Talk:National People's Army

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Edited two typos (Luftstreitkräfte and Luftverteidigung) - Attila, Dec 9th 05

Demonstratably false content

The article says "The GDR therefore became the only socialist state in history to provide a non-combat alternative for conscientious objectors." That's not true. At least one other socialist state had a non-combat alternative for conscientious objectors; Cuba had UMAPS (Unidades Militares de Ayuda a la Produccion) for those who couldn't fight. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.131.213.187 (talk) 12:43, 11 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

We could note this if you could provide a citation in English.

However, the sources I've seen indicated that conscientious objection has been recognized in Cuba only since 1997, long after the GDR expired. Regarding "UMAPs," the sources I found via Google (including the article on the Spanish-language Wikipedia) indicates these were forced labor camps for men of draft age who were members of unregistered religious sects, homosexuals, dissidents, "parasites" and "anti-social elements." If that's accurate, this was hardly a form of alternative service for conscientious objectors. They existed only for a few years in the mid-1960s and were closed down in response to international and internal criticism. --langohio (talk) 19:25, 21 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Those objecting conscription in Czechoslovakia could instead opt to work in coal mining industry for several years. This applied e.g. on Jehovah's Witnesses. The sentence in the article should be reworded. Pavel Vozenilek (talk) 18:40, 9 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Soviet conscripts who had some conscientious objection to military service, thus rendering them less desirable for combat, were usually sent to "stroybats", or construction battalions, for their required service (Schofield, Carey, Inside the Soviet Military, p. 135).Fredmdbud (talk) 07:52, 5 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Unrelated content

The sale of BTR-60s to Turkey at the beginning of the 1990s (with the stipulation that they not be used in internal conflicts, especially against the Kurds), made headlines. It was later proven by German journalists that these former NVA vehicles were, and still are, being used in regions with Kurdish populations, in violation of this stipulation.

Despite being a subjective and indefinite comment about Turkey, the last paragraph of the section "Utilization of former NVA material after 1991" seems totally unrelated to the article. I suggest removing the whole paragraph. Cagdase 14:53, 13 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I agree - this is not historically significant in relation to the NVA. It involves the use of their surplus years after the NVA was disbanded. Might as well list every bush war where East German arms were ever used. I've deleted it. Good Skoda (talk) 21:13, 8 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Equipment lists

Since I am very interested in equipment lists, I have started one. Could anyone please help and expand it, if possible? Thanks!Leonidas15andihack (talk) 02:02, 13 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Concentration camp

i believe it would be in the best interests to state that the NVA wasnt using the concentration camp to Murder jews...i find it somewhat misleading...celebrating 25 years of NVA at a concentration camp! its a picture of two NVA soldiers holding up an east german flag and under it states -Another GDR stamp celebrating 25 years of the NVA, at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp- im changing it, unless someone can provide a reason not to.

I expanded the caption to eliminate ambiguity. Of course the purpose of associating the NVA with a concentration camp _memorial_ was to underscore its identity as an anti-fascist military. --langohio (talk) 19:26, 21 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

What's all this silly Wehrmacht fuss about?

The fact that this article spends an extraordinary amount of space on the ranks and awards of a mere handful of former Wehrmacht generals (none of which, with the temporary exception of Müller, played an important role in the NVA) while at the same time crucial personalities like Stoph, Hoffmann or Streletz are completely omitted (!) shows once again the absurd obsession of Anglo-Saxons with anything remotely connected to Nazism. Perhaps you should take a look at the respective entry in the german wikipedia - people there know what they are writing about. --Reibeisen (talk) 19:26, 17 July 2009 (MEZ)

P.R.POLAND

What about East German potential involvement in Poland in the state of Emergency in the early 80's and territory dispute with the P.R. of Poland in Stettin Bay? Anyone can add these two supposed events... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 222.212.65.102 (talk) 06:16, 17 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Rejected Communism

What is this? At the critical moment in its history in November 1989, the NVA rallied to its Germanic heritage and rejected Communism, refusing to battle the demonstrators protesting the Communist regime. The NVA did not reject communism, they only refused to shoot at their own people? Is that rejecting communism? Is opposing the SED anticommunism? Valery Mikhailovich Sablin was a soviet naval captain and he wanted to start a Leninist revolution against the Stalinist government of 1976, so he did not reject communism. The NVA in 1989 did not become anticommunist, by not firing on their own workers they came more communist then they ever were. --UDSS (talk) 12:07, 10 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]