Berlin Wall Escapes1961–1989

15 December 1962 · Swimming · The Spree between Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain

Pulled out of the Spree 15 metres from the line

Before dawn on 15 December 1962 border guards on a patrol boat fired about 25 shots at a man of about 45 who was swimming the Spree. They pulled him into the boat 15 metres short of the sector border, and he shouted to West Berlin police that he was wounded.

A stone bridge pier in dark water, with a wall and industrial buildings on the far riverbank under a grey sky.
The Spree seen from Kreuzberg in November 1987, with a pier of the destroyed Brommy Bridge in front and the Wall on the East Berlin bank Photo: Roehrensee. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

At about 4.55 on 15 December 1962 a man of about 45 tried to swim across the Spree, level with the Behala site on the Kreuzberg side of the sector border. Border guards on a patrol boat fired about 25 shots at him.

About 15 metres from the sector border they hauled him into the boat and took him off towards the Brommy Bridge. As they did so, he called out to West Berlin police officers that he had been wounded.

A tall brick warehouse with a pointed gable and rows of small windows on a graffiti-covered riverbank quay.
The Behala Viktoria warehouse on the Kreuzberg bank of the Spree (2012) Photo: Jörg Zägel. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Six bullet strikes were later found on the West Berlin side, and one bullet was recovered.

Sources

Western official records

Facts checked against the sources: September 2026

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Berlin Experiences, “Pulled out of the Spree 15 metres from the line”, Berlin Wall Escapes, 2026, https://berlinwallescapes.com/escapes/behala-spree-swimmer-1962/ (accessed [date]).

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