I did the right thing, says guard

The East German border guard who opened the gates of the Berlin Wall today described the moment when he allowed hundreds to cross into the West.

Harald Jaeger, 65, who stood by with his machine gun as the Wall began to topple on the night of 9 November 1989, said he still thought about the occasion.

"I sometimes think about what would have happened if we had acted differently, or if it had been another officer in charge that night.

"All my training, the training of the men under me, was to open fire if people tried to cross without documentation. It's strange - I had the world in my hands that night. I think I did the right thing, there was no bloodbath."

Mr Jaeger had been a Communist party member most of his adult life, and was a colonel in the Stasi secret police. Between 6pm and 7pm he heard Gunther Schabowski, an East German spokesman, saying it was possible for citizens to travel abroad without exit visas.

About 20,000 gathered at the Wall, and at the Bornholmer crossing Mr Jaeger had orders to shoot to stop the crowd leaving.

He said people started screaming: "Tor auf!" ("Gate open!"). "I don't know what happened but I suddenly shouted 'Let them through!' They poured through like a tidal wave."