Heinrich Rudolph Manser was born 5.10.26 in the small town of Oedenburg. At age 6 he and his family moved to the city of Koln in order to find work during hard times. Although the activity of an industrial place like Koln kept Heinrich busy throughout his youth, he always had a love for the outdoors.

Whenever blessed with free time, Heinrich would spend it at his grandparents’ home in the country. It was here that he learned things like marksmanship, hunting, and wilderness survival which would later be quite helpful as his childhood bliss would soon come to an abrupt end due to the outbreak of war.

1939 marked the invasion of Poland. With this step in the expansion of the Reich, Heinrich found himself along with his fellow HJ kameraden taking part in activities which would later lead them down the ideological path and into the rigorous training of the Waffen-SS in preparation to form what was to become one of the most formidable forces on the axis side: the 12.SS Hitlerjugend division.

In June of 1943, Heinrich was conscripted into the Waffen-SS with the intention of becoming a reconnaissance soldier. While growing up in the country with his grandparents, he quickly learned the value of camouflage and observation while hunting game. This type of experience, meshed with his tendency to remain outside of groups and spend far more time listening and observing than talking and socializing, made him a perfect candidate for an Aufklarungabteilung.

By June, 1944, Heinrich found himself, after many months of training, with 3. Kompanie SS Pz.Aufkl.Abt. 12 on the less than delightful end of the upcoming allied invasion where both his upbringing and his Waffen-SS training would prove to be the deciding factors between life and death in the bloody battles ahead.