A walkie-talkie from West Berlin: the planned break-out at Stolpe-Süd
A young East Berlin window cleaner was to cross at Stolpe-Süd on a radio command from West Berlin, through barriers that young West Berliners had already damaged – and a camera was to film it. The Stasi arrested him first.
According to the Stasi, a 22-year-old window cleaner from Berlin-Friedrichshain had made contact with a group of young West Berliners who had repeatedly damaged GDR border installations. They promised to help him cross. In June 1981 he received, smuggled in from West Berlin, a working 'Universum de Luxe' walkie-talkie, written instructions, a section of map and photographs of the border at Hohen Neuendorf/Stolpe-Süd. He also signed a 'declaration' promising to hand over any income from publicising the escape.
The plan was for him to approach the chosen spot at Stolpe-Süd under cover and cross on a radio command given from West Berlin. The helpers had already entered GDR territory and damaged the barriers at the site, and the breakthrough was to be filmed from the West.
At about 6.40 a.m. on 1 August 1981 the Stasi stopped the attempt and arrested him. The report names three young West Berliners, born between 1957 and 1961, and links them to earlier actions against the border at Heinrich-Heine-Straße and Falkensee on 7 and 25 September 1980 and 25 April 1981; the Stasi proposed a protest to the West Berlin Senate and an ADN news item.
Sources
- Jahrgang 1981: Versuch eines Grenzdurchbruchs mit tätiger Unterstützung aus Westberlin – Information Nr. 384/81, 5 August 1981Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv (DDR im Blick)
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