Phyllis Brown
A picture is worth a thousand words, and many historical moments are forever captured through powerful images.
During the era of the Berlin Wall, photographers and photojournalists captured the intense and poignant life of people living in its shadow. Among the most moving images is one from 1961, showing an East German soldier helping a little boy sneak across the Berlin Wall.
This heartfelt photo has touched millions, vividly illustrating the human side of a deeply divided time.
The making of the photo
On August 13, 1961, an anonymous photographer captured a poignant moment: an East German soldier helping a young boy sneak across the Berlin Wall. The soldier, looking worried and glancing around, knew he was breaking the rules by helping the boy.
The East German government had ordered that no one should cross into East Berlin. Despite this, the soldier risked his job to help the child. Unfortunately, he was caught and removed from his post, and what happened to him after that is unknown.
So, how did the boy end up separated from his parents? The Checkpoint Charlie Museum in Berlin explains that the boy was visiting West Germany with his father while the rest of the family stayed in East Berlin.
When the wall went up overnight, it split the family apart. The father wanted the boy to be with his mother, so he had him go to the wall, where the soldier helped him get across.
The historical context behind
On the night of August 12-13, 1961, East German police and army units began closing the border between East and West Berlin. By Sunday morning, the border was completely shut.
Troops and workers first tore up streets near the border to block most vehicles and then set up barbed wire and fences. This barrier extended for 156 kilometers (97 miles) around the three western sectors and 43 kilometers (27 miles) separating East and West Berlin.
Constructed within East Berlin to avoid encroaching on West Berlin, the Wall was typically close to the border but sometimes several miles inside East Berlin.
By August 17, the barrier was reinforced with concrete blocks, evolving into the Berlin Wall, as it is famously remembered.
Over the years, at least 171 people lost their lives trying to cross the Wall. Despite its formidable presence, the Wall could not resist the mounting pressure from democratic movements.
By 1989, widespread protests and demands for freedom overwhelmed the Wall and the socialist German Democratic Republic (GDR). On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall fell, ending the division between East and West Berlin.
