Deaths of Border Guard Members on the Czech-Bavarian Border

Abstract

The Border Guard was an elite component of the Czechoslovak Army. Only selected individuals with suitable qualifications and class background could become members. The Border Guards, whose main task was to guard the state border, were subject to high demands, both physically and mentally. The Communist regime presented service in the Border Guard as very dangerous. Claims of hundreds of border guards murdered by Western intelligence agents or other armed intruders were a myth presented by the propaganda of the time. In fact, most of the border guards died as a result of traffic accidents, suicides and severe injuries. Suicide was the second most common cause of death for Border Guards. The most common reasons were health problems (physical and mental), problems in personal relationships, financial problems or career difficulties.