Werner Probst (Wall victim)
Werner Probst (born June 18, 1936 in Berlin ; † October 14, 1961 there ) was a victim of the Berlin Wall and secret informator for the Ministry for State Security (MfS). He was shot dead by GDR border guards while fleeing through the Spree near the Schilling Bridge .
Life
Werner Probst lived with his parents in the Friedrichshain district and was employed by a state-owned company as a driver. He was employed in West Berlin until the sector border was closed . He had no professional training and was almost illiterate . He had a criminal record of theft when he was recruited by the Stasi in 1959 and from then on he was called "Harry". For the MfS, his large circle of friends and the contacts with the underworld in both parts of the city were interesting. As an informant, he primarily provided his command officers with information that he received in West Berlin about cross-border commuters and smuggling.
Attempted escape
With the construction of the wall, Probst's freedom of movement and the use of informants also ended. He tried to get to the west via the Friedrichstrasse train station , but was arrested. His commanding officer offered him the prospect of a deployment in West Berlin, but this failed due to Probst's lack of knowledge of encryption . On October 14, Probst wanted to flee to the west. He went to the Spree and went under the Schilling Bridge into the water. Border guards stationed on the bridge discovered him around 10:30 p.m. and opened fire. When he reached the West Berlin quay wall, Werner Probst was already injured. While he was climbing out of the water on a ladder, he was fatally shot. The East Berlin water police pulled the injured man from the West Berlin bank and took him to the Oberbaum Bridge . His death was found there.
Aftermath
The nocturnal shots were registered in West Berlin; No information was initially available about the refugee. Werner Probst's parents were informed on October 16, 1961, without further details, that their son had died trying to escape. Probst's sister reported this to the police in West Berlin. Border guards who defected linked the shots at the bridge to the death of Probst. As a result, a complaint was filed with the West Berlin public prosecutor's office for manslaughter against unknown border guards. After the fall of the wall , three former border guards were charged in the course of the wall rifle trials, which ended in 1995 with convictions for community manslaughter .
A cross from the White Crosses Memorial on the bank of the Reichstag commemorates Werner Probst.
literature
- Christine Brecht : Werner Probst , in: The victims of the Berlin Wall 1961–1989 , Berlin 2009, pp. 54–56.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Probst, Werner |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German casualty of the Berlin Wall and secret informator of the Ministry for State Security (MfS) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 18, 1936 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Berlin |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 14, 1961 |
| Place of death | Berlin |