Berlin Wall

[Mickj3]

In 1989 I had been stationed in Germany for the previous two years. Tension had been building gradually all through the summer of 89 with people "escaping" from the East through Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Those of us who remembered the soviet reaction in 56 and 68 to any form of dissent were really concerned at what "Uncle Gorby's" response would be. We (my family) that summer, had been camping at an American forces camp site by Lake Chiemsee (between Munich and Saltsburg) and speaking to our American cousins at the camp site (mostly US army) we discovered that a number of them had been recalled so we decided that things being what they were we would head back to Bruggen. The E52/A8 was absolutely chocker with Trabants as far as Munich where they thinned out somewhat but all of the occupants were deliriously happy.

Back at Bruggen everything seemed to be normal but the word was that the normal Taceval season was going to be delayed for fear of being seen to aggravate the situation. The night the wall came down we stayed up all night watching the events on television wondering where it would end.

The following night our OC, who was leaving, held a little going away do for his officers and SNCOs. I remarked that within 10 years there would be no meaningful RAF presence in Germany and Bruggen would be the last to close (the golf course would ensure that). I was immediately rubbished by all present who couldn't see any drastic changes. Well I was wrong about the 10 years (it was 12 or 13) but right about the golf course. Incidentally, not all the "West" Germans that we knew were over the moon about reunification fearing higher taxes and a drop in living standards.

[DON T]

Just after the wall came down I visited Berlin with my wife and kids. They were really happy to get a bit of the wall with graffiti on it to take home. Mind it didn't take long for capitalism to catch on. Pieces of the wall were being sold as it was chipped away and then somebody had the bright idea to graffiti the east side as well so that they got double bubble.

[Bigt]

I was serving at a unit attached to Gatow on the night in question. As stated earlier East Germans who had access to cars were making their way to West Germany via Hungary and Czechoslovakia, this was of on going interest to my unit. The actual Thursday evenings event came as a surprise to all....I was watching in my MQ the BBC news via BFBS of history in the making just 10 miles away and knew nothing until the news!!!
The bus ride to work the next day was slow.....Trabbies every where slowing the already chaotic Berlin rush hour.....The following Monday the allied forces were going to hold their biggest exercise ever in the occupied city....the exercise was cancelled and most of us returned our freshly issued kit back to stores. Saturday afternoon my 2 sons and I drove off in search of wall......and did our bit for history

[racedo]

Thanks for posting that, the key can be seen in 2009, where the budget deficit more than doubled, as the wheels came off in spectacular fashion. You can see where the Brown Chancellorship started throwing money away as far back as 2002, ending in the disaster of 2008-9.

Think you will find that 2008-9 deficit was because Banks had to be bailed out to keep the country afloat.

What is noticeable is that Denis Healey brought the Net Debt as a % of GDP down and yet it didn't move further down by much for 10 years, then it jumped in mid nineties and under Gordon Brown it was lower than under post Thatchers Govts.

[mopardave]

Many thanks gents.........there have been some fascinating posts here. Particularly those of you who've shared your memories from the point of view of someone serving in hm forces at the time........and that is what I was after. Some of you have alluded to a link between increased world uncertainty and the wall coming down. I didn't want to say that.......but in actual fact, I've felt convinced for some time that it is no coincidence that since the wall came down, we've experienced unprecedented instability. I don't want to get into human rights or politics as such, but like it or not, we face a whole new set of problems now that we have free movement across European borders. The influence of the great Soviet "bear".....whilst posing the constant, and catastrophic threat of "MAD".......kept a lot of people in check. I for one would wind the clock back to more "stable" times.


I'll probably get shot with sh*t for saying that but I'm convinced things were better back then.
Keep 'em coming gents..........fascinating stuff.


MD

[racedo]

Remember walking out of Grand Canyon with a couple in 1990's, she was in Berlin on night it came down and her father had emigrated to the US to Michigan after the war and married a Michigan girl.........she just said he was in uniform during it.

No reason to ask what he did because was one of those things that was of no relevance, her Indian hubby said he used to tease her a bit as she made plain on 1st date, you smoke and you don't ever kiss me.
Remember just looked at her (she was gorgeous) and then him and said "yup, some decisions are just so easy to make" and then asking did she have a sister .

She remembered on the phone to her dad on the night and he blubbered quite a lot and saying over and over that "I don't believe it".

[mopardave]

Yup........with the events of the last few weeks in the Ukraine, me thinks the Berlin wall wasn't such a bad thing.......unless of course you were the wrong side of it!