Military instruction is introduced in grades 9 and 10 of GDR schools.
19 September
1978
The SED leadership celebrates the 25th anniversary of the "Combat Groups of the Working Class" with a military parade.
The paramilitary "Combat Groups" were founded in 1953 following the June national uprising to prepare the state better for future rebellions. Ahead of the anniversary, Defence Minister Heinz Hoffmann for the first time admits the military mission of the more than 300,000-strong "Combat Groups".
VIP stand at the troop parade on the 25th anniversary of the "Combat Groups of the Working Class", Berlin 1978 (Photo: Polizeihistorische Sammlung/Der Polizeipräsident in Berlin)
