1979 crossing into West Germany
On 16 September 1979, eight people from two families escaped from East Germany by crossing the border into West Germany at night in a homemade hot air balloon. The unique feat was the result of over a year and a half of preparations involving three different balloons, various modifications, and a first, unsuccessful attempt. The failed attempt alerted the East German authorities to the plot, but the police were unable to identify the escapees before their second, successful flight two months later.
Background [ edit ]
Diagram of East German border fortifications
East Germany, then part of the Eastern Bloc, was separated from West Germany in the Western Bloc by the inner German border and the Berlin Wall, which were heavily fortified with watchtowers, land mines, armed soldiers, and various other measures to prevent illegal crossings. East German border troops were instructed to prevent defection to West Germany by all means, including lethal force (Schießbefehl; "order to fire").[2]
Peter Strelzyk (1942–2017), an electrician and former East German Air Force mechanic, and Günter Wetzel (born 1955), a bricklayer by trade,[3] were colleagues at a local plastics factory.[4] Friends for four years, they shared a desire to flee the country and began discussing ways to get across the border. On 7 March 1978, they agreed to plan an escape.[5] They considered building a helicopter but quickly realized they would be unable to acquire an engine capable of powering such a craft. They then decided to explore the idea of constructing a hot air balloon,[6] having been inspired by a television program about ballooning.[3] An alternate account is that a relative shared a magazine article about the International Balloon Festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[5]
Construction [ edit ]
Strelzyk and Wetzel began research into balloons. Their plan was to escape with their wives and a total of four children (aged 2 to 15). They calculated the weight of the eight passengers and the craft itself to be around 750 kilograms (1,650 lb). Subsequent calculations determined a balloon capable of lifting this weight would need to hold 2,000 cubic metres (71,000 cu ft) of air heated to 100 °C (212 °F). The next calculation was the amount of material needed for the balloon, estimated to be 800 square metres (8,600 sq ft).[6]
The pair lived in Pößneck, a small town of about 20,000 where large quantities of cloth could not be obtained without raising attention. They tried neighbouring towns of Rudolstadt, Saalfeld, and Jena without success.[7] They travelled 50 km (31 mi) to Gera, where they purchased 1-metre-wide (3 ft 3 in) rolls of cotton cloth totalling 850 metres (2,790 ft) in length at a department store after telling the astonished clerk that they needed the large quantity of material to use as tent lining for their camping club.[6][7]
Wetzel spent two weeks sewing the cloth into a balloon-shaped bag, 15 metres (49 ft) wide by 20 metres (66 ft) long, on a 40-year-old manually operated sewing machine. Strelzyk spent the time building the gondola and burner assembly. The gondola was made from an iron frame, sheet metal floor, and clothesline run around the perimeter every 150 millimetres (5.9 in) for the sides. The burner was made using two 11-kilogram (24 lb) bottles of liquid propane household gas, hoses, water pipe, a nozzle, and a piece of stove pipe.[6]
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