Allied occupation and "International Patrol":
In the "Agreement on Allied Control" of July 4, 1945 and in the "Allied Agreement on the Zones of Occupation" of July 9, 1945, the zones in Austria and the joint administration of the City of Vienna were defined.
The "Allied Council", made up of the commanders in chief of the four allied military powers, had the highest decision-making authority in the country.
Vienna was divided into an US-American, a British, a French and a Soviet sector, based on the city’s borders in 1937.
The first district was subordinated to all four allies equally (four-power administration), with chairmanship changing every month. The basic idea behind the four-power administration was the consideration that all important government and administrative offices were in the inner city. Had this district been controlled by one of the four allies alone, this could have put pressure on the Austrian authorities and the government.
The International Patrol, consisting of one military policeman or soldier from each occupying power, began operations on August 5, 1945. The composition of the teams was initially not uniform. According to some traditions, the French did not join them until September 1945 (Four in a Jeep). But there is also image material that shows the patrol with French soldiers beforehand.
The jeep was in use until October 1946. After it soon became clear that the vehicle was not particularly suitable for this function due to its limited space, the much larger and more comfortable Dodge WC 56/57 Command Cars followed till December 1951. From then on, until the withdrawal of the Allied troops, followed GAZ M 20 Pobeda and from January 1952 Chevrolet P 51 Sedan sedans
Considering that the vehicles were generally provided by the US-Army, the drivers were mainly Americans, too.
When the Soviet Union held the chairmanship of the Allied Council, it made GAZ M 20 vehicles available from December 1951. Then the drivers were also members of the Soviet army.
The responsibility of the IP extended to the entire city of Vienna (four zones and international zone) and included the guarantee of order and security for the civilian population and the members of all allied armies.
The Military Police, which each occupying power had in their zone, was responsible for maintaining order and discipline about the civilian population and only its own soldiers.
On July 27, 1955, after it was ratified by all five states - Austria, USA, Soviet Union, Great Britain and France - the Austrian State Treaty (State Treaty on the restoration of an independent and democratic Austria, given in Vienna on May 15, 1955) entered into force.
On the same day, the Allied Council decided to dissolve it itself and thus ended the four-fold Allied supervision of Austria. The foreign troops had to leave Austria within 90 days.
A joint allied military parade of the four occupying powers was held on Schwarzenberg Square (at that time called Stalin Square), and during a rendition of the national anthem the flags of the four allied powers were taken down. The Americans came up with a special idea. While the other units paraded to the sound of their own marches, the American band played the "Radetzkymarsch". Their extra applause from the audience was assured.
The International Patrol ceased to exist on September 14th, 1955.
Historical tone and image documents:
