Hello comrades,
I´m trying to identify the tanks that were involved in the "Berlin Crisis" of 1961 - the U.S. X Soviet faceoff at the Friedrichstrasse ("Checkpoint Charlie"). So far (based in vids and pictures) I´ve been able to identify the following vehicles (vehicle name/ fender codes front left/ fender codes front right/ turret number/ registration/ barrel):

Gen Sherman - BC-40A - F-31 - 31 - U.S.ARMY 9A2969 - 3 stripes
Gen Patton - BC-40A - F-32 - 32 - U.S.ARMY 9A2962 - 3 stripes
Gen Lee - BC-40A - F-35 - 35 - U.S.ARMY 9A ? - 3 stripes
Crazy Horse - BC-40A - F-? - ? - U.S.ARMY 9A ? - ? stripes

As you can see, I´m still missing information about the last two vehicles... could anyone help me?
Thanks,
Marcio Mees (Mees76)

Hi Marcio

Drop me an e-mail and I'll send you a few photos that I have. I think one or two can be somewhat useful, but I don't think that they will answer all of your questions. In return I'd be happy to receive what photos you might have collected on the subject.

Cheers,
/E ( [email protected]

Hi!
I cant give the answer right now, but I would direct you to a homepage of veterans of the Berlin Armored Forces of the US Army:

http://www.turnertankers.org/

You may find an answer there, or there would be someone that could help you.

Andreas

That info would make a great decal set for some very important Cold War tanks.

Have decals ever been produced specifically for the Berlin Crisis Pattons?....sounds like an opportunity for Lawrence Goh.

Hello my friends,
Thanks for your help.

@ Erik: e-mail sent, let´s see if we can find something new in those pictures! Thanks!

@ Andreas : thanks for the link, I´ll try to contact their webmaster. If I find something new I´ll report to this site.

@ Jason: Yes, I agree that it would make for a great decal set... let´s see how much information we can find.

Regards,
Mees76

Marcio,

I hope your in-box will survive.

Looking at the pictures I realize that there are some rotation among the tanks at Checkpoint Charlie.

On some pictures both the forward M48's have the infantry phone box on the rear right fender, while on some only the left tank have it.

Also in one photo the forward left tank is F-32 while in another TK-52.

Also note unit markings on dozer blade.


Anyone who wants the picture can drop me a line.

Cheers,
/E

Hello again my friends,
Right now, I´m reading an excellent book by Frederick Taylor, "The Berlin Wall". And here´s what he says about the october 27-28, ´61 crisis (I´m re-translating from portuguese to english, so please excuse any errors):
"...Both sides effectively ended with ten mobilized tanks each, facing each other in the frontier demarcation line."
" ...The confrontation lasted for 16 hours in a "night of cold drizzle".
" ...at 10h30m AM of the next morning (oct 28), Kruschev talked with marshall Konev (...). Konev told him that the situation at Checkpoint Charlie hadn´t changed. Nobody moved (...), except when the tank crewmembers from both sides got out to a little walk and warm themselves".
In the same day both sides retreated. A picture dated october 30th shows that U.S. tanks remained at the station, but farther from the frontier - and not the same tanks that can be seen in the pictures dated october 28th.
Judging by this, I believe that there wasn´t a rotation of tanks during the "heat" of the crisis. I also believe that some of the pictures that Erik kindly sent to me shows different moments in the history of "the Wall".
One of the most famous pictures of the confrontation, took from a higher point of view (a building, perhaps?) shows tank F-35 ("Gen Lee", equipped with an AN/VSS-1 searchlight and without a dozer blade) in the lead position (closer to the soviets), with three other tanks equipped with dozer blades (one of them F-32, "Gen Patton") staggered behind it..
That´s it for now... i´ll let you know if I find anything new.
Regards,
Mees76

Marcio,

There are a few sec. of film of the tanks in these two clips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pUmfKX3C04&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb9AMndjr2U&feature=related

Looking at the pictures again, I agree with you that it's the same tanks, although they seem to change position with each other on some point. I always thought all tanks on Friedrichstrasse where dozers but now I know that at least F-35 wasn't.

Please keep on posting your findings

Cheers,

/E