I went through east Germany on a train from Innsbruck to Berlin in 1979 as a civilian. Saw the border again in 1982 while at reforger 1982 with the 82nd airborne.
Travelled Europe in the late 1970s as a civilian. Did REGORGER 82 with the 1/504 82nd. Was advanced party 30 days ahead. LTC Arkers driver RTO. Detailed to the 10th SFG at Bad Toltz for 30 days. Like something out of “Where Eagles Dare”. What a hoot.
I made the same trip when I was about 11 in 1975 I think. I remember feeling like I was in a WWII espionage movie. While peering out of the train window I would see east German soldiers stationed along the train tracks monitoring the train all along the route.
As a young person researching all of this, it all feels so bizarre. Like i am looking into history from a parallel earth. I belive most of my generation will never know what those decades of the cold war or the iron curtain was about or that it ever happened. Thank you for sharing this documentary. It was great.
There are still lots of us around who were part of all of this... I was stationed in West Germany near Munich when the Iron Curtain fell and I'm not even 55 yrs old lol
Yes, it is a good documentary. I was a Sp5 in Germany from 1961 to 1963, a section chief of a Corporal guided missile support unit. Our missile could be equipped with a variety of warheads, including nuclear. Our primary mission was to protect the Fulda Gap, an armored invasion route that the Soviets & Warsaw Pact would undoubtedly file through if they were to attack Western Europe. We spent a lot of time in the field, responding to "alerts" ( training exercises simulating an actual attack). The situation was tense back in those days. If you want to know what life was like in East Germany, watch the movie "The Spy Who Came In Out Of The Cold".
I was stationed in Wiesbaden 1981-84 they took us to the border for a tour so we could see the towers and markers. Went back to Germany 1986-1992 drove the corridor and went thru checkpoints A-C. Drove over into East Berlin. Took a tour bus in 1988 to Prague. Was in Bremerhaven when the wall came down. A period of time I’ll never forget.
“The Second Calv has a dual mission….Carrying out a delaying action.” That is military speak for “Yeah, you are going to get wiped off the face of the map, but keep them busy overrunning you long enough for us in the rear to put our beers down and mobilize”.
These german troops were "Bundesgrenzschutz", border police. Policeman also trained as infantry and in the anti-tank role.This military trained police force was a cunning plan to preserve a military force in times when West Germany was demilitarised. Before the Bundeswehr was established in 1956 the border police had a lot of Wehrmacht veterans, many of them enlistend to the Bundeswehr later. But 'till 1990 the "Bundesgrenzschutz" still trainend policemen in using G3, MG3, Panzerfaust and infantry tactics.
Huh. I didn't know the Germans had a full-up paramilitary like that during the Cold War. Makes sense. If WW3 happened, it would go from customs check to "Stop that panzer, schnell!" at light-speed.
Stationed in Vilseck from 09 to 2015. Was a beautiful place to be. Its crazy to think about it being divided back then, you can still tell east from west Germany but the country as a whole is an awsome place!!!
It's crazy for some of us to think about just walking into what was East Germany and East Berlin and that there's 90% fewer of us there than when I got there in early 89.
Love Cold War History. Me and my three brothers are cold war veterans. One Army, Two Marines and me in the Air Force. I went TDY twice to West-Germany in the early 1980s.
Lived at Kelly Barracks and Heidelberg in the 80s/early 90s as an Army brat. Loved it. Enlisted in the USAF at Rhein Main and did 26 years……11 assignments and never got Germany. Did go TDY to Ramstein and passed through Hahn heading downrange. What a life
547th Engineer Battalion 84 to 87 been to the border many times, those in East Germany couldn't wait to get out , went back to the 10th Engineers in 92 ,and the West Germans couldn't wait for them to go back
Was stationed at Illesheim in 2020-2022, the border is gone but it still feels like another time, and the land still bears some scars; reference point markers on mountains, and peculiar 4 lane concrete “farm roads” built by the Army so that their M60 tanks didn’t destroy the civilian roads on their way around the Bavarian countryside. I’m sure the German farmers and cyclists enjoy their beautiful roads now!
@@adamfrazer5150 : To a great extent it was business as usual. The locals had seen the military there since the end of the Second World War so they really didn't know any different. I lived in a little village outside Fulda and the only evidence of military activity was the occasional helicopters or fighter jets passing overhead, usually early in the morning. Despite the "threat level" it was still a lovely place to live and 35 years later I still miss it.
@@celticlofts My wife and I just stayed in Rasdorf this past September. Just a beautiful little town. Ironically, we had "cross the border" into the former East German city of Geisa to find an open store.
I lived in Czechoslovakia and there was nothing worse than the Russian army. They destroyed everything from apartments and the environment, plus they got drunk out of boredom and were aggressive.
My dad was 2nd Cav in the late 60s. While on border lookout, they were told that if there was an invasion, their life expectancy was less than 3 minutes.
I flew in the Navy for 5 years as a crew member on P-3C Orion's & loved it (1990-1995). I'm not sure how this duty actually was for an enlisted soldier but just based solely on this video it seems like this would have been one of the better places to be during that era.
I love these cold-war era productions, heavy on the propaganda I suppose, but valuable in painting a picture of America's outlook at the time 👍 If you want Maximum Propaganda, watch the Vietnam feature hosted by The Duke himself !
So are you saying there was no Berlin wall and no one was surveiled or shot trying to leave the Soviet areas ? And everyone in E Germany was super-happy with the lifestyle ?
@MrAvant123 I don't think that's what he meant. I think what he meant by "propaganda" was the idea that life in East Germany & Czechoslovakia was an unbearable existence. The film seemed to be trying to make that point, along with Warsaw Pact nations being these insatiable, land-hungry invaders. Let's be real here, it wasn't like that. Both sides said a lot of awful things about each other. Almost none of it was true. I'm American, but I lived in what was East Berlin and was married to a man who was born & raised in East Germany. We had many ridiculously long conversations about our very different childhoods. I had many great conversations with other former East Germans, as well as people from other former Warsaw Pact nations. While life was not always perfect, they made the best of it and lived happy lives(is life truly perfect anywhere?). In fact, the adjustment to life after unification was very difficult for many of them. Some are nostalgic for the old days simply because they are nostalgic for their youth. Some really do miss life under communism because they do not enjoy many of the uncertainties that come with a more capitalist society.
@@RikkiSpanish this is what I thought, but it's great hearing it from someone that actually knows from personal experience. I can't actually see the difference between what each side is doing, the only difference too me is The Soviets were closer to home than the USA.
@@Ocinneade345exactly…Ukraine would be part of the Soviet Union & therefore not invaded…Chechnyan wars probably been avoided as well…they were happier under Soviet state than Russia 🇷🇺…(Baltic states, not so much..)
This is about 20 years before I was there, and the equipment we had was much more modern, but this was exactly the same in 1988-1990. I was fortunate enough to be camp duty commander at Camp Harris the day the border came down!
I still have pictures of several East German border guards that I took in 1987-1988 when I was stationed in the US Army Berlin Brigade. Those guys wouldn't crack a smile to save their lives.
My father served in Hungary in 1980-1982 at the side of the Soviet Army at the Austrian-Hungarian border. I have some videos, photos and souvenirs from this time. It's integersting to read about NATO soldiers' memories about that time.
Was a fun time, we had more Americans around in my hometown then Germans. When my brother and his friends want to party, they exchanged beer for whiskey, because it costs nearly nothing in the PX. Everyone know someone from the army and it was a very relaxed relationship. My co workers from the former DDR haven't had any fun stories with the Soviet troops there, they took care to keep them separated.
I was in Germany in the mid 80s...not military, just went to do the tourist thing. I had never been in Europe or Germany before. I didn't get as near to the border as this documentary shows. But it was an eerie feeling going from the middle of America, to that near, a potential, WWIII, seeing troops and military vehicles everywhere you went, knowing that any second the Russian planes could fly over on a bombing mission. I guess the West Germans were just used to it.
I was in Germany for a school trip in 1982, manly around Munich. If anything the troops and military seemed absolutely ordinary. It’s strange what you get used to, but then again I’m from Northern Ireland.
I don't know where you were in Germany that you saw "troops and military vehicles everywhere". I was born and lived the first 11 years of my life in West Germany during the 1960s, near Heidelberg in fact, where the headquarters of the entire US Army in Europe was located, and I never saw "troops and military vehicles everywhere". Frankly, I think you're full of s**t.
Just last week i was visiting „little berlin“ in name Modlareuth in bavaria. the iron curtain was dividing this little village and i remember when i saw it in real 1987. only for defending this village was around 6000 us soldiers assigned. so a real history and thanks a lot to all to serving for us.
Well, it all comes back. Just a bit more to the East. The irony ..at point Alpha. The infamous old hotspot between West and East there's a memorial with the word " Peace" written in German , English and .... Russian. I suggest the Russian version should be painted over.
Was in 4/2 stryker cavalry regiment in 2006 when we got reflagged from 1/25th out of Washington state lol. How cool. They made a big deal about our arrival to Germany at the time. All because putin threatened the missile shield in Poland.
The US should have a foreign legion. I dont have interest to be American. But i believe in what America is protecting & preserving which preserves democracies worldwide.
I “toured” East Germany with the Pennsylvania Pro Musica Baroque group in 1976. Six weeks traveling all across the country - Halle, Erfurt, Ohrdruf, Eisenach, Leipzig, Sühl, Weissenfels, Weimar, Karl Marx Stadt (now renamed Chemnitz), East Berlin. A “translator” and “political officer” - both Stasi - kept a close watch on us at all times. Our official translator spoke no English…we hired a “freelance” translator whose English was perfect, doubtless a spy, as she crossed over to shop for her glamorous outfits in West Berlin. Military convoys everywhere. We actually socialized with Soviet Army officers in an underground club in Karl Marx Stadt. Weird. The East Berlin Bahnhof was the most frightening part of all…guards with machine pistols screaming, walking on catwalks, and loosing attack dogs underneath the arriving trains to search for people trying to escape.
As a former member of the German Federal Borderpolice I worked at this border. Daily espionage was usual. And daily provocations by the east German troops was normal. From just photographs to literally moving the border - all was possible.
@@mathisnotforthefaintofheart They dismouted and fixed it to poles they set a few meters to the west. One by one. If we wheren't there in time, it looked as nothing happened... They where fast.
@@mathisnotforthefaintofheart It was an international thing. Our border was observed by th US-Forces. When we had such an incident, we had to contact them, they contacted the Russians, they the local east german borderguards. Than they reported it back the whole way, than the US Goverment told them to remove their stuff and after a time, mostly two weeks or so, they removed the poles and fence by themselves under the watch of US-forces, west German boarderguards and sometimes the whole theater on the east side,means Russians and east german Army...
This looks like the early 60s, before Vietnam. Only saw B model Hueys. But the film maker as in today still cant get the sound of the helicopter right. The sound used here was as in many shows and movies is a piston powered Bell 47 or H-13. Not the distinctive sound of the Huey. I was a Huey Crew chief, heavy maintenance project manager and pilot for over 10 years.
Watching this movie and I think reinventing Soviet union will be great idea for USA just to have something great to do and think about, bring them back that sense of usefulness.
Imagine what the post-war world would've been like if after the fall of the Nazi Third Reich, the Russian Soviet Army actually gave full control and autonomy *_back_* to the inhabitants and rightful owners of the land of the formerly independent European nations that the Russian forces occupied after pushing the Nazis back to Berlin. Hundreds of billions of dollars could've been spent on improving schools, universities, hospitals, medicine, highways, infrastructure, science, the environment, and the quality-of-living of the citizens of the USA, Europe, Russia and many other nations after WWII instead of being spent on weapons of mass destruction and other armaments invented and purchased in unimaginable quantities by both NATO and USSR forces. In reality, the primarily Russian armed forces seized the land they cleared of Nazis and took total control over the peoples living there and subjugated them, forming the U.S.S.R., a Russian-controlled totalitarian empire that was cruel to not only the people they "liberated", but also to the Russian citizens due to Stalin and later Soviet dictators ruling with an iron fist and assassinating, torturing, or imprisoning anyone with political dissent or criticism in the hellacious Gulags where the prisoners became slaves of the Soviet state. I hope everyone on Earth has learned the valuable lessons of World Wars I and II, the Cold War arms races, and of conflict throughout history. If not, then humanity will see endless suffering and future arms races and conflicts that risk annihilating the entire human species and most of life on the planet for thousands of years.
do you even realize that the US did the exact same thing across the globe? an example off my head is how the US kept replacing elected socialist leaders in South America with awful dictators, a lot worse than any socialist or communist
i read that there was an air of hope and celebration during the era esp in that part of the world. besides the the music of that era was great. i wonder how was the night scene there like? were there any subcultures like the acid house movement in Berlin like it did in the UK? no i am from the East. That era always fascinate me.
...my late brother, Tim, was in Berlin in 1989 when the Wall fell on the night of my 40th birthday (9 Nov 1989)...he was there because h took a European out after being discharged from the Berlin Brigade in 1987 and lived with his German girlfriend while working for the British Army in their service club as a bartender...
look back now and say its all hilarious how they watched and took photos of each other etc,but it wasnt funny liveing during the cold war,i was a teenager when the curtain fell and you could sense and feel the relief all over europe
The East German NVA and Grenztruppen carried on just as much of that "tradition" on the other side of the border plus they were unlucky enough to keep serving another nasty Totalitarian regime.
Freedom in Malaysia as well, it greatly discouraged the communists terrorists in Malaysia as well when the supplies they were promised by CCP was getting funneled to Vietnam. It saved the democracy in Malaysia. That is why i can never consider the war was a waste, and am eternally grateful to those which served and especially those which gave their all.
I have one of those BGS helmets. West German paint,helmet liner and some welding was added to the helmet shell I have which is actually made and stamped by Quist in late WW2. As I understand the BGS used the stahlhelm to mark themselves out to the East Germans as border guards instead of combat troops from the Bundeswehr or the US who used M1 style. Some of the BGS helmets must have served for half a century until retirement.
The video fails to mention that there were massive , armor heavy Brigades stationed in close proximity to the border. I served in two of these Brigades from 1973 to 1979. My Cavalry Platoon spent many days every year up on the border and had trained so much on the actual terrain that we just about didn't need maps to know where we were. We coordinated with the Cav units on a regular basis as the Cav was just an early warning unit. These heavy Armor and Mechanized Infantry units would be thrown in to the battle immediately if the Warsaw Pact showed signs of aggression. My platoon also had the training and ability to deploy and detonate tactical nuclear weapons. We had an internal Atomic Demolition Team which took part in the employment of a low yield nuclear device. Search Atomic Demolition Mission ADM for more info on this. This device weighed less than 90 pounds and was easily transported. The Warsaw Pact had similar devices.
was born in 75 and am old enough to read about the constant fear of a WW3 back in the 80s in the news as soon as i learnt to read. but somehow comparing to what it is like nowadays it feels like the free world was more prepared for war than it is now. i cant help but wonder if Russia would dare to invade Ukraine or China would be so bandit like in its foreign diplomacy if the US still maintain high readiness as it did during the cold war. But nowadays i can't help but wonder if democracies in Asia are going to collapse soon due to the complacency and political correctness of the West today. I also believe that the war will escalate due to the constant display if complacency and weakness by the Western leadership. i am not an American or ever planning to be, but thank for your services Sir. Thanks for keeping the enemy at bay. I wish you all the best in health and happiness. God bless.
@@penduloustesticularis1202 I'm not so sure that would have led to a war. If NATO had interviened Soviet would have backed off, since they didn't want a war either. Look at former Yugoslavia, Tito basically told Stalin to f*ck off and built a good relationship with west instead.
That had to be a no comfort zone if any place was. Czech citizens did not like this a bit, namely Alexander Dubcek. Mean old Russ wrongfully ruled this place. Glad Communism got toppled.
I had family living in East Germany, and am glad the Berlin Wall fell. But aside from being in English, the narration sounds almost like the biased propaganda the USSR would make.
Served with 11th ACR in Fulda 1988-90. Witnessed the fall of the Iron Curtain. Fascinating period in history.
I hear ya. Weiden (Camp Pitman) for me. 1988 to 1989, 1ST Armored Division, augmentee
HQ, USAUER here and no clue.
Left and a few months later it fell
@@garyhardison9265
What troop?
@@garyhardison9265
Somebody has to do the dirty work
I went through east Germany on a train from Innsbruck to Berlin in 1979 as a civilian. Saw the border again in 1982 while at reforger 1982 with the 82nd airborne.
Was there from 80 to 82 3/63 third infantry 63rd armor
I rode Amsterdam to Berlin to innsbruck in 1991 odd ridding in what had been the east .
Travelled Europe in the late 1970s as a civilian. Did REGORGER 82 with the 1/504 82nd. Was advanced party 30 days ahead. LTC Arkers driver RTO. Detailed to the 10th SFG at Bad Toltz for 30 days. Like something out of “Where Eagles Dare”. What a hoot.
From West Berlin
It was a better world than ❤
I made the same trip when I was about 11 in 1975 I think. I remember feeling like I was in a WWII espionage movie. While peering out of the train window I would see east German soldiers stationed along the train tracks monitoring the train all along the route.
As a young person researching all of this, it all feels so bizarre. Like i am looking into history from a parallel earth.
I belive most of my generation will never know what those decades of the cold war or the iron curtain was about or that it ever happened.
Thank you for sharing this documentary. It was great.
There are still lots of us around who were part of all of this... I was stationed in West Germany near Munich when the Iron Curtain fell and I'm not even 55 yrs old lol
God I hope we don't.
Yes, it is a good documentary. I was a Sp5 in Germany from 1961 to 1963, a section chief of a Corporal guided missile support unit. Our missile could be equipped with a variety of warheads, including nuclear. Our primary mission was to protect the Fulda Gap, an armored invasion route that the Soviets & Warsaw Pact would undoubtedly file through if they were to attack Western Europe. We spent a lot of time in the field, responding to "alerts" ( training exercises simulating an actual attack). The situation was tense back in those days. If you want to know what life was like in East Germany, watch the movie "The Spy Who Came In Out Of The Cold".
I was stationed in Wiesbaden 1981-84 they took us to the border for a tour so we could see the towers and markers. Went back to Germany 1986-1992 drove the corridor and went thru checkpoints A-C. Drove over into East Berlin. Took a tour bus in 1988 to Prague. Was in Bremerhaven when the wall came down. A period of time I’ll never forget.
thank you for serving
“The Second Calv has a dual mission….Carrying out a delaying action.” That is military speak for “Yeah, you are going to get wiped off the face of the map, but keep them busy overrunning you long enough for us in the rear to put our beers down and mobilize”.
We were always told we were speedbumps.
Border Ops at Camp Gates referred to the sector war plan as "Operation Speedbump."
@@xarker I remember Camp Gates 1980- 1983
We had the same situation at GTMO back in the 80's. They called it the frontier of freedom back then too.
They did not need get "wiped" out. They could have run away or, better, not "joint" armed forces at all in the first place.
These german troops were "Bundesgrenzschutz", border police. Policeman also trained as infantry and in the anti-tank role.This military trained police force was a cunning plan to preserve a military force in times when West Germany was demilitarised. Before the Bundeswehr was established in 1956 the border police had a lot of Wehrmacht veterans, many of them enlistend to the Bundeswehr later. But 'till 1990 the "Bundesgrenzschutz" still trainend policemen in using G3, MG3, Panzerfaust and infantry tactics.
Well just like now there were nutters on the loose !
@@MrAvant123 Nutters? Look at you on your high horse.
Huh. I didn't know the Germans had a full-up paramilitary like that during the Cold War. Makes sense. If WW3 happened, it would go from customs check to "Stop that panzer, schnell!" at light-speed.
Worked there for a few years and what a fantastic country with incredible facilities and people. 👍
you should be always welcome
Stationed in Vilseck from 09 to 2015. Was a beautiful place to be. Its crazy to think about it being divided back then, you can still tell east from west Germany but the country as a whole is an awsome place!!!
Rose barracks HHC 2/2 inf 95-98. Germany is a great place. Would love to go back for a visit
thank you for serving
It's crazy for some of us to think about just walking into what was East Germany and East Berlin and that there's 90% fewer of us there than when I got there in early 89.
Love Cold War History. Me and my three brothers are cold war veterans. One Army, Two Marines and me in the Air Force. I went TDY twice to West-Germany in the early 1980s.
Lived at Kelly Barracks and Heidelberg in the 80s/early 90s as an Army brat. Loved it. Enlisted in the USAF at Rhein Main and did 26 years……11 assignments and never got Germany. Did go TDY to Ramstein and passed through Hahn heading downrange. What a life
547th Engineer Battalion 84 to 87 been to the border many times, those in East Germany couldn't wait to get out , went back to the 10th Engineers in 92 ,and the West Germans couldn't wait for them to go back
You asked these east germans?
...my late brother, Tim, was with the 11th ACR in Bad Kissingen from 1975 to 1978...he LOVED it!!!
Was stationed at Illesheim in 2020-2022, the border is gone but it still feels like another time, and the land still bears some scars; reference point markers on mountains, and peculiar 4 lane concrete “farm roads” built by the Army so that their M60 tanks didn’t destroy the civilian roads on their way around the Bavarian countryside. I’m sure the German farmers and cyclists enjoy their beautiful roads now!
I was at Illesheim in 82 during reforger
thank you for serving
I lived in Fulda in 1986 and worked for the US military there. The Irish pub in Fulda was a regular hangout for the US military and locals alike.
Geez talk about a (potential)front-row seat 😳 Was it a stressful time or was the atmosphere more 'business as usual' ?
@@adamfrazer5150 : To a great extent it was business as usual. The locals had seen the military there since the end of the Second World War so they really didn't know any different. I lived in a little village outside Fulda and the only evidence of military activity was the occasional helicopters or fighter jets passing overhead, usually early in the morning. Despite the "threat level" it was still a lovely place to live and 35 years later I still miss it.
@@celticlofts My wife and I just stayed in Rasdorf this past September. Just a beautiful little town. Ironically, we had "cross the border" into the former East German city of Geisa to find an open store.
I lived in Czechoslovakia and there was nothing worse than the Russian army. They destroyed everything from apartments and the environment, plus they got drunk out of boredom and were aggressive.
@@adamfrazer5150 The Germans knew that when the Cold War got hot, Germany would end up as an apocalyptic no man's land.
My dad was 2nd Cav in the late 60s. While on border lookout, they were told that if there was an invasion, their life expectancy was less than 3 minutes.
Such a strange situation I think, looking back now. I'm English and lived over there in the 1990s.
I flew in the Navy for 5 years as a crew member on P-3C Orion's & loved it (1990-1995). I'm not sure how this duty actually was for an enlisted soldier but just based solely on this video it seems like this would have been one of the better places to be during that era.
This must've been like summer camp compared to Vietnam service
Most things would
On the other hand, there was always potential for the worst hell in history to break out too.
Was on the border with 3/11th Armored Cavalry in Bad Hersfeld in the Fulda Gap; 83/87
Served in I troop at 3/11, McPheeters barracks 92-93 (shut down the post)
2nd Armored , 3rd Armored Division 1942 to 1946 , World War Two .
I love these cold-war era productions, heavy on the propaganda I suppose, but valuable in painting a picture of America's outlook at the time 👍
If you want Maximum Propaganda, watch the Vietnam feature hosted by The Duke himself !
So are you saying there was no Berlin wall and no one was surveiled or shot trying to leave the Soviet areas ? And everyone in E Germany was super-happy with the lifestyle ?
@MrAvant123 I don't think that's what he meant. I think what he meant by "propaganda" was the idea that life in East Germany & Czechoslovakia was an unbearable existence. The film seemed to be trying to make that point, along with Warsaw Pact nations being these insatiable, land-hungry invaders. Let's be real here, it wasn't like that. Both sides said a lot of awful things about each other. Almost none of it was true.
I'm American, but I lived in what was East Berlin and was married to a man who was born & raised in East Germany. We had many ridiculously long conversations about our very different childhoods. I had many great conversations with other former East Germans, as well as people from other former Warsaw Pact nations. While life was not always perfect, they made the best of it and lived happy lives(is life truly perfect anywhere?). In fact, the adjustment to life after unification was very difficult for many of them. Some are nostalgic for the old days simply because they are nostalgic for their youth. Some really do miss life under communism because they do not enjoy many of the uncertainties that come with a more capitalist society.
@@RikkiSpanish this is what I thought, but it's great hearing it from someone that actually knows from personal experience. I can't actually see the difference between what each side is doing, the only difference too me is The Soviets were closer to home than the USA.
Ah,,,the good ole days. Miss this
indeed. things were much simpler - all in black and white....
Putin does too !
@@MrAvant123putin would not be acting this way.
@@Ocinneade345exactly…Ukraine would be part of the Soviet Union & therefore not invaded…Chechnyan wars probably been avoided as well…they were happier under Soviet state than Russia 🇷🇺…(Baltic states, not so much..)
@@GoldenAgeSk8Video exactly
Very nice time document. Thank you so much for uploading.😊
This is about 20 years before I was there, and the equipment we had was much more modern, but this was exactly the same in 1988-1990. I was fortunate enough to be camp duty commander at Camp Harris the day the border came down!
I still have pictures of several East German border guards that I took in 1987-1988 when I was stationed in the US Army Berlin Brigade. Those guys wouldn't crack a smile to save their lives.
I'm British and crossed the Iron Curtain in 1989 from West Germany to the DDR.
How? Legally? Whoa 🤔 😅
My father served in Hungary in 1980-1982 at the side of the Soviet Army at the Austrian-Hungarian border. I have some videos, photos and souvenirs from this time. It's integersting to read about NATO soldiers' memories about that time.
I Remember Reforger as a German Kid, we trade BEER BOTTELS with American GI for M.R.E. (C Ration from Nam i guess) 😂 good Times there
Was a fun time, we had more Americans around in my hometown then Germans. When my brother and his friends want to party, they exchanged beer for whiskey, because it costs nearly nothing in the PX. Everyone know someone from the army and it was a very relaxed relationship. My co workers from the former DDR haven't had any fun stories with the Soviet troops there, they took care to keep them separated.
I was in Germany in the mid 80s...not military, just went to do the tourist thing. I had never been in Europe or Germany before. I didn't get as near to the border as this documentary shows. But it was an eerie feeling going from the middle of America, to that near, a potential, WWIII, seeing troops and military vehicles everywhere you went, knowing that any second the Russian planes could fly over on a bombing mission. I guess the West Germans were just used to it.
I was in Germany for a school trip in 1982, manly around Munich. If anything the troops and military seemed absolutely ordinary. It’s strange what you get used to, but then again I’m from Northern Ireland.
I don't know where you were in Germany that you saw "troops and military vehicles everywhere".
I was born and lived the first 11 years of my life in West Germany during the 1960s, near Heidelberg in fact, where the headquarters of the entire US Army in Europe was located, and I never saw "troops and military vehicles everywhere".
Frankly, I think you're full of s**t.
15th maintenance company 1983-1984 63g MOS. Spend a wonderfull time in Downs Barracks Fulda.
Did my time as an augmentee at Camp Pitman, Weiden, FRG, 1988-1989. Worked with 1-1 Cav, 1ST AD.
I hitched hiked from Munich to Berlin and across the transit autobahn...
I was a mortar crewman for A Troop 1/1 Cav. We maintained a border camp in Widen. 1980-83.
O’Brien barracks👍
Just last week i was visiting „little berlin“ in name Modlareuth in bavaria.
the iron curtain was dividing this little village and i remember when i saw it in real 1987.
only for defending this village was around 6000 us soldiers assigned.
so a real history and thanks a lot to all to serving for us.
I was there in the 3rd. Armored Div. 1987-1989. Mech Infantry.
"How Times have changed. How Times haven't." Germany is united but Russia is still insane
I was on this border fur drei jahre. 84 to 87 camp Pittman
Was stationed in Bamberg 1980-‘83
Good times!
Mike - Is it possible to provide more info on the date of this film and perhaps on the producers, channel, narrator, etc., please?
Well, it all comes back. Just a bit more to the East. The irony ..at point Alpha. The infamous old hotspot between West and East there's a memorial with the word " Peace" written in German , English and .... Russian. I suggest the Russian version should be painted over.
Thank you Mike
Was in 4/2 stryker cavalry regiment in 2006 when we got reflagged from 1/25th out of Washington state lol. How cool. They made a big deal about our arrival to Germany at the time. All because putin threatened the missile shield in Poland.
The US should have a foreign legion. I dont have interest to be American. But i believe in what America is protecting & preserving which preserves democracies worldwide.
I spent the bettr part of 3 years in Illesheim (HHC 4/35 Armor, 1st Brigade, 1st AD) from Nov 71 - Jul 74)
I “toured” East Germany with the Pennsylvania Pro Musica Baroque group in 1976. Six weeks traveling all across the country - Halle, Erfurt, Ohrdruf, Eisenach, Leipzig, Sühl, Weissenfels, Weimar, Karl Marx Stadt (now renamed Chemnitz), East Berlin. A “translator” and “political officer” - both Stasi - kept a close watch on us at all times. Our official translator spoke no English…we hired a “freelance” translator whose English was perfect, doubtless a spy, as she crossed over to shop for her glamorous outfits in West Berlin. Military convoys everywhere. We actually socialized with Soviet Army officers in an underground club in Karl Marx Stadt. Weird. The East Berlin Bahnhof was the most frightening part of all…guards with machine pistols screaming, walking on catwalks, and loosing attack dogs underneath the arriving trains to search for people trying to escape.
How could forget this one, I was station there from '86 to '89 in U.S. Army...B Co, 237Th En Bn; Heilbronn, Germany. Don't forget about the Fulda Gap.
Was stationed there myself 1984
very dramatic production
East Germany's armed forces were the best of the Warsaw Pact.
As a former member of the German Federal Borderpolice I worked at this border. Daily espionage was usual. And daily provocations by the east German troops was normal. From just photographs to literally moving the border - all was possible.
Danke auch für Ihren Dienst. Als Junge habe ich den BGS immer sehr bewundert, speziell nach der Operation Feuerzauber...you know what i mean 😉
How did they move that metal fence?
@@mathisnotforthefaintofheart They dismouted and fixed it to poles they set a few meters to the west. One by one. If we wheren't there in time, it looked as nothing happened... They where fast.
@@drau331 I see....but ultimately there was no more place to move? I mean,...and how did you address this? Put the poles back yourself?
@@mathisnotforthefaintofheart It was an international thing. Our border was observed by th US-Forces. When we had such an incident, we had to contact them, they contacted the Russians, they the local east german borderguards. Than they reported it back the whole way, than the US Goverment told them to remove their stuff and after a time, mostly two weeks or so, they removed the poles and fence by themselves under the watch of US-forces, west German boarderguards and sometimes the whole theater on the east side,means Russians and east german Army...
what year is this film from?
This looks like the early 60s, before Vietnam. Only saw B model Hueys. But the film maker as in today still cant get the sound of the helicopter right. The sound used here was as in many shows and movies is a piston powered Bell 47 or H-13. Not the distinctive sound of the Huey. I was a Huey Crew chief, heavy maintenance project manager and pilot for over 10 years.
Nice reassuring music:)
The good old days.
Watching this movie and I think reinventing Soviet union will be great idea for USA just to have something great to do and think about, bring them back that sense of usefulness.
Imagine what the post-war world would've been like if after the fall of the Nazi Third Reich, the Russian Soviet Army actually gave full control and autonomy *_back_* to the inhabitants and rightful owners of the land of the formerly independent European nations that the Russian forces occupied after pushing the Nazis back to Berlin. Hundreds of billions of dollars could've been spent on improving schools, universities, hospitals, medicine, highways, infrastructure, science, the environment, and the quality-of-living of the citizens of the USA, Europe, Russia and many other nations after WWII instead of being spent on weapons of mass destruction and other armaments invented and purchased in unimaginable quantities by both NATO and USSR forces.
In reality, the primarily Russian armed forces seized the land they cleared of Nazis and took total control over the peoples living there and subjugated them, forming the U.S.S.R., a Russian-controlled totalitarian empire that was cruel to not only the people they "liberated", but also to the Russian citizens due to Stalin and later Soviet dictators ruling with an iron fist and assassinating, torturing, or imprisoning anyone with political dissent or criticism in the hellacious Gulags where the prisoners became slaves of the Soviet state.
I hope everyone on Earth has learned the valuable lessons of World Wars I and II, the Cold War arms races, and of conflict throughout history. If not, then humanity will see endless suffering and future arms races and conflicts that risk annihilating the entire human species and most of life on the planet for thousands of years.
americans are doing the same thing today with globalism, usa has become no1 communist country of today.
Imagine people like you stop blaming Russia/USSR for all the problems in the world
Чушь другого фронта
Are you dense? The USSR, and Stalin murdered 20 million of its own citizens before Hitler even came into power. So, they were the good guys?
do you even realize that the US did the exact same thing across the globe? an example off my head is how the US kept replacing elected socialist leaders in South America with awful dictators, a lot worse than any socialist or communist
Embassy duty in Berlin 1988-1989.
i read that there was an air of hope and celebration during the era esp in that part of the world.
besides the the music of that era was great. i wonder how was the night scene there like? were there any subcultures like the acid house movement in Berlin like it did in the UK?
no i am from the East. That era always fascinate me.
..."Nurnberg is a favorite of Cav troopers on leave"...yeah... the Fraunetormauerstrasse...I can dig it...
My father was in Bamberg in the early 80s with the 101st. They played around the border non stop
Border Watchers...BRO..Border Regent Office, Big Red One❤
...my late brother, Tim, was in Berlin in 1989 when the Wall fell on the night of my 40th birthday (9 Nov 1989)...he was there because h took a European out after being discharged from the Berlin Brigade in 1987 and lived with his German girlfriend while working for the British Army in their service club as a bartender...
I do miss the Cold War. Great times to be alive and in West Germany. Beers, buddies and girls…
88-end of 91. 2/3 fa fist. 1st BDE 3AD Ayer's Kaserne. The Rock!
when was this made?
1960
look back now and say its all hilarious how they watched and took photos of each other etc,but it wasnt funny liveing during the cold war,i was a teenager when the curtain fell and you could sense and feel the relief all over europe
Irgendwo muss mal Schluss sein für die Amis. Kein Ami, kaum Krieg.
Been there, done that. Bad Kissingen, Germany. 2/11 ACR. 1973-1975.
...those f**kin' alerts...always at 0300/0400...
In movie FN FAL Bundeswehr 1950’s (G 3 issued 1959-)
BGS not Bundeswehr using those?
3rd Armor Division; Friedberg, Germany (Ray Barracks).
There has to come a new ironcurtuin
it is currently being formed: "new" Nato borders with Belarus and Russia. Nothing will ever compare with Berlin though, during the cold war.
@@siggifreud812 that is true
Yes, because while there is anybody who likes or thinks like Putin around its needed.
This was made pre-blackout insignia days
Yes, the "free world" .
This is how it was! The vigilance of units like the US Army 2nd ACR kept the peace
Definitely not propaganda, still most absorbing.
I presume that’s sarcasm old chap
@@pungarehu Dang!, there's me trying to be subtle about it.
BGS were fucking dope
they were ex wehrmacht soldiers and were equiped witht the same stuff theyx had used since 1940
The East German NVA and Grenztruppen carried on just as much of that "tradition" on the other side of the border plus they were unlucky enough to keep serving another nasty Totalitarian regime.
Im sure there were ex SS guys too!
You’re telling me there is a border Czech at the Czech border?
Clearly a much more pleasant experience than being sent to Vietnam.
The Yalta accords3!
...or, as we used to say in the `60s: The freedom of (West) Berlin is being defended in Vietnam.
Good thing, btw, that, thanx to Poot`n invasion of Ukraine, NATO countries have become more unified than *ever* since the Cold War ended.
Freedom in Malaysia as well, it greatly discouraged the communists terrorists in Malaysia as well when the supplies they were promised by CCP was getting funneled to Vietnam.
It saved the democracy in Malaysia. That is why i can never consider the war was a waste, and am eternally grateful to those which served and especially those which gave their all.
I see the scouts were using M-114's.
I miss these days..
B1/10 FA 3rd ID. Ledward Barracks Schweinfurt 79-82
Da war Deutschland noch schön jetzt sind wir der Nahe Osten 😂😂😂😂
Bist'n dreckiger Ossi-AFD Wähler? Geh doch nach Moskau.
14:52 Poland has disappeared from the map
7:53 If I were their Motor Sergeant.....
Amercian soldier uses east german Pentax Camera.
2 nd ACR, HERE 👣
Principal "SEYMOUR" Skinner is a much better history teacher than Mrs. Krabopple.
Heh. The BGS German troops still have stallhem-pattern helmets...
I have one of those BGS helmets.
West German paint,helmet liner and some welding was added to the helmet shell I have which is actually made and stamped by Quist in late WW2.
As I understand the BGS used the stahlhelm to mark themselves out to the East Germans as border guards instead of combat troops from the Bundeswehr or the US who used M1 style.
Some of the BGS helmets must have served for half a century until retirement.
@@andrewbarron7690 Ah, that is actually quite clever. Thanks!
@@MM22966 The BGS say thanks for the compliment.
Top👍👍
What year was this filmed? 1960s?
based on the cars and the ladies hairstyles, it is 60s, for sure. it might have been scary at times, but it was better than Vietnam, me thinks....
1972 11th ACR was deactivad in Vietnam, in May 1972 14th ACR was reflagged as 11th ACR.
@siggifreud812 Would be a better gig than South Korea at that time too.
@@herosstratos1960,s see those M-14 rifles.
Poor German's finally their country is reunited the enemies are home because they got homes at their own.
Best army Soviet army l miss Soviet army
The video fails to mention that there were massive , armor heavy Brigades stationed in close proximity to the border. I served in two of these Brigades from 1973 to 1979. My Cavalry Platoon spent many days every year up on the border and had trained so much on the actual terrain that we just about didn't need maps to know where we were. We coordinated with the Cav units on a regular basis as the Cav was just an early warning unit. These heavy Armor and Mechanized Infantry units would be thrown in to the battle immediately if the Warsaw Pact showed signs of aggression. My platoon also had the training and ability to deploy and detonate tactical nuclear weapons. We had an internal Atomic Demolition Team which took part in the employment of a low yield nuclear device. Search Atomic Demolition Mission ADM for more info on this. This device weighed less than 90 pounds and was easily transported. The Warsaw Pact had similar devices.
was born in 75 and am old enough to read about the constant fear of a WW3 back in the 80s in the news as soon as i learnt to read. but somehow comparing to what it is like nowadays it feels like the free world was more prepared for war than it is now.
i cant help but wonder if Russia would dare to invade Ukraine or China would be so bandit like in its foreign diplomacy if the US still maintain high readiness as it did during the cold war.
But nowadays i can't help but wonder if democracies in Asia are going to collapse soon due to the complacency and political correctness of the West today. I also believe that the war will escalate due to the constant display if complacency and weakness by the Western leadership.
i am not an American or ever planning to be, but thank for your services Sir. Thanks for keeping the enemy at bay.
I wish you all the best in health and happiness. God bless.
If the US were so concerned then why didn't they help Czechoslovakia in -68?
And start another war?
@@penduloustesticularis1202 I'm not so sure that would have led to a war. If NATO had interviened Soviet would have backed off, since they didn't want a war either.
Look at former Yugoslavia, Tito basically told Stalin to f*ck off and built a good relationship with west instead.
That had to be a no comfort zone if any place was. Czech citizens did not like this a bit, namely Alexander Dubcek. Mean old Russ wrongfully ruled this place. Glad Communism got toppled.
I was born in Nuremberg,,,
I had family living in East Germany, and am glad the Berlin Wall fell. But aside from being in English, the narration sounds almost like the biased propaganda the USSR would make.
I wish they made a Vietnam DMZ video like this
I hope to see the border checks seen replicated on the Kerch Peninsula into Crimea from 2024.
Destroy the Kerch bridge first.
14:52
@map:
It"s no USSR it is POLAND
THX ;-)