Berlin Wall Escapes1961–1989

Year by year

1979

On 1 August 1979 a third amending act raised the penalties of the GDR's political criminal law considerably; by 14 December almost 22,000 prisoners had been released under an amnesty for the state's 30th anniversary.12 The West Berlin police registered 93 successful escapes through the Berlin barriers in the year to 13 August 1979.3

Most of the 1979 records here went through the checkpoints rather than over the Wall: the Stasi officer Werner Stiller, who used his service pass to get through the Stasi's own border sluice at Friedrichstraße station in January; Kerstin Land and her partner in a car boot in July; and the US ambassador's chauffeur Joerg Habermann, who hid his wife and daughter in the boot of the official car on 25 August. Mario E. got away from the border troops at Wolliner Straße in November, and the police caught him half an hour later.

Sources for this text

  1. Chronik 1979: AugustChronik der Mauer
  2. Chronik 1979: DezemberChronik der Mauer
  3. Gelungene Fluchten aus der DDR und Ost-Berlin durch die Grenz-Sperranlagen, 1961-1989Chronik der Mauer

Checked October 2026. Facts taken from an escape record on this site link to that record, which lists its own sources.

5 events: 4 successful escapes and 1 failed attempt. At least 8 people reached the West in these events.

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  1. 18 January 1979 – 19 January 1979

    Stasi officer Werner Stiller walks out through the Friedrichstraße agents' gate

    After breaking open safes at Stasi headquarters, First Lieutenant Werner Stiller of the foreign intelligence service used his service pass to get through the Stasi's own border gate at Friedrichstraße station and rode the U-Bahn into West Berlin.

    False papers and disguises · Reached the West · Mitte

  2. July 1979

    Kerstin Land and her partner in a car boot

    In July 1979 Kerstin Land, a Leipzig student watched by the Stasi after a leaflet action over Wolf Biermann's expatriation, reached West Berlin with her partner in the boot of a West German car.

    Hidden in vehicles · Reached the West · Mitte

  3. 25 August 1979

    The US ambassador's chauffeur smuggles his family out in the official car

    Joerg Habermann, an East German driver assigned to the US ambassador in East Berlin, hid his wife and six-year-old daughter in the boot of the ambassador's car, drove them through Checkpoint Charlie, went back to work – and walked across to the West himself that evening.

    Hidden in vehicles · Reached the West · Mitte / Kreuzberg

  4. 30 November 1979

    Mario E. gets away from the guards, then is caught by the police

    Spotted by border troops at Wolliner Straße at 2 a.m., Mario E. got away, but the People's Police arrested him half an hour later in Eberswalder Straße.

    Over the wall · Stopped · Mitte

  5. 19 December 1979 – 20 December 1979

    Two young men climb the Wall

    In the night of 19 to 20 December 1979 two young men climbed over the Berlin Wall from the East, West Berlin police reported.

    Over the wall · Reached the West · Berlin (exact place not given)