Editing Checkpoint Charlie (section)

===Early escapes===
The Berlin Wall was erected with great speed by the East German government in 1961, but there were initially many means of escape that had not been anticipated. For example, Checkpoint Charlie was initially blocked only by a gate, and a citizen of the GDR ([[East Germany]]) smashed a car through it to escape, so a strong pole was erected. Another escapee approached the barrier in a convertible, the windscreen removed prior to the event, and slipped under the barrier. This was repeated two weeks later, so the East Germans duly lowered the barrier and added uprights.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dearden |first=Lizzie |title=Berlin Wall: What You Need To Know About the Barrier That Divided East and West |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/history/berlin-wall-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-barrier-that-divided-east-and-west-9847347.html |work=The Independent |date=7 November 2014 |access-date=16 September 2017 |archive-date=4 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180404010323/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/history/berlin-wall-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-barrier-that-divided-east-and-west-9847347.html |url-status=live}}</ref>