Manfred returned to Sassnitz to complete his education. At the age of seventeen, a full year ahead of most of his classmates, he graduated. He teamed with five other of his classmates who graduated a year ahead of their classmates, and became the leader of their work brigade.

Since he had learned to speak Russian and understood the Russian system of doing business, he took his work brigade to Berlin where things were happening. There he became caught up in the winds of change. Daily there were rumo...