Cold War Express | The British Military Train - Berlin

In this video documentary I tell the story of the Historic British Military Train, Berlin. And retrace its Cold War route through present day Germany, 3 decades after German Reunification, the end of The Cold War, and the train ceasing service.

The British Military Train Berlin, nicknamed "The Berliner", was a Military Duty Transport Train that ran once a day from West Berlin to the City of Braunschweig in West Germany, and back again between 1945 and 1991 carrying military personnel, their families and designated British Civilians.

The British Military Train passed twice through the heavily fortified Inner German Border and Berlin Wall , and was subject to military checks by the Soviet Army, before spending 4 hours travelling through East Germany, often under surveillance from the East German Stasi. The DDR with its huge Soviet Military occupation forces, was technically "Enemy Territory" during the Cold War 1945 - 1989

On board, its 180 military and civilian passengers, who were locked in the train for their own safety and protected by armed British soldiers enjoyed a luxurious experince with Fine Dining and subsidized wines, provided by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits, who also catered the famous Orient Express.

The BMT owed its existence to a binding treaty drawn up in 1945 at the end of WW2 between the Soviets and The Western allies at the Potsdam Conference; to allow military access to Allied controlled West Berlin.

From the late 1950s onwards as The Cold War intensified, the Soviet forces in East Germany and the puppet communist DDR Government found it diplomatically impossible to stop the train running, so instead they tried making its passage as difficult as possible.

Only after the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, and withdrawal of the Soviet Army from Germany in 1991, did it bring an end to the trains purpose, although it continued to run until 1991.

Today The Berliner is remembered as a unique part of British Military History.

CHAPTERS:

01:48 Background
04:50 Braunschweig, West Germany
09:28 Helmstedt, West Germany
15:32 Marienborn, East Germany
24:27 Magdeburg, East Germany
26:45 Potsdam, East Germany
27:37 Griebnitzsee, East Germany
31:20 Berlin- Charlottenburg, West Berlin

#berlin #soviet #coldwar #britisharmy #trainjourney