The Field Station Berlin operations facility atop Teufelsberg.

BerlinSightOut.de offers a guided tour of the Field Station Facility.
Learn more about the tour! The only way you can legally enter the grounds.

The Field Station Berlin Commemorative Initiative hopes to place a bronze plaque atop Teufelsberg commemorating the contribution of the Field Station to ensure the freedom of Berlin and World Peace. Field Station Berlin was a four-time winner of the prestigious Travis Trophy, an unprecedented feat at the time.

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One of the gate posts at the front of Charlottenburg Palace (Schloss Charlottenburg).

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The Victory Column (Siegessäule).

with the Reichstag in the background.

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The Kaiser-Wilhelm Memorial Church (Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche) and the new church, sometimes nicknamed "the lipstick and the powder box" (Lippenstift und Puderdose) by Berliners.

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The TV Tower (Fernsehturm) on Alexander Platz. The reflection of the sun on the ball makes it appear to be marked with a crucifix. Because of this, the Berliners call the tower the "Pope's Revenge" (Rache des Papstes) or "St. Walter's" (as in Walter Ulbricht).

In the image on the right, you see the backs of Marx and Engels whose statue is nearby.

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Semper Vigilis (Vigilant Always) on the left side of the stamp was the Latin motto of the Army Security Agency (USASA). The USASA shoulder patch is pictured on the right.

The shield is teal blue and white, the colors used in military heraldry for units not assigned to branch, which reflects the independent nature of the Army Security Agency, after it was detached from the Signal Corps at the end of WWII. An eagle’s talon emerges from dexter chief of the escutcheon, and is grasping two crossed white lightning bolts. The American Eagle is the national bird and is a symbol of strength and alertness. It is a part of the heraldic insignia of the United States, The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the National Security Agency (NSA). The lightning bolts are symbolic of radio communication. The eagle grasping the lightning bolts in mid-air is emblematic of the Army Security Agency’s ability to intercept communications from the ether.

The stamp's denomination "30" represents the number of years that operations were conducted from atop Teufelsberg in the British Sector. Operations ceased on 2 December 1991. This is echoed in the inclusive dates at the right side of the stamp: 1961-1991. The Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI) for Field Station Berlin is pictured on the right.

The lightning bolt saltirewise symbolizes the COMINT mission of the Field Station. It serrates the globe into dark and light halves, alluding to the day-and-night, worldwide scope of the Field Station's mission. The crenellated crown represents the beleaguered nature of the Field Station's location in the Outpost of Freedom, 110 miles inside the Soviet Zone of Germany. The Berlin city crest on the center turret speaks for itself. The insignia rests on the Field Station's motto: "On Watch", which echoed the Latin motto of the Army Security Agency, Semper Vigilis (Vigilant Always). These mottos underscore the Field Station's dedication to Thomas Jefferson's declaration that "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." The gold of the crenellated crown and the border is emblematic in heraldry of honor and high achievement. Field Station Berlin was the four-time winner of the prestigious Travis Trophy, an event that was unprecedented at the time.

The unit emblem at the center lower edge of the stamp is a composite of the Berlin Brigade shoulder patch and the USASA shoulder patch. It was never actually worn, but it encapsulates the sense of the Field Station's mission.

For more pre-Field-Station heraldry, click on the Berlin ASA patch at the right.

The United States Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) DUI is pictured on the right.

The heraldic elements are deployed on a battle-axe shaped shield, point to base. The double warded key palewise, bow to base, alludes to the unit’s cryptologic mission. A lightning bolt is displayed in saltire with the flaming torch. The lightning bolt represents the unit’s SIGINT mission. The torch stands for knowledge and vigilance. The four quarters of the insignia (two oriental-blue and two silver-gray) represent the four primary intelligence functions: collection, analysis, production and dissemination. Oriental blue and silver gray are the colors traditionally associated with Military Intelligence. The gold of the key and the border is emblematic of honor and high achievement.

Note the similarity to the obsolete collar brass for the Reserve Army Security Branch below.

Get a poster with the 12 Berlin Skyline Monuments design from our CafePress stores either in the USA or in Germany. The CafePress computer thinks that people only design posters in vertical format, so the poster is displayed there standing on one end. Once you get it home, you can ignore the computer and hang it on the wall the right way.

The poster is printed on glossy, 12-point paper, and measures 11x17 inches (28X43 cm.).

Don forget to visit our "Americans in Berlin" commemorative Cinderella stamps page. Click on the image of the stamps learn more.

Visit FaceBook to see a photo of a Field Station Berlin Skyline Monuments card mailed with a Field Station Berlin Cinderella stamp.