The Wetzels and the Strelzycks secretly purchased many small amounts of nylon cloth. They made a hot air balloon large enough to lift four adults and four children. Close to midnight on September 15, 1979 they drove to a deserted field and took off. Twenty three minutes after liftoff the gas burner died ant the balloon fell. Soon they realized that they had triumphantly landed on West German soil.
I was in grade school when they started building the Berlin Wall. I remember all us little kids just being astounded that Communists had to have a wall to keep people IN and away from US, LOL.