Werner Weinhold | |
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Drawing of Weinhold on a wanted poster | |
Biographical information | |
Gender | Male |
Born | 8 August 1949, Dresden, Germany |
Political information | |
Affiliation | German Democratic Republic |
Nationality | East German |
Occupation | National People's Army soldier |
Game information | |
Appearances | Wargame: European Escalation |
Werner Weinhold is a soldier of the German Democratic Republic National People's Army who shot and killed two East German border guards on December 19, 1975 during a successful attempt to defect to the Federal Republic of Germany. The escape took place near the town of Hildburghausen, Thuringia. Both sides of the Inner German Border return fire.
Weinhold was tried in the West German courts and was at first acquitted. The incident received much press coverage at the time in both German states. Suddenly rekindling the tensions between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, the event becomes the starting point of the military escalation in Europe. NATO, starting to deploy its troops in Germany, suffers the first attacks from East German forces, before launching a full-scale offensive in the German Democratic Republic. The sparks of World War III has begun.
See Also[]
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