London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – National Army Museum (Ruhleben Fighting City)

This sign at the National Army Museum is from the area of Berlin that the British used to train for any attack on the city from the Soviets. The sign dates from around 1985 and the site was made to look like a city centre, even with some train carriages to add to the realism. The United States military had their own mock-up city nearby, known as Doughboy City. Ruhleben has survived today and is used by the German police for shooting practice.

If the Cold War had taken place and fighting had broken out in Berlin, the troops that trained here would have been the ones who were called into action. Today, the area is a little more mundane, there’s a McDonald’s and an Aldi nearby. There’s a lot to be said for peacetime….

And here’s what it looks like today. Well, in 2018 I think.