Löffler, H.-G./Parchmann, R./Kersten, O./Stoof , S. (Hrsg.) Garnisonen der NVA und GSTD

The Cold War played a decisive role in shaping the everyday life and living space of the population in East and West for decades. The overcoming of this threatening epoch goes hand in hand with a certain historical repression, as numerous military sites have been left to decay without comment or even disregard. Yet quite a few of these sites can look back on a remarkable continuity of military use dating back to the Imperial German Army. It corresponded to the respective security policy interests that even the local population often knew little about the activities within the garrisons.

The authors of this book have succeeded in comprehensively documenting this historical development for approx. 600 stationing sites in the federal states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony as well as the federal capital Berlin in many years of commendable research. A fact-filled directory of the stationing locations (from Ahlbeck to Zwickau) and their occupancy by staffs, troops or depots is supplemented by over 250 photos, site plans, command excerpts, documents and references to present-day use. For sites with historically different locations, there are references to relevant literature. A historical outline describes the eventful history of the garrisons from the citizens' quarter to the barracks of the Bundeswehr in 2000.

"For the first time, the exact assignment of the individual staffs, military units, military training areas and service posts as well as the assignment of the garrison or site numbers with their field post numbers (GSTD) and post office box numbers (NVA/GT) are named. The reference book is easy to read for every user and an important contribution to military and regional history."
(Dr. Klaus Froh, military historian)