Brilliant Gavin , it’s just reminded me that quite a few of us spent many hours waiting at one of those Commie Block border guard windows in all types of weather throughout the day and sometimes during the middle of the night. No doubt you will remember the rows of Dragons Teeth, those concrete anti tank defences that stretched all the way along the border with it’s double barbed wire fences and those watch towers which always appeared to be manned. I always seemed to breath a sigh of relief whenever I crossed The Iron Curtain back into the civilised world of West Germany.
One of my favourite transit routes across Europe was on The Prinz Line Ferry from Harwich to Bremerhaven or Hamburg on the overnight crossing.
I.I.R.C. The Prinz Uberon or The Prinz Eugene used to dock in Hamburg at about 8 a.m. and after getting the carnet stamped you could usually clear the docks and you could be at the East German border at Ratzeburg within a couple of hours. As you were now on one of the West Berlin Corridors the West Germans never asked to see or stamp your West German permit, they would give you a tank shine if you asked for one but I think that it was only on the odd occasion that they would ask how many litres of fuel you had when you were returning. The other Corridor route at Helmstedt was also a bit more “laid back” compared to other borders like Aachen or Bad Reichenhall.
As you know, there was such a marked difference crossing from West Germany, The Federal Republic into D.D.R. the Deutsch Democratic Republic. The couple of hundred meters or so from one border post to the next was like stepping into a different world, a world that was at least thirty years behind the West. Comparing the efficient and immaculately dressed West German officials to the sometimes shabbily dressed ill fitting drab uniforms of the Eastern Block squaddies was like comparing chalk and cheese. The East German border guards appeared to be watching your every move, armed soldiers with their A.K. 47’s and a couple of Alsatian dogs were always to be seen around the place. The cabin control was always implemented with books being shaken in case anything was being hidden between the pages, sleeping bags were often turned inside out to make sure that you weren’t bringing in anything that was prohibited into the country. Trailers and trailer boxes were searched with teapots often getting a quick inspection or a good look inside. After you had pulled along side a gantry, one of the soldiers often crawled underneath the trailer with a torch and a mirror on a stick or a dog would be sent out for a good sniff around. One of the soldiers would climb up onto the gantry to make sure that there were no rips or tares in the roof of the tilt (where no spies could be hiding ), another one would walk around pulling the tilt cord and the laces that joined the tilt cover together. This always took at least half an hour to be processed and then it was into a land where some of the main roads were still cobbled, where police watch towers were sometimes seen along side the road, where the police used to watch you through binoculars, this was the land of the Trabant.
Where is Laurence, he explains it how it was a lot better than this.
I am wondering if I ever met him did you ever have any connections with Hastings Laurence.
The thing I always remember about the border posts was the curtains, that looked like your old granny had donated them, but not washed them, the silence of the driver at the window amongst a constant rabble of slavic and uralic with a smidgin of English. The dim lit offices and the dark roads into the borders. It was quite intimidating for a first or second tripper, the young soldiers were more scared of us though but that didnt come across at first.
I was a little later in years so normally ran the gauntlet across to Waidhaus on Belgian Red or cheap Greek. I used Furth im Wald once and decided that the border crossing was much easier at Waidhaus or Cheb. I was never intimidated between the Eastern borders, it was just the crossing from West to East
What you guys are saying about the border guards and watch towers is missing just one thing, although they viewed us with suspicion, they were watching their own people far more than they were watching ‘visitors’, apart from the anti tank defences, most of the Iron Curtain was to stop people getting out, not getting in
The same goes for the big roads, every one wide enough to be used as a runway, they really took the Cold War seriously and DDR was one of the most strict Commie regimes, possibly because of its proximity to the ‘evil’ west
G.S. mushrooman! how dare you comment on the Laurence thread!!! Only playing guys! thanks to you all for telling the tales. now this is what its all about! You guys give a good account of what it was like back in the day ,thank you. G.S. and the rest of you guys who did it did it ever get less intimidating? Like the 1st few times getting pulled into the scanner at the tunnel,my 1st few times its like OMG hope no one got in! then after a few tugs its all “stuff it! ive done everything possible!”
Again lads please keep them coming and i know Laurence would welcome them also as you guys very well know too. Its all good fun.
Here are some pictures of the Herleshausen border that you mention Gavin, taken about 87, I use to get the boat from Sheerness to Vilissigen (Flushing) in Holland and run down through Essen ,Kassel ect on my way to first stop Liepzig. Not many 40ft parked in the 5* mecure hotel, from there did a eastern european tour takening in the delights of Hungary, Yugosalvia before finally ending up in Kayseri south eastern Turkey.The way back was via Romania and a detour to Poland the first trip was nearly 6 weeks and I then did one other trip before it was deamed not cost or time effective. I was an interloper not a real truck driver but the few trips i did where intresting to say the least and some thing I wont forget, (getting a 3300 Daf through the DDR customs with no paper work still do not believe I did it but thats another story) even though its nearly 25 years ago. i also have included a DDR entry stamp which with these two pictures is unfortunatly the only momentos I have left.
Hi guys, can some of you guys write about your tales and mishaps along the road. Even just a tale about a 1st run etc. The longer the better plus pics if you have them. Did anyone on this thread do Russia before the fall or Iran/packistan back in the day? Just to keep it jogging along till Laurence gets his Story typed up. Sorry for all the questions! John
I don’t recall using the word *rse in my e-mails to you, but whatever as it seemed to have the desired effect …
I will trundle along now and have a read on your website, as i suspect a few other chaps on here will also do.
Steve ( Gray ).
Only joking!
Laurence
I know that mate.
Here is a bit of useless trivia, i have just noticed that after i spent a little time on Google and initially contacted you, you posted your very first piece on here on my birthday, the 13th. October. Well i think that is reason enough for me to go out and have a few cold Singhas…so goodnight to all.
, it’s just reminded me that quite a few of us spent many hours waiting at one of those Commie Block border guard windows in all types of weather throughout the day and sometimes during the middle of the night. No doubt you will remember the rows of Dragons Teeth, those concrete anti tank defences that stretched all the way along the border with it’s double barbed wire fences and those watch towers which always appeared to be manned. I always seemed to breath a sigh of relief whenever I crossed The Iron Curtain back into the civilised world of West Germany.
), another one would walk around pulling the tilt cord and the laces that joined the tilt cover together. This always took at least half an hour to be processed and then it was into a land where some of the main roads were still cobbled, where police watch towers were sometimes seen along side the road, where the police used to watch you through binoculars, this was the land of the Trabant.
did you ever have any connections with Hastings Laurence.
you think that somebody would of done an oil change change on them every couple of years or so 
