15 August 1989 · Driving through

Army truck overturned at Stolpe

A 28-year-old man drove a ZIL-131 truck through several gates at the Stolpe crossing until it overturned against another barrier.

A tall orange stele reading 'Grenzübergang Stolpe' and three blue panels with photos, among trees.
Information steles at the site of the former Stolpe crossing, in the Tegel forest at Heiligensee (photographed 2020) Photo: OTFW, Berlin. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Around midnight on 15 August 1989 a 28-year-old man drove a ZIL-131 truck (described in the source as 'Moskau SIL 131') at the Stolpe crossing on the northern edge of West Berlin.

He broke through the barrier at the pre-check area and flattened several passage gates.

The force of the impact against another barrier finally tipped the truck onto its side, and the escape attempt failed.

Sources

  1. Gescheiterte Flucht mit einem Lastwagen Marke „Moskau SIL 131“ am Grenzübergang Stolpe nach Berlin-Reinickendorf, 15. August 1989Chronik der Mauer

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