Berlin 1961
„The Shield of Bavaria“
When The East Germans erected the infamous Berlin Wall in August of 1961, the volatility of this Berlin flash point increased. The Division’s 1st Battalion of the 19th Infantry Regiment was the leading element sent to Check Point Charley to bolster the 8th Infantry Division units and other allied forces there. A genuine crisis situation persisted at the check point as Soviet and American tanks faced off. Other Victory Division units quickly followed to this area. At this time the U.S. Military started calling up reserve units.
The peacekeeping efforts and the deterrent strength of the 24th Division and other NATO units prevented the break out of another war just 16 short years after the end of World War II, and only 8 years after the fragile „cease-fire“ agreement in Korea.