Berlin Wall Escapes1961–1989

Year by year

1980

'61
'62
'63
'64
'65
'66
'67
'68
'69
'70
'71
'72
'73
'74
'75
'76
'77
'78
'79
'80
'81
'82
'83
'84
'85
'86
'87
'88
'89

  1. 8 March 1980

    Hitch-hiking on the U8

    An East Berlin U-Bahn signal mechanic led three relatives through a disused connecting tunnel to the West Berlin U8 line, stopped a western train with his signal lamp and asked for a lift.

    By train · Reached the West · Mitte

  2. 4 November 1980

    Egon B.'s desertion and the death of Ulrich Steinhauer

    Border soldier Egon B. disabled the alarm system, shot his patrol leader Ulrich Steinhauer and climbed the Wall from the saddle of his service bicycle into Spandau; a West Berlin court later convicted him of manslaughter.

    Guards who fled · Reached the West · Spandau / Schönwalde-Glien

  3. 22 November 1980

    Marienetta Jirkowsky shot from a ladder at Hohen Neuendorf

    18-year-old Marienetta Jirkowsky and two friends climbed the border barriers with a ladder; the two young men reached West Berlin, but she was shot as her hands reached the top of the Wall.

    Over the wall · Killed · Hohen Neuendorf (Brandenburg) / Reinickendorf