Skip to main content
International sign language Go to search Open language menu Open meta menu
Close the language menu
Close meta menu

Faces and moments: East and West

The tensions between East and West had the entire world holding its breath – and many eyes were on Germany.

10.10.2018
Airman Gail Seymour “Hal” Halvorsen.
Gail Seymour Halvorsen During the Berlin Blockade from June 1948 until May 1949, Western Allied aeroplanes supplied the cut-off city. Gail Seymour Halvorsen is the most famous pilot of what were known in Berlin as “Raisin Bombers”: The airman later became commander of Berlin’s Tempelhof airport. © dpa
Elvis Presley he definitively brought rock and roll and the American youth culture to Germany.
Elvis Presley On 1 October 1958 the “King” arrived in Bremerhaven to do his military service in Germany, where he would stay until March 1960. Stationed in the Frankfurt region, he definitively brought rock and roll and the American youth culture to Germany. It was also here that he met his later wife Priscilla, who lived in Wiesbaden. © dpa
Checkpoint Charlie was the best-known border crossing between East and West Berlin
Checkpoint Charlie Checkpoint Charlie was the best-known border crossing between East and West Berlin between 1961 and 1990. It connected the Soviet sector with the American sector and linked East Berlin’s Mitte district with the Kreuzberg district in West Berlin. © Picture Alliance
Kennedy giving his historic speech in front of Schöneberg City Hall.
John F. Kennedy In 1961 John F. Kennedy became president of the United States – the same year in which the Berlin Wall was built. He gave a speech in Berlin on the 15th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift in which he made it clear that West-Berlin would not be abandoned in the face of the communist threat. The visit was a triumph and his statement “Ich bin ein Berliner” became legendary. © dpa
President Kennedy and Mayor of Berlin Willy Brandt.
John F. Kennedy In 1961 John F. Kennedy became president of the United States – the same year in which the Berlin Wall was built. He gave a speech in Berlin on the 15th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift in which he made it clear that West-Berlin would not be abandoned in the face of the communist threat. The visit was a triumph and his statement “Ich bin ein Berliner” became legendary. © dpa
The Freedom Bell prior to transport in Berlin.
Freedom Bell In 1950 Lucius D. Clay, the American military governor in Germany, had the idea of creating a replica of the famous “Liberty Bell” from Philadelphia for Berlin. The Freedom Bell is still located in the tower of Schöneberg City Hall today and is the largest secular bell in Berlin.
The Freedom Bell at Schöneberg City Hall.
Freiheitsglocke In 1950 Lucius D. Clay, the American military governor in Germany, had the idea of creating a replica of the famous “Liberty Bell” from Philadelphia for Berlin. The Freedom Bell is still located in the tower of Schöneberg City Hall today and is the largest secular bell in Berlin. © dpa
VW Beetle
VW Beetle The VW Beetle is perhaps the prime example of Germany’s ‘economic miracle’, as it became a huge export hit in Germany’s post-war economy. Originally designed as an official vehicle for the military and the bureaucracy, it later became a car for all: affordable and reliable. On August 5, 1955, amidst much media hype, the one millionth Beetle left the assembly line at the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg. © dpa
Ramstein
Ramstein Several million US soldiers have done their military service in Germany since the end of World War II. During the Cold War the US armed forces had about 200 barracks, airbases, munitions depots and other military facilities in some 100 German towns and communities. Ramstein Airbase still remains the largest United States Air Force base outside America. It is near Kaiserslautern, which can be hard to pronounce, so the Americans simply call it K-Town. © dpa

Related content

Checkpoint Charlie
History part 4: Close links, loud protests