Günter Litfin was born on 19 January 1937 in Berlin, along with a twin brother, Alois, who was murdered by a Nazi physician during World War II.

A tailor by trade, Litfin was a Grenzgänger (cross-border commuter) working near the Zoological Garden in West Berlin.

Litfin's intention to escape East Germany was abruptly halted the next morning, as road blocks had already been placed and the first barbed wire fences of the Berlin Wall were built.

[2][3] However, upon crossing the railway bridge that constituted the border, Litfin was discovered by officers of the East German transportation police, and was ordered to immediately swim back.

Litfin lifted his hands from the water to exit the river on the West Berlin side, and was then shot and killed.