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. According to research cited on the Kladow local-history site, he left his service weapon and papers on the Jungfernsee shore before leaving.
Sources
- Bootskompanie der DDR-GrenztruppenChronik der Mauer
- Folge 04: Walli Wallischefski – Generation Kladowu100.berlin
- Information Nr. 410/85, 27 September 1985 – Flucht eines WasserschutzpolizistenStasi-Unterlagen-Archiv (DDR im Blick)
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