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Konrad Schumann
Hans Conrad Schumann, also known as Konrad Schumann (28 March 1942 – 20 June 1998), was an East German Bereitschaftspolizist who escaped to West Germany during the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961.
Born in Zschochau (now part of Jahnatal) during World War II, Schumann enlisted in the East German Volkspolizei-Bereitschaften (Paramilitary Unit of the Volkspolizei) following his 18th birthday. After three months of training in Dresden, he was posted to a non-commissioned officers' college in Potsdam, after which he volunteered for service in Berlin.
On 15 August 1961, 19-year-old Schumann was sent to the corner of Ruppiner Straße and Bernauer Straße to guard what would become the Berlin Wall on its third day of construction. Schumann and his unit arrived at 4:30 a.m., where an officer ordered them to "take control and protect the border from the enemies of socialism." Schumann later recalled: "We stood around looking pretty stupid at first. Nobody had told us how that's done: taking control of a border." At the time, the barrier was a single coil of concertina wire.
Throughout the morning, Schumann became distressed by West Berlin residents shouting at him: "You pigs!" "You traitors!" "You concentration camp guards!" as he stood at his post. Schumann became further upset when a young woman in East Berlin passed a bouquet of flowers over the top of the wire to her mother in West Berlin. The young woman apologized to her mother for not being able to visit, then motioned to Schumann: "Those [people] over there, they won't let me cross anymore." Schumann suddenly realized he would be spending the rest of his life keeping his fellow citizens imprisoned, and he would be a prisoner himself.
By noon, a large crowd of West Berlin demonstrators approached the wire at Schumann's post, shouting various slogans, including "Freiheit (Freedom)." Schumann recalled: "Suddenly the mass of people moved toward us like a living wall. I thought: they're going to run over us right away. I was nervous and didn't know what to do. I didn't want to shoot and I wasn't supposed to." Before Schumann was forced to act, more soldiers arrived in armored cars and pushed the crowd back with bayonets.
Over the next four hours, construction equipment and trucks loaded with concrete posts and steel plates began to arrive and unload materials to build the wall. Realizing his window of opportunity was closing, Schumann stamped on a section of wire to flatten it. West Berliners noticed, and a young man approached Schumann. "Get back at once!" yelled Schumann, then whispered, "I'm going to jump." The young man alerted the West Berlin police, who arrived with a van.
Schumann waited until the East German police were facing away, and at roughly 4:00 pm, quickly jumped over the barrier, dropped his PPSh-41 submachine gun, ran north on Ruppiner Straße, across Bernauer Straße, and jumped into the West Berlin police van. West German photographer Peter Leibing photographed Schumann's escape. The photograph, entitled Leap into Freedom, quickly became an iconic image of the Cold War and was featured at the beginning of the 1982 Disney film Night Crossing. The scene, including Schumann's preparations, was also filmed on 16 mm film from the same perspective by camera operator Dieter Hoffmann.
Schumann moved from West Berlin to West Germany, and settled in Bavaria. In 1962, he met and married Kunigunde Gunda in Günzburg, had a son, and began a new job at a winery. Schumann subsequently worked at the Ingolstadt Audi factory until his death in 1998.
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Konrad Schumann
Hans Conrad Schumann, also known as Konrad Schumann (28 March 1942 – 20 June 1998), was an East German Bereitschaftspolizist who escaped to West Germany during the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961.
Born in Zschochau (now part of Jahnatal) during World War II, Schumann enlisted in the East German Volkspolizei-Bereitschaften (Paramilitary Unit of the Volkspolizei) following his 18th birthday. After three months of training in Dresden, he was posted to a non-commissioned officers' college in Potsdam, after which he volunteered for service in Berlin.
On 15 August 1961, 19-year-old Schumann was sent to the corner of Ruppiner Straße and Bernauer Straße to guard what would become the Berlin Wall on its third day of construction. Schumann and his unit arrived at 4:30 a.m., where an officer ordered them to "take control and protect the border from the enemies of socialism." Schumann later recalled: "We stood around looking pretty stupid at first. Nobody had told us how that's done: taking control of a border." At the time, the barrier was a single coil of concertina wire.
Throughout the morning, Schumann became distressed by West Berlin residents shouting at him: "You pigs!" "You traitors!" "You concentration camp guards!" as he stood at his post. Schumann became further upset when a young woman in East Berlin passed a bouquet of flowers over the top of the wire to her mother in West Berlin. The young woman apologized to her mother for not being able to visit, then motioned to Schumann: "Those [people] over there, they won't let me cross anymore." Schumann suddenly realized he would be spending the rest of his life keeping his fellow citizens imprisoned, and he would be a prisoner himself.
By noon, a large crowd of West Berlin demonstrators approached the wire at Schumann's post, shouting various slogans, including "Freiheit (Freedom)." Schumann recalled: "Suddenly the mass of people moved toward us like a living wall. I thought: they're going to run over us right away. I was nervous and didn't know what to do. I didn't want to shoot and I wasn't supposed to." Before Schumann was forced to act, more soldiers arrived in armored cars and pushed the crowd back with bayonets.
Over the next four hours, construction equipment and trucks loaded with concrete posts and steel plates began to arrive and unload materials to build the wall. Realizing his window of opportunity was closing, Schumann stamped on a section of wire to flatten it. West Berliners noticed, and a young man approached Schumann. "Get back at once!" yelled Schumann, then whispered, "I'm going to jump." The young man alerted the West Berlin police, who arrived with a van.
Schumann waited until the East German police were facing away, and at roughly 4:00 pm, quickly jumped over the barrier, dropped his PPSh-41 submachine gun, ran north on Ruppiner Straße, across Bernauer Straße, and jumped into the West Berlin police van. West German photographer Peter Leibing photographed Schumann's escape. The photograph, entitled Leap into Freedom, quickly became an iconic image of the Cold War and was featured at the beginning of the 1982 Disney film Night Crossing. The scene, including Schumann's preparations, was also filmed on 16 mm film from the same perspective by camera operator Dieter Hoffmann.
Schumann moved from West Berlin to West Germany, and settled in Bavaria. In 1962, he met and married Kunigunde Gunda in Günzburg, had a son, and began a new job at a winery. Schumann subsequently worked at the Ingolstadt Audi factory until his death in 1998.