Diensteinheit IX (DEIX) was one of the most elite yet least documented elements of the German Democratic Republic’s (GDR) security apparatus, established officially in 1974. Formed to respond to high-risk threats, the covert counter-terrorism unit of the Volkspolizei (People’s Police) operated in near-total secrecy. Rarely deployed, but highly trained, it was tasked with addressing scenarios such as hostage-taking, terrorism, and manhunts.
In regards to the limited documentation on the unit, much of the available insight derives from our correspondence with Rolf Sakulowski, who also wrote and documented accounts from former DIEX members. Among these were Erich Fabian, former head of DIEX, Detlef Prussak and Jürgen Berndt, both former commanders.
Credit is also due to Johans DDR Militaria blog, whose engagement with former members yielded valuable details, particularly regarding the unit’s uniforms and gear. [source, source]
2.0 History, Symbols, Patches2.1 History
Diensteinheit IX was created in 1973 as the GDR’s response to the 1972 Munich massacre—during which a group of Palestinian militants took 11 Israeli athletes and coaches hostage in the Olympic Games—alongside the increasing crime in Germany. No special counterterrorism unit existed in East Germany at that time, so the DIEX, along with its Western counterpart GSG-9, were quickly established. The Central Committee began planning for this new establishment as the GDR expected to host the 10th World Youth Festival in 1973, which would bring millions of visitors. Grey Dynamics
By 1973, a provisional 30-man anti-terror group was assembled and trained for six weeks under Erich Fabian, who was tasked with creating the unit at the age of 24. This detachment operated from an unmarked building on Glinka‑Straße in Berlin, where young men in civilian clothes entered and exited daily without public awareness of their activities. [source, source, source]
In 1974, the Ministry of Interior issued a founding order creating the permanent unit, intended for rapid deployment against terrorism. The GDR designed DIEX to be secret, elite, and officially non-existent. Only a small circle within the state apparatus knew of its existence. Grey Dynamics
As the unit took shape, its structure expanded beyond Berlin. Pankow, Berlin served as the unassuming operational headquarters, and appeared to have more personnel since the beginning. District level DIEX units were established in most GDR Bezirke, forming a nationwide network. In the 1970’s standard district units consisted of 5 people – one commander, and four soldiers. Later, in the 1980s, district units grew into 17 or 18 member teams. [source, source]
In 1990, following German reunification, DIEX was dissolved and many members absorbed into the Spezialeinsatzkommando (SEK). SEKs (Special Task Forces) are specialised units of the German police – highly qualified and capable of deployment in extremely risky situations. Each federal state now has its own SEK subordinate to its respective state police. The SEK official page notes that the majority of the SEK members come from DIEX, particularly the GDR district of Rostock. [source, source, source]
2.3 Symbols, Patches_Banner.svg)
Available information does not show Diensteinheit IX having a unique unit emblem; operators wore the standard insignia of the Volkpolizei. The insignia shown is the Volkspolizei arm shield, featuring the GDR state emblem – hammer, compass and wreath. Additionally, this patch was placed on a uniform intended for DIEX. [source, source]
3.0 Organisation 3.1 Place within broader government
Diensteinheit IX was a Volkspolizei special unit under the Ministry of the Interior (MDI) and under observation by the Stasi. The Stasi placed informants inside DIEX units to monitor activities for the Secret Service. Furthermore, Diensteinheit IX is considered the East German counterpart of Grenzschutzgruppe 9 (GSG 9), West Germany’s counter terrorism unit established at a similar time as a consequence of the Munich massacre. [source, source]
In most GDR districts there was a small sub-unit. The headquarters of the Potsdam unit, for example, was located on the grounds of the People’s Police, where the Potsdam Police Inspectorate is located today. This created a centralised MDI level command with regionally distributed counter-terror teams capable of rapid deployment.Grey Dynamics
3.2 Known individuals
Erich Fabian: Former Head of Diensteinheit IX of the Potsdam District. Fabian played a key role in the establishment of the provisional unit in 1973.
Detlaf Prussak: Former Unit leader of Diensteinheit IX of the Potsdam District
Jurgen Berndt: Former Unit leader of Diensteinheit IX of the Potsdam District
3.3 Recruitment
Methods and Requirements
The unit recruited only from within the Volkspolizei, and even there only from a very narrow pool. Sakulowski stated “you didn’t apply, you were selected,” as with the case of Detlef Prusak, former group leader. Furthermore, those presenting high physical performance were particularly considered.
After passing the screening, candidates were invited to join a “special project” without being informed on what it was, aside from mentioning some involvement in sports. Aside from physical fitness, psychological stability and capacity for discretion, candidates must not have “any doubts about socialism, and without any relatives in the West.” [source, source]
Training
Diensteinheit IX operatives underwent one of the hardest combat training programs in the entire GDR, carried out in a heavily guarded military area near Verlorenwasser, southwest of the state of Breandenberg. Operators spent long periods mastering precision shooting, with rigorous close combat training for situations like hostage-rescue. Fabian spoke of intensive training “until every shot was perfect.” [source, source]
For urban combat training, there was even a “ghost town” that was not marked on any map. Recruits completed intensive shooting and hand-to-hand combat training, alongside exercises such as helicopter abseiling and building assaults. For close combat training, instructional films of Russian elite units were initially used. [source, source, source]
Today, the site lies largely forgotten. However, its remnants are well-documented in a video produced by Chris auf Achse’s Youtube channel. Grey Dynamics
4.0 Equipment 4.1 Weapons
Diensteinheit IX drew its baseline equipment from standard Volkspolizei and Soviet weapons. Paratroopers of the National People’s Army (the armed forces of the GDR) for a long time, served as a model for the equipment of DIEX. However, its then-modern operational brief — counterterrorism, hostage rescue and rapid intervention — required greater precision than the GDR’s stocks could provide. The Pankow headquarters thus increasingly sought more advanced equipment, and was constantly trying to improve the unit’s capabilities. Grey Dynamics
To bridge this gap, the unit received illicitly imported Western weapons, especially through Alexander Schalck-Golodkowski’s covert trade networks. Schalck was an east-German national who re-exported guns bound for Austria toward the GDR in 1983, primarily using their IMES GmbH cover company. These networks likely allowed the unit to obtain a staggering 143 Heckler and Koch weapons, according to a 1992 article by Spiegel. Grey Dynamics
When speaking with Mr. Sakulowski, he drew a distinction between the 1970s and the 1980s. In the 70’s, equipment consisted almost entirely of east bloc weapons, whereas once it reached the 80s, the range expanded and evolved quite significantly, especially with the importation of Western equipment. Confirmed equipment includes: [source, source]
Sniper rifles:
Assault rifles
Kalashnikovs Grey DynamicsHK33 Grey Dynamics AK-47: standard weapon for a trooper. Kalishnikovs were specially prepared for DIEX, fitted with silencers and telescope.
Submachine Guns
Small Submachine Guns
Knives
Pistols
Makarovs 9mm (standard weapon) Grey Dynamics 
DIEX quickdraw holster.4.1.1 KoKo: Schalck’s Secret Commercial Enterprise
Alexander Schalck-Golodkowski headed the GDR’s shadow economic apparatus, the Bereich Kommerzielle Koordinierung (BKK), otherwise known as KoKo. It was a special structure created in 1966 within the Ministry for Foreign and Inner-German Trade (MAI) of the GDR, tasked with maximising hard currency earnings outside of the state plan. Grey Dynamics
For some, Schalck is remembered as a technocrat who tried to steer the GDR toward economic survival. Earning 28 billion euros (roughly USD 32 billion) in foreign currency for the GDR, and negotiating two billion in loans with CSU leader Franz-Josef Strauss, suffice it to say that his financial acumen left a significant imprint on the state’s economic fortunes. Grey Dynamics
However, for others, he remains tied to his role as Honecker’s chief “foreign exchange procurer” — a man who secured hard cash by any means available. Within KoKo, arms exports formed a discreet component. Small arms and military equipment were sometimes transferred, often via front companies and concealed commercial transactions, to partners in the Middle East and Global South. These illegally bypassed Western embargoes, meaning Germany was secretly exporting weapons to conflict zones and importing restricted West Germany’s equipment. Furthermore, these networks were considerable in providing Western equipment to units including DIEX. [source source, source]
4.2 Armour and Kit
Much of the special equipment used by Diensteinheit IX was initially invented and developed in-house due to the lack of specialist outfitters; much of their protective gear, helmets and uniforms were modified and improvised. DIEX operators typically wore the olive drab 5th model Fallschirmjäger combat uniform, often customised with mission‑specific field modifications. Commercial motorhelmets of the brand “Wilde” were painted olive-grey and were used, as well as Wz63 Polish paratrooper helmets with specially designed cover. Into the 1980s, they also obtained Swiss titanium helmets from the brand TIG.
The following images and uniforms were provided by former members of DIEX and given to [johansddrmilitaria.blogspot]
Standard uniform of DIEX.
Wz63 Polish paratrooper helmet with cover.
Battle vests of the same type like the Fallschirmjäger were also used. This model is from 1984.
DIEX members also frequently wore balaclavas.4.3 Vehicles
Information on DIEX’s vehicle fleet is very limited. According to a collectors blog on tierfreunde-luebben, the unit often used civilian camouflage cars, mostly the Lada. However, other vehicles were used depending on the location. Grey Dynamics
5.0 Tactical-Operational Information 5.1 Operations
Diensteinheit IX missions were subject to the strictest secrecy. Most of the time, only their wives knew what kind of work they did. DIEX was actually rarely deployed, according to Sakulowski. The majority of their time was spent training. In fact, Sakulowski stated the most common reason for deployment was the search for deserted Soviet soldiers who had fled with their weapons. Additionally, some of the operations attributed to DIEX are not verified, and have at times been misattributed, with them later identified as actually conducted by GSG 9. Grey Dynamics
Fabian told Potsdamer Neueste Nachrichten (PNN), a regional newspaper, that his unit “never lost one” of their own men. Additionally, Sakulowski believes, as Fabian stated, no one was fatally shot by DIEX personnel under his command. [source, source]
Contrast with Soviet methods
After 1945, the USSR stationed hundreds of thousands of troops in the GDR as part of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany. Young Soviet soldiers in these barracks were often brutally mistreated, had poor living conditions, and were subject to brutal hazing (dedovschina). Internal conflicts among the young men were also apparent, many of whom were away from their home country for the first time. Sakulowski noted these conditions sometimes led soldiers to suicide. Men frequently attempted to escape, amounting to 300-400 every year, according to the Stasi. When these deserters were armed and estimated to be dangerous, DIEX was tasked to capture them. [source, source]
DIEX involvement often saved these fugitives from Soviet reprisals. Sakulowski told us that there were times when DIEX personnel would help the Soviet soldiers by providing food and water.
“If we got them, they would at least have a fair chance of a court hearing.” He recalled times in which Soviets located the fugitives before DIEX and used “brute force … sometimes simply flattening the hiding places of the fugitives…Nobody survived that.” DIEX valued restraint, control, and neutralisation. Fatalities were a last resort. Grey Dynamics
Saulowski noted that when soldiers were returned to the Soviets, the process was often conducted in silence, with no record of the soldiers’ fate.
18 May 1979: Villa Jacobs Incident
At 3:00am, an 18 year old Soviet soldier who had already shot a Soviet officer, barricaded himself inside Villa Jacobs, a large but decaying building directly on the Jungfernsee. The fugitive had already earned what Fabian calls “practically his death sentence.” Two East German criminal investigators were already inside the building when shots were fired, forcing DIEX to extract them under fire. The unit combed the house, found the Russian in a chimney shaft, and successfully extracted the two officers. Fabian went on to state “we used tear gas, we didn’t want him to shoot himself in there.” Following DIEX’s intervention, the soldier surrendered his weapon and was handed back to Soviet command.
The incident represents the units preferred tactics of emphasising containment and the controlled neutralisation of suspects, rather than lethal force, through tools like irritant gas and methods such as containment. Grey Dynamics
Protective and Political Operations
Beyond deserter recapture, DIEX also handled state-security tasks. At major events, such as the World Youth Festival or the Leipzig Trade Fair, they were covertly on site and prepared to intervene in the event of an attack.
During the late 80’s, citizens took to the street to protest in Potsdam. Fabian and his men decided not to go out – “We don’t do that” he told his superiors. Acknowledging this “could probably have cost him his head,” he refused to position themselves in the way that was expected. Violence would have been met by DIEX operatives – but they would not fight “posters, slogans and peaceful demonstrators.” Grey Dynamics
5.2 Core Purpose
The GDR established DIEX to serve as a covert counter-terrorism, high-risk intervention unit. These were elite forces capable of handling situations that regular Volkspolizei forces could not. Their operational mandate was: [source, source, source]
Hostage rescue AssassinationsCovert protection of major eventsHigh risk arrests Counter-sabotageManhunts5.4 Personnel Strength
According to Sakulowski, the unit may have comprised roughly 200 people; however, exact figures are not documented. Grey Dynamics
7.0 Conclusion
Diensteinheit IX stands as a little-documented but significant component of the GDR’s security apparatus, marking an early institutional response to serious crime and emerging terrorist threats. While the former operational bases are now abandoned, time serving in DIEX remains etched in the memories of the men who passed through them 50 years ago, marked by long, grueling training days and high risk operations.
7.8 Further Reading
For readers interested in further study of DIEX, we recommend a specialist volume on police special units from a scientific perspective: “Spezialeinheiten und Spezialkräfte der Polizei,” scheduled for release at the beginning of Mai 2026. The book includes an article by Rolf Sakulowski titled: “Das vergessene Kommando. Die Diensteinheit IX der Volkspolizei der DDR” (“The Forgotten Command: Service Unit IX of the People’s Police of the GDR”). https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMikgFBVV95cUxNdDU4SGZpMTRBaGthZTRxZlBmakhTUzE4Um5xVkt5UjNYTmV5LVBVMXJ6dkxGNHVOTVQzWnFOeHh2YU1HUThOa2JTeDdEVGhpVWQ2ZW5zQy1ha0I3MUxzanJjUFRzcHF4UzVWMEtLeXg1X0JXSGx6U1VEZHBfZzVXYW1yeWNhODk1c2lPVy1WeEFxQQ?oc=5
Another article, “Fahnenflucht. Sowjetische Deserteure in der DDR“ (Flight from duty. Soviet Deserters in the GDR), where Sakulowski focuses on the problem of deserted soviet soldiers at the GDR, is published in the book “Gut: Gegangen: Der Abzug der sowjetischen/russischen Streitkräfte 1990 bis 1994” https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMikgFBVV95cUxNdDU4SGZpMTRBaGthZTRxZlBmakhTUzE4Um5xVkt5UjNYTmV5LVBVMXJ6dkxGNHVOTVQzWnFOeHh2YU1HUThOa2JTeDdEVGhpVWQ2ZW5zQy1ha0I3MUxzanJjUFRzcHF4UzVWMEtLeXg1X0JXSGx6U1VEZHBfZzVXYW1yeWNhODk1c2lPVy1WeEFxQQ?oc=5
Furthermore, Sakulowski wrote the novel: “Verlorenwasser. Das Schattenkommando” (Verlorenwasser. The shadow command). It is a fictive story, but based on the historical backgrounds and research (Emons Verlag Köln, 2023)