Wehrmacht Colonel Rudolf Petershagen, holder of the Knight's Cross, was seriously wounded at Stalingrad. After recovery, he was appointed commandant of the city of Greifswald. In the spring of 1945, Petershagen, not wanting to allow the senseless loss of life, surrendered the city to the Red Army. This was the only time the Red Army took the city without a fight. In the early 50s, during Petershagen's private trip to Germany, he was arrested by the American occupation authorities. Rudolf Petershagen was sentenced to prison on charges of espionage and was released only in 1955. Based on his memoirs, the television series “Conscience Awakens” was filmed in the GDR in 1961, which was also shown in the USSR.