Athletes from East Germany (German Democratic Republic, called DDR in the opening ceremony) competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany.

297 competitors, 231 men and 66 women, took part in 161 events in 18 sports.

Five fencers, all men, represented East Germany in 1972.

As expected, the East Germans dominated the first round, defeating Iceland, Tunisia, and Czechoslovakia in turn to win their division.

Czechoslovakia's wins over the Soviet Union and Sweden meant that the East Germans had to defeat Sweden as well just to tie the Czechoslovakian team in the standings, which they did.