To a small extent, attempts of escapes over the Berlin Wall always ended in disaster. During the existence of the Wall, from 1961 to 1989, over 5,000 people crossed over. However, it must be considered that there were some attempts that ended in complete and utter disaster. The Berlin Wall was built to prevent East Berliners from migrating in the West where there was a rapid growth in the economy. As a result, West Germans were given the opportunity to live luxurious lives. However, living conditions for East Germans were different as it was under the direct influence of a communist society where freedom was restricted. Furthermore, the Soviet Union was looting factory equipment from the country and sending them back to Russia. There were various
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Most of the attempts were successful, thus negating the statement that attempts over the Wall always ended in disaster.
Face to face contact with the Wall was a successful way in escaping from East to West Berlin. In 1961, 27 year old train engine driver, Harry Deterling, managed to cross the boarder using a train. Deterling was able to break a segment of the concrete block by putting his train into full speed and running it straight into the Wall. Deterling, along with his family were able to escape into West Berlin. However, not all direct escapes were successful. On the 17th August 1962, 18 year old Peter Fechter, ran towards the Wall with the intention of climbing it. A guard then opened fire but Fechter continued to climb the Wall. Unfortunately, Fechter ran out of energy …show more content…
Acrobat Horst Klein successfully escaped into West Berlin in 1963 by using a high-tension cable that stretched over the Wall as a tightrope. Klein’s dismount off the cable was not very graceful, but he did however, land in West Berlin. 20 years after Klein’s attempt, Michael Becker and Holger Bethke were inspired by Klein’s idea to get over the Wall. On the 31st March 1983, the pair climbed into an attic of a five-storey high building and fired arrows attached to fishing lines to retrieve a steel cable crossing over East and West Berlin (Trex, 2011). The two then attached wooden pulleys onto the cable to create a zip line and successfully cross the Wall. On the other hand, attempts through the air were not always successful. 22 year old Bernd Lunser lived in East Berlin and was determined to continue his studies in West Berlin. According to his father, he was so eager to continue his academic path that he climbed onto a rooftop that was adjacent to the Wall and then used a clothesline to descend into West Berlin (Bernd Lunser, 2014). However, guards caught him and as a desperate attempt to escape he called for people in West Berlin to help. The West Berliners responded by creating a make-do net for him to leap into. However, the struggled with the guards caused Lunser to miscalculate his jump by a few metres and fall to his death. Despite the fact that Lunser’s attempted resulted in disaster, Hans
Most of the attempts were successful, thus negating the statement that attempts over the Wall always ended in disaster.
Face to face contact with the Wall was a successful way in escaping from East to West Berlin. In 1961, 27 year old train engine driver, Harry Deterling, managed to cross the boarder using a train. Deterling was able to break a segment of the concrete block by putting his train into full speed and running it straight into the Wall. Deterling, along with his family were able to escape into West Berlin. However, not all direct escapes were successful. On the 17th August 1962, 18 year old Peter Fechter, ran towards the Wall with the intention of climbing it. A guard then opened fire but Fechter continued to climb the Wall. Unfortunately, Fechter ran out of energy …show more content…
Acrobat Horst Klein successfully escaped into West Berlin in 1963 by using a high-tension cable that stretched over the Wall as a tightrope. Klein’s dismount off the cable was not very graceful, but he did however, land in West Berlin. 20 years after Klein’s attempt, Michael Becker and Holger Bethke were inspired by Klein’s idea to get over the Wall. On the 31st March 1983, the pair climbed into an attic of a five-storey high building and fired arrows attached to fishing lines to retrieve a steel cable crossing over East and West Berlin (Trex, 2011). The two then attached wooden pulleys onto the cable to create a zip line and successfully cross the Wall. On the other hand, attempts through the air were not always successful. 22 year old Bernd Lunser lived in East Berlin and was determined to continue his studies in West Berlin. According to his father, he was so eager to continue his academic path that he climbed onto a rooftop that was adjacent to the Wall and then used a clothesline to descend into West Berlin (Bernd Lunser, 2014). However, guards caught him and as a desperate attempt to escape he called for people in West Berlin to help. The West Berliners responded by creating a make-do net for him to leap into. However, the struggled with the guards caused Lunser to miscalculate his jump by a few metres and fall to his death. Despite the fact that Lunser’s attempted resulted in disaster, Hans