Anders stood ready at the cannons when the third world war threatened. Today, he has a clear appeal to us all.

A 18-year-old soldier arrives at a site on southeastern Zealand. It is May 1, 1962, and his new workplace is right in front of him.

Or rather... right under him.

Anders Hansen is to man the underground fort Stevnsfortet, which here in the middle of the Cold War keeps a sharp eye on Soviet ships in the Baltic Sea.

Armed with two gigantic double-barreled 150mm cannons, the fort's task is to suppress enemy vessels on the sea, if necessary.

The first half year of Anders Hansen's stay at the fort, nothing particularly big happens, and the time passes mostly with exercises, exercises, and more exercises.

But it is silence before the storm.

Half a year after Anders Hansen's arrival, something happens that sends the fort into the highest alarm status.

"Suddenly it was no longer a drill," Anders Hansen, who is now 82 years old, recalls. "The officers looked very serious. We didn't get much information, but it was clear that it was no longer a joke. All cannons had to be manned and ready, they told us."

Unfortunately, there was good reason for the officers' serious demeanor. For on Cuba - only 150 kilometers from the US coast - the Soviet Union had secretly set up atomic missiles, and for 13 nerve-wracking days, fear reigned that the many nuclear weapons that the two superpowers had amassed since World War II would now be used.

The atmosphere at Stevnsfortet was tense. But people were not decidedly afraid, recalls Anders Hansen.

"You have to think about the fact that it was only a short time after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, so we had seen on TV what the new bombs could do. But at the same time, I was only 18 years old, and Cuba felt very far away. So we took the task seriously, but it was also exciting - a little like playing robbers and soldiers."

"It was only later, when I got older, that it occurred to me how close we were... Yes, of course, to the fact that the whole thing could have exploded between our hands."

Stevnsfortet was in the highest alarm status for over a week, and all posts were fully manned day and night.

As a range finder for one of the two 150mm cannons, Anders Hansen's job was to find the precise distance to a target on the sea and report the number to the operations room deep in the fort.

"The cannon was surprisingly precise. We could hit within a few meters. I stood on land with my equipment, right next to the cannon. It gave a good bang, when it was fired - and a huge air pressure. You were almost blown over."

"I was very happy for all the preparations we had made. We trained for defense against chemical, biological, and atomic attacks, training in the use of gas masks - and of course a lot of shooting practice with the cannons. We were tense as bowstrings. Prepared for the worst."

> "We were tense as bowstrings. Prepared for the worst."

> Anders Hansen, soldier at Stevnsfortet during the Cuban crisis

On a TV in one of the fort's common rooms, Anders Hansen saw John F. Kennedy's speech on October 22, 1962. In the speech, the American president warned the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact about the consequences if the situation was not de-escalated. (Photo: Uncredited, AP/Ritzau Scanpix)

Only on October 28, 1962 could Anders and the rest of the world breathe a sigh of relief, as the two superpowers found a solution.

The Soviet Union would remove the missiles, if the United States promised not to invade Cuba. In secret, the United States also promised to remove its own atomic missiles from Turkey.

The event is later described by historians as "the beginning of the end" of the Cold War, which, however, lasted many years more.

Only in 1989 did the Berlin Wall fall - and in 1991 did the Soviet Union dissolve.

"Our children were still young when the wall fell, and the fear of war had been present for many years. So it was a great relief that they could now grow up without all that. It was over 30 years, during which things actually looked positive between east and west," Anders Hansen, who after the military had several other positions in the public sector, recalls.

But also that period is history now, thinks Anders Hansen, who in the news can read about war in Ukraine and tensions between the world's superpowers again:

"It makes me sad. It's the Cold War all over again. But we have to face it again. Prepare ourselves. Prepare ourselves. Just like we did at Stevnsfortet. It's not just with a 150mm cannon that my task lies today. I am still 82 years old."

On the other hand, the former soldier has begun to prepare a lot at home. It is a duty to be ready, thinks Anders Hansen, who has food and many liters of water standing ready.

"Many say that 'it will all be fine'. Especially the young. But I don't have that. It's probably because I have another seriousness in my baggage. In addition to the Cold War, you should also think about the fact that my generation was born during World War II. We know that things can easily go wrong."

Eat well: 10 things you should know about Stevnsfortet ( https://www.dr.dk/det-bedste-fra-dr/atombomber-kanoner-og-et-tophemmeligt-rum-her-er-10-ting-du-nok-ikke-vidste-om-det )

It's about taking responsibility for society, thinks Anders Hansen, who recently also bought a small gas stove to cook food, if the power goes out.

"It's nice to hope for the best. But we are also obliged to prepare for the worst. I should at least not be a nuisance, if a situation suddenly arises. The authorities should use their time for something more important than coming up with rationed food for me."

© DR

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WATCH ON DRTV: Jagten på Danmarkshistorien

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The Cold War and Stevnsfortet are the central themes of the first episode of DR's new historical entertainment program 'Jagten på Danmarkshistorien' ( https://www.dr.dk/drtv/se/jagten-paa-danmarkshistorien_-danmarks-hemmelige-front_553084 ). Who can stop a Russian invasion from the Sound? And who can crack encrypted codes deep underground? These are some of the challenges the participants face in the program, where they get very close to the Cold War and Denmark's secret defense.

Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.