Tunnel 29: The True Story of an Extraordinary Escape Beneath the Berlin Wall

Tunnel 29 recounts the true story of an escape tunnel built beneath the Berlin Wall during the Cold War. In September 1961, 22-year-old Joachim Rudolph fled East Germany. Months later, he joined a group of students in an ambitious plan to tunnel back into the East to help others escape. Over months of digging and hauling dirt through a tunnel ventilated by stove pipes, the group faced severe obstacles. A Stasi agent infiltrated their operation, leading to arrests on their first attempt. After encountering a spy, secret police interference, and a tunnel leak, they persisted. With financial support from an American TV network, they eventually broke through and freed 29 people. The book documents the tunnel's construction, the NBC documentary crew that filmed the escape, and the U.S. government's efforts to prevent the film's release. It explores what people will risk to achieve freedom.