Cold War Conversations Pete - a BRIXMIS driver behind enemy lines in East Germany (203)
Pete Curran served with BRIXMIS, the British Military Liaison Mission in East Germany. Their operation was established by a post-WWII Allied occupation forces' agreement, where British, US and French missions had relative freedom to travel and collect intelligence throughout East Germany from 1947 until 1990.
Pete’s story starts with details of his vetting interview, driver training, and his first tour in East Germany. We also hear of the intelligence scoops he was involved in and some of his close scrapes while evading both the Soviets and the Stasi including one with a Soviet helicopter.
We also hear of the role of the driver in the three-man teams, the incredible camaraderie of the unit, as well as the pressure on their loved ones.
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I am delighted to welcome Pete Curran to our Cold War conversation…
UK BRIXMIS books https://amzn.to/3ljkK6I
US BRIXMIS books https://amzn.to/3ae2HZs
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If you are interested in East Germany we can highly recommend our friends over at Radio GDR.
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0:00 Introduction and guest introduction: Pete Curran
3:00 Pete Curran's journey into BRIXMIS and training experiences
8:40 Pete's first posting to Berlin and impressions
15:21 Role of the Mission House and Pete's first mission to East Germany
20:02 Interactions with other military liaison missions and vehicle maintenance
24:45 Driver's decision-making authority and tour operations
28:07 Memorable incidents during tours: The Halle Incident and evading a helicopter
35:40 Reflections on the Andreotti incident and sharing experiences with other drivers
41:40 Interactions with East German citizens and encounters with UK civilian vehicles
45:29 The day the Berlin Wall came down and aftermath
54:06 The camaraderie amongst the BRIXMIS and souvenirs from the time
56:14 Acknowledgment of patrons and closing remarks
57:21 Store advertisement and final goodbye
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