Okla-homey
9/12/2008, 06:21 AM
September 12, 1990: German occupation rights are relinquished
45 years after the end of the war against Germany, and eighteen years ago today, representatives from the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union sign an agreement giving up all occupation rights in Germany. The largely symbolic action cleared the way for East and West Germany to reunite.
In 1945, the Allied Powers--America, England, France, and the Soviet Union--agreed that defeated Nazi Germany would be divided into four zones of occupation, one for each nation. Berlin would be likewise divided. The separation was intended to be temporary, but Cold War animosities quickly developed after World War II and the division between the Russian zone and those controlled by the other three nations became permanent.
http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/9903/occbuchenwaldsamuelson6wk7.th.jpg (http://img527.imageshack.us/my.php?image=occbuchenwaldsamuelson6wk7.jpg)
General Eisenhower had ordered that there was to be "No Fraternization" between U.S. troops and Germans. Over a period of many months this policy was loosened, first by permitting US GIs to talk to German children, then also allowing them to talk to adults in certain circumstances
In the late 1940s, the American, French, and English zones were consolidated into West Germany and the Soviet zone became East Germany. The division came to symbolize the Cold War, and the divided Germany was the scene of many Cold War dramas, like the Berlin Airlift.
http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/3750/occp80a31fggermanyid3.th.jpg (http://img377.imageshack.us/my.php?image=occp80a31fggermanyid3.jpg)
USAFE 31st FG P-80 Shooting Star jet aircraft in the skies of Germany, 1948
In 1961, East German authorities began construction of the Berlin Wall, physically dividing East and West Berlin.
http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/8957/occberlinwall19611120ox9.th.jpg (http://img377.imageshack.us/my.php?image=occberlinwall19611120ox9.jpg)
(http://img372.imageshack.us/my.php?image=occ750pxbesatzungszonenca4.jpg)
Official map from 1945 showing the Allied allocation of the occupied German territories. Text is in English and German.
By 1989, however, the communist grip on East Germany was rapidly slipping away. The Soviet Union, facing its own severe economic and political problems, could do little to prop up the East German communist regime. In November 1989, the East German government announced that the Berlin Wall would be torn down.
The next year, representatives from East and West Germany began negotiations to finally reunite their country. Among the many obstacles to overcome was the historical legacy of occupation by the Allied forces. Although the four Allies had long since removed most of their occupation forces and given up most of their occupation rights, some treaty rights still technically remained--for instance, the four countries still had the right to "oversee" Berlin.
On September 12, 1990, representatives from the four nations met in Moscow and formally gave up all remaining occupation rights in Germany. Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadzedeclared, "We are going through emotional and historic events...We have drawn a line under World War II and we have started keeping the time of a new age." In October 1990, East and West Germany formally reunited under a democratic government.
[IMG]http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/535/occvcorpsusarmycrestkx8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
US troop strength at the time German occupation rights were relinquished were three divisions in Germany. Today, The V Corps (Fifth Corps)—nicknamed the "Victory Corps" is still headquartered at Campbell Barracks in Heidelberg, Germany. Down from its high of three divisions in 1990, it's remaining combat units are:
1st Armored Division
2nd Cavalry Regiment
172nd Infantry Brigade
12th Combat Aviation Brigade
18th Military Police Brigade
18th Engineer Brigade
http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/7190/oocc200pxunitedstatesaixa3.th.png (http://img377.imageshack.us/my.php?image=oocc200pxunitedstatesaixa3.png)
The US air bases at Hahn, Bitburg, Wiesbaden and Zweibrücken were closed by USAFE and turned over to the German government by 1993. In July 1994, with President Clinton in attendance, the British, French, and American air and land forces in Berlin were deactivated in a ceremony on the Four Ring Parade field at Tempelhof Central Airport. With this ceremony the last vestige of World War II in Germany officially ended. Rhein-Main was closed at the end of 2005, its logistics missions being transferred to Ramstein and Spangdahlem.
Today, only Ramstein Air Base and Spangdahlem Air Base remain as fully active US air bases in Germany, supporting ongoing operations in the Middle East and Balkans. About $600 million is now being spent to improve their facilities to extend their usefulness for twenty years or more.
45 years after the end of the war against Germany, and eighteen years ago today, representatives from the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union sign an agreement giving up all occupation rights in Germany. The largely symbolic action cleared the way for East and West Germany to reunite.
In 1945, the Allied Powers--America, England, France, and the Soviet Union--agreed that defeated Nazi Germany would be divided into four zones of occupation, one for each nation. Berlin would be likewise divided. The separation was intended to be temporary, but Cold War animosities quickly developed after World War II and the division between the Russian zone and those controlled by the other three nations became permanent.
http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/9903/occbuchenwaldsamuelson6wk7.th.jpg (http://img527.imageshack.us/my.php?image=occbuchenwaldsamuelson6wk7.jpg)
General Eisenhower had ordered that there was to be "No Fraternization" between U.S. troops and Germans. Over a period of many months this policy was loosened, first by permitting US GIs to talk to German children, then also allowing them to talk to adults in certain circumstances
In the late 1940s, the American, French, and English zones were consolidated into West Germany and the Soviet zone became East Germany. The division came to symbolize the Cold War, and the divided Germany was the scene of many Cold War dramas, like the Berlin Airlift.
http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/3750/occp80a31fggermanyid3.th.jpg (http://img377.imageshack.us/my.php?image=occp80a31fggermanyid3.jpg)
USAFE 31st FG P-80 Shooting Star jet aircraft in the skies of Germany, 1948
In 1961, East German authorities began construction of the Berlin Wall, physically dividing East and West Berlin.
http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/8957/occberlinwall19611120ox9.th.jpg (http://img377.imageshack.us/my.php?image=occberlinwall19611120ox9.jpg)
(http://img372.imageshack.us/my.php?image=occ750pxbesatzungszonenca4.jpg)
Official map from 1945 showing the Allied allocation of the occupied German territories. Text is in English and German.
By 1989, however, the communist grip on East Germany was rapidly slipping away. The Soviet Union, facing its own severe economic and political problems, could do little to prop up the East German communist regime. In November 1989, the East German government announced that the Berlin Wall would be torn down.
The next year, representatives from East and West Germany began negotiations to finally reunite their country. Among the many obstacles to overcome was the historical legacy of occupation by the Allied forces. Although the four Allies had long since removed most of their occupation forces and given up most of their occupation rights, some treaty rights still technically remained--for instance, the four countries still had the right to "oversee" Berlin.
On September 12, 1990, representatives from the four nations met in Moscow and formally gave up all remaining occupation rights in Germany. Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadzedeclared, "We are going through emotional and historic events...We have drawn a line under World War II and we have started keeping the time of a new age." In October 1990, East and West Germany formally reunited under a democratic government.
[IMG]http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/535/occvcorpsusarmycrestkx8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
US troop strength at the time German occupation rights were relinquished were three divisions in Germany. Today, The V Corps (Fifth Corps)—nicknamed the "Victory Corps" is still headquartered at Campbell Barracks in Heidelberg, Germany. Down from its high of three divisions in 1990, it's remaining combat units are:
1st Armored Division
2nd Cavalry Regiment
172nd Infantry Brigade
12th Combat Aviation Brigade
18th Military Police Brigade
18th Engineer Brigade
http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/7190/oocc200pxunitedstatesaixa3.th.png (http://img377.imageshack.us/my.php?image=oocc200pxunitedstatesaixa3.png)
The US air bases at Hahn, Bitburg, Wiesbaden and Zweibrücken were closed by USAFE and turned over to the German government by 1993. In July 1994, with President Clinton in attendance, the British, French, and American air and land forces in Berlin were deactivated in a ceremony on the Four Ring Parade field at Tempelhof Central Airport. With this ceremony the last vestige of World War II in Germany officially ended. Rhein-Main was closed at the end of 2005, its logistics missions being transferred to Ramstein and Spangdahlem.
Today, only Ramstein Air Base and Spangdahlem Air Base remain as fully active US air bases in Germany, supporting ongoing operations in the Middle East and Balkans. About $600 million is now being spent to improve their facilities to extend their usefulness for twenty years or more.