On September 16, 1979, one of the most thrilling escapes of the Cold War took place from Communist East Germany, when two families flew to freedom in their homemade hot air balloon.

Peter Strelzyk, an electrician, and Günter Wetzel, a bricklayer, like many East German citizens, were fed up with living under their country's authoritarian regime and craved to take their families to neighbouring democratic West Germany.

But the problem was they were prevented from leaving East Germany which had become a virtual prison.

The way through Berlin was blocked by a huge wall, while the 1400km border with West Germany was sealed by the Iron Curtain - a network of watchtowers, machine gun nests, minefields and barbed wire fences.

Hundreds of East Germans had been killed as they attempted to leave

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