On 15 August 1961, 19 year old trooper Conrad Schumann was photographed taking flight to freedom. This image is an icon, and demonstrated to the East, as well as those enamored with Marxism, that the “People’s Revolution” hardly represented many of the people at all.
That young, newly trained NCO was there to guard the construction of the barbed wire barrier that was to become the Berlin wall, then in it’s 3rd day, he, like scores of East Germans knew what was coming.
We might be able to see it all again in Venezuela quite soon. In Bolivia, it’s already starting. The “Revolution” must be guarded from losing all of its’ Revolutionaries.
10 comments:
Like LL always tells me. Socialists are Marxists who don't have the guts to man the barricades.
Fantastic photograph! Says a lot. Thanks for showing it.
He looks like one of Obugger's supporters.
Yep, to many the grass always seems greener across the road, but after crossing reality sets in and they see the error of their ways. Guess thats why we have counter-revolutions.
Kinda reminds me of all the Americans that build makeshift rafts & flee to the workers paradise in Cuba. Oh wait....
I spent all of my Active Duty time in West Berlin in the mid 70's. We used to look out the barracks window, and see the top of the tower. You naver had to worry about really getting lost in West Berlin because sooner or later you'd run into part of the wall, and just turn around and drive the other way.
I loved to drive on convoys through East Germany to get to the West to train. I always took along something to trade with the Russian Soldiers. It was a trip!
Some weekends, when we got drunk, we'd go pee on the wall and give the finger to the East guards.
They just took pictures of us...
Man were we dumb in those days....
That pic was all over the papers and magazines back then. I wonder what happened to him?
Years later Schuman was interviewed - "Before I jumped over the barbed wire -- it took me about half an hour to decide to go -- I went through an incredible internal struggle," Schumann is heard saying. "I smoked one cigarette after the other ... I wasn’t worried about getting shot because they had orders not to shoot. Anyway they wouldn’t have had the chance because it was just five meters to the barbed wire."
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/the-leap-of-hope-that-ended-in-despair-1167101.html
2,100 other E. German soldiers and policemen followed his example.
Sadly, Schumann hung himself around 1994-5.
Sig, thank you so much for the update. 2,100 other uniformed personnel? Wow.
Classic photo! Take one of me escaping from California.
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