B 334

Bernd B. tried to climb over the Wall near the Reconciliation Church on the night of July 7, 1968.

He approached the border strip from the Elisabeth parish cemetery and got past the signal fence and antivehicle obstacle. Shielded by the Reconciliation Church, he crawled within five meters of the Wall at which point he was noticed by the border guard on the watchtower at Ackerstraße. The guard called out to him and fired a warning shot.

When Bernd B. responded by trying to jump onto the Wall, the border soldier fired at him. Bernd B. was critically injured and dragged behind the church – out of view of the West. After undergoing an emergency operation in the Police Hospital, he was handed over to the secret police. The border soldiers involved in the arrest were honored with medals and awards.