Saturday, 23 March 1963
I had "clear the decks" and have important things (certificates, identification documents) packed. I put on my Lederoljacke and was done. My girlfriend was also prepared. We said goodbye for the weekend and left the boarding school.
The pain of parting stayed within limits.
Slowly befell us such a thing as stage fright. Or was it fear? It was definitely uncomfortable. What we were doing was not dangerous. Everything would go well? We headed towards my home town Probstzella, say, towards the border. We still had time before early evening we wanted to meet at a prearranged place with my friend Lothar Schlosser. Lothar knew what it was like in the West, for he was in 1962, "piled up", but at the instigation of his parents soon returned to East Germany.
Dangerous Border helper
We walked the entire distance on foot, as in train or bus we would have been controlled. For me, no problem would have been, but Karen did not have a permit for the five-kilometer exclusion zone and could have received none. She was also never been with me at home.
The forest paths we walked along, were my bicycle trips her well-known. Controls there was as good as any. Just a random-emerging voluntary helpers border - a native - would have us to be dangerous. For the inhabitants of border regions were required to notify other persons.
I trusted in my local knowledge and that we also somehow would be able to speak out if someone was interested in us. At least I had a pass and then just brought out my girlfriend at the weekend to take home. Well, without a second pass was prohibited, but we were young people full of spontaneous initiative whose time had not just passed to take care of all the paperwork.
"Does she have a permit?"
We arrived too early on in the vicinity of my village. Where were the stationary control hut, I knew. As we made drum a wide berth. We sat a while in the woods around, it would have been summer, we would enjoy it more. The time at which we wanted to take Lothar moved closer. He was at the appointed place with his motorcycle, an old NSU appear. We started to pay attention to engine noise. Nothing heard.
After a long while, still nothing. Eventually we heard that someone was approaching on foot. We peered out of the woods, it was Lothar. His engine was not started, long tinkering He did not hold, so he came on foot. At first he was somewhat irritated that I had brought someone, but did agree soon that we would do just the three of us liable to prosecution. The thought that would happen to us worse, we are again displaced. So, on to the village, just passing through the village and towards the next village. Of three, including two locals, known to all that seemed to be no risk. We were not ignored. A former classmate from elementary school came to meet us and was glad to meet. We told him that Karen was visiting with me.
"Did she get a pass for?" We said yes, without further this question pursue. What we were planning for even the most? Apparently he was bored. We were not boring, and somehow we had to get rid of him again. We told then that we first need to go home and agreed to meet with him later that evening. Somewhat dubiously, he remembered the date.
protection from the class enemy
The dusk had set in, we went on the road to a neighboring village. Next to the road were railway tracks, the tracks behind a lawn rose up to the forest. Up there in the woods was the limit. Here on the street we would have still excuses ready because even in the neighboring village, there were pubs and former classmates, you would just like to visit. Cross
Off the road, after the tracks, we would be with such excuses not been successful. Here began the so-called 500-meter zone in which even local people were allowed to stay no longer, unless they are under military guard. Farmers whose fields were in some cases in this area were protected during their field work in front of the class enemy and you took care also that they do not ran away. It seemed to be safer, as little as possible from us to be visible.
We threw on their bellies, each in his, and crawled up the slope, taking advantage of bushes for cover, listening, smelling, excited. The pre-military training by the GST (Association for Sport and Technology) was our match. We had learned how to move crawling on his belly and we had learned to be quiet. We were spies in their own right. Some times drove by on the street car, the headlights illuminated the hillside with vague when the driver drove through a few curves. We were then each still and I was glad to have a black Lederoljacke. The other two wore dark clothing.
trip wire in the woods
Soon we were seen from the street to no longer sufficient. The forest edge was approaching, now we had our eyes and ears wish more judges. At the forest edge sat and watched like the border guards. There were probably shelters, which could not be easily detected. We registered the most amazing sounds. A train and even shouting from far away could be heard, but was not seen us. It was dark and we had to rely even more on our ears.
some point we heard something that did not sound good: A dog panting, it sounded as he rode hard on the leash and would be kept back. How far it was away, we could not assess. The night was much noise in the valley and up the hill. We scattered around pepper around us. Beautiful was not the idea that as a shepherd dog slobbering beast could appear before me. You could make but nothing else. Eventually, it was quiet again, we crawled uphill. Inch by inch we approached the edge of the forest, the forest it was easier, because you could get up, hide better.
Lothar suddenly made signs with his hands, we crawled to him. Before him, about 20 centimeters high, was a wire. He was very thin and would not be detected by a pedestrian was. If we were not gerobbt and had not seen the wire, we would probably run into it and would have triggered alarm, silent alarm, and perhaps signal rockets. We climbed over the wire and went with each other clear that we should carefully watch out for, before we reached the forest. Right, we made another trip wire. As the storks in the salad we were then in the woods. Not so stupid to stretch these signal wires close to the forest. The impulse to get up a bit before, and quickly run into the forest was great. Well, that would not have gone.
on the death strip
In the forest it was pleasant, as long as we stood around quietly. We went slowly up the slope, we realized what a row we hosted doing. We felt as cracked and creaked with every step, a road under their feet. Cautiously we moved on. had 21 against clock we enter the 500-meter zone, now it was about 23 clock.
was ahead of us to spot something. A small clearing in the forest. A strip of light, rather. THE strips. The death strip. On each side of the strip, about a five to six meters, a barbed wire fence could be seen. Concrete piles. We looked at more closely. Without doubt, we were at the so-called double barrier.
What we have seen yet was exciting. About 50 meters to our right was a wooden watchtower. In the small hut on the tower was recognized a window. It was dark. We observed a long time, no movement was perceptible. No guards made noise up there, cigarette burns, we also did not see. Everything indicated that the tower was empty.
leave of jacket and Republic
After about 15 minutes to move around had nothing to us, we crept up to the first fence. Lothar had the cutter ready and switched to the lower two rows of wire. We turned off the wire ends to the right and left, kept them apart. My friend we could go first, politely, as we had been taught that. It should at the second fence waiting for us. Many other it was not desired. We also squeezed us in turn through the gap, helped us and went cautiously to the opposite fence, where Karin crouched. Re-snapping, second gap in the fence, same order. The hole in the barbed wire was a bit too small and I stuck with my Lederol jacket. Lederol against barbed wire, it was little wonder, who gave there. On the back I felt the crack, I could also feel for the hand to the hole in the back. The jacket was gone. I went out was not much in the pockets, the documents I carried the body closer.
The Lederol had also suffered at the sleeves for crawling locomotion and flight from the republic was the material was not developed clearly. Did I ever now farewell to the GDR, I was able to take leave of the same jacket. I hung the jacket on a concrete barrier and we went further west, ie uphill. I had a chic turtleneck sweater.
Now we were indeed beyond the wire fences, but knew that this was not the actual border. The was yet, but when? There was nothing further. We moved further into the direction that we felt right. At some point we saw a sign saying "STOP! This border zone!" stood on the back.
We stood in the woods. We were in no doubt the west.
We had made it.
Only later, at the Federal Ludwig in town, we learned that we had crossed a minefield.
Source: www.einestages.spiegel.online
I had "clear the decks" and have important things (certificates, identification documents) packed. I put on my Lederoljacke and was done. My girlfriend was also prepared. We said goodbye for the weekend and left the boarding school.
The pain of parting stayed within limits.
Slowly befell us such a thing as stage fright. Or was it fear? It was definitely uncomfortable. What we were doing was not dangerous. Everything would go well? We headed towards my home town Probstzella, say, towards the border. We still had time before early evening we wanted to meet at a prearranged place with my friend Lothar Schlosser. Lothar knew what it was like in the West, for he was in 1962, "piled up", but at the instigation of his parents soon returned to East Germany.
Dangerous Border helper
We walked the entire distance on foot, as in train or bus we would have been controlled. For me, no problem would have been, but Karen did not have a permit for the five-kilometer exclusion zone and could have received none. She was also never been with me at home.
The forest paths we walked along, were my bicycle trips her well-known. Controls there was as good as any. Just a random-emerging voluntary helpers border - a native - would have us to be dangerous. For the inhabitants of border regions were required to notify other persons.
I trusted in my local knowledge and that we also somehow would be able to speak out if someone was interested in us. At least I had a pass and then just brought out my girlfriend at the weekend to take home. Well, without a second pass was prohibited, but we were young people full of spontaneous initiative whose time had not just passed to take care of all the paperwork.
"Does she have a permit?"
We arrived too early on in the vicinity of my village. Where were the stationary control hut, I knew. As we made drum a wide berth. We sat a while in the woods around, it would have been summer, we would enjoy it more. The time at which we wanted to take Lothar moved closer. He was at the appointed place with his motorcycle, an old NSU appear. We started to pay attention to engine noise. Nothing heard.
After a long while, still nothing. Eventually we heard that someone was approaching on foot. We peered out of the woods, it was Lothar. His engine was not started, long tinkering He did not hold, so he came on foot. At first he was somewhat irritated that I had brought someone, but did agree soon that we would do just the three of us liable to prosecution. The thought that would happen to us worse, we are again displaced. So, on to the village, just passing through the village and towards the next village. Of three, including two locals, known to all that seemed to be no risk. We were not ignored. A former classmate from elementary school came to meet us and was glad to meet. We told him that Karen was visiting with me.
"Did she get a pass for?" We said yes, without further this question pursue. What we were planning for even the most? Apparently he was bored. We were not boring, and somehow we had to get rid of him again. We told then that we first need to go home and agreed to meet with him later that evening. Somewhat dubiously, he remembered the date.
protection from the class enemy
The dusk had set in, we went on the road to a neighboring village. Next to the road were railway tracks, the tracks behind a lawn rose up to the forest. Up there in the woods was the limit. Here on the street we would have still excuses ready because even in the neighboring village, there were pubs and former classmates, you would just like to visit. Cross
Off the road, after the tracks, we would be with such excuses not been successful. Here began the so-called 500-meter zone in which even local people were allowed to stay no longer, unless they are under military guard. Farmers whose fields were in some cases in this area were protected during their field work in front of the class enemy and you took care also that they do not ran away. It seemed to be safer, as little as possible from us to be visible.
We threw on their bellies, each in his, and crawled up the slope, taking advantage of bushes for cover, listening, smelling, excited. The pre-military training by the GST (Association for Sport and Technology) was our match. We had learned how to move crawling on his belly and we had learned to be quiet. We were spies in their own right. Some times drove by on the street car, the headlights illuminated the hillside with vague when the driver drove through a few curves. We were then each still and I was glad to have a black Lederoljacke. The other two wore dark clothing.
trip wire in the woods
Soon we were seen from the street to no longer sufficient. The forest edge was approaching, now we had our eyes and ears wish more judges. At the forest edge sat and watched like the border guards. There were probably shelters, which could not be easily detected. We registered the most amazing sounds. A train and even shouting from far away could be heard, but was not seen us. It was dark and we had to rely even more on our ears.
some point we heard something that did not sound good: A dog panting, it sounded as he rode hard on the leash and would be kept back. How far it was away, we could not assess. The night was much noise in the valley and up the hill. We scattered around pepper around us. Beautiful was not the idea that as a shepherd dog slobbering beast could appear before me. You could make but nothing else. Eventually, it was quiet again, we crawled uphill. Inch by inch we approached the edge of the forest, the forest it was easier, because you could get up, hide better.
Lothar suddenly made signs with his hands, we crawled to him. Before him, about 20 centimeters high, was a wire. He was very thin and would not be detected by a pedestrian was. If we were not gerobbt and had not seen the wire, we would probably run into it and would have triggered alarm, silent alarm, and perhaps signal rockets. We climbed over the wire and went with each other clear that we should carefully watch out for, before we reached the forest. Right, we made another trip wire. As the storks in the salad we were then in the woods. Not so stupid to stretch these signal wires close to the forest. The impulse to get up a bit before, and quickly run into the forest was great. Well, that would not have gone.
on the death strip
In the forest it was pleasant, as long as we stood around quietly. We went slowly up the slope, we realized what a row we hosted doing. We felt as cracked and creaked with every step, a road under their feet. Cautiously we moved on. had 21 against clock we enter the 500-meter zone, now it was about 23 clock.
was ahead of us to spot something. A small clearing in the forest. A strip of light, rather. THE strips. The death strip. On each side of the strip, about a five to six meters, a barbed wire fence could be seen. Concrete piles. We looked at more closely. Without doubt, we were at the so-called double barrier.
What we have seen yet was exciting. About 50 meters to our right was a wooden watchtower. In the small hut on the tower was recognized a window. It was dark. We observed a long time, no movement was perceptible. No guards made noise up there, cigarette burns, we also did not see. Everything indicated that the tower was empty.
leave of jacket and Republic
After about 15 minutes to move around had nothing to us, we crept up to the first fence. Lothar had the cutter ready and switched to the lower two rows of wire. We turned off the wire ends to the right and left, kept them apart. My friend we could go first, politely, as we had been taught that. It should at the second fence waiting for us. Many other it was not desired. We also squeezed us in turn through the gap, helped us and went cautiously to the opposite fence, where Karin crouched. Re-snapping, second gap in the fence, same order. The hole in the barbed wire was a bit too small and I stuck with my Lederol jacket. Lederol against barbed wire, it was little wonder, who gave there. On the back I felt the crack, I could also feel for the hand to the hole in the back. The jacket was gone. I went out was not much in the pockets, the documents I carried the body closer.
The Lederol had also suffered at the sleeves for crawling locomotion and flight from the republic was the material was not developed clearly. Did I ever now farewell to the GDR, I was able to take leave of the same jacket. I hung the jacket on a concrete barrier and we went further west, ie uphill. I had a chic turtleneck sweater.
Now we were indeed beyond the wire fences, but knew that this was not the actual border. The was yet, but when? There was nothing further. We moved further into the direction that we felt right. At some point we saw a sign saying "STOP! This border zone!" stood on the back.
We stood in the woods. We were in no doubt the west.
We had made it.
Only later, at the Federal Ludwig in town, we learned that we had crossed a minefield.
Source: www.einestages.spiegel.online
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