A West Berliner scouting the sewer at the Gleimtunnel is fired on
At 00.15 on 6 January 1962 a 20-year-old West Berliner went into the sewer at the Gleimtunnel to explore escape routes for relatives. He set off an alarm in the sewer on the East Berlin side; East Berlin police (Vopo) then climbed in and fired two submachine-gun shots at him, which missed.
At 00.15 on 6 January 1962 a 20-year-old West Berliner went into the sewer at the Gleimtunnel, which led from West Berlin into the Soviet sector. According to the West Berlin police he wanted to explore escape routes for relatives.
In the Soviet sector, at the Gleimtunnel exit, he set off an alarm device in the sewer. East Berlin police (Vopo) then climbed into the sewer and fired two submachine-gun shots at him as he fled. Both missed. The police report does not name him.
Sources
Whose account is this? Told from historical research only.
Historians and memorials
- Tätigkeitsbericht der West-Berliner Schutzpolizei für den Monat Januar 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 West Berliner scouting the sewer at the Gleimtunnel is fired on”, Berlin Wall Escapes, 2026, https://berlinwallescapes.com/escapes/gleimtunnel-sewer-scout-1962/ (accessed [date]).
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