The Berlin Crisis

Correspondent Peter Woon reports on the build-up of armed forces along the Berlin Wall as tension between the two sides grows following disputes about access and boundary lines. Armed troops of the British, American and French forces are patrolling the wall, while huge tanks and armoured vehicles have been stationed in the American sector, aimed at their East Berlin counterparts, resulting in what looks like a stand-off.

There were many inventive and some successful attempts by East Berliners to escape across the border through the years, although it grew increasingly difficult as the deterrents became more advanced and automated. Some people jumped from buildings to be caught by waiting crowds, while others dug tunnels or swam across the River Spree. Some used heavy vehicles, such as the couple (with their baby) who drove a lorry through Checkpoint Charlie. Others crashed a cement truck and a stolen army lorry through the wall itself. Even border guards have been known to cross over to escape.