What did the “C” stand for in Checkpoint Charlie’s name?

The “C” in Checkpoint Charlie’s name stood for “Charlie.”

The Western Allies used a phonetic alphabet to identify their Berlin crossing points. Checkpoint Alpha was at Helmstedt, Checkpoint Bravo was at Dreilinden, and Checkpoint Charlie was in central Berlin on Friedrichstraße. “Charlie” was the phonetic code word for the letter C.

Checkpoint Charlie was the crossing point for Allied personnel, diplomats, and foreign visitors moving between West Berlin and East Berlin. It became especially famous during the tank confrontation of October 1961, when American and Soviet forces faced each other nearby after a dispute over Allied access rights.

The name is sometimes treated as a personal nickname, but it was simply part of the NATO-style phonetic alphabet system then used by the Western powers. The original guardhouse was removed after German reunification, and a replica now marks the historic site for visitors.