# Border Patrol 1987



## Zofo (Sep 22, 2004)

"Somewhere along the East - West border" - I can't for the life of me remember where but we did a day long patrol/check and were spotted by the E. German border guards - can't find those photos but if I do...
The actual border ran through the middle of the stream and the wall enclosed a village. As we were leaving I saw a window reflect some light. I looked up and a hand appeared at the front of the window and waved. It was powerful stuff.

***photo link no longer available***


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## Drone_pilot (Sep 22, 2004)

Was this on OP. Monkey nuts


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## Zofo (Sep 22, 2004)

No - but then again I was never told if it had a covername. We were doing a joint patrol with the Danish army - a telegraf battalion - and we swung along to about four different locations ending up in the Harz Mountains.


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## drywall (Sep 22, 2004)

Were any of you guys there when the russians rolled into Prague in August of '68?


Oops, sorry. I just re read the title. 1987, long afterward.


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## Zofo (Sep 22, 2004)

I was 4 DW, so the answer to that would be no!   :shock:


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## drywall (Sep 22, 2004)

Ya young whipper snapper :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen: 

Well I was there. We were on the Czech border when we got the radio call to back off. It pissed me off cause I was gettin to be real short.


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## Zofo (Sep 22, 2004)

There was an incident in 1988 which luckily was never reported but if a bit more time goes by I can reveal. However due to a complete clusterf***k on the part of our Squadron Commander, 3 Shock Army crashed out of their peacetime locations and were up on the border. Due to the nature of our job we knew exactly what was about and where they were. It got to be quite exciting in a mad sort of way!


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## drywall (Sep 22, 2004)

What was really surprising to me was the reaction of the young Bundeswehr troopers we were working with. They wanted em to keep on coming into West Germany. They wanted to fight the russians. One of em told me that his grandfather fought the russians, his father fought the russians, and now he wanted to fight the russians. And he said "this time, we won't lose."


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## Zofo (Sep 23, 2004)

I served or worked with a local Bundeswher tank regiment that was based in the same town as we were. "No Prisoners" was probably the best phrase to describe their attitude!


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## rotorwash (Sep 23, 2004)

This is interesting to me.  I never had anything to do with the W. Germans, I always was headed into the setting sun or south for tacos, I'm concluding the quality of the Bundeswher troops was good?

Rotor


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## drywall (Sep 23, 2004)

Rotor,
Yes, I thought they were very good. Very motivated and professional. They may have been draftees too for the most part but seemed to have that German warrior thing going for them. Lots of history behind them.


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## Zofo (Sep 23, 2004)

I can't say too much about their armoured or infantry units because I never did a great deal with them apart from the once. I was on training areas with their infantry and they seemed to be pretty switched on though. Their equivelant service to us were switched on but they seemed to hampered with kit that was too big, bulky and didn't serve the full purpose. For example they had a huge telescopic mast (antenna) - the same size as ours but where we had everything cammed up, they had a red light on the top to warn low flying aircraft that the mast was there. Somewhat defeated the object really.


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## rotorwash (Sep 24, 2004)

Thanks guys.

Yeh the German warrior thing - I was always told that if you blindfolded a German and spun him around three times, he'd head for the nearest beer, but spin him around three times and slap a rifle in his hands and he'd head for France.  They evidently have a different perspective now, more toward the east.


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## Zofo (Sep 24, 2004)

I think nowadays without the rifle! There's big buiness to be made in the East now and Germany is certainly putting cash over there - cash that is left after paying for reunification, which they're still doing! Some of the best beers tho' that's for sure. When I served there you could spin me round 3 times and I'd end up in the nearest boozer! (Also, I think sometimes if you spin anyone round and give 'em a rifle, they'd head to France!!!)


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## rotorwash (Sep 24, 2004)

Good point.  But I think if you spun me around three times now, I'd just fall down.  I was pretty amazed that the German economy was able to do so well paying for unification, it must have been propelled by very determined, motivated individuals.


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## Zofo (Sep 24, 2004)

Talking to my German friends here, the economy has taken a hell of a battering and is still in trouble. Having been in what was East Berlin a couple of weeks ago, it looks impressive but there are large swathes that still look as if Honecker was still in charge. There's a lot more re-building and money spending left to be done.


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## drywall (Sep 24, 2004)

I never made to th eastern zone but he west was still pretty shot up from the war. It had only been 20 years since it ended and the whole country was pretty much wasted. I would imagine that they are still rebuilding things after such total devastation.


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## Matzos (Dec 24, 2004)

Heres a shot I took in the 80's of two East German Border Guards. We were standing less than 20 feet a part.





I took the picture just are the one on the right took a picture of me, and as for the guard on the left, did he have note form his mum to carry a gun?

*Just look at the length of their hair..........*


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## Matzos (Dec 24, 2004)

Adding to my last post. Here is the Gaurd photographing me.


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## snapper (Dec 24, 2004)

Really cool pics. Thanks


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## Matzos (Dec 28, 2004)

I remember the border trip very well, the way in which the roads coming from West Germany were maintained right up to the East German wire and all the time the West German border guards saying that one day soon the road would be rebuilt into the East.
I recall having a smile on my face when he said that and thinking not in my life time.
Just look who's smiling now!


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