THE WALL 1961

On Saturday, 12 August 1961, Walter Ulbricht signed the order to close the border and erect a wall.At midnight, the police and units of the East German army began to close the border and by Sunday morning, 13 August 1961, the border with West Berlin was closed. East German troops and workers had begun to tear up streets running alongside the border to make them impassable to most vehicles, and to install barbed wire entanglements and fences along the 156 km (97 miles) around the three western sectors and the 43 km (27 miles) which actually divided West and East Berlin.

The Soviets were not directly involved.The barrier was built slightly inside East Berlin or East German territory to ensure that it did not encroach on West Berlin at any point, and was later built up into the Wall proper, the first concrete elements and large blocks being put in place on August 15. During the construction of the Wall, "National Peoples Army" (NVA) and "Combat Groups of the Working Class" (Kampfgruppen) soldiers stood in front of it with orders to shoot anyone who attempted to defect.