The author was born in a working-class family only a few days after the armistice in May 1945. After attending elementary school, he had to leave his parents' home at the age of 14 and learn the trade of butcher, before - at the age of 19 - successfully applying for the Bavarian riot police ("Bereitschaftspolizei"). In 1967 he was assigned to his post with the border police in Bad Steben in the Franconian Forest, right at the border with East Germany. He lived through the time of "divided Germany" as well as the peaceful unification of Germany. He retired from the police force in 2006.

In this book, he recounts some of his experiences on the death strip of the former GDR, which deal with fugitives, spies and personal fates.

The author wrote this book not so much as a memoir but to share with his (grand-) children his unique experience in historic times for Germany.

Otto Oeder, born 1945, well-deserved retirement after service as a Bavarian border policeman. Angler, hiker, singer and book author.