23 August 1961 · Over the wall · Kleinmachnow, Teltow and the Teltow Canal
Two volunteer firemen from Groß Kreuz leave the border works at Kleinmachnow
Two members of the Groß Kreuz volunteer fire brigade, who had signed up to help build the border fortifications, went over to West Berlin near the Kleinmachnow/Ost control point on the morning of 23 August 1961.
Two firemen from Groß Kreuz had volunteered for this 'pioneer work' in the border area. At about 8.35 a.m. on 23 August they deserted near the Kleinmachnow/Ost control point, in the sector of the Blankenfelde border unit, and went over to West Berlin.
The Stasi listed the case in its situation report of 24 August among the desertions of the day, next to a border policeman and a Kampfgruppe driver who jumped the Wall at Dresdner Straße. It gives no names and does not describe how the two men got through the wire.
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
- Jahrgang 1961: Lage nach dem Bau der Berliner Mauer (7) – Bericht Nr. 477/61, 24. August 1961Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv (DDR im Blick)
Facts checked against the sources: September 2026
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Cite this page
Berlin Experiences, “Two volunteer firemen from Groß Kreuz leave the border works at Kleinmachnow”, Berlin Wall Escapes, 2026, https://berlinwallescapes.com/escapes/gross-kreuz-firemen-kleinmachnow-1961/ (accessed [date]).
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