Kasernierte Volkspolizei

Kasernierte Volkspolizei (KVP, German for "Garrisoned People's Police" or "Barracked People's Police") were the military units of the Volkspolizei (police) in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). Formed in 1948 (under different name) these units became basis of the National People's Army established in 1956.

History

In October 1948 the Soviet Military Administration in Germany formed the "Alert Police" ("Bereitschaftspolizei"), a force of armed units housed in barracks and trained in military fashion. The force consisted of forty units with 100 - 250 men each, the units were subordinated to provincial authorities. Many of the officers and men were recruited among German POWs held in the Soviet Union.

In November 1948 the German Interior Administration ("Deutschen Verwaltung des Innern", DVdI) took responsibility over the force (and the border troops) and included them in section named "Hauptabteilung Grenzpolizei und Bereitschaften" (HA GP/B). The section was renamed to "Verwaltung für Schulung" (VfS) on August 25 1949, [] and to "Kasernierte Volkspolizei" (KVP) on June 1 1952 []

In addition to ground troops HVA and KVP also included a separate naval and air arm. In December 1952 KVP membership was up to 90,250. The communist party and Soviet military authorities did exercise strict ideological control over the force.

On March 1 1956 the KVP units were transferred into the newly established army of East Germany, the National People's Army (NVA).

References