# Richard Staimer > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Richard_Staimer > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Richard_Staimer.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Staimer > Source revision: 1350837994 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|German politician (1907–1982)}} {{infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = ''[Generalmajor](/source/Generalmajor)'' | name = Richard Staimer | image = Heinrich Rau, Richard Staimer y Kurt Frank Trim.jpg | caption = Staimer (center) with [Heinrich Rau](/source/Heinrich_Rau) (left) and Kurt Frank (right) in Spain {{circa}} 1937–1938 | office1 = Chairman of the
''[Gesellschaft für Sport und Technik](/source/Gesellschaft_f%C3%BCr_Sport_und_Technik)'' | term_start1 = 4 January 1955 | term_end1 = 27 February 1963 | predecessor1 = [Arno Berthold](/source/%3Ade%3AArno_Berthold) | successor1 = [Kurt Lohberger](/source/%3Ade%3AKurt_Lohberger) | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date|1907|01|25|df=y}} | birth_place = [Munich](/source/Munich), [Kingdom of Bavaria](/source/Kingdom_of_Bavaria), [German Empire](/source/German_Empire) | death_date = {{death date and age|1982|10|24|1907|01|25|df=y}} | death_place = [East Berlin](/source/East_Berlin), [East Germany](/source/East_Germany) | death_cause = | resting_place = [Zentralfriedhof Friedrichsfelde](/source/Zentralfriedhof_Friedrichsfelde) | party = [KPD](/source/Communist_Party_of_Germany) {{small|(1922–1946)}}
[SED](/source/Socialist_Unity_Party_of_Germany) {{small|(after 1946)}} | occupation = {{hlist|Politician|Military Officer|Trade Unionist|Tile Setter}} | awards = [Patriotic Order of Merit](/source/Patriotic_Order_of_Merit)
[Order of Karl Marx](/source/Order_of_Karl_Marx) | education = [Communist University of the National Minorities of the West](/source/Communist_University_of_the_National_Minorities_of_the_West) | mother = | spouse = {{marriage|[Eleonore Pieck](/source/Eleonore_Staimer)|1947|1954|end=div}} | children = | father = [Josef Staimer](/source/%3Ade%3AJosef_Staimer) | relatives = [Wilhelm Pieck](/source/Wilhelm_Pieck) (father-in-law) | allegiance = {{flag|Spanish Republic}}
{{flag|East Germany}} | branch = [International Brigades](/source/International_Brigades)
''[Volkspolizei](/source/Volkspolizei)''
[National People's Army](/source/National_People's_Army) | service_years = 1936–1938
1945–1952
1963–1969 | rank = [Major](/source/Major_(rank))
[Inspector General](/source/%3Ade%3AGeneralinspekteur_der_Deutschen_Volkspolizei)
''[Generalmajor](/source/Generalmajor)'' | commands = [Thälmann Battalion](/source/Th%C3%A4lmann_Battalion)
[XI International Brigade](/source/XI_International_Brigade)
[Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg](/source/Berlin-Prenzlauer_Berg) Police
[Brandenburg State](/source/State_of_Brandenburg_(1947%E2%80%931952)) Police
[Leipzig](/source/Leipzig) Police Reserve
Military Training Department | battles = [Spanish Civil War](/source/Spanish_Civil_War) }} '''Richard Staimer''' (25 January 1907 – 24 October 1982) was a German communist politician, trade unionist and military officer who commanded the [Thälmann Battalion](/source/Th%C3%A4lmann_Battalion) and [XI International Brigade](/source/XI_International_Brigade) in the [Spanish Civil War](/source/Spanish_Civil_War), later serving as a ''[Generalmajor](/source/Generalmajor)'' in the [National People's Army](/source/National_People's_Army) of the [German Democratic Republic](/source/German_Democratic_Republic) (East Germany). He held several positions in the GDR, including chairman of the ''[Gesellschaft für Sport und Technik](/source/Gesellschaft_f%C3%BCr_Sport_und_Technik)'' ("Sport and Technology Association") from 1955 to 1963. == Biography == === Early life and career === Richard Staimer was born in [Munich](/source/Munich) on 25 January 1907, the son of former {{ill|Liste der Münchner Polizeipräsidenten|de|lt=Munich Police President}} and trade union secretary {{ill|Josef Staimer|de}}. After attending ''[volksschule](/source/volksschule)'', he apprenticed as a [tile setter](/source/tile_setting) from 1922 to 1925. He practiced this trade until 1931, during which time he traveled as a [journeyman](/source/journeyman) between 1927 and 1929 and worked in [Switzerland](/source/Switzerland) and [Austria](/source/Austria) in 1929/30. Influenced by his membership in a free proletarian children's group from 1920 onward, Staimer joined the [Young Communist League of Germany](/source/Young_Communist_League_of_Germany) (KJVD) at the start of his apprenticeship. In 1923, he belonged to the KJVD's [military apparatus](/source/Antimilit%C3%A4rischer_Apparat) (M-Apparat) and its North [Bavarian](/source/Free_State_of_Bavaria_(Weimar_Republic)) district leadership. In 1925, he became a member of the [Communist Party of Germany](/source/Communist_Party_of_Germany) (KPD). At the same time, he joined other communist organizations, such as the ''[Rote Hilfe](/source/Rote_Hilfe)'' ("Red Aid"), the ''[Revolutionäre Gewerkschafts Opposition](/source/Revolution%C3%A4re_Gewerkschafts_Opposition)'' ("Revolutionary Trade Union Opposition," RGO), and the ''[Roter Frontkämpferbund](/source/Roter_Frontk%C3%A4mpferbund)'' ("Red Front Fighters' League," RFB).{{cite web |title=Staimer, Richard (Egon) |url=https://www.bundesstiftung-aufarbeitung.de/de/recherche/kataloge-datenbanken/biographische-datenbanken/richard-egon-staimer |website=bundesstiftung-aufarbeitung.de |publisher=[Bundesstiftung Aufarbeitung](/source/Federal_Foundation_for_the_Reappraisal_of_the_SED_Dictatorship) |access-date=3 March 2026}} In 1930, Staimer was expelled from Austria for his political activities. He found work as a construction worker in [Nuremberg](/source/Nuremberg) and became head of subversion activities within the police and the ''[Reichswehr](/source/Reichswehr)'' in the M-Apparat for Nuremberg, as well as district chairman of the [German Construction Workers' Union](/source/German_Construction_Workers'_Union). In 1931, he was sent by the [Comintern](/source/Comintern) to train at a military-political school in [Moscow](/source/Moscow). From November 1931 to October 1932, he was district leader of the now-banned RFB of Northern Bavaria, and simultaneously a consultant and instructor for the KPD district leadership. Afterwards, he worked illegally in [Berlin](/source/Berlin) until February 1933. When Staimer faced charges of high treason in June 1933, he emigrated to the [Soviet Union](/source/Soviet_Union). === In exile === [[File:Staimer Koltsov Kahle 1936 37.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|Staimer (left) with [Mikhail Koltsov](/source/Mikhail_Koltsov) (center) and [Hans Kahle](/source/Hans_Kahle) (right) in Spain {{circa}} 1936–1937]] After arriving in Moscow, Staimer became a student at the [Julian Marchlewski](/source/Julian_Marchlewski) [Communist University of the National Minorities of the West](/source/Communist_University_of_the_National_Minorities_of_the_West). There he received the code name "Egon." After the outbreak of the [Spanish Civil War](/source/Spanish_Civil_War) and the formation of the [International Brigades](/source/International_Brigades), Staimer went to Spain and took command of the [Thälmann Battalion](/source/Th%C3%A4lmann_Battalion) from December 1936 to February 1937. In April he was promoted to commander of the [XI International Brigade](/source/XI_International_Brigade), serving until December under the codename "General Hoffmann."{{cite journal |last1=Krammer |first1=Arnold |title=Germans against Hitler: The Thaelmann Brigade |journal=[Journal of Contemporary History](/source/Journal_of_Contemporary_History) |date=April 1969 |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=72 81–82 |url=https://www-jstor-org.hacc.idm.oclc.org/stable/259662?seq=8 |access-date=3 March 2026}} During this time, Staimer was rumored to have been involved in the death of commissar [Hans Beimler](/source/Hans_Beimler_(politician)), although this hasn't been definitively proven.{{citation|author=Günthart, Erich |date=2019 |issn=0948-9878 |pages=106–130 |periodical=Zeitschrift des Forschungsverbundes SED-Staat der Freien Universität Berlin |title=Der Tod von Hans Beimler und Louis Schuster in Ludwig Renns „Der Spanische Krieg“ |url=https://zeitschrift-fsed.fu-berlin.de/index.php/zfsed/article/view/535/514 |volume=43}}{{cite web |last1=Sparrowhawk |first1=Anthony |title=The Murder of Hans Beimler? |url=https://www.academia.edu/39201534/THE_MURDER_OF_HANS_BEIMLER |website=academia.edu |access-date=3 March 2026}} Having risen to the rank of [Major](/source/Major_(rank)), Staimer returned to Moscow in January 1938. From February 1939, he was deployed to [Western Europe](/source/Western_Europe). He initially stayed in [Paris](/source/Paris) in March/April 1939 and then illegally went to Switzerland on behalf of the KPD. On 7 December 1939, Staimer was arrested in [Basel](/source/Basel) and interned in Switzerland for over a year, most of that time in the [St. Gallen](/source/St._Gallen) prison.{{citation|author=Erich Günthart |date=2019 |issn=0948-9878 |pages=106-130, 126-129 |periodical=Zeitschrift des Forschungsverbundes SED-Staat der Freien Universität Berlin |title=Der Tod von Hans Beimler und Louis Schuster in Ludwig Renns „Der Spanische Krieg“ |url=https://zeitschrift-fsed.fu-berlin.de/index.php/zfsed/article/view/535/514 |volume=43}} Furthermore, from the beginning of 1941, he was on the [Gestapo's](/source/Gestapo) {{ill|Sonderfahndungsliste|de|lt=special wanted list}} "USSR." However, he managed to obtain Soviet citizenship and travel to [Italy](/source/Italy), from where he returned to the Soviet Union on 4 July 1941, with the staff of the Soviet embassy in [Rome](/source/Rome). From August 1941, Staimer received specialized military training near Moscow before being sent to the Comintern school in [Kushnarenkovo](/source/Kushnarenkovo). There, at the end of 1941, he was recalled for "violating the rules of secrecy and personal weaknesses." He survived the subsequent party investigation without disciplinary action. As a probationary measure, Staimer had to take a job in a construction company in [Ufa](/source/Ufa) until, by decision of the KPD leadership, he was reinstated to party work in May 1943. He then briefly served as an instructor at POW camp for officers No. 97 in [Yelabuga](/source/Yelabuga). However, he was recalled by the [NKVD](/source/NKVD) later that same year and transferred back to Ufa. After a preparatory political course near Moscow, Staimer returned to Germany in July 1945. === Career in East Germany === Staimer initially became head of the [Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg](/source/Berlin-Prenzlauer_Berg) Police Inspectorate, joining the [Socialist Unity Party of Germany](/source/Socialist_Unity_Party_of_Germany) (SED) upon its foundation the following year. He became head of the [Brandenburg State](/source/State_of_Brandenburg_(1947%E2%80%931952)) Police Authority in [Potsdam](/source/Potsdam) in April 1946, and from 1 November 1950 held the rank of {{ill|Chefinspekteur der Deutschen Volkspolizei|de|lt=Chief Inspector}}. On 7 November 1947, he married [Eleonore Pieck](/source/Eleonore_Staimer), the daughter of SED Chairman [Wilhelm Pieck](/source/Wilhelm_Pieck). They likely met during stays in Ufa or Kuschnarenkowo; the overlap in their biographies suggests this. The marriage lasted until 1954.{{cite web |title=Staimer, Eleonore (Lore) |url=https://www.bundesstiftung-aufarbeitung.de/de/recherche/kataloge-datenbanken/biographische-datenbanken/eleonore-lore-staimer |website=bundesstiftung-aufarbeitung.de |publisher=[Bundesstiftung Aufarbeitung](/source/Federal_Foundation_for_the_Reappraisal_of_the_SED_Dictatorship) |access-date=3 March 2026}} In 1950 and 1951, Staimer was sent to a special military training course in [Privolzhsk](/source/Privolzhsk). Afterwards, until 1952, he commanded the ''[Volkspolizei](/source/Volkspolizei)'' reserve unit in [Leipzig](/source/Leipzig) with the rank of {{ill|Generalinspekteur der Deutschen Volkspolizei|de|lt=Inspector General}}. Staimer then temporarily resigned from the armed forces and from 1952 to 1954 served as Deputy Director General of the [Deutsche Reichsbahn](/source/Deutsche_Reichsbahn_(East_Germany)), responsible for personnel management. In addition, he was appointed Deputy [Minister of Transport](/source/Council_of_Ministers_of_East_Germany) in May 1954. From 4 January 1955 until 27 February 1963, Staimer was Chairman of the Central Committee of the ''[Gesellschaft für Sport und Technik](/source/Gesellschaft_f%C3%BCr_Sport_und_Technik)'' ("Sport and Technology Association," GST). Also in 1955, he became a member of the [Central Committee](/source/Central_Committee) of the [Free German Youth](/source/Free_German_Youth) (FDJ) and a member of the National Council of the [National Front](/source/National_Front_of_the_German_Democratic_Republic), serving in the latter position until 1965. On 15 February 1960, Staimer was promoted to ''[Generalmajor](/source/Generalmajor)'' of the [National People's Army](/source/National_People's_Army) Reserve. He was reactivated on 1 April 1963, and appointed head of the Military Training Department at the State Secretariat or [Ministry of Higher and Technical Education](/source/Ministry_of_Higher_and_Technical_Education_(East_Germany)) in 1966. On 1 October 1969, Staimer was transferred to the reserves and retired. Staimer died in [East Berlin](/source/East_Berlin) on 24 October 1982. His urn was interred in the "Pergolenweg" section of the [Zentralfriedhof Friedrichsfelde](/source/Zentralfriedhof_Friedrichsfelde) in Berlin. == Honors == On 6 May 1955, Staimer was awarded the [Patriotic Order of Merit](/source/Patriotic_Order_of_Merit) in Silver. In 1967, he received the Order in Gold, and in 1982 the Order's Gold Clasp. He received the [Order of Karl Marx](/source/Order_of_Karl_Marx) in 1977. On 7 October 1988, the ''[Kampfschwimmerkommando 18](/source/Kampfschwimmerkommando_18)'' ("Combat Swimmer Command 18") was awarded the honorary name "Richard Staimer."{{cite web|url=https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/item/HBGEAEKPULXBFFAMGGZFMIXVJU5X4TUO|title=Kampfschwimmerkommando 18 (Bestand)|language=German|date=2023-07-11|accessdate=2023-07-11|publisher=[German Federal Archives](/source/German_Federal_Archives)}} == References == {{Reflist}} == Sources == * Klaus Froh, {{ill|Rüdiger Wenzke|de}}: ''Die Generale und Admirale der NVA. Ein biographisches Handbuch'', 4. Auflage. Ch. Links, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-86153-209-3. * [Hermann Weber](/source/Hermann_Weber), [Andreas Herbst](/source/Andreas_Herbst): ''Deutsche Kommunisten. Biographisches Handbuch 1918 bis 1945.'' 2., überarbeitete und stark erweiterte Auflage. Dietz, Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-320-02130-6. == External links == * {{commons-inline}} * [https://portal.dnb.de/opac.htm?method=simpleSearch&query=126978581 Works by and about Richard Staimer] at the [German National Library](/source/German_National_Library) {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Staimer, Richard}} Category:1907 births Category:1982 deaths Category:Politicians from Munich Category:Communist Party of Germany politicians Category:AM Apparat people Category:International Brigades personnel Category:German people of the Spanish Civil War Category:National Committee for a Free Germany members Category:Socialist Unity Party of Germany politicians Category:Major generals of the National People's Army (Ground Forces) Category:Government ministers of East Germany Category:Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit (honor clasp) Category:Recipients of the Order of Karl Marx --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Richard Staimer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Staimer) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Staimer?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.