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A recent escaped border guard poses next to a beaming West German Customs official. Photo - Zoll Luebeck

 Defections

The fences, minefields, attack dogs, and armed guards were effective deterrents, but they were not escape proof; especially for members of the Grenztruppen. Their intimate knowledge of patrol patterns, border fortifications, and their close proximity to the border gave the guards the best possible chance for a successful escape. Because of this, their political reliability to guard the border was always questioned, but this screening by Grenztruppen commanders was not always successful. Among the over 2,500 East German military members who escaped to the West, about 90% were border guards. Included in this number were officers up to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. 

   5,500 border guards were arrested for attempted escapes In order to prevent escapes from within its ranks the Grenztruppen used a variety of systems. The most visible tactic was the "buddy system" where all patrols were conducted in at least pairs. Each guard knew his patrol partner would be forced to shoot him if he tried to escape. Commanders also attempted to keep friends and roommates from patrolling together in order to limit possible escape collaboration. To further discourage escapes, Grenztruppen were allowed to shoot fleeing border guards without giving a warning shot or order to halt. 
  They served an average prison sentence of  five years
  27 border guards killed trying to escape

               Internal Measures to Prevent Escapes

  • Intense political indoctrination

  • Friends and room mates avoided for patrol duty

  • Guards always paired

  • Debriefings after leave to identify possible "home strife"

  • Monthly "personnel review" of border guards

  • Shoot to kill without warning for escaping guards

  • Mail & telephone calls monitored

  • No contact with Westerners

  • Reassignment away from the border area 

  • Informers
Still, they escaped. Some guards slipped over the border while their partner was taking a nap in the guard tower,  while others shot their patrol partners in order to ensure their safe flight over the fence.

For the most part the Grenztruppen command was quite successful in their efforts to keep their soldiers from escaping. Between 1980 - 1986 only about 15 guards a year fled to the West. However, when  the political situation in East Germany began to deteriorate and military desertions rates soared during 1988 -1989, the Grenztruppen leadership was forced to reassign 422 guards to duties away from the border areas in order to further reduce the possibility of Grenztruppen escapes.  

With the majority of civilian escapes the people expressed dissatisfaction with the East German political system as the motivation for their flight to West Germany. For the border guards there was an additional reason. One survey of 546 former border guards revealed that over 80% defected because the prospect of shooting escapees proved intolerable. In fact, some border guards deliberately scored low during marksmanship training so they would have an excuse for not hitting their target as the escapee fled over the border. [1]  Yet, if a guard failed to prevent an escape, charges of complicity could result; especially in the case of a fellow soldier. This dilemma prompted either excellent marksmanship, or as the survey above indicates, a good reason to escape to the West. 

[1]  Walter Nelson,  The Berliners, p. 196