44: Balloon Border Flight

44 years ago today (September 16, 1979) 2 Families with a total of 8 people escaped Communist East Germany into West Germany by using a Hot Air Balloon:

Peter Strelzyk, age 37, Doris Strelzyk, Frank Strelzyk, age 15, Andreas Strelzyk, age 11, Günter Wetzel, 24. Petra Wetzel, Peter Wetzel, age 5 and Andreas Wetzel, age 2

The Families chose a Ballon to avoid the Inner-German Wall with its Watch Towers, barbed wire, minefields the “Shoot-To-Kill” Order the Communist Border Guards had.

They created 3 Ballons – buying all the materials in small quantities and from different locations to not rise the suspicions of the East German Secret Police, the Stasi (and made 2 unsuccessful attempts) before the final attempt was made on September 16, 1979.

Their Ballon was detected by West German Radar as well as by an East German Border Watch Tower. A miscalculation caused the Burner to tear a hole in the Ballon. Upon landing they realized they had made it to West Germany and freedom – 6 miles from the Inner-German Border.

Erich Strelzyk learned of his Brother's escape on the ZDF news and was arrested three hours after the landing in his Potsdam Apartment. The arrest of Family Members was standard procedure in East Germany to deter others from attempting escape. He was charged with "aiding and abetting escape" as were Strelzyk's Sister Maria and her Husband who were sentenced to 2 1⁄2 years in prison. They were released and allowed to move to West Germany in 1982 (after a Ransom was paid by West Germany.)

Both families settled in West Germany where Peter Strelzyk opened an Electronics Store and Günter Wetzel became a Mechanic. Due to pressure from Stasi Spies the Strelzyk’s moved to Switzerland in 1985.

After East and West Germany were reunited in 1990 the Strelzyks moved back to their former hometown.

Peter Strelzyk died on March 11, 2017 at the age of 74 in Jena.

The Balloon Escape was made into 2 Films: Disney’s 1982 “Night Crossing” and the 2018 German Film “Balloon.”

The Gondola of the Ballon is at the Wall Museum at Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin.