French Army Occupation of Germany - Vintage Patch - BERLIN FORCE - Flag Patch - Militaria

French Army - Occupation Force - 1960's - 1970's

French Occupation Force - Berlin - French Army Berlin - Berlin Command Germany

Measures - 3.2 x 2.4 inches (8 x 6 cms)

The French Occupation Force in Berlin refers to the presence of French military forces in Berlin, Germany, particularly during the period following World War II. After the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, Berlin, like the rest of the country, was divided into four occupation zones controlled by the Allied powers: the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France.

Each occupying power had its sector in Berlin, even though the city itself was situated within the Soviet-occupied zone of Germany. The four sectors were controlled jointly by the Allies, but this cooperative effort became increasingly strained as Cold War tensions escalated between the United States and the Soviet Union.

The French sector of Berlin was located in the northwestern part of the city. In 1948, when the Soviet Union blockaded West Berlin in an attempt to force the Allies out of the city, the French, along with the other Western Allies, organized the Berlin Airlift to supply the isolated western sectors with food and other necessities.

Over time, as Cold War tensions continued, the Allies consolidated their zones in West Germany into the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), while the Soviet zone became the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). Berlin, however, remained a divided city within East Germany, and the presence of Western Allied forces continued throughout the Cold War.

The French Occupation Force in Berlin was part of NATO's defense strategy in West Germany during the Cold War. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the subsequent reunification of East and West Germany in 1990 marked the end of the Cold War era and eventually led to the withdrawal of Allied forces from Berlin.