Combat Groups of The Working Class - Training and Equipment

Training and Equipment

Training was conducted by the People's Police (Volkspolizei) to avoid the KdA being counted as part of the total strength of the armed forces under international treaties. The KdA was substantially cheaper to maintain than the official army, since members did not require accommodation, supplies and wages on the same amount as regulars, and members continued their civilian work while training in their spare time. A KdA member trained with his unit after work and on weekends for a total of 136 hours annually. KdA training camps were held annually, usually in the wilderness. This is somewhat comparable to the British Territorial Army, in that KdA paramilitaries were often equipped like professional infantry, despite KdA forces having substantially less indoctrination and training.

The KdA had at their disposal many of the weapons that the police would use in riot situations, and also SK-1 armoured cars, SK-2 water cannon (both armoured and unarmoured versions), 82mm mortars; 76mm antitank guns; and 23mm and 37mm antiaircraft guns. In terms of small arms, the KdA were armed with surplus World War II German and Soviet equipment during the 1950s and 1960s e.g. the Mauser Kar98k rifle, the Mosin-Nagant rifle, and the PPSh-41 submachine gun. KdA troopers were gradually re-equipped in later years with soviet-bloc weaponry like the AK47 rifle and its numerous variations.