Berlin wall pictures conrad schumann photo

When asked about the most iconic photograph of the Cold War, odds are the one that comes to mind is of an East German officer leaping over a barbed wire fence to freedom.

But do you know the name of the man pictured (Conrad Schumann) or what led him to make such a potentially life-threatening decision? Well, you’re in luck, because we have the details.

Conrad Schumann’s early life and enlistment

Hans Conrad Schumann (sometimes written as Konrad Schumann), was born on March 28, , in Saxony, Germany.

Growing up in the region both during and after the Second World War, he initially pursued an apprenticeship as a shepherd. However, he realized he’d earn more money by enlisting in the East German Police force and thus made the switch when he was 18 years old.

Schumann joined the Volkspolizei-Bereitschaften, the paramilitary wing of the Volkspolizei, and after three months of training in Dresden was sent to the non-c