The Wall

paul croxson · The Wall

In 1961 the Wall was built splitting Germany in two. In 1989 the east German Government fell and the wall was knocked down. In 1990 Germany became a united country again. Those 20 years without a wall have hurtled past. All those who like me when at Langeleben re-union did a trip to see the section of the wall will not forget the horror of seeing what they lived with for a long time - if ever.
Who would have thought that Angela Merkel would become leader of the CDU party in 2000 or that thousands of ex -communists and Stasi members would once again hold posts in government and authority. (Just like the Nazis after the 1939-45 war). Oh, by the way, if you are Russian you don't call it that since we mustn't forget what good friends the Germans and the USSR were for a year or so. So ... from now on I think that I too might call it The Great Patriotic War. Samuel Johnson described 'patriotism' as 'the last refuge of a scoundrel'. A bit over the top but I know what he means!
Nov 9, the 20th Anniversary is a day we should remember for the overthrow of that evil regime.

David Thomas

Hi Paul,
Ken was good enough to tell us where the Wall could be viewed, so Rose and I moseyed on down there and had a good look around, it was interesting and very informative. What was really scary though took place many years earlier when we in quarters at 2 Div. We took leave and went camping up in the Hartz, driving around one afternoon we emerged on a track through a wood and came face to face with a watch tower, wire fence and armed guards, it was horrible; given also the fact that as service personnel were forbidden to go within 1 Km of the boarder unless on duty, we quickly turned round and high tailed it out of there. That incident would have been in ‘74/75 time, and neither of us have forgotten it, how the people living on the “wrong” side of the boarder managed we can only guess at. All the best. Dave

jr

Most of the GDR inhabitants never got within 10 Km of the wall as it was in a very restricted zone. All they ever saw were the pictures on TV of the brave border guards watching over the "Anti-Fascist Border Defences". Even in Berlin they weren't allowed near the wall.

Here in Braunschweig there is an unholy row at the moment; the City fathers wanted to erect a piece of the wall in front of the City Hall, which they did, it was unveiled by the Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, but the Social Democrat and Green parties boycotted the ceremony because the thing was donated by the "Bild" newspaper, and had a plaque in memory of Axel Springer, the right-wing Press Baron who was so anti-GDR throughout the years.

Edward Vert

Perhaps if more respect had been shown for other folks' frontiers the wall would never have been built in the first place. And not all post-war British governments were all that keen on reunification. I wonder why.

David Thomas

How does the saying go?
Strong fences make good neighbours.
As fences go, they don't come much stronger than the "Wall".
All the best.
Dave