Military Model Scene

Title: Cold War Berlin: An Island City Vol.2
Author: Andrew Long
Publisher: Helion & Co
ISBN: 978-1-914377-10-5

Number 12 in the Europe @ War series, and the second volume of three that cover the story of Cold War Berlin, from publishers Helion & Co. A 96-page soft-cover book in the standard style for the series.
While volume 1 dealt largely with the Berlin Airlift, this one focuses on the Wall, not just dividing Berlin itself, but East from West Germany. It moves on after the almost year long success of the Berlin Airlift. While East Germany was publicly independent, with their own army, it remained firmly under the control of Stalin. The book explains how may skilled workers chose to leave East Germany for the west, and the government was put under increasing pressure. The city of Berlin remained a thorn in the side of the Soviets, as it was a potential flashpoint for WW3, as the former allies maintained their access rights deep into East Germany. The stories of the discovery of allied phone tapping is featured, as is the famous visit and 'Ich bin ein Berliner' speech from President Kennedy. Faced with large numbers of skilled workers leaving, the chosen solution was to build a wall between the two halves of Germany, ad within the city of Berlin itself. It started as simply wire, but over time developed into a complex border zone, defended by guard posts, mine fields and physical walls. Within the city points such as Check Point Charlie are included, as is the Glienicker Bridge, the so-called 'Bridge of Spies' and more. It was built in four different stages, and even then some areas were not modernised. The appendices include more detailed information on the defensive structure of the border. Seeing the numbers of people who escaped from East to West is quite staggering.
There are lots of archive photos throughout the book, plus a central set of pages with colour photos, maps and some of the usual artwork we expect in this series, showing aircraft, vehicles and uniforms. It covers perhaps the most famous/significant period of the Cold War in Berlin and makes for interesting reading. I think historians will enjoy it, and especially for those who are not old enough to have their own personal memories of the Cold War period. One particular item I noted which I think modellers will enjoy, is a soft-top VW Beetle Cabriolet, with a pintle mounted MG42, just like a wartime Kubelwagen.
Thanks to Helion & Co for the review copy.

Robin