Home / Series / Weird History / Aired Order / Season 2022 / Episode 12

How 2 Families Escaped East Germany In a Homemade Balloon

In 1978, Gunter Wetzel and Peter Strelzyk decided they could no longer live in the communist state of East Germany. So, the two men proceeded to put together an epic project, creating a hot air balloon that would facilitate their flight to freedom over Germany's inner border – that's right; they were going to get their families out of the oppressive, communist state by flying over the border wall that separated East and West Germany. Of all the escape attempts made by East German citizens during the Cold War, the Wetzel and Strelzyk families have one of the most exciting stories.

English
  • Originally Aired January 28, 2022
  • Runtime 12 minutes
  • Created July 13, 2023 by
    josh42
  • Modified July 13, 2023 by
    josh42