Victims of the Wall

All 140 people

Listed in the order they died. Each name leads to a profile with their story, the place where they died and links for further reading.

A long line of tall rusted steel rods stands along the edge of a lawn, receding into the distance under a cloudy blue sky, with apartment buildings on both sides.
Rusted steel rods at the Berlin Wall Memorial, Bernauer Straße, 2020 Photo: Chris Alban Hansen, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

1961

  1. Ida Siekmann 1902–1961 Fatal fall or accident, 22 August 1961 Ida Siekmann, a 58-year-old woman living alone at Bernauer Strasse 48, jumped from her third-floor window towards the West Berlin pavement on 22 August 1961, nine days after the border was sealed, and died of her injuries on the way to hospital.
  2. Günter Litfin 1937–1961 Shot, 24 August 1961 A 24-year-old tailor from Berlin-Weissensee who worked in West Berlin, Günter Litfin was shot by transport police on 24 August 1961 after jumping into the Humboldt Harbor, just short of the West Berlin bank.
  3. Roland Hoff 1934–1961 Shot, 29 August 1961 Roland Hoff, a 27-year-old pipe-layer from Hanover who had moved to East Germany shortly before the Wall was built, was shot dead on 29 August 1961 while swimming across the Teltow Canal from Teltow towards Berlin-Lichterfelde.
  4. Rudolf Urban 1914–1961 Fatal fall or accident, 17 September 1961 Rudolf Urban, a 47-year-old driver, was injured on 19 August 1961 escaping by rope from his home at Bernauer Strasse 1; he caught pneumonia in a West Berlin hospital and died there on 17 September 1961.
  5. Olga Segler 1881–1961 Fatal fall or accident, 26 September 1961 Olga Segler, an 80-year-old resident of Bernauer Strasse 34, jumped from her window into a rescue net held by firemen on 25 September 1961, with her daughter waiting below; she injured her back and died the next day.
  6. Bernd Lünser 1939–1961 Fatal fall or accident, 4 October 1961 Bernd Lünser, a 22-year-old engineering student from East Berlin, died on 4 October 1961 after jumping from the roof of Bernauer Strasse 44 while fleeing border guards; he missed the firemen's rescue net.
  7. Udo Düllick 1936–1961 Drowned, 5 October 1961 Udo Düllick, a 25-year-old railway engineer, tried to swim across the Spree near the Oberbaum Bridge on the night of 5 October 1961. Under fire and pursued by a police boat, he sank from exhaustion just short of the other bank and drowned.
  8. Werner Probst 1936–1961 Shot, 14 October 1961 Werner Probst, a 25-year-old driver from Friedrichshain, was shot on 14 October 1961 while swimming across the Spree near the Schilling Bridge; he reached the ladder on the West Berlin quay wall before collapsing, fatally wounded.
  9. Lothar Lehmann 1942–1961 Drowned, 26 November 1961 Lothar Lehmann, a 19-year-old from Falkensee serving in a police unit guarding the border, died on 26 November 1961 after trying to swim across the Havel from Sacrow to West Berlin, suffering a cold shock in the water.
  10. Dieter Wohlfahrt 1941–1961 Shot, 9 December 1961 Dieter Wohlfahrt, a 20-year-old chemistry student and escape helper from West Berlin, was shot dead by East German border police on 9 December 1961 at the corner of Bergstrasse and Hauptstrasse in Staaken while helping a woman flee.
  11. Ingo Krüger 1940–1961 Drowned, 11 December 1961 Ingo Krüger, a 21-year-old cook from East Berlin separated from his fiancée by the Wall, died in the Spree near the Marschall Bridge on the night of 10 to 11 December 1961 while trying to dive across to West Berlin.
  12. Georg Feldhahn 1941–1961 Drowned, 19 December 1961 Georg Feldhahn, a 20-year-old East German border policeman from the Havelland, left his post near the Massante Bridge on the Teltow Canal on 19 December 1961 in an attempt to desert, and drowned in the canal. His body was found in March 1962.

1962

  1. Dorit Schmiel 1941–1962 Shot, 19 February 1962 Dorit Schmiel, a 20-year-old seamstress from Pankow, was shot in the stomach by border guards on 19 February 1962 while crawling with four friends towards the border at Rosenthal, and died shortly afterwards in hospital.
  2. Heinz Jercha 1934–1962 Shot, 27 March 1962 Heinz Jercha, a 27-year-old butcher and father from West Berlin who helped people escape through a tunnel under Heidelberger Strasse, was shot by Stasi agents at the tunnel's East Berlin end on 27 March 1962 and died after crawling back to the West.
  3. Philipp Held 1942–1962 Drowned, April 1962 Philipp Held, a 19-year-old from Worms in West Germany who had moved to East Germany with his girlfriend, drowned in the Spree in April 1962, probably while trying to swim from the Osthafen in Friedrichshain to the West Berlin bank.
  4. Jörgen Schmidtchen 1941–1962 Shot, 18 April 1962 Jörgen Schmidtchen, a 20-year-old border policeman from Leipzig, was shot dead on 18 April 1962 by a fleeing cadet at the Gleisdreieck post near Griebnitzsee, the first border policeman killed on duty at the West Berlin border after the Wall was built.
  5. Klaus Brueske 1938–1962 Shot, 18 April 1962 Klaus Brueske, a 23-year-old driver from Friedrichshain, drove a truck carrying two friends through the Heinrich-Heine-Strasse border crossing in the early hours of 18 April 1962. Shot while driving, he died after the truck came to rest in West Berlin.
  6. Peter Böhme 1942–1962 Shot, 18 April 1962 Peter Böhme, a 19-year-old officer cadet from Karl-Marx-Stadt, deserted with a friend and was killed on 18 April 1962 in an exchange of fire at Gleisdreieck Griebnitzsee, in which the border guard Jörgen Schmidtchen also died.
  7. Horst Frank 1942–1962 Shot, 29 April 1962 Horst Frank, a 19-year-old gardener from Saxony, was shot in the Schönholz garden settlement on 29 April 1962 while caught in the last barbed wire fence before West Berlin. His friend escaped; he died of his wounds that same night.
  8. Peter Göring 1940–1962 Shot, 23 May 1962 Peter Göring, a 21-year-old East German border policeman, was killed by a ricochet bullet on 23 May 1962 during an exchange of fire at the Spandauer Schifffahrts Canal near the Sandkrug Bridge, as guards shot at a 14-year-old fugitive.
  9. Lutz Haberlandt 1938–1962 Shot, 27 May 1962 Lutz Haberlandt, a 24-year-old mason from Prenzlauer Berg, was fatally shot on 27 May 1962 after climbing from the grounds of Charité Hospital into the border strip on the Alexander embankment, trying to reach West Berlin.
  10. Axel Hannemann 1945–1962 Shot, 5 June 1962 Axel Hannemann, a 17-year-old from Cottbus, was shot dead on 5 June 1962 while swimming across the Spree towards the West Berlin bank behind the Reichstag building, after a barge captain refused to take him to the West.
  11. Erna Kelm 1908–1962 Drowned, 11 June 1962 Erna Kelm, a 53-year-old woman from Sacrow who had worked in nursing and care, drowned in the Havel on 11 June 1962, apparently while trying to swim to West Berlin wearing a swimming belt beneath her clothes.
  12. Wolfgang Glöde 1949–1962 Shot, 11 June 1962 Wolfgang Glöde, a 13-year-old schoolboy from East Berlin, was fatally wounded on 11 June 1962 when a border policeman showing the boys his machine pistol accidentally fired a shot in the "Sorgenfrei" garden settlement in Treptow.
  13. Reinhold Huhn 1942–1962 Shot, 18 June 1962 Reinhold Huhn, a 20-year-old East German border guard from Adorf in Saxony, was shot dead on 18 June 1962 at the corner of Jerusalemer Strasse and Zimmerstrasse by a West Berliner who was bringing his family out through a tunnel.
  14. Siegfried Noffke 1939–1962 Shot, 28 June 1962 Siegfried Noffke, a 22-year-old West Berlin driver and young father, was fatally shot in a Stasi ambush on 28 June 1962 as he broke through an escape tunnel into the basement of Heinrich-Heine-Strasse 49, hoping to bring his wife and son to the West.
  15. Peter Fechter 1944–1962 Shot, 17 August 1962 Peter Fechter, an 18-year-old bricklayer from Weissensee, was shot on 17 August 1962 while trying to climb the Wall on Zimmerstrasse near Checkpoint Charlie. He lay at the foot of the Wall calling for help; when he was carried away 50 minutes later his cries had stopped, and he was declared dead soon afterwards.
  16. Hans-Dieter Wesa 1943–1962 Shot, 23 August 1962 Hans-Dieter Wesa, a 19-year-old East German transport police officer, was shot dead by a fellow guard on 23 August 1962 after climbing the border fence at Bornholmer Strasse S-Bahn station into West Berlin.
  17. Ernst Mundt 1921–1962 Shot, 4 September 1962 Ernst Mundt, a 40-year-old former carpenter living in Prenzlauer Berg, was shot in the head on 4 September 1962 while running along the wall of the Sophien Cemetery towards the sector border at Bernauer Strasse.
  18. Günter Seling 1940–1962 Shot, 30 September 1962 Günter Seling, a 22-year-old non-commissioned officer in the border troops from Stahnsdorf, was shot in thick fog on 29 September 1962 in Teltow-Seehof by a fellow soldier who took him for a fugitive, and died of his wounds the next day.
  19. Anton Walzer 1902–1962 Shot, 8 October 1962 Anton Walzer, a 60-year-old varnish maker from East Berlin, was shot dead by East German border guards on 8 October 1962 while swimming across the Spree near the Oberbaum Bridge towards West Berlin.
  20. Horst Plischke 1939–1962 Drowned, 19 November 1962 Horst Plischke, a 23-year-old from Potsdam, drowned on 19 November 1962 while trying to swim across the Havel north of the Glienicker Bridge to West Berlin; his body was found in the Jungfernsee four months later.
  21. Otfried Reck 1944–1962 Shot, 27 November 1962 Otfried Reck, a 17-year-old apprentice from Berlin-Mitte who dreamed of singing opera, was shot in the back on 27 November 1962 near the corner of Invalidenstrasse and Gartenstrasse after he and a friend had already given up an escape attempt.
  22. Günter Wiedenhöft 1942–1962 Drowned, Night of 5 to 6 December 1962 Günter Wiedenhöft, a 20-year-old electrician from Berlin-Treptow, drowned in Griebnitz Lake on the night of 5 to 6 December 1962 while trying to escape across the ice to West Berlin.

1963

  1. Hans Räwel 1941–1963 Shot, 1 January 1963 Hans Räwel, a 21-year-old baker from East Berlin, was shot by a border boat crew on New Year's morning 1963 while swimming across the ice-cold Spree near the Oberbaum Bridge towards the West Berlin bank.
  2. Horst Kutscher 1931–1963 Shot, 15 January 1963 Horst Kutscher, a 31-year-old father of six from Berlin-Treptow who had worked for coal merchants, was shot dead shortly after midnight on 15 January 1963 while crawling towards the border near Rudower Strasse, 25 metres from West Berlin.
  3. Peter Kreitlow 1943–1963 Shot, 24 January 1963 Peter Kreitlow, a 20-year-old from East Berlin, was shot by two Soviet soldiers in woods between Nieder Neuendorf and Berlin-Spandau on the night of 23 to 24 January 1963 while trying to reach West Berlin with four other young people.
  4. Wolf-Olaf Muszynski 1947–1963 Drowned, February 1963 Wolf-Olaf Muszynski, a 16-year-old from Friedrichshain, went missing in February 1963; his body was found on 1 April 1963 on the West Berlin bank of the Spree near the Oberbaum Bridge. He had drowned, apparently while trying to escape.
  5. Peter Mädler 1943–1963 Shot, 26 April 1963 Peter Mädler, a 19-year-old electrician, was shot on 26 April 1963 while swimming through the Teltow Canal at Kleinmachnow towards West Berlin, only metres from the border in the waterway.
  6. Siegfried Widera 1941–1963 Died of injuries after being struck down, 8 September 1963 Siegfried Widera, a 22-year-old East German border soldier and former lathe operator, was struck down by escaping workers at the Massante Bridge between Treptow and Neukölln on 23 August 1963 and died of his injuries on 8 September 1963.
  7. Klaus Schröter 1940–1963 Shot, 4 November 1963 Klaus Schröter, a 23-year-old electrical engineer working in East Berlin, was shot at by border guards while diving under the Spree near the Reichstag building in scuba gear; a bullet grazed his head and he drowned. He died on 4 November 1963.
  8. Dietmar Schulz 1939–1963 Fatal fall or accident, 25 November 1963 Dietmar Schulz, a 24-year-old from Pankow, was found fatally injured on the S-Bahn tracks north of Bornholmer Strasse station on 25 November 1963, apparently while trying to reach Wedding; the reports on how the accident happened contradict each other.
  9. Dieter Berger 1939–1963 Shot, 13 December 1963 Dieter Berger, a 24-year-old bricklayer and young father from Glienicke, entered the border area on the Teltow Canal in Johannisthal on 13 December 1963, apparently after drinking, and was shot by border guards after he had raised his hands.
  10. Paul Schultz 1945–1963 Shot, 25 December 1963 Paul Schultz, an 18-year-old electrician's apprentice from Neubrandenburg, was shot by border guards on Christmas Day 1963 as he climbed the Wall at the corner of Melchiorstrasse and Bethaniendamm, and died that same evening in a Kreuzberg hospital.

1964

  1. Walter Hayn 1939–1964 Shot, 27 February 1964 Walter Hayn, a 25-year-old transport and construction worker originally from Breslau, was shot dead by border guards on 27 February 1964 on Kiefholzstrasse in Treptow as he tried to escape to West Berlin.
  2. Adolf Philipp 1943–1964 Shot, 5 May 1964 Adolf Philipp, a 20-year-old radio and television technician from Bavaria living in West Berlin, was shot dead by a border guard on the night of 4–5 May 1964 after entering the East German border strip between Spandau and Falkenhagen carrying a gas pistol.
  3. Walter Heike 1934–1964 Shot, 22 June 1964 Walter Heike, a 29-year-old painter and former customs officer, was shot dead on 22 June 1964 after crossing the grounds of the Invaliden Cemetery, as he tried to climb the Wall on the bank of the Spandauer Schifffahrts Canal.
  4. Norbert Wolscht 1943–1964 Drowned, 28 July 1964 Norbert Wolscht, a 20-year-old lathe operator from Freiberg in Saxony, drowned in the Havel near Potsdam on 28 July 1964 when his home-made diving equipment apparently failed during an underwater escape attempt with his friend Rainer Gneiser.
  5. Rainer Gneiser 1944–1964 Drowned, 28 July 1964 Rainer Gneiser, a 20-year-old from Freiberg in Saxony, drowned in the Havel on the night leading into 28 July 1964 during an apparent attempt to reach West Berlin from Potsdam with his friend Norbert Wolscht, using home-made diving equipment.
  6. Hildegard Trabant 1927–1964 Shot, 18 August 1964 Hildegard Trabant, a 37-year-old housing administrator from East Berlin, was shot in the back by a border guard on 18 August 1964 on the closed S-Bahn tracks between Schönhauser Allee and Gesundbrunnen, and died an hour later.
  7. Wernhard Mispelhorn 1945–1964 Shot, 20 August 1964 Wernhard Mispelhorn, an 18-year-old metalworker from Berlin-Buchholz, was shot in the head on 18 August 1964 in the Schönholz garden settlement while trying to reach his girlfriend in West Berlin; he died two days later.
  8. Egon Schultz 1943–1964 Shot, 5 October 1964 Egon Schultz, a 21-year-old teacher from Rostock serving as a non-commissioned officer in the border troops, was shot on 5 October 1964 in the courtyard of Strelitzer Strasse 55 during the "Tunnel 57" escape and died on the way to hospital; the fatal shots came from a fellow soldier's rifle, a fact East Germany concealed.
  9. Hans-Joachim Wolf 1947–1964 Shot, 26 November 1964 Hans-Joachim Wolf, a 17-year-old apprentice from Berlin-Friedrichshain, was shot dead by border guards on 26 November 1964 in the Britzer Zweig Canal while trying to escape to West Berlin, after calling on them to stop firing.
  10. Joachim Mehr 1945–1964 Shot, 3 December 1964 Joachim Mehr, a 19-year-old carpenter from Prenzlauer Berg, was shot dead on 3 December 1964 at the barbed-wire fence near Bergfelde, after he had already been wounded and had given up his escape.

1965

  1. Unidentified fugitive ?–1965 Drowned, 19 January 1965 An unidentified man, thought to be about 30 years old, drowned in the Spree between Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg on 19 January 1965 while trying to swim to West Berlin; his identity has never been established.
  2. Christian Buttkus 1944–1965 Shot, 4 March 1965 Christian Buttkus, a 21-year-old from Berlin-Niederschönhausen who worked at a chemical plant, was shot dead in the early hours of 4 March 1965 while trying to escape with his fiancée through the border fence near Stahnsdorfer Damm in Kleinmachnow.
  3. Ulrich Krzemien 1940–1965 Drowned, 25 March 1965 Ulrich Krzemien, a 24-year-old bricklayer living in West Berlin, is believed to be the swimmer who drowned in the Spree near Osthafen on 25 March 1965 after an East German border guard did no more than point out where he might climb out.
  4. Peter Hauptmann 1939–1965 Shot, 3 May 1965 Peter Hauptmann, a 26-year-old driller and father of four who lived in the border area of Potsdam-Babelsberg, was shot by a border guard outside his home on 24 April 1965 during a dispute over identity checks, and died on 3 May 1965.
  5. Hermann Döbler 1922–1965 Shot, 15 June 1965 Hermann Döbler, a 42-year-old West Berlin businessman, was shot dead by an East German border guard on 15 June 1965 during a motorboat trip on the Teltow Canal near Dreilinden, after unknowingly crossing the poorly marked border line in the water.
  6. Klaus Kratzel 1940–1965 Fatal fall or accident, 8 August 1965 Klaus Kratzel, a 25-year-old bricklayer and father of two, died on 8 August 1965 in an S-Bahn tunnel north of Bornholmer Strasse station, apparently hit by a train while trying to rejoin his family in West Berlin.
  7. Klaus Garten 1941–1965 Shot, 18 August 1965 Klaus Garten, a 24-year-old metalworker and SED member from Saxony, was shot while climbing a fence at the border in Teltow-Seehof on 17 August 1965. Left for almost an hour without medical help, he died of his wounds that night.
  8. Walter Kittel 1942–1965 Shot, 18 October 1965 Walter Kittel, 22, was shot dead in Kleinmachnow on 18 October 1965 by the commander of a border guard unit after he had already given himself up during an escape attempt at An der Stammbahn 53.
  9. Heinz Cyrus 1936–1965 Fatal fall or accident, 11 November 1965 Heinz Cyrus, a 29-year-old farm worker from Rügen and father of four, was discovered trying to escape near the Nordbahnhof on 10 November 1965. Fleeing gunfire into Gartenstrasse 85, he fell or jumped from a fourth-floor window and died of his injuries the next morning.
  10. Heinz Sokolowski 1917–1965 Shot, 25 November 1965 Heinz Sokolowski, a 47-year-old journalist and former political prisoner, was shot by a border guard on 25 November 1965 as he reached the Wall between the Reichstag building and the Brandenburg Gate, and died on the way to hospital.
  11. Erich Kühn 1903–1965 Shot, 3 December 1965 Erich Kühn, a 62-year-old transport and warehouse worker from East Berlin, was shot while trying to cross the railway grounds at Kiefholzstrasse in Treptow in November 1965 and died of his wounds on 3 December 1965.
  12. Heinz Schöneberger 1938–1965 Shot, 26 December 1965 Heinz Schöneberger, a 27-year-old construction worker from West Germany, was shot in the back on 26 December 1965 at the Heinrich-Heine-Strasse crossing while trying to drive two women out of East Germany, and died from loss of blood on West Berlin territory.

1966

  1. Dieter Brandes 1946–1966 Shot, 11 January 1966 Dieter Brandes, an 18-year-old concrete worker who had grown up in children's homes, was shot on the grounds of the Nordbahnhof station on 9 June 1965 while trying to escape. Paralysed, he died of his wounds in hospital on 11 January 1966.
  2. Willi Block 1934–1966 Shot, 7 February 1966 Willi Block, a 31-year-old former border policeman from Berlin, became entangled in barbed wire while trying to escape near the Staaken border crossing on 7 February 1966 and was shot by East German border guards as West Berlin police looked on.
  3. Jörg Hartmann 1955–1966 Shot, 14 March 1966 Jörg Hartmann, a ten-year-old boy from Friedrichshain, was shot dead by border guards on 14 March 1966 near the "Sorgenfrei" garden settlement on Kiefholzstrasse in Treptow; his 13-year-old friend Lothar Schleusener was shot with him and died that same evening.
  4. Lothar Schleusener 1953–1966 Shot, 14 March 1966 Lothar Schleusener, a 13-year-old boy from Friedrichshain, was shot by border guards on 14 March 1966 at the border on Kiefholzstrasse together with a younger boy, and died the same night; his mother was given a falsified death certificate.
  5. Willi Marzahn 1944–1966 Shot, or suicide – the circumstances are unclear, 19 March 1966 Willi Marzahn, a 21-year-old soldier and father from Jüterbog, died on 19 March 1966 after an armed escape attempt near Steinstücken/Kohlhasenbrück; whether he was shot or took his own life remained unclear.
  6. Eberhard Schulz 1946–1966 Shot, 30 March 1966 Eberhard Schulz, a 20-year-old farmhand from Brusendorf, was shot dead by a border guard on 30 March 1966 near the Rudower Woods between Grossziethen and Neukölln, apparently after he had stood up and given himself up.
  7. Michael Kollender 1945–1966 Shot, 25 April 1966 Michael Kollender, a 21-year-old National People's Army soldier from Oberlungwitz, was shot in the head while crawling towards the Teltow Canal in Johannisthal early on 25 April 1966, and died in hospital.
  8. Paul Stretz 1935–1966 Shot, 29 April 1966 Paul Stretz, a 31-year-old warehouse worker living in West Berlin, was shot dead by East German border guards on 29 April 1966 while swimming in the Spandauer Schifffahrts Canal near Invaliden Cemetery.
  9. Eduard Wroblewski 1933–1966 Shot, 26 July 1966 Eduard Wroblewski, a 33-year-old father of two from Zahna near Wittenberg, was shot from behind by border soldiers on 26 July 1966 while trying to cross the border from Mahlow to Lichtenrade along disused S-Bahn tracks.
  10. Heinz Schmidt 1919–1966 Shot, 29 August 1966 Heinz Schmidt, a 46-year-old West Berliner in poor mental health, was shot by East German border guards on 29 August 1966 while swimming, heavily intoxicated, in the Spandauer Schiffahrts Canal at the Nordhafen harbour.
  11. Andreas Senk 1960–1966 Drowned, 13 September 1966 Andreas Senk, a six-year-old boy, fell into the Spree near the Oberbaum Bridge on 13 September 1966, where the whole river belonged to East Berlin; he was not recovered for hours and was declared dead in hospital.
  12. Karl-Heinz Kube 1949–1966 Shot, 16 December 1966 Karl-Heinz Kube, a 17-year-old from Ruhlsdorf near Teltow, was shot dead on 16 December 1966 in the border strip at Kleinmachnow, near Teltow harbour, after he and a friend had already given up their escape attempt.

1967

  1. Max Sahmland 1929–1967 Shot, 27 January 1967 Max Sahmland, a 37-year-old Berlin-born former blacksmith and farm worker, was shot by border guards while fleeing across the Teltow Canal to West Berlin on 27 January 1967 and sank in the water.
  2. Franciszek Piesik 1942–1967 Drowned, 17 October 1967 Franciszek Piesik, a 24-year-old welder and painter from Poland, died on 17 October 1967 while trying to reach West Berlin across the Nieder Neuendorf Lake from Hennigsdorf; his body was recovered from the lake eleven days later.

1968

  1. Elke Weckeiser 1945–1968 Shot, 18 February 1968 Dieter Weckeiser, 25, and his wife Elke, 22, were shot from an East German border watchtower on 18 February 1968 while trying to escape across the Spree opposite the Reichstag building; Elke died that night and Dieter the following day.
  2. Dieter Weckeiser 1943–1968 Shot, 19 February 1968 Dieter Weckeiser, 25, and his wife Elke, 22, were shot from an East German border watchtower on 18 February 1968 while trying to escape across the Spree opposite the Reichstag building; Elke died that night and Dieter the following day.
  3. Herbert Mende 1939–1968 Shot, 10 March 1968 Herbert Mende, a 23-year-old floor layer and bricklayer from Potsdam, was shot near the Glienicke Bridge on 8 July 1962 while running for a bus away from the border; he died of his injuries on 10 March 1968.
  4. Bernd Lehmann 1949–1968 Drowned, 28 May 1968 Bernd Lehmann, an 18-year-old lathe operator from East Berlin who hoped to become a sports teacher, drowned on 28 May 1968 after becoming caught in underwater barbed wire in the Osthafen harbour while swimming towards West Berlin.
  5. Siegfried Krug 1939–1968 Shot, 6 July 1968 Siegfried Krug, a 28-year-old West German living in Frankfurt am Main, was shot on Pariser Platz on 6 July 1968 after walking unarmed from the East towards the Brandenburg Gate, and died an hour later.
  6. Horst Körner 1947–1968 Shot, 15 November 1968 Horst Körner, a 21-year-old police officer from Wolfen, was shot dead in the border area of Klein Glienicke on 15 November 1968 during an escape attempt, after he had fired on a border patrol and killed the soldier Rolf Henniger.
  7. Rolf Henniger 1941–1968 Shot, 15 November 1968 Rolf Henniger, a 26-year-old border soldier and trained train driver from Saalfeld, was shot dead on 15 November 1968 in Babelsberg Palace Park by a fleeing East German policeman, Horst Körner, who was himself shot dead by Henniger's platoon leader.

1969

  1. Johannes Lange 1940–1969 Shot, 9 April 1969 Johannes Lange, a 28-year-old decorative painter from Dresden, was shot dead on 9 April 1969 near Fritz-Heckert-Strasse on the border between Berlin-Mitte and Berlin-Kreuzberg, just short of the Wall, after eight border soldiers fired 148 shots.
  2. Klaus-Jürgen Kluge 1948–1969 Shot, 13 September 1969 Klaus-Jürgen Kluge, a 21-year-old pattern maker from Schönow near Bernau, was shot dead on 13 September 1969 as he tried to climb the Wall near the Helmut-Just Bridge, south of the Bornholmer Strasse crossing.
  3. Leo Lis 1924–1969 Shot, 20 September 1969 Leo Lis, a 45-year-old dairy worker and father of seven from Hennersdorf in Saxony, was shot dead on 20 September 1969 while crossing the border strip near the Nordbahnhof station in Berlin-Mitte.

1970

  1. Christel Wehage 1946–1970 Suicide after a failed escape attempt, 10 March 1970 Eckhard Wehage, 21, and his wife Christel, 23, took their own lives on 10 March 1970 at Berlin-Schönefeld airport after their attempt to divert an East German airliner to the West failed.
  2. Eckhard Wehage 1948–1970 Suicide after a failed escape attempt, 10 March 1970 Eckhard Wehage, 21, and his wife Christel, 23, took their own lives on 10 March 1970 at Berlin-Schönefeld airport after their attempt to divert an East German airliner to the West failed.
  3. Heinz Müller 1943–1970 Shot, 19 June 1970 Heinz Müller, a 27-year-old commercial clerk living in West Berlin, was shot on 19 June 1970 after he ended up, intoxicated, inside the border grounds near the Schilling Bridge; what had happened to him became known only after reunification.
  4. Willi Born 1950–1970 Suicide after a failed escape attempt, 7 July 1970 Willi Born, a 19-year-old tractor driver doing his military service, left his unit and entered the border area near Bergfelde on 7 July 1970. Cornered by border soldiers in a patch of woods, he took his own life.
  5. Friedhelm Ehrlich 1950–1970 Shot, 2 August 1970 Friedhelm Ehrlich, a 20-year-old soldier from Thuringia near the end of his service, entered the border grounds in Glienicke/Nordbahn after drinking on 2 August 1970. After he had been arrested, a guard shot him in the leg, and he bled to death.
  6. Gerald Thiem 1928–1970 Shot, 7 August 1970 Gerald Thiem, a 41-year-old West Berlin foreman and father of two, was shot by East German border guards on 7 August 1970 after climbing into the border strip between Neukölln and Treptow; his daughters learned the truth only in 1994.
  7. Helmut Kliem 1939–1970 Shot, 13 November 1970 Helmut Kliem, a 31-year-old East German police officer and father of two, was shot on 13 November 1970 after he took a wrong turn by motorcycle towards the border gate in Falkenhöhe and turned back; he bled to death.
  8. Hans-Joachim Zock 1940–1970 Drowned, Between 14 and 17 November 1970 Hans-Joachim Zock, a 30-year-old waiter and chemical worker from Halle-Neustadt who had endured years of Stasi suspicion, drowned in the Spree in mid-November 1970 while trying to swim to West Berlin.
  9. Christian Peter Friese 1948–1970 Shot, 25 December 1970 Christian Peter Friese, a 22-year-old motor mechanic from Naumburg, was shot dead on Christmas night 1970 in the border strip at the Köllnische Heide railway embankment in Johannisthal, a few metres short of the last fence.

1971

  1. Rolf-Dieter Kabelitz 1951–1971 Shot, 30 January 1971 Rolf-Dieter Kabelitz, a 19-year-old from Potsdam, was shot by a border guard on 7 January 1971 in the border grounds near Bergfelde after he had turned back from the border, and died in hospital in Hennigsdorf on 30 January 1971 without seeing his family.
  2. Wolfgang Hoffmann 1942–1971 Fatal fall or accident, 15 July 1971 Wolfgang Hoffmann, a 28-year-old West Berliner who had fled the East in 1961, was arrested at the Friedrichstrasse station crossing while trying to visit his mother, and died on 15 July 1971 after jumping from a window of the police building in Treptow.
  3. Werner Kühl 1949–1971 Shot, 24 July 1971 Werner Kühl, a 22-year-old garden labourer from West Berlin, was shot dead in the border strip on 24 July 1971 after he and his friend Bernd Langer, who was wounded, had climbed the border fence from Neukölln to reach East Berlin.
  4. Dieter Beilig 1941–1971 Shot, 2 October 1971 A West Berlin worker who had protested against the Wall in the early 1960s, Dieter Beilig climbed the Wall at the Brandenburg Gate on 2 October 1971, was arrested on the eastern side and shot inside a border troop command post.

1972

  1. Horst Kullack 1948–1972 Shot, 21 January 1972 Horst Kullack, a 23-year-old transport worker from Grossziethen, was shot on New Year's Eve 1971 while trying to reach West Berlin and died of his injuries on 21 January 1972.
  2. Manfred Weylandt 1942–1972 Shot, 14 February 1972 Manfred Weylandt, a 29-year-old stoker from East Berlin facing a prison term, was shot while swimming across the Spree towards West Berlin on 14 February 1972 and drowned; his body was recovered near the Schilling Bridge.
  3. Klaus Schulze 1953–1972 Shot, 7 March 1972 Klaus Schulze, an 18-year-old unskilled worker from Falkensee, was fatally shot in the chest by border guards on 7 March 1972 at Falkenhöh, across from the Eiskeller exclave, while his friend made it over the last fence.
  4. Cengaver Katrancı 1964–1972 Drowned, 30 October 1972 Cengaver Katrancı, an eight-year-old boy from Kreuzberg, fell into the Spree at the Gröbenufer near the Oberbaum Bridge on 30 October 1972 and drowned; the river there belonged to East Berlin, and West Berlin rescuers were never allowed to go in.

1973

  1. Holger H. 1971–1973 Fatal fall or accident, 22 January 1973 Holger H., a 15-month-old boy, suffocated on 22 January 1973 while hidden with his mother in a crate on a truck passing through the Drewitz border crossing, as his parents fled East Germany.
  2. Volker Frommann 1944–1973 Fatal fall or accident, 5 March 1973 Volker Frommann, a 28-year-old from Unterpörlitz in Thuringia who had been imprisoned as a teenager for a political act, jumped from a moving S-Bahn train between Pankow and Schönhauser Allee stations, about 50 metres from the border area, on 1 March 1973. He died of his injuries on 5 March.
  3. Horst Einsiedel 1940–1973 Shot, 15 March 1973 Horst Einsiedel, a 33-year-old engineer and father from East Berlin, was shot dead on 15 March 1973 as he climbed the Wall from the Pankow municipal cemetery, where his father was buried. The Stasi hid his death from his wife for months.
  4. Manfred Gertzki 1942–1973 Shot, 27 April 1973 Manfred Gertzki, a 30-year-old engineer from Karl-Marx-Stadt, was shot by the Spree near the Reichstag on 27 April 1973 despite home-made body armour; a Stasi report says an officer then pushed him into the river. He was cremated as an unknown man.
  5. Siegfried Kroboth 1968–1973 Drowned, 14 May 1973 Siegfried Kroboth, a five-year-old boy from Kreuzberg, fell into the Spree near the Brommy Bridge while playing on 14 May 1973 and drowned while rescuers from West Berlin were not permitted to enter the water.

1974

  1. Burkhard Niering 1950–1974 Shot, 5 January 1974 Burkhard Niering, a 23-year-old conscript in the East German police from Halle, was shot on 5 January 1974 at the Checkpoint Charlie crossing while trying to reach West Berlin armed and with a hostage; he died shortly after 9 p.m.
  2. Czesław Jan Kukuczka 1935–1974 Shot, 29 March 1974 Czesław Jan Kukuczka, a 38-year-old Polish fireman and father of three, was shot in the back during a Stasi operation at the Friedrichstrasse station border crossing on 29 March 1974 and bled to death that evening.
  3. Johannes Sprenger 1905–1974 Shot, 10 May 1974 Johannes Sprenger, a 68-year-old pensioner, father of nine and local councillor, was shot dead by a border guard on 10 May 1974 in the death strip near Hornkleepfad in Altglienicke; why he went to the border remains unknown.
  4. Giuseppe Savoca 1968–1974 Drowned, 15 June 1974 Giuseppe Savoca, a six-year-old boy from Kreuzberg, fell into the Spree from the Gröbenufer bank near the Oberbaum Bridge on 15 June 1974 and drowned; the river there belonged to East Berlin and West Berlin rescuers were not allowed to help.

1975

  1. Herbert Halli 1953–1975 Shot, 3 April 1975 Herbert Halli, a 21-year-old electrician and construction worker from Brandenburg, was shot on 3 April 1975 at Zimmerstrasse near Otto-Grotewohl-Strasse in Berlin-Mitte while turning back from an escape attempt; the Stasi hid the true cause of his death from his family.
  2. Çetin Mert 1970–1975 Drowned, 11 May 1975 Çetin Mert, a boy from Kreuzberg, drowned on his fifth birthday, 11 May 1975, after falling into the Spree from the Gröbenufer near the Oberbaum Bridge while reaching for his ball; the river there belonged to East Berlin.
  3. Herbert Kiebler 1952–1975 Shot, 27 June 1975 Herbert Kiebler, a 23-year-old metal worker from Mahlow, was shot dead by border guards near Highway 96 on 27 June 1975; the Stasi disguised his death as a suicide far from the border.
  4. Lothar Hennig 1954–1975 Shot, 5 November 1975 Lothar Hennig, a 21-year-old from Sacrow near Potsdam who had no intention of fleeing, was shot in the back by a border guard on Weinmeisterweg on 4 November 1975 as he ran home from the bus, and died early the next morning.

1977

  1. Dietmar Schwietzer 1958–1977 Shot, 16 February 1977 Dietmar Schwietzer, an 18-year-old newly qualified communications worker and radio enthusiast from Magdeburg, was shot dead by border soldiers on 16 February 1977 near Berliner Allee, between Schönwalde and Spandau, a few metres short of the Wall.
  2. Henri Weise 1954–1977 Drowned, Probably May 1977 Henri Weise, a 22-year-old trained toolmaker from Ranis in Thuringia whose applications to leave East Germany were refused, probably drowned in May 1977 trying to cross the Spree; his body was found at the Marschall Bridge water barrier in July.

1979

  1. Vladimir Ivanovich Odintsov 1960–1979 Shot, 2 February 1979 Vladimir Ivanovich Odintsov, an 18-year-old Soviet soldier from the Elstal garrison, was shot dead in Seeburg on the night of 2 February 1979 by an East German policeman; he and his patrol leader had taken him for a missing armed deserter.

1980

  1. Ulrich Steinhauer 1956–1980 Shot, 4 November 1980 A 24-year-old carpenter from the Baltic coast serving as an East German border soldier, Ulrich Steinhauer was shot dead on 4 November 1980 near Schönwalde by his junior guard, who then escaped to West Berlin.
  2. Marienetta Jirkowsky 1962–1980 Shot, 22 November 1980 Marienetta Jirkowsky, an 18-year-old textile worker from Spreenhagen known to friends as "Micki", was shot on 22 November 1980 at Florastrasse in Hohen Neuendorf as she climbed the Wall behind her fiancé and a friend, and died in hospital that morning.

1981

  1. Peter Grohganz 1948–1980 Drowned, Between 10 December 1980 and 9 February 1981 Peter Grohganz, a 32-year-old metalworker and father of two born in Premnitz, drowned in the Spree east of the Oberbaum Bridge in the winter of 1980–81, apparently while trying to reach West Berlin; his body was found on 9 February 1981.
  2. Dr. Johannes Muschol 1949–1981 Shot, 16 March 1981 Dr. Johannes Muschol, a 31-year-old West German doctor living with chronic illness, was shot dead on 16 March 1981 after climbing over the Wall from Reinickendorf into the death strip near Kopenhagener Strasse in Wilhelmsruh; East Germany concealed his death.
  3. Hans-Jürgen Starrost 1955–1981 Shot, 16 May 1981 Hans-Jürgen Starrost, a 25-year-old construction worker from Berlin, was shot at close range by a police officer on 14 April 1981 on Gudrunstrasse in Sigridshorst, Teltow-Seehof after an escape attempt, and died of his wounds on 16 May 1981.
  4. Thomas Taubmann 1955–1981 Fatal fall or accident, 12 December 1981 Thomas Taubmann, a 26-year-old fitter from Weissensee, died on 12 December 1981 after jumping from a freight train beneath the Böse Bridge at Bornholmer Strasse while trying to escape; the Stasi presented his death as an accident.

1982

  1. Lothar Fritz Freie 1955–1982 Shot, 6 June 1982 Lothar Fritz Freie, a 27-year-old from Lower Saxony living in West Berlin, entered East Berlin territory near the Helmut-Just Bridge on 4 June 1982. Shot while leaving as he had been told to, he died of his wounds on 6 June.

1983

  1. Silvio Proksch 1962–1983 Shot, 25 December 1983 Silvio Proksch, a 21-year-old from Pankow who had trained as a bricklayer, was shot at the Pankow municipal cemetery on Christmas Day 1983 while trying to reach West Berlin and bled to death in the death strip.

1984

  1. Michael Schmidt 1964–1984 Shot, 1 December 1984 Michael Schmidt, a 20-year-old carpenter from Schwanebeck, was shot by border guards on 1 December 1984 as he climbed the last wall near the Wollankstrasse S-Bahn station, and died hours later after medical help was long delayed.

1986

  1. Rainer Liebeke 1951–1986 Drowned, 3 September 1986 Rainer Liebeke, a 34-year-old taxi driver and motorcycle racer from Gotha, drowned in Sacrower Lake on 3 September 1986, shortly before his 35th birthday, while swimming towards West Berlin with a friend.
  2. Manfred Mäder 1948–1986 Shot, 21 November 1986 Manfred Mäder, a 38-year-old professional driver from Prenzlau, was shot on 21 November 1986 near Karpfenteichstrasse after he and René Gross drove a stolen truck to the Wall; he fell back on the eastern side and bled to death.
  3. René Gross 1964–1986 Shot, 21 November 1986 René Gross, a 22-year-old driver from East Berlin, was shot dead on 21 November 1986 near Karpfenteichstrasse when he and Manfred Mäder drove a truck through the border fortifications between Treptow and Neukölln in an attempt to reach West Berlin.
  4. Michael Bittner 1961–1986 Shot, 24 November 1986 Michael Bittner, a 25-year-old mason from Pankow whose applications to leave East Germany had been repeatedly refused, was shot at the last border wall in Glienicke/Nordbahn on 24 November 1986. The Stasi concealed his death, and his body was never found.

1987

  1. Lutz Schmidt 1962–1987 Shot, 12 February 1987 Lutz Schmidt, a 24-year-old driver and father of two from Mahlow, was shot dead by border guards on 12 February 1987 near Rheingoldstrasse between Altglienicke and Rudow, moments after helping his friend onto the top of the Wall; the friend reached West Berlin.

1989

  1. Ingolf Diederichs 1964–1989 Fatal fall or accident, 13 January 1989 Ingolf Diederichs, a 24-year-old former student from Wismar, jumped from a moving S-Bahn train near the Bornholmer Strasse border crossing on 13 January 1989 while trying to escape to West Berlin. He was caught by the train as he fell and died instantly.
  2. Chris Gueffroy 1968–1989 Shot, 5 February 1989 Chris Gueffroy, a 20-year-old waiter from Berlin who had once trained as a gymnast, was shot dead on 5 February 1989 at the Britzer Zweigkanal in Treptow while trying to escape to West Berlin; he was the last person killed by gunfire at the Berlin Wall.
  3. Winfried Freudenberg 1956–1989 Fatal fall or accident, 8 March 1989 Winfried Freudenberg, a 32-year-old electronics engineer, flew over the border in a home-made gas balloon on 8 March 1989. After hours adrift over West Berlin, he fell to his death in Zehlendorf, the last person in Berlin to die because of the Wall.