Berlin and the American Military: A Cold War Chronicle

For the five decades after World War II, Berlin remained under the control of two contending superpowers, the United States-supported by Great Britain and France-and the Soviet Union. A cauldron of tension, intrigue and conflict, the city served as microcosm of the Cold War that divided all of Europe, a symbol that became concrete with the construction in 1961 of the Berlin Wall, which cut the city in two for the next 28 years.

Robert P. Grathwol and Donita M. Moorhus here tell the story in words and pictures of that city and the thousands of American soldiers and their families who served and lived there. Although American troops entered Berlin as conquerors, they became in a few short years protectors of West Berlin's citizens. They developed a unique relationship with the city's inhabitants who understood that American soldiers served as guarantors of U.S. resolve that West Berlin would remain free. The book also recounts how American military personnel helped preserve the conditions that allowed Berliners to reduce the Wall to rubble in November of 1989 as a prelude to the peaceful reunification of Germany.