Construction of the first permanent SIGINT facility on Teufelsberg, the operational home of Field Station Berlin, began in October 1963. The fiftieth anniversary of the shift from mobile to fixed operations on Teufelsberg, is being marked by a special Commemorative issue of Cinderella Stamps. The designer is T.H.E. Hill, the award winning author of two novels about Field Station Berlin.

The first day of issue of the Cinderella Stamps was 26 September 2013 during the Field Station Berlin Veterans' Reunion in Berlin, as a part of sculptor Brendan Jamison's "Teufelsberg" show in Berlin's WerkStadt Gallery (Neukölln). The unveiling of the stamps took place at WerkStadt on Wednesday September 25. The unveiling of the stamps was followed by the installation of a commemorative plaque in the old Guard Shack where the MPs checked badges.

Watch a you-tube video of the Field Station Berlin Reunion events of 25 September.

To see photos of the events, follow me.

July 1961 saw the first deployments of mobile SIGINT assets to Teufelsberg. This marked the beginnings of a thirty-year presence on the highest point in West Berlin that only terminated at the end of the Cold War, when Field Station Berlin turned out the lights on 2 December 1991. During this period, Field Station Berlin was the unprecedented four-time winner of the prestigious Travis Trophy, which recognizes the best SIGINT unit worldwide.

The Field Station's motto—"On Watch"— 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 fiftieth anniversary of Field Station Berlin is also being commemorated by:

• The publication of T.H.E. Hill's new novel: Reunification: A Monterey Mary Returns to Berlin,
• The Field Station Berlin Commemorative Initiative,
• A Field Station Berlin Veteran's Reunion in Berlin,
• Brendan Jamison’s Teufelsberg Spy Station Project, and
• The issue of a sheet of Cinderella Stamps described on this page.

For other mementos of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the first permanent buildings on Teufelsberg, the operational home of Field Station Berlin, follow me.

The images above and below are displayed twice their actual size. The stamp itself is 1 X 1.75 inches.

The first Cinderella stamp demonstrates just how much a part of the Berlin skyline the silhouette of the Field Station Berlin facility atop Teufelsberg has become. The denomination '30' commemorates the number of years that SIGINT operations were conducted from Teufelsberg. The dates on the right define that period. The text on the left (Semper Vigilis [Always Vigilant]) is the Latin motto of the Army Security Agency. The center foreground is anchored by an "ASA in Berlin" shield. If you don't recognize all the monuments that go into the Berlin skyline, click on the image of the stamp to learn more.

The second Cinderella stamp shows the Field Station Berlin (Teufelsberg) logo atop the Latin motto of the Army Security Agency: Semper Vigilis (Always Vigilant). The 'zero' in the denomination '50' is formed from a radome, like the ones used at Field Station Berlin. The dates on the right (1963-2013) define the anniversary period: from the first permanent SIGINT presence on Teufelsberg to the First Day of Issue. The denomination is supported by a "SIGINT in Berlin" shield, which houses the flaming lightning sword of military SIGINT.

The Fiftieth Anniversary of the First Permanent SIGINT Presence on Teufelsberg Cinderella Stamps come in a sheet of 15, with fine (7 perforations/cm) and correctly perforated stamp corners on high-quality, water-activated gummed paper. Cinderella Stamps are not valid for postage.

YourStamps is the Cinderella-Stamp printer for this project. They are located in Berlin.

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As mentioned at the Gina Lotta Post Artistamp Museum,

T.H.E. Hill is also the designer of:

the "Americans in Berlin" sheet of Cinderella stamps,

the "Francis Gary Powers U-2 Pilot" sheet of Cinderella stamps,

the "Fiftieth Anniversary of the Construction of the Berlin Wall" Cinderella stamps,

the "The 60th Anniversary of the Start of PBJointly Collection" Cinderella Stamps,

and the author of three novels about Berlin.
While you are here, please take some time to learn more about all these productions.