Hermann Rentzsch Hermann Rentzsch ( May 27 , 1913 in Schmiedeberg ( Erzgebirge ) , Germany - April 12 , 1978 ) was a Major General of the People ' s Police and the National People ' s Army in the German Democratic Republic ( GDR ) . Later he served as Deputy Minister for heavy machinery and equipment of the GDR . Life . Rentzsch was trained and worked as a carpenter . Between 1927 and 1933 he was part of Socialist Working Youth . He became a soldier in the German Wehrmacht in 1935 , serving in the Smoke Mortar department ( Nebelwerfer - Abteilung ) and was promoted to sergeant . During the Second World War he was nominated for an officer ' s career . Rentzsch became a lieutenant in 1940 and a first lieutenant in 1942 . He was captured at Stalingrad in 1943 and taken into Soviet captivity . He became a member of the National Committee for Free Germany and worked as a front organization representative of the Soviet 6th Guards Army engaged in propaganda work . According to the memoirs of Marshal I . Bagramyan , his German anti - fascists activities were instrumental in organizing the operations of Koenigsberg ' s liberation from Nazi forces . He became a member of the German Communist Party in July 1945 after attending a short course at the anti - fascist school in Rüdersdorf . In 1946 and has been a member of Socialist Unity Party ( SED ) . Rentzsch served as the mayor of the city of Stollberg / Erzgeb . from 1945 to 1947 and from 1947 to 1948 he was the chief administrator of the district Stollberg . In 1948 , Rentzsch was involved as one of the early leaders in the development of the garrisoned People ' s Police , which later became the nucleus for the National People ’ s Army . In 1948 / 49 he was the Chief Inspector and head of the border alert police of the German Administration of the Interior . After appropriate further military training in the Soviet Union from 1949 to 1950 , he became a Major General of the People ' s Police in 1952 . He served as commander of the Territorial Department North . After the founding of the National People ' s Army , he was commander of the Military District V . In 1957 he was Director of Training at the Ministry of National Defense . In 1959 he was the Director of Administration at the headquarters of the National People ’ s Army Artillery . In 1959 , the German Democratic Republic started dismissing former Wehrmacht soldiers from active duty and Rentzsch was transferred in the reserves . He became principal director of the state owned industry UNIMAK ( Universalmaschinen Koppatsch ) which coordinated all armament industries . He was thus responsible for oversight of various munitions factories and chemical plants . Between 1961 and 1965 he was Deputy Chairman of the Economic Council of the GDR and 1966 / 67 Deputy Minister of heavy machinery and plant construction . Between 1967 and 1972 , Rentzsch was the first Director of Administration for Defense Economics to the chairman of the Council of Ministers . Finally , from 1972 to 1976 he was deputy chief of weapons and equipment at the Ministry of National Defense . References . Klaus Froh , Rüdiger Wenzke : Die Generale und Admirale der NVA . Ein biographisches Handbuch . 5th Revised edition . Links , Berlin 2007 , ISBN 978 - 3 - 86153 - 438 - 9 , S . 163f .