User:Reguyla\Paul Markgraf

[link label/Photo of Paul Markgraf]

Paul Markgraf (* July 17th, 1910 in Berlin - † April 7th, 1993) was a former German Polizeipräsident in Berlin (1945 - 1949) in East Berlin and also a Oberst in the Nationale Volksarmee during World War II.

Life
Margrave, son of a commercial employee and a shop assistant, trained as a Baker after graduating from elementary school from 1925 to 1928. On May 1, 1931, he entered as a professional soldier in the Reichswehr and committed itself to twelve years to the NCO career in the infantry. As a Sergeant he moved in 1939 in the war, was promoted to Master Sergeant, was appointed Lieutenant on October 1, 1941, on February 1, 1942 promoted to captain and first lieutenant on December 1, 1942. [1] he received on 5 January 1943 as leader of the Panzerjäger Department 40 in the 24th Panzer Division the Knight's cross of the iron cross. At Stalingrad, he was in the same year with the 6th Army in Soviet captivity. Stalingrad was the turning point in his life. Sent by Walter Ulbricht to a four-month course of the Antifa-Schule in Gorki, he met the later State Security Minister Wilhelm Zaisser as a teacher. He also attended the Antifa-Schule in Krasnogorsk. He joined the National Committee for a free Germany, was a founding member of the Federation of German officers and signatory of the founding documents and the "call to the German generals and officers! Of the people and armed forces!"by September 12, 1943. He was then employed in the ranks of the Red Army from 1943 to 1945 as a front representative of the NKFD. On April 30, 1945, Margrave as Ulbricht group member in a second plane with nine other prisoners of war arrived in Berlin, [2] where he was deployed before May 20 by the Soviet Commander General Bersarin to the Chief of police in Berlin. Obviously, the appointment of mark Gardner, who had heard of the group to the ten "anti-fascist prisoners of war", went back on the initiative of Ulbricht. [3] Margrave, now Colonel leading the rank without explanation, accompanied the announcement of his appointment with a self representation in the Berliner Zeitung of 27 May 1945, in which he used the term "People's police". Margrave, who was initially independent, was member of the Communist Party [4] in the year 1945 and in 1946 the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED). The Soviet occupying power had employed him as Superintendent of police Colonel named service, which should be at the same time Commander of the security police and had to wear police uniform. After the dissolution of the personal Union between the police chief and police on Mark Gardner, initiative, he was initially no uniform carrier. [5] at the opening of the Treptower Memorial on May 8, 1948, he appeared in the uniform of a Chief Inspector General (major general). [6] Suspended him mayor Ferdinand Friedensburg on July 26, 1948, at the height of the Berlin blockade, due to "continued unconstitutional unlawful measures, failure to comply with its statutory duties and because of its continued refusal to perform instructions of the magistrate" from his post. [7] Margrave had dismissed all "nichtkommunistisch" organized employees of the police in the Soviet sector and ensured that the police of occupation of the Conference building statesmanship Town Council in Berlin-Mitte by SED-controlled hooligans. The result was the excerpt of the councilors in the British sector, which started the Division of Berlin. She continued, when Margrave refused to withdraw and further served with Soviet approval in the Soviet sector of the city, while his successor John inserted by the magistrate silently built up a police headquarters for the Western sectors. His last public appearance he made a birthday congratulation of the Mayor of East Berlin, Friedrich Ebert, on 12 September 1949 [8] henceforth no longer as Police Commissioner in appearance he appeared and was represented by its Vice President Richard Gyptner and Alfred Schönherr. With the establishment of the new police President, Chief Inspector Waldemar Schmidt, on February 2, 1950 by Lord Mayor Friedrich Ebert, was thanked him and informed that he was relieved by the granting of a higher order function of the police President. [9] From October 1949 to October 1950 he took part in the first regiment commander course in Privolsk (USSR). In December 1950 he took over command of the VP-willingness to Prenzlau, but already in 1951, [10] adopted by the Ministry for State security (MfS). He joined the Ministry of transport of the GDR, Department of road transport/transportation, where he led military staff. Until 1956, he was Colonel of the Kasernierte Volkspolizei (KVP), until 1958 of the national people's Army (NVA) and then Commander of the border police. Most recently, he was senior officer of the Berlin Regiment Feliks Dzerzhinsky the MfS. [11] On the occasion of his 60th birthday, i was him on 30 July 1970 as a Colonel

Awards

 * Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse


 * Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse


 * Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on January 3rd, 1943 as Oberleutnant and Führer of Panzer-Jäger-Abteilung 40


 * Vaterländischer Verdienstorden in Silber (1955)


 * Vaterländischer Verdienstorden in Gold (1970)


 * Orden Banner der Arbeit (1960)


 * Medaille „40. Jahrestag des Sieges im Großen Vaterländischen Krieg 1941–1945“ (1985) für seinen Fronteinsatz an der Seite der Roten Armee.