A man stopped at the last obstacle before the Wall, 5 April 1970
On 5 April 1970 an East German motorised patrol stopped a man trying to escape over the Wall into West Berlin as he reached the last steel obstacle; the guards beat him with their rifles, West Berlin police reported.
On 5 April 1970 East German border guards foiled an attempt by a man to escape over the border wall into West Berlin, West Berlin police reported. According to the police, a motorised patrol stopped him as he reached the last steel obstacle before the wall.
The police said the guards beat the man with their rifles as they pushed him into a jeep. The Reuters report gives no name and no place along the Wall.
Sources
Whose account is this? Told from a press report only.
Press
- East German Guards Halt Man Trying to Flee to West (6 April 1970)The New York Times (Reuters)
Facts checked against the sources: October 2026
Spotted an error, or know more about this story? Email us a correction or addition
Cite this page
Berlin Experiences, “A man stopped at the last obstacle before the Wall, 5 April 1970”, Berlin Wall Escapes, 2026, https://berlinwallescapes.com/escapes/man-foiled-at-wall-1970/ (accessed [date]).
Related escapes
21 March 1970
A 22-year-old is shot in the leg at Strelitzer Straße
A young man got almost to the foot of the Wall before the Strelitzer Straße watchtower spotted him; two aimed shots stopped him, one hitting his right leg.
25 December 1970
Christian Peter Friese shot on Christmas night at Köllnische Heide
On Christmas Eve 1970 a 22-year-old mechanic from Naumburg travelled to East Berlin and, around midnight, entered the border strip at Johannisthal. Five guards fired 98 shots; he died a few metres short of the last fence.
4 April 1971
Two youths climb the Wall
On 4 April 1971 two East German youths climbed the Berlin Wall and fled to the West, West Berlin police reported.
11 June 1972
An 18-year-old flees through automatic fire unhurt
On 11 June 1972 an 18-year-old East German fled through automatic-weapon fire from the border guards and reached West Berlin unhurt.