Egon Schultz
| Egon Schultz | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
4 January 1943 Groß Jestin |
| Died | 5 October 1964 (aged 21) En route from the Courtyard of Strelitzer Straße 55 to the Krankenhaus der Volkspolizei (now the Bundeswehrkrankenhaus Berlin) |
| Cause of death | Friendly fire ; bullet wound from the Kalashnikov of a fellow border guard |
| Body discovered | Courtyard of Strelitzer Straße 55 |
| Resting place |
|
| Monuments | Memorial plaque on the side of the building, at Strelitzer Strasse 55 |
| Residence | , East Berlin |
| Known for | Killed in the line of duty as an East German border guard while responding to the discovery of what would be known as “Tunnel 57” |
| Political party | (Candidate for the) Socialist Unity Party of Germany (Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, SED). |
Egon Schultz (4 January 1943 – 5 October 1964) was a non-commissioned officer of the East German Border Troops, who, at 21, was killed in the line of duty. At the time of his death, he was responding to the discovery of what would eventually be known as “Tunnel 57”.
Egon Schultz was born in Groß Jestin, Kolberg-Körlin county, Pomerania (then in Germany, now Gościno, Kołobrzeg County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland). He was the younger of two sons of Alfred Schultz, a truck driver, and his wife Frieda, a waitress. He trained as a school teacher in Putbus, and began a teaching career at Rostock-Dierkow in September 1962. His teaching career would be interrupted with his conscription to the National People's Army. His older brother, Armin, was a painter, and at the time of Schultz’s conscription, the family resided at Karl-Marx-Strasse 16 in . His final visit home, just days prior to his death, was at the same time that his parents were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary.
On 4 October 1964, Sergeant Schultz was assigned as a reserve to the command post at Arkonaplatz in Berlin-Mitte. Shortly before midnight, a Stasi officer demanded backup support from the border guards; they were to investigate and arrest suspicious individuals at Strelitzer Strasse 55, very close to the border barriers that extended along Bernauer Strasse. But Sergeant Schultz and his fellow border guards were not informed of the real purpose of the operation; the Stasi had learned from informants about an escape operation. While investigating the area near the border, the two Stasi agents met two men who were assisting an escape operation in the foyer of the building at Strelitzer Strasse 55. The escape helpers mistook the Stasi agents for fugitives. Claiming that they had to get a friend who had just been released from custody, the Stasi agents were able to leave the building, leaving the escape helpers to await their return while they organized support from the border guards.
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