Willi Born – a young soldier's flight ends in the Bergfelde woods

Willi Born, born on 29 July 1950, grew up in a large family, spent part of his childhood in a children's home and later worked as a tractor driver on the agricultural cooperative in Lindow where his father also worked. He married in 1969 and moved with his wife to Velten, north of Berlin.

In 1970 he was doing his compulsory service with a motorised rifle regiment of the National People's Army (NVA) in Oranienburg. In the early hours of 7 July 1970, three weeks before his 20th birthday, he left his unit without being noticed and, in broad daylight, made his way into the border area near Bergfelde, north of Berlin.

His absence had meanwhile been discovered at the barracks. He was put on the wanted list and the border posts were told to keep a closer watch. At about 10.30 a.m. a sentry spotted him and fired a warning burst.

Pursued by several border soldiers, Willi Born took cover in a strip of woodland, where he was surrounded. Before a guard could arrest him, he shot himself in the head with his submachine gun and died instantly.

His family buried him in the cemetery in Lindow. His parents believed that private problems had led to his flight and his death.