Berlin, August 13 in 1961 the Wall was built

and since 1989 the wall is history .....

How old were you then?
i was 15

Rumpel said:

How old were you then?
i was 15

Click to expand...

I was 9, so I don't remember the wall going up.
I would have guessed the wall went up in the mid-50s.
The Cuban missile crisis was in October1962 and I vividly remember those times.
Maybe in the one year span between these two events I just grew up enough to pay attention?
Lots of epic geo-political occurrences in the 50s and 60s.

Rumpel said:

How old were you then?
i was 15

Click to expand...

I was 25 so I remember the erection of the wall very clearly.

I was an embryo.

I was 5 when it came down, so I don't remember it. I remember vaguely people watching the news alot, but that's later, probably around '91, when the USSR collapsed.

Berlin, August 13 in 1961 the Wall was built​

Click to expand...

Built by the socialists in East Germany, in order to keep people from fleeing to non-socialist West Germany. It's the same ideology being pushed today by the progressive left.

When construction began on the "first" Berlin Wall the Russian Soviet 10th Guards Tank Division and 19th Motorized Rifle Division deployed to the north and south of the city and additional Russian Soviet tanks reinforced East Berlin by taking tactical positions at various locations in the city.

The two battle groups of the U.S. Army’s 6th Infantry Division that made up most of the U.S. garrison in West Berlin increased their tempo of training and placed additional emphasis on riot control drills and urban combat operations. Potus Kennedy announced the strength of the Cold War draft Army would be increased from 875,000 to 1 million. Kennedy also activated 123 armed forces reserve units among numerous other force strengthening measures to include bringing the 7th Army in Europe up to full strength.

Hasty construction produced the original Berlin Wall, August 10-12, 1961




Potus Kennedy decided to probe a U.S. Army reinforcement battle group into and through East Germany to West Berlin. And to do it hard and fast.

Around midnight on 18 August 1961, General Clarke alerted the force that would conduct the probe, the ace 1st Battle Group, 8th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry "Pathfinder" Division. In order to meet the urgent time schedule established by the president, Clark bypassed the chain of command -- Seventh Army, V Corps, and the 8th Infantry Division headquarters -- and issued orders directly to the battle group commander, Colonel Glover S. Johns Jr.

The 1,500 strong Battle Group was tasked to implement the contingency plans the U.S. European Commander Gen. Clarke had prepared for a probe along the route into Berlin which was deep into East Germany. Administrative checkpoints and undefended obstacles would be bypassed. If the tightly formed and steadily advancing column met a superior military force, it would halt and defend itself as necessary in an attempt to remain in place. The colonel commanding had the authority to "disengage" if he believed he was in danger of becoming cut off or overrun.


The advance convoy of the US Army 1st Battle Group of the 8th Infantry Regiment, the 8th Infantry "Pathfinder" Division, crosses through the Soviet-East German Checkpoint at Helmstad where the convey asserted its access through East Germany to West Berlin.





At 0530 the next day, Johns’ force moved out of its home station at Coleman Barracks, Mannheim, Germany, and proceeded to a bivouac area near the American checkpoint at Helmstedt. Promptly at 0630, one day later, the first set of a dozen heavily armed probe vehicles stopped at the Soviet-East German DDR checkpoint at Marienborn, where the autobahn entered East Germany.

Although the Soviet guards raised perfunctory challenges, that initial convoy, followed by the battle group, cleared the checkpoint in a short time and rolled down the autobahn at a fast pace for a triumphant entry into West Berlin where the city was turned out. In full battle gear, the troops paraded through the center of the city to be reviewed by Vice President Johnson and General Clay.


1st Battle Group made a triumphant entry into West Berlin where the city turned out to welcome the U.S. military reinforcements when the Berlin Wall went up in August 1961.





I wuz 17.

Before this, in 1948-49, the Soviets, citing bogus infrastructure problems, cut off the roads, railroads and canals into the city. They effectively blockaded the city to try to drive foreign powers, mostly Americans, out of West Berlin, so the entire city would be under Soviet control. They offered to drop the blockade if the Western Allies would discontinue the new currency of Deutsche Marks. This was tantamount to surrender.

The entire city of Berlin was in East Germany so the city was surrounded by Soviets. No food could get in. No medical supplies. And the biggest problem, no coal. Berlin is very cold in winter and coal was essential. The treaty dividing Berlin did provide for Allied air corridors. The Russians did a study and concluded it would be impossible to supply West Berlin solely by air, so eventually West Berliners would flee to East Berlin and the U.S. would give up.

In an astounding, near miraculous feat of courage, technology, engineering, and guts, the United States, with the help of the air forces from several countries, broke the blockade after 15 months. They airlifted Berlin.

We did, sadly, lose aircraft and servicemen. But it was an inspiring tour-de-force of the will of a free people overcoming Soviet oppression.

Look into it if you can, it's amazing.

Can you imagine MAGA doing anything like that today?

Loulit01 said:

Before this, in 1948-49, the Soviets, citing bogus infrastructure problems, cut off the roads, railroads and canals into the city. They effectively blockaded the city to try to drive foreign powers, mostly Americans, out of West Berlin, so the entire city would be under Soviet control. They offered to drop the blockade if the Western Allies would discontinue the new currency of Deutsche Marks. This was tantamount to surrender.

The entire city of Berlin was in East Germany so the city was surrounded by Soviets. No food could get in. No medical supplies. And the biggest problem, no coal. Berlin is very cold in winter and coal was essential. The treaty dividing Berlin did provide for Allied air corridors. The Russians did a study and concluded it would be impossible to supply West Berlin solely by air, so eventually West Berliners would flee to East Berlin and the U.S. would give up.

In an astounding, near miraculous feat of courage, technology, engineering, and guts, the United States, with the help of the air forces from several countries, broke the blockade after 15 months. They airlifted Berlin.

We did, sadly, lose aircraft and servicemen. But it was an inspiring tour-de-force of the will of a free people overcoming Soviet oppression.

Look into it if you can, it's amazing.

Can you imagine MAGA doing anything like that today?

Click to expand...

heroic success!