"When my wife and I decided to escape from the GDR we had already been living together for a long time, but were not married. As we planned on escaping to Bavaria, which at the time we imagined to be conservative, we thought it would be better if we were married. As it was difficult to secure a wedding date at such short notice we took the only available appointment and got married without any further ado on Friday the 13th of October 1989, without guests or witnesses, without parents, in total secrecy. We just had our five year old daughter with us. Only after arriving in the West did we inform our parents of our marriage as well as, of course our successful escape. To this day we’re still unsure as to which announcement shocked them most; in any case there was an initial breakdown in communication.
But we couldn't have told anybody about our planned escape back then. It would have put everyone in danger and would have increased the chances of us getting caught considerably.
On October 22, 1989 in Vogtland near Bad Brambach, at around 6am before it got light, we took off from a secluded meadow with our self-built, motorized hang-glider. During takeoff I made a grave mistake while steering the hang glider in the wind and we were already going too fast for me to correct it. The hang-glider was completely destroyed. Today I’m just happy that both of the passengers, my wife and daughter were unhurt in the accident – considering all the hang-glider parts that were flying through the air. Further takeoff attempts were out of the question.
I documented the entire construction process at the time I was making the hang-glider, using a dictating machine I carried with me for three months. I detailed the difficulties in procuring material at factories and shops and secretly recorded conversations. I thought that we might be able to use the recording to finance our new start in West Germany. Unfortunately we only have a few photos, but making the recordings was dangerous enough back then. The most emotional part of the recording is the bit during takeoff with the aforementioned outcome, revealing the acute anxiety we all experienced at that moment.
We then fled to Bavaria via Czechoslovakia on the 4th of November in our two year old, self-converted campervan that we had constructed on top of a Volga automobile. After successfully crossing the border in Schirnding we were initially placed in German army barracks that had been vacated by soldiers in Wildflecken in the Rhön region. A number of families with small children lived in soldiers’ quarters in bunk beds, in one room. It was there that we informed our parents and acquaintances of our whereabouts by telephone. And it was also there, in front of the television, that we witnessed the fall of the Wall and the end of the GDR. We felt rather anxious then, wondering whether the enormous risks we had just taken had been worthwhile, now that the Wall had suddenly come down. But that just inspired us to work even harder and we are proud of everything we have achieved.
We still get sentimental, at least once a year on November 9 when television reminds us of that time again, and often shed a tear when thinking of our two escape attempts. We did ultimately succeed at overcoming the border and although we were under such enormous pressure we even dared attempt it a second time.
It was a dangerous, nerve-wracking time that ended well due to our tremendous commitment and mutual trust. Today my whole family is happy we did things the way we did. We now live in Thuringia and hope that that period won’t be forgotten and especially hope that it won’t be idealized or glorified."
Jochen Egerland
(67 rankings) 
