§ 67. Mr. Youngerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs his latest information about the present size, organisation and equipment of German armed forces in the Soviet zone of occupation in Germany.
§ Mr. NuttingAccording to the latest information available to Her Majesty's Government at least 100,000 East Germans are now under arms. Of these 6,000 are in the Air Force, 4,000 in the Navy and some 90,000 in the land forces.
62WThese forces are still officially described in East Germany as "police forces" and are controlled by the so-called Ministry of the Interior. Nevertheless, their numbers, organisation, equipment and training clearly indicate that they are intended to serve as military forces.
The ground force includes one army corps, containing two infantry divisions and one armoured division, numbering 40,000 men, and 18 independent regiments numbering 50,000. This force is supplied with Russian equipment, including more than 600 tanks, 250 self-propelling guns, 150 armoured vehicles, 1,700 other guns and about 4,000 vehicles.
The naval force is equipped with light vessels such as minesweepers and coastal patrol craft.
The air force consists of a divisional headquarters with three subordinate fighter regiments, each equipped with about 30 Russian propeller-driven training aircraft. There is evidence to show that pilot training has been proceeding apace during recent months.