Horst Körner (victim of the wall)
Horst Körner (born July 12, 1947 in Wolfen , † November 15, 1968 in Potsdam ) was a victim of the Berlin Wall . During an attempt to escape from the GDR , he was shot in a shootout with members of the GDR border troops after he had killed the border soldier Rolf Henniger .
Life
After completing secondary school, he attended the VEB Filmfabrik Wolfen vocational school. There he learned the trade of mechanic and in 1967 he passed the Abitur exams at the same time. He was a member of the SED . He then went to the criminal police in Bitterfeld as a VP candidate . In 1968 he lost interest in working there in the field of property crime, applied for his dismissal and applied to the University of Applied Sciences for Veterinary Medicine. He later withdrew his resignation. In September 1968 he was transferred to Potsdam for basic forensic training.
On November 15, 1968, between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m., he worked as a guard in front of the criminal investigation school. He left his post and made his way to the border via nearby railway tracks. He was armed but left some of his equipment on the way. His disappearance was discovered at the changing of the guard at 11 p.m. At the same time, two border guards discovered the uniformed Horst Körner in their company car near Glienicke Bridge . They held him for the precinct and wanted to continue their inspection tour. Horst Körner saw himself caught and opened fire on the two soldiers. He repeatedly fatally hit the driver Rolf Henniger through the front window of the car. The second border guard was able to leave the vehicle and return fire. Horst Körner collapsed and died on site.
Horst Körner's parents were informed of the death the next day by the State Security Ministry , which had the body cremated. The incident was published in the GDR press without mentioning the name of Horst Körner. Rolf Henniger was stylized as a hero and buried in his birthplace Saalfeld with public sympathy. A preliminary investigation against the second border soldier initiated after German reunification was discontinued in 1994 for self-defense.
literature
- Martin Ahrends , Udo Baron , Hans-Hermann Hertle : Horst Körner . In: Hans-Hermann Hertle, Maria Nooke : The victims of the Berlin Wall 1961–1989. A biographical manual. Links, Berlin 2009, ISBN 978-3-86153-517-1 , pp. 274-276.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Körner, Horst |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German casualty from the Berlin Wall |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 12, 1947 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Wolfen |
| DATE OF DEATH | 15th November 1968 |
| Place of death | Potsdam |