Peter Fechter (14 January 1944 – 17 August 1962) was a German
bricklayer who became the
twenty-seventh known person to die at the
Berlin Wall. Fechter was 18 years old when he was shot and killed by
East German border guards while trying to cross over to
West Berlin
West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...
.
Biography
Peter Fechter was born on 14 January 1944, in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, during the final years of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. Fechter was the third of four children, and raised in the
Weißensee district of Berlin. His father was a
mechanical engineer
Mechanical may refer to:
Machine
* Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement
* Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations of ...
and his mother was a
saleswoman. Fechter finished school at the age of 14, and graduated as a
bricklayer. After World War II had ended, Weißensee was located in the
Soviet occupation zone of Berlin when the city was divided during the
Allied Occupation, with the Soviet zone later becoming
East Berlin in
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
. Fechter's eldest sister had married and now lived in
West Berlin
West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...
, where she was regularly visited by her parents and siblings. On 13 August 1961, the East German authorities abruptly closed the border and began construction of the
Berlin Wall, effectively separating Fechter and his family from his sister in West Berlin. Fechter's colleague, Helmut Kulbeik, later stated that he and Fechter had been contemplating
defecting to West Berlin for a while, and that they had also explored the border installations, but no concrete planning was ever made at the time. Shortly after, Fechter was denied a legally sanctioned trip to
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
by his company, despite receiving good judgement.
Death
On 17 August 1962, around one year after the construction of the Berlin Wall, Fechter and Helmut Kulbeik attempted to flee from East Germany. The plan was to hide in a
carpenter's workshop near the wall on Zimmerstrasse and, after observing the border guards from there, to jump out of a window into the "death-strip" (a strip running between the main wall and a parallel fence which they had recently started to construct), run across it, and climb over the two-metre (6.5 ft) wall topped with
barbed wire into the
Kreuzberg
Kreuzberg () is a district of Berlin, Germany. It is part of the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough located south of Mitte. During the Cold War era, it was one of the poorest areas of West Berlin, but since German reunification in 1990 it ha ...
district of West Berlin near
Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie (or "Checkpoint C") was the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War (1947–1991), as named by the Western Allies.
East German leader Walter Ulbricht agitated and maneu ...
.
Their plan was initially successful as both Fechter and Kulbeik reached the final wall, but as they began to climb the
East German border guards fired at them. Although Kulbeik succeeded in crossing over the wall, Fechter was shot in the
pelvis while still climbing, in plain view of hundreds of witnesses. He fell back into the death-strip on the East German side, where he remained in view of West German onlookers, including journalists. Despite his screams, Fechter received no medical assistance from the East German side, and could not be tended to by those on the West side. West Berlin police threw him
bandages
A bandage is a piece of material used either to support a medical device such as a dressing or splint, or on its own to provide support to or to restrict the movement of a part of the body. When used with a dressing, the dressing is applie ...
, which he could not reach, and he
bled to death after approximately one hour. As a result of his death, hundreds in West Berlin formed a spontaneous demonstration, shouting "Murderers!" at the border guards.
The lack of medical assistance for Peter Fechter was attributed to mutual fear: Western bystanders were apparently prevented at gunpoint from assisting him, although according to a report in ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' magazine, a
second lieutenant of the
US Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
on the scene received specific orders from the US Commandant in West Berlin to stand firm and do nothing. It also emerged during the trial that any aid attempt from the West had indeed been made impossible, but according to a report from
forensic pathologist
Forensic pathology is pathology that focuses on determining the cause of death by examining a corpse. A post mortem examination is performed by a medical examiner or forensic pathologist, usually during the investigation of criminal law cases ...
Otto Prokop, "Fechter had no chance of survival. The shot in the right hip had caused severe internal injuries."
Trial
In March 1997, seven years after the
reunification of Germany and 35 years after Fechter's death, two former East German guards, Rolf Friedrich and Erich Schreiber, faced
manslaughter charges for Fechter's death. Both admitted to the shooting after an intense investigation. They were both convicted and sentenced to 20 and 21 months' imprisonment on
probation
Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration.
In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarceration), such ...
. Due to a lack of conclusive evidence, the court was unable to determine which of three gunmen (one of whom had already died) had fired the fatal bullet. After pleading guilty to the crime, during sentencing, both guards apologized for killing Fechter, saying that if they could take it back, they would, and that they were honestly remorseful for their actions.
Commemoration
A cross was placed on the western side near the spot where Fechter was shot and bled to death. At the invitation of
Willy Brandt
Willy Brandt (; born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm; 18 December 1913 – 8 October 1992) was a German politician and statesman who was leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) from 1964 to 1987 and served as the chancellor of West Ge ...
, the mayor of West Berlin, the
Yale Russian Chorus sang a German translation of
Mozart's
Ave Verum Corpus
"" is a short Eucharistic chant that has been set to music by many composers. It dates to the 13th century, first recorded in a central Italian Franciscan manuscript (Chicago, Newberry Library, 24). A Reichenau manuscript of the 14th century attr ...
near the site in the week following the shooting. On the first anniversary, a wreath was placed there by
Willy Brandt
Willy Brandt (; born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm; 18 December 1913 – 8 October 1992) was a German politician and statesman who was leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) from 1964 to 1987 and served as the chancellor of West Ge ...
and US
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
James Polk.
The story of Peter Fechter was the headline of American news magazine ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' in August 1962. In this article was used the noun "Wall of Shame" (Mauer der Schande), and this became a synonym for the wall.
After German reunification in 1990, the Peter-Fechter-Stelle
memorial was constructed on Zimmerstrasse, at the precise spot where he had died on the Eastern side, and this has been a focal point for some of the commemorations regarding the wall.
The shooting has also been the subject of documentaries on German television.
Cornelius Ryan
Cornelius Ryan (5 June 1920 – 23 November 1974) was an Irish-American journalist and author known mainly for writing popular military history. He was especially known for his histories of World War II events: '' The Longest Day: 6 June 1944 D- ...
dedicated his book ''The Last Battle'' to the memory of Fechter. Composer
Aulis Sallinen
Aulis Sallinen (born 9 April 1935) is a Finnish contemporary classical music composer. His music has been variously described as "remorselessly harsh", a "beautifully crafted amalgam of several 20th-century styles", and "neo-romantic". Sallinen ...
wrote an orchestral work ''Mauermusik'' to commemorate Fechter. In 2007, artist Mark Gubb was commissioned by the
Institute of Contemporary Arts
The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch, the ICA c ...
to create a performance based on the death of Peter Fechter. The performance was a one-hour live piece that was later recorded and screened at the ICA with a discussion panel at the end consisting of the artist, and actor Dominik Danielewicz who played the part of Peter Fechter. The 1972 ballad ''
Libre
Libre may refer to:
Computing
* Libre software, free software
* Libre Computer Project, developer of open-hardware single-board computers
Medicine
* FreeStyle Libre, a glucose monitoring device
Media
* Libre Times, news site which people can fr ...
'' ("Free") – a recording famous in all
Ibero-America
Ibero-America ( es, Iberoamérica, pt, Ibero-América) or Iberian America is a region in the Americas comprising countries or territories where Spanish or Portuguese are predominant languages (usually former territories of Portugal or Spain). ...
– by
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
singer
Nino Bravo
Luis Manuel Ferri Llopis (3 August 1944 – 16 April 1973), better known by his stage name Nino Bravo, was a Spanish baroque pop and ballad singer.
Early life
Ferri Llopis was born in Aielo de Malferit (Valencia), Spain. His father, Luis M ...
, remembers this event. In 2012 Canadian playwright
Jordan Tannahill
Jordan Tannahill is a Canadian author, playwright, filmmaker, and theatre director.
His novels and plays have been translated into twelve languages, and honoured with a number of prizes including two Governor General's Literary Awards. 's play ''Peter Fechter: 59 Minutes'', a poetic re-imagining of the final hour of Fechter's life, was produced in Canada and Berlin.
[Playwrights Canada Press, 2013, ]
Literature
* Christine Brecht: ''Peter Fechter'', in: ''Die Todesopfer an der Berliner Mauer 1961–1989. Ein biographisches Handbuch.'' Links, Berlin 2009, , S. 101–104.
* Lars-Broder Keil,
Sven Felix Kellerhoff
Sven Felix Kellerhoff (born 1971) is a German historian, journalist and author who specialises in the history of the Nazi era.
Education and career
Kellerhoff was born in 1971 in Stuttgart, Germany. He was educated at the Free University of Berli ...
; Thomas Schmid (Hrsg.): ''Mord an der Mauer. Der Fall Peter Fechter.'' Mit einem Geleitwort von
Klaus Wowereit
Klaus Wowereit (born 1 October 1953) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and was the Governing Mayor of Berlin from 21 October 2001 to 11 December 2014. In 2001 state elections his party won a plurality of the votes, 29 ...
. Quadriga, Köln 2012, .
* Ralf Gründer: ''SED-Mordopfer Peter Fechter'', in: ''Niemand hat die Absicht .... Screenshot-Fotografie von Herbert Ernst, gedreht in den Jahren 1961 und 1962 im geteilten Berlin.'' Berliner Wissenschafts-Verlag, Berlin 2018, , S. 342–369.
* Jordan Tanahill: ''Peter Fechter: 59 Minutes'', in: ''Age of Minority''. Toronto 2013, ISBN 978-1-77091-194-9
.
See also
*
List of deaths at the Berlin Wall
There were numerous deaths at the Berlin Wall, which stood as a barrier between West Berlin and East Berlin from 13 August 1961 until 9 November 1989. Before the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, 3.5 million East Germans circumvented ...
*
Berlin Crisis of 1961
*
Eastern Bloc emigration and defection
After World War II, emigration restrictions were imposed by countries in the Eastern Bloc, which consisted of the Soviet Union and its satellite states in Central and Eastern Europe. Legal emigration was in most cases only possible in order to r ...
*
List of Eastern Bloc defectors
Filmaufnahme vom Abtransport des sterbenden Peter Fechter
References
External links
*
*
Photos near the location of Fechter's death, taken in 1961
ICA Performance the performance and screening of the "Death of Peter Fechter"
*
Jordan Tannahill: "Peter Fechter, 59 Minutes"'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fechter, Peter
Deaths at the Berlin Wall
Deaths by firearm in East Germany
Deaths by person in Germany
1960s in Berlin
1962 in East Germany
1962 crimes in Germany
Manslaughter in Germany
August 1962 events in Europe
1962 murders in Germany
1944 births
1962 deaths
1960s murders in Berlin
People from East Berlin
East German defectors