Rudi Arnstadt
Rudi Arnstadt | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 3, 1926 Weimar Germany |
| Died | August 14, 1962 (aged 35) Wiesenfeld, East Germany |
| Allegiance |  German Democratic Republic |
| Branch/service |  Grenztruppen |
| Years of service | 1949–1962 |
| Rank | Hauptmann |
Rudi Arnstadt (3 September 1926 – 14 August 1962) was an East German border guard[1] who died in an incident with West German border guards at the Inner German border on 14 August 1962.[2] Arnstadt, a captain of the Border Troops of the German Democratic Republic, was shot and killed by Bundesgrenzschutz officer Hans Plüschke near Wiesenfeld during a shootout that occurred under unknown circumstances. Arnstadt's death caused an escalation of Cold War tensions.
In 1998, Hans Plüschke was found murdered near Wiesenfeld under similar circumstances to Arnstadt, leading to
Border guard service
In June 1949, Arnstadt registered for service with the
In 1961, the German Border Police was reformed into the
Death
On the morning of 14 August 1962, Arnstadt was killed by Hans Plüschke, a 23-year-old West German Bundesgrenzschutz border guard, in a shootout next to the border in his section at Wiesenfeld.[4]
Investigation
At approximately 10:30 AM, while supervising the fence construction, Arnstadt and his assistant Karlheinz Roßner broke away from his men to closer inspect the border west of the fence. According to Roßner, they discovered a West German border guard patrolling at the border, whom Arnstadt accused of entering East German territory and warned him to leave. A few minutes later, Arnstadt and Roßner spotted three West German border guards approaching, but this time Arnstadt wanted to "arrest one of these provocateurs" and waited for them to get closer. Arnstadt surprised the West Germans, shouting "Stop! Stay up! Hands up!" aiming his pistol at them while Roßner issued a warning shot as ordered with his submachine gun at the same time. Reportedly, Plüschke then fired at them, shooting Arnstadt above his right eye and killing him instantly. Plüschke claimed that Arnstadt and Roßner had shot at him and his colleagues first and he returned fire at Arnstadt in self-defence.
Response
Arnstadt's death was the fourth death of an East German border guard to occur within a short period of time, which led to a very strained relationship between the two opposing sets of German border troops. The Cold War tensions between East Germany and West Germany were escalated by his death and resulted in a propaganda war between the two countries. East Germany portrayed Arnstadt as a defender of the territory of the German Democratic Republic, styled as a folk hero and had several public institutions named in his honor. Plüschke was sentenced to 25 years in prison in absentia for his murder by an East German court and his extradition was requested. According to West German officials, Plüschke was returning fire after his patrol was shot at.
Hans Plüschke's murder
At 4 a.m. on March 15, 1998, the body of 59-year-old Hans Plüschke was found by a motorist on the Bundesstraße B84 between Rasdorf and Hünfeld, 70 metres (230 ft) from his vehicle.[5] Plüschke's death prompted a number of conspiracy theories in Germany as he was fatally shot in his right eye, the same wound that had killed Arnstadt almost 36 years earlier, near to Wiesenfeld, and had not been robbed. Plüschke was only revealed to the public as Arnstadt's shooter in 1996, and rumors circulated that he had received death threats. In 1997, Plüschke had appeared in a television interview where he stated it was a "strange feeling to be told that you have killed a human being" and "I have become a victim of the Cold War." Rudi Arnstadt's son Uwe also brought no knowledge, testifying at a hearing that he had no desire for revenge against Plüschke. Police formed a Special Commission to investigate Plüschke's murder, but this was dissolved in the summer due to lack of leads and put on hiatus until any new information was discovered.
Sources
See also
- List of unsolved murders
References
- ^ Agency, United States Central Intelligence (1962). Daily Report, Foreign Radio Broadcasts.
- ^ "Aus dem Kalten Krieg – vor 55 Jahren wurde Hauptmann Rudi Arnstadt ermordet". UNZ Unsere Neue Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 2020-01-18.
- ^ "Observation Post Alpha: built in case of Cold War escalation". Abandoned Spaces. 2018-05-15. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
- ^ Agency, United States Central Intelligence (1962). Daily Report, Foreign Radio Broadcasts.
- ^ Deutscher Bundestag, 14. Wahlperiode, Drucksache, 14/7234, 26. 10. 2001, Schriftliche Fragen mit den in der Woche vom 22. Oktober 2001, eingegangenen Antworten der Bundesregierung, Antwort des Parlamentarischen Staatssekretärs Fritz Rudolf Körper, vom 19. Oktober 2001 (Written questions of the 14th Voting Period of the German Federal Bundestag [house of government], answer of the Parliamentary State Secretary Fritz Rudolf Körper on October 19, 2001). On August 14, 1962, Oberjäger T.P. of the BGS shot and killed DDR Army Hauptmann R.A. when he observed R.A. preparing to fire again at a BGS officer. The border incident occurred at Setzelbach, Hesse. This document can be found on the web at [1] . An article from the Frankfurter Rundschau on August 9, 2002, further reports on this amazing story, identifying the BGS trooper as Hans Plüschke and the DDR border officer as Rudi Arnstadt. Plüschke's 1962 shot struck Arnstadt in the right eye, killing him instantly. On March 15, 1998, Hans Plüschke, who had become a taxi driver, was found murdered on Highway 84 between Rasdorf and Hünfeld, shot in the right eye. German authorities considered the possibility that this was a 36-year-delayed act of revenge by former DDR agents. The article can be viewed on the web at: http://www.stasiopfer.de/component/option,com_simpleboard/Itemid,/func,view/id,1029014251/catid,4/
Books
- Frotscher, K., Liebig, H.: Opfer deutscher Teilung – Beim Grenzschutz getötet ISBN 3-89819-198-2
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
