--- Winston Churchill, in a speech at Fulton College in Columbia, Missouri, March 5, 1946.
Above: Our escort, from the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (the U.S. Army unit with the responsibility for securing this sector of the border) briefs us on the border rules and restrictions. By regulation, he is required to be armed at all times when within 1 km of the border. East German border guards were watching us very carefully from the towers in the center of the photo.
Below: A side view of "the Fence" as the 2nd ACR troopers call it. Area in between the double fences is patrolled by vicious dogs trained to attack any intruder, whether from the East or the West.
I had wanted to go to Berlin for years, and in October of 1988, I finally got my chance. The Army ran periodic tours for junior enlisted soldiers, known as the "Berlin Orientation Tours". We took the "duty train" from Frankfurt to Berlin and spent 4 days seeing the sights of Berlin. It was a great experience, made even better by the fact that I got to see Berlin when it was still a divided city.
Above: Before the Wall came down, the famous Brandenburg Gate was just inside the East Zone. The Wall ran right in front of it (decorated with graffitti, as was the entire Wall on its Western side). For propaganda purposes, East Germany flew both East German and Soviet flags from the gate.
Below: Another view of the Wall, from near the Reichstag. The area in this photo was the site of "the bunker" where Hitler spent his final hours in 1945.
Above: Soviet soldiers change the guard at the Soviet War Memorial in West (that's right) Berlin.
Below: Olympic Staduim built for the 1936 Summer Games.
Above: Heartbreaking display just outside the Reichstag (German Parliament). Each cross represents someone who was killed trying to cross into the West. The 3rd, 4th and 5th crosses (from left) read "Unbekannt": "Unknown"
Below: Close up of graffiti from the picture above: Demanding freedom for the Baltic republics (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia).
Above: Graffitti obviously written by an English speaker with a flair for the dramatic...
Below: Edge of the British sector fronts a canal. Note the East German patrol boat watching in case someone should try to jump into the canal to swim to freedom. Their orders are to capture (if possible) but to kill any crossers if neccessary to prevent them from reaching the West zone.
Above: Here I am at the edge of the American sector of West Berlin, near Checkpoint Charlie.
Below: Checkpoint Charlie. All traffic between East and West Berlin passed through here. As I understand, it is now in a museum.
Above: Crossing through Checkpoint Charlie, we get this ominous view of No Man's Land. It doesn't take much imagination to figure out what happens to anyone unfortunate enough to be caught here.
Below: Here I am at the Soviet Memorial gardens in East Berlin (Military personnel are required to wear uniforms while in the East Zone.)
Above: "freedom bridge" on the Western border of West Berlin (near Potsdam). Spies, agents and other miscreants are repatriated here, rather than at Checkpoint Charlie, because it is more out-of-the-way. Note that there are both East German and Soviet flags flying at the far border post.
Of course, we now have the luxury of being able to look back on the Iron Curtain as a part of history. But for more than 40 years, the Iron Curtain was not just a line on a map, it was a concrete and steel barrier that propped up the despotic Soviet empire and kept millions in bondage. Let these pictures stand as mute testimony to the lengths that powerful, corrupt governments will go to in order to keep their subjects in chains, and let them serve as a reminder to all of us that freedom is not free, and that, as John F. Kennedy said, the price we must pay for it is eternal vigilance.
All images are © by Martin Albright unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.