The border minefield, without a doubt, was the most hated feature of the East German border. Between the years of 1961 - 1983 an estimated 1.3 million land mines were buried along 847 kilometers of the East German border while an additional  60,000 self-firing mines were attached to 393 kilometers of the border fence. The minefields were a significant and deadly barrier and would claim lives of both escapees and the military engineers who placed or removed the indiscriminate mines on the border.

A look at the border would belie the presence of the minefields with the exception of the occasional “Achtung Minen” warning signs facing the West. The minefields were strategically situated next to the border fence  thus forcing an escapee to make his way through the minefield before scaling the border fence to freedom. Negotiating the minefield was not easy. The mines were placed in a zigzag pattern about 1.5 meters apart in two or three belts. Initially Soviet-made wooden, land mines were deployed in the minefields, but they were eventually replaced with modern plastic land mines during the latter part of the 1960's. This scenario would repeat itself over the years as the minefields were upgraded with the latest in mine technology.

During the 1970’s the East German government generated a new wave of controversy when it introduced a new type of anti-personnel mine that attached to the border fence posts and was triggered by a series of trip wires that ran along the border fence. The fence mine, as it was called,  produced a shotgun type blast that riddled the escapee with 110 cube-shaped pellets. To assist the Grenztruppen in the event of a detonation, the fence mines were electronically monitored in five kilometer sections known as “Anlage 501”. When a mine fired, it sent an electronic signal to a monitoring post indicating on the control board the area of the detonation. The border guard then immediately called the officer on duty and an alert team was dispatched to investigate the explosion. Over 60,000 of these shrapnel firing devices were ultimately placed along the border. 

Using these new mines had some advantages, In addition to allowing the Grenztruppen to pinpoint a detonation, the border guards could electronically disable the system the system for repairs and mine replacement. Any repairs to the mines or the monitoring system was done only by the Grenztruppen engineer unit on the orders of the engineer unit leader and with the knowledge of the Border Security Officer. The fence mines were shut down under the following conditions:

• repair work 

• when patrolling between the border and the fence

• thunderstorms

•  inspecting the system from the west side of the border fence  

After 23 years of installing and modernizing its minefields, the East German government announced in October of 1983 it would remove the mines along the Iron Curtain as part of an economic agreement with the West German government. In 1984 mine removal operations began and were completed by October 1985. The border was at last mine-free, or least that's what most people thought.

After reunification, though, an examination of minefield records reflected over 30,000 mines were not accounted for. Some no doubt, were detonated by wildlife or exploded due to technical  malfunctions, but the number of missing mines was so great that it warranted another sweep of the minefields. Between 1991-1995 engineers were once again busy in the old minefields to account for the missing devices. This time searches uncovered another 1,100 land mines missed in the previous clearing operations. After this exhaustive sweep officials declared the old border "mine free."

Six years later, though, a tragedy was narrowly avoided when a ten year old boy discovered an intact  PPM-2 land mine in the old mine fields in May 2001. Another search was done in that area but no additional mines were found. There is still the possibility that as time goes on more mines will be uncovered as erosion or agriculture cultivation overcomes the old killing fields.

Sources:  Frontdienst im Frieden-Die Grenztruppen der DDR

              Ich War Grenzaufklaerer

A minefield victim circa 1965. - BBP photo

Engineers on line working in the minefield 1984. - TDP photo

A border guard plugs his ear after a mine is detonated by the engineers. Distracted by the presence of US soldiers, he forgot to protect his ears before the mine was exploded. - TDP photo

Plaque marks the spot where a 10 year old boy found a land mine in May 2001.  The area beyond the marker was plowed in  search for more mines. - TDP photo