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East German Combat Troops in Africa

Polyphemus

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Over the course of the Cold War, up to 4000 East German military advisors were dispatched to various Soviet aligned countries in Africa, most notably Angola, Mozambique, and Ethiopia.

Suppose East Germany, like Cuba, escalates their involvement in Angola or Ethiopia and sends actual combat troops for the express purpose of fighting directly against South African or Somali troops. What are the larger diplomatic effects on the Cold War, both African and European?
 
One thing against it is that the East Germans were wanted for the Fuldapocalypse. Cuba obviously didn't border West Germany directly, and the NVA was considered capable and trustworthy enough to be plugged right into GSFG. So there's that.
 
Is that something East Germany can do by itself or does it have to be ordered by Moscow/The Warsaw Pact?

If the NVA matches Cuba’s contribution and puts 30/40,000 troops+tanks and planes in Angola that could maybe make a difference. Perhaps Cuito Cuanavale is shorter and Cabinda/Southern Angola secured, there’s the image of East Germany contributing to freeing Namibia and of German troops fighting South Africans over Black Freedom,etc.

Less inspiring would be the image of East German troops fighting Israel if the NVA were to follow Cuba’s example* there and provide advisors and troops to Syria (and/or Egypt), particularly as East Germany didn’t have the best of histories with Israel.
*Fun story: apparently Damascus asked for jet pilots, which Cuba was reluctant to part with, so Castro sent Tank drivers instead.
 
Is that something East Germany can do by itself or does it have to be ordered by Moscow/The Warsaw Pact?

It would have to be ordered by Moscow. Their airlift force just wasn't that big.

If the NVA matches Cuba’s contribution and puts 30/40,000 troops+tanks and planes in Angola that could maybe make a difference.

I can see them, if nothing else, managing to inflict more losses on the casualty-sensitive South Africans.
 
One thing against it is that the East Germans were wanted for the Fuldapocalypse.
It would have to be ordered by Moscow. Their airlift force just wasn't that big.

So presumably a POD that involves the Soviet Union adopting a different strategy for a potential war, maybe realizing that any war would last 25 minutes and end with lots of craters, so Fulda might not be that important comes to mind, but I don’t think that would convince Soviet planners.

I’d suggest a No Afghan War scenario, but I dunno if that was such a manpower drain or not, or if it’d even affect planning for Central Europe.

I can see them, if nothing else, managing to inflict more losses on the casualty-sensitive South Africans.

If that could lead to South Africa reassessing its place and negotiating earlier that’d be something. Not sure if it’d help bring down Apartheid earlier through a costlier war, but it’s an idea.
 
I would be surprised if the GDR would have been willing to do this. OTL East German involvement in Warsaw Pact military operations was either vetoed or reduced to background support, for reasons of optics.

I am reminded of the RPG Twilight 2000, which had East German and other Warsaw Pact troops drafted to support the Soviet Union in a war with China. That was unpopular enough to get the East Germans to open up secret negotiations with the West on reunification. (That ended ... badly.)
 
I am reminded of the RPG Twilight 2000, which had East German and other Warsaw Pact troops drafted to support the Soviet Union in a war with China. That was unpopular enough to get the East Germans to open up secret negotiations with the West on reunification. (That ended ... badly.)

While T2K's setting is good for what it is (enabling what's in essence a fantasy adventure RPG with tanks instead of dragons), pure logistics meant there was never any serious consideration of using NSWP troops in a Sino-Soviet war. It's uh, not exactly simple, easy, or cheap to move something across the length of Russia.
 
While T2K's setting is good for what it is (enabling what's in essence a fantasy adventure RPG with tanks instead of dragons), pure logistics meant there was never any serious consideration of using NSWP troops in a Sino-Soviet war. It's uh, not exactly simple, easy, or cheap to move something across the length of Russia.

Quite. I think that if things had gotten that bad for the Soviets in a protracted conventional war with China, the Warsaw Pact would have been more likely to fall apart than it would have been to ship satellite state military forces east.
 
I'm imagining the streams being crossed between anti-communism and Wehrabooism. "They're evil commies... but they're GERMANS...."

If they were out in the open... Or they could be doing behind the lines ops in Namibia
 
If I recall NVA soldiers were considered the best troops in the Warsaw Pact on a per-person basis.
 
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