It was formed in 1956 as the Wachregiment der Hauptverwaltung Ausbildung ("Guard regiment of the Main Administration for Training").

It had its location at the East German Ministry of National Defence in Strausberg suburb near Berlin.

Unlike the Friedrich Engels Guard Regiment, the Hugo Eberlein regiment did not serve in protocol functions such as state visits, but provided for the security of installations and buildings of the Ministry of National Defence in Strausberg-Nord.

These were removed in 1962 and used to form Friedrich Engels Guard Regiment, which assumed these protocol duties.

Each guard battalion was equipped with 27 BTR-60 armored personnel carriers and an FlaKAbt (Anti-aircraft Detachmant with 27x 23mm ZPU-2 twin barreled 23mm antiaircraft guns.