The lost service pistol

Since the late 1960s, Gerhard Hoch worked as a police officer at the border crossing Furth im Wald. In this position, he had always cooperated with his Czechoslovak colleagues on the other side of the border. One case was particularly delicate: a Czechoslovak customs officer had climbed on the platform of a truck while conducting a check of the truck. The truck was cleared and dispatched to the Germans where it was subjected to a second control and after a few hours cleared and released as well. Shortly afterwards the Czechoslovak customs official noted that he had lost his service pistol on the deck of the truck. Hoch was asked to call out a search for the truck. The truck was found and the competent German border official handed over the lost pistol to the Czechoslovak colleague.