The Berlin Airlift – Victories, Myths, and the Berlin Blockade

Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on YouTubeListen on Amazon MusicListen on Podcast AddictBecome a Patron! The Berlin Blockade was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War when the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies’ railway, road, and canal access to the sectors of Berlin under Western control. I speak with … Read more

When East German Soldiers Dreamed of Flying Over the Wall

 Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on YouTubeListen on Amazon MusicListen on Podcast AddictBecome a Patron! Andrew was a British modern languages student in 1989. He recounts the serendipitous moment when he stumbled upon an advert for a work and holiday trip to the GDR. The trip was organized by the Great Britain GDR … Read more

The End of East Germany: A Communist Family’s Journey Through Change

Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on YouTubeListen on Amazon MusicListen on Podcast AddictBecome a Patron!   This is the story of a Communist family in East Germany whose world was turned upside down by the implosion of the GDR. The story is told by Katja Hesse, whose father was a Vice Admiral in the … Read more

Memories of an East German Naval Officer’s Family

Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on YouTubeListen on Amazon MusicListen on Podcast AddictBecome a Patron! Katja is the daughter of Vice Admiral Gustav Hesse of the East German Navy. She opens up about her life growing up in East Germany and offers a rare glimpse into life in a family loyal to the East … Read more

Policing the Berlin Wall with the Royal Military Police

Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on YouTubeListen on Amazon MusicListen on Podcast AddictBecome a Patron! Simon Wood served in the British Army’s Royal Military Police in Berlin during the1980s. He describes the unique challenges he faced patrolling the Berlin Wall and policing British troops in the divided city. Discover the political tensions, the camaraderie … Read more

In Conversation with Margot Honecker

Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on YouTubeListen on Amazon MusicListen on Podcast AddictBecome a Patron! In this short Cold War Conversations bonus episode, I speak with Jon Benjamin, who recounts his meetings with Margot Honecker, the unrepentant architect of East Germany’s education system and widow of GDR leader Erich Honecker. In 2012 and 2013, … Read more

Doped, Abused and Abandoned: Growing Up in East Germany’s Sports System

Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on YouTubeListen on Amazon MusicListen on Podcast AddictBecome a Patron! This episode covers themes of physical and emotional abuse, as well as suicide. If you need support, please follow the links below. UK https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/ Rest of the World  https://findahelpline.com/i/iasp Kerstin recounts her harrowing childhood and life experiences in East Germany. She … Read more