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Desertion And Discontent In The East German Border Police, 1948-1959, Rose Shafer
Desertion And Discontent In The East German Border Police, 1948-1959, Rose Shafer
Undergraduate Honors Theses
The East German Border Police (Deutsche Grenzpolizei) was the organization responsible for patrolling the borders of the German Democratic Republic from its creation in 1946 until its transformation into the Border Troops of the GDR (Grenztruppen der DDR) and reorganization as part of the National People's Army (Nationale Volksarmee) in 1961. The organization had the dual task of preventing "Republikflucht," the illegal migration of East German citizens to West Germany, and acting as the first line of defense in the case of an attack from West German forces. The ruling Sociality Unity Party of Germany ( …