The German Democratic Republic, or East Germany, was the frontline in the Cold War, packed with hundreds of thousands of Soviet and East German troops armed with the latest Warsaw Pact equipment, lined up along the 1,400 km Inner German Border. However, because of the repressive East German police state, little human intelligence about these forces reached the West. Who were they? Where were they located? What were they doing? How were they equipped? What were their intentions? NATO was lined up in West Germany to face these forces and relied on getting up-to-date intelligence to warn of any threat, 'Indicators of Hostility' that could be a precursor to an invasion.BRIXMIS, the British Commanders'-in-Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces in Germany, was on hand to provide that intelligence. Thanks to an obscure 1946 agreement between the British and Soviets that established 'liaison missions' in their respective zones of occupation, the British were able to send highly qualified military 'observers' into East Germany to roam (relatively) freely and keep an eye on what was going on. What started as 'liaison', a point of contact between the British and Soviet occupation forces, developed into a very sophisticated intelligence gathering operation, sending 'tours' out every day of the year, between 1946 and when the Mission closed in 1990\.These tours were undertaken in high-performance, highly modified marked vehicles, with personnel in uniform and unarmed, apart from professional photographic equipment and occasionally some top-secret gadgets from the boffins back in the UK. They joined their French and American colleagues in snooping around the opposition, photographing military bases, equipment, and manoeuvres, and trying to evade capture by the secret police and counterintelligence units. They faced danger and violence daily, but thanks to their bravery and professionalism, the West had accurate and up to date information on what was happening in East Germany which help keep the peace all that time. This is the story of this little-known unit and their exploits behind enemy lines.

BRIXMIS and the Secret Cold War: Intelligence Collection Operations Behind Enemy Lines in East Germany

History

LONG, Andrew

Military

Pen and Sword History

The Cold War, which lasted from the end of the Second World War to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, was fought mostly in the shadows, with the superpowers maneuvering for strategic advantage in an anticipated global armed confrontation that thankfully never happened.How did the intelligence organizations of the major world powers go about their work? What advantages were they looking for? Did they succeed?By examining some of the famous, infamous, or lesser-known intelligence operations from both sides of the Iron Curtain, this book explains how the superpowers went about gathering intelligence on each other, examines the type of information they were looking for, what they did with it, and how it enabled them to stay one step ahead of the opposition. Possession of these secrets threatened a Third World War, but also helped keep the peace for more than four decades.With access to previously unreleased material, the author explores how the intelligence organizations, both civilian and military, took advantage of rapid developments in technology, and how they adapted to the changing threat. The book describes the epic scale of some of these operations, the surprising connections between them, and how they contributed to a complex multi-layered intelligence jigsaw which drove decision making at the highest level.On top of all the tradecraft, gadgets and 'cloak and dagger', the book also looks at the human side of espionage: their ideologies and motivations, the winners and losers, and the immense courage and frequent betrayal of those whose lives were touched by the Secrets of the Cold War.

Secrets of the Cold War: Espionage and Intelligence Operations - From Both Sides of the Iron Curtain

At the end of the Second World War, the victorious Allies split Germany into three zones of occupation, and Berlin into four sectors, one each for the British, Americans, French and Soviets. It did not take long for the wartime alliances to crumble into distrust, obstruction, acrimony, and the first skirmishes of a new Cold War followed soon after, with the city of Berlin becoming the frontline in this new struggle.Although Stalin hoped to have Berlin all to himself (it was, after all, well within his zone of occupation), the other Allies refused to hand over this prize and moved combat forces into the city just as soon as the Soviets would let them in. The city became the headquarters of the US military government in Germany and home to a sizeable garrison of US troops. Their mission was primarily peacekeeping, but this developed into a defensive force once the West realized the extent of the threat from the East.This book looks at how the American garrison began as a short-term occupation force and developed into a sizeable self-sufficient military community. It examines the units deployed to this peacekeeping mission, how they were organized and supported the combat forces, how the garrison itself was policed, and how the citizens of West Berlin went from being controlled to being empowered. It studies lesser known units such as the short-lived US Constabulary, the last active horse platoon in the US Army, and the civilian 6941st Guard Battalion. It also looks at how 'soft power' was projected to the citizens of West Berlin and their communist neighbors.This volume is the first of two covering US forces in Berlin during the Cold War, from their arrival in July 1945, through the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961, its fall in 1989, and German reunification the following year, to the departure of American Berlin Brigade in 1994. The next volume will cover the plans for the defense of West Berlin in the event of a direct confrontation with the East. It is the third title from the author in a mini-series of books on Cold War Berlin. The text is richly illustrated with photographs, illustrations, diagrams, tables, maps, plans, and color profiles, and is printed in full color throughout.

Cold War Berlin: An Island City: Volume 3: US Forces in Berlin - Keeping the Peace, 1945-1994 (Europe@War)

Europe

Helion and Company

Cold War Berlin: An Island City: Volume 4: US Forces in Berlin - Preparing for War 1945-1994 (Europe@War)

The Faithful Few

Victory Books International

At the end of the Second World War, the city of Berlin was located 100 miles (160 km) inside the Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany. The Western Allies insisted on keeping part of the city for themselves, and so it was divided into four sectors, mimicking the rest of Germany. Stalin needed to persuade the British, French and Americans to leave so that there would be nothing in the way of him completing the strategic buffer of territory reaching from the Baltic Sea to the Adriatic, which Churchill would later christen the ‘Iron Curtain’.\nCold War Berlin, an Island City is the story of how Stalin imposed his iron will over eastern Germany, and how he tried to squeeze his former allies out by cutting off their lines of supply and blockading the city. It examines the logistical miracle of the Berlin Airlift, which fed and heated a city of over two million people for almost eleven months. It is a story of alliances forged in the uncertainty of conflict, based on common interests and pragmatic convenience, alliances that would shape the twentieth century but would be betrayed for strategic or political reasons. It is also the tale of how competing ideologies came face to face in the city of Berlin and the new “Cold War” that would come to dominate the second half of the 20th century was created out of the embers of the Second World War.\nThe book is richly illustrated with photos, numerous maps and color profiles and is the first in a mini-series by this author for Helion’s Europe@War series on Cold War Berlin.

Cold War Berlin: An Island City: Volume 1: The Birth of the Cold War, the Communist Take-Over and the Berlin Airlift, 1945-1949 (Europe@War)

From the moment the DDR was formed in 1949, many of its citizens chose to leave to start a new life in the West. By the mid-1950s, the trickle had turned into a flood as large numbers rejected Walter Ulbricht's Communist paradise. His 'Workers' & Peasants' State' could not afford to lose the skills and productivity from these key workers, so he proposed a radical solution - physically stop them leaving by fencing in the whole population. His plan would fortify the Inner German Border from the Baltic to the Czech border and would build a Wall around West Berlin to stop the flow of East German refugees to the West. It was a bold, innovative, and desperate move from a morally bankrupt and failing state.This book explores the background and build-up to this monumental decision, reviewing the dramatic geo-political developments of the 1950s and early 1960s as international tensions threatened the post-war peace. Berlin was becoming the front-line in the new Cold War and would witness some of its most dramatic and dangerous moments.It examines in detail how Operation Rose, the August 1961 operation to close the border between East and West Berlin, was planned and executed and looks at how the world reacted, including the tense stand-off at Checkpoint Charlie in October 1961 between American and Soviet tanks, which could have so easily escalated into the Third World War.The book looks at how the East Germans developed and 'improved' the Wall over time with brutal efficiency, creating a highly fortified barrier, manned by elite troops. Despite that, many brave and enterprising individuals risked everything to try to escape to the West over, under or through the Wall. Some made it, but many were captured or killed attempting it.This is the second title from the author in a series of books on Cold War Berlin. It concentrates on the years 1950 to 1961, picking up where the first book finished, but also looks at developments of the Wall right through to the 1980s. The text is accompanied with numerous photos, maps, diagrams, and illustrations, which help tell this fascinating story.

Cold War Berlin: An Island City: Volume 2: The Berlin Wall 1950-1961 (Europe@War)

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