While a student in high school in Heidelberg, I made a trip to West Berlin and while in the French Sector I removed a brick from a section of the Berliner Mauer that was made up a the facade of a building with bricked up doors and windows. I still have the brick.
It would be interesting to know: Some of the practical details of reunification like when they reconnected the S and U bahns, roads, autobahns, tunnels, utilities, etc... It must have been a fascinating job for the engineers who were involved...
I have a question, if you have the time to answer. After the NVA was disbanded, it was my understanding some NVA officers was transferred to the Bundeswehr for reasonings of handling and training Soviet era equipment to the Bundeswehr. As of 2006, there was approximately 800 former NVA officers left that was still with the Bundeswehr. It's 2023, how many are still with the Bundeswehr? Has any of them ever achieved higher ranks, if so, how high have they achieved in rank? Just wanted to see if you have any updated information on that. Just wanted to know what happened to them since after the reunification took place. That might be a good subject to cover for your channel.
Hi, I am also aware of the integration of the NVA staff into the Bundeswehr organization, but unfortunately this is where my current knowledge stops. I will consider it for a future video. Thanks for your suggestion!
@@eastgermanyinvestigated I'd like to know the answer to this as well. Also maybe the more general question of what happened to the border police and people's army, and their equipment on reunification. I have no sympathy for the NVA but seeing the last changing of the guard at the memorial, and the young soldier in tears, was moving.
It's my understanding that all senior NVA officers from major upward were cashiered with no pension. Of course, that wouldn't preclude them from being hired as civilian consultants...
@@Grimenoughtomaketherobotcry I found one video where it showed many officers being very bitter over the end of their careers, no pensions, etc. A lot of anger too. They've spent their entire lives serving, only to get nothing. I kinda feel sorry for them. But then again, the NVA has been brutal to the GDR civilians over the years. I'm not blaming ALL of them, some served because they were under a lot of pressure to sign up (as I have read). So this gives me lopsided feelings about this whole thing. Really, it's a huge mess despite of everything. The GDR really screwed up a lot of lives, both Civilians and NVA alike. Which gives me good reason why I hate Communism. It's nothing but a destructive ideology. Then I read that the reason why they got no pension was because the NVA was never a real military. The FRG reasoned that only those that served the Wehrmacht during before and after WW2 deserved their pensions, not the NVA since it's a fake military unit. I'm not sure about the Bundeswehr, do they receive pensions after serving?
Someone must tell poor Erich that by ouija board. For Erich saw writing on the wall Erich looked closer and saw a hole Erich called Stasi and saw no wall That’s Erich last sight of the wall which he was the architect.
Very much enjoying this series of films. Thank you for putting them together! I am visiting Berlin in May and will be using these videos to satisfy my curiosity as a Cold War historian. One suggestion for a topic that I would like to know more about is Interflug, the East German national airline.
I attended a conference recently at Rice University in Houston, Texas. They have a section of the wall on display on their campus. I'm sure that the people who constructed the damned thing never thought a piece of it would end up there.
While a student in high school in Heidelberg, I made a trip to West Berlin and while in the French Sector I removed a brick from a section of the Berliner Mauer that was made up a the facade of a building with bricked up doors and windows. I still have the brick.
cool
It would be interesting to know:
Some of the practical details of reunification like when they reconnected the S and U bahns, roads, autobahns, tunnels, utilities, etc... It must have been a fascinating job for the engineers who were involved...
I am looking forward to the upcoming video about the watch towers. Thank you for your continuous efforts to keep history relevant and alive.
This is very useful for my next trip to Berlin.
I have a whole bag of it that I bought at the Brandenburg Gate in the summer of 1991.
I have a question, if you have the time to answer.
After the NVA was disbanded, it was my understanding some NVA officers was transferred to the Bundeswehr for reasonings of handling and training Soviet era equipment to the Bundeswehr. As of 2006, there was approximately 800 former NVA officers left that was still with the Bundeswehr. It's 2023, how many are still with the Bundeswehr? Has any of them ever achieved higher ranks, if so, how high have they achieved in rank?
Just wanted to see if you have any updated information on that. Just wanted to know what happened to them since after the reunification took place.
That might be a good subject to cover for your channel.
Hi, I am also aware of the integration of the NVA staff into the Bundeswehr organization, but unfortunately this is where my current knowledge stops. I will consider it for a future video. Thanks for your suggestion!
@@eastgermanyinvestigated Thank you, this would be a interesting topic.
@@eastgermanyinvestigated I'd like to know the answer to this as well. Also maybe the more general question of what happened to the border police and people's army, and their equipment on reunification. I have no sympathy for the NVA but seeing the last changing of the guard at the memorial, and the young soldier in tears, was moving.
It's my understanding that all senior NVA officers from major upward were cashiered with no pension. Of course, that wouldn't preclude them from being hired as civilian consultants...
@@Grimenoughtomaketherobotcry I found one video where it showed many officers being very bitter over the end of their careers, no pensions, etc. A lot of anger too. They've spent their entire lives serving, only to get nothing. I kinda feel sorry for them.
But then again, the NVA has been brutal to the GDR civilians over the years. I'm not blaming ALL of them, some served because they were under a lot of pressure to sign up (as I have read).
So this gives me lopsided feelings about this whole thing. Really, it's a huge mess despite of everything. The GDR really screwed up a lot of lives, both Civilians and NVA alike.
Which gives me good reason why I hate Communism. It's nothing but a destructive ideology.
Then I read that the reason why they got no pension was because the NVA was never a real military.
The FRG reasoned that only those that served the Wehrmacht during before and after WW2 deserved their pensions, not the NVA since it's a fake military unit.
I'm not sure about the Bundeswehr, do they receive pensions after serving?
Amazing content.
Someone must tell poor Erich that by ouija board.
For
Erich saw writing on the wall
Erich looked closer and saw a hole
Erich called Stasi and saw no wall
That’s Erich last sight of the wall which he was the architect.
"Nobody has the intention of building a wall"
make video about east germans traveling to another communists countries!
Bernauer Straße is the only place where the entire death strip remains.
Appreciate your video-on my next trip to Berlin I know what to look out for - I appreciate your thoroughness of each topic.
Very much enjoying this series of films. Thank you for putting them together! I am visiting Berlin in May and will be using these videos to satisfy my curiosity as a Cold War historian. One suggestion for a topic that I would like to know more about is Interflug, the East German national airline.
Thanks you! I am also interested in Interflug. It's on the list of planned videos.
@@eastgermanyinvestigated Great to hear. I will look forward to a video on Interflug in the future. Keep up the good work!
I attended a conference recently at Rice University in Houston, Texas. They have a section of the wall on display on their campus. I'm sure that the people who constructed the damned thing never thought a piece of it would end up there.
There's also a section at Westminster College in Missouri, where Churchill gave his "Iron Curtain" speech.
Unless they have been already substituted, you may also find still some of the former East Berlin street signs that are of a different typography.
Great video, although it makes me sad.
Let's rebuild the wall to keep the Belgians out of East-Berlin