BRIXMIS
Encyclopedia
The British Commanders'-in-Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces in Germany (BRIXMIS) was set up on 16 September 1946 under the Robertson-Malinin Agreement between the chiefs of staff of the British and Soviet
forces in occupied Germany
.
The agreement called for reciprocal exchange of liaison missions to foster good working relations between the military occupation authorities in the two zones. Similar agreements were then reached the following year with the Soviets by the French (FMLM) and the Americans (USMLM).
For reasons that are still not entirely clear, the agreements differed significantly, with the result that the British contingent were allowed almost as many liaison staff in the Soviet Zone as the American and French Missions combined. The British mission also had the right to fly a light aircraft (ostensibly to maintain the flying skills of any pilots stationed there) within a defined area over the Soviet-controlled zone. The agreements remained in force until 2 October 1990 when all three missions deactivated on the eve of Germany's reunification
.
During the Cold War, the right of the missions to travel relatively freely throughout East German territory was used for the purpose of gathering intelligence on all Warsaw Pact forces based there. This include intelligence on installations, troop movements, equipment, morale, and other factors. The Missions did not employ agents (unlike the reciprocal Russian Missions present in West Germany).
The early 1960s - coinciding with the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961 and the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 - and the early 1980s - coinciding with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan 1979-89 - were particularly difficult periods for the operational conduct of all the Missions, as world events were replayed and reciprocated at the tactical level out on the ground. Hostility from various Soviet and East German security and counter-intelligence agencies resulted in the death of a member of the French Mission in 1984 - Adjutant Chef Philippe Mariotti - and a member of the American Mission in 1985 - Major Arthur D. Nicholson. Curiously, this crescendo in hostility coincided with the arrival of Reagan and Gorbachev to power and the beginning of a thawing in East-West relations, culminating in the 'fall' of the Berlin Wall in November 1989.
BRIXMIS was also noted for many technical intelligence coups (Geraghty, 1996), including:
Thus, BRIXMIS was ideally placed to "test the temperature" of Soviet intentions from its privileged position behind the Iron Curtain. However, and perhaps more importantly, it offered a channel for communication between West and East via its secondary but significant role of liaison - the initial reason for its establishment.
The BRIXMIS contingent used Opel Kapitan
cars in the 1950s, followed by Opel Admiral
cars and their later replacement, the Opel Senator
, converted to four-wheel drive in UK. However, the operational need for a vehicle with a higher degree of cross-country performance than the mainly on-road Opel Senator led them to acquire a number of extensively modified Range-Rover vehicles. These proved to be fragile and expensive to run and maintain in Germany. With this in mind, they acquired a single Mercedes-Benz G-Class for trials purposes in 1980/81. After extensive evaluation, they adopted the G-Wagen as the general tour vehicle, and in various models, it lasted in service until they ceased operations in 1990. An ex-BRIXMIS G-Wagen
is on display at the Military Intelligence Museum at Chicksands, England.
BRIXMIS also used two De Havilland Chipmunk T10s based at RAF Gatow
to maintain and exercise the British legal right under the Potsdam Agreement
to use the airspace over both West
and East Berlin
, as well as the air corridors to and from West Germany
to the city. One of these Chipmunks is now in the Allied Museum
(see weblink at base of page).
Known from 1956 as Operation Schooner and later as Operation Nylon, BRIXMIS was authorised, on an irregular basis, to carry out covert photographic reconnaissance flights
within the designated airspace - a radius of 12 nautical miles within the Berlin Control Zone (BCZ) from the Berlin Air Safety Centre (BASC) located in West Berlin. The spyplane missions were flown at low altitude, typically 800 feet. Various locations of interest within the Soviet sector were extensively photographed.
All flights were notified to the BASC, a quadripartite organisation responsible for authorising all flights in the three Air Corridors and the BCZ. All the Chipmunk Flight Notification Cards in the BASC were stamped by the Soviets - “Safety of Flight Not Guaranteed” - due to their interpretation of the 1946 Agreement as excluding flights outside West Berlin. The Berlin Control Zone and in particular the environs of Potsdam immediately to the east of and adjacent to West Berlin contained both Soviet and East German military and other targets that would be of interest to the British and Allied forces in West Berlin and West Germany at that time.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Chipmunk reconnaissance flights soon ceased and the two Chipmunks were flown to RAF Laarbruch
, in Western Germany to await disposal action. Chipmunk WB466 was flown back to Berlin and was donated to the Allied Museum in Berlin, where it remains on display today. WG486 is still in RAF service with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
forces in occupied Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
The agreement called for reciprocal exchange of liaison missions to foster good working relations between the military occupation authorities in the two zones. Similar agreements were then reached the following year with the Soviets by the French (FMLM) and the Americans (USMLM).
For reasons that are still not entirely clear, the agreements differed significantly, with the result that the British contingent were allowed almost as many liaison staff in the Soviet Zone as the American and French Missions combined. The British mission also had the right to fly a light aircraft (ostensibly to maintain the flying skills of any pilots stationed there) within a defined area over the Soviet-controlled zone. The agreements remained in force until 2 October 1990 when all three missions deactivated on the eve of Germany's reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
.
During the Cold War, the right of the missions to travel relatively freely throughout East German territory was used for the purpose of gathering intelligence on all Warsaw Pact forces based there. This include intelligence on installations, troop movements, equipment, morale, and other factors. The Missions did not employ agents (unlike the reciprocal Russian Missions present in West Germany).
The early 1960s - coinciding with the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961 and the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 - and the early 1980s - coinciding with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan 1979-89 - were particularly difficult periods for the operational conduct of all the Missions, as world events were replayed and reciprocated at the tactical level out on the ground. Hostility from various Soviet and East German security and counter-intelligence agencies resulted in the death of a member of the French Mission in 1984 - Adjutant Chef Philippe Mariotti - and a member of the American Mission in 1985 - Major Arthur D. Nicholson. Curiously, this crescendo in hostility coincided with the arrival of Reagan and Gorbachev to power and the beginning of a thawing in East-West relations, culminating in the 'fall' of the Berlin Wall in November 1989.
BRIXMIS was also noted for many technical intelligence coups (Geraghty, 1996), including:
- Secretly bringing a Yak-28 Firebar's Skip Spin radarRadarRadar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
and jet engines back to FarnboroughFarnborough AirfieldFarnborough Airport or TAG London Farnborough Airport is an airport situated in Farnborough, Rushmoor, Hampshire, England...
for inspection after it crashed into the embankment of lake "Stössensee" on the river Havel enlargements [Berlin] - Measuring the calibre of the gun of the then brand-new BMP-2BMP-2The BMP-2 is a second-generation, amphibious infantry fighting vehicle introduced in the 1980s in the Soviet Union, following the BMP-1 of the 1960s....
Armoured personnel carrierArmoured personnel carrierAn armoured personnel carrier is an armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.APCs are usually armed with only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortars... - Stealing "reactive armourReactive armourReactive armour is a type of vehicle armour that reacts in some way to the impact of a weapon to reduce the damage done to the vehicle being protected. It is most effective in protecting against shaped charges and specially hardened long rod penetrators...
" from a Russian tank, for analysis
Thus, BRIXMIS was ideally placed to "test the temperature" of Soviet intentions from its privileged position behind the Iron Curtain. However, and perhaps more importantly, it offered a channel for communication between West and East via its secondary but significant role of liaison - the initial reason for its establishment.
Resources: people; equipment; purpose
The three principal resources at BRIXMIS' disposal were its people, equipment, and a clear sense of mission. The coordinated deployment of its people and equipment delivered significant liaison and intelligence capabilities to the Allied Powers.The BRIXMIS contingent used Opel Kapitan
Opel Kapitän
The Kapitän was the last new Opel model to appear before the outbreak of the Second World War, developed during 1938 and launched in the spring of 1939 at the Geneva motor show. The first Kapitän was available in many different body styles, the most popular one being the 4-door saloon. 2-door...
cars in the 1950s, followed by Opel Admiral
Opel Admiral
The Opel Admiral was a luxury car made by the German car manufacturer Opel from 1937 to 1939 and again from 1964 to 1977.-Admiral :...
cars and their later replacement, the Opel Senator
Opel Senator
The Opel Senator was a large automobile, two generations of which were sold in Europe by Opel, from 1978 until 1993. A saloon, its first incarnation was also available with a fastback coupé body as the Opel Monza and Vauxhall Royale Coupe....
, converted to four-wheel drive in UK. However, the operational need for a vehicle with a higher degree of cross-country performance than the mainly on-road Opel Senator led them to acquire a number of extensively modified Range-Rover vehicles. These proved to be fragile and expensive to run and maintain in Germany. With this in mind, they acquired a single Mercedes-Benz G-Class for trials purposes in 1980/81. After extensive evaluation, they adopted the G-Wagen as the general tour vehicle, and in various models, it lasted in service until they ceased operations in 1990. An ex-BRIXMIS G-Wagen
Mercedes-Benz G-Class
The original 460-series Geländewagen went on sale for civilian buyers in 1979, after having debuted in February of that year. It was offered with two wheelbases, a short wheelbase of 2,400 mm and a long one of 2,850 mm. One could choose between three body styles: A two-door short...
is on display at the Military Intelligence Museum at Chicksands, England.
RAF Gatow
Known for most of its operational life as Royal Air Force Station Gatow, or more commonly RAF Gatow, this former British Royal Air Force military airbase is in the district of Gatow in south-western Berlin, west of the Havel river, in the borough of Spandau...
to maintain and exercise the British legal right under the Potsdam Agreement
Potsdam Agreement
The Potsdam Agreement was the Allied plan of tripartite military occupation and reconstruction of Germany—referring to the German Reich with its pre-war 1937 borders including the former eastern territories—and the entire European Theatre of War territory...
to use the airspace over both West
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
and East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
, as well as the air corridors to and from West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
to the city. One of these Chipmunks is now in the Allied Museum
Allied Museum
The Allied Museum is a museum in Berlin. It documents the political history and the military commitments and roles of the Western Allies in Germany – particularly Berlin – between 1945 and 1994 and their contribution to liberty in Berlin.-Location: American Sector:The museum is located on the...
(see weblink at base of page).
Known from 1956 as Operation Schooner and later as Operation Nylon, BRIXMIS was authorised, on an irregular basis, to carry out covert photographic reconnaissance flights
Aerial reconnaissance
Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance that is conducted using unmanned aerial vehicles or reconnaissance aircraft. Their roles are to collect imagery intelligence, signals intelligence and measurement and signature intelligence...
within the designated airspace - a radius of 12 nautical miles within the Berlin Control Zone (BCZ) from the Berlin Air Safety Centre (BASC) located in West Berlin. The spyplane missions were flown at low altitude, typically 800 feet. Various locations of interest within the Soviet sector were extensively photographed.
All flights were notified to the BASC, a quadripartite organisation responsible for authorising all flights in the three Air Corridors and the BCZ. All the Chipmunk Flight Notification Cards in the BASC were stamped by the Soviets - “Safety of Flight Not Guaranteed” - due to their interpretation of the 1946 Agreement as excluding flights outside West Berlin. The Berlin Control Zone and in particular the environs of Potsdam immediately to the east of and adjacent to West Berlin contained both Soviet and East German military and other targets that would be of interest to the British and Allied forces in West Berlin and West Germany at that time.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Chipmunk reconnaissance flights soon ceased and the two Chipmunks were flown to RAF Laarbruch
RAF Laarbruch
The former Royal Air Force Station Laarbruch, more commonly known as RAF Laarbruch ICAO EDUL was a Royal Air Force station, a military airbase, located in Germany on its border with the Netherlands...
, in Western Germany to await disposal action. Chipmunk WB466 was flown back to Berlin and was donated to the Allied Museum in Berlin, where it remains on display today. WG486 is still in RAF service with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is a Royal Air Force flight which provides an aerial display group comprising an Avro Lancaster, a Supermarine Spitfire and a Hawker Hurricane...
.
External links
- BRIXMIS Association web site
- USMLM Association web site
- MMFL Association web site
- Alliierten Museum (The Allied Museum) - museum of the history of western forces in Berlin and Germany from 1945 to 1994 (in German, English and French)
- French Forces in Berlin (including MMFL)
- USMLM Documents from HQ USAREUR (Army)
- Report on death of Major Arthur Nicholson (USMLM)* Cold War Spies
- Western Allies Berlin site
- Photos taken in East Germany while serving with USMLM
- BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
– "The Brixmis Story". Broadcast: 11 June 2007. Content no longer available on BBC sites. - Reconnaissance missions from RAF Gatow by Chipmunks (article includes photos)
- The ex-RAF Gatow Chipmunk in the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
- In Plain Sight - USMLM Documentary on the Military Liaison Missions in East Germany during the Cold War