Diensteinheit IX

Diensteinheit IX
Active	1973 (Provisional basis) 1974 (Full establishment) – 1990
Country	East Germany
Branch	Ministry for State Security
Type	Special forces
Role	Close protection Counter-terrorism Hostage rescue
Size	200 operators
Part of	Under the Ministry for State Security
Garrison/HQ	East Berlin, Germany
Commanders
Notable commanders	Ernst Fabian

The Diensteinheit IX (DIX) (English: Service Unit 9) was a special and covert counter-terrorism unit of the German Democratic Republic Volkspolizei. According to Rolf Sakulowski, there were an estimated 200 operators who formerly served in the unit. ^[1]

It was not the same as the 9. Volkspolizei-Kompanie (English: 9th People's Police Company) ^[2] since its structure was meant to handle anti-riot duties in East Germany. ^[3]

History

The Munich massacre in 1972 and the increasing crime in East German cities led to initial attempts to create specialized police units in East Germany. ^[4] With the establishment of the GSG 9 and Spezialeinsatzkommando s (SEK) in the early 1970s in West Germany, the Government of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) initiated the creation of a similar unit. Since no comparable force existed in East Germany at that time, it had to be created from scratch, i.e. from intelligence reports about Western and Soviet special forces units. ^[5]

The unit had been created in 1973 with provisional units before it was fully established in 1974 by Ernst Fabian with 30 men initially under the unit, ^[5] being involved in the security of the Leipzig Fair. The unit was also armed with West German-made small arms and equipment. ^[6] After DIX was created, they never saw actual deployment against terrorists or armed criminals. ^[1]

In the 1980s, DIX operators were involved in hunting down known sex offenders in the Babelsberg district of Potsdam. ^[7]

Upon German reunion in 1990, some members of the Diensteinheit IX were merged into the Spezialeinsatzkommandos of West Germany after thorough political evaluation procedures, such as with SEK units in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ^[8] and in Sachsen-Anhalt. ^[9]

In 1992, Der Spiegel reported that DIX was able to get most of their non-Eastern bloc weapons by using arms dealers, some with Colombian firearms licenses and imported through Bangladesh to avoid detection. ^[6] Previously, Heckler & Koch offices were searched in 1991 with warrants issued to see if they had violated firearms restrictions these imports. ^[6]

There were also reports that Import-Export GmbH and Kommerzielle Koordinierung was responsible for covertly acquiring equipment for the unit. ^[2]

Mandate

The unit was tasked with counter-terrorism operations including:

• Hostage rescue
• VIP protection
• Law enforcement in high-risk situations
• Physical security for large events, e.g. the World Festival of Youth and Students in plainclothes. ^[1]
• Manhunts for Soviet army deserters. ^[5] The Stasi reported that 300 to 400 soldiers deserted their posts around East Germany. ^[1]

Organization

The unit answered directly to the Head of the Ministry for State Security. DIX teams were usually formed of up to 10 men. ^[2]

DIX was stationed in various locations, including Rostock, Schwerin, Magdeburg Leipzig Erfurt, Karl-Marx-Stadt (now Chemnitz), Dresden and Potsdam. ^[10] The unit was also located in East Berlin. ^[5]

Recruitment

Prospective recruits were recruited from the East German Volkspolizei . ^[7] Prospective members had to be between 25 and 39 years old. ^[7] Candidates had to fulfill stringent physical and psychological requirements.

Training

Prospective recruits were trained near Verlorenwasser, where they trained under live fire conditions, including close quarters combat and rappelling from helicopters. ^[1]

Gear

Weapons

• KM66 knife ^[2]
• Makarov pistol ^[2]
• PSM pistol ^[7]
• Skorpion vz. 61 ^[7]
• Heckler & Koch MP5 ^[7]
• PM-63 RAK ^[2]
• AKM ^[11]
• Heckler & Koch HK33 ^[10]
• SSG 82 sniper rifle ^[10]
• SVD Dragunov ^[10]

Equipment

• Strichtarn uniforms ^{[10] [2]}
• PSH-77 helmets ^{[10] [7]}
• ZhZT-7 body armor ^{[10] [7]}

References

1. "Das Schattenkommando: Neues Buch über DDR-Antiterroreinheit". Der Tagesspiegel Online.
2. "DDR- Volkspolizei". TierFreunde. Archived from the original on April 30, 2022.
3. "9. VP-Kompanie". Archived from the original on May 28, 2022.
4. "DDR Geheim - Das unsichtbare Kommando (Teil 1/2)". YouTube . September 23, 2003. Archived from the original on 3 January 2022.
5. "Nie einen verloren" (in German). Archived from the original on 2014-04-29. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
6. "Kleiner Beitrag". Spiegel Online (in German). 27 September 1992. Archived from the original on 2010-01-12. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
7. "9. Volkspolizei-Kompanie a Diensteinheit IX: Protiteroristické jednotky východního Německa". Archived from the original on January 29, 2022.
8. "Spezialeinheiten der Polizei - Mecklenburg-Vorpommern" (in German). SEK Einsatz. Archived from the original on 2012-03-19. Retrieved 2014-04-27.
9. "Spezialeinheiten der Polizei Sachsen-Anhalt" (in German). SEK Team. Archived from the original on 2012-03-30. Retrieved 2014-04-27.
10. "Diensteinheit IX (9. Volkspolizei-Kompanie) - спецназ полиции ГДР. - все про оружие человечества". July 2014. Archived from the original on January 5, 2017.
11. "DDR Geheim - Das unsichtbare Kommando (Teil 2/2)". YouTube . September 23, 2003. Archived from the original on 17 March 2022.

Further reading

• Frank. Metzner/Joachim Friedrich B (2002). Polizei - Sondereinheiten Europas. Geschichte - Aufgaben - Einsätze. Motorbuch Verlag.
• Sören Sünkler (2010). Polizei Sondereinheiten. Motorbuch Verlag.