The British Commanders'-in-Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces in Germany (BRIXMIS) was set up on 16 September 1946 under the Robertson-Malinin Agreement between the chiefs of staff of the British and Soviet forces in occupied Germany. September 16 is the 259th day of the year (260th in leap years). ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... The chief of staff is the chief aide to the commander of larger military formations and units. ... Motto: Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) Translation: Workers of the world, unite!) Anthem: The Internationale (1922-1944) Hymn of the Soviet Union (1944-1991) Capital (and largest city) Moscow None; Russian de facto Government Federation of Soviet Republics  - Last President Mikhail Gorbachev  - Last Premier Ivan Silayev Establishment October Revolution   - Declared...

The agreement called for the reciprocal exchange of liaison missions in order to foster good working relations between the military occupation authorities in the two zones. Similar agreements were then reached the following year by the Soviets with the French (FMLM) and the Americans (USMLM).

For unexplained reasons the agreements differed significantly as the British were allowed to have almost as many liaison staff in the Soviet Zone as the American and French Missions combined. The British mission also had the right to fly a light aircraft ( to maintain the flying skills of any pilots stationed there ) within a defined area. The agreements remained in force until 2 October 1990 when all three missions were deactivated on the eve of Germany's reunification. October 2 is the 275th day (276th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 90 days remaining. ... This article is about the year. ...

During the Cold War the right of the missions to travel relativly freely throughout East German was used for the purpose of gathering intelligence on all Warsaw Pact forces based there: installations; troop movements; equipment; morale and the like. The Missions did not run agents (unlike the reciprocal Russian Missions present in West Germany). The early 1960s (coinciding with the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961 and the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962) and the early 1980s (coinciding with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan 1979-89) were particularly difficult periods for the operational conduct of all the Missions as world events were replayed and reciprocated at the tactical level out on the ground. Hostility from various Soviet and East German security and counter-intelligence agencies resulted in the death of a member of the French Mission in 1984 and a member of the American Mission in 1985. This crescendo in hostility itself coincided with the arrival of Reagan and Gorbachev to power and the beginning of a thawing in East-West relation culminating in the 'fall' of the Berlin Wall in November 1989.

BRIXMIS was noted for many technical intelligence coups (Geraghty, 1996), including:

• Secretly bringing a Yak-28 Firebar's Skip Spin radar and jet engines back to Farnborough for inspection after it crashed into lake Havelsee in Berlin.
• Measuring the calibre of the gun of the then brand-new BMP-2 Armoured personnel carrier.

Additionally, BRIXMIS was ideally placed to 'take the temperature' of Soviet intentions from its priviliged position behind the Iron Curtain. However, and perhaps more importantly, it offered a channel for communication between West and East via its secondary but significant role of liaison - the initial reason for its establishment. The Yakovlev Yak-28 was a swept wing, turbojet-powered combat aircraft used by the Soviet Union. ... This long range RADAR antenna, known as ALTAIR, is used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with ABM testing at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein atoll[1]. RADAR is a system that uses radio waves to determine and map the location, direction, and/or speed... Farnborough Airport or TAG London Farnborough Airport (IATA: FAB, ICAO: EGLF) (previously called RAE Farnborough) is an airport situated in Farnborough, Hampshire in England. ... Berlin is the capital city and one of the sixteen states of the Federal Republic of Germany. ... The BMP-1 is a Soviet infantry fighting vehicle which was first introduced in the early 1960s. ... Image:APCTalha. ...

Reference

• Geraghty, T., (1996), BRIXMIS, Harper Collins Publishers, ISBN 0-00-638673-3

See also

Royal Military Police The Royal Military Police (RMP) is the branch of the British Army responsible for the policing of service personnel and providing a military police presence on service property, operations and exercises. ...

External links

• The BRIXMIS Association web site