5 August 1973 · Hidden in vehicles
Two East Germans in a hiding place in a West Berlin student's van at Drewitz
A Free University student from West Berlin was arrested at the Drewitz crossing with two East Germans in a hiding place built into his small van.
At about 11.30 p.m. on 5 August 1973 the GDR border control at Drewitz arrested a West Berliner born in 1948, a student at the Free University living in Charlottenburg. According to the Stasi report he was trying to take two East Germans to West Berlin in a hiding place specially built into the small van he was driving.
Proceedings were opened and arrest warrants issued against the driver and the two East Germans. The report gives no further details.
Sources
Whose account is this? Told from a GDR record only: documents of the GDR’s police, Stasi or border troops. No other account of the event is cited.
GDR records
- Information Nr. 791/73 über die Festnahme eines Westberliner Bürgers wegen des Versuchs der Ausschleusung von DDR-Bürgern nach Berlin (West)DDR im Blick (Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv)
Facts checked against the sources: November 2026
Spotted an error, or know more about this story? Email us a correction or addition
Cite this page
Berlin Experiences, “Two East Germans in a hiding place in a West Berlin student's van at Drewitz”, Berlin Wall Escapes, 2026, https://berlinwallescapes.com/escapes/fu-student-van-drewitz-1973/ (accessed [date]).
Related escapes
30 March 1973
A mother and her four-year-old son in a prepared van at Drewitz
Four West Berliners were arrested at Drewitz with an East Berlin academy employee and her four-year-old son hidden in a small van that two of them had bought and prepared; the other two were to use a car as a feeder vehicle and cover the operation.
3 June 1973
A cleaning-firm owner with East Germans in his car boot at Drewitz
Georg Burggraf, owner of a West Berlin building-cleaning firm, and a young assistant were arrested at Drewitz with East Germans hidden in the boot of his car.
14 August 1973
A woman under the back seat of a piano maker's Mercedes at Drewitz
A West Berlin master piano maker on the transit route into West Berlin was caught at Drewitz with an East German woman hidden under the back seat of his Mercedes.
24 August 1973
A teacher and her two children in a Ford boot at Drewitz
A West Berlin television technician working for the Jensch organisation was caught at Drewitz with a Friedrichshain teacher and her children, aged nine and six, in the boot of his Ford.