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Günter Wetzel: The Man Who Escaped East Germany in a Hot Air Balloon
Günter Wetzel escaped East Germany in one of the most extraordinary ways imaginable: by building a hot-air balloon in secret and flying two families across the border to West Germany.
In this episode of The Growth Time Machine, Günter talks about growing up in the German Democratic Republic, the restrictions that shaped his life, being denied opportunities he wanted, and the moment a magazine article about hot-air balloons sparked an idea that would change everything.
He remembers the danger of the flight, the uncertainty after landing, and the tiny clues that finally told them they had…
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