Checkpoint Charlie

 At the end of WWII, a defeated Germany and its capital Berlin was divided into four sectors representing the four victorious allies: the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union.  Eventually, the first three sectors merged into West Germany and West Berlin.  The last sector became East Germany and East Berlin.

Between 1949 and 1961, over 2½ million East Germans fled to the West.  The emigrants tended to be young and well educated, including many professionals — engineers, technicians, physicians, teachers, lawyers and skilled workers.  The brain drain became damaging to the political credibility and economic viability of East Germany. 

On August 13, 1961, a barbed-wire barrier that would become the Berlin Wall separating East and West Berlin was erected by the East Germans.  Two days later, police and army engineers began to construct a more permanent concrete wall.  

Along with the wall, the 830-mile (1336 km) zonal border became 3.5 miles (5.6 km) wide on its East German side in some parts of Germany with a tall steel-mesh fence running along a "death strip" bordered by mines, as well as channels of ploughed earth, to slow escapees and more easily reveal their footprints.

Checkpoint Charlie was a crossing point in the Berlin Wall located at the junction of Friedrichstraße with Zimmerstraße and Mauerstraße. Checkpoint Charlie was designated as the single foot or car crossing point for foreigners and members of the Allied forces. The name "Charlie" came from the letter C in the NATO phonetic alphabet (A, B, C).

As the most visible Berlin Wall checkpoint, Checkpoint Charlie was featured in movies and books.  The infrastructure on the Eastern side was expanded to include not only the wall, watchtower and zig-zag barriers, but a multi-lane shed where cars and their occupants were checked.

Although the wall was opened in November 1989 and the checkpoint booth removed on June 22, 1990 (35 years ago), the checkpoint remained an official crossing for foreigners and diplomats until German reunification in October of the same year. 

In the summer of 1973, I visited Berlin, both West and East.

I passed to the East and back again via Checkpoint Charlie.

Rifles were pointed at each other from both sides of the wall.  Scary!