Guards shoot at a tipper truck approaching the Chausseestraße crossing

Two young men and a woman drove a tipper truck towards the Chausseestraße crossing; East German guards fired three to six shots and the three were led away, apparently unhurt.

Black-and-white photo of a wide empty street leading to a barrier, the Wall and control buildings at the Chausseestraße crossing, with apartment blocks behind. — The Chausseestraße border crossing seen from Wedding (West Berlin) in June 1972 Photo: Willy Pragher. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

On Wednesday 31 August 1988 two younger men and a woman tried to reach West Berlin in a tipper truck at the Chausseestraße crossing between Mitte and Wedding.

As the truck approached the crossing, East Berlin border guards opened fire. A West Berlin police spokesman said the guards fired between three and six times.

Black-and-white view of a street leading through a border crossing, with traffic cones, a watchtower, a guard hut and a painted wall on the left. — The Chausseestraße border crossing in January 1990, sixteen months after the tipper-truck attempt Photo: Gerd Danigel. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

The escape was stopped. According to the police the three occupants were led away, probably unhurt.

Where the sources differ

Two press reports, both based on West Berlin police statements: a short taz report of 1 September 1988 ('gestern'), quoting a police spokesman, and a separate wire brief in the Los Angeles Times of 1 September 1988, which says East German border guards opened fire early on Wednesday (31 August) to halt the flight of three people to West Berlin in a dump truck. They agree on the date, the three people, the truck, the shots and the failure; the Los Angeles Times does not name the crossing, so the place (Chausseestraße) rests on the taz alone. It does not say how far the truck got or whether it hit a barrier; the text says only that it 'approached' the crossing. No names or ages. The Chronik der Mauer day chronicle for August 1988 does not mention it. Coordinates are those used for the Chausseestraße crossing elsewhere on the site.

Sources

Schüsse an der Mauer (taz, 1 September 1988)taz
3 Caught at Berlin Wall (1 September 1988)Los Angeles Times

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Sources

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A couple's dump truck sticks in the barriers opposite Zehlendorf – and a friend films it

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