriously injured. To some in the West it might have been considered justice when such instances occurred, but when you consider the majority of the East German military were draftees thrust into a dangerous job, the political ramifications of the minefields seem inconsequential. Whether it was an escapee or a member of the engineers, each death was a tragedy. | ||
| Both pictures: probing for mines | |||
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Building a fence |
In
addition to minefield duties military engineers assisted Grenztruppen security
operations by constructing fences, bunkers, towers, and other barriers. Although
the Grenztruppen reigned supreme over the border area, the engineers supplied
the muscle and materials that made the East German border a risky place to be.
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An injured engineer is helped from the minefield to an ambulance. - photo courtesy of Erwin Ritter |
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| For more information on NVA engineers visit the homepage of the East German 11th Engineer Battalion at www.pib-11.de | |||
