Occupied Berlin, 1945-1990 Allied Forces (US, British, French, Soviet)
Article about: I wanted to start a thread about the Occupying Forces in the City of Berlin from 1945 up to reunification in the 1990s. There are some members here who served in the Occupied City, myself in
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When our regiment took over Buck House duties in 1971 while the 'Coldstream Guards' were in Northern Ireland, we were issued with some items of new 'kit' to smarten ourselves up a bit. We used our No 2's uniform, although all of us who had earned trade badges finally got them. I received my Bofors gun '1st class Layers badge' and also my Signallers badge. Other new attire was white nylon web belts with chrome buckles sporting a gold coloured Royal Artillery badge. We also got white nylon rifle slings, bayonet frogs, and bayonets with a chromed blade. New leather soled and steel studded boots were issued too. Our method of 'bulling' was as per instructions issued by the Coldstream Guards RSM who was also teaching us our 'drill' for the changing of the guard ceremonies at the Palace, and the 'keys' ceremony at the Tower of London. The leather of the new boots had a dimpled finish - apart from toe cap and heel - and all this was burned off using a spoon warmed up with a candle. 'Kiwi' shoe polish was then melted onto the leather - again using a warmed up spoon. 'Cherry Blossom' shoe polish was too greasy and difficult to shine up, so we never bothered with that. Some squaddies tried to cheat by using 'Liquid Gold', a high gloss polish in clear liquid form which was intended for application to wooden furniture... but woe betide anyone caught using it! Once the polish had been evenly spread over the leather, the process of good old 'spit n polish' began. Using a yellow duster and a dab of polish, you would spit on the boot and then proceed to polish with a duster in tight, circular movements until you aquared a high gloss finish that you could see your reflection in.
Cheers,
Steve
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Excellent report Steve,,
The US Army had similar techniques as far as stripping down the boots and then building them up again with layers and layers of KIWI shoe polish. We used to use cold water and cotton balls with kiwi applied to them and then again as you mentioned slow circles on the toe caps and heels of the boots until it was nearly a mirror.
We also had some Soldiers try to cheat the system with future floor wax. They would pour it on the caps and heels and it dried very nicely,, however if it rained or you got any water on them they would turn purple as the wax would get wet..
Had one Soldier do that and all was well until it started to rain on the parade field and then his boots turned bright purple.. Later that night he learned his lesson and spent several hours stripping down his boots and properly spit shining them for the next mornings parade formation...,
Smitty
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by
Rakkasan187
Excellent report Steve,,
The US Army had similar techniques as far as stripping down the boots and then building them up again with layers and layers of KIWI shoe polish. We used to use cold water and cotton balls with kiwi applied to them and then again as you mentioned slow circles on the toe caps and heels of the boots until it was nearly a mirror.
We also had some Soldiers try to cheat the system with future floor wax. They would pour it on the caps and heels and it dried very nicely,, however if it rained or you got any water on them they would turn purple as the wax would get wet..
Had one Soldier do that and all was well until it started to rain on the parade field and then his boots turned bright purple.. Later that night he learned his lesson and spent several hours stripping down his boots and properly spit shining them for the next mornings parade formation...,
Smitty
I have seen (and I am Steve has too) the same thing with a floor shine product called Jewel that even used to make bubbles. Another more durable method was a floor shine product called clear which was a bit like a varnish but it too was soluble in the rain. Worst of the lot was a German paint product called Morello which produced something like a patent leather finish.
They were all terrible and used only by lazy individuals with little idea of a good turnout and all could be spotted from a distance by the experienced eye. We used to say "bull baffles brains" and it is certainly true that in most cases if your hat and boots are in good order you can get away with murder in between
Regards
Mark
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing he cares more about than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature with no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
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I remember when I was in training at Woolwich in February 1969, and we had an absolute bastard of a drill instructor... Sgt Maw was his name, five feet nothing of pure venom. Well they had to be like that when in training didn't they? You had to learn to obey without question. It was relatively easy for me - the drill and all aspects of training. After all, I had spent five years in the Army Cadets, the latter part as an instructor. I was a qualified marksman, I could map read with a compass, and I knew all about bulling kit for inspection. The Bren - which was still in use - was something that I knew like the back of my hand. I always kept quiet about all this, it doesn't do to be seen as a smart-arse when you join up... it can lead to trouble. I remember an incident that happened part way through our training when we had to get our kit ready for an important parade. One of the lads had spent ages on his boots and they were absolutely gleaming. Sgt Maw walked in our room and paced up and down, glaring at anyone who so much as gave him a glance. He spotted the lad who had got his boots gleaming and strode over to him... he picked one of the boots up and examined it: 'You've been using Liquid Gold you lazy cu*t, haven't you?' he barked out. The poor lad protested his innocence, but Maw was having none of it. He picked up the boot and smashed the toe cap down on the edge of a table with such force that the carefully applied layers of polish, cracked and started peeling off. Maw looked at it and said: 'OOPS!'
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Love the boot's Leigh, I thought maybe it was the Army's way to stay stylish during the platform shoe craze!!!!
I bettcha they did sound good on cobble stone. All in unison!
Nice parade uniform.
Semper Fi
Phil
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Nice pictures of a very scary period of post war history! Thanks for showing.
The only ration card I got issued with in Germany was for cigarettes, we were allowed 140 a week if I remember correctly. 'Johnny Walker' red label whisky could be purchased rather cheaply in the NAAFI, and a mate of mine had a German girlfriend who was very partial to a drop. She was saving up to go to university, and to earn a bit more cash she worked in the local 'knocking shop' situated on the Linienstrasse not far from Dortmund railway station. It was a long street of terraced houses where the ladies of the night (and day) plied their wares. I remember a mate of mine going in, we called him 'Cherub' because of his innocent-looking face. Well he couldn't perform, so he got a pat on the head and was sent out with half an orange!
Cheers,
Steve
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