... as we approach the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, it might be worthwhile to look back and see what Checkpoint Charlie looked like on 8/13/1961 when the Russians began to erect the wall. This is the face-off between US and Russian tanks on either side of CheckPoint Charlie. For those of us who were there at the time, it seemed for certain that WWIII was about to break out. In the ensuing days and weeks, the Wall was built ... and the world was changed forever.
NOTE: The Russian tanks in this photo are actually T-54's ... this correction is thanks to my good friend, Valen Davidoff, a retired Russian Naval Officer in their Special Operations Branch (the equivalent of the US Navy Seals) ... see his comment below