26 January 1962 · Over the wall · Staaken
A young woman is shot at and arrested by the fence on Nennhauser Damm
At about 08.30 on 26 January 1962 a woman of about 18 who was near the border fence on Nennhauser Damm in Staaken was arrested by a two-man border-police patrol. Before the arrest a border guard fired four or five submachine-gun shots at her; the West Berlin police thought she was probably hurt.
At about 08.30 on 26 January 1962 a woman of about 18 was near the border fence on Nennhauser Damm in Staaken, close to the post office on the GDR side. A two-man border-police patrol arrested her.
Before the arrest a border guard fired about four or five shots at her from a submachine gun. The West Berlin police thought she had probably been injured. Their report calls her 'die Flüchtende' (the fleeing woman) but does not name her.
Sources
Whose account is this? Told from historical research only.
Historians and memorials
- Tätigkeitsbericht der West-Berliner Schutzpolizei für den Monat Januar 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, “A young woman is shot at and arrested by the fence on Nennhauser Damm”, Berlin Wall Escapes, 2026, https://berlinwallescapes.com/escapes/nennhauser-damm-staaken-young-woman-1962/ (accessed [date]).
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