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The Combat Groups created after 1953 uprising as a volunteer militia, recruited from factories and workplaces (2) 
The largest deployment of Combat Groups came in 1961 with the construction of Berlin Wall; tasked with guarding the large workforce at the border. (3)
In 1989, the Combat Groups were not deployed: many members sympathized with demos full of friends, family and co-workers and did not muster. Authorities feared that the militia could turn on the state if asked to confront protesters (4)
