The Border Troops of the German Democratic Republic, in German Grenztruppen der DDR, were a military force of the GDR and the primary force guarding the Berlin Wall and the border between East and West Germany. The Border Troops numbered at their peak approximately 47,000 troops. Other than the Soviet Union, no other Warsaw Pact country had such a large border guard force.
The border guards were responsible for many deaths at the Berlin Wall as well as suffering from numerous casualties in the line of duty.
Read more about Border Troops Of The German Democratic Republic: History, Pass and Control Units, Translation of German Terms Into English, Subordination of The Deutsche Grenzpolizei (1948-1961), Training and Equipment, Refugee Shootings Along The Berlin Wall and The Inner-German Border, Casualties
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““Although our love is waning, let us stand
By the lone border of the lake once more,
Together in that hour of gentleness
When the poor tired child, Passion, falls asleep....””
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
“Nearly all the bands are mustered out of service; ours therefore is a novelty. We marched a few miles yesterday on a road where troops have not before marched. It was funny to see the children. I saw our boys running after the music in many a group of clean, bright-looking, excited little fellows.”
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“Seventeen hundred and fifty-five.
Georgius Secundus was then alive,—
Snuffy old drone from the German hive.”
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