10 June 1962 · Over the wall · Bernauer Straße
Helmut P. is shot at but gets over the cemetery wall
Helmut P. chose the Sophien cemetery for its cover; two guards at Ackerstraße fired as he pulled himself up the wall, but he got over; West Berlin police said he had been wounded.
Helmut P. tried to reach the West through the Sophien cemetery because the cemetery offered him cover.
Two border soldiers posted at Ackerstraße saw him just as he was pulling himself up the cemetery wall. They shouted at him to stop and then both fired.
He still managed to get over. Blood was later found on the wall and on items of clothing he had left behind, and according to the West Berlin police he had been wounded by the guards' shots.
Sources
Whose account is this? Told from historical research only.
Historians and memorials
- Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer – Bereich A: Die Mauer und der Todesstreifen (Orientierungsplan und Ereignismarken), marker A 318Stiftung Berliner Mauer
- A 318 – Digital Guide, Berlin Wall MemorialStiftung Berliner Mauer
- 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, “Helmut P. is shot at but gets over the cemetery wall”, Berlin Wall Escapes, 2026, https://berlinwallescapes.com/escapes/helmut-p-sophienfriedhof-1962/ (accessed [date]).
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