Crossing the Berlin Wall was a famous, very difficult and highly risky operation in the period of the Cold War. The wall being that symbolized the division of Berlin from 1961 to 1989 was a visible demarcation of attitudinal split between East and West. In this blog post, we will talk about some of the possible techniques people used to overcome the wall in order to be reunited with their kin.
1. Tunneling
As mentioned earlier, one of the best-known ways of escaping over the Berlin Wall was tunneling. Many tunnels were constructed from the West to the East; through these wells, people could avoid specific barriers and check points. In some cases, these tunnels needed elaborate planning and, of course, some measure of advanced engineering capability.
Tunneling should therefore be considered with certain facts in mind these include the fact that it involves a lot of secrecy, teamwork, and technical mastery of the situation. In addition, it is also important to be able to lay the tunnel flat and create adequate ventilation on the tunnel for safety reasons.
2. Flying Over the Wall
There were two specific strategies that were employed to outcompete the Berlin Wall and one of the most ambitious of them was flying. Several people flew over the wall in ultralight aircraft and small helicopters. As they had to get through to the west via East Germany, this method had to be well planned and the travelers had to maneuver carefully to escape theRAD alert system.
Inasmuch as one may imagine flying over the Berlin Wall as being quite thrilling, it should be pointed out that the mission was highly dangerous and operated in violation of the law. This method is however not possible today since airspace around the former Berlin Wall is closely monitored and restricted.
3. Hidden Compartments
Some of the strategies used by some people was to move in concealed spaces of vehicles moving through the check points. Be it in the boot, the hood or even between the seats and floor, these concealed areas gave the subject a way to transverse across the wall.
If you have been thinking about using hidden compartments, you must understand that this approach was very lethal. The guards understood this trick and hence carried out some searches on vehicles attempting to sneak through the border. The effort to perform this method today is prohibited and would lead to extreme penalties.
4. Balloons and Ziplines
There were some who risk lateral thoughts like flying over the wall using a hot balloon or zipline. These meant that people could avoid these areas altogether relying on speed and surprise in making the crossing.
However, it is necessary to underline that exertion in order to control hot-air balloon or utilization of ziplines in order to climb over any type of barrier is prohibited and really hazardous. Perusing such actions not only threatens your own life but of other people’s as well as they go around shooting at you.
5. Legal Avenues
Contrary to the above mentioned methods, there were few legal ways which people attempted and sometimes succeeded to use in order to get from East to West Germany.
The most typical procedure of a legal nature was the acquisition of a permit for temporary movement. This meant that one needed to be a member and admission to this programme was on strict merit, and the applicant needed a clearance from the East German government. Nevertheless, once they were allowed, people could ford the river at certain points and spent only several hours in the West before going back to the East.
It is the safest and most recommended action to take to look for legal ways to cross this Berlin Wall. But we should also remember that it was not for all, and getting the permits – while not impossible – had its rules and proper procedure.
Conclusion
Crossing the Berlin Wall was one of the major obstaclespeople had to overcome during the period of Cold War. Different approaches of getting over the wall were dynamited, flying; hiding in coffins and then coming alive through baskets; the use of balloons and even the so called ziplines.
However these tactics are part of history it is pertinent to note that any act to cross any border legally was not safe and is unlawful to attempt. It’s rather important to turn to law and concentrate on using only legal means in the struggle for liberty and to be reunited with the loved ones.
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