In conversation with those that experienced the Cold War and those who are fascinated
John Tarver was born into a middle-class family. He joined the British Communist Party on his 18th birthday in 1948 because he felt the Soviet Union had made the most effective resistance to fascism. He worked as a party activist in Britain and made several trips to the GDR where he would get … Read more A British Communist Working in East Germany
What are your dreams at 18 and what happens in the next 20 years? Children of the Silent Revolution is a documentary film following a tight-knit group of classmates from Bulgaria who reveal their stories over a period of 20 years, spanning the transition from communism to democracy in their country. It’s a … Read more Children of the Silent Revolution
Manuel Alzaga returns to the podcast after his debut in episode 57 with his experiences as US Army 18-year-old assistant artillery gunner in West Germany. He tells of his first impressions of West Germany, details of the 1982 Reforger exercise(return of forces to Germany) Exercise, as well as the life expectancy of front line soldier on the East … Read more Manuel – Experiences of the Reforger 82 NATO Exercise
Michael Paterson first visited East Germany just after the fall of the Berlin Wall and provides a vivid account of its subsequent decline and fall during the move to reunification with West Germany. Michael is a military historian, author, researcher and illustrator. He began his career on the military magazine ‘Battlefields Review’ as a writer … Read more The Last Days of East Germany
Today has been a difficult day. My Dad has just died. He was a good father, a good man with many varied interests including art, photography and history. All of which he passed onto me. In particular, it was history, which has ultimately resulted in this podcast. I hope my listeners will indulge me … Read more Tales of my Father
Alexander ‘Sasha’ Goncharov was born in Leningrad but early in this life moved to Ukraine. After leaving school he was drafted into the Soviet Military and was based in Sevastopol where he worked in Naval Aviation servicing anti-ship weapons systems. At the end of this period, Sasha decided to stay in the military to … Read more Alexander – A Conscript in the Soviet Navy
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 ion that momentous night of 9th November 1989. Before we start the episode I wanted to thanks everyone who is supporting the podcast … Read more Gillian – A US Student at the opening of the Berlin Wall
Our interview today is in a different format. Cold war Conversations is working with the Imperial War Museum on a project called Voices of the Wall. We will be capturing personal testimonies of people’s experiences of the Cold War which will later become part of the podcast. Therefore, this episode is a composite of previous … Read more Voices of the Berlin Wall 30th Anniversary
Cold War Conversations is working with the Imperial War Museum on a project called Voices of the Wall to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the opening of the Berlin Wall. We will be capturing personal testimonies of people’s experiences of the Cold War which will later become part of the podcast. To commemorate … Read more 30th Anniversary of the opening of the Berlin Wall
Our interview today is with Iain MacGregor, the author of a new book on Checkpoint Charlie subtitled The Cold War, the Berlin Wall and the most dangerous place on Earth. Weaving together personal testimonies, this book is described as a gripping narrative with vivid interviews with those on all sides whose lives were directly … Read more Checkpoint Charlie: The Cold War, the Berlin Wall and the most dangerous place on Earth
