From Foe to Friend - the British Army in Cold War Germany (163)

Cold War Conversations - "vivid & compelling" The NY Times

Ian Sanders

History, Documentary, Society & Culture

4.8 • 865 Ratings

🗓️ 13 February 2021

⏱️ 64 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Germany has been at the heart of the British Army's story since 1945. After the Second World War, the Army helped rebuild a devastated and divided nation. It provided protection during the Cold War, and later used Germany as a base from which to deploy troops across the world. Foe to Friend is a major exhibition at The National Army Museum in London that follows the lives of British soldiers in Germany over the past 75 years. Enjoy an expert visit as Cold War Conversations co-host James takes you on a tour with the lead curator, Dr Peter Johnston If you are enjoying the podcast, you can show your support via a monthly donation of $4, £3 or €3 via Patreon, plus you will get the sought after CWC coaster as a thank you and bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ If a financial contribution is not your cup of tea, then you can still help us by leaving written reviews wherever you listen to us as well as sharing us on social media. It really helps us get new guests on the show. I am delighted to welcome James and Dr Peter Johnston to our Cold War conversation… There’s further information on this episode in our show notes which can also be found as a link in your podcast app here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode163/ If you can’t wait for next week’s episode do visit our Facebook discussion group where guests and listeners continue the Cold War Conversation. Just search Cold War Conversations in Facebook. 0:00 Introduction 3:17 Introduction of James and Dr. Peter Johnston, and overview of the British Army's history in Germany 10:10 Discussion about the BrixMis car and other artifacts on display at the exhibition 16:05 Tales of bravery: Anthony Hall's exploration of a Soviet gunnery range 20:34 Testimonies from Lieutenant Colonel Dan Wilde and Michael Systems on the tense situation in Cold War Germany 25:10 The reality of life for British soldiers: Training, suits, and pamphlets 31:09 Living in the shadow of the Berlin Wall and the British military train 38:00 The evolution of weaponry and the role of the British Army in Germany 43:23 The impact of the Cold War on soldier and family life in Germany 51:25 Changes in Europe: A look at the maps from 1979 and 1991 Chapters powered by PodcastAI✨ Support the project! https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/ Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Cold War Conversations, the home of real stories of the Cold War.
0:05.8	You know, the army stood on the front line in the Cold War. They stared down the Soviets
0:09.1	across the inter-German border. All of these sorts of fascinating stories that come out of the
0:13.1	Cold War, this period of heightened ideological confrontation and tension.
0:19.6	This is Cold War Conversations. If you're new here, you've come to the right place to listen to first-hand Cold War history accounts. Do make sure you subscribe in your podcast app so that you don't miss out on future episodes. Germany has been at the heart of the British Army's story since 1945.
0:41.1	After the Second World War, the army helped rebuild a devastated and divided nation.
0:46.4	It provided protection during the Cold War and later used Germany as a base from which to
0:51.2	deploy troops across the world.
0:53.9	Fou to Friend is a major exhibition at the National Army Museum in London.
0:59.0	It follows the lives of British soldiers in Germany over the past 75 years
1:03.0	and looks at the changing relationship between Britain and Germany
1:07.0	and charts the gradual transition from foe to friend.
1:11.4	Enjoy an expert visit as Cold War Conversations co-host James takes you on a tour with
1:18.0	lead curator Peter Johnston, as well as some fascinating archive recordings that have been
1:25.0	kindly provided by the National Army Museum.
1:29.8	Now, I could really use your help to support me to continue to produce these podcasts.
1:35.8	A monthly donation of $4, $3,000 or 3 euros via Patreon will really help, plus you get a great
1:43.5	Cold War Conversations coaster.
1:46.2	But don't take my word for it, hear from some of our patrons.
1:49.9	This is Mark in New Diego, Michigan, USA.
1:53.8	I support the Cold War Conversations podcast because this is fantastic history, textured, in-depth, real stories, first-hand accounts
2:06.0	of a defining period in our history.
	...

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