Who were the four in the jeep? From when did they take over the zones in Vienna? How were the Viennese districts divided? What happened in downtown Vienna?
On September 1, 1945, the time had come. The troops of the four occupying powers under their High Commissars Clark (USA), Koniev (USSR), Mc Creery (Great Britain) and Béthouart (France) took over their zones in Vienna.
The American sector included the districts, 7, 8, 9, 17, 18, 19. The British held the districts 3, 5, 11 (without Albern) 12, 13. The French sector consisted of districts 6, 14, 15, and 16, while Soviet troops occupied districts 2 (with Albern), 4, 10, 20, 21, and 22.
The Inner City was administered jointly by the four occupying powers and was also called the inter-allied zone. The seat of the inter-allied command was the Palace of Justice. The chairmanship was changed on a monthly basis.
The basic idea of the four-power administration was that all important government and administrative offices were located in the Inner City. If this district had been controlled by one of the four Allies alone, the latter could have exerted pressure on the Austrian authorities, as well as on the government.
The Four in a Jeep, as the international patrol was called, initially consisted of three soldiers and began operations on August 5, 1945. In September 1945, the Frenchman joined them as a fourth man. This ensured order and security for the civilian population and the members of the allied army.
Since the vehicles were basically provided by the US Army, the Americans were also the vehicle drivers. There was also a Swiss film made about the Four in a Jeep in the 1950s. The existence of the International Patrol ended on September 14, 1955.
Not only the administrative, but also the economic and human problems with the occupation troubled the Viennese. The occupation costs initially amounted to 35% of the state budget.
In spite of many burdens, a new world opened up: the Americans brought care packages, cigarettes and chewing gum to Vienna. The British brought high culture: “British Council” and Henry Moore and the French brought art and fashion.
