Berlin Duty - The Big Picture

[@acousticshadow4032]

I lived in West Berlin from December/1961-June/1962 during my youth, compliments of my father's career in the USAF. It was an intense time to be living there.

[@markklippenberg7364]

Hey fellow brat! I was there too, 1969 - 1980. Graduated from BAHS.

[@TheBuelliganRides]

I was in the Berlin Brigade. CSC 4/6 Inf, Stinger Platoon, 82-84

[@demomann9126]

Remember when the West had the will to fight against enemies without and within? Those days seem to be gone.

[@Charlesputnam-bn9zy]

Today is 1939 all over again. Who was the man the whole world admired the most in 1939, marveling ''Who is like him and who dares to make war against him ?'' ? He made the cover of TIME magazine as man of the year 1939. Frank Capra in his documentary ''Why We Fight'' said : ''The world could only marvel at the efficiency of this man ! ''Efficiency ? The outlaw Dillinger was efficient too !'' The world is not concerned with Right VS wrong. The world admires only force. In its eyes using force for the the triumph of Right = using force for the triumph of wrong. Remember Joseph Kennedy Sr. & Charles Lindbergh as the most prestigious fans of TIME-magazine's Man Of The Year 1939. Peace at any price = peace of the tomb

[@charles1964]

@@Charlesputnam-bn9zy I agree in spirit, but I think most Americans in 1939 didn't want to get dragged into another European War after the Horrors of "The War (that was supposed) to end all Wars" Hindsight is always 20/20 when it comes to History, but let's not forget that Stalin signed 2 Non Aggression Pacts - Germany in '39 & Japan in '41 - that directly led to the partition of Poland and the Sneak Attack on Pearl Harbor

[@Charlesputnam-bn9zy]

@@charles1964 Nobody in his right mind would blame the Americans for not wanting to be embroiled in another war in Europe, which was in fact a world war already. The horrors they witnessed there in 1917-18 were no enticement to military glory, whatever their indignation at the nazi arrogance & ruthlessness. Besides, at the time the US had no army. But Kennedy & Lindbergh were not anti-war. They were pro-war, slyly pushing for America to get on the nazi side.

[@daleburrell6273]

...IT MUST BE SOMETHING IN THE DRINKING WATER-(?)

[@daleburrell6273]

...AMERICANS HAVE HAD IT TOO GOOD FOR TOO LONG- AND THEY HAVE BECOME DECADENT AND APATHETIC!!!

[@erin19030]

I pulled special guard duty at Spandau Prison in 1965. Rudolph Hess was in residence.

[@berlinbear40]

The US military presence ended in 1994, after the reunification of Germany in 1990 and the fall of the Berlin wall. The allied forces were not there as occupiers after the 1955 peace treaty. We were there to keep West Berlin from being taken over by the Soviets and their East German stooges. This is the reason that the US and ROK soldiers still guard the DMZ. No formal peace treaty concerning Berlin was signed until German ceased to be TWO nations and became ONE. That was the ultimate goal of the Yalta conference, and one that Joe Stalin and every leader after him refused to recognize until Gorbachev and Reagan started talking. Even though there was a Allied Kommadantuar (allied command) West Berlin the city was run by freely elected German officials. East Germany and East Berlin was run by people approved of by the Soviets. It was two totally separate and distinct systems. Freedom on one hand, oppression on the other. As for not being interested in this or thinking its not relevant today, just look at the headlines. Those who do learn from history, are doomed to repeat it. SP4 Gary Mathena, proud member, Berlin Brigade 1979-1980.

[@gotwa229]

The problem with your version of "history" is that it is flawed. For starters, the Korean situation couldn't be more different. While an unconditional peace treaty was signed between the Allies and Nazi Germany on V-E Day -- May 9, 1945 -- NO such treaty was signed, or has been signed to date (as of March of 2018), between the ROK and the DPRK. Only an Armistice was agreed to that ceased hostilities and combat between the two sides, which is still in effect today as an official "Cease Fire" agreement. The problem with Berlin is that it's location was 100 miles within East Germany, or the DDR's territory. The Russians, therefore, in an attempt to claim the entire city for themselves, sealed off the city and all access from the West in 1948. This resulted in the Berlin Airlift and finally the opening of the city to its former disposition with four occupation zones. There's not much to learn from what happened in Berlin except that democratic governments need to back up their promises and guarantees with a strong and credible military deterrent force. Had it not been for this credible, deterrent force in the personage of the Berlin Brigade and other elements of the USAREUR and the contributions of Allied nations, Berlin would've been swallowed up by East Germany, and the entire Germany may have become a Communist satellite state.

[@mebeoldschool]

Update..... The DMZ is no longer patrolled by U.S. Forces. Responsibility was turned over to the Korean Army a few years ago.

[@gotwa229]

@@mebeoldschool - Actually, U.S. forces stopped patrolling the DMZ almost three decades ago in 1991. (They stopped patrolling the JSA in 2004, turning over OP Ouelette to the ROK Amy back then, although thee is still an American JSA detachment force (less than 40 men), assigned to the Joint UNCSSB in Panmunjom. Their designated role is not to patrol the JSA, which is the job of the ROK soldiers serving in JSA. The American soldiers are there to serve as English-language tour guides for the daily tours, and to provide VIP security for visiting dignitarities, including US/ROK officials, etc..

[@neilmanhard1341]

@Dave West Berlin was also a haven for West German draft dodgers because of the "no German army" law. This law oddly made West Berlin politcally more "liberal" than the rest of West Germany.

[@unitedwestand5100]

@@gotwa229 ,. Approximately 35k US Combat troops in S Korea, are not there for English Language Guides. The UNC continues to function as of 2019. Since 1953, UNC's primary duties have been to maintain the armistice and facilitate diplomacy between North and South Korea. In charge of the UNC has always been an American General. Currently he is, General Paul LaCamera, who took command in 2021 from, General Robert B. Abrams. The ROK is part, the largest part, of the UNC.

[@speeslider]

The formal occupation of WEST GERMANY ended 5 May 1955. The General Treaty/Deutschlandvertrag was signed on 26 May 1952 by the Allies and West German Government. The occupation of West Berlin continued until 2 OCT 1990. FYI, I was a US Soldier during the occupation of Berlin. I am thoroughly versed in the history of the US Military in Germany.

[@gotwa229]

Question: Why did it take four years for the last elements of Berlin Brigade to deactivate and depart Berlin then?

[@chetpomeroy1399]

I seem to remember hearing at that time that the government in Berlin wanted the Western occupying powers to stay there until the Russian troops left in '94.

[@happynowfarms]

@@chetpomeroy1399 I was stationed there from 92-94 and the final deactivation was May 94. To answer an earlier question the delay was the Russians had no where to put there Soldiers back in Russia because they were effectivly broke. We mainly existed as an Light Infantry unit to the end.

[@35itsracer]

Did 4 years in 62-66 Was in my early 20's Was with an engineer unit...then shipped to Nam for 3 tours. Interesting times.

[@Zooboo1]

RIP Major Nicholson , USMLM 1984

[@ronaldclark2624]

Thank you for sharing! Ron PTL USA

[@jamescarpenter1824]

I served in Berlin from 02/13/1961 until 08/23/1963. A-3-6 McNair Barracks.

[@scottslocum1390]

I love those spit shined apc's

[@davidwarren9761]

Churchill, Stalin, Truman all in the club of 33 degrees.

[@sarahquerry8516]

I was station. There the Berlin. Berlin brigade

[@david9783]

Those guys had some heavy starch in their uniforms! Must have known something...We ironed ours,with light starch sometimes.Those guys had their uniforms sent out!

[@schnellguy]

i was in the 24th Div in Augsburg,we sent our laundry out,the pants were stiff as a board from the starch.

[@cbm2156]

I was in Turkey from 1962-64 and we sent our duty uniforms out to a Turkey laundry for a few dollars a month. They were as stiff as a board.

[@martz507]

No. The formal occupation of Germany by the Allies ended in 1952-53 with the signature of a peace treaty. After that treaty, West Germany was an independent and autonomous country. The West has maintained military forces in Germany to this very day.

[@chetpomeroy1399]

I find it rather interesting that they were *still* using black-and-white film as late as 1974!! As I remember, pretty much all network television programming had transitioned to color by that time.

[@64JBran]

Actually, the show "The Big Picture" last aired in September of 1959, so much of the film you see here was shot prior to that time. The footage of the Wall around the city was shot very early in the building of the Wall , perhaps in 1961 or 1962. And the photo of John F. Kennedy Platz must've come sometime shortly after that town square was renamed on November 25th, 1963.

[@delboytrotter8806]

The soldiers were black n white..........

[@colinscott1399]

I believe more like 64 maybe 66. we moved there in 68...3.5 years there. After Kennedy..before Nixon.

[@JeffKnoxAZ]

Episode 663, from 1964/'65. www.armypictorialcenter.com/Catalog_of_the_Big_Picture.htm

[@mohawkdriver2504]

White t-shirts, white name tags, gold US Army tape, shiny belt buckles, shiny boots, Yup the US military was totally prepared for combat. We entered Vietnam with that same uniform and it took a while to figure out that subdued uniforms would be wise.

[@richard3536]

Yup . I thought the very same thing . Big white stars on the vehicles make really good aiming points .

[@user-wy1dl2me2p]

American cadence has always looked better than other militaries We know how to march.

[@sunny-sq6ci]

pretty much every square inch of Germany was rebuilt with US money. money totally well spent and everyone got a pretty big nice return on that investment.

[@granskare]

I was in west Berlin on tdy for a few days...no wall the, it was 1959. I saw the Russian war memorial in the British sector...impressive and a memorial to their soldiers who fought the nazis in the city...

[@Aindriuh]

Did you not see the huge one they built at Treptow Park?

[@peace-yv4qd]

I met a gentleman that lived in East Germany after the war. He said it wasn't as bad as was portrayed. If you obeyed the law you had no problems. He finally made it to the United States.

[@pietroboggio1642]

Probably he was a member of the secret police...o an ex politician...anyway: why he went to Usa and not to the " new " russia...or china...or north korea...also overthere if you obey to the dictature you do not have big problems!!

[@kingcobra7183]

Kgb agent commie spreading propaganda, Communist - Major Political Choice For Country's that see United States as the enemy

[@unitedwestand5100]

@14:51..... Except The Merkel's, who went from West to East. Now Angela runs all of Germany. LOL

[@demef758]

"A closed, communist state ... it separates family and friends." Are we talking about East Germany or today's New Amerika?

[@pietroboggio1642]

East germany of course!!

[@andrewau1993]

Did the west power keep under Allied military protection until the unification?

[@pietroboggio1642]

It is sure.and also after!

[@johaneriksson4175]

The scene 24:37 min into the film with modern articulated trams and the Frauenkirche church clearly visible in the background are shoot in München! Any more fakery here? ;)

[@AKAHEIZER]

NATO Cold War Propaganda, what else.

[@thinman8621]

Good thing that Roosevelt drove such a hard bargain at Yalta or the Russians would have taken all of Eastern Europe along with East Berlin.

[@gotwa229]

"Ich bin ein Berliner." LOL. Of course you are a 'donut,' Herr Kennedy!

[@royhorsfall8074]

and to think there german tanks burning on the russian steppes once again

[@Concorde1059]

Where they are burning is not Russian and not in Russia.

[@PhantomMigKiller]

Thankfully, this film is out-dated.

[@Mercmad]

7 years alter and it's current again with Covid lockdown ..3:30 looks like the White house under guard by the National Guard .

[@poppopscarvinshop]

It's Called - History.

[@markvolker1145]

The Soviets built the wall to keep the Americans from invading! They even said so!

[@davidlally592]

To keep dis- satisfied East Germans from leaving for the West...!!.

[@Orthane]

Soviet tank: Rolls up That one WW2 vet: *uh oh*

[@PhantomMigKiller]

So what is your point?

[@Orthane]

1:38 why does this guy sort of sound like Joe Biden?

[@surearrow]

>>-------------------> They need to show these films in U.S. Class rooms. Bernie Sanders needs to watch this too. Oh Yeah, Hans, the Frauenkirche church from München is in frame 24:37 by mistake, that's makes the whole point of this film fake right? You idiot! Have you ever made a mistake?

[@ronaldmarcks1842]

Berlin is so unrepentantly (Rosa Luxemburg) Socialist, always in absolutely massive municipal debt. On the other hand, when I was last in Berlin, I inspected a building site: you could have eaten off the site without eating dirt. Weird values.

[@shawnredmond8402]

It makes me so sad that we have given up the global responsibility and becomes selfish and isolationist.

[@electricfly123]

first

[@shrapmagnet]

The army was such a fucked up mess back then lol.

[@benkindelstudios]

No one cares...

[@64JBran]

Thank God, millions of people care.

[@pietroboggio1642]

Usa is still a great country...but at that time was also better!!american they had a terrible duty:defend all the free countries! So there was the problem of berlin...the cold war in europe...with the two germanies..there was the situation at the 38 parallele...with south and north korea..the vietnam war..At the beginning..wow!! Now I m getting old but I still remember the tanks and the trucks with the white star...as symbols of freedom and peace...and the ones with the red star as symbols of dictature and troubles.thank you guys from alabama...from new york...from texas...california...florida..or from the most unknown village of the USA...even if you do not even remember that period so far from home...you ll never know enough how much it was precious for all us!!!

[@Fugazinome]

@@pietroboggio1642 Well said.Unfortunately,the memories of many people are very short.One doesn’t hear a lot of appreciation from that part of the world today ,but rather rampant criticism and hostility toward the US.As the saying goes: no good deed goes unpunished.