A water police officer sails his patrol boat to the West
In September 1985 a GDR water police officer slipped away from his colleagues, boarded his service boat, faked a routine patrol and motored across the water border to West Berlin.
From the mid-1960s a border troops boat company was based at Villa Starck in Potsdam, patrolling the Jungfernsee, the Havel and the Griebnitzsee with speedboats.
In September 1985, after lunch in the company canteen, a GDR water police officer boarded his service boat unnoticed while his colleagues were off shopping.
Pretending to be on a regular patrol, he crossed the water border to West Berlin. Accounts differ on what he left behind. According to the Leibniz Centre for Contemporary History, as quoted on the Kladow local-history site, he left his bag with his service weapon and papers at a post on the Jungfernsee shore; the Stasi report says that just before the border he put the machine pistol, magazines, a flare pistol, the papers and the boat's flag on a mooring post in the water and took his service pistol with him.
Where the accounts differ
The sources do not tell this story the same way. We give each version with its source rather than choose one; the summary and map follow the best-supported version.
What he left behind at the border
- He left his service bag with his service weapon and papers at a post on the shore of the Jungfernsee (the Leibniz Centre for Contemporary History, as quoted on the page: 'Die Diensttasche mit Dienstwaffe und Unterlagen hinterließ er an einem Pfahl um Ufer des Jungfernsees').u100.berlin (witness account)
- Just before crossing the border he put the machine pistol, three magazines with 90 rounds, a flare pistol, the service papers and the boat's flag on a double mooring post in the water, and fled taking his service pistol and 16 rounds with him.Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv (DDR im Blick) (GDR record)
- Quoting an MfS report of 16 October 1985: he left the weapons and patrol papers of the other crew members at a mooring post ('Befestigungsdalben') before leaving GDR territory.Brandenburgische Landeszentrale für politische Bildung / BStU Außenstelle Potsdam (historian or memorial)
The Stasi report of 27 September 1985 and the MfS report quoted by Strehlow are both GDR records; the u100 page quotes the ZZF's 'Achtung Grenze' site, which does not say what it is based on.
Time of the escape
- About 12.00 ('gegen 12.00 Uhr') on 19 September 1985.Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv (DDR im Blick) (GDR record)
- About 12.30 ('gegen 12.30 Uhr') on 19 September 1985.Brandenburgische Landeszentrale für politische Bildung / BStU Außenstelle Potsdam (historian or memorial)
Small gap; the MfS party information Strehlow quotes has the crew mooring for lunch at about 11.35 (Stasi report 410/85: about 11.30).
Sources
Whose account is this? Drawn from GDR records, a press report, a witness account and historical research.
GDR records
- Information Nr. 410/85, 27 September 1985 – Flucht eines WasserschutzpolizistenStasi-Unterlagen-Archiv (DDR im Blick)
- Fahnenflucht eines Angehörigen der Deutschen Volkspolizei/Wasserschutzpolizei am 19. September 1985 nach West-Berlin (BArch MfS Sekr. Neiber/571)Bundesarchiv, Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv (catalogue via Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek)
Press
- East German Policeman Escapes to West in Boat (20 September 1985)Los Angeles Times
Witness accounts
Historians and memorials
- Bootskompanie der DDR-GrenztruppenChronik der Mauer
- Hannelore Strehlow, Der gefährliche Weg in die Freiheit. Fluchtversuche aus dem ehemaligen Bezirk Potsdam (2004), 'Flucht vom 19.9.1985 im Grenzbereich der Havel', pp. 76–82Brandenburgische Landeszentrale für politische Bildung / BStU Außenstelle Potsdam
Facts checked against the sources: November 2026
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Cite this page
Berlin Experiences, “A water police officer sails his patrol boat to the West”, Berlin Wall Escapes, 2026, https://berlinwallescapes.com/escapes/water-police-officer-patrol-boat-1985/ (accessed [date]).
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