East German Air Force

Air Forces of the National People's Army Luftstreitkräfte der Nationalen Volksarmee
Logo of the East German Air Force
Active	1 March 1956 - 2 October 1990
Country	East Germany
Type	Air force
Role	Aerial warfare
Size	45,000 personnel, 800 combat aircraft (1989)

The Air Forces of the National People's Army (German: Luftstreitkräfte der Nationalen Volksarmee – LSK) was the Air Force of East Germany. As with the Landstreitkräfte, the Volksmarine, and the Border troops, it was a military branch of the National People's Army (NPA).

The name Luftstreitkräfte applied originally to the air corps of the German Empire between 1910 and the end of World War I in 1918. However, the West German air force adopted the name "Luftwaffe" as used by the Third Reich air force from 1935 to the end of World War II.

At the end of November 1953, a reorganisation of air units saw air units transferred from the Ministry of the Interior directly to the Deputy Minister and Chief of the People's Police. The air regiments were reorganized into the Aero Club 1 (Cottbus), 2 (Drewitz) and 3 (Bautzen), which in turn were divided into two sections. Starting in 1954, additional Z-126 and M-1D from Czechoslovakian production were made available.

On 1 March 1956 the air force was officially established as part of the National People's Army, following the GDR's entry into the Warsaw Pact alliance. Initially the air force (LSK), with its headquarters at Cottbus, was separate from the Luftverteidigung (Air Defence, headquartered at Strausberg (Eggersdorf). It was intended to establish three fighter divisions, an attack aircraft division and an anti-aircraft division. However, eventually only the 1st and 3rd Aviation Divisions and the 1st Flak-Division were created. On 1 June 1957 there was a merger of the two administrations in Strausberg (Eggersdorf), and the new headquarters was renamed the Kommando LSK/LV.