Timeline of Helmut Schmidt’s career

Berlin: A timeline of the career of Helmut Schmidt:

— Dec. 23, 1918: Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt born in Hamburg, Germany.

— 1939-1945: Serves periodically as a soldier during the Second World War, later briefly held as a prisoner of war by British forces.

— 1942: Marries Hannelore “Loki” Glaeser.

— 1953: Elected as lawmaker for the Social Democratic Party.

— 1961: Becomes Hamburg’s state interior minister, wins recognition for management of flooding crisis.

— 1969: Joins Chancellor Willy Brandt’s government as defence minister, later serves as finance and economy minister.

— 1974: Elected chancellor by parliament following Brandt’s resignation.

— 1975: Attends first summit of leading industrial nations, forerunner of the Group of Seven, at Rambouillet, France.

— 1977: Stands firm against the Red Army Faction during the “German Autumn,” a wave of violence unleashed by the leftist terror group.

— 1979: Backs Nato’s so-called double-track decision, under which the Western alliance gave the go-ahead to modernise nuclear forces in Europe and also sought to limit the build-up through negotiations with the Soviet Union.

— 1982: Voted out as chancellor after the junior coalition partner in his government, the Free Democratic Party, switches its allegiance to conservative rival Helmut Kohl.

— 1983: Becomes co-publisher of the weekly Die Zeit.

— 1987: Steps down as lawmaker.

— Nov. 10, 2015: Schmidt dies in Hamburg at age 96.