BRITS BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN
History of War|Issue 136
At the beginning of the Cold War, a peculiar military mission began its work officially, and unofficially, gathering intelligence inside Soviet-occupied East Germany
ANDREW LONG
BRITS BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN

In September 1946, the British military government of occupied Germany, and its Soviet opposite number, signed an agreement formalising a military liaison between the two newly neighbouring powers. The idea was to create a communications channel to resolve disputes or misunderstandings which could lead to, at best, a diplomatic incident – at worst, a military confrontation. ‘Liaison’ created a pathway for the discussion of issues and resolution of disputes before they escalated out of control. The agreement, which became known as the Robertson-Malinin Agreement (RMA), created reciprocal missions in the British and Soviet zones, accredited to the respective commander-in-chief, and remained in place, unaltered, until German reunification.

The British Mission was called the British Commanders’in-Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces of Occupation in Germany – BRIXMIS, BRX, or to those who served in it, the Mission. The Soviet equivalent in the British zone of West Germany was known as SOXMIS, and similar agreements were made in 1947 with the Americans and the French, creating the US Military Liaison Mission (USMLM) and the Mission Militaire Française de Liaison (MMFL). Together with BRIXMIS, they formed the Allied Military Liaison Missions (AMLMs).

The Mission had two headquarters: a forward HQ in Potsdam, the Mission House, inside the Soviet Zone (later the German Democratic Republic); and a rear HQ, located at the Olympic Stadium in West Berlin. The only way Mission personnel could cross from West to East was via the Glienicke Bridge (the ‘Bridge of Spies’), running the gauntlet of Soviet guards and closely watched by the East German secret police, the infamous Stasi. Their opposite number in Potsdam was the Soviet External Relations Branch (SERB), staffed mainly by GRU and KGB officers.

This story is from the Issue 136 edition of History of War.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the Issue 136 edition of History of War.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM HISTORY OF WARView All
NAUMACHIA TRUTH BEHIND ROME'S GLADIATOR SEA BATTLES
History of War

NAUMACHIA TRUTH BEHIND ROME'S GLADIATOR SEA BATTLES

In their quest for evermore novel and bloody entertainment, the Romans staged enormous naval fights on artificial lakes

time-read
6 mins  |
Issue 138
OPERATION MANNA
History of War

OPERATION MANNA

In late April 1945, millions of Dutch civilians were starving as Nazi retribution for the failed Operation Market Garden cut off supplies. eet as In response, Allied bombers launched a risky mission to air-drop food

time-read
10+ mins  |
Issue 138
GASSING HITLER
History of War

GASSING HITLER

Just a month before the end of WWI, the future Fuhrer was blinded by a British shell and invalided away from the frontline. Over a century later, has the artillery brigade that launched the fateful attack finally been identified?

time-read
8 mins  |
Issue 138
SALAMANCA
History of War

SALAMANCA

After years of largely defensive campaigning, Lieutenant General Arthur Wellesley went on the offensive against a French invasion of Andalusia

time-read
8 mins  |
Issue 138
HUMBERT 'ROCKY'VERSACE
History of War

HUMBERT 'ROCKY'VERSACE

Early in the Vietnam War, a dedicated US Special Forces officer defied his merciless Viet Cong captors and inspired his fellow POWs to survive

time-read
7 mins  |
Issue 138
LEYTE 1944 SINKING THE RISING SUN
History of War

LEYTE 1944 SINKING THE RISING SUN

One of the more difficult island campaigns in WWII's Pacific Theatre saw a brutal months-long fight that exhausted Japan’s military strength

time-read
10+ mins  |
Issue 138
MAD DAWN
History of War

MAD DAWN

How technology transformed strategic thinking and military doctrine from the Cold War to the current day

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 138
BRUSHES WITH ARMAGEDDON
History of War

BRUSHES WITH ARMAGEDDON

Humanity came close to self-annihilation with the Cuban Missile Crisis, Broken Arrows’ and other nuclear near misses

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 138
THE DEADLY RACE
History of War

THE DEADLY RACE

How the road to peace led to an arms contest between the USA and USSR, with prototypes, proliferation and the world’s biggest bomb

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 138
THE MANHATTAN PROJECT
History of War

THE MANHATTAN PROJECT

Einstein, Oppenheimer and the race to beat Hitler to the bomb. How a science project in the desert helped win a war

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 138