Berlin Brigade History

History of the US Forces in Berlin

On July 1st 1945 the 2^d Armor Division (Hell on Wheels) and the 16^th Cavalry Group entered Berlin. The soviets delayed their arrival a couple of weeks in order to gain time to remove important material from the western sectors.
On July 4th 1945 General Omar Bradley took over the command of the american sector. All US forces in Berlin (more than 30.000 men) were then known as Berlin Military District.
In August 1945 the 2^d Armor Division was replaced by the 82^d Airborne Division (All American).
The last Division to rotate was the 78^th Infantry Division (Lightning Division) which entered the city in November 1945 and stayed until 1946. With massive troop reductions after the WW2 throughout the world the number of troops stationed in Berlin was reduced, too. The 3^d Infantry Regiment and the 16^th Constabulary Squadron replaced the 78^th ID in 1946.

In November 1946 the 3^d Infantry Regiment was deactivated. Parts of its personell formed the 3^d Battalion 16^th Infantry, 1^st Infantry Division (The Big Red One). US Forces in Berlin were now designated as Berlin Command, but only until May 1948 when the name was again changed to Berlin Military Post.
In 1950 the troops were again reorganized. The 3^d Battalion 16^th Infantry was reflaged to 3^d Battalion 6^th Infantry, while additional troops from West Germany formed the 2^d Battalion and the 16^th Constabulary was reflaged to 1^st Battalion 6^th Infantry.
On December 5th 1953 the US Forces in Berlin were again assigned to the Berlin Command. On December 1st, 1961 the Berlin Brigade was formed and stayed in Berlin until its deactivation in 1994.
With the implementation of the Regimental System the three Battalions of the 6^th Infantry were reflagged as 4^th, 5^th and 6^th Battalions 502^d Infantry in 1984.
With the fall of the wall and the reunification of Germany the US Forces in Berlin had accomplished their mission to protect the city against the soviet threat.
In July 1994, with President Clinton in attendance the Berlin Brigade was deactivated in a ceremony on the infamous FOUR RING Parade field. The Berlin Brigade had achieved its goals and won the Cold War.

Here you can find a detailed listing of the allied units stationed in Berlin.

Or see an overview of this website.