British occupation zone in Germany

zone of British occupation in postwar Germany

The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country into four occupation zones from 1945 to 1949.

German Reich
Deutsches Reich
1945–1949
Post-Nazi German occupation borders and territories from 1945 to 1949. British (green), French (blue), American (orange) and Soviet (red) occupation zones. Saar Protectorate (light blue) in the west under the control of France. Berlin is the quadripartite area shown within the red Soviet zone. Bremen consists of the two orange American exclaves in the British sector.
Post-Nazi German occupation borders and territories from 1945 to 1949.
British (green), French (blue), American (orange) and Soviet (red) occupation zones. Saar Protectorate (light blue) in the west under the control of France.
Berlin is the quadripartite area shown within the red Soviet zone. Bremen consists of the two orange American exclaves in the British sector.
StatusMilitary occupation
Capital
Governors (1945) 
• British zone
F. Mar. Montgomery
• French zone
Gen. Lattre de Tassigny
• US zone
Gen. Eisenhower
Marshal G. K. Zhukov
Historical eraCold War
• Surrender
8 May 1945
5 July 1945
15 December 1947
23 May 1949
7 October 1949
12 September 1990
Population
• 1945
64,260,000
• 1949
68,080,000
Currency
ISO 3166 codeDE
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Nazi Germany
West Germany
East Germany
Saar Protectorate
West Berlin
Today part of Germany
  1. Joined the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) on 1 January 1957.
  2. Reunited Germany by joining the Federal Republic of Germany on 3 October 1990.
  3. German reunification took place on 3 October 1990.
  4. The western Allied zones of Germany and the western sectors of Berlin.
  5. The Soviet zone of Germany and sector of Berlin.
Map of occupied Berlin
The four sectors of the Allied occupation of Berlin and exclaves.

The British zone consisted of Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Lower Saxony and the present-day state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The British military government was based in Bad Oeynhausen.

Bremen and Bremerhaven were surrounded by the British Zone, but were given to the United States, so that the Americans had a port. What is now Rhineland-Palatinate was to be a part of the British Zone. It was given up to form part of the French occupation zone.

In May 1949 the British, French, and American zones were joined to form the Federal Republic of Germany. The military governors were replaced by civilian high commissioners. The high commissioners were part-governor and part-ambassador. The occupation officially continued until 1955. This is when the Federal Republic became a fully sovereign state, the western occupation zones ceased to exist, and the high commissioners were replaced by normal ambassadors. But the four allied powers still had special rights and responsibilities in Germany until the Final Settlement of 1990.

The city of Berlin, however, was not part of either state and continued to be under Allied occupation until 1990.

The military governors and commissioners

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Military governors

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High commissioners

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References

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