Explanation: During the Cold War, Germany was split into two - one aligned with the Soviets, one with the West. Berlin, likewise, was split into two - though West Berlin was an enclave completely surrounded by Soviet-aligned East Germany. For that reason, West Berliners realized full well that, if any shooting war broke out, they were going to be screwed and occupied before they could finish breakfast, regardless of how the rest of the war went (probably nuclear, so there was no sense worrying about further consequences!)
Imagine the dread seeing a Soviet armored vehicle ram through the Berlin wall and as a firefight breaks out between West Berlin and East Berlin security forces… only to find out that the Soviet vehicle was stolen by a defector who rode his way to West Berlin, safety and freedom. He even stopped to offer some young folk a ride, though one expects they did not believe he was serious!
On 17 April 1963, on the eve of the communist May Day celebrations, Engels stole an East German National People’s Army BTR-152 armoured personnel carrier from his military-base while its crew were at lunch and drove it through the streets of East Berlin. The police were used to seeing military vehicles and stopped traffic at intersections to allow him to cross. Along his route he saw a group of young people and stopped to offer them a ride “I’m going to the West, does anyone want to go?” but they declined his offer so he drove on and rammed it into the Berlin Wall in an attempt to escape to West Berlin.
The APC did not fully penetrate the Wall, having been stuck halfway on the fortified border, so Engels hurriedly exited the vehicle and was shot twice by East German border-guards while struggling to free himself from the rolls of razor-sharp barbed wire until he was finally pulled to safety by West Berliners. A passing West German policeman, having seen the commotion, retaliated by opening fire on the East German border-guards shooting at Engels, who was then taken to a nearby bar and laid on a table. As he recovered consciousness, he saw the labels on the liquor bottles and then knew that he had made a successful escape. Engels was rushed to a West Berlin Hospital where he underwent surgery for his wounds, performed by an eminent surgeon who, coincidentally, was at the same hospital being treated for his broken leg.
Wolfgang then recovered in the Berlin hospital. He settled down in West Germany and later became a teacher of biology and history in the town of Soltau. While he managed to escape to West Germany and gain his freedom, he ended up losing touch with his mother, who, being a dedicated communist, rejected him as a traitor to East Germany and denounced his escape.