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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ007106S
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00:27 This is where east meets west in the heart of Europe
00:30 this is where Communism and Capitalism clashed 00:34 during the Cold War. 00:35 The crossing point between east and west was called 00:39 Checkpoint Charley was universally known as 00:43 the epicenter of the conflict. 00:45 Throughout its history it was a place of high-tension 00:48 and drama it all began after the II World War with the 00:57 1945 Occupation of Germany. 00:59 The United States and the Soviet Union began to emerge 01:04 as ideologically opposed superpowers. 01:07 Each wanting to exert their influence in the 01:10 Post World War and unfortunately Germany became the focus 01:16 of Cold War Politics. 01:18 It was an era of secrets, spies, espionage, Covid operations, 01:25 agents, and assignations. 01:27 Many agents were operating under cover living double lives 01:32 to infiltrate enemy governments and societies, 01:36 it was a time when information was king and fear 01:40 and uncertainty ruled. 01:42 All this subterfuge, conflict and espionage soon became 01:47 hot property in Hollywood, the James Bond series exploded 01:51 and quickly captivated the world but Hollywood isn't 01:56 real life and for the millions of people affected by 01:59 the politics of the Cold War it was a heart-rending, grinding 02:04 and difficult time. 02:05 Join me on a journey back to the Cold War 02:08 when Checkpoint Charley held center stage 02:12 in the fight for freedom. 02:13 As we take a closer look at the price of freedom 02:16 and what freedom really is and as we do so, you may find 02:22 the freedom you are really looking for. 02:47 In the spring of 1945 as the II World War in Europe 02:52 ground to an end, the full liberating allied forces 02:56 Britain, France, the United States, and Russia 02:59 met in the capital city of Germany, Berlin. 03:03 At the Potsdam Conference held between the 17 of July 03:07 on the 2nd of August 1945, they agreed to divide the city 03:12 into four sectors, each one controlled by one of the 03:16 occupying forces, however, Britain, France, and the US 03:20 soon decided to join their sectors. 03:23 It was only meant to be a temporary solution but the 03:27 four occupying zones in Berlin quickly led to a 03:31 divided city and a divided nation. 03:33 Although the invasions, shootings, and bombings 03:37 of World War II had ended, there soon arose a tension 03:40 in the city and a new kind of conflict in the Post War Era. 03:44 Shortly after the end of the war in October 1945 03:49 the famous English Writer George Orwell wrote about 03:53 the new threat of Nuclear Warfare between the two 03:56 Super Powers and used the term Cold War in his article 04:02 You and the Atomic Bomb. 04:03 The world had quickly become divided into two hostile camps 04:08 dominated by the two super powers the United States 04:12 and the Soviet Union. 04:14 The name Chosen for this Geo-Political confrontation 04:18 between the two World Super Powers was George Orwell's 04:22 term "The Cold War." 04:24 Even though the USA and USSR had been allies and fought 04:29 on the same side during World War II there was soon 04:32 tension and animosity between the two governments 04:36 and the opposing systems they represented. 04:38 The US wanted to curb the spread of Communism, 04:42 the Russian style of government in the world while the U.S.S.R. 04:46 wanted to spread its influence as far as possible. 04:50 The First Russian Control Communist sect-like government 04:55 was formed in Poland in 1947 followed by Bulgaria, Romania, 05:01 Hungary, Yugoslavia, and other eastern countries including 05:05 Czechoslovakia. 05:07 So to combat the Communist pressure the U.S. held Greece 05:12 and Turkey fold capitalist governments in 1947. 05:16 But it was Germany whose government was centered here 05:21 at the Right Star that became the focus of Cold War politics 05:25 and the super-power rivalry. 05:27 The country was soon divided into two independent nations 05:31 East Germany and West Germany and tensions escalated in 05:36 the U.S. controlled West Berlin sector that was completely 05:40 surrounded by East Germany that was now under 05:44 the control of Russia. 05:46 The Berlin Blockade was one of the first major international 05:50 crises of the Cold War. In 1948 the Russian forces blocked 05:56 the Western Allied railways, road, and canal access to the 06:01 now surrounded and besieged West Berlin 06:04 so the allies organized the Berlin Air-Lift. 06:08 For 15 months, planes known as Candy- Bombers flew more than 06:14 250,000 times to West Berlin bringing thousands of tons 06:19 of necessary supplies of fuel and food to the people 06:24 The Cold War was truly underway. 06:27 And although there was no official war declared between 06:31 the two superpowers, the U.S. and Russia fought indirectly 06:36 in proxy wars in Korea and Vietnam. 06:39 The two powers also competed to get the upper hand on their 06:44 military might dramatically increasing their defense forces 06:48 and military spending. 06:50 The race was on to create for the best weapons for war 06:54 and to develop nuclear bombs in case of an attack. 06:57 By 1949 the U.S.S.R. began testing its nuclear weapons 07:02 followed by the U.S.A.'s test of the first hydrogen bomb in 1950. 07:08 The fear in the U.S.A. of the spread of the Russian communism 07:12 and the threat of nuclear attacks was palpable and soon 07:16 created the perfect environment for espionage. 07:19 It quickly became a vital under- taking by both superpowers 07:24 to protect the national security and hopefully prevent another 07:29 major World War. 07:30 Then the Cold War almost became hot in 1961, between 1959 07:38 and 1961 CIA agents in the U.S.A. recruited and trained 07:44 1,500 Cuban exiles to overthrow Fidel Castro, the president 07:50 of Communist Cuba. The fowled incident was dubbed 07:55 The Bay of Pigs Invasion. 07:57 Then Russia decided to set up nuclear missile sites launches 08:03 in Communist Cuba aimed at all the major cities of the U.S.A. 08:07 it was called the Cuban Missile Crisis and is considered 08:12 the most critically dangerous event in the Cold War. 08:16 Diplomacy between the U.S. President Kennedy and the 08:21 Russian President Khrushchev under the guidance of 08:24 the United Nations President averted a crisis, it was decided 08:29 that America would not attack Cuba and in turn Russia 08:34 would withdraw missile stations from Cuba. 08:37 After this precarious event, many world leaders wanted a ban 08:43 on nuclear weapons. A hotline was soon established between 08:46 the Kremlin and the White House to encourage both countries 08:50 to refrain from nuclear war. 08:53 But the Cold War continued to thrive due to simmering tensions 08:58 caused by the ongoing issue of the undivided Germany. 09:02 The city of East Berlin was the capital of East Germany 09:06 and under the control of the Soviets, while the city of 09:11 West Berlin an isolated island some 180 kilometers behind 09:15 the Iron Curtain or border between East and West Germany 09:19 was protected by the Allied Forces. 09:23 East Germany was known as the German Democratic Republic 09:28 and its leader Walter Ulbricht had been part of the German 09:32 Communist Party from 1919 the year it was founded. 09:37 Ulbricht was a hardline Stalinist whose goal was to make 09:42 East Germany a model Socialist State. 09:45 For 16 years after the end of World War II 09:49 the sector boundary was an almost invisible border 09:53 marked only by the occasional painted line. 09:57 Then without warning in 1961 Ulbricht directed the building 10:03 of the Berlin Wall to stop the flood of people from 10:06 East Germany leaving the Communist dictatorship 10:10 for a life of freedom in the West Germany. 10:12 Now, what made this wall so extraordinary was the speed 10:17 at which it was built. In the early hours of August 1961 10:23 10,000 East German soldiers were sent into the streets 10:27 of Berlin and began to seal the border and its crossings 10:31 between the eastern Soviet occupied zone of Berlin and the 10:35 Western American and British, and French-controlled sectors. 10:40 But it wasn't just one wall, but two measuring 155 kilometers 10:47 or 96 miles long and four meters or 13 feet tall 10:52 these walls were separated by a heavily guarded and mined 10:57 corridor of land known as the "Death Strip." 11:00 When people in Berlin woke up on the 13th of August 1961 11:06 they suddenly found themselves on one side or the other 11:10 of the wall. The Berlin Wall divided a city of people 11:15 and the world tearing apart families and friends. 11:19 People in East Berlin had lost their freedom to travel 11:23 in a sense, the wall created the largest prison in the world. 11:29 The Berlin Wall soon became a powerful symbol of the Cold War 11:34 and divided Germany from 1961 to 1989. 11:39 The building of the Berlin Wall now made the border between 11:43 east and west a militarized border and the most famous 11:47 border was Checkpoint Charlie. 11:50 This was now the Cold War frontline and became 11:54 an iconic symbol of the division of Germany. 11:57 On the 22nd of October, 1961 soon after the wall was built, 12:04 for the first time, members of the American military mission 12:08 were asked to show their identity cards when they 12:11 drove into East Berlin. 12:12 The Americans refused as it breached an 12:16 international agreement but their vehicle was stopped. 12:19 In retaliation the Americans stopped Soviet vehicles from 12:25 entering West Berlin, there was a tense combat alert as US and 12:30 Russian tanks faced each other until the 27th of October, 1961. 12:36 when the tanks retreated to their own side of the 12:39 checkpoint. 12:41 Now, life in East Germany before the war went up was tough, 12:46 but as soon as the barbed wire was rolled out the escapes began. 12:51 Some just jumped over the barbed wire as it was laid out 12:55 before the concrete barricades were built but they had to 12:59 become more inventive once the wall was erected. 13:02 They didn't just escape over the wall, in the 28 years that 13:07 the wall divided the city, spy tunnels and more than 13:11 seventy escape tunnels were built underneath the wall 13:15 and around 300 people managed to escape through these tunnels 13:18 to freedom. But it's the Mauer Museum that is known around 13:24 the world for its extensive collection of historical items 13:28 from the time of a divided Berlin and its assembly 13:31 of its amazing inventive ways people found to escape. 13:36 One of the early successful escapee's was 22-year old 13:41 Joachim Rudolph. One night he waded through a river, 13:46 crawled through a field, and hid from the border guards 13:49 until he had crossed the border into West Germany. 13:53 But what makes his escape so remarkable is that two months 13:58 later when the young engineering student is safe and studying 14:02 at the West Berlin University a couple of Italian students 14:06 asked Joachim to work with them to tunnel back into East Berlin 14:10 to help some other friends and family escape. 14:14 Joachim willingly worked with them to build not one 14:18 but two tunnels and despite being betrayed, 14:22 the group eventually assisted 29 people to escape from 14:26 the east. One of the transport carts used in the tunnels 14:30 can still be seen today. 14:32 People found novel and sometimes virtually impossible ways to 14:38 escape, take for example this Esetta, it doesn't look like 14:43 your usual escape vehicle and certainly doesn't have enough 14:48 space to hide a passenger. 14:50 But space was made for a person to hide by taking out 14:54 the manifold, the heating system and changing the 14:58 position of the exhaust pipe. Six times people escaped to the 15:02 west in one of these tiny Esetta's. 15:05 Curt Wardeau used a larger vehicle, using three VW 1200s 15:12 like this one was a hidden area just large enough for a person 15:16 to hide in the Bonnet. Curt smuggled 55 people out of 15:22 East Germany between 1964 to 1966. 15:26 Another successful escape plan involved this Opal P4 Van 15:31 that carried five people across the border. 15:35 The car had armor plating placed on the sides and the rear 15:39 the insides of the door were filled with concrete 15:43 so it was now virtually a bullet proof vehicle. 15:46 The driver then just drove straight through the 15:50 border crossing to freedom despite being shot at by 15:54 the border guards. 15:56 In 1977 singer Renate Hagen was helped to escape East Berlin 16:02 by hiding in one of the loud speaker boxes in the back 16:06 of a station wagon. 16:07 In their desperate attempts to escape and find freedom 16:12 some went over the wall others went under the wall, 16:15 Peter Faust went around the wall. 16:18 In 1988 Peter escaped in an inflatable boat with a surf sail 16:24 built of hockey sticks. He sailed past post guards 16:28 on the Baltic Sea to freedom. 16:30 In just 16 minutes this ultra- lite was used in a 16:35 daring mission by two brothers they flew into East Berlin 16:39 picked up another brother, and landed safely back 16:43 in the park near the Right Stock in West Berlin all completed 16:47 in just 16 minutes. 16:49 One night Hans Strillzik a former aircraft mechanic 16:54 was watching a TV program about the history of Hot Air ballooning 16:58 it gave him an idea, he long wanted to escape East Germany 17:03 and perhaps this could be the way. 17:06 So with his friend Gunter Wetzel they built a hot-air balloon 17:10 engine from four old propane cylinders. Their wives stitched 17:15 the balloon together out of pieces of old canvas and 17:18 bed sheets. Then on the 16th of September 1979 the two couples 17:24 and their four children floated over the border at 2,400 meters 17:29 they landed safely in Bavaria in West Germany. 17:33 The desire for freedom lies well-entrenched deep within 17:39 the human heart, thousands of citizens of East Germany 17:43 tried to escape across the Berlin Wall between 1961 and 1988. 17:49 Only around 300 successfully escaped but sadly more than 17:55 100 of them were shot and killed by the GDI Border Guards 18:00 or died in other ways during their escape attempt. 18:04 One summer's day on the 17th of August, 1962 18:09 a year after the construction of the Berlin Wall 18-year-old 18:13 Peter Fechter and his friend Helmut Kulbeik attempted 18:17 to flee from East Germany. They jumped out of a window 18:21 in Zimmerstrasse and on to the death-strip, the two young men 18:25 then raced across it and started to climb over the two meter wall 18:29 that was topped with barbed- wire into West Berlin 18:33 right near Checkpoint Charlie. 18:35 As they began to climb the wall, the East German border guards 18:40 fired at them, although Kulbeik succeeded in crossing over 18:44 the wall, Fetcher was shot in the pelvis. 18:47 Hundreds of witnesses watched helplessly as Fetcher fell 18:52 back into the death-strip on the East German side. 18:55 Despite his screams for help, Fetcher received no medical 19:00 assistance from the East German side and could not be 19:03 tended to by those on the west side. 19:06 Although the West German police threw him bandages, 19:09 he bled to death after approximately one hour. 19:13 At a memorial near the old border commemorates his death 19:19 and there are many others who lost their lives trying to 19:22 escape to freedom. Finally in 1989 the wall came down. 19:28 The fall of the Berlin Wall and its dismantling ended the 19:33 longest conflict of the 20th century, 19:35 it was a pivotal moment in the history of modern Europe. 19:39 On the 22nd of June, 1990 Check- point Charlie was dismantled. 19:45 Foreign ministers and military commandants from both 19:49 east and west watched as a crane-hoist transported the 19:54 infamous porta-cabin which had guarded the crossing point 19:57 for nearly three decades to the heart of what was the American 20:01 consector. The Cold War had come to an end in the lead-up 20:07 to the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. 20:10 Here in Kleighaleah is the 1998 sculpture called 20:16 The Day the Wall Came Down, it's a memorial to the time of 20:21 9th of November, 1989 when The Berlin Wall was neutralized. 20:26 The statue of the five wild horses jumping over actual 20:31 remains of the Wall is a symbol of freedom today. 20:36 The founder of Communism Karl Marx had a dream to liberate 20:40 millions and instead his writings and philosophy 20:44 were used to create an empire that for decades was one of the 20:49 greatest repressors of human freedom that the world 20:52 has ever seen, it was this empire that created the 20:57 despised Berlin Wall. 20:59 As the miles and miles of wall were going up 21:02 the Soviets and their East German government argued that 21:06 they weren't there to keep people in, no they said, 21:10 it's been created to keep spies out. Very logical except for 21:16 one thing, the communist guards at the wall, had their backs 21:20 to the west side while they were facing the east, 21:23 the communist side. Far from keeping spies out, 21:27 they were keeping their own people locked in. 21:30 Thousands of tons of concrete and steel were created 21:35 for only one purpose, to stifle the freedom of the millions 21:40 of people behind it, the wall was a symbol of oppression. 21:45 Then in late 1989 many of those people took their 21:50 sledge hammers and began smashing down the wall, 21:53 it was a powerful symbol for the desire for human freedom. 21:58 That desire for freedom was so great that despite the danger 22:04 many risked their lives to cross the wall, the lure of freedom 22:08 was so strong that thousands attempted to cross it. 22:12 Hundreds of others died seeking the kind of freedoms that 22:17 we so often take for granted. 22:21 There's a basic longing in the human heart for freedom, 22:26 we all want to be free and yet if history has taught us 22:30 anything it's that freedom isn't easy to come by. 22:34 Now in the context of this whole question of freedom, 22:39 I'd like to read a quote about freedom in the Bible Book 22:42 of John, Jesus said... 22:50 Now Jesus is talking about a different kind of freedom 22:55 a freedom independent of Politics, a freedom that 22:58 no government, whether a liberal Western Democracy 23:02 or a Communist Regime can give to anyone, 23:06 and even more importantly it's a freedom that no one can 23:11 take away either. 23:13 You see freedom is a big deal to God, God made us to be free 23:19 He wants us to live in freedom, He doesn't want us enslaved 23:23 to guilt or resentment or the pain of our past or 23:27 anything else, He wants us to live free. 23:30 Let me tell you something, the biggest prison was 23:35 not behind the Berlin Wall, the biggest prisons in life 23:39 aren't physical, they are the mental prisons in your mind. 23:43 Maybe it's a relationship you feel trapped in, 23:46 maybe it's debt that you can't escape, 23:49 maybe it's a habit you can't seem to shake, 23:52 or an addiction you can't break, 23:54 maybe it's a painful memory you can't forget, 23:58 no matter what kind of prison you are in, you need a way out 24:02 and Jesus is your doorway to freedom and life. 24:08 And you know what, we can have it right now, freedom and the 24:13 assurance of eternal life through what Jesus has done 24:16 for us. Remember though we were created free, 24:21 we've all sinned and made mistakes in that freedom 24:25 but the good news is that Jesus paid the penalty for those 24:29 sins and mistakes as so when we accept Him as our Saviour 24:33 we walk away free of guilt, free from condemnation, 24:37 free from the fear of eternal death. 24:41 Just as Checkpoint Charlie was the way to freedom 24:45 for many behind the wall, so Jesus is our Checkpoint 24:50 to freedom and the only way to forgiveness, grace, 24:53 peace, and the abundant life. 24:56 Many feel freedom is worth anything and Jesus was willing 25:01 to give everything for you. 25:04 He was willing to give everything so that you 25:07 can be free for eternity. 25:10 He opened the door to real freedom where we find release 25:14 from fear, condemnation, and the bitterness, anger, 25:19 loneliness, grief, addictions, hurts, and habits that 25:24 hold us back in life. He loved us so much our freedom was 25:29 worth His sacrifice on the cross 25:32 Jesus wants us to enjoy an experience and abundant life 25:37 and a life of freedom. 25:39 In the Gospel Book of John it says... 25:51 If you would like to experience the freedom that Jesus offers, 25:55 then I'd like to recommend the free gift we have for all our 25:59 Incredible Journey viewers today, it's the booklet 26:03 Freedom Worth the Sacrifice. This booklet is our gift to you 26:09 and is absolutely free, I guarantee there are no costs 26:13 or obligations whatsoever. 26:15 So, make the most of this wonderful opportunity to receive 26:19 your free gift today. 26:21 Phone or text 0436.333.555 in Australia or 020.422.2042 26:32 in New Zealand, or 770.800.0266 in the United States 26:39 or visit our website tij.tv or simply scan the QR Code 26:45 on your screen and we'll send you today's free offer 26:48 totally free of charge and with no obligation. 26:51 You can also write to us at GPO Box 274, Sydney NSW 26:57 2001, Australia or PO Box 76673 Manukau, Auckland 27:04 2241 New Zealand, or PO Box 888717 Atlanta, 27:11 Georgia 30356 USA. 27:14 You can also email us at info@tij.tv. 27:19 Don't delay, call or text us now. 27:22 If you've enjoyed your journey to Berlin's Checkpoint Charlie 27:28 the front line of the Cold War, and our reflections on the 27:31 human longing for freedom that only Jesus can provide, 27:35 then be sure to join us again next week when we will share 27:39 another of life's journey's together, until then let's pray 27:44 to the only one who can give us true freedom. 27:48 Dear Heavenly Father, We thank you for the freedom 27:52 you give us to choose life we all want to be free 27:56 but freedom isn't always easy. We want to claim your promise 28:01 that you can indeed make us free. 28:05 Help us now to choose You to choose that freedom that You 28:09 so graciously offer us. I ask this in Jesus' name. 28:13 Amen! |
Revised 2024-10-24