William, Many heartfelt thanks for sharing with us your deeply interesting Films on your Trip to Europe in 1969. Particularly your Trip to Berlin and East Germany-these are of great interest to me as I have visited there many times and recently bought an apartment in Berlin. Thank you for all your work and my very best wishes to you always Tom Duggan
Schade, bin nicht zu sehen, habe damals an der Mauer damals als 8 Jähriger Grünzeug für meine Meerschweinchen gezupft.Als die Mauer fiel 1989 war ich genau wie die Mauer 28.
I used to drive to Berlin often back in late 60s. You were lucky to have kept that camera. All photography was forbidden in DDR. Your film evokes many old memories for me.
In 1971 I went from The Netherlands to Berlin and the autobahn reminded me the countryside in East Germany expecially the sign Visit Poland. Never forgot that.
I don't think so. You have the Allied/DDR Check Point at Helmstedt before entering the autobahn of access to West Berlin. Then, as long as you didn't stop on the freeway of access, there was no reason to have any more checking by the DDR guards before exiting the access freeway. I think all the other times I went to the DDR were by train, with one wake-up by the DDR officials in the middle of the night to look at passports at Helmstedt before the train continued uninterrupted to West Berlin.
Hello William. I can understand the uninterrupted train, from the borders until West Berlin. But i can not figure out a 170 km long autobahn, without fences side by side, with buildings on the right and on the left, bridges and crossroads, how inaccessible it could be for any Eαst German who wanted to flee to West. That is, what could be done if an East German car entered the autobahn from any crossroad and headed for West Berlin? Or even on foot, if someone was living near West Berlin, he could not follow the autobahn and enter the city? Certainly, further precautions should have been taken (which I do not know at the moment), since communists had predicted everything.
Well, keep in mind this was 49 years ago, so I don't remember if there was a separate check point before entering West Berlin. It would be better to ask someone else who went on the autobahn since then... maybe in the 1980's - or someone who lived there and wasn't a tourist so would know the answer. But the autobahn was within the security zone for access to West Berlin. It was impossible for DDR residents in the country to enter it by car or by foot. Traffic from the BRD to West Berlin had to keep moving and any cross traffic by bridge or underpass was monitored. Any car that stopped on the autobahn would be soon intercepted by DDR police. So I think there was heavy security and monitoring of anyone who went anywhere near the access road that would make it difficult for some farmer to jump on a car moving toward West Berlin. This was an agreed-upon security road only for use by West Germany to West Berlin access, agreed upon so the Berlin airlifts to Berlin could end.
Ok, thank you. Your video is very interesting and I wish I could find other similar videos on the internet. West Berlin was a rare case of a city-enclave in hostile territory.
The Helmstedt Checkpoint was checkpoint Alpha on the East/West German border. There was also a checkpoint at the s/w corner of West Berlin and East Germany in Drelinden. The Dreilinden checkpoint on entering West Berlin was Checkpoint Bravo. The most famous checkpoint was Charlie between West and East Berlin. I was in the Military Police from 1969 to 1971 in West Berlin and we worked the checkpoints. It was an exciting time. We often interfaced with Russian soldiers. Because USA did not recognize East Germany (DDR), we had almost no contact with East German Police, Border Guards, or soldiers. After going through checkpoint (A or B) and entering East German autobahn, you had approximately 2.5 hours to get to the next checkpoint (about 110 miles). If you got to the next checkpoint too soon, you got a ticket for speeding. Too slow...could be detained for possible spying.
William,
Many heartfelt thanks for sharing with us your deeply interesting Films on your Trip to Europe in 1969. Particularly your Trip to Berlin and East Germany-these
are of great interest to me as I have visited there many times and
recently bought an apartment in
Berlin.
Thank you for all your work and my
very best wishes to you always
Tom Duggan
Schade, bin nicht zu sehen, habe damals an der Mauer damals als 8 Jähriger Grünzeug für meine Meerschweinchen gezupft.Als die Mauer fiel 1989 war ich genau wie die Mauer 28.
I used to drive to Berlin often back in late 60s. You were lucky to have kept that camera. All photography was forbidden in DDR.
Your film evokes many old memories for me.
Я не знал, что тогда запрещали снимать на фото или видеотехнику!?!?.. Какая причина для этого, - это же не военные объекты!?!?!????
Ich möchte bitte meine DDR zurück ! I will back my GDR !!
In 1971 I went from The Netherlands to Berlin and the autobahn reminded me the countryside in East Germany expecially the sign Visit Poland. Never forgot that.
Świetny film
4:23 - visit Poland!
COMECON LANDS :)
EASTERN UNİON
I was in West Berlin in 1969 !!!!!
6:00 Autobahnabfahrt Kurfürstendamm Halenseestraße
boa halensee in schick und neu
There is no check point for entering West Berlin? I think the wall was all around West Berlin.
I don't think so. You have the Allied/DDR Check Point at Helmstedt before entering the autobahn of access to West Berlin. Then, as long as you didn't stop on the freeway of access, there was no reason to have any more checking by the DDR guards before exiting the access freeway. I think all the other times I went to the DDR were by train, with one wake-up by the DDR officials in the middle of the night to look at passports at Helmstedt before the train continued uninterrupted to West Berlin.
Hello William.
I can understand the uninterrupted train, from the borders until West Berlin.
But i can not figure out a 170 km long autobahn, without fences side by side, with buildings on the right and on the left, bridges and crossroads, how inaccessible it could be for any Eαst German who wanted to flee to West.
That is, what could be done if an East German car entered the autobahn from any crossroad and headed for West Berlin?
Or even on foot, if someone was living near West Berlin, he could not follow the autobahn and enter the city?
Certainly, further precautions should have been taken (which I do not know at the moment), since communists had predicted everything.
Well, keep in mind this was 49 years ago, so I don't remember if there was a separate check point before entering West Berlin. It would be better to ask someone else who went on the autobahn since then... maybe in the 1980's - or someone who lived there and wasn't a tourist so would know the answer. But the autobahn was within the security zone for access to West Berlin. It was impossible for DDR residents in the country to enter it by car or by foot. Traffic from the BRD to West Berlin had to keep moving and any cross traffic by bridge or underpass was monitored. Any car that stopped on the autobahn would be soon intercepted by DDR police. So I think there was heavy security and monitoring of anyone who went anywhere near the access road that would make it difficult for some farmer to jump on a car moving toward West Berlin. This was an agreed-upon security road only for use by West Germany to West Berlin access, agreed upon so the Berlin airlifts to Berlin could end.
Ok, thank you.
Your video is very interesting and I wish I could find other similar videos on the internet.
West Berlin was a rare case of a city-enclave in hostile territory.
The Helmstedt Checkpoint was checkpoint Alpha on the East/West German border. There was also a checkpoint at the s/w corner of West Berlin and East Germany in Drelinden. The Dreilinden checkpoint on entering West Berlin was Checkpoint Bravo. The most famous checkpoint was Charlie between West and East Berlin. I was in the Military Police from 1969 to 1971 in West Berlin and we worked the checkpoints. It was an exciting time. We often interfaced with Russian soldiers. Because USA did not recognize East Germany (DDR), we had almost no contact with East German Police, Border Guards, or soldiers. After going through checkpoint (A or B) and entering East German autobahn, you had approximately 2.5 hours to get to the next checkpoint (about 110 miles). If you got to the next checkpoint too soon, you got a ticket for speeding. Too slow...could be detained for possible spying.