27 February 1964 · Over the wall
Walter Hayn shot beside the 'Sorgenfrei' allotments
Former People's Police officer Walter Hayn was shot just short of the fence to West Berlin's allotments; his family was told he had drowned.
Walter Hayn, born in Breslau on 31 January 1939, grew up in Ebersbach near Großenhain. He joined the People's Police in 1958 and, according to his younger brother, served at the sector border in East Berlin, but was dismissed in June 1961 and then worked as a transport and building worker. His marriage ended in September 1963. His motives are unknown; his brother believes he wanted a better life.
On the evening of 27 February 1964 he drank to find courage in a pub in the 'Sorgenfrei' allotment colony, carrying his identity card, work book, divorce decree and his brother's West German address. He then climbed the rear fence into the strip and headed for the three-row fence beyond which lay the West Berlin allotments.
At 10.20 p.m. the sentry pair spotted him and, when he did not stop, opened fire, supported from a watchtower. Seventeen shots were fired; two hit him short of the fence, one fatally. West Berlin gardeners heard guards shouting threats.
The authorities told his mother he had drowned and threatened the family with prosecution if they spread rumours. In 1995 two former guards were given suspended sentences for manslaughter; a third was acquitted.
Sources
- Hayn, WalterChronik der Mauer
- Die Todesopfer an der Berliner Mauer 1961-1989 (Hertle/Nooke, Stand August 2017)Stiftung Berliner Mauer
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