Berlin, West German police

[johnnv]

Thought I would share this one picture of many I took while on leave in W. Berlin in late 1961 or maybe it was in 1962 (I'm 75 now). Anyway, the wall was less than a year old and I remember the weather was a bit cold so that may indicate what time of the year it was. Here we have two west German police armed with M1 carbines we gave them. You can also see the Russian war memorial on the left of the picture which was surrounded by barbed wire at that time to prevent German people from destroying it. Hope you all find this interesting.

[Guardian 5]

johnnv,

Excellent photo! It is very unusual to see images from that era in color. Thanks for sharing.

What do you remember from that period? Does anything stand out?

Many thanks,
TJ

[johnnv]

Glad you enjoyed TJ,

I remember West German people crying as they waved to people on the other side of the wall who were waving back.

I remember the American tanks and armored personal carriers would sit just around the corner from "checkpoint Charlie" so the Russians wouldn't see them.

Access to West Berlin was only available by military train at night from West Germany and was always stopped by Russians half through the journey. The train would be surrounded by armed guards (this is the first time I saw a AK47) and a Russian officer and guard would come aboard to check our ID's. This was all during the height of the cold war.

This is me in the pic below. You can see the East German guards (VOPO'S) on the left and note the flags are Russian, not east German.

[Tom B]

Thank you VERY much for sharing your photos ! Great stuff ! Tom

[Gordon Craig]

Gentlemen,

I've taken the liberty of cropping one of Johnnv's photos so that I can ask questions.

1-The policeman without an M1 carbine appears to be carrying a radio. Does anyone know what model portable radios the Berlin police carried in this time period? Does anyone have a picture of these radios plus info on them they can post to this thread?
2- He appears to be carrying a battery pack for the radio on his belt at the back?

Regards,

Gordon

[Klaus1989]

Look like SEL FuG 6 or FuG 6a, details are too hard to see. Both would have been in service by 1961 and were used by BGS and LSHD, among others.

Regards
Klaus

[Collectinsteve]

Excellent candid photos! And in color too Thanks for taking the time and effort to post them. The thought of how many of these photos are hidden away in various drawers and boxes all over the world makes me sad.

I agree with Klaus about the radio. Sizes, shapes, and orientations all look right to me. It also makes sense from what we know about who used these radios, when, and for what purpose.

Steve

[uscob]

BTW: Both carry the M1Carbine. You can see the Barrel/Muzzle on the other one too.

[Guardian 5]

Glad you enjoyed TJ,

I remember West German people crying as they waved to people on the other side of the wall who were waving back.

I remember the American tanks and armored personal carriers would sit just around the corner from "checkpoint Charlie" so the Russians wouldn't see them.

Access to West Berlin was only available by military train at night from West Germany and was always stopped by Russians half through the journey. The train would be surrounded by armed guards (this is the first time I saw a AK47) and a Russian officer and guard would come aboard to check our ID's. This was all during the height of the cold war.

This is me in the pic below. You can see the East German guards (VOPO'S) on the left and note the flags are Russian, not east German.

johnnv,

Much obliged Sir!

All the best,
TJ

[Gordon Craig]

Klaus,

Thanks for your response.

Regards,

Gordon