We've heard of the Berlin Wall, but what did the Soviets do about the rest of East Germany to prevent escape into West Germany? Were there barriers? Was escape common?

by GK_Zhukov

So most East Berliners were prevented from escaping into West Berlin by the infamous wall. But Berlin itself was deep in East Germany. What would prevent a typical East German from say, Dresden escaping to Hannover? Was there a wall? Border guards? Surely the Soviets couldn't have patrolled the entirety of the East/West German border 24/7.

Searocksandtrees