Berlin 1964 Berlin 1980 Berlin 2011

Discussion in 'All Anniversaries' started by hutt, Mar 20, 2018.

  1. hutt

    hutt Member

    A few years ago, my wife acquired her Grandfathers slide collection (or rather saved it from damp in an old outbuilding!) and which included several boxes taken during a trip to Berlin in early 1964. I thought I would post some of these along with some of my own from trips made in 1980 and 2011.
    The 1964 visit was, we believe, organised by the USAF to show how the East German authorities were building up the wall and the collection is a fascinating glimpse of Berlin at this time and in particular the huge amount of damage that was still apparent and will show, even in 1980, in the east, had still not been repaired.
    Anyway, they may take a few days to post in full as I am trying to establish the location of as many as possible using Google Maps and Streetview and a surprising number I can pin down.
    I'll start with the flight to and from Berlin.
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2018
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  2. hutt

    hutt Member

    IMG_20180318_0024R.jpg IMG_20180318_0025R.jpg These show the USAF plane they flew in. The family story is that the passengers were required to wear parachutes though how true that is I don't know! I get a very good match in google earth for the runway and roads and field patterns for Sculthorpe so I assume they flew from there to Templehoff. Some of these are more likely to be from the return flight. Note how the rear of the aircraft has been propped.
    IMG_20180318_0022R.jpg IMG_20180318_0020R.jpg IMG_20180318_0019R.jpg GE1.JPG IMG_20180318_0045R.jpg . IMG_20180319_0015R.jpg
     
    Last edited: Mar 24, 2018
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  3. hutt

    hutt Member

    IMG_20180318_0041.jpg IMG_20180319_0012R.jpg IMG_20180319_0028R.jpg IMG_20180318_0042R.jpg IMG_20180320_0004R.jpg IMG_20180317_0010R.jpg IMG_20180317_0011R.jpg IMG_20180317_0018R.jpg IMG_20180317_0023R.jpg IMG_20180317_0026R.jpg IMG_20180317_0008R.jpg DSC00271R.jpg DSC00380R.jpg DSC00415R.jpg It would appear that the party was taken the on a bus tour of the city starting in the western sector. Unfortunately, most seem to have been affected by a combination of rain or condensation on the coach windows. Anyway, below are pictures of the Kaiser Wilhelm Church which had by this time had its new tower added but clearly the buildings in the roads surrounding Budapester Strasse were only just being rebuilt. There then follows a picture of a British soldier and the slide notes that it is at the Russian War memorial. It looks like he appreciated a party of visitors as this part of the Tiergarten, almost at the Brandenburg Gate was pretty remote and empty compared with what was growing up as the new center of the western half of the city. Even in 1980 there were few people around.
    There then follow some pictures of the memorial itself from both 1964 (note the Russian guards) and my trip in 1980 and then onto the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate . On my first visit to Berlin in 1980 I had only the vaguest idea how east and west interacted in the city and was quite amazed as we walked towards the Brandenburg Gate and the Russian tank came into view along with the guards. The fact that it was in the western sector seemed odd and I am not fully aware of why it ended up marooned west of the wall like it did.
    There are 3 marks on the front of the sentry box above what would be the right shoulder of the guard. Is this where they hit it with their bayonets?
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2018
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  4. hutt

    hutt Member

    IMG_20180317_0029R.jpg IMG_20180320_0001R.jpg Part of the map I used to navigate around the city in 1980 and which shows the path of the wall and how a chunk of the old city center was now East Berlin and how it jutted into the west.

    I have now added two maps that were part of the 1964 series, one showing the city limits and checkpoints and the other the canal, road, rail and air corridors that had to be used during transit to Berlin from West Germany
    Mapreduced.jpg
     
    Last edited: Mar 22, 2018
  5. hutt

    hutt Member

    IMG_20180319_0026R.jpg IMG_20180317_0032R.jpg IMG_20180318_0026R.jpg IMG_20180318_0039R.jpg IMG_20180318_0040R.jpg IMG_20180318_0051R.jpg IMG_20180319_0018R.jpg IMG_20180319_0020R.jpg IMG_20180319_0021R.jpg IMG_20180319_0030R.jpg IMG_20180320_0005R.jpg IMG_20180317_0009R.jpg IMG_20180317_0013R.jpg IMG_20180317_0014R.jpg CPCWtoE.JPG CPCEtoW.JPG Despite Kodak slides having sequence numbers printed on them (some have virtually rubbed off from being covered by small sticky red dots) so its not been easy to set out a definitive narrative of the 1964 trip but the party was taken by coach into East Berlin on one, possibly two occasions. From the shadow positions, I think the 1964 photos below were probably taken while entering through Checkpoint Charlie and can be contrasted with my slides from 1980 and two Streetview shots of today where virtually nothing remains of its previous life or the surrounding buildings.
    Even by 1964, the extent of the demolitions being undertaken by the East Germans to create the death strip were becoming apparent.
    During my 1980 trip it took ages to pass through on foot as you had to surrender your passport as it was 'ceremonially' checked by the authorities, stamped and handed back to you at a later window by very stern boarder guards. I think I recall you also had to exchange a certain amount of money to Ostmarks but the problem, once you were in East Berlin, was finding something to spend them on!

    IMG_20180317_0032R.jpg IMG_20180318_0026R.jpg IMG_20180318_0039R.jpg IMG_20180318_0040R.jpg IMG_20180318_0051R.jpg IMG_20180319_0018R.jpg IMG_20180319_0020R.jpg IMG_20180319_0021R.jpg IMG_20180319_0030R.jpg IMG_20180320_0005R.jpg IMG_20180317_0009R.jpg IMG_20180317_0013R.jpg IMG_20180317_0014R.jpg CPCWtoE.JPG CPCEtoW.JPG
     
    Last edited: Mar 22, 2018
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  6. Lindele

    Lindele formerly HA96

    Thanks for posting, geat pics, especilly those from 1964
    Stefan.
     
  7. gmyles

    gmyles Senior Member

    Hi

    I was posted to Berlin from 1987 to 1991. My best tour in the RAF by far.

    Brings back some happy memories. Thanks for sharing these great pics.

    Gus
     
  8. hutt

    hutt Member

    IMG_20180318_0036.jpg IMG_20180318_0060R.jpg IMG_20180319_0010R.jpg IMG_20180319_0016R.jpg IMG_20180318_0038R.jpg DSC00471R.jpg IMG_20180318_0006R.jpg IMG_20180318_0053R.jpg DSC00434R.jpg DSC00441R.jpg IMG_20180318_0056R.jpg IMG_20180318_0048R.jpg FFTor.JPG Gus . Stephan. Glad the pictures are of interest.
    Here are some more, primarily from the tour coach.
    They seem to have had a tour of the western side of the wall before entering the east. The pictures give a glimpse of the considerable destruction that was still apparent. I remember as a child being taken to see Emil and the Detectives at the cinema and being fascinated by it.
    Anyway, we also have an image taken from the east side of the wall looking towards Hans Scharouns recently completed Berlin Philharmonic that has been annotated as 'Hitlers Bunker'. Note also the timber watch tower and of course this area is now totally rebuilt. There are images of the Stalinist architecture of the Frankfurter Allee and a Streetview shot showing the same location today plus of the Town Hall, Cathedral and the Altes Museum (in 64, 80 and 2011)
     
    Last edited: Mar 22, 2018
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  9. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Great quality images from back then. 1964....a very good year indeed.
     
  10. hutt

    hutt Member

    IMG_20180318_0021R.jpg IMG_20180318_0002R.jpg IMG_20180318_0003R.jpg IMG_20180319_0025R.jpg IMG_20180319_0024R.jpg IMG_20180318_0046R.jpg IMG_20180318_0052R.jpg IMG_20180318_0001R.jpg IMG_20180318_0014R.jpg IMG_20180318_0018R.jpg IMG_20180318_0047R.jpg IMG_20180318_0015R.jpg IMG_20180318_0049R.jpg IMG_20180318_0059R.jpg IMG_20180318_0057R.jpg IMG_20180319_0019R.jpg IMG_20180318_0016R.jpg IMG_20180319_0017R.jpg IMG_20180318_0055R.jpg FRST1.JPG FRST2.JPG FRST3.JPG FRST4.JPG Our understanding of the trip was that once they had had the coach tour of the east, they were dropped off on the Unter den Linden and were able to walk around by themselves. Apparently my wife's Grandfather took it upon himself to wander off on his own to explore and some of the photos below would appear to be from this solo walkabout. We know he had been in Berlin before the war and was apparently exploring areas he had been in then, indeed, one slide is marked as the hotel that he had stayed in in 1937. The result are a fascinating set of pictures of including several scenes of East Berliners (from the angle and color of the light) going home at the end of the day. Quite what they thought of someone openly photographing in the streets who knows but apparently when his US military hosts found out they weren't very happy as it may have resulted in some 'complications' had he been tailed and questioned!

    Below are photos that seem to start at the Unter den Linden with a number I cannot identify until those that are clearly at Freidrichstr Station and of the bridges there (rail and road) over the Spree.
     
    Last edited: Mar 24, 2018
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  11. hutt

    hutt Member

    Oberbruke.JPG The last of the 1964 slides that we have show the party visiting the wall to the east of the city where the boundary between east and west ran along the banks of the Spree. The anti tank defences are on the Oberbaumbruke bridge. Sadly I cant identify the location of the memorial or who it may be referring to. IMG_20180318_0037R.jpg IMG_20180319_0013R.jpg IMG_20180319_0014R.jpg IMG_20180319_0022R.jpg IMG_20180320_0002R.jpg IMG_20180320_0003R.jpg IMG_20180326_0001.jpg Spreeview1.JPG Spreeview2.JPG
     
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