Berlin Wall Escapes1961–1989

22 August 1961 · Driving through

The lorry with an unloading permit that did not stop

At about 11.50 a.m. on 22 August 1961 an old private lorry with a permit to unload at the Zimmerstraße/Wilhelmstraße control point was let through, did not stop, and drove on into West Berlin.

Black-and-white photo of a graffiti-covered wall running along a street, a pedestrian and cyclists on the western side, and behind the wall a second wall, a watchtower and East Berlin buildings.
The Wall along Zimmerstraße seen from the West Berlin viewing platform at the corner of Wilhelmstraße in 1988; control point 38 stood at this corner in 1961 Photo: Fortepan / Urbán Tamás. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

At about 11.50 a.m. on 22 August 1961 a lorry that held an unloading permit passed control point 38 at the corner of Zimmerstraße and Wilhelmstraße. According to the East Berlin police journal, it did not stop to unload but drove off towards West Berlin. The police described it as a privately owned lorry of an older make; type and number plate were unknown.

The Stasi report of the same day said the lorry, which had been let through the control point because of its unloading permit, had forcibly crossed the border.

Sources

  1. Stab Präsidium der Volkspolizei Berlin, Abt. Information – Journal der Handlung, 22 August 1961Chronik der Mauer (document: Landesarchiv Berlin, C Rep. 303/26.1/239)
  2. Jahrgang 1961: Lage nach dem Bau der Berliner Mauer (6) – Bericht Nr. 475/61, 22. August 1961Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv (DDR im Blick)

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