Heinz Kessler, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Heinz Kessler

German military officer, Armeegeneral in the former National People's Army of East Germany

Date of Birth: 26-Jan-1920

Place of Birth: Lubań, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland

Date of Death: 02-May-2017

Profession: military personnel, politician, resistance fighter

Nationality: Germany

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Heinz Kessler or Heinz Keßler (26 January 1920 – 2 May 2017) was a German communist politician and military officer in East Germany. In East Germany, he held the rank of Armeegeneral in the National People's Army (Nationale Volksarmee) and was Minister of Defense of the GDR, a member of the Politbüro of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), and a deputy of the GDR's Volkskammer (parliament). Convicted for his role in the deaths of defectors along the Berlin wall, he was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison after German reunification, and served his sentence in Hakenfelde Prison.
He was released from prison in 1998 after serving only two years.