Axel Hannemann
Axel Hannemann (born April 27, 1945 in Buchhain ; † June 5, 1962 in Berlin ) was a victim of the Berlin Wall . He was shot while fleeing in the Spree near the bank of the Reichstag.
Life
On June 5, 1962, Hannemann , who lives in Cottbus, took the train to Berlin. He went to the Marschall Bridge , where the GDR customs checked those ships that were continuing to the GDR via West Berlin. At around 5.15 p.m., he jumped from the bridge onto a passing ship that had already had control behind it. The skipper noticed him, stopped his voyage and called customs. Axel Hannemann began a physical argument with the skipper, freed himself and jumped into the Spree to swim to West Berlin. Two members of the GDR border troops opened fire on him. Fatally hit by a bullet in the head, he went under.
The attempt to escape took place directly behind the Reichstag building and caught the attention of West Berlin police and press, who took photos of the recovery of the body by the East Berlin fire brigade. The next day, the western newspapers reported about a " refugee murder at the Reichstag ". In the GDR, Interior Minister Karl Maron issued a press release in which Axel Hannemann was described as a “criminal” who died of his injuries after attempting to overcome the Berlin Wall . The West Berlin public prosecutor's office initiated an investigation against the shooters. After reunification, one of the soldiers was sentenced to two years suspended prison sentence. His superior, to whom the fatal shots could be assigned, had already died.
His relatives knew neither of his plans nor of his motives, which he did not reveal in his farewell letter.
A cross facing the Spree from the White Crosses Memorial on the bank of the Reichstag commemorates Axel Hannemann.
literature
- Christine Brecht : Axel Hannemann , in: The victims of the Berlin Wall 1961–1989 , Links, Berlin 2009, pp. 90–92.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hannemann, Axel |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German casualty from the Berlin Wall |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 27, 1945 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Buchhain |
| DATE OF DEATH | 5th June 1962 |
| Place of death | Berlin |