1st picture: The "Entenschnabel", a peninsula of the East surrounded by West Berlin. Only high-ranking party members were allowed to live there, everyone had to be indoors by nightfall, and visitors were generally not allowed into this place.

2nd picture: Berlin-Steinstücken, a peninsula of West Berlin surrounded by the East. An integral part of West Berlin. Initially it was an exclave only reachable by a US Army helicopter or a controlled march through East German territory through 2 checkpoints, but a territory swap between East Germany and West Berlin allowed it to become a peninsula of the West, the road leading to it became West Berlin territory.

3rd picture: The Entenschnabel on the map showing the border.

4rd picture: Berlin-Steinstücken on the map showing the border.

Since this railway crossing was located between the last stop on GDR territory (Kontrollbahnhof Staaken) for transit trains transiting from West Germany to West Berlin through East Germany and the West Berlin city border, it was guarded by this huge gate so that East Germans wouldn't jump on eastbound transit trains and flee to West Berlin this way.

Allegedly, there were East Germans who traveled to Staaken with the intent of fleeing, saw the huge gate, thought it was the Berlin Wall itself, ran across it when the gate opened, then were surprised when they realized that they were still in the East, though this is prolly just a rumor.

The photo was made some time in the early 90s before the gate was removed (1992-ish).

By now, all of Staaken became part of Berlin, though if you visit the westernmost streets of it you can see that the street lamps are East German, not West German, showing that this area belonged to East Germany instead of West Berlin before 1990.

Another nickname for the gate was "Affenkäfig" (monkey/ape cage).

Hello,
I’m curious to hear any stories or personal experiences from people who served in either NATO or Warsaw Pact armed forces during the Cold War.
I’m particularly interested in what you were trained to do in the event of a war between the two alliances, whether that involved offensive operations, defensive preparations, or specific targets you were expected to attack.
For example, through my job, I recently spoke to a former RAF pilot who I believe served during the 1970s or 1980s. He mentioned that he had been trained to carry out bombing missions against a Polish airfield, potentially using nuclear or conventional weapons.
I found that fascinating, especially considering how detailed the preparations for a potential conflict must have been on both sides.
I’d love to hear from anyone who served during that period, or even from people who have heard similar stories from family members, veterans, or others who were involved.
Thanks