About 25 years ago, without a single shot, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) or East Germany ceased to exist. The group of Soviet troops in Germany (GSVG) in the German Democratic Republic was prepared for any situation, even taking into account the enemy’s nuclear attack. But the USSR lost the Cold War, which led to the humiliating withdrawal of Soviet troops from Germany.
Post-war period
About one month after the victory of the USSR over Germany in World War II, the high command of the USSR decided to create a contingent of occupation forces in Germany, the commander of which was appointed war hero, Marshal Georgy Zhukov. This happened on June 10, 1945. The number of Soviet soldiers stationed in Germany at first was 1.5 million.
The mission in Germany of the Soviet troops, whose main headquarters was in the city of Potsdam, adjacent to Berlin, was to ensure the management of the occupation zone of Germany, as well as to restore the peaceful life of citizens in it. Moreover, the command of the USSR did not believe that these troops would be in Germany for a long time. In addition, the policy of the USSR in the post-war period was oriented towards the unification of Germany, since after the destruction of the ruling fascist party in this country, the main political forces became communists and socialists. Thus, the Soviet Union saw Germany as a potential strong ally in the center of Europe.
Creation of a group of Soviet troops
The GSVG was established on March 26, 1954, this date is considered the end of the occupation by the Soviet troops of Germany. In the period from 1957 to 1958, about 70,000 Soviet soldiers were in the GDR.
This group of forces was created to guarantee the implementation of decisions adopted at the Potsdam Conference, as well as to ensure the security of the western border. Further, on September 20, 1955, the GDR signed an agreement with the USSR and became one of the Warsaw Pact countries. In 1957, a new pact was signed between the Soviet Union and the German Democratic Republic, according to which the size and location of Soviet troops in Germany were established. According to this agreement, Soviet troops did not have the right to interfere in the internal affairs of the GDR.
Soviet troops in Germany in the 1960-1980s
In 1963, the GSVG numbered about 386,000 soldiers, of which 46,000 belonged to the Air Force. The armament of the GSVG included in its composition:
- 7,500 tanks
- 100 tactical missiles;
- 484 self-propelled military installations;
- 146 bombers;
- 101 reconnaissance aircraft;
- 80 helicopters.
In 1968, German Soviet troops took part in the suppression of the uprising in Prague. In the late 70s and early 80s, the Soviet military contingent in Germany declined. Thus, 1,000 tanks and other military vehicles and about 20,000 soldiers were withdrawn from the GDR. During perestroika in the USSR, the GSVG was defensive in nature according to its structure and armament. In 1989, the number of Soviet armored vehicles in the GDR decreased significantly.
The beginning of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Germany
In the late 80s, Mikhail Gorbachev (General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee) was at the head of the USSR. In 1989, he decided on the unilateral withdrawal of Soviet troops from Germany. The military power of the GSVG was greatly weakened, since immediately 8 battalions of soldiers and 4 tank divisions were disbanded. It should be noted that the number of GSVG was constantly decreasing, starting from the year of their formation in the GDR, however, a large withdrawal of troops began in 1989. Therefore, answering the question when the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Germany began, it should be called precisely 1989.
On September 2, 1990, the foreign ministers of the Federal Republic of Germany, Great Britain, East Germany, the United States, the USSR and France signed an agreement regarding the fate of Germany, which in practice meant that the borders of the Federal Republic of Germany would expand, having absorbed the GDR completely.
It is interesting to note that the United States did not plan to withdraw its troops from the territory of Germany, while the USSR agreed to complete the complete withdrawal of Soviet and Russian troops from East Germany before 1994. The Western Group of Forces (ZGV, this name replaced the previous GSVG) at the time of withdrawal included:
- 546,200 soldiers;
- 115,000 units of military equipment;
- 667,000 tons of ammunition;
- 36,290 buildings and structures in 777 military camps.
The withdrawal of such a huge number of troops meant for the USSR a shameful retreat to nowhere.
Troop withdrawal
In 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev announced the withdrawal from Germany of 4 divisions of armored vehicles attacking the air forces, as well as nuclear missiles of close range. Starting from this date, the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Germany became the most full-scale transfer of military forces in the history of mankind. Despite the enormous difficulties in transferring so many military and military equipment from the German Democratic Republic to the USSR, the withdrawal dates were not violated, and the plan was completed by August 1994. The German government pledged to allocate 15 million German marks to cover the costs that the withdrawal required.
The withdrawal of Soviet troops from Germany was carried out mainly by sea, in particular, through the ports of the German city of Rostock and the islands of Rügen, as well as by rail through Poland.
Problems during troop withdrawal
One of the main problems during the years of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Germany was the issue of housing. Initially, it was planned to withdraw troops as housing was built for them at home. However, according to the last commander of the Western Group of Forces, Matvey Burlakov, "the government of the country did not think about its own army." Moreover, the president of Russia at that time, Boris Yeltsin, in order to satisfy the requirements of the Western authorities, spoke out in favor of reducing the term of withdrawal by 4 months.
Of the promised 15 million marks for the construction of housing for soldiers, Germany paid only 8 million. As a result, only 45,000 houses were built for Soviet soldiers in Ukraine and Belarus. More than 170,000 Soviet officers and 160,000 soldiers were left without housing.
The withdrawal of Soviet troops from Germany was also a personal disaster for many thousands of soldiers. Their wives and children were sent to their parents' houses, many soldiers remained to live in tents and tents. Most families were not able to reunite again.
Another important issue was the compensation of the USSR for property that they left on German territory. The total value of this property at that time was estimated at $ 28 billion. Only 385 million dollars was paid to Russia in compensation.
The attitude of the German people towards the Soviet soldier
Most of the Soviet military units were disbanded after they were withdrawn from Germany. Many Germans sympathized with the Soviet soldiers, because they realized that they did not even have a home for them. The famous historian Verner Borchert said that Soviet soldiers were friends for many Germans.
Many residents of East Germany were in good relations with Soviet soldiers, since they had been in German territory for several decades. During the withdrawal of Soviet troops, the German people escorted soldiers with rallies and flowers.
Troop withdrawal completion
The Russian ground forces left German soil on June 25, 1994. The celebrations for the withdrawal of troops took place on June 11, 1994 in the city of Wünsdorf and in Treptow Park on August 31, 1994. The last date is considered the official date when the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Germany was completed. Helmut Kohl (German Chancellor) and Russian President Boris Yeltsin attended the celebration in Treptower Park. Matvey Burlakov, the commander in chief of the Western Group of Forces left Germany by plane on September 1, 1994.