The homemade escape balloon of Günter Wetzel, Petra Wetzel, Doris Strelzyk, and Peter Strelzyk. — Illustration from the film about their escape.
On September 16, 1979, two East German families made a daring escape to freedom in a homemade hot air balloon. The Iron Curtain still enslaved whole countries in the Soviet Bloc nations. The borders were lined with fences and guard towers. You would be shot on sight if you tried to walk out of these ‘workers’ paradises.’ But the call of freedom is strong. Many died trying to flee the Socialist countries.
Günter Wetzel was an electrician and he worked at the time in an East German factory alongside his friend Peter Strelzyk. The two men yearned for their families to live in freedom. They talked about how to get out of the country. At first they considered building a helicopter, but soon realized they couldn’t get an engine powerful enough — and acquiring the rest of the materials needed would be next to impossible.
High technology might have been out of their reach, but a simpler plan was a possibility. The families constructed a hot air balloon and prepared for a quieter escape. Their first attempt ended in failure, but they were miraculously not caught at it. Their second attempt took the two families quietly across the border to freedom.
Escaping were Peter Strelzyk, age 37
Doris Strelzyk
Frank Strelzyk, age 15
Andreas Strelzyk, age 11
Günter Wetzel, age 24
Petra Wetzel
Peter Wetzel, age 5
Andreas Wetzel, age 2
We take our freedom for granted sometimes, but in every generation it’s call is strong for those to whom it is denied.
Studio Geranium in Winter
Photos by Bob Kirchman
Photos by Bob Kirchman