Cold War Conversations

Latest Episodes:

Red Reporter - Covert Correspondent for Cold War East Germany - Part 1 (47) Feb 02, 2019

Show notes

Today we speak to John Green.

John Green grew up in Coventry in a communist family. After abandoning a zoology degree course after his second year at Bristol University, he switched to Drama.

In 1964 he made the adventurous move to the German Democratic Republic to study film at the National Film School in Babelsberg, near Potsdam.

He was the sole British student in the country. Returning to his native Britain in 1968, he became television correspondent for the GDR and spent 22 years reporting from around the world.

Because the GDR, particularly at the height of the Cold War, was not officially recognised as an independent state, he and his colleagues were obliged to work anonymously and quasi-clandestinely in order to obtain the footage they needed.

We start with John telling us about this early life in Coventry.

Don't forget to check out our show notes here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode47/

The second part of this interview is here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode58/

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The Berlin Trilogy - Author Interview (46) Jan 26, 2019

Show notes

Today we welcome author Paul Grant whose excellent Berlin trilogy is set in Berlin during World War 2 and the Cold War.

Paul and I talk about the books as well as his inspiration and how he did his research to capture the atmosphere and detail of Cold War Berlin. We also discuss the GDR and visiting Berlin, so without further ado let’s join our Cold War Conversation with Paul Grant.

Don't forget to check out the show notes here.

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Cold War East German Army Officer at the 40th Anniversary Parade of East Germany (45) Jan 19, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, we welcome back Torsten Belger a former East German Officer.

You can listen to other episodes with Torsten here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode39/ and here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode53/

Torsten was part of the 40th Anniversary Parade of the GDR which unknown to him at the time would be its last. He tells of the training for the parade and his meeting with Yasser Arafat, the Head of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation.

Torsten also shares how he heard about the unrest sweeping the country and his introduction to anti-riot training.

The episode ends with Torsten telling about his gradual realisation that the country he had known his whole life was gradually falling apart.

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Now back to today’s episode. We start with Torsten telling us about the month leading up to the parade.

We welcome back Torsten Belger

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Cold War intercepts of Soviet Aircraft with the RAF (44) Jan 12, 2019

Show notes

Nick Anderson is a former RAF Phantom jet fighter pilot.

We discuss flying in the Cold War and in detail how the RAF would have responded to a nuclear attack.

We also talk about how QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) worked and hear details of a number of missions Nick flew intercepting the Soviet Tupolev Tu-95 codenamed "The Bear" by NATO.

We welcome Nick Anderson

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Cold War Conversations highlights of 2018 - a whistle stop tour (43) Jan 05, 2019

Show notes

Welcome to the Cold War Conversations History Podcast 2018 roundup and thank you to all our listeners and guests who’ve stuck with us and made the podcast what it is.

If your old or new to the podcast I hope this episode will make you dip into episodes you might have missed or you thought are not your cup of tea..

I’d like to especially thanks those listeners that have left such positive reviews on Itunes and have contributed financially via Patreon or as one off donations. If you haven’t left a review yet, just head over coldwarconversations.com and click on the “support the podcast” menu option.

If you’d like to support us with a few quid, dollars, or roubles click on the support the podcast menu option as well at coldwarconversations.com.

It’s been quite a year for me. I started this project in March 2018 and had no idea where it would go and have been astounded by the response and range of guests we have had on.

I have been privileged to speak to the son of a former Soviet Premier, I’ve sat chatting over coffee in the kitchen of a former NVA officer in Liverpool, and boarded a Soviet submarine in Kent. Now that would make quite a bucket list on its own!

Anyway you don’t want to listen to my ramblings, here’s the whistle stop tour of Cold War Conversations 2018 – enjoy!

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Gillian - A US Student visiting Cold War East Germany (42) Dec 29, 2018

Show notes

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 in East Germany on the cusp of its destruction.

We start with Gillian describing her interest in the Cold War and how she ended up in the GDR.

We welcome Gillian Cox

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Defending the Cold War Fulda Gap (41) Dec 22, 2018

Show notes

Today we talk again with Neil Gussman who was an M60A1 tank commander in West Germany tasked with defending the Fulda Gap which was a key likely Warsaw Pact attack route.

We talk about his rushed initial deployment where he faced Warsaw Pact tanks across the border, details of various exercises he was in and how the US troops interacted with the West German population.

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A British Journalist in Cold War East Berlin (40) Dec 15, 2018

Show notes

Shane Whaley from the GDR Radio Podcast and Spybrary podcast and I speak with Peter Millar. Peter is an award-winning journalist who was named Foreign Correspondent of the Year for his reporting on the dying days of the Cold War.

Peter's book "The Berlin Wall: My Part in its Downfall" is described as "a witty, wry, elegiac account of his time as a Reuters and Sunday Times correspondent in Berlin throughout most of the 1980s' " by The Spectator and the Sunday Times described it as" part autobiography, part history primer and part Fleet Street gossip column ...

Millar cast aside the old chestnuts and set about reporting on the reality of life under communism. In bare Stalinist apartments, at hollow party events and over cool glasses of Volker the gravedigger-cum-hippie, the Stasi seductress "Helga the Honeypot", Kurtl the accordion player whose father had been killed at Stalingrad, and the petty smuggler Manne who has been separated from his parents by the Wall ...

Radio GDR

If you are interested in East Germany we can highly recommend our friends over at Radio GDR.

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Cold War East German Army Officer Training (39) Dec 08, 2018

Show notes

We speak with Torsten Belger who trained as an Artillery Officer in the East German Army.

Torsten also runs Germandotmilitaria which is a web site selling various items of East German militaria and civilian items too. It's well worth a visit

He tells us in fascinating detail about his early life, his schooling, and how he ended up on the NVA officer training course.

You can listen to other episodes with Torsten here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode45/ and here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode53/

Spoiler alert, this episode does end on a cliffhanger... we welcome Torsten Belger.

Radio GDR

If you are interested in East Germany we can highly recommend our friends over at Radio GDR.

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Training to be a Cold War US Army Tank Commander (38) Dec 01, 2018

Show notes

Today we’re talking to Neil Gussman who trained on the M60A1 tank in the 1970s. This was the standard main battle tank of the US Army from the 1960s through to the 1980s.

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Just head over to coldwarconversations.com and click on the “Support the podcast” menu option. Thank you very much to those listeners who are already supporting us.

Back to today’s episode , Neil shares with us some great anecdotes about his training and the gunnery competitions as well as the change in US tank tactics as a result of the 1973 Arab Israeli War.

We welcome Neil Gussman.

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