Status Updates From Checkpoint Charlie: The His...

Checkpoint Charlie function was sent into well-deserved retirement at a ceremony on 22 June 1990. Just by the course of that event, one can see how much Berlin had changed, as the East and West German foreign ministers were on the same side as the four Allies of World War II. The speeches of the generals paid tribute to the many sacrifices that had been made for a simple purpose, the desire for freedom and happiness.

The carnival atmosphere continued around the concrete border, although people were encouraged not to dance on the wall anymore, but to use the open holes that had become nephromal crossings. Many politicians visited Berlin to see firsthand what the situation was like. One of them was minister Archie Hamilton, who brought pieces of the Berlin Wall to Margaret Thatcher. But France was not overjoyed.

The celebration of the fall of the Berlin Wall was celebrated in a festive mood, but nothing guaranteed it. The calm reaction of General Robert Corbett calmed down the explosive situation that had begun to develop around the Soviet monument in the Tiergarten. He managed to calm the Soviet soldiers there so that they would not make any sudden movements. The Wall began to be gradually removed along with the GDR.

After the historic conference that accidentally allowed the Berlin Wall to be crossed, people spontaneously began to gather around it. Testimonies from Allied soldiers, ordinary citizens, and East German police officers describe the general confusion that gripped Berlin on November 9th. No one was sure how things would turn out, but one thing was certain: the SED had not planned for the Wall to be opened in this way.

The daily life of the last British Sector Commander in Berlin, Robert Corbett, was the reward for a brilliant career and consisted of routine meetings with his two Western Allies and the occasional check-in on events on the Soviet side of the Wall, along with ceremonial balls. This monotony began to be broken by the growing protests in the GDR, but nothing pointed to the events of Günter Schabowski's conference.

The escape of Hans-Peter Spitzner and his daughter Peggy through Checkpoint Charlie is a tragic example of what Berliners were ready for in order to reach the West. They managed to persuade the American soldier Eric Yaw to transfer them into his trunk and in that simple way got their freedom. With that, they became the last people to escape across that border crossing. Germans who oppress their own countrymen.

Passenger control on the East side of Checkpoint Charlie was planned and prescribed in detail in order to prevent the smuggling of people and goods as much as possible. The political situation made the number of applications for crossing so complex that there was a constant lack of people for controls.

Digging a tunnel under Checkpoint Charlie was very dangerous and potentially deadly, but such was the desire to escape East Germany that people had to take the risk. Also fascinating is the concert that Bruce Springsteen gave in East Berlin, and the political connotations that both sides tried to instrumentalize. The book presents these events in both situations from personal testimonies as well as from the top.

Divided Berlin was a story about espionage exploits such as Operation Gold, the installation of a listening device under the Soviet embassy. And also about people like Estrongo Nachama, a baritone of Auschwitz, who became the link between the renewal of the Jewish community in both parts of the city. Or the construction of several tunnels and the death of East German guard Egon Schultz, who became a martyr.

The death of Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Nicholson, who was shot by a Russian guard, clearly showed that the quasi-diplomatic status of members of military missions is a dead letter that will not protect anyone. This tragic event slowed down the warming of relations that was taking place between the USA and the USSR. In addition, the chapter discusses some 007 methods of gathering information behind the Iron Curtain.

Military liaison missions were an excellent way for the Allies to explore the installations of the Soviets in the GDR almost unhindered. However, although they had quasi-diplomatic status, the movement of military missions was prevented in every possible way. Some of their members were even killed, and for that they would only get an apology. Such was The Game, especially around the "forbidden areas" outside Berlin.

Detachment A was a special unit of the American Army on a suicide mission to delay the USSR for as long as possible after the attack. Life in the city was wonderful, but you had to constantly look around because of the Stasi members. Another group of people who were constantly followed were journalists, the book contains interesting anecdotes of journalists who were allowed to cross from East to West.

From Havana to Berlin. These two cities, although thousands of kilometers apart, were closely connected in the Cold War. After JFK successfully resolved the Cuban Missile Crisis in his favor, he had to somehow calm Berliners' fears of possible provocations. That's why he gave his Ich bin ein Berliner speech, which confirmed the US commitment to Berlin. Later, it was the trigger for Ostpolitik.

The tango around the Friedrichstraße crossing ended with the gradual withdrawal of tanks from both sides, which confirmed on the one hand that the Allies would not give up on Berlin, and on the other that the GDR would test the resolve of its opponents. Escape attempts continued, as did the ruthless prevention of each attempt. Already in 1962, a second, more sophisticated version of the wall began to emerge.

In order not to be seen as mere observers of the events, Vice President LBJ and General Lucius D. Clay arrived in West Berlin. But the first games and prodding from the East began, and diplomat Hemsing was stopped at Checkpoint Charlie, which caused a decisive response from the Americans. He managed to make his way to East Berlin together with a tank escort, and with that the Rubicon was crossed.

The construction of the wall destroyed the normal functioning of the city and brought a new dynamic to it. The first victims who wanted to leave the "Socialist Paradise" began to fall. The Allies came to terms with the wall, although they left Checkpoint Charlie as a mere temporary shelter. The new reality was also happening to the military police who knew they were coming to a city on the front line.

Die Grenze ist geschlossen! An exclamation that would become a symbol of the tragic situation that gripped East Berlin. The saddest memories are of ordinary people who were separated by the Mauer. It has actually become clear how surprised and in complete shock the Western Allies were by Operation Rose. Thus, Berlin became a divided city and a race to escape and spy began.

As tensions between the former Allies grow, so do things in Berlin. A bird's-eye view, and later a frog's perspective, gives an interesting insight into how decisions about the construction of the Wall are felt on the ground in Berlin. The preparations carried out by Erich Mielke were closely related to the impression that the USA implicitly allowed the construction of the wall. Ordinary citizens did not know that.

The intriguing opening experience of British soldier Robert Corbett, who witnessed firsthand the complexities that followed in Germany after World War II, is an ideal introduction to the book. Conceptually, it is set up as an exchange of memories between Berlin residents and the political and social changes that have gripped the city and East Germany. The stories of ordinary residents are particularly striking.