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From Soviet Latvia to the BBC Russian Service
Season 17 Episode 288
Svetlana came from a dissident Jewish family opposed to Soviet rule in Latvia. Her parents survived World War 2, but during the Stalin era two member…
2 years, 10 months ago
Transferring from the East German Army (NVA) to the unified German Army (Bundeswehr)
Season 17 Episode 287
We continue Steffen’s story where he tells of serving in three armies – firstly, the NVA, secondly the East German Army between the first free electi…
2 years, 10 months ago
Drafted into the East German Army
Season 17 Episode 286
Steffen was born in Karl Marx Stadt and was conscripted into the NVA (East German Army) in 1988.
When he left school he started an apprenticeship in e…
2 years, 11 months ago
How Cold War Britain prepared for Nuclear War
Season 17 Episode 285
During the Cold War, the awesome power of nuclear weapons and its deadly fallout meant that every town, village and home in Britain fell under the nu…
2 years, 11 months ago
Beyond the Wall: East Germany, 1949-1990
Season 17 Episode 284
In 1990, a country disappeared. When the Iron Curtain fell, East Germany simply ceased to be. For over forty years, from the ruin of the Second World…
2 years, 11 months ago
A British kid transferred to a Soviet school (283)
Season 17 Episode 283
Richard was 6 years old when he was uprooted from a school in the United States to a Soviet school 700 miles East of Moscow.
In 1988 the Soviet Union…
2 years, 11 months ago
Cold War US Army tank driver at the Iron Curtain (282)
Season 17 Episode 282
Brian Regal entered the US Army in 1977 and served on the M60A1 tank initially as a driver. The M60A1 was America's primary main battle tank during t…
2 years, 11 months ago
Cold War Dutch conscientious objector (281)
Season 17 Episode 281
In 1987 Martin received a letter informing him of his conscription into the Dutch Army. A number of European NATO countries had conscription during t…
3 years ago
Discovering your Cold War Czechoslovak Secret Police file (280)
Season 16 Episode 280
Mark Baker was featured in episode 9 where he told us about working in Czechoslovakia in the 1980s as a journalist for a small publishing company cal…
3 years ago
A Cold War escape from Czechoslovakia (279)
Season 16 Episode 279
We return to Dirk’s story from episode 278 with a move to East Berlin following his mother’s divorce from his father.
Dirk finds school life more rela…
3 years ago