| In contrast to western armies where leave and free time are freely granted, the conscript soldiers of the Grenztruppen had a difficult time escaping the rigors of military life. Once their duty day was over, they were restricted to the base and were permitted to leave only once a week. Even so, the border soldiers had to stay within the confines of the local town or village. Considering the Grenztruppen barracks were located in remote areas usually within the restricted zones, the local towns or villages could hardly be considered a hot bed of activity. Not only did the soldiers have to contend with a lack of entertainment, but also with a lack of female companionship. Still, a trip to the local township provided some relief and the opportunity to make the best of the situation with some good, strong beer. Still, the soldiers could not completely escape the grasp of the military. Once they were granted permission to leave the barracks the border soldiers had to return by a 10:00 p.m. curfew and were required to wear their uniform. The uniform stipulation was in effect even during leave. |
Pass Form |
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| Obtaining leave was another obstacle for the soldiers. The NVA maintained an 85% readiness posture which meant that only 15% of unit personnel could be gone at any time. To help ensure soldiers did not leave without authorization, their identity book, or Wehrdienstausweis, was confiscated by the unit command and re-issued when soldiers were authorized for travel, pass, or other off-base activities. In a regimented society with its frequent Kontrolle (identity checks), identity papers were a must to navigate outside the confines of a military installation. A soldier in uniform or a conscript-aged male not in uniform was no doubt a neon sign for the Barney Fifes of the German Democratic Republic. |
Military ID book |
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Returning from leave also presented some challenges. Before a border guard could return to his duties, he had to undergo an interview with the commander to talk about his leave. The purpose of the interview was to check the morale of the soldier to see if any personal problems had developed while on leave that might cause problems on border duty. Any marital, girlfriend, or other family problems was cause for a border guard to be removed from front line border duty. The number of days a soldier received for annual leave depended on the type of service he was undergoing. A conscript received only 18 days of leave during his 18 months of service. Within the NCO ranks, a career sergeant received more leave time than his enlisted counterpart. Listed below are the annual leave days for the NVA and Grentruppen: |
- NVA photo |
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