Cold War

These images were made during my service (1976-1980) behind the Iron Curtain as a liaison officer with the United States Military Liaison Mission to the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (USMLM).

Most of the images that date from that period (1976-1980) were of Soviet and East German military activity and equipment and were classified.

They are now available only in poor-quality black and white halftone in the declassified USMLM unit histories. Heed the advice on this page. Do not attempt to open these large pdf files directly; use the right mouse button and Save Link for viewing. The original agreement is also on this page.

We also had an unclassified mission and I made a personal photographic record of my observations of the various liaison meetings, the people, the towns and villages and the countryside.

Captain Bodde and Adalbert Wolf at the crash site of Willian E. Lewis, Jr. The crash of Lewis' P-51 occurred on September 11, 1944 near Oberhof, Germany We visited the site on the day after Christmas, 1979. The remains were not recovered until 2004. A story of how Herr Wolf preserved the site against the wishes of the East German government and the eventual recovery is told by CDR. Ken Breaux in his book: Courtesies of the Heart. My later involvement is outlined in the Santa Maria Times News Article (side bar)