Fritz Wagner (escape helper)

Fritz Wagner (known as The Fat One) was a German escape helper . He made it possible for citizens of the GDR to flee to West Berlin , mostly through tunnels that he partly built together with Harry Seidel and Heinz Jercha .

Fritz Wagner was a Berlin butcher and kiosk owner. In contrast to his helpers, who acted out of idealistic motives, he took money from the refugees right from the start and justified the prices with the costs he had incurred. In addition, he marketed the image rights to the tunnels to the Bild newspaper and American television stations. After Seidel's arrest, Wagner changed his strategy and converted cars with which he transported individual refugees. He also hired two students who were supposed to carry out small smuggling operations for him, but who were transporting refugees hidden in the car without their knowledge. One of the students was arrested during one such attempt and was recruited by the State Security.

literature

• Marion Detjen: A hole in the wall. The history of refugee aid in divided Germany 1961–1989 . Siedler, Munich 2005, ISBN 3-88680-834-3 , p. 133-139, 172 .