Wolfgang Reinhold GDR military leader Date of Birth: 16.04.1923 Country: Germany

Biography of Wolfgang Reinhold

Wolfgang Reinhold was a military figure in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). He was born into a family of a chauffeur. After completing school, he pursued a career as a salesman from 1938 to 1940. In 1940, he worked as a bank employee. However, in 1941, he was called to serve in the Luftwaffe and ended up becoming a prisoner of war under Soviet captivity until 1949.

Upon returning to his homeland, Wolfgang Reinhold worked as an assistant lathe operator. During this time, he joined the Free German Youth Union and later became a member of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SEPG) in 1950. In the early 1950s, he began his military career in the German Democratic Republic, joining the Air People's Police (predecessor of the future GDR Air Force). From 1952 to 1954, he commanded the Service Office of the KNP Cottbus.

On September 26, 1956, Reinhold became the lieutenant colonel in command of the 3rd Air Division (later becoming the 3rd Air Defense Division from December 1961). In 1957, he was sent to the Soviet Union for military training, returning in 1958. From 1958 to 1965, he held various positions in the command of the GDR Air Force/Air Defense (including being the deputy commander for air combat readiness from November 1, 1960, to February 28, 1965).

On October 7, 1963, Reinhold was promoted to the rank of major general. He then underwent training at the Military Academy of the General Staff of the USSR from 1965 to 1967. After his return to the GDR, he served as the Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander of the GDR Air Force/Air Defense from September 1, 1967, to March 14, 1972. From March 15, 1972, to December 30, 1989, he held the position of Commander of the GDR Air Force/Air Defense and Deputy Minister of National Defense, succeeding Herbert Scheibe.

On March 1, 1974, Reinhold was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general, and on October 7, 1979, he became a general colonel, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the formation of the GDR. He was also a member of the Central Committee of the SEPG from 1981 to 1989. However, with the political changes taking place in the GDR, Wolfgang Reinhold was dismissed from his position on December 31, 1989.

Tragically, his son, Ralf Reinhold, who was a commander of a TU-154 aircraft, died on September 13, 1997, as a result of a collision with an American military transport over the coast of Namibia.

Wolfgang Reinhold received several military honors throughout his career, including the Order for Merit to the Fatherland in bronze. He was promoted to the rank of major general on October 7, 1963, lieutenant general on March 1, 1974, and general colonel on October 7, 1979.