Werner Großmann is an East German former deputy leader of the Ministry for State Security

Ministry for State Security

Ministry for State Security or Ministry of State Security may refer to several state security ministries:*Ministry of State Security of the People's Republic of China*Ministry for State Security *Ministry for State Security...

 (Stasi).

Born in Ober-Ebenheit, Grossman started his career as a bricklayer

Masonry

Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...

, but in 1952 he joined the Ministry for State Security where he studied political and military espionage

Espionage

Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...

. He rose rapidly in the ranks, being promoted to deputy division leader of military espionage in 1956 and becoming division leader in 1962.

In 1983 he was promoted to deputy head of the General Reconnaissance Administration (HVA), the foreign espionage arm of the Stasi

Stasi

The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...

. In 1986 when Markus Wolf

Markus Wolf

Markus Johannes "Mischa" Wolf was head of the General Intelligence Administration , the foreign intelligence division of East Germany's Ministry for State Security . He was the MfS's number two for 34 years, which spanned most of the Cold War...

 retired, Großmann was promoted to head of the HVA and deputy minister of state security. In 1989 he was awarded the rank of colonel general

Colonel General

Colonel General is a senior rank of General. North Korea and Russia are two countries which have used the rank extensively throughout their histories...

. When the Stasi was dissolved in 1990, Großmann, like all other members, lost his position.