3 December 1987 · Over the wall
An 18-year-old climbs into Neukölln with a ladder and swims a canal
On the night of 3 December 1987 an 18-year-old East German dodged border patrols in the Treptow area, climbed the Wall with a ladder and swam a canal into Neukölln. He telephoned West Berlin police to report his escape.
On the night of Thursday 3 December 1987 an 18-year-old East German escaped from the Treptow area of East Berlin into the Neukölln district of West Berlin.
According to West Berlin police, he dodged the border patrols, used a ladder to climb over the Wall and swam across a canal. He told the police about his escape by telephone. Police said there had been heightened activity among the border troops in the Treptow area that night.
His name was not released.
Sources
- Escape Over Berlin Wall (Reuters, 5 December 1987)Los Angeles Times
- East German Man Swims to Freedom (AP, 6 December 1987)Los Angeles Times
Spotted an error, or know more about this story? Email us a correction or addition
Related escapes
12 February 1987
Lutz Schmidt shot helping his friend over the Wall
Truck drivers Lutz Schmidt and Peter Schulze drove to the border with ladders; Schmidt helped his colleague onto the Wall and was shot dead as he tried to follow.
19 April 1988
Building cleaner's window-ladder escape
A 31-year-old building cleaner used a window-cleaning ladder to cross every barrier from Treptow into Neukölln while two guards fired 18 shots at him without a hit.
13 August 1961
A family walks out at the Heidekampweg before the fence goes up
At 10.30 a.m. on 13 August 1961 a man, a woman and a child left East Berlin over the Heidekampweg, where no barrier had yet been built.
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.
