Heinz Keßler
German general and politician (1920–2017)
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Key Takeaways
- Heinz Keßler (26 January 1920 – 2 May 2017) was a German communist politician and military officer in East Germany.
- Due to his communist convictions, he deserted the Wehrmacht and fought for the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front.
- Later, he was Minister of Defense of the GDR with the rank of Armeegeneral , 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).
- He was released from prison in 1998 after serving only two years.
- He joined the Red Young Pioneers, the youth organization of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD), at age 6 and the Young Spartacus League at 10.
Heinz Keßler (26 January 1920 – 2 May 2017) was a German communist politician and military officer in East Germany.
His career in the military started when he was conscripted into the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of Nazi Germany, in World War II. Due to his communist convictions, he deserted the Wehrmacht and fought for the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front. Upon his return to East Germany, he entered service in the National People's Army (Nationale Volksarmee) upon its establishment in 1956. Later, he was Minister of Defense of the GDR with the rank of Armeegeneral, 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 deaths of defectors along the Berlin wall, he was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison after German reunification, and served his sentence in Hakenfelde Prison. He was released from prison in 1998 after serving only two years.
Biography
Early life
Kessler was born into a communist family in Lauban, Lower Silesia and was raised in Chemnitz. He joined the Red Young Pioneers, the youth organization of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD), at age 6 and the Young Spartacus League at 10. He later apprenticed as a motor mechanic.
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