9 September 1963 · Guards who fled

Two border policemen escape from their bulldozer in Falkensee

Two GDR border policemen, aged 20 and 23, who had been levelling the death strip at Falkensee drove their bulldozer up to the barriers, climbed the fences and reached West Berlin unnoticed.

Aerial photograph of the border strip cutting across fields and a road between a town and housing estates
Aerial view of the Berlin Wall and death strip between Falkensee (Brandenburg) and Spandau's Falkenhagener Feld, 27 April 1987 Photo: Willy Pragher. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

In the late afternoon of 9 September 1963 two GDR border policemen, aged 20 and 23, had been carrying out levelling work with a bulldozer in the death strip at Falkensee, on the western edge of Berlin.

After finishing the work they drove the machine right up to the barriers. From there they climbed over several fences and reached West Berlin without their weapons and without being noticed.

The Chronik der Mauer lists the escape among its selected successful escapes; it gives no names for the two men.

Sources

  1. Gelungene Flucht von DDR-Grenzpolizisten mithilfe einer Planierraupe von Falkensee nach West-Berlin, 9. September 1963Chronik der Mauer

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