Strelzyk and wetzel families

Families desperate to flee an oppressive government regime. Balloon 2019 uk trailer hd michael herbig about fleeing. Courtesy of gunter wetzel it was a crisp saturday in september 1979. In wetzels basement, the wives petra wetzel and doris strelzyk worked for months tightly stitching together an incredible 60footwide, 75foothigh balloon out of curtains, bed sheets.

Film of daring balloon escape from east revives german. Gunter wetzel and peter strelzyk built a hot air balloon from scratch to escape from east germany with their families in 1979. A cloth sack, put some hot air in it, and up we go, said gunter wetzel, now 63. How two families fled communist oppression in east germany in a. In july, families came in cropduster planes and gliders. In the summer of 1979, the strelzyk and wetzel familieswho had been working on their audacious plan for more than two yearstry to flee east germany in a selfmade hotair balloon. Herbig said in 2018 that both the strelzeyk and wetzel families were dissatisfied with the disney film. With the wellbeing of their families their top priority, the two men sought a way to escape to the safety of west germany.

In wetzels basement, the wives petra wetzel and doris strelzyk worked for. We couldnt just go and buy a load of cloth somewhere. Man who fled east germany in a homemade balloon and whose. Harrowing flight from east germany the washington post. Families welcome ballon, a thriller about their 1979 flight from the gdr. The film is based on the true story of the strelzyk and wetzel families, who on september 16, 1979, attempted to escape from east germany to west germany in a homemade hot air balloon, during the days of the inner german borderera, when emigration to west germany was strictly prohibited by.

Peter strelzyk died in 2017 at age 74 after a long illness. Balloon is a german thriller that deals with the crossing of the inner german border of the families strelzyk and wetzel from the gdr to west. In the spring of 1979, the strelzyk family from thuringen has hatched a plan to get. The strelzyk and wetzel families have been working on an audacious plan for more than two years. Peter strelzyk and their families had been working on their plan for more than a year and a half, and by now the. The families decided to initially settle in naila where they landed. The film is based on the true story of the strelzyk and wetzel families, who on september 16, 1979, attempted to escape from east germany to west germany in a homemade hot air balloon, during the days of the inner german border era, when emigration to west germany was strictly prohibited by the east german government. The film faithfully recreates the patchwork balloon built in secret by the strelzyk and wetzel families. Peter strelzyk who fled east germany in a hot air balloon.

Film of daring balloon escape from east revives german identity. Wetzel worked as an automobile mechanic and strelzyk opened a tv repair shop in bad. Wetzel was furious, but whether he wanted to admit it or not, he and strelzyk were still in this together. On september 16, 1979, the strelzyk and the wetzel families from the southeastern state of thuringia flew to freedom in homemade hot air. But after the balloon crashlands just before the west german border, the stasi find traces of the attempted escape and immediately launch an investigation. Peter strelzyk and gunter wetzel ask just this one question when they come across. Herr strelzyk fled east germany on september 16, 1979. Among these dissidents weregunter wetzel left and peter strelzyk right, two factory workers from the small town of poessneck. The two families drove their cars toward the border on side roads. Strelzyk knew that it was only a matter of time before the craft was traced back to him, or worse to wetzel. Wetzel and frank strelzyk hold open the neck of the balloon while the boys father aims a homemade flame thrower, connected to another propane tank, into the balloon to heat the air. The strelzyk family stayed in bavaria, where herr strelzyk as a trained electrician ran an electronics shop. How two families fled communist oppression in east germany.