I was watching this documentary about the Cold War in my hometown area (produced by the MDR, a regional TV channel out of Thüringen), and it reminded me how blissful ignorant I was throughout my childhood. Unfortunately, it is in German but it highlights why and how the Rhön region developed into one of the hottest placers during the Cold War. While the border between the two Germanys was more permeable in the countryside than in Berlin, East Germany tightened its border security and reinforced the inner-german border after the Berlin Wall was built. Already in the 1950s, East Germany implemented forced relocations of families who lived within 5km of the border, in the so-called Speergebiet. Nevertheless, both sides recognized the importance of the era and started building observation points. For the US Army, Observation Point Alpha near Rasdorf become its most important "peephole" into the East. As James Hamilton states in the video, OP Alpha "was the end of the Western World." Its main purpose was to observe East German and Soviet troop movements, recognize a potential attack from the East, and try to delay Soviet advancements as much as possible. Hopelessly outnumbered, at best, the US troops would act as a speed bump. At worst, the area would be turned into a nuclear wasteland.
Growing up at the Zonenrandgebiet, within close proximity of the Iron Curtain, it simply never occurred to me that the Cold War was being played out in my backyard and what potential danger we might face. Yes, there was the presence of US soldiers. My hometown is located between 2 US bases of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment ("Blackhorse Regiment"), Fulda and Bad Hersfeld, both of them have been closed since 1994. While US soldiers were a familiar presence in our lives I had very little interaction with them. My parents did not "adopt a US soldier" to have him or her spent Christmas with a German family, nor were my parents farmers and had soldiers helping them during harvest time. Nevertheless, US soldier were part of the daily life and it was quite "normal" for us to see them. Of course, officials on both sides stressed the importance of creating a friendly atmosphere between the local population and the US Military by encouraging interaction.
And yet, throughout my childhood I remained blissfully ignorant about the role my hometown region played in the global significance of the Cold War. I am wondering if this ignorance was part of the US Military's strategy for the region. For me, it was "normal" to live near the Iron Curtain, and I do not think my childhood was any different than someone who grew up hundreds of miles away from the inner-german border. While the daily reminder of the divided Germany was right there, I simply did not think my life would be cut short by a Soviet invasion. Perhaps by creating this atmosphere of "normalcy" for the local population, the US appeared as protectors and defenders of freedom and our way of life in the Zonenrandgebiet, thus winning the "hearts and minds" of the local population. I am curious to see how others experienced the border - Germans and Americans alike.
Growing up at the Zonenrandgebiet, within close proximity of the Iron Curtain, it simply never occurred to me that the Cold War was being played out in my backyard and what potential danger we might face. Yes, there was the presence of US soldiers. My hometown is located between 2 US bases of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment ("Blackhorse Regiment"), Fulda and Bad Hersfeld, both of them have been closed since 1994. While US soldiers were a familiar presence in our lives I had very little interaction with them. My parents did not "adopt a US soldier" to have him or her spent Christmas with a German family, nor were my parents farmers and had soldiers helping them during harvest time. Nevertheless, US soldier were part of the daily life and it was quite "normal" for us to see them. Of course, officials on both sides stressed the importance of creating a friendly atmosphere between the local population and the US Military by encouraging interaction.
And yet, throughout my childhood I remained blissfully ignorant about the role my hometown region played in the global significance of the Cold War. I am wondering if this ignorance was part of the US Military's strategy for the region. For me, it was "normal" to live near the Iron Curtain, and I do not think my childhood was any different than someone who grew up hundreds of miles away from the inner-german border. While the daily reminder of the divided Germany was right there, I simply did not think my life would be cut short by a Soviet invasion. Perhaps by creating this atmosphere of "normalcy" for the local population, the US appeared as protectors and defenders of freedom and our way of life in the Zonenrandgebiet, thus winning the "hearts and minds" of the local population. I am curious to see how others experienced the border - Germans and Americans alike.
