The Land Forces of the National People's Army ( – LaSK) was the ground-based military branch of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) National People's Army (NPA). The Land Forces Command, located at Geltow, was established on 1 December 1972 as a management body created for the land forces. The NPA itself was created on March 1, 1956, from the (Barracked People's Police).
Organisation
The LaSK had a peacetime organisation since 1972 under the command of the . Its largest formations between 1956 and 1990 were the Military Districts III and V, which generally consisted of three active divisions each, plus training, combat support and logistic units. The 1st Motor Rifle Division was additionally attached to the Military District V, but was designated to leave that formation in wartime to play a key role in the assault on West Berlin. The 6th Motor Rifle Division existed only for two years (1956–1958) as an active formation.
While the two districts held the bulk of the GDR's land forces, additional artillery- and support elements, as well as the paratroopers of the 40th Paratrooper Battalion (upgraded to the 40th Air Assault Regiment in 1986) were under direct command of the .
In wartime both military districts would form field armies: the 3rd Army in the south, reinforced by the GDR 6th, 10th, and 17th reserve divisions, and the 5th Army in the north, reinforced by the Soviet 94th Guards Motor Rifle Division and the 138th and 221st Separate Tank Regiments from the GSFG. Both armies would have been commanded by the Soviet high-command, while the was to focus on the military supply chain, medical services, internal security and assist in the capture of West Berlin.
Order of battle (1980s)
Military District V
The headquarters of Military District V in the north was in Neubrandenburg.
1st Motor Rifle Division (Potsdam) 1st Motor Rifle Regiment "Hans Beimler" 2nd Motor Rifle Regiment "Arthur Ladwig" 3rd Motor Rifle Regiment "Paul Hegenbarth" 1st Panzer Regiment "Friedrich Wolf" 1st Artillery Regiment "Rudolf Gypner" 1st AA-Missile Regiment "Anton Fischer" 1st Rocket Detachment "Rudi Arndt" 1st Heavy Mortar Detachment "Hermann Rentzsch" 1st Reconnaissance Battalion "Dr. Richard Sorge" 1st Engineer Battalion "Willi Becker" 1st Light AT Detachment "Willy Sägebrecht" 1st Signal Battalion "Bodo Uhse" 1st Logistical Security Battalion "Georg Handke" 1st Repair Battalion "Otto Schliwinski" 1st Chemical Defence Battalion "Herbert Kittelmann" 1st Medical Battalion 1st Replacement Regiment
8th Motor Rifle Division (Schwerin) 27th Motor Rifle Regiment "Hans Kahle" 28th Motor Rifle Regiment "Wilhelm Florin" 29th Motor Rifle Regiment "Ernst Moritz Arndt" 8th Panzer Regiment "Arthur Becker" 8th Artillery Regiment "Erich Mühsam" 8th AA-Missile Regiment "Willi Schröder" 8th Rocket Detachment "Hermann Schuldt" 8th Heavy Mortar Detachment "Mathias Thesen" 8th Reconnaissance Battalion "Otto Moritz" 8th Engineer Battalion "Tudor Vladimirescu" 8th Light AT Detachment "Heinrich Dollwetzel" 8th Signal Battalion "Kurt Bürger" 8th Logistical Security Battalion "Herbert Tschäpe" 8th Repair Battalion "Wilhelm Pieck" 8th Chemical Defence Battalion "Erich Correns" 8th Medical Battalion "Hans Rodenberg" 8th Replacement Regiment
9th Panzer Division (Eggesin) 21st Panzer Regiment "Walter Empacher" 22nd Panzer Regiment "Soja Kosmodemjanskaja" 23rd Panzer Regiment "Julian Marchlewski" 9th Motor Rifle Regiment "Rudolf Renner" 9th Artillery Regiment "Hans Fischer" 9th AA-Missile Regiment "Rudolf Dölling" 9th Rocket Detachment "Otto Nuschk" 9th Heavy Mortar Detachment "Friedrich Ebert" 9th Reconnaissance Battalion "Eduard Claudius" 9th Engineer Battalion 9th Signal Battalion "Adolf Bytzeck" 9th Logistical Security Battalion "Robert Stamm" 9th Repair Battalion "Paul Dessau" 9th Chemical Defence Battalion "Michael Niederkirchner" 9th Medical Battalion "Wolfgang Langhoff" 9th Replacement Regiment
Military District III (South)
The headquarters of the southern district was in Leipzig.
4th Motor Rifle Division (Erfurt) 22nd Motor Rifle Regiment "Thomas Müntzer" 23rd Motor Rifle Regiment "Anton Saefkow" 24th Motor Rifle Regiment "John Scheer" 4th Panzer Regiment "August Bebel" 4th Artillery Regiment "Willi Bredel" 4th AA-Missile Regiment "Hermann Danz" 4th Rocket Detachment "Hugo Gräf" 4th Heavy Mortar Detachment "Otto Franke" 4th Reconnaissance Battalion "Wilhelm Girnius" 4th Engineer Battalion "Walter Kaiser-Gorrish" 4th Light AT Detachment "Franz Jacob" 4th Signal Battalion "Wilhelm Liebknecht" 4th Logistical Security Battalion "Ernst Putz" 4th Repair Battalion "Wilhelm Leuschner" 4th Chemical Defence Battalion "Lothar Bolz" 4th Medical Battalion 4th Replacement Regiment