Who were the East German border guards?

The Berlin Wall was guarded by the Grenztruppen der DDR (Border Troops of the GDR), a military force of around 47,000 soldiers dedicated solely to preventing escape from East Germany.

Border guards were typically young conscripts aged 18–25, serving their mandatory 18-month military service. They were carefully selected for political reliability, candidates with relatives in the West were generally excluded. Before deployment, they underwent intensive ideological training designed to convince them that anyone attempting to cross the border was a criminal and a traitor to socialism.

Guards patrolled in pairs, partly as a security measure and partly so they could watch each other, the regime feared that guards themselves might attempt to escape. And many did. Around 2,500 border guards are estimated to have fled to the West during the Wall’s existence, sometimes using their knowledge of patrol schedules and weak points to plan their escapes.

The most famous order was the Schießbefehl, the shoot-to-kill order. Although its exact legal status was debated after reunification, border guards understood that they were expected to use their weapons to prevent escapes. Those who successfully stopped or killed a would-be escapee were rewarded with bonuses, medals, and extra leave.

After reunification, a number of border guards were prosecuted for killing people at the Wall. The trials raised difficult moral questions: the guards had been following orders under a regime that considered border crossing a crime. Ultimately, some were convicted of manslaughter, though most received suspended sentences. The last conviction came in 2004.

The Führungsstelle Schlesischer Busch preserves a former command post of the border troops and offers insight into how the border was monitored and controlled.