East Germany balloon escape

1979 in East GermanyBalloons (aeronautics)Cold War history of GermanyEast German defectorsEscapes ... and 2 more

Inner German borderUse British English from November 2020

On 16 September 1979, eight people from two families escaped from East Germany by crossing the border into West Germany at night in a homemade hot air balloon. The unique feat was the result of over a year and a half of preparations involving three different balloons, various modifications, and a first, unsuccessful attempt. The failed attempt alerted the East German authorities to the plot, but the police were unable to identify the authors before their second, successful flight two months later.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article East Germany balloon escape (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

East Germany balloon escape
Dreigrüner Weg,

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude	Longitude
N 50.331305555556 °	E 11.670305555556 °

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Address

Landeplatz der Ballonflucht Pößneck-Naila am 16.09.1979

Dreigrüner Weg
95119
Bavaria, Germany
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