Heinz Kessler

German military officer, Armeegeneral in the former National People's Army of East Germany (1920-2017)

Heinz Kessler or Heinz Kebler (26 January 1920 – 2 May 2017) was a former East German communist politician, military officer and a convicted felon. He is known for his role in political repression in East Germany prior to the communist regime's downfall in 1989.


Heinz Kessler
Heinz Kessler in 1988
Minister of Defence of German Democratic Republic
In office
3 December 1985 – 18 November 1989
PresidentErich Honecker
Prime MinisterWilli Stoph
Hans Modrow
Preceded byHeinz Hoffmann
Succeeded byTheodor Hoffman
Personal details
Born(1920-01-26)26 January 1920
Lauban, Province of Lower Silesia, Weimar Germany
Died2 May 2017(2017-05-02) (aged 97)
Berlin, Germany
Political partyGerman Communist Party (since 2009)
Other political
affiliations
Communist Party of Germany (1945-1946)
Socialist Unity Party of Germany (1946-1989)
Party of Democratic Socialism (1989-1990)German Communist Party (1990–present)
Spouse(s)Ruth Kessler (died 2013)
Awards


Military service
Allegiance Nazi Germany (1940-1941)
Soviet Union (1941-1945)
East Germany (1950-1989)
Years of service Wehrmacht (1940-1941)
Soviet Army (1941-1945)
National People's Army (1950-1989)
RankArmeegeneral
CommandsCommander-in-chief of the Kommando LSK/LV
Ministry of National Defence
Battles/warsWorld War II
Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
Angolan Civil War

In East Germany, he held the rank of Armeegeneral in the National People's Army (Nationale Volksarmee) and was Minister of Defense of the GDR, a member of the Politbüro of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), and a deputy of the GDR's Volkskammer (parliament).

Convicted for his role in the crimes of the communist regime, he was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison after German reunification, and served his sentence in a Prison. He was removed from prison in 1998 after serving only five years.

Kessler was expelled from the Party of Democratic Socialism in 1990. In 2009, he joined the German Communist Party (DKP). He was a DKP candidate in the Berlin state election, 2011. Kessler died 2 May 2017 at the age of 97.[1][2]

References change

  1. "Former East German Defense Minister Heinz Kessler dies at 97 | Star Tribune". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 2017-05-04. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
  2. "Eiserne Ideale bis zum Schluss: DDR-Verteidigungsminister Heinz Keßler ist tot - Nordkurier.de". www.nordkurier.de. 4 May 2017.

Other websites change

  Media related to Heinz Keßler at Wikimedia Commons