Erich Mende
| Erich Mende | |
|---|---|
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Vice Chancellor of Germany (West Germany) |
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In office 17 October 1963 – 28 October 1966 |
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| Chancellor | Ludwig Erhard |
| Preceded by | Ludwig Erhard |
| Succeeded by | Hans-Christoph Seebohm |
| Federal Minister of All-German Affairs | |
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In office 17 October 1963 – 28 October 1966 |
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| Chancellor | Ludwig Erhard |
| Preceded by | Rainer Barzel |
| Succeeded by | Johann Baptist Gradl |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
28 October 1916 Groß Strehlitz, Province of Silesia, German Empire |
| Died | 6 May 1998 (aged 81) Bonn, Germany |
| Nationality |
German 
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| Political party |
FDP CDU (from 1970) |
| Alma mater | University of Cologne, University of Bonn |
| Occupation | Soldier, politician |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Dr. Erich Mende (28 October 1916 – 6 May 1998) was a German politician of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He was the leader of FDP from 1960 to 1968 and the third Vice-Chancellor of Germany (West Germany) from 1963 to 1966.
Mende was born on 28 October 1916 in Groß Strehlitz, in the Province of Silesia, a province in the Kingdom of Prussia. Today it is Strzelce Opolskie, part of Opole Voivodeship in Poland. He was the third of four children of Max Mende (1885–1943) and his wife Anna (1889–1968), née Krawietz. He had a seven-year older brother Walter and a five-year-old sister Amalie. His father was the director of a secondary school (Volksschule) and, as was usual among Catholics, a supporter of the Centre Party. He grew up in region of Silesia heavily fought over during the Silesian Uprisings of 1919 to 1921 which pinnacled in the Battle of Annaberg (21–26 May 1921). He also experienced the Upper Silesia occupation by British, French and Italian forces, and being governed by an Inter-Allied Committee headed by a French general, Henri Le Rond.
On graduating from the Königliches Johanneum Gymnasium in Groß Strehlitz in 1936 he decided to become a professional soldier and enlisted in the Wehrmacht's 84th Infantry Regiment, then subordinated to the 8th Infantry Division, at Gleiwitz, on the German-Polish frontier.
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