Berlin Wall Escapes1961–1989

3 September 1961 · Guards who fled · Treptow and Neukölln

A policeman crawls through the fence at Treptower Straße

At 11.20 p.m. on 3 September 1961 a riot-police Unterwachtmeister crawled through the barrier fence at Treptower Straße onto West Berlin ground.

Black-and-white photo from the top of the Wall: a long concrete wall runs beside a sandy patrol strip with lamp posts and a watchtower on the right, between apartment buildings.
The Wall between Neukölln and Treptow near Treptower Straße on 15 March 1990 Photo: Gerd Danigel. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

According to the Stasi report of 3 September 1961, an Unterwachtmeister of the 3rd company, 5th Abteilung, 1st riot-police brigade crawled through the barrier fence at Treptower Straße onto West Berlin ground at 11.20 p.m. that day.

The report recorded three desertions in its reporting period. At 11.20 p.m. the night before, a Wachtmeister of the same brigade had jumped the border fence near control point 10; shortly afterwards he was seen in civilian clothes coming out of a West Berlin border house, and the Stasi found that his cousin lived in one of those houses.

Sources

  1. Jahrgang 1961: Lage nach dem Bau der Berliner Mauer (18) – Bericht Nr. 532/61, 3. September 1961Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv (DDR im Blick)

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Related escapes

  1. 25 August 1961

    Put back on the front line against advice, a policeman deserts at Harzer Straße

    At about 3 p.m. on 25 August 1961 a riot policeman deserted from a patrol at Harzer Straße and Onckenstraße. Three days earlier the Stasi had told his battalion commander to keep him out of the front line, but the commander had put him back there against his company commander's advice.

    Guards who fled · Reached the West · Treptow-Köpenick (Alt-Treptow) → Neukölln

  2. 28 August 1961

    A policeman sends his partner to watch the West Berlin police car, then climbs the fence

    At 1.25 a.m. on 28 August 1961 a riot policeman on double patrol in Heidelberger Straße told his partner to go and see what a West Berlin police car was doing, climbed the fence while he was gone and was driven away by the West Berlin police. He was probably Burghardt A., born in 1943.

    Guards who fled · Reached the West · Treptow-Köpenick (Alt-Treptow) → Neukölln

  3. 28 August 1961

    A night patrol at Kiefholzstraße does not come back

    At about 3 a.m. on 28 August 1961 two riot policemen patrolling Kiefholzstraße in Treptow deserted together, half an hour after their last check.

    Guards who fled · Reached the West · Treptow-Köpenick (Plänterwald) → Neukölln

  4. 30 August 1961

    Two patrolmen at Kiefholzstraße had told their comrades the day before

    At about 8.35 a.m. on 30 August 1961 two riot policemen deserted during a patrol on Kiefholzstraße. They had told two comrades of their plan the day before; the two had kept quiet and were arrested afterwards.

    Guards who fled · Reached the West · Treptow-Köpenick (Plänterwald) → Neukölln