Briefing Issue 7- 3/1/26 Steinstucken West Berlin Steinstücken, a quaint hamlet nestled in the southwestern outskirts of Berlin, became one of the most peculiar symbols of Cold War absurdity. Spanning just 12.67 acres (about 0.05 square miles) and home to roughly 200–300 residents during the era, it was a tiny exclave of West Berlin completely surrounded by East German territory. This isolated "island of freedom," as it was sometimes called, highlighted the bizarre border anomalies born from...

Briefing 6- 01/19/2026 Main Gate Merrell Barracks 1984, Photo by M Maans Merrell Barracks, located in Nürnberg (Nuremberg), Germany, was a significant U.S. Army installation during the Cold War era, serving as the headquarters for the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (2nd ACR) from 1952 to 1992. Originally constructed in the late 1930s as an SS Signal School and barracks complex integral to the Nazi Party rally grounds, the site was captured by U.S. forces in April 1945 and renamed in honor of...

Briefing 5- 01/05/2026 The Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSFG), originally known as the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany (GSOFG), represented one of the largest and most strategically significant Soviet military deployments during the Cold War. Established in the aftermath of World War II, it served as a forward-based force to secure Soviet interests in Europe, deter NATO aggression, and maintain control over the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Spanning nearly five decades...