Border Operations

For 46 years, the border area of Czechoslovakia, West and East Germany was the front lines of the cold war. A static situation existed where troops monitored each other across fences and minefields, interspersed with their brief incidents of illegal border crossings.  The final 2 years (1989-1991) have been the most dramatic time of transition since the end of World War II. This was the time that I was stationed with the regiment.  The regiment has seen the collapse of communist domination in East Germany and Czechoslovakia, the first refugees entering our sector, the removal of border fortifications and ultimately the reunification of Germany.  These changes have permitted U.S. soldiers and their families to visit areas formerly prohibited by Warsaw Pact regimes. The Second Dragoons were in fact one of the first invited into these regions, attending a ceremony near Zinkovy, Czechoslovakia that honored 2nd Calvary's freeing of the Czech populace from German troops during World War II. Additional trips into Czechoslovakia and the former German Democratic Republic are now commonplace.

The border camps operated by the squadrons are all but closed now. The constant air and ground patrols by the Regiment along 651 kilometers of border has ceased. Camps Harris, Hof, Reed Gates and May are unknown to our newest soldiers. But these camps have served an important purpose.

Each squadron was responsible for a sector for border surveillance. The focus of this effort centered on the border camps. Each month, the squadrons would rotate a troop with GSR and mechanic attachments to these camps. Here the soldiers would live and train. Periodically, border "traces" of these sectors would be carried out. Patrols, remaining in constant communication with the border camp would conduct mounted and dismounted reconnaissance within the restricted border zone. Each member of the patrol was required to pass a comprehensive knowledge test in order to become "border qualified". The ability of the border camp was continually tested trough drills testing the operations cells and the reaction forces. The Regimental Operations Center (ROC) periodically conducted inspections to ensure compliance with their stringent requirements.

Coordination and join operations were also conducted with the Bundesgrenzshutz (BGS) and coordinated through the Border Resident Offices.

4th squadron conducted aerial patrols and have had several "close encounters" over the years. In 1990, C&C squadron assumed a direct border mission with the assumptions of Camp from 1/1 Calvary.

While the border mission has changed over the years, the 2nd Calvary Regiments' readiness, as typified by Desert Storm, has remained.