In this second episode with Don Snedeker we talk to him about his time after his tour of Vietnam when he served in West Germany. 

From 1974 to 1986 Don served in a number of roles but most noticeably he was assigned to the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Fulda, one of the locations where it was assumed that Warsaw Pact units would attack through. 

He also trained as a Foreign Area Officer specialising in Western Europe and studied at the German Armed Forces Staff College in Hamburg.

From 1991 to 1992, Don headed the Inspectors and Escorts branch conducting conventional arms control inspections and confidence-building visits in the former Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries.

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Co-host James conducts our chat and I am delighted to welcome Don Snedeker to our Cold War conversation…

There’s further information on this episode in our show notes, which can also be found as a link in your podcast app here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode146/

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Thank you very much for listening. It is really appreciated – goodbye.

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0:00 Introduction

4:26 Explanation of the Fulda Gap and its strategic importance

11:28 Comparison of missions in Vietnam and Germany

15:53 Discussion of the social life and community in Germany

20:41 Don Snedeker's career after Fulda and his work at Fort Monroe, Virginia

24:31 Don Snedeker's role transition post fall of the Berlin Wall

28:38 Don Snedeker's conversation with an East German Air Defense Colonel

35:55 Don Snedeker's interactions with Soviet officers

44:27 Don Snedeker's experience during German unification

47:47 Ian Sanders wraps up the episode and directs listeners to additional resources

48:50 Special thanks to patrons

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