Streamed live on October 7, 2024
As part of Pittsburgh’s OktoberFest celebration, the Veterans Breakfast Club holds a storytelling event focused on veterans who have served in Germany since 1944.
Eighty years ago this week, the US First Army fought it way into the historic town of Aachen, a western border town of Germany which had been built into the Siefried Line of defense. The capture of Aachen in October represented the start of 80 years of US presence in Germany. Tonight, we talk with veterans who have served in Germany, including those who served in World War II, the Cold War, and since the Fall of the Berlin Wall.
After Germany’s defeat in May 1945, the country was divided into four occupation zones controlled by the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France. The capital, Berlin, was similarly divided. U.S. forces occupied western Germany, forming the foundation for their long-term military presence in the region. At the conclusion of the war, the US Army had almost 1.9 million troops stationed across Europe, a significant force designed to manage postwar stability and ensure that Germany, and the rest of Europe, did not fall into chaos.
As the relationship between the US and USSR grew tense, the military presence in Germany was no longer just about occupation but about containing Soviet influence. The partition of Germany into East and West solidified the US presence in the western part, where it worked to rebuild the war-torn region while securing its political alignment with the West.
By 1949, U.S. troop numbers in Germany had dropped to 79,000. However, the geopolitical tension of the Cold War soon prompted a reversal. By 1952, over 257,000 U.S. personnel were stationed across Europe. Germany, divided between East and West, became a central battleground for influence between the capitalist West and the communist East.
The construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, symbolizing the deep divide between East and West, brought US troop numbers to their Cold War peak. By 1962, over 400,000 U.S. troops were stationed in Europe, primarily in Germany. US forces were positioned across more than 100 communities to provide a strong deterrent to the Soviet Union and ensure the defense of Western Europe in the event of an invasion.
During the Cold War, Germany’s location at the heart of Europe and its proximity to the Eastern Bloc made it critical to US defense strategies. The U.S. European Command (EUCOM), established in Stuttgart, Germany, coordinated all U.S. military forces across Europe, focusing on deterring Soviet aggression. The US built major bases, such as Ramstein Air Base and the US Army Garrison in Wiesbaden, which remain key components of US operations in Europe to this day.
The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the reunification of Germany drastically changed the strategic landscape in Europe. As tensions with Russia subsided, the US began reducing its military footprint in Germany and the rest of Europe. Troop numbers were cut significantly, from over 400,000 at the height of the Cold War to approximately 109,000 by the end of the 1990s. As Europe stabilized, US military leaders shifted focus to other regions, such as the Middle East, where conflicts like the Gulf War demanded more attention.
In the early 2000s, US troop numbers in Germany continued to decline as the global security situation evolved. By 2013, only around 63,000 U.S. troops remained in Europe. The mission of US forces had transitioned from confronting a Soviet threat to maintaining stability and assisting NATO allies in building their military capabilities.
In 2020, President Donald Trump announced plans to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Germany from around 34,500 to 25,000. This drawdown plan sparked debate in both the US and Germany. Critics argued that reducing the U.S. military presence in Germany could weaken NATO’s defense posture in Europe.
As tensions escalated between Russia and NATO, especially following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the new President, Joe Biden, increased US military presence in Europe, with a focus on Eastern Europe.
US troop numbers in Germany have increased from just under 39,000 in 2019 to over 50,000 by 2024.