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Wolfgang Engels (born 1943) is a former civilian employee of the
by Hans-Hermann Hertle with Engels at www.chronik-der-mauer.de
On 17 April 1963, on the eve of the communist
The man who drove a tank into the Berlin Wall
Extensive interview
by Hans-Hermann Hertle with Wolfgang Engels at www.chronik-der-mauer.de
about the escape of Wolfgang Engels
From the series ''Damals in der DDR'' by MDR. 1943 births Living people Military personnel from Düsseldorf East German defectors East German emigrants to West Germany National People's Army personnel {{Germany-army-bio-stub
East German
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 ...
National People's Army
The National People's Army (german: Nationale Volksarmee, ; NVA ) were the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990.
The NVA was organized into four branches: the (Ground Forces), the (Navy), the (Air Force) a ...
, employed as a car mechanic and driver, who in 1963 used a stolen BTR-152
The BTR-152 is a six-wheeled Soviet Union, Soviet armored personnel carrier (БТР, from Бронетранспортер/''BTR (vehicle), Bronetransporter'', literally "armored transporter"), built on the chassis and drive train of a ZIS-151 uti ...
armoured personnel carrier to escape to West Germany by breaking through the Berlin Wall.Extensive interviewby Hans-Hermann Hertle with Engels at www.chronik-der-mauer.de
Escape to West Germany
On 17 April 1963, on the eve of the communist May Day
May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. Tr ...
celebrations, Engels stole an East German
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 ...
National People's Army
The National People's Army (german: Nationale Volksarmee, ; NVA ) were the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990.
The NVA was organized into four branches: the (Ground Forces), the (Navy), the (Air Force) a ...
BTR-152
The BTR-152 is a six-wheeled Soviet Union, Soviet armored personnel carrier (БТР, from Бронетранспортер/''BTR (vehicle), Bronetransporter'', literally "armored transporter"), built on the chassis and drive train of a ZIS-151 uti ...
armoured personnel carrier from his military-base while its crew was at lunch and drove it through the streets of East Berlin. The police were used to seeing military vehicles and stopped traffic at intersections to allow him to cross. Along his route he saw a group of young people and stopped to offer them a ride "I'm going to the West, does anyone want to go?" but they declined his offer so he drove on and rammed it into the Berlin Wall in an attempt to escape 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 ...
. The APC did not fully penetrate the Wall, having been stuck halfway on the fortified border, so Engels hurriedly exited the vehicle and was shot twice by East German border-guards while struggling to free himself from the rolls of razor-sharp barbed wire. He was finally pulled to safety by West Berliners, with a passing West German policeman retaliating by opening fire on the East German border-guards shooting at Engels, and then taken to a nearby bar and laid on a table. As he recovered consciousness, he saw the labels on the liquor bottles and then knew that he had made a successful escape. Engels was rushed to a West Berlin Hospital where he underwent surgery for his wounds, performed by an eminent surgeon who, coincidentally, was at the same hospital being treated for his broken leg. Wolfgang then recovered in the Berlin hospital. He settled down in West Germany and later became a teacher of biology and history in the town of Soltau. While he managed to escape to West Germany and gain his freedom, he ended up losing touch with his mother, who, being a dedicated communist, rejected him as a traitor to East Germany and denounced his escape.
See also
* Jutta FleckReferences
Literature
* Hans-Hermann Hertle: ''Die Berliner Mauer. Monument des Kalten Krieges = The Berlin wall.'' Ch. Links Verlag, Berlin 2007, , p. 72.External links
The man who drove a tank into the Berlin Wall
Extensive interview
by Hans-Hermann Hertle with Wolfgang Engels at www.chronik-der-mauer.de
about the escape of Wolfgang Engels
From the series ''Damals in der DDR'' by MDR. 1943 births Living people Military personnel from Düsseldorf East German defectors East German emigrants to West Germany National People's Army personnel {{Germany-army-bio-stub