After his release from an American POW camp, he returned to Potsdam in the Soviet occupation zone and joined the Free German Youth and later the Socialist Unity Party of Germany.
Setelah ia dibebaskan dari kamp POW Amerika, ia kembali ke Potsdam di zona pendudukan Soviet dan bergabung dengan Pemuda Jerman Merdeka dan kemudian Partai Persatuan Sosialis Jerman.