31 August 1961 · Guards who fled
A patrol leader at Schönwalde deserts with his carbine
On the morning of 31 August 1961 a Border Police lance corporal born in 1940 deserted from his post near Schönwalde with his carbine and 60 rounds; the Stasi listed him among the desertions to West Berlin.
The Stasi situation report of 31 August 1961 lists four desertions of Border Police and riot police men around Berlin in the period, bringing the total since 13 August to 74.
One of them was a lance corporal (Gefreiter) born in 1940, a member of the Border Police since May 1959 and a patrol leader in the 7th company at Schönwalde, part of the 14th Grenzbereitschaft at Groß Glienicke. From 9.45 a.m. on 31 August he was missing from his post, and he had taken his carbine and 60 rounds of ammunition with him.
The Stasi's first enquiries found that West Berlin police officers had twice tried to make contact with him before he left. The report counts him among the completed desertions to West Berlin.
Sources
Whose account is this? Told from a GDR record only: documents of the GDR’s police, Stasi or border troops. No other account of the event is cited.
GDR records
- Jahrgang 1961: Lage nach dem Bau der Berliner Mauer (15) – Bericht Nr. 510/61, 31 August 1961Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv (DDR im Blick)
Facts checked against the sources: September 2026
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Cite this page
Berlin Experiences, “A patrol leader at Schönwalde deserts with his carbine”, Berlin Wall Escapes, 2026, https://berlinwallescapes.com/escapes/schoenwalde-postenfuehrer-carbine-1961/ (accessed [date]).
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