| In addition to their
duties of patrolling the border and manning guards towers, the
Grenztruppen also watched over a variety of activities within the 500
Meter Zone and the immediate border area. Because this area was restricted and tightly controlled, any
civilian activity within the zone required the permission of the local
Grenztruppen commander and was performed under the supervision of armed
guards. The size of the details depended on the scope of the work, the
number of people, and the proximity of the work to the border. In many
cases just a pair of guards were used, but with larger construction projects the
guards were often placed in pairs every 50 - 100 meters along the border to keep watch over
the work crews.
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A guard detail watches
workers demolish an old portion of the border fence. - TDP photo |
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One activity the guards were called upon
to monitor were agriculture and forestry work. Since the East German border
region was primarily
rural, the restricted zones were put to use for farming. While tractors, harvesters, and
workers from the local collective tended the fields, there was always at least a pair of border guards standing by to prevent an escape
attempt. While these guard details were
probably monotonous, other work the Grenztruppen supervised required the guards to
pay much more attention.
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Harvest time near the border.
- TDP
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While guarding farm
work within the 500 Meter Zone was routine, supervising work performed in the
no-man's land between
the border fence and the actual border was unusual and required extra vigilance.
This type of activity usually
involved construction or brush removal and was conducted just meters away
from the West German border. Workers were often just steps away from
freedom so there was always at least a pair of border guards standing by to prevent an escape
attempt. However, no matter how watchful the guards were sometimes their
charges got away with things. In the picture to the right, the civilian in
the white shirt received an unexpected gift from 2/11 ACR Chaplain Gary Pendrak.
When the border guards walked off to inspect another area the Chaplain
tossed him a pack of American cigarettes. The recipient quickly and
silently pocketed the pack without the guards ever knowing.
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Free American cigarettes courtesy of 2/11 ACR
Gary Pendrak.-
TDP
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Standing watch over civilians
was not their only mission. Any time military work was performed on the
fence or in the minefields a pair of armed border guards stood between the
work detail and the border. Their presence was an armed, visible reminder
that the only thing standing between the workers and freedom was 20 meters
and 60 rounds of ammunition! To ensure there was no confusion as to
what area the work crews should be working, a red, cord was often
used to stake out the boundary. It was rumored any movement beyond
the red marker was considered an escape attempt thus allowing the use of
deadly force. For that reason the red tape was called the "Death
Cord" by some U.S. border units.
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Though small in size the
importance of these guard details in deterring escapes cannot be
underestimated. In October, 1985, a civilian assigned on a work detail
within the 500 Meter Zone drove his farm truck into the zone and soon
discovered the guard detail was not present. He quickly turned around and
returned home for his family and had them hide in the back of the truck. The
farmer then drove back through the restricted area all the way to the border
fence where the family of four cleared the fence and ran to freedom in West
Germany. It would be interesting to know what type of mistake allowed the
this work detail to be unguarded. Were the guards late, or was there a
scheduling mistake? Regardless of the reason, heads probably rolled
somewhere.
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Border guards remove fence mine brackets
off the fence while other soldiers stand guard. The red "Death
Cord" is visible near the bottom of the ladders. - TDP |
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