8 September 1961 · Driving through
A Barkas van smashes through the Brandenburg Gate
At 2.50 in the morning a small Barkas van raced through the right-hand side of the Brandenburg Gate at about 70 km/h, broke through the metal bars and stopped on the western side.
In the early hours of 8 September 1961, at 2.50 a.m., a Barkas delivery van drove at about 70 km/h through the right-hand side of the Brandenburg Gate, which was barred only with metal poles.
The van stopped on West Berlin territory. After a short conversation with West Berlin police officers it drove on.
The Stasi's report for 8–10 September 1961 lists it as one of two breakthroughs in which escapers deceived the guards and broke through the barriers by vehicle. The engineering barriers at the gate were then reinforced.
Sources
- Jahrgang 1961: Lage nach dem Bau der Berliner Mauer (20) – Bericht Nr. 554/61, 10 September 1961Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv (DDR im Blick)
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