Day X referred to East German plans for military conquest of West Berlin during the 1970s and 80s. In the latter part of the Cold War, detailed plans existed to attack and conquer West Berlin on a moment’s notice in case of a military conflict. Only the highest-ranking members of East German leadership had full knowledge of it. The plans were top-secret and did not come to lights until after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and German reunification in 1990. To head off discovery, most details were communicated only verbally. Few documents survived. Most were shredded. Only one document with Erich Mielke’s handwriting survived. He was the head of the Stasi, East Germany’s state security service.
Role of the Kaiserdamm Brücke on Day X
Ultimate key to the success of the takeover of West Berlin on Day X was a bridge located in the British sector of the city, called the Kaiserdamm Brücke (Emperor’s bridge). For twenty-one years, I lived a short walk from the bridge, completely unaware until recently, that this bridge could have played a vital part in the invasion of West Berlin, and possibly of West Germany and even Western Europe. The reason the Kaiserdamm Brücke played a key role was that by putting the bridge out of commission, the western allies would have been isolated in their respective sectors, unable to coordinate a defense of West Berlin. With the French located in the north of Berlin, the Americans in the south and the British in the central part of the city, the 32,000 East German soldiers, earmarked for the offensive, would have had time to fortify their positions and take over strategic functions before the western allies could react. Growing up in Berlin, I remember how we always feared the possibility of such an attack. But I didn’t dream that I practically lived at the epicenter of the happening.
View of transit corridor from Kaiserdamm Bruecke toward Neue Kantstrasse in 1996. The bridge was considered vital to the successful takeover of West Berlin on Day X. Photo © J. Elke Ertle, https://www.walled-in-berlin.com
Details of the Takeover on Day X
Day X called for completion of a takeover of West Berlin within only 24 hours. Detailed plans existed for East German paratroopers to occupy West Berlin’s three airports: Gatow, Tegel, and Tempelhof. Any resistance was to be broken immediately. West Berlin’s key politicians, top office holder in enforcement, the media, economy, science, and technology were to be imprisoned. Over 600 staffers, loyal to the Communist Party, were to assume their functions. Duplicate keys for the various city halls had been secured, and a new wartime currency was ready to be issued. Little was left to chance.
Insuring Readiness on Day X
The East German National People’s Army (Nationale Volksarmee or NVA) conducted frequent maneuvers for the successful implementation of Day X. The operation was overseen by the Ministry for State Security or MfS, commonly known as the Stasi, the state security service of the East German Republic under the leadership of Erich Fritz Emil Mielke.
Blitzkrieg against Western Europe
Attacking and conquering West Berlin was not the only objective. Warsaw Pact members also planned a simultaneous blitzkrieg against Western Europe. In that blitzkrieg, the NVA and MfS were to first bring West Berlin under complete control, then its troops were reach the Rhine River within seven days. Today, documentation relative to Day X is kept in the Bundesarchiv – Militaerarchiv in Freiburg, Germany.
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Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing the events that engulfed Berlin during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my equally insurmountable parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. harmony, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.
Tags: Cold War. Day X. East German Takeover of West Berlin, Emperor's bridge, Erich Mielke, Kaiserdamm Bruecke, Militaerarchiv in Freiburg, Stasi
