Four Children Escaped East Germany in a Homemade Balloon - Video

Four children escaped East Germany in a homemade balloon that climbed more than 2,000 metres into the freezing night.

In 1979, Peter Strelzyk and Günter Wetzel secretly built hot-air balloons to carry their wives and four sons across East Germany’s fortified border.

After one attempt failed just short of freedom, authorities discovered the abandoned balloon and launched a massive manhunt. Before the evidence could lead back to them, the families built one final balloon.

On September 16, all eight climbed onto a tiny metal platform surrounded only by clothesline. Twenty-eight terrifying minutes later, they landed near Naila in West Germany.

Their children had never chosen which side of the border they were born on. Their parents risked everything to ensure that border would not choose the rest of their lives.

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This video uses AI-assisted imagery and animation for historical visualization. Some scenes are dramatized reconstructions and are not original historical footage.

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Sources:
Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte:
https://www.museum.bayern/sammlung/geschichten/peter-strelzyk-und-guenter-wetzel.html

Günter Wetzel’s firsthand account:
https://www.ballonflucht.de/en/flucht.html

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