Otto Arndt

Otto Arndt (19 July 1920 – 3 February 1992) was an East German politician who served as minister of transport and General Director of the Deutsche Reichsbahn from 1970 until 1989.

Biography The son of a locomotive driver, Arndt was born in Aschersleben in 1920 and was trained as a locksmith. He served in the Luftwaffe during World War II with the rank of Obergefreiter. After the war, he trained to become a railway inspector and began his career in the Reichsbahn. Arndt was also very politically active and was a founding member of the Socialist Unity Party in the newly created German Democratic Republic.

In 1970, Arndt succeeded Erwin Kramer as Minister of Transport and Director of the Deutsche Reichsbahn and served in those capacities until he resigned alongside other government ministers in November 1989. He was also a member of the Volkskammer until March 1990.