Eduard Wroblewski

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Eduard Wroblewski, stele on the Berlin Wall Trail in Mahlow

Eduard Wroblewski (born March 3, 1933 in Wutschdorf , Züllichau-Schwiebus district , † July 26, 1966 in Mahlow ) was a German fatality at the Berlin Wall . While trying to escape from the GDR, he was shot by members of the GDR border troops .

Life

Eduard Wroblewski was born in the Prussian Wutschdorf and grew up with his siblings in Fläming . After school, which he left at the age of 14, he worked for a farmer. He fled the GDR for the first time in 1952 at the age of 19, but was unable to establish himself as an unskilled youth with no family ties in West Germany, so that he returned to the GDR nine months later. Back in the GDR, he worked for the Reichsbahn, construction and agriculture. His marriage in 1956 failed, so that he remarried in 1962. He lived with his second wife in Zahna and had two children. Problems with his employment strained the marriage. Eduard Wroblewski did not tell his wife about the dismissal when he allegedly made his way to his place of work on the morning of July 26, 1966. Instead of going to work, he went to Mahlow in the south of Berlin. There he went into the border area towards evening.

When he was about 100 meters from the final barbed wire fence , he was immediately attacked by border guards. Eduard Wroblewski ran towards the border until he collapsed after being hit twelve times from behind. The five border guards between the ages of 18 and 22 fired over 270 rounds from their submachine guns at Eduard Wroblewski, who died on the spot.

The event was observed by residents of West Berlin and received attention in the western press and public. Bullets from the border guards also hit western buildings. In the East German press, Eduard Wroblewski was portrayed as an “anti-social” and criminal. The border guards involved were recognized for their achievements, only the excessive consumption of ammunition was criticized. After German reunification, the Potsdam Public Prosecutor's Office began investigations into Eduard Wroblewski's death. She concluded that one of the six border guards did not shoot, another purposely missed, and two others shot without hitting. The two gunmen were sentenced on August 21, 1996 by the Potsdam Regional Court for manslaughter to several months' imprisonment on probation.

Web links

Commons : Eduard Wroblewski  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files