A fugitive collapses under fire at the Forsthausallee bridge
At about 04.40 on 22 June 1962 a border guard fired a submachine-gun burst at a fleeing man at the Forsthausallee bridge. The man collapsed and about 15 minutes later was carried away in a tent sheet by the East Berlin fire brigade, apparently lifeless.
At about 04.40 on 22 June 1962 a border guard at the Forsthausallee bridge fired a burst from a submachine gun at a fleeing man.
The man collapsed. After about 15 minutes members of the East Berlin fire brigade carried him away in a tent sheet; to the West Berlin police he appeared lifeless. The report does not name him or say whether he survived.
Sources
Whose account is this? Told from historical research only.
Historians and memorials
- Bericht der West-Berliner Schutzpolizei über die Lage an der Sektor- und Zonengrenze sowie auf S- und Reichsbahngelände für den Monat Juni 1962 [Auszug]Chronik der Mauer (document: Polizeihistorische Sammlung des Polizeipräsidenten in Berlin)
Facts checked against the sources: October 2026
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Cite this page
Berlin Experiences, “A fugitive collapses under fire at the Forsthausallee bridge”, Berlin Wall Escapes, 2026, https://berlinwallescapes.com/escapes/forsthausallee-bridge-fugitive-1962/ (accessed [date]).
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At 18.50 on 6 February 1962 two men escaped to West Berlin in Neukölln, about 250 m north-east of the Sonnenallee crossing. Nine submachine-gun bursts fired by the border guards missed them.
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