Berlin Wall Escapes1961–1989

14 November 1962 · Tunnels

The Kleinmachnow Tunnel and the Arrest of Harry Seidel

The betrayal of a 70-metre tunnel into Kleinmachnow ended with the capture of the famous escape helper Harry Seidel, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in a show trial.

Black-and-white photo of a courtroom with judges seated at a raised bench, the defendant on the left and his lawyer in front.
Harry Seidel on trial before the GDR Supreme Court on 27 December 1962, after his arrest at the Kleinmachnow tunnel; court president Heinrich Toeplitz presides (GDR press photo; the archive's original caption is propaganda) Photo: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-A1227-0007-001 / Rudolf Hesse. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 de

In October and November 1962 the brothers Boris and Eduard Franzke and three other helpers dug a tunnel from a building site near Neuruppiner Straße in Zehlendorf towards the house at Wolfswerder 29 in Kleinmachnow, on GDR territory. At about 70 metres it was the longest tunnel they had dug. Harry Seidel, a former cyclist and one of the most active escape helpers, joined in early November.

Under time pressure the breakthrough was made on 14 November 1962 before the house was reached. Seidel volunteered to climb out into the garden and fetch the refugees. The Stasi had been informed and was waiting: Seidel was seized, but managed to shout a warning so the others could retreat through the tunnel. An explosive charge laid along the tunnel route failed to go off because its cables had been cut.

A sandy road ending at open scrubland and trees, with a lamp post and a fence at the side.
The street Wolfswerder in Kleinmachnow in 2002, ending at the former border area where the tunnel from West Berlin was meant to surface Photo: Andreas Lippold. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Six weeks later Seidel stood trial before the GDR Supreme Court and on 29 December 1962 was sentenced to life imprisonment. In 1966 the Federal Republic bought his release. Who betrayed the tunnel remains unclear.

Sources

  1. Tunnel Wolfswerder 29TF-Mapping (Institut für Europäische Ethnologie, Humboldt-Universität Berlin)
  2. Pfingsttunnel 1962, Gedenktafel (biography of Harry Seidel)Museen Treptow-Köpenick / berlin.de

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