page_title: Observation Post Alpha
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Observation Post Alpha / History
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: DDR-Wachturm am Point Alpha (ehem. innerdt. Grenze).
context_page_description: Observation Post Alpha, OP Alpha, or Point Alpha was a Cold War observation post between Rasdorf, Hesse, in what was then West Germany and Geisa, Thuringia, then part of East Germany. The post overlooked part of the "Fulda Gap", which would have been a prime invasion route for Warsaw Pact forces had the Cold War erupted into actual warfare. It was abandoned by the military in 1991. Today, the "Point Alpha" memorial commemorates the Observation Point's four decades of existence. The memorial is dedicated to keeping it and a nearby section of the inner German border as reminders of the division of Germany and the confrontation between NATO and Warsaw Pact in the Cold War.
caption: East German watchtower adjacent to OP Alpha
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