1972 Volvo F89

1972 Volvo F89 in I ty mozesz zostac kierowca mechanikiem, Documentary, 1977

Class: Trucks, Simple truck — Model origin: — Made for:

Minor action vehicle or used in only a short scene

Comments about this vehicle

Author	Message
Weasel1984 ◊ 2014-01-17 21:11	Also a background 145/245 :
Ingo ◊ 2014-01-17 21:14	Are the border control point and the ferry identifyable?
Weasel1984 ◊ 2014-01-17 21:22	The border point is one of the Polish-East German ones judging by the flags (not visible at the listed pics). I think I've already seen exactly these buildings somwhere, but don't remember which crossing it exactly was (or maybe they are only similar). Also I can be wrong, but I'm not sure if the ferry scenes were filmed in the same place... EDIT: In fact these were different places, as these are 2 different trucks/trailers - the "PL" sign is in different positions. -- Last edit: 2014-01-17 21:51:13
Ingo ◊ 2014-01-17 22:20	Of course that are different places, wide apart. See the vegetation and the hills in the background - for sure in the South, around Görlitz or -rather- Zittau. Far away from any ferry-port at the Baltic Sea coast. But is it sure, that it was a DDR-PL border crossing? It's kind of strange, that on all the pics here you only can see Polish and West German or other Western cars (resp.with Western plates), but none DDR-car. Before the 13.Dec 1981, when the border was closed for DDR-citizens (by the DDR-regime. For West Germans it stayed open), they could travel to Poland. It was a bit elaborate and expensive for them, but it was possible. Not sure, if it has a DDR-plate /vehicle_666486-Trabant-601-1964.html It may be Hungarian, too. -- Last edit: 2014-01-17 22:29:49
Weasel1984 ◊ 2014-01-17 22:44	Maybe there was some separate gate for the transit traffic only? ingo wrote Before the 13.Dec 1981, when the border was closed for DDR-citizens Just OT. Perhaps it was opened later though, because many East Germans escaped this way to the West Germany by asking for the asylum in the W. German embassy in Warsaw. In 1989 there was the whole tent city of the DDR emigres.
Ingo ◊ 2014-01-17 22:58	Weasel1984 wrote Maybe there was some separate gate for the transit traffic only? Not at the borders to PL or CS. Although the direct roads to the biggest border control points were opened as Transit-routes for Western citizens, special Transit-lanes existed only for the three offical Transit-routes between West Germany and West Berlin. Link to "www.wir-waren-so-frei.de" Link to "upload.wikimedia.org" At Helmstedt/Marienborn the traffic was divided later: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/DDR_Grenz-Schilder.jpg
Weasel1984 ◊ 2014-01-17 23:22	IMHO it didn't have to be a big deal. If East Germans didn't need to have passport, then perhaps they left Poland separately. It would be logical to divide the traffic in such case to have it smoother/faster. -- Last edit: 2014-01-17 23:26:58
Ingo ◊ 2014-01-17 23:27	Weasel1984 wrote Just OT. Perhaps it was opened later though, because many East Germans escaped this way to the West Germany by asking for the asylum in the W. German embassy in Warsaw. In 1989 there was the whole tent city of the DDR emigres. I still remember the scenes and situations of late 1989. Back then my TV was running at least the whole day, for getting the breaking news. Some years later the DDR-regulations were loosened, but it became never that easy again as between 1972 and 1980, where DDR-citizens could travel to Poland just with their ID-card and not a passport plus an official permission or an official invitation. Which irritates here, at your contributions, a lot - as this documentary is from 1977, so from a time of the fewest restrictions for DDR-people In fact Czechoslovakia was the one and only country, to which DDR-citizens could travel without a bigger effort. Because of the situation in the West German embassy in Prague ( http://www.mdr.de/damals/cssr-botschaftsflucht100.html ) the DDR cancelled these rules at the 12.Oct 1989 (of course everyone had known the historic incident http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh9EwNurawE ) - and provoked a panic among their citizens, which made the situation even worse. These strict rules were stopped 15 days later, but actually it was one more coffin-nail, whereby the DDR-regime destroyed itself. P.S.In this moment, when I saw this legendary scene on the embassy's balcony (see the Youtube above) I immediately have thought "Game over DDR. That's it. You will not survive that."
Ingo ◊ 2014-01-17 23:51	Weasel1984 wrote IMHO it didn't have to be a big deal. If East Germans didn't need to have passport, then perhaps they left Poland separately. It would be logical to divide the traffic in such case to have it smoother/faster. The stricter rules for travelling to Poland were never taken back Link to "de.wikipedia.org" (sorry only on German). To have it smoother or faster, was never ever a premiss for the DDR. Especially not for their citizens. No way. The regime hated, when their people travelled abroad. Because then they weren't under control that much any more and maybe could meet with their West German relatives and friends - which was very common, for example at the Balaton in Hungaria or in Prague. It also had economical reasons - the DDR-Mark was worthless, even inside the COMECON, so trips abroad were a big problem for the currency-situation of the DDR. So DDR-citizend could change only a ridicoulous tiny amount of DDR-Mark into Forint, Zloty or Rubel, not enough for making any other vacations than camping (when there were no Western relatives, who paid with real money). A fact, which has provoked, that for their socialist brothers they were only "Germans 2nd class". The class enemy from the West was more well-liked. Even for us Western people it went never fast at the DDR-border. For the Transit to and from West Berlin it was fairly quick, but never for real entries into or out of the DDR. It took always about one hour minimum. I remember one Wednesday in Feb 1989, when I visited a fellow in Eisenach via the Autobahn-control-point Herleshausen/Wartha: I was absolutely alone, the only traveller at the whole location. And I even had a special local permission for residents of a county close to the border ( Link to "de.wikipedia.org" ), with whom I could get a visa directly at the border without writing an application some weeks before - I had to wait 45 minutes yet Anyways, I'm still happy and staisfied for having made these irretrievable experiences. I will never forget them -- Last edit: 2014-01-18 00:01:48
Weasel1984 ◊ 2014-01-19 13:38	Indeed - lack of passports didn't exclude the possibility of the strict control on the border, anyway still keeps my mind about the possible traffic segregation. I even have impression I've heard about it... ingo wrote "Game over DDR. That's it. You will not survive that." BUT it still exists in the people's minds and hearts! (both - of the DDR fans and opponents )
Ingo ◊ 2014-01-19 15:32	Weasel1984 wrote BUT it still exists in the people's minds and hearts! (both - of the DDR fans and opponents ) Of course. Not at the younger generation, but still for the older - and especially for the left-over "Cold Warriors". As me No kidding, when I pass today on the A2 on the way to Berlin http://www.sachsen-anhalt.de/index.php?id=31581 (former http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/DDR_Grenz-Schilder.jpg ), I really feel a shiver run down the spine. I still have in mind, how it was pre-1990, the memories are always present. P.S. This situation back in the 80ies, as mentioned above, is the reason, why still nowadays East Germans have more ressentiments and prejudices againt Polish people than West Germans (maybe you have experienced by yourself). It's caused by their anger and envy of the 80ies. Back then Polish people were allowed to travel to Western countries -and to work and earn real money there!-, but the DDR-citizens were still caged. Plus the situation, that the Polish have purchased in the DDR a lot of cheap (because highly subsidized) goods, as shoes, kid's clothings and bread. But the DDR-people hadn't that possibilites. No travelling abroad (not to talk about earning money abroad), no accepted currency, no Western cars and other goods, just nothing.
Weasel1984 ◊ 2014-01-19 20:10	Many Poles thought (and still is thinking) that because they had these things for sale there, they were easy avialable there for everyone. Anyway these travels through the DDR were indeed controversial, I read it was even mentioned at one of the COMECON summits in the 70s. By what I learned, the "shopping thing" also caused that after short period of the "ID-only excursions" to DDR, we again had to have passports to enter this country. So not so perfect. -- Last edit: 2014-01-19 20:16:12
Raul1983 ◊ 2014-01-19 20:35	I vaguely remember entering DDR through checkpoint Charlie in summer of 1988. We were vacationing in Germany and my parents thought it would be fun to visit DDR briefly. My father had a brand new 3rd generation Passat [B3] company car at the time so maybe that was the reason why we were checked thoroughly at the checkpoint. Almost one hour or so and same thing when coming back. The car had to emptied totally of any baggage and opened. It was not so fun trip to the east.
Ingo ◊ 2014-01-20 12:46	Raul1983 wrote I vaguely remember entering DDR through checkpoint Charlie in summer of 1988. We were vacationing in Germany and my parents thought it would be fun to visit DDR briefly. My father had a brand new 3rd generation Passat [B3] company car at the time so maybe that was the reason why we were checked thoroughly at the checkpoint. Almost one hour or so and same thing when coming back. The car had to emptied totally of any baggage and opened. It was not so fun trip to the east. Yes, this was an elementary rule for experienced DDR-travellers: never take a brand new car. Then it was common, that the DDR-frontiersmen took if for their training-lessons. For searching for any hollows and possible hideouts. Other elementary rules were: - before pulling off the badges of premium cars -especially the Mercedes-star from the bonnet(!)- before travelling - pulling off any stickers with political content (political parties, Amnesty International, etc.) before - otherwise the DDR-officers forced you to do that - stickers from exotic travel-destinations (so everything outside the DDR) haven't usually survived the first night on DDR-streets either But be lucky, that you have made the experience to pass the legendary Checkpoint Charlie For us Germans it was never possible, as this control point was exclusively for foreign citizens. P.S. One hour was no unusual, actually never it didn't happened faster. -- Last edit: 2014-01-20 12:46:51
Ingo ◊ 2014-01-20 13:09	Weasel1984 wrote Anyway these travels through the DDR were indeed controversial, I read it was even mentioned at one of the COMECON summits in the 70s. Indeed, that's correct. After I've experienced the alleged strict and serious North Korean arrival- and especially departure-procedure (which was very smooth, friendly and unenthsiastically made), I was really a bit disappointed "What? That was all? What a joke, compared with the DDR-border!" and quite angry either "If I had known that before, I would have taken many more photographs! F*ck the scissors in the brain!"
zodiac ◊ 2014-01-23 09:11	As this has three axles it's not a F 89, but a FB 89.
Weasel1984 ◊ 2014-01-23 13:58	zodiac wrote ... it's not a F 89 The series was still "F89". Anyway, in fact I wanted once to confirm whether the 3 axles "89" were also commercially(!) called "FB" (since 3 axles "88" were "FB", then it would be logical that "89" were too) and, judging by some of the official documents, it is not so obvious... But with pleasure I will learn something new. Edit: example of the tech data sheet: Meantime the "FB-88" was called FB already on the cover of its brochure. -- Last edit: 2014-01-23 17:22:33
zodiac ◊ 2014-01-24 09:37	Now I learnt something new... I have a lot of brouchures and among them drawings from 1963 until 1965 of several Volvo HGV's. Within those is stated an additional letter B if three axles rather than two, also on the N-series (with bonnet), e.g. NB 88. I didn't know Volvo changed the notation when introducing the 89 range, but I suppose it saved a letter when writing. Also small savings are savings... -- Last edit: 2014-01-24 09:42:24
Weasel1984 ◊ 2014-01-24 22:42	But also worth to add that the "FB-89" name is indeed used sometimes to descrbie these trucks by hobbysts etc... Who knows, maybe Volvo wasn't too consitent and there is somwehere also an offical documetation when they are called this way.
zodiac ◊ 2014-01-26 19:26	A thought just struck me. It seams Volvo stopped the B notation when they introduced the x instead, like 4x2, 6x2, 6x4 or 4x4. I.e. 'Four by four'. What did other manufacories use in the 60's and earlier?

1972 Volvo F89

1972 Volvo F89 in I ty mozesz zostac kierowca mechanikiem, Documentary, 1977

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