MRE´s behind "Iron Curtain"...

YouTube · Post by **housil** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 8:41 am

Mrs. Housil and me did a "mechanized hike" yesterday.
We drove to the former, world famous (feared) Iron Curtain - the East/West-German border. Also the border of the entire eastern and western world.

We were visiting a former border station:

still with fence, barbed wire etc:

obersavtion bunker, border stone, fence

genuine track of NVA (East Germany Army) and border troops.

at left hand side was the mine field, the fence with remote shooting device (SM-70) (west-direction).

watch tower:

with prison cell inside:

for caught refuges.
(East German refuges captured by east German Troops!! They shot their own (civilain) people if they try to escape east Germany to west Germany)

View from (former) east to west Germany

Why do I post all that here?!?!?

We had some MRE´s over "there"....

Post by **kman** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 9:22 am

Great pics, Housil - thanks for posting them.

Seeing all that cold-war stuff now how to be eerie in person, eh?

That kind of reminds me of some of these sites that I catch occasionally on englishrussia.com:

A Soviet Shelter
http://englishrussia.com/?p=1379

Abanoned Military Signal Office Centre
http://englishrussia.com/?p=1435

Abandoned Military Aircraft
http://englishrussia.com/?p=1100

and my all-time favorite:

Abandoned US Missile Silo
http://triggur.org/silo/

Sorry...no MREs in any of them that I could find - but I was hoping for some in the Soviet Shelter link above.

aquarius · Post by **aquarius** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 12:36 pm

Great pictures! In 1983 I visited West and also East Berlin. And in July 1989 I drove to Dresden to visit some friends. At that time the Iron Curtain was still in existance. Then, shortly after the fall of the Wall my buddy and I drove along side it for many hundred kilometers. I guess we were amongst the first people to do that kind of thing. At one place we found remnants of the notorious SM-70 "Selbstschussgerät". These directional mines were not pointed towards the West! Instead they shoot their deadly load parallel to the iron fence (in fact the East German called this the Second Fence). These explosives were ment to kill East Germans fleeing to the West. Two or three mines were captured by Michael Gartenschläger. Instead of receiving a medal he was indicted by the West German authorities for theft of property from a foreign country!! When he went back to steal another SM-70 mine he was betrayed by a friend, and ambushed and shot to dead by he 'Stasi' (East German Secret Service).
I realise this is rather off-topic, but remembering Gartenschläger 's name is the least we can do for this hero.

Attached is a picture with the remains of a SM-70 mine together with a small piece of the fence that bears the scars of on SM-70 explosion.
Is it rare?? You bet!!
[/i]

YouTube · Post by **housil** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 2:47 pm

aquarius wrote: (...)
At one place we found remnants of the notorious SM-70 "Selbstschussgerät". These directional mines were not pointed towards the West! Instead they shoot their deadly load parallel to the iron fence (in fact the East German called this the Second Fence). These explosives were ment to kill East Germans fleeing to the West. [/i]

I may be at Point Alpha at Oct. 3rd. Reunification Day.
http://www.pointalpha.com/index2.html

Point Alpha was a Hot Spot in the Cold War of the US Army.

One of some Obersavtion Points where east and west obeserving the Iron Curtain, whatch what "the others" will have for lunch...

Map of units:

Watchtower, fence, death strip with mine field etc.

US observation tower

View from tower, former border strip, border troops track etc. is still visible

C-rats · Post by **C-rats** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 11:58 am

Ha! Even our Observation Towers were better than theirs....

Thanks for sharing the pictures housil, those are really awesome! Also, what type of vehicle is that that you and Mrs Housil are touring around in?

Anyone else have any border pictures they can share

C-rats

YouTube · Post by **housil** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 2:35 pm

C-rats wrote: (...)
Also, what type of vehicle is that that you and Mrs Housil are touring around in?

She was laughing when she red this "Mrs. Housil"

This is my:

familiy

It´s a 1986 Volkswagen (actually a canadian/belgium Bombardier) Iltis. The Iltis was in use by the Bundeswehr from 79 untill the Mercedes G ("Wolf") replaced it.

YouTube · Post by **housil** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 2:36 pm

C-rats wrote:
Anyone else have any border pictures they can share

I´ll bet mreheater72 can.
He grew up next to the border...

Hagen?!

mreheater72 · Post by **mreheater72** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 11:09 am

housil wrote:
C-rats wrote:
Anyone else have any border pictures they can share

I´ll bet mreheater72 can.
He grew up next to the border...

Hagen?!

Sorry, I have no photos!

But try this http://www.eaglehorse.org/border_mission.htm

So long mreheater72

YouTube · Post by **housil** » Fri Sep 28, 2007 11:15 am

mreheater72 wrote: Sorry, I have no photos!

But try this http://www.eaglehorse.org/border_mission.htm

So long mreheater72

I´ve been there (at Camp Lee) in 1989 (or 90?) at a Open House, bought a buckle and tee-shirt

DangerousDave · Post by **DangerousDave** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 8:16 pm

Where is Holle. I loved checking out the East Germans and their dogs in 1987. I got the tour. The ladies waved to us poor Americans from the factory across the bridge.