Wolfgang Reinhold ( German: Wolfgang Reinhold , April 16, 1923 , Friedrichshagen - September 2, 2012 , Bad Zarov ) - military leader of the GDR , in 1972-1989 commander of the Air Force / Air Defense NNA GDR, Colonel General ( 1979 ).
| Wolfgang Reinhold | ||||||||||||||||
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 Reinhold in 1986 | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of Birth | April 16, 1923 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of Birth | Berlin | |||||||||||||||
| Date of death | September 2, 2012 (89 years old) | |||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Bad Zarov | |||||||||||||||
| Affiliation |  GDR | |||||||||||||||
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| Years of service | 1950-1989 | |||||||||||||||
| Rank | Colonel General | |||||||||||||||
| Commanded | Air Force / Air Defense NNA GDR | |||||||||||||||
| Battles / wars | ||||||||||||||||
| Awards and prizes |
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| Retired | 1989 | |||||||||||||||
Content
Biography
From the driver’s family. After leaving school in 1938-1940 he studied the profession of a salesman. In 1940 - 1941 he worked as an employee in a bank. In 1941 he was called up for military service in the Luftwaffe . In 1945, with the rank of sergeant major, he was captured by the Soviet Union, where he remained until 1949 .
After returning to his homeland, he worked as an assistant turner. At this time, he joins the Union of Free German Youth . In 1950, Reinhold became a member of the SED .
In the early 1950s, his military career began anew in the East German state of workers and peasants. At this time, he enters the People’s Air Police (the forerunner of the future GDR Air Force) and, already in 1952 - 1954, commands the KNP Cottbus ( German KVP Dienststelle Cottbus ).
From September 26, 1956 to April 30, 1957, Reinhold, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, commanded the 3rd flight division (the future 3rd air defense division (from December 1961 ). In 1957 he was sent to study at the Military Academy in the USSR .
After his return from the Soviet Union, Reinhold held various positions in the Air Force / Air Defense Command from 1958 to 1965 (among other things, from November 1, 1960 to February 28, 1965, Colonel Reinhold was Deputy Air Force / Air Defense Commander for combat training of the Air Force ( German Stellvertreter des Chefs für Luftstreitkräfte ) On October 7, 1963 he was awarded the rank of Major General.
In 1965 - 1967, Reinhold studied at the Military Academy of the General Staff of the USSR .
After his return to the GDR as a certified military scientist, from September 1, 1967 to March 14, 1972 he served as chief of staff and deputy commander of the NNA Air Force / Air Defense. From March 15, 1972 to December 30, 1989 he served as commander of the Air Force / Air Defense of the NNA and Deputy Minister of National Defense (in this post, he replaces Herbert Scheibe ). On March 1, 1974, he was awarded the rank of lieutenant general, and on October 7, 1979 , on the 30th anniversary of the founding of the GDR, he became colonel general. At the same time, in 1981 - 1989, he was a member of the SED Central Committee. After the deep changes began to take place in the political life of the GDR, Wolfgang Reinhold was dismissed on December 31, 1989 .
His son Ralph Reinhold, the commander of TU-154, died on September 13, 1997 as a result of a collision of his plane with American military vehicles over the coast of Namibia .
Military ranks
- Major General - October 7, 1963;
- Lieutenant General - March 1, 1974;
- Colonel General - October 7, 1979.
Most Important Rewards
- Order of Merit to the Fatherland (GDR) , in bronze
- Honorary title "Honored Military Pilot of the GDR" (1976)
Literature
- Klaus Froh, Rüdiger Wenzke. Die Generale und Admirale der NVA.Ein biographisches Handbuch. - Berlin: Links, 2000 .-- 407 p. - ISBN 3-86153-209-3 .