On August 13, 1961, the border fortifications on Ackerstraße consisted only of loosely laidout rolls of barbed wire. A VW beetle from East Berlin sped along Ackerstraße and rammed through this barrier at high speed. The car became entangled in the barbed wire, coming to a halt on West Berlin territory. The driver climbed out of the car to safety. Firemen extricated the car from the barbed wire.