Combat Groups of the Working Class
| Combat Groups of the Working Class | |
|---|---|
| Kampfgruppen der Arbeiterklasse | |
Coat of arms of the KdA | |
| Country | East Germany |
| Allegiance | Workers' and Peasants Government |
| Type | Paramilitary militia |
| Role | Riot control |
| Size | 211,000 men (1980) |
| Part of | Socialist Unity Party of Germany Volkspolizei Ministry of the Interior |
| Garrison/HQ | East Berlin |
| Nickname | "KdA" |
| Mottos | Für den Schutz der Arbeiter-und-Bauern-Macht and
Wir schützen, was wir schaffen |
| March | "Marsch der Kampfgruppen der Arbeiterklasse" |
| Insignia | |
| Flag | |
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The Combat Groups of the Working Class (KdA; German: Kampfgruppen der Arbeiterklasse, lit. 'Struggle Groups of the Worker Class') was a paramilitary organization in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1953 to 1989.
The KdA served as the de facto militia of the ruling Socialist Unity Party of Germany composed of party members and politically reliable working people, based on the principle of the dictatorship of the proletariat, to be deployed locally to fight civil unrest or invasion. The KdA was a civil reserve force tied to the GDR's Ministry of the Interior and the Volkspolizei, with 211,000 personnel at its peak in 1980. The KdA was disbanded by the Volkskammer after the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989.