World War III: East German Unit Cards

Both East and West Germany established their post-war armed forces in 1956, with East Germany forming the Nationale Volksarmee (NVA, National People’s Army).

Like West Germany’s Bundeswehr, the leadership of the NVA was initially composed of soldiers who had served in the Wehrmacht under Nazi Germany. As soon as replacements loyal to the new regime could be trained, the Wehrmacht soldiers were retired. Despite their short period of leadership, they left a lasting legacy as the NVA combined Communist ideology with older German traditions.

The Nationale Volksarmee uniforms were a traditional stone grey rather than the Soviet khaki, while the helmets were subtly different, being based on a German design from 1945. Ranks, insignia, and other details followed traditional German forms as well.

The strong core of professional officers and non-commissioned officers was another traditional feature of the German armed forces. Although most of the rank and file were short-service conscripts, half of the army were long-service professionals. This contrasts with the Soviet Army where only the officers were professionals, and particularly in combat units, non-commissioned officers were usually selected from amongst each batch of conscripts.

Contains 34 cards.