![Mielke in 1976, almost 20 years into his tenure as head of Stasi. Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-R0522-177 / CC-BY-SA 3.0](http://filemonia.com/wp-content/uploads/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-R0522-177_Erich_Mielke.jpg)
Name: Erich Fritz Emil Mielke
Tagline: Joining the communists at an early age, Erich rose in the hierarchy of the newly formed GDR.
Claim to Fame: Head of the East German secret police (Stasi) throughout most of its existence and one of the fathers of the Berlin Wall. Continue reading 19 December: Erich Mielke