Cold
War Sites
Since the fall of the Berlin Wall
and the reunification of Germany in 1989, sites associated with the 40-year-long Cold War
and the division of the country into West and East Germany have become relics. In most
places, there is no trace of the old border between East and West, once the scene of
elaborate fences, anti-tank ditches, machinegun nests, and guard towers. However, the
border remains have been preserved at a few sites.

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This rather simple guard tower
overlooked the East German side of the border along Highway B19, near the southern
Thuringian village of Henneberg. (MapQuest
Map Link) |
This view from the tower shows the
East German military complex behind it ... these buildings were overwatched by
the U.S. Army 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment at Observation Point (OP) Sierra.. |

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The complex included a large
barracks for the guards, and buildings for vehicle storage and maintenance. |
Since Reunification in 1989, the
guards barracks has been stripped down to the bare brick and concrete. |

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In the valley below the guard
tower was the actual border crossing. The East German side of the crossing featured this
iron I-beam vehicle obstacle, and a tri-level camouflaged concrete machinegun position. |
This view shows a single-level
machinegun nest, some of the original metal fencing, and (in the background), a concrete
post painted in the East German national colors. These posts appeared along the East
German side of the border at irregular intervals (see
below). |

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This
border site, near the area where the borders of Bavaria, Hessen, and
Thüringen come together (near Fladungen)
was also overwatched by the 2nd Squadron 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment.
The DDR tower, bunker, and sections of the fence have been preserved. For
an explanation of the various border marking posts, see below.
(MapQuest
Map Link) |

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This is the site of Camp
Lee (previously called Camp Wollbach), the U.S. Army border post for the troops of the 2nd Squadron 11th Armored Cavalry
Regiment, who watched the border above from OP Sierra (later called OP
Tennessee).
The 2/11ACR was stationed in Bad Kissingen,
and their border guards took turns manning Camp Lee, OP Sierra/Tennessee, and other observation
posts. These photos show, left-right - view looking down the main street from the main
gate, with the headquarters building in the center; one of the original 2/11ACR metal
buildings - the Learning Center; the communications center and vehicle washrack. When the
11th ACR left Germany ca. 1992, Camp Lee became a housing area for refugees from the
Balkans (several buildings now exhibit graffiti in Albanian). No reminders of the U.S.
presence remain at OP Sierra/Tennessee itself. (MapQuest
Map Link) 2007 note - The
Camp Lee site is for sale, and its future is unclear. |

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East German border
guards and Soviet troops were housed in this post in the Thuringian city of Meiningen,
north of the border area shown above. In common with their American opponents, the Soviets
often occupied old Wehrmacht barracks, as in this case - note the similarity of these
buildings to those at Manteuffel Kaserne in
Bad Kissingen, which became Daley Barracks under the U.S. 2/11th ACR.
(Note - this particular building was torn down ca. 2002, and the
destruction of this site will apparently continue.) |

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This
post was built in 1935-36, and was originally called the
Artillerie-Kaserne or Barbara-Kaserne (St. Barbara being the patron saint
of artillerymen). Artillery units of the 2nd and 4th Panzer Divisions were
stationed here prior to World War II, then the post was used as a
hospital. Since the pullout of
Soviet troops in 1994, these buildings have become derelict, although they retain some
interesting reminders of their previous occupants, such as flag holders above the doors
with Red Star insignia. (MapQuest
Map Link) |
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This
view of the
inner-German border near Bad Hersfeld was taken in 1980, with a comparison
from 2006. They show the East German border
devices as seen from the U.S. guard tower at Observation Point I, or "OP India."
This area of the border was guarded by the U.S. 3rd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry
Regiment. When the 1980 photo was taken, the anti-vehicle ditch on the East German side of
the fence was under construction. Today only the vehicle access trail
remains. |

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The
East German guard tower seen in this 1980 photo is now gone - only its
American counterpart at OP India remains. |
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Probably the most famous U.S. Army
border post was "OP Alpha," near Fulda. OP Alpha was guarded by the 1st Squadron,
11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. The OP Alpha site has been preserved as a
memorial and
museum. This was the American guard tower. This elaborate concrete and metal tower was
the final version on the site, replacing earlier simple wooden towers. |
This view shows the East German
guard tower and fence as seen from the American guard tower. This was one of the points where the
Cold War enemies were face-to-face every day.
MapQuest
Map Link |
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View from the East German side of
the border. The East German watch tower is on the right, and the U.S. tower can be seen in
the left distance. (Alpha Point Memorial) |
This display at OP Alpha shows the
various types of border markers. The white post on the left, with the red top, was all
that marked the actual border trace. All of the East German signs, markers, and fences
were actually on their side of the border, not right at the border. The next stone to the
right was an old Prussian border marker. Next was an East German border "barber
pole." These appeared at irregular intervals, some twenty feet inside East Germany.
The last stone was another type of East German border marker (DDR = Deutsche Democratische
Republik, German Democratic Republic). |
Anyone who served on the Border in Germany during the Cold
War will enjoy reading "Recollections
of the Watch on Freedom's Frontier" -- it will sure bring back a lot
of memories!
Cold War in Berlin

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One of the most
famous Cold War sites to be preserved is "Checkpoint Charlie" in Berlin. The Checkpoint Charlie U.S. guard house, which once stood in
the middle of the street, has recently been returned to its original site. The adjacent
museum "Haus am Checkpoint Charlie" is well worth a visit. The photo on the left
shows the stand-off between U.S. Army M48 tanks and Soviet T55 tanks during the border
dispute of late October 1961. The U.S. guardhouse is visible at the lower left corner (AP). |

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Another view of the border
confrontation in October 1961. (AP photo) |
This guard tower was just on the
East German side of the border (in the center distance of the photo to the left; this
tower had not yet been erected in 1961). The location of the previous border is marked
today by the line of bricks that crosses the street and sidewalk. |
For many more Cold War era photos of the Communist border, visit Rich
Cordon's Border Site.
"Point Alpha" memorial site and museum --
www.pointalpha.com
"History of the Border Region Today" - 14th ACR /
11th ACR - Bad Hersfeld, Fulda, Bad Kissingen -- http://www.14cav.org/a570-today.html
Guided tours of the former East-West German
border area -- www.bordertours.com
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