24 November 1986 · Over the wall
Michael Bittner shot at Glienicke/Nordbahn
The 25-year-old climbed the inner wall with a wooden ladder and was shot in the back as he reached the final wall; the Stasi then erased almost every trace of his death.
Michael Bittner was born on 31 August 1961. At about 1:20 a.m. on 24 November 1986 he approached the border at Glienicke/Nordbahn, near Nohlstraße, carrying his personal documents.
He climbed the inner wall with a wooden ladder and set off an alarm. Guards saw him crossing the patrol path and fired as his hands reached the top of the outer wall. He was hit in the back and fell backwards. He died at 1:50 a.m.
A Stasi report said the 'political sensitivity' of the border to West Berlin made it necessary to cover up the incident. His death certificate, autopsy and cremation records were destroyed; he was falsely registered as having emigrated to West Germany, and an arrest warrant was fabricated. His body has never been found.
In 1997 the two gunmen were convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to one year and three months on probation. In 1998 their superiors also received suspended sentences.
Sources
- Bittner, MichaelChronik der Mauer
- Die Todesopfer an der Berliner Mauer 1961-1989 (Hertle/Nooke, 2017)Zentrum für Zeithistorische Forschung Potsdam / Stiftung Berliner Mauer
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