Cold War Conversations - "vivid & compelling" The NY Times

In this episode we hear the third and final part of Torsten Belger’s story as he tells us about his first visit to West Berlin, leaving the East German Army and life after the GDR. Before we start a quick thanks to Skjip1969, Peteyinmontreal & GDR Objectified for leaving reviews in Itunes. Do leave reviews with your favourite podcast provider. It really helps us get new guests on the show.  Thank...

László Nagy was one of the early members of the Hungarian Democratic Forum in 1987. The HDF became Hungary’s largest political party following first free elections in 1990. In this episode we hear the story of his parent’s life in 1950’s Hungary and László’s early life including how he ended up at school with the son of West Germany’s President. Before we start I’d like to ask you to by leaving a...

In 1951, a small pilot program was launched in Indiana and Utah as a civilian defense measure to aid in the aftermath of a nuclear attack. The idea was simple: If a bomb dropped, people would need medical attention. They would need a fast and accurate system to help administer blood transfusions. Blood type and Rh factor (a newly discovered slightly important detail in the world of blood transfusi...

Audra J Wolfe is writer, editor, and historian based in Philadelphia. With a background in both science and history her work specifically focuses on the role of science during the Cold War, a period when science held a special place in maintaining and projecting state power. Now if you’d like to support us with a few dollars, pounds or roubles then click here to learn more. Thank you so much to al...

In this episode we welcome back Nick Anderson who told us about his RAF service intercepting TU-95 Soviet Bear bombers over the North Sea.  The story continues with his accounts of how the Soviet aircrew tried to distract RAF planes and how he was almost downed by their tactics. The episode ends with Nick telling us about the final days of the Cold War.  Can't wait for the next episode? Visit our...

In this episode we welcome back Gillian Cox who told us about her student trip to East Germany in 1989. In this episode the story continues with her trip further East into Poland. At this point Poland’s communist Polish United Workers Party had abandoned its monopoly of power in April. Elections in June 1989 resulted in the Free Trade Union Solidarity securing 35% of seats available to it with the...

Today we speak to John Green. John Green grew up in Coventry in a communist family. After abandoning a zoology degree course after his second year at Bristol University, he switched to Drama. In 1964 he made the adventurous move to the German Democratic Republic to study film at the National Film School in Babelsberg, near Potsdam. He was the sole British student in the country. Returning to his n...

Today we welcome author Paul Grant whose excellent Berlin trilogy is set in Berlin during World War 2 and the Cold War. Paul and I talk about the books as well as his inspiration and how he did his research to capture the atmosphere and detail of Cold War Berlin. We also discuss the GDR and visiting Berlin, so without further ado let’s join our Cold War Conversation with Paul Grant.   Don't forget...

In this episode, we welcome back Torsten Belger a former East German Officer. You can listen to other episodes with Torsten here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode39/ and here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode53/ Torsten was part of the 40th Anniversary Parade of the GDR which unknown to him at the time would be its last. He tells of the training for the parade and his meeting with Ya...

Nick Anderson is a former RAF Phantom jet fighter pilot.  We discuss flying in the Cold War and in detail how the RAF would have responded to a nuclear attack.  We also talk about how QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) worked and hear details of a number of missions Nick flew intercepting the Soviet Tupolev Tu-95 codenamed "The Bear" by NATO.  We welcome Nick Anderson Support the project! https://coldwarc...

Welcome to the Cold War Conversations History Podcast 2018 roundup and thank you to all our listeners and guests who’ve stuck with us and made the podcast what it is. If your old or new to the podcast I hope this episode will make you dip into episodes you might have missed or you thought are not your cup of tea.. I’d like to especially thanks those listeners that have left such positive reviews o...

Gillian Cox visited the GDR as a student in October 1989 just before the Wall came down. In this episode you will hear her eyewitness of account of what she saw in East Germany on the cusp of its destruction. We start with Gillian describing her interest in the Cold War and how she ended up in the GDR. We welcome Gillian Cox Support the project! https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ Follow us o...

Today we talk again with Neil Gussman who was an M60A1 tank commander in West Germany tasked with defending the Fulda Gap which was a key likely Warsaw Pact attack route. We talk about his rushed initial deployment where he faced Warsaw Pact tanks across the border, details of various exercises he was in and how the US troops interacted with the West German population. Support the project! https:/...

Shane Whaley from the GDR Radio Podcast and Spybrary podcast and I speak with Peter Millar. Peter is an award-winning journalist who was named Foreign Correspondent of the Year for his reporting on the dying days of the Cold War.  Peter's book "The Berlin Wall: My Part in its Downfall" is described as "a witty, wry, elegiac account of his time as a Reuters and Sunday Times correspondent in Berlin...

We speak with Torsten Belger who trained as an Artillery Officer in the East German Army.   Torsten also runs Germandotmilitaria which is a web site selling various items of East German militaria and civilian items too. It's well worth a visit He tells us in fascinating detail about his early life, his schooling, and how he ended up on the NVA officer training course. You can listen to other episo...

Today we’re talking to Neil Gussman who trained on the M60A1 tank in the 1970s. This was the standard main battle tank of the US Army from the 1960s through to the 1980s. If you are enjoying the podcasts you can get exclusive extras including previews of future episodes, as well as content that didn’t make the final cut. Available for as little as a monthly donation of a euro, a dollar or a quid (...

Today we're talking to Antje Arnold, author of “The Girl Behind The Wall” which tells the story of a girl growing up in East Germany in the 1980s. Patreon is an easy way for you to support the podcast with a monthly donation of as little as a euro, a dollar or a quid (larger amounts and other currencies are accepted too, but no Ost Marks). I’d like to thank personally our latest supporters via Pat...

Today we visit the Totally East: Life in East Germany Photography Exhibition. Run-down façades, punks and ordinary workers: This exhibition shows the works of Harald Hauswald, who documented everyday life in the GDR. I walk through the exhibition with Dr Richard Millington who you will remember from our episode on the 1953 East German Uprising. Richard has brought the exhibition to Chester and as...

We talk with John Sutton who owns a Foxtrot class Soviet Submarine moored in the middle of the River Medway in Kent. This may seem an unlikely location for a Soviet submarine but John tells an interesting story of how he acquired it. Before we go further I’d like to thank all our Patreons who donate monthly to support the podcast further and get access to some exclusive extras. Now you might wonde...

Today we talk with Samy who as a native West Berliner describes growing up in the city during the 1970s and 80s. He describes in detail the difference between West Berlin and West Germany, including its position as a “special political entity”, how the death penalty in West Berlin was only abolished in 1989 and how as a child he was obsessed with Spy movies, spy books, and Cold War activities. Sam...

Eileen shares some great information with us of working & living in East Berlin, with some surprising details.  She also generously reveals details about the contents of her Stasi file. It’s a fascinating story that includes Eileen's escape from the Volkspolizei following a Billy Bragg gig in East Berlin. We welcome again Eileen Ford-Price.  Further show notes are available at https://coldwarconve...

Today we speak with Eileen Ford-Price who was British student in the GDR in the 1980s in Rostock. Before we start I’d like to thank all our Patreon who donate monthly to support the podcast further and get access to some exclusive extras. Monthly donations can be as small as $1 or a quid and every donation helps keep us broadcasting and expending the show. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.c...

We speak with Doctor Grace Huxford, author of the Korean War in Britain – Citizenship, Selfhood and Forgetting.  The Korean War was known as the “forgotten war”, but it is key in understanding the early Cold War tensions and later repercussions that continue through to today. The equipment used in today’s episode has kindly been provided by our supporters who make monthly donations via Patreon – a...

Dave Arnold was the Chief Observer at a Royal Observer Corps nuclear monitoring post. I made a fascinating visit with Dave to the Rushton Spencer Royal Observer Corps nuclear monitoring post in Staffordshire in the UK. My instructions were to meet in the Royal Oak pub car park where I would be escorted to the post…right on 11am David appeared and guided me up various little used country lanes into...

This episode takes place at a Living History event in and around the Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker museum in deepest Cheshire in the UK. I can heartily recommend visiting the Hack Green Bunker and we are planning an audio tour of the bunker as a future episode. The event was patrolled by various re-enactors and checkpointshad to be passed as visitors are invited to venture between the two sides...