Paul Stretz
Paul Stretz (born February 28, 1935 in Luitpoldshöhe ; † April 29, 1966 in Berlin ) was a victim of the Berlin Wall . When he was drunk swimming in the Berlin-Spandau shipping canal , he was shot by members of the GDR border troops , who believed he was a refugee.
Life
Paul Stretz lived with his wife in Ottensoos near Nuremberg. Their first daughter died three months after giving birth. During the second pregnancy, his wife left him because of his alcoholism . He then moved to West Berlin and worked there in the warehouse of a forwarding company , but had no permanent residence.
On April 29, 1966 he worked on the Berlin-Spandau shipping canal. He drank beer while working. At around 3:30 p.m. he decided to get into the canal, which was part of East Berlin in its entire width, and swim. He did not react to warnings from West Berlin. Two border guards discovered him and immediately took fire from 250 meters away. Two more border guards ran to the canal bank. From there they also shot at the supposed refugee. A border guard was injured by a ricochet. Paul Stretz was hit in the head and upper body by four bullets and died in the water. His body was recovered by divers the following night and then taken to the Charité . The border guards fired over 170 shots.
The incident attracted public attention in the West and received extensive coverage in the press. Some of the bullets dropped hit West Berlin, including the Reichstag building. The shooters were sentenced in 1997 to one year suspended prison sentences.
literature
- Hans-Hermann Hertle , Maria Nooke : The victims of the Berlin Wall 1961 - 1989. A biographical handbook. Edited by the Center for Contemporary History Potsdam and the Berlin Wall Foundation. Links, Berlin 2009, ISBN 978-3-86153-517-1 .
Web link
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Stretz, Paul |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German casualty from the Berlin Wall |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 28, 1935 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Luitpoldshöhe |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 29, 1966 |
| Place of death | Berlin |