[Tailback]

I did the Berlin trip in April after the wall fell. The stores were something else. Stand in line to tell them what you wanted to buy, then stand in another line to pay for it.

Seeing buildings not fixed since WWII shows just how poor they were.

Do you remember the AFRTS PSA announcements warning about the “Trabbis” on the autobahn? LOL!

[Egon]

Do you remember the AFRTS PSA announcements warning about the "Trabbis" on the autobahn? LOL!

I do!

I also remember the first time I saw one driving on there. The look on their faces as people zipped by them was priceless.

[MasterGunner01]

The Trabant was another shining example of socialist automotive engineering by the East German government. It was designed of some kind of composite material that was molded into the body. Powered by a wheezing, 2 cycle engine, it was a polluter of the first order. The hardware and trim would fall off by itself. Yet, it was the only car that East Germans could buy and you put your name on the waiting list. You waited sometimes six years or more for a chance to buy one of these junkers. Ironically, Trabants are now collectibles because most of them were scrapped after the fall of the Berlin Wall and East Germany's reunification with West Germany.

[antidisestablishment]

I was stationed in Germany when the wall fell, as well. They cancelled our leave, so we never made the trip to the East.

I do remember stories of the first Soviet leaders touring our base under Glasnost and Perestroika. One of our officers was surprised when a Russian General asked why America had such an enormous number of officers. While their entourage had a significant number of officers, there were many NCOs, but the General wasn’t looking at the personnel. Turned out, he was looking at the parking lot and assumed every car was owned by an officer!