Basically you had 4 major armed groups:
Under the MdI (Ministerum des Innern / Interior Ministry):
Volkspolizei: Police force.
NVA: Nationale Volksarmee: Army.
Kampfgruppen der Arbeiterklasse: Sort of national reserves.
Under the MfS (Ministerium für Staatssicherheit / Ministry of State Security)
'Stasi': State Security 'Police'.
The Barrel markings:
Crown / N is a post WW2 Suhl proof marking. Many VOPO P08 pistols had their barrels replaced, these were proofed in Suhl and got a Crown/N proof marking. 353 is the rework date (march, 1953).
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