18 August 1961 · Over the wall · Treptow and Neukölln
Three wires cut at the Heidekampgraben
On 18 August 1961 a youth cut three strands of barbed wire at the Heidekampgraben near the Sonnenallee crossing and escaped. A family of three who tried to follow him through the gap was arrested.
At about 17.20 on 18 August 1961 a youth cut through three wires of the barbed-wire fence with a tool and got through to West Berlin. He did this about 150 metres to the right of checkpoint 65 (Sonnenallee), in the direction of Dammweg. At that moment the police patrol was at the Sonnenallee.
A family of three tried to use the same opportunity to get across. They were caught and taken to the police post.
Sources
Whose account is this? Told from GDR records only: documents of the GDR’s police, Stasi or border troops. No other account of the event is cited.
GDR records
- Stab PdVP Berlin – Journal der Handlung, 18 August 1961Chronik der Mauer (document: Landesarchiv Berlin, C Rep. 303/26.1/239)
- Jahrgang 1961: Lage nach dem Bau der Berliner Mauer (2) – Bericht Nr. 447/61, 18. August 1961Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv (DDR im Blick)
Facts checked against the sources: September 2026
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Cite this page
Berlin Experiences, “Three wires cut at the Heidekampgraben”, Berlin Wall Escapes, 2026, https://berlinwallescapes.com/escapes/heidekampgraben-wire-cut-1961/ (accessed [date]).
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