The German archives (Bundesarchiv) have released a series of DVDs that capture East German training films for general distribution. Two DVDs of potential interest to Bullshido devotees are Nahkampf fur Spezialisten (1987) and Nahkampfausbildung bei der NVA.
In this context, the NVA is New People's Army, the name of the reconstituted army in East Germany. It was established in 1956 and disbanded in 1990.
The two DVDs are compilations of several training films. The training films covered close quarters combat, individual training, unit training, methods of training, training aids, etc. The East German movement to the inclusion of karate-style techniques in the 1980s was influenced by the North Koreans.
The two films are a clear look into a historical period, and are a good look at how the East Germans tailored training to two groups, conscripts on a two year cycle, and long term enlisted and career officers. The films also document changes that were accomplished by modernizations in training in the 1970s and 1980s.
The films also show how regular units were trained, and how "special" units were trained, and that not all training in combatives was equal. One was an army of mass, and the other was an army of highly filtered and selected specialists.
I purchased my copies on Ebay, and went to the German Ebay site to identify the product and put it in my watch list, and then paid for the product from the U.S. site. The content was worth the effort.
In this context, the NVA is New People's Army, the name of the reconstituted army in East Germany. It was established in 1956 and disbanded in 1990.
The two DVDs are compilations of several training films. The training films covered close quarters combat, individual training, unit training, methods of training, training aids, etc. The East German movement to the inclusion of karate-style techniques in the 1980s was influenced by the North Koreans.
The two films are a clear look into a historical period, and are a good look at how the East Germans tailored training to two groups, conscripts on a two year cycle, and long term enlisted and career officers. The films also document changes that were accomplished by modernizations in training in the 1970s and 1980s.
The films also show how regular units were trained, and how "special" units were trained, and that not all training in combatives was equal. One was an army of mass, and the other was an army of highly filtered and selected specialists.
I purchased my copies on Ebay, and went to the German Ebay site to identify the product and put it in my watch list, and then paid for the product from the U.S. site. The content was worth the effort.