The Cold War: Mission reconnaissance

Find out about key events during the Cold War and discover Brixmis, the secret reconnaissance arm of the British Army in occupied Germany.
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School students getting to grips with the handling collection

Find out about key events during the Cold War and discover Brixmis, the secret reconnaissance arm of the British Army in occupied Germany.

Could you be a Cold War reconnaissance agent?

Complete challenges to test your Cold War knowledge and then use your creative writing skills to complete the final mission.

Learners will explore the diverse interests of different states and individuals involved in the Cold War, and how changing international relations affected cooperation. Learners will also discover the work of Brixmis – the reconnaissance arm of the British Army in Germany – and the importance, as well as some methods of, intelligence gathering.

The workshop also features an exclusive interview with a former Brixmis agent.

This session is 60 minutes long and includes:

  • Creative and historic writing
  • Interview with ex-Brixmis personnel
  • Historic images
  • Archival materials
  • Group work
  • Peer-to-peer learning

Curriculum areas:

  • History
  • Politics
  • English

Explore further

Schools

Workshops for schools

We run a programme of curriculum-linked schools workshops. These sessions are taught by Museum staff in our Foyle Centre.

Trail

The Cold War: Gallery Trail

Follow this gallery trail to find out more about the role of the British Army during the Cold War.

Timeline

Britain, the Army and the Cold War: Interactive Timeline

Explore the British Army’s role in the Cold War through this interactive timeline packed with over 100 sources. 

Video

The British occupation of Germany, 1945-49, and the origins of the Cold War

This talk from historian Dr Daniel Cowling explores the significance of Britain’s military occupation of Germany in the aftermath of the Second World War, and its major bearing upon the course of the early Cold War.

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The Army and the occupation of Germany

Following their victory over Nazi Germany in 1945, the Allies were faced with administering a country in ruins. British soldiers had a leading role in this, helping to hunt war criminals, rebuild industry and help displaced persons.

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Active Edge: The Army, Germany and the Cold War

In 1945, British troops occupied Germany alongside their wartime Soviet allies. But growing East-West tensions soon evolved into the Cold War. For the next four decades, soldiers in Germany prepared to face an attack by the Warsaw Pact.