CHECKPOINT CHARLIE
by Reinhard v. Bronewski & John Parmenter
Through much of the Cold War, Checkpoint Charlie (CCP) was the most popular and widely used border
crossing between East and West Berlin. It was located in the "heart" of Berlin in the Western District
of Kreuzberg (American Sector) at the intersection of Friedrichstrasse, & Zimmerstrasse, -- just
across the border from the East Berlin district of Mitte (Soviet Sector). Until 1989, East Berlin was
considered the capital of the so-called German Democratic Republic (GDR), a Soviet "puppet state" which
Western Powers refused to recognize.
CCP was designated as the only pedestrian and vehicle crossing point for tourists, foreigners
including West Germans), Allied military forces, their dependents, and diplomatic personnel. Citizens
of West Berlin were prohibited from crossing into East Berlin but some East Berliners found the
Checkpoint to be a gateway to freedom. For many, CCP became a symbol of the Cold War; a place where
warriors of opposing "superpowers" confronted each other daily.
The U.S. Army installed CCP shortly after August 13, 1961, when communist forces sealed off the border
and began erecting the Berlin Wall. Numerous deadly border incidents are associated with the Wall and
Checkpoint Charlie. Perhaps the most infamous occurred on August 17, 1962 when East German border
troops shot Peter Fechter, a young Easterner, while he was attempting to escape to freedom. A shocked
world watched as Fechter lay bleeding to death a few yards inside the Soviet Sector.
U.S. authorities asserted their "Four-Power Rights" to travel into communist territory by driving
through CCP. On several occasions, East German police, whose authority was unrecognized by Western
Powers, illegally stopped Americans, demanding to inspect their passports. Jeep-borne U.S. Military
Police, with bayonets fixed on new M-14 rifles, rushed into East Berlin to escort our diplomats back
to the American Sector. To impress the communists, on October 27, 1961, ten U.S. M-48 Medium Tanks, of
Co. F, 40th Armor, backed by Mechanized Riflemen of the U.S. 6th Infantry, rolled
up Friedrichstrasse to Checkpoint Charlie, stopping just a few yards inside the American Sector.
Shortly thereafter, the Soviet Army arrived with about thirty tanks. Both sides of the crossing
quickly became "armed camps" with troops deployed in proper battle positions; locked and loaded.
Tensions ran high as combat ready soldiers of the two "superpowers" engaged in a stand-off with world
wide consequences. Until about 11 am the following day, when both sides withdrew, the world held its
collective breath.
BUSMVA Member and former Lieutenant of 287th Military Police Company, Vern Pike, was deeply
involved in this incident. In 2004, his interesting story was aired by FOX News WAR STORIES WITH OLIVER
NORTH, in a feature entitled "Berlin - Stand Off Behind the Iron Curtain." Twenty-seven years later this
dark chapter in Berlin history was finally over with communism's defeat and destruction of the Berlin
Wall.
There were actually three variants of the legendary Checkpoint Charlie. The original small wooden guard
shack was soon replaced by a larger building which was, in turn, replaced during the 1980s. Following
German reunification on June 22, 1990, the last CCP was removed. It's now on display at the Allied
Museum (former Outpost Movie Theater) on Clayallee in Zehlendorf district.
On August 13, 2000, a remake of the 1960s-era wooden shack was installed at the site of the original.
It's now a tourist attraction and money maker for clever business managers nearby.
