Main Departments were further divided into Sections.
Abteilung M – Department M, responsible for postal surveillance.
Abteilung 26 – Department 26, responsible for audio and visual surveillance (including telecommunications).
Bezirksverwaltung des MfS, BV – District Administration. Each of the 15 administrative districts in the GDR had a MfS Administration, which co-ordinated operations in that area. The next administrative level down, the counties (Kreise), had offices in each county town (Kreisdienststelle, KD).
County Office see Bezirksverwaltung.
Department see Abteilung.
District Administration see Bezirksverwaltung.
HA, Hauptabteilung – see Abteilung, or the specific Main Departments below.
HA II – Main Department II, counter-intelligence.
HA VI – Main Department VI, passport control, tourism, transit traffic, where Reim was posted until autumn 1983.
HA IX – Main Department IX, investigation, interrogation and prosecution of suspects.
HA XX – Main Department XX, state organs and institutions, culture, church, underground groups; security of military communications infrastructure.
HV A, Hauptverwaltung A – Main Administration A, foreign intelligence. (Many modern German authorities, including the BStU regard the A in HV A as referring to Aufklärung, reconnaissance, however none of my primary sources with MfS backgrounds refer to the department as such.)
Main Department see Abteilung.
Kreisdienststelle, KD – see Bezirksverwaltung.
PKE, Paß- und Kontrolleinheit – Pass and Control Unit at border crossings, part of HA VI but wearing border guards uniforms.
ZAIG, Zentrale Auswertungs- und Informationsgruppe – Central Evaluation and Information Group, general staff unit with wide-ranging responsibilities, notably archiving, general reporting and, in Reim's section (ZAIG/II), control and measurement of professional standards.
GDR/German terms
Ausweis – identity card.
ABV, Abschnittsbevollmächtigter – beat policeman with responsibility for a particular neighbourhood or area.
Bereitschaftspolizei der Volkspolizei / Volkspolizei-Bereitschaften, VPB – barracked police troops, used whenever large numbers of police were required, e.g. public order situations or large-scale searches.
Bezirk – the GDR was administratively divided into 15 Bezirke (districts), each of which was further divided into Kreise, which I've translated as counties (NB some authors and historians translate Bezirk as county and Kreis as district).
Bino – seasoning sauce, similar to Maggi sauce.
Blue tile, blaue Fliese – East German slang for a West German 100DM note.
BND, Bundesnachrichtendienst – West German foreign intelligence service.
Bundesbahn, Deutsche Bundesbahn, DB – West German rail.
Bundespost, Deutsche Bundespost, BP – West German post.
Cheka – originally the Bolshevik secret police agency set up by Felix Dzerzhinski in 1917 in the Soviet Union. The secret police agencies in socialist states, and particularly the Stasi, drew on the traditions of the Cheka, seeing themselves as Chekists.
Chekist – member of the Cheka.
Comrade, Genosse – member of the Socialist Unity Party (Communist party of the GDR), member of the army and other armed organs of the GDR.
Datsche, Datschek – (plural: Datschen) weekend cottage, hut on an allotment or similar. From the Russian.
Dederon – GDR synthetic material, similar to nylon.
DEIN STAR – substitution (encryption) table commonly used by BND agents in the GDR.
Deutsch-Sowjetische Freundschaft – Society for German-Soviet Friendship.
District see Bezirk.
Diversant – (plural: Diversanten) person engaged in Diversion.
Diversion, politisch-ideologische Diversion – anti-socialist influence or activity, whether in thought or action.
DT64 – youth radio station in the GDR.
Exquisit – expensive boutiques that sold limited edition, GDR produced fashion items not available in the usual shops.
F96 – Fernstraße 96. The Fernstraßen were the equivalent of the Bundesstraßen (the F96 is now the B96): trunk roads, highways.
FDJ, Freie Deutsche Jugend – Free German Youth, Communist Party youth movement.
Feierabend – end of shift, knocking off time, home time.
Fischkopf, Fischkopp – fish-head, derogative term for a resident of the coast.
Groschen – ten Pfennigs.
Grützwurst – type of black sausage.
GST, Gesellschaft für Sport und Technik – Society for Sports and Technology, providing field activities and pre-military training for young people.
GÜST, Grenzübergangsstelle – border crossing point.
Hausbuch – housebook, each residential block kept a Hausbuch in which residents’ and visitors' details were entered—Westerners on arrival, visitors from within the GDR after three days. The Hausbuch was regularly checked by the ABV, beat policeman.
Haus des Reisens – central travel agency of the GDR, on Alexanderplatz. A police desk provided registration services for Western tourists to save them the trip to the local police station.
Havarie – technical breakdown, disaster, write-off.
Herein! – come in! Enter!
IM, Inoffizieller Mitarbeiter – unofficial collaborator of the MfS.
Inter-zonal train – train between West and East Germany, distinct from transit trains which served West Berlin.
Interhotel – chain of international standard hotels in the GDR.
Kaschi – Kalashnikov KM-72 / AKM
Kaufhalle – self-service supermarket.
konspirative Wohnung, KW – safe house/flat.
Kripo, Kriminalpolizei, 'K' – Criminal Police, the criminal investigation agency for police forces in German speaking countries. The abbreviation K was unique to the GDR.
Lederol – imitation leather.
Ludmilla – Soviet built diesel locomotives hauling passenger and freight trains (Reichsbahn classification 130, 131, 132, 142).
Meschugge – not all there, crazy. From the Yiddish.
Ministerium für Staatssicherheit, MfS, Stasi – Ministry for State Security, secret police and intelligence agency.
Mitropa ran sleeper cars, station buffets and kiosks as well as motorway service stations.
Pentakta L100 – semi-portable microfiche reader, made by VEB Pentacon in Dresden.
Pfeffi – square sweets, originally peppermints, but in later years other flavours were available.
Pille-palle – crazy. Berlin dialect.
Platt – north German dialect, particularly from coastal areas.
Polizeirat – West German police rank, equivalent to Major in the Volkspolizei.
Red Army Faction, Rote Armee Fraktion – West German terrorist group, originally formed around Andreas Baader, Ulrike Meinhof and others.
Reichsbahn, Deutsche Reichsbahn – East German railways.
Sandmännchen, Unser Sandmännchen – Our Sandman, children's programme on East German television.
Schlagermusik – German language ballads.
Selters – sparkling water.
Shiguli – car known in Western markets as Lada, manufactured by Zhiguli.
Sprechtafel – radio code table used mostly by the Volkspolizei and border guards.
Sprelacart, Sprelakart – decorative laminate sheets, similar to Resopal and Formica.
Starshina – senior sergeant in the Soviet Army.
Station der jungen Naturforscher und Techniker – Centre for Young Naturalists and Engineers, after-school centres encouraging interest in the sciences.
Tacheles – straight talk. From the Yiddish.
Taigatrommel – Soviet built M62 heavy diesel locomotive (Reichsbahn classification V200, later 120). Called the Taiga Drum on account of the loud exhausts.
Tote Oma – mas
hed and heated black sausage, often served with boiled potatoes and sauerkraut.
Transportpolizei, Trapo – East German transport police.
Uffzi, Unteroffizier – the lowest rank of the non-commissioned officers (equivalent to corporal / sergeant), also generally used to cover all NCO ranks.
Verfassungsschutz – West German domestic intelligence agency.
Volkspolizei, Deutsche Volkspolizei, DVP – GDR police force.
Volkssolidarität, VS – mass organisation organising care for elderly and vulnerable people.
W50 – medium sized diesel truck, ubiquitous in the GDR.
Warnowwerft, Warnow shipyard – One of the shipyards in Rostock, based near the mouth of the river Warnow.
Wofasept – disinfectant, used in practically every public building and train in the GDR.
Weiße Flotte – passenger ships plying tourist routes.
About The Author
After the experience of the East German political upheaval in 1989/90, Max Hertzberg became a Stasi files researcher. Since then he has been a book seller and a social change trainer before writing his debut novel, Stealing The Future (2015).
Visit the author’s website for background information on the GDR, and guides to walking tours around the East Berlin in which many of his books are set.
www.maxhertzberg.co.uk
Also by Max Hertzberg
The East Berlin Series
Stealing The Future (2015)
Thoughts Are Free (2016)
Spectre At The Feast (2017)
Reim GDR Spy and Detective Series
Stasi Vice (2018)
Operation Oskar (2019)
Berlin Centre (2019)
Baltic Approach (2020)
Rostock Connection (2021)
Other Fiction
Cold Island (2018)
Non-fiction
with Seeds For Change
How To Set Up A Workers’ Co-op (2012)
A Consensus Handbook (2013)
P 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Published in 2020 by Max Hertzberg
www.maxhertzberg.co.uk
Copyright ©Max Hertzberg 2020.
Max Hertzberg has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
Cover photograph copyright ©Jonas Rogowski, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 International Licence.
Map derived from work copyright © TUBS licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Licence.
Text licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No-Derivatives 4.0 International License. View a copy of this license at: www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
c/o Wolf Press, 22 Hartley Crescent, LS6 2LL
ISBN: 9781913125080 (paperback)
9781913125103 (large print paperback)
9781913125097 (epub)
All characters in this publication, except for those named public figures who are used in fictional situations, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is entirely unintended and coincidental.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on any subsequent purchaser.
Table of Contents
Map of the GDR
List of Main Characters
Glossary
February 1984 1 Berlin Lichtenberg
2 Berlin Lichtenberg
3 Berlin Friedrichshain
4 Berlin Alexanderplatz
5 Berlin Alexanderplatz
6 Berlin Friedrichstrasse
7 Berlin Treptow
8 Berlin Treptow
9 Berlin Lichtenberg
10 Berlin Lichtenberg
11 Berlin Lichtenberg
12 Rostock
13 Warnemünde
14 Warnemünde
15 Warnemünde
16 Warnemünde
17 Warnemünde
18 Warnemünde
19 Warnemünde
20 Warnemünde
21 Warnemünde
22 Warnemünde
23 Warnemünde
24 Warnemünde
25 Warnemünde
26 Warnemünde
27 Rostock
28 Heiligendamm
29 Heiligendamm
30 Berlin Lichtenberg
31 Berlin Lichtenberg
32 Berlin Lichtenberg
33 Rostock
34 Warnemünde
35 Inter-zonal train
36 GÜST Herrnburg
37 GÜST Herrnburg
38 Bad Doberan
39 Warnowwerft
40 Warnowwerft
41 Rostock Lichtenhagen
42 Bad Doberan
43 Bad Doberan
44 Bad Doberan
45 Bad Doberan
46 Bad Doberan
47 Kröpelin
48 Rostock Lichtenhagen
49 near Wittstock Junction
50 Berlin Lichtenberg
51 Berlin Lichtenberg
52 Berlin Friedrichshain
53 Berlin Friedrichshain
54 Berlin Köpenick
55 Berlin Friedrichshain
56 Berlin Pankow
57 Rostock Mühlendamm
58 Rostock Mühlendamm
59 Rostock
60 District Schwerin
61 District Neubrandenburg
62 Malchow
63 Malchow
64 Soviet Airbase Lärz
65 Soviet Airbase Lärz
66 Gransee
67 Berlin Pankow
68 Berlin Friedrichshain
69 Berlin Friedrichshain
70 Berlin Friedrichshain
71 Station der jungen Naturforscher
72 Station der jungen Naturforscher
73 Station der jungen Naturforscher
74 Container Station Frankfurter Allee
75 Berlin Friedrichshain
76 Berlin Lichtenberg
77 Königs Wusterhausen
78 Königs Wusterhausen
79 Mittenwalde
80 Wünsdorf
81 Wünsdorf
82 Berlin Friedrichshain
Also by Max Hertzberg
Copyright
Baltic Approach Page 25
