Erna Kelm

Erna Kelm

Erna Kelm, at the Window of Remembrance, Berlin Wall Memorial, Bernauer Straße
Born (1908-07-21)21 July 1908
Frankfurt (Oder)
Died 11 June 1962(1962-06-11) (aged 53)
The Havel River, between Sacrow (Potsdam District and West Berlin
Cause of death Drowning while attempting to escape from East Germany
Body discovered The Havel River, between Sacrow (Potsdam District and West Berlin
Resting place (unknown, except to members of her immediate family)
Monuments "Window Of Remembrance", Berlin
Residence Sacrow
Known for 1 of 8 women who died at the Berlin Wall; the most unknown of the women to die at the Berlin wall

Erna Kelm (July 21, 1908, Frankfurt (Oder) – June 11, 1962, the Havel River, between Sacrow (Potsdam District and West Berlin) was a German woman who died while trying to cross the Berlin Wall. At the age of 53, she drowned in an attempt to escape from East Germany while trying to swim from Sacrow to West Berlin.

Biography

She was born in 1908 in Frankfurt an der Oder. She had at least two children. In 1947, at the age of 39, she went (without obtaining the necessary permit issued by the occupying powers at that time) from Potsdam to Lübeck, to work as a nurse. A year later, in 1948, she moved to West Berlin, and took a job as a nurse's aide in a children's home for refugees. Because she often left West Berlin to visit her children in neighboring Potsdam, she was, according to police data, "suspected of engaging in intelligence activities,"; this accusation remained unconfirmed. It did, however, lead to her being interrogated in November 1953, and a hearing in December 1953, after which she moved back to Potsdam because, in her own words, she missed her children. Once back in Potsdam, she worked as the director of a special care home/facility.[1]

Death

A fisherman found her body on the morning of June 11, 1962 in Berlin-Zehlendorf in the Havel. Her East German identification card, hidden in her sock, identified her as Erna Kelm from Sacrow, 53 years old. She was born on July 21, 1908 in Frankfurt an der Oder. Everything suggested that she had tried to swim across the Havel to West Berlin. She was carrying other personal documents in a waterproof plastic bag on her body, and was also wearing a life jacket under her clothes. The border ran in the middle of the river, separating Berlin-Zehlendorf and Potsdam. The investigation by the West Berlin police ended with the result that Erna Kelm drowned while trying to escape and no foul play was present. Her body was handed over at the request of the relatives to Potsdam.[1]

There was no trace of the body after it was transported to Potsdam. Nothing is known about the relatives of Erna Kelm or where she is buried. Even the West Berlin investigation, which documented the retrieval of the body from the water, was closed shortly thereafter and the file was sent to the Central Registry Office in Salzgitter. When the case was re-opened 30 years later, the original investigation findings were confirmed.[1]

Erna Kelm was one of only eight women killed at the Berlin wall, among the total of at least 139 victims. Further, of all the Berlin Wall victims that were classified as escapees/attempted escapees, she was probably the only one who attempted to escape for totally unknown reasons; those reasons remain unknown to this date.[1]

Aftermath

In West Berlin, there were several press reports about her death. But these reports were given little attention. The main focus of the press at the time was over general concern regarding the rising tensions in Berlin. The Warsaw Pact members had submitted a statement announcing plans to sign a separate peace treaty with East Germany if American-Soviet talks were not able to "normalize" the situation in West Berlin and remove the "occupying regime." The Soviet Union even sent a note of protest to the three western Allies, strongly criticizing the involvement of West Berlin police in border incidents at the Wall. She was admitted to the official list of the victims of the Berlin Wall and in a brochure published by the Bundesministerium für innerdeutsche Beziehungen (Federal Ministry for Intra-German Relations) on the first anniversary of the Berlin Wall. This brochure mentioned her fatal escape attempt; this ensured the memory of the 53-year-old woman who drowned at the border to West Berlin was preserved."[1]

Erna Kelm's "Chronic der Mauer" biography[2] has existed since at least 2007, according to the Internet Archive. However, her photo,[3] listed as from a private collection, has only been added in 2014. This suggests that as of 2014, she still has immediately family alive that remember her.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Hertle, Hans-Hermann (2011). The Victims at the Berlin Wall, 1961-1989: A Biographical Handbook. Hans-Hermann Hertle, Maria Nooke. Christoph Links Verlag. pp. 93–95. ISBN 978-3861536321.
  2. ↑ Erna Kelm, Chronic der Mauer, accessed June 22, 2014 (German)
  3. ↑ Photo of Erna Kelm, Chronic der Mauer, accessed June 22, 2014 (German)

External links

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