As things turned out, after our escape from the village Communist thugs, Dad fixed up Schultz's old pickup, and he, Mom, and Luther left for Oranienberg. My brother, Siegie, boarded an east bound train back toward Peenemunde and went back to his job, welding at the ship yard. He had vacation time owed to him, and he wasn't penalized when he showed up for work a day late on Tuesday.

I boarded a north bound train and went back to Sassnitz on Inse...