9 November 1989

On 9 November 1989 it was a classic communication stuff up by (irony of ironies) the Propaganda Minister of the East German Politburo, Gunther Schabowski, that was the final catalyst for one of the most significant events of the 20th Century: the fall of the Berlin Wall.

I was stationed in Berlin at the time, serving as a 'liaison officer' with the British Military Liaison Mission to the Soviet Forces in East Germany.

"The Mission" was the unit responsible for collecting intelligence in the former East Germany throughout the Cold War, and particularly in its dying moments.

This account (PDF 580Kb - which may be a little slow to load) of the fall of the Berlin Wall may therefore provide something of a unique perspective on events.

Or you can download the article by clicking here.

A small number of my scanned images can be found in my Fall of the Berlin Wall gallery.

You can find more information on the history of 'The Mission' at www.brixmis.co.uk.