Weirdest Attempts to Cross the Berlin Wall (1961-1989)

Following the conclusion of World War Two, Germany found itself divided into two newly established nations, commonly referred to as West Germany and East Germany. The capital city of Berlin was also divided in a similar geographical manner - the western portion of the city being administrated by the pro-democratic West Germany, while the eastern portion of the city was administrated by the USSR allied East Germany. The new border in Berlin initially proved no obstacle for the city's inhabitants, with thousands of civilians migrating from East Germany to West Germany, unsure of their future under the Soviet regime. In order to stop this mass exodus, the border was abruptly closed by the East German government and sealed off by haphazard barricades of cement blocks and barbed wire. The border was ultimately reinforced with a massive, impenetrable wall - complete with guard towers, gun emplacements, and mines. Many would-be escapees continued to attempt a crossing - with hundreds killed in the process or executed when caught. This is the story of the ingenious, risky, and outright bizarre methods of escape some East German inhabitants deployed to free themselves from oppression.
2nd Channel: / @simplehistorylive
Become a Simple History member: kzbin.info...
Support us on Patreon: / simplehistory
Copyright: DO NOT translate and re-upload our content on KZbin or other social media.
Between 1961 and 1989, more than 100,000 citizens from East Germany tried to escape across the border. More than 600 of them were shot and killed by the Border guards. At the Berlin Wall alone, 5000 people attempted the crossing and 100 of them were either shot or died accidentally when they were caught by the authorities.
Their attempts to escape ranged from being quite ingenious to downright crazy.
SIMPLE HISTORY MERCHANDISE
Get the Simple History books on Amazon:
www.amazon.com/Daniel-Turner-...
T-Shirts
teespring.com/stores/simple-h...
Simple history gives you the facts, simple!
See the book collection here:
Amazon USA
www.amazon.com/Daniel-Turner/e...
Amazon UK
www.amazon.co.uk/Daniel-Turner...
/ simple-history-5494376...
/ simplehistoryyt
Credit:
Created by Daniel Turner (B.A. (Hons) in History, University College London)
Narrator:
Chris Kane
vocalforge.com/

[@Get_The_BBQ_Sauce]

“Democracy is not perfect but we have never had to put a wall up to keep our people in.”-John F, Kennedy.

[@bumpermanthesecond615]

and then trump said the thing about the wall

[@brainstewX]

​​@@bumpermanthesecond615 What 'thing' would that be?

[@esmeraldagreen1992]

But we donerd a wall to keep people out, or do you leave doors and widows unlocked in your house?

[@angeloluna529]

​​@@bumpermanthesecond615 the trump wall is to keep people from coming in illegally, not trapping people in. Trump and biden give no fucks if you leave.

[@mr.dudbud4551]

​@@esmeraldagreen1992seems like you cant even understand the difference between berling wall and a basic home door

[@walterbar3118]

This defenitly needs a second part. On the December 5th 1961 the wall was broken by a whole train. The engeneer was Harry Deterling who crossed the border between Spandau and Oranienburg together with 25 people. And you only told the story of only two of the three Bethke brothers. Ingo and Holger Bethke. But there was a third brother: Claus Bethke. In 1989 Ingo and Holger Bethke returned to the GDR in ultralight aircraft disguised as soviet airforce. They picked up thier brother Claus and his wife Marianne and landed in West-Berlin just in front of the Reichstag. Maybe the most badass escape in the history of the Berlin Wall.

[@Ferrari255GTO]

It's wild the lengths that people went to in order to reach freedom. Even worse to think how many didn't make it

[@TheGrace020]

thats mega badass

[@cylandar]

What is up with that family being a bunch of escape artist lol

[@BaronVonMott]

Considering the degree of escalation between each brother's attempts, imagine what a 4th or 5th sibling might have have tried 😂

[@vipergtsmre]

I'm just happy to see that someone else knew this.

[@Newdivide]

During the construction of the Berlin Wall, an East German border guard named Conrad Schumann was hesitant to cross over the barbed wires while guarding. Some of the West Berliners saw him acting nervously, knowing he wanted to jump. They shouted for him to, “come over!” After much deliberation, he jumped & dropped his PPSH SMG. During his time in West Germany, Schumann feared that the Stasi would try to assassinate him, but this never happened. After the fall of the Berlin Wall Schumann said, "Only since 9 November 1989 [the date of the fall] have I felt truly free." Even so, he continued to feel more at home in Bavaria than in his birthplace, citing old frictions with his former colleagues, and was even hesitant to visit his parents and siblings in Saxony. When he returned to East Germany after the reunification to visit his relatives, he was rejected by them. They saw him as a traitor who abandoned his family. On 20 June 1998, suffering from depression, he committed suicide, hanging himself in his orchard near the town of Kipfenberg in Upper Bavaria. His body was found by his wife a few hours later.

[@corymorimacori1059]

“Torn down that wall like the Koola Aid man! Oh yeah!” Mikhail Gorbachev

[@campbells0ups]

real internet champs know where is is from.

[@The617Viet]

You two need yoga

[@noodlebomber4847]

​@@The617Vietyou need a shower!

[@katyusha408]

And you both need to learn how to handle REAL power!

[@noodlebomber4847]

@@katyusha408 did somebody say, REAL POWER??

[@StimkySkunko]

"Capitalism builds walls to keep people from coming in. Communism builds walls to keep people from running away."

[@TheMegatuz]

Yup. Communism needs free/poor labour to stay around.

[@PROVOCATEURSK]

@@TheMegatuz That´s capitalism. Capitalists need more people to exploit, poor countries to extract resources while giving no social benefits to their own people.

[@mikeljackson9192]

@@TheMegatuz😂😂😂 so does Capitalism Capitalist wealth inequality just has a better PR team

[@lemonacidrounds7293]

@@mikeljackson9192 In the communist countries people who are talking against the government and the system often disappear! I've lived under this regime for 9 years! If you're coming from a poor family with no connections on highest levels even if you're the best in some sport you won't be representing your country before the world! The one who's going to do it does not have any skills but their family know military generals or colonels from the army which means anything is possible. Under communist regime the most important thing you need to remember is: "Ask what you can give to your country, not what the country can give to you!" and you stick by it. Meaning, you're working 9-12 hours per day for $50 a month. That was then. The purpose is to keep you and your family struggling so you can only work, sleep, work, sleep, work, sleep until the rest of your days. That's what communism needs - working class, minimum payment, no questions! Oh, did I forget to mention you don't have the right to watch or discuss the inventions created in Capitalism countries. The media and newspapers will only show you what the communist countries have invented and nobody will give you any info about the development of countries that are not under communist regime cause for the communists it was always a challenge! German citizens tried to escape the Eastern block for a very good reason!

[@lemonacidrounds7293]

@@PROVOCATEURSK In the communist countries people who are talking against the government and the system often disappear! I've lived under this regime for 9 years! If you're coming from a poor family with no connections on highest levels even if you're the best in some sport you won't be representing your country before the world! The one who's going to do it does not have any skills but their family know military generals or colonels from the army which means anything is possible. Under communist regime the most important thing you need to remember is: "Ask what you can give to your country, not what the country can give to you!" and you stick by it.

[@princessmarlena1359]

Other attempts did NOT include a giant slingshot, a motorized pogo stick, a super powerful trampoline, or 99 red [helium] balloons.

[@balls9420]

A big stick of dynamite may have been attempted.

[@Literallyryangosling777]

They should just painted a tunnel and then cross it duhh

[@zacharyanimates]

I heard in January 4th, 1971, an East German citizen named "Will E. Kayoty" tried to cross the Berlin Wall in an attempt to catch one of his Ostriches which had broken free from his farm and ran across the wall. Will apparently "used a homemade jetpack" to attempt to fly over the wall. He managed to get some lift and actually made it into the air. Unfortunately, he was immediately killed by East German guards while he was trying to fly over the wall. His body was shortly recovered with a few wooden signs and dynamite.

[@smalltime0]

In the song, aren't the balloons coming from the west?

[@davidpawson9047]

However, in 1979, eight people did escape over the border in a homemade hot air balloon. Prior to the fall of the wall in 1989, the Bethke Brothers (they were involved in the zip-line escape) flew an ultralight back into EB, picked up their other brother, and flew back. This was serious business, and many people died attempting to escape.

[@crunchtime5102]

The fact that these people weren’t soldiers, but students, circus actors, and family members is fucking insane. It’s so fascinating to see how human ingenuity is ramped up ten-fold whenever there’s a desperate need for freedom. You see it in clever prison escapes all the time. It’s amazing!

[@stevemc01]

well I think one guy was a military officer; he drove the APC through the wall after all.

[@PROVOCATEURSK]

A freedom to be filmed in a gym and being "exposed" as a predator?

[@holgerwnuck2626]

At that time, all men had to do basic military service (approx. 2 years in the West and 3 in the East). Only West Berlin was exempt from this, but only if you studied there. And one case even involved a soldier.

[@davidpawson9047]

One of the most famous photos of 1961 was that of a young East German border guard, Hans Konrad Schumann, who simply ran and jumped over the razor wire during construction of the wall.

[@jarate8076]

@@PROVOCATEURSKlmao what

[@Mark_nobody3]

That walk animation was so cartoonish, it’s amazing 😂 3:00

[@ratgobbler]

Bro skeddadled

[@Average_boi]

cartoon sneaking ahh walk

[@49ersPunting]

Bro was floating over the ground😆

[@richewilson6394]

There was an escape attempt that was done by a couple who had a very low ride car. They made sure that they was low as the borders guards road barriers were and drove as fast as they could through and made it through it without even a scratch. Then there was a guy that made his own scuba equipment and made it across that eventually became something of a novelty aquatic toy as a result.

[@MyRegardsToTheDodo]

The car was a rental and three people escaped that day, an Austrian electrician working in East Berlin, his East German fiancee (who hadn't been allowed to leave the DDR) and his future mother-in-law (whom they had put in the trunk). The funniest part about this: The same escape was replicated a few days later by another couple, using the same rental car.

[@ThePaperKhan]

The low car one im sure everyone knows about considering that i believe it was on the history channel at some point. I think the car was a Austin Healy Sprite?

[@richewilson6394]

@@ThePaperKhan Yeah I think it is in Austin Healy saw it on episode of mysteries at the museum on The travel channel which I wish they still did that that was a good show. It made me motivated to do stuff around my town.

[@MsBlackdeath13]

I’m pretty sure you can see a replica of the car at checkpoint Charlie in Berlin. Went there some years ago and saw it.

[@richewilson6394]

@@MsBlackdeath13 Yeah I heard about it on the show mysteries at the museum and I guess that's what they used as their item I can't remember it was that or the The gate that they had at that entrance where it happened.

[@freddymaierx2363]

As someone who lives in Germany (Saxony) I'm shocked when People say that we live in a dictatorship and that they want the wall back People don't wanna learn from the past

[@mattowens3451]

Born in 1981.. I have a vague memory of small chunks of concrete in little presentation boxes being sold at Walmart as "peice of Berlin wall" as suoviners. This was when Walmart was just a department store. No groceries no "Super store". This was in middle Alabama of all places.

[@Hvfftyyhjhgg]

Interesting. Do you suspect they were genuine or fake..

[@Stellaris556]

There was another famous attempt that went well in 1964. There was a doctor who managed to smuggle 9 people to West Germany with his BMW Isetta bubble car, he almost got found out by border guard's dog. There's a video of it on BMW's official channel titled The Small Escape

[@Mach5Johnny]

I’d love to see Count Dankula do a video on the craziest escapes from East Berlin.

[@holgerwnuck2626]

Greetings from Germany. It's very exciting how they mix real history and myths together. From the beginning, the so-called border troops had orders to stop any border breakthrough by all means, which also included the use of firearms. The only thing they weren't officially allowed to do was shoot at minors, but this still happened often. It is also absolute nonsense that one out of six GDR citizens worked for the StaSi, because not everyone actually provided information as an IM (unofficial employee). The three brothers who escape in the last story are really exciting, but they had very good mountaineering equipment, but what is even more exciting is that the third was helped to escape with the help of an ultralight aircraft. Incidentally, most of them did not flee to Berlin but to the direct inner-German border or via other Eastern Bloc countries. The collapse of the GDR had little to do with the Polish Solidarity protests, but rather with the fact that the leading communists had run the country and the infrastructure so badly and that people could only buy the bare necessities with their money. Back then, people hardly demonstrated for the freedom to travel; it was about being able to buy cars, furniture or technology in the store, for example, without having to wait months or years for it. In this context, unfortunately, a lot of things are generally misrepresented abroad.

[@davidpawson9047]

Waiting two hours on line to purchase strawberries ... one of the crowning achievements of the workers' paradise! It's been barely 35 years, and already people refuse to believe.

[@poptat1]

My greatgrand father was a carpenter, and he was allowed to cross the border to retun funiture to his customers in west berlin. He used this oppurtunity to smuggle all his funiture and family across the border.

[@schlirf]

Wasn't just in Berlin either. Saw a few attempts along the Grenz in Fulda back in the day.

[@codeman1987]

Lets all take a moment to say thanks for amazing content delivered in amazing tone

[@juliusquasar1565]

My dad was an officer in the US Army, he actually flew in and out of West Berlin a few times.

[@grimaffiliations3671]

half of americans are rooting for putin today, how far we've fallen

[@ShockDeed]

I love your videos and i have been watching your videos for years

[@smalltime0]

Didn't even mention all the escape attempts featuring the Detlev-Rohwedder-Haus, the most notable being Heinz Holzapfel and his family in 1965. Especially because at the time it was the House of Ministries.

[@RoTanchist912]

i respect your videos and you i learning history from you very easy

[@francesquare8708]

4:50 the guy's arm is flashing

[@s_e-LBR]

portable epilepsy device /j

[@francesquare8708]

@@s_e-LBR people cant escape if they are having seizures

[@s_e-LBR]

@@francesquare8708 imagine trying to escape but an east german guard just gives you an instant seizure 💀

[@theromanorder]

please do a video on these (this is a copy and paste list for a few channels) units and tactics/evaluation of loadouts of troops (from different jobs (and other branches) like the 82 snd 101 airborne units or infantry tank units, (or when tanks were assigned a infantry unit like i think earlier war Russia then all tanks were formed into there own units wich meant the infantry no longer knew the true strength of there own tanks but alowed tank units to fight more efficiently) the tank doctrine of countries evaluation of tank veiw ports evaluation of tanks/armored vehicles of different countries evaluation of aircraft types of different countries, different between navil and army/air force fighters logistics units of the axes and allied powers in ww2 ww1 estern front tactics Russian Civil war tactics and strategies navil ship cross sections (all the rooms and how it all works) evaluation of types of ships or evaluation of navil warfare (or just dedectsded videos on ww1 and ww2 navil doctrine as theres stuff out there on other times of history) air craft carrier strike group formations exsamples (from different countries) ancient persan ships, ancient veneti ships (gauls that fought ceaser) ships used by genoa and the vernesain republic the vernesain republic government all sailing ships, (i know theres many on yt but some contradict each other and i think theres more left out) ancient macenean greek and trojan troops 2b9 vasilyok morter tactics used so far in the Ukraine war, better for squads to be 2 teams of 5 or 3 teams of 3, and probably the easiest, better to keep troops well feed or starved like an animal how dose age effect comsnders eg napoleon got older so took less risks, ancient urban warfare ww2 tactics in Asia, tactics in the Chinese age of warlords, (and Chinese civil war) tactics in the ruso jap war cold war navil tactics, Korean war tactics, strange tactics or unque battles from the American war of independence and America civil how were 17th centry sailing ships build types of bombs lunched by drones comands given on sailing ships (like ease the sheets and get ready to chine, or slack n beases, basically things you hear movie capitns say) why did the nazis never return (or a video on best occupations) why did the Japanese empire fall, dont just say "America" like things like how there army and navy argued alot alot more on the Polynesians and māori, but please learn pronounceations if you do this

[@rjames3981]

Reminder that the biggest escape was from West to East in 1988 - ref LA Times ‘West Berlin police Friday chased nearly 200 squatters from a disputed parcel of land near the Berlin Wall after a monthlong struggle that pitted environmentalists against city developers. When the removal order came, the squatters found an unusual escape route--over the Berlin Wall into the city’s Communist side’

[@joechucks1555]

@simplehistory I love your Channel been following since 013. Hope one day you will cover Biafran war which had a death toll of 2-4 million women and children. Hope you cover that some day

[@Bo-Dog]

Cline was a bold man squirreled his way over the wall😥! Fell and broke both arms but made it to the other side👏!

[@TheRealAssix]

Imagine people being so happy in your regime you have to build walls to protect them to run away.

[@PROVOCATEURSK]

Imagine going to a foreing country, killind their native population, demanding unlawfull taxes, killing the best anticommunist fighters, then nuking civilians.

[@wirelessone2986]

Armored car guy they let his mom live..she probably had to disown him

[@masterDevis]

Always a shock how low people will go to save their own skins

[@C.A._Old]

*What a great stories and words.*

[@tavish4699]

Do you guys know how hard it us to skimmy along a rope let alone a steel one? It takes incredible strengh and is a hated obstacle in every basic Training of any army

[@alfrancisbuada2591]

Shoot me out of the cannon, Otto! -A circus performer in a cannon

[@enescakir4264]

Nice video but I expected from you to talk about first person passed the wall a East German soldier and it was one of the symbol photographs of Berlin Wall

[@AVKnecht]

Two other grate escape stories: In 1979 two families escaped via a hot air balloon. In 1971 a doctor swam about 40km through the Baltic Sea. His provisions for the trip consisted of chocolate, pain killers and methamphetamine.

[@Falkriim]

I’ve always been interested in the Berlin wall. This is some good stuff

[@user-pq8zb8we1b]

You were my childhood! Keep up the great videos!

[@trevorphillips2250]

Maybe a very specific topic, but can you make a video about Christman Genepa Tinga? I guess people would really like to hear about his history!

[@JasonSpreyer]

You should do who are the Cossack

[@peterking8586]

I’ve patrolled the wall, from the West. We weren’t allowed to directly assist an escape, but we could create “a distraction”. The day that dammmm wall fell felt like we had won.

[@KurianfromIndia]

It was a victory of people more over the victory of democracy over communism.

[@PROVOCATEURSK]

@@KurianfromIndia What is good about democracy? People can vote for commies, mafia, nazis and genocidal maniac worshippers. Also the aveage voter is pretty dumb.

[@WorshipHunglabungla55]

you should make a video about the secret stasi prison, Hohenschönhausen

[@skghistory]

I’m so glad i saw this video early

[@Alphoric]

And what’s crazy is there were simple tunnels running through the border the entire time. Remember they had a sewer system which ran throughout Germany and ran through the borders/wall

[@MyRegardsToTheDodo]

This sewage system was also barricaded, especially after it had been successfully used as an escape route.

[@ScoutSniper3124]

There used to be a little museum at Checkpoint Charlie. It had several examples of escape methods, including a hang glider and a car with the fuel tank drained and hatch cut into so a person could hide there. Sad that people have to live in such places where escape is the only viable option. I remember walking along the western side of the Berlin wall eyeing the East German guards with machine guns aimed down at their own country.

[@girl1213]

As a German/Polish American, the Demolition of the Berlin Wall is always a fascinating part of its history to me since it started in the year I was born. So I never witnessed or even heard what it was like with the Berlin Wall, but it fascinates me nonetheless.

[@ahmedbouami5389]

nice video

[@tearune4985]

And some people really want socialism again…

[@b62boom1]

Communism and socialism are not the same thing. The Soviet Union was not socialist, it was an authoritarian Communist State.

[@Unknown_Genius]

@@b62boom1 You do realize that there's no direct "socialism", right? It's a broad term for a general Idea, which ranges from Communism (including the USSR, which is a picture perfect example as to how socialism could work) over the idea of self governed states (no political parties in charge, probably will end up like the USSR on the long run mainly because its rather easy to seize power in such a scenario) to Capitalism with extra rights - socialism is overall the most expanded upon idea where no one really knows how you'd actually properly be able to make it reality and its been a constant discussion among many how to achieve a secure, actual functional and stable socialist state to no avail (especially since it's already a struggle to make a precise idea as the idea itself already includes multiple different possibilities of how things are to be run). Or in short: The Soviet Union was socialist in a lot of ways, the whole production and ownership system pretty much was socialist and within the books of general ideas - worker rights and unions overall are considered socialism as well. What you're talking about (given your other comment about capitalism) is pretty much the anarchist communism approach - which essentially is a self governed state as it breaks down on its own as more than enough people naturally struggle for power and/or abuse the freedom that no government tends to bring (either that or you're already further down the line to the authoritarian communist approach, at which point, why talk like it'd be different).

[@royale7620]

​@@b62boom1thats what garbage leftoids that say " that wasnt real kk00ommunissm lets try again" say 😂😂 pathethic

[@PROVOCATEURSK]

The ideology is not evil, the people on the other hand were. Literally all people in power are evil, look at what capitalists are doing, child slaves mining metals for Iphones.

[@vetinaris1297]

And some people really need education as to what words actually mean.

[@johnnicastro5931]

Thank God for David Hasselhoff and his keyboard scarf. The wall may still be standing today if weren't for him.

[@PROVOCATEURSK]

Zeus or Thor?

[@johnnicastro5931]

@@PROVOCATEURSK both

[@bikeenjoyer977]

This is exactly what is happening on the US southern border but instead of meeting people who have traveled for months with kindness and help we do our best to ship them back to the awful situations they are trying to escape.

[@codyadams3870]

Wow what history

[@rora8503]

There are many more interesting escapes over the border. From sown airbaloons to wind surfing. There is an entire museum dedicated to it in Berlin

[@alexanderleach3365]

I've seen several pieces of the Berlin Wall.

[@mihagjura9094]

Did you know that from 0:41 to 1:00 they were just playing at construction site? But still a great video.

[@vipergtsmre]

Desperation causes people to do crazy things.

[@janahabermann1418]

Very interesting

[@yellowforester998]

The good ol' Trabi at 7:00. 🙂

[@zhuangsaur227]

Was life in East Germany extremely severe? Or was it strict but compared to other regimes not oppressive?

[@michaelphelan423]

My mother escaped just after WW2. In the early 70s she went to the East to visit the mother of a soldier who was killed in the war. She was told by the authorities that, if asked what life was like in the west, she was to say, “just like everywhere else”. Sure enough she was asked that question and she gave the “party” answer. Upon hearing this, the mother in the East said, “that’s not true, just look at the way you’re dressed and you can come and go as you please”. My mother said that it was heart wrenching

[@zhuangsaur227]

@michaelphelan423 It must have been similar to North Korea? Given I read the Khmer Rouge though were on another level of extremism in thier ideology ...

[@StimkySkunko]

It was just like any other communist regime. Oppressive and authoritarian to the bone, with secret police constantly spying on people, and people getting jailed in gulag-like prisons if not executed out of mere suspicions of being dissidents. You can vote your way into communism, but you'll have to fight your way out of it.

[@StimkySkunko]

Of course it was authoritarian and oppressive, just like any communist government. People jailed or "terminated" on a whim for mere suspicions of "dissidents", secret police monitoring citizens 24/7, people starving and freezing to death, the whole jist.

[@davidpawson9047]

It was quite unpleasant. You would not have cared to be there at all.

[@rabitec.]

My Grandma escaped through the Wall with the Passport of a Belgian Woman that looked very similar to her which had been smuggled in by my Grandpa when he visited her

[@mooqer]

2:54 the dude from west Germany: is that body for me?

[@DanielRostTheDanro101]

I feel like I need to point out the soil was not clay it was more of sandy type of soil,due to the ice age and the glaciers that flared the land. Additionally Berlin was built on a swamp that also where it got its Slavic name from. Due to this the subway system in Berlin was also not as deep because to was harder to go any deeper.

[@anabanananaa]

When I saw this video title I knew for A FACT that someone was going to make a tunnel under the wall, and I was right!

[@kaleberg1528]

There is a good size chunk of the wall where I live in missouri. It's pretty neat that the shipped a chunk that's like 8foot wide by 10 foot tall all the way over here

[@lilyofshalott]

There’s a particularly well known block at my university, with really nice graffiti on it

[@elonc1627]

My grand grandma escaped, and she is still alive today

[@skylineXpert]

When i heard the story of the Bethke brothers. Damn they really humiliated Mielke & Honecker... Hubert Hohlbein i know his tunnelling work as well. He helped his own mother escape...

[@gneu1527]

Imagine having to build a wall just to keep people from leaving.

[@m.s.1067]

For the record, October 3rd 1990 was not when it was demolished. It’s when East Germany legally and officially reunited with West Germany to become Germany. The wall was demolished slowly between June and November of 1990. And the so called Fall of the Berlin Wall is a much more fascinating story than represented here.

[@CoryAlley]

I love the sks animations

[@markgordon4368]

Hedwig and the angry inch 😂

[@thenewongoam2486]

Deutschland Trilogy is the best.

[@Irobert1115HD]

calling the GDR a independent nation is a very far stretch to be honest.

[@addam6666]

What about the BMW from that old comercial?

[@Diligentortoise2023]

"A East German people wanted to escape East Germany so they will be reunited with their family" -A wise man

[@hanrenchou128]

I like how important figure drawn much more in detail than the last time.

[@Vengeful_Zx]

The tunnels people built are kinda cool though I remember watching a movie about it in German class

[@boushido1]

They have a museum in Berlin full of relics from escape attempts. My personal favorite is the hot air balloon. 🧐

[@abysm2133]

tightrope guy pulled a sam fisher 💀

[@luckyFrenchy]

Hey simple history, can we have one day a video on the organization of the Maginot Line ?

[@lewdandowski]

Good idea, we need more videos from this channel about the battle of France

[@nekomasteryoutube3232]

thankfully Engels is still alive today. Sadly they are getting old at 81 years old. At least his escape succedded and now hes got a family.

[@JDMatthias]

I broke down weeping How can mankind allow such government, in belief that they themselves need to be Authoritative over the will of the individual who has freedom, granted by Holy God Almighty, to enact a free will either to holiness or to sin? How can such wickedness exist amongst us? That we desire to close off that freedom?

[@LittleKitty22]

Look around you - the conditions we now have in many Western countries (especially the UK) are worse than what occurred in East Germany (according to East Germans!!!) and nobody does anything or says anything. People unquestioningly do as they are told in exactly the same way the majority of people did then, as well as under the nazis.

[@mr.dudbud4551]

Seems like we never gonna understand their psyhology

[@StimkySkunko]

Human greed, and thirst for power, simply put. Either to reign over others, or to appease the despot to be in a superior position to others. Human nature, in a nutshell.

[@clamcrewcarclub6017]

Communism and people willing to trade their own personal freedom for perceived safety/fairness

[@KCandFriendsUSA]

Believe it or not: Eleven months before the wall fell, there was an episode of David Seville and The Chipmunks, where they performed at the wall and destroyed it.

[@GrumpyIan]

There's a massive chunk of the wall at the Dayton Air Force museum.

[@davidpawson9047]

There's a small chunk on the shelf in my study. 🙂 A treasured gift from some Ossis I am close to.

[@si-borg1500]

Make a video about the Underground Railroad.

[@ben9724]

Fun fact, the first woman chancelor of Germany was there in West Berlin when East officially gave the green light to go to the west side.

[@lifefordummies]

there was also the armoured school bus, the glider...

[@popcornpizza8869]

imagine someone escaped the last day and then they wake up to no wall

[@evanswinford7165]

I have a chunk of the Berlin Wall.

[@caseclosed9342]

NBC sponsoring a tunnel….why am I only half-surprised?

[@Dr.W.Krueger]

My family just took a vacation in the Hungarian People's Republic during the summer of 1970 and never returned to the GDR. From there we made it to West Germany.

[@enniofriede]

starts @2:12

[@topcat5988]

“Gorbachev, Take down this wall!” ~Ronald Reagan

[@mathisnotforthefaintofheart]

Tate

[@aimandanial9228]

Can you do about Malaysia Vs Indonesia confrontation in 1963 history

[@SantaFe19484]

You forgot to mention the escape by balloon and surf board.

[@usmcdevildog3497]

Voting in for MACV-SOG and Jim Corbett the Maneater hunter

[@mr.nuggem8052]

day 14 of asking for a video about the wagalla massacre in Kenya

[@wirelessone2986]

I've never heard of that dear sir

[@primarchguysmith5321]

I don’t believe it waluigi massacred people?! I thought he was just a tenis loving weirdo

[@NoYes-pp8bo]

that would be a pretty interesting video we need more African history on this channel 🇰🇪 🇰🇪

[@mr.nuggem8052]

@@wirelessone2986massacre of ethnic Somalis by the Kenyan army in 1984

[@wirelessone2986]

@@mr.nuggem8052 May God help the Somali's

[@eddychong9477]

That one time a shopping cart size BMW smuggled a person successfully across the border

[@clintoncyrilvoss4287]

Simple history for simple people.

[@joshreich6797]

To own a piece of the wall is 20 bucks if anyone was curious lol

[@Valk080]

hello simple History im from Glienicke Nord bahn its over berlin in our minicity there where 3 siblimgs that dig a hole to wst germany in the Ottostraße its a very famous story 2

[@RustyBear]

What about the guys with the bulldozer?

[@sergiopiparo4084]

This video is a remake I watched it before

[@megacup3977]

1:52 100k tried to escape and ore than 600 where shot that really helps it could have been 1k shot are even 50k shot bruhhh

[@kaui4896]

The border guards were having a turkey shoot 😮, shooting the escapees as if they were game.