Erich Schmidt

The sinister minister of the stasi himself, Erich Schmidt came upon his position in a rather fortuitous string of events. The prior Minister had died under mysterious circumstances leaving the ambitious Schmidt in control. Since taking power, the 35 year old used the deteriorating situation with the BETA and growing discontent among the populace to move the stasi into a more militant role. No longer the subtle knife lurking in the shadows, the stasi now put the fear of the state into the citizenry though more brutal and direct means. Schmidt would run the stasi as his own personal army, and the DDR as his own fiefdom.

Always paranoid of another up-and-comer deposing him, Schmidt kept a lookout for charismatic talent. To this end, the popular Major Beatrix Brehme become the target of his ire. Not only was she a rising star, she had known connections to the Bernhard siblings who were known or suspected of having rebel leanings. What was worse, the Werewolves she commanded had absolute loyalty to her, and a very public execution would likely turn them mutinous.

The rebellion presented an opportunity for Schmidt; He would martyr Beatrix by grinding her against a series of suicide missions. Unfortunately for Schmidt, Beatrix proved her mettle and returned from each mission, only furthering her hero status among the loyalist forces. Growing desperate, Schmidt attempted to poison Beatrix, only to again fail when she was interrupted before drinking her wine.

As the BETA closed in on Berlin and the rebellion grew worse, so did Schmidt's paranoia. Calling Beatrix to his office, he explained to her horror that he planned to turn East Germany into a radioactive crater before ordering his guards to gun her down. Schmidt's fear of Beatrix's charisma proved a self-fulfilling prophecy however, and the guards turned their guns on him, ending his life and allowing Beatrix to inherit his position.

Trivia[]

He is possible based on the Minister für Staatssicherheit (Minister of State Security) Erich Mielke, which lead the Stasi from 1957-1989. Like Schmidt, Mielke wore glasses and a very similar uniform.
The anime is markedly different from the LN. In it, he was a spy embedded in the DDR by the KGB. His mission was to act as the Soviet's inside man, using East Germany as BETA bait in the hopes of reducing pressure off of the USSR. His plan to subvert the DDR was foiled by Beatrix Brehme before it could reach its nuclear end. Another difference between versions was his relationship with Beatrix. In the LN, Schmidt had an antagonistic relationship with Beatrix, at times referring to her as a stupid "big-breasted bimbo," whore, and other insults. In the anime, their relationship is far more cordial, with Schmidt even making Beatrix his successor.