#4 Posted: 3/27/2012 3:15:19 AM I watched it twice recently because it was so interesting to me for many reasons.
One reason I watched it the 2nd time is because I was in W.Germany doing border patrols with an armored cavalry unit (US) in 83/84. I was listening closer the 2nd time for locations by name. We came face to face with AK carrying Russians and E.Germans on multiple patrols... they did not see us until we let ourselves be know. We were in one spot for about 8 hours just watching stuff on the other side. Lots of interesting stories. I had a conversation with an East German girl from across a short blown up bridge that was the borderline... She was most likely a KGB chick. I use to have a photo with her in the backround but someone stole a lot of my garbage years ago. We took two Polaroids and gave one to our team back at HQ so they could find out who she was and what she was doing there because that was a big No-no for people on the other side. The windows on thier buildings that faced our side were always bricked up... That's how serious they were about contact by thier civilians with our side. We were a mobile patrol (by foot or Jeep). We were only given 3 rounds each for defense so Thank Goodness nothing serious happened while we were out there. Nothing like a nice 25K foot border patrol across the German countryside. Hard to imagine how close we all came while I was involved in War Games there. I would have been toasted first... and if not... 3 bullets would not have stopped the thousands of Soviet tanks that would have headed our way.
I asked my XO what our plan was in case they attacked our outpost (hilltop) , which is where we stayed while we were in the field on maneuvers and he said "darn the Plan" just try and stay alive because we would be overrun in the first wave.
The German countryside is extremely beautiful. In a perfect world I would take my wife back to see it all but the economy tanked before we could do that part of our travel adventures. I often think of that place... my buddies and the friends we had over there.
I wondered why some of the Reds patrols had a briefcase with them... I guess it might have been some kind of Soviet wireless field phone... like those big brick looking cell phones that came out for autos in the USA.
But Yes... It's a great show and I'd watch it again. The Soviet Commander who refused to procede with his retaliation strike is owed a lot by people of this world. He stopped what would have most likely been a nasty nuclear exchange. He was FIRED for saving the world... If you watch it again... write his name down and google it for more info. Sorry... I don't have it but I heard his story some years back.
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