Flucht

I don't know it they may be useful, but here are a couple of links to articles regarding people who escaped from the DDR; some of them are written in Italian so in case I'll translate them.

http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2009/febbraio/09/ragazzo_fuga_dalla_Ddr_uomo_co_8_090209051.shtml

http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/0,1518,605716,00.html

http://www.ilriformista.it/stories/Prima%20pagina/98904/

There's also a link to another website with a picture of a surfboard that as been actually used to escape:
http://berlin-germany.ca/ddr/surfboard.html