Original caption: East Berlin Put Behind Iron Curtain Berlin, August 1961 - In a final attempt to halt a flood of refugees escaping from East Germany through West Berlin, the Communist Government of the Soviet Zone moved on August 13th to block off East B

Original caption: East Berlin Put Behind Iron Curtain Berlin, August 1961 - In a final attempt to halt a flood of refugees escaping from East Germany through West Berlin, the Communist Government of the Soviet Zone moved on August 13th to block off East Berlin with troops, road blocks and barbed wire. Heavily armed East German forces, backed up by Soviet army units, patrolled the East Sector to prevent disturbances while the free West Berliners, angered by the Communist action, demonstrated on their side of the border in sympathy with those now cut off from any contact with the West. Military water trucks, with high-pressure hoses mounted in their turrets, are lined up in lead position along the Brandenburg Gate border. Behind are East Berlin soldiers and armored cars. The water trucks doused some West Berlin photographers who approached too close. (Photo by: HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)