Peter Kreitlow
Peter Kreitlow (born January 15, 1943 in Berlin ; † January 24, 1963 near Hennigsdorf ) was a victim of the Berlin Wall . Members of the Soviet occupation forces shot him while trying to escape in a forest near Hennigsdorf. He was the only wall dead who was shot by Soviet soldiers.
Life
He was born in Berlin in January 1943 during the Second World War. His mother did not survive the war. After the war, his father married again. The relationship between Peter Kreitlow and his stepmother was bad. At the age of 18 he left home and completed an apprenticeship as a baker. He then sublet lived in East Berlin and worked as an unskilled worker in various Berlin companies.
On the evening of January 23, 1963, he and three friends attended a dance event in Hennigsdorf, northwest of Berlin. There the group of five spontaneously decided to cross the border to West Berlin under the guidance of Bernd K., who knows the place. After crossing the frozen Havel Canal , they passed through a snow-covered forest. There they were discovered by two Soviet soldiers who guarded the border in the section 2 km away. The soldiers opened fire on the group. Peter Kreitlow was hit several times - including in the head - and died on site.
The authorities of the GDR feared negative effects on the relationship between the citizens and the Soviet occupation forces , should it be discovered that the soldiers were wrong. In the final investigation report, the shots were considered justified. In camera, Kreitlow's companions were sentenced to several months' imprisonment in May 1963 for attempting to escape.
literature
- Christine Brecht : Peter Kreitlow , in: The victims of the Berlin Wall 1961–1989 , Links, Berlin 2009, pp. 129–132.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kreitlow, Peter |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German casualty from the Berlin Wall |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 15, 1943 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Berlin |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 24, 1963 |
| Place of death | near Hennigsdorf |