The leader's birthday in 1939 was marked with a limited amnesty for certain political prisoners and on 20 April 1939 Steinwand was released from prison: he immediately took a job as a bookkeeper with a large wine business. By early 1940 he had made his way back to the Koblenz area and joined up with Jakob Newinger, André Hoevel and the latter's wife Annelise.Geschichte der Militärpolitik der KPD (1918-1945), Militärverlag der DDR, 1987, p.363 The politically committed friends came to be described as a small "political circle": they used to listen to foreign radio broadcasts and discuss the news. War had returned towards the end of 1939 and this sort of conduct was banned. Steinwand's own connections with the "Circle" were abruptly terminated in September/October 1941 when he was conscripted into the army. Before the end of 1941, reportedly because they had been denounced by someone, members of the "Circle" had been arrested and the Hoevels had been sentenced to death. Steinwand was also arrested and placed in a military prison. At some stage, however, he was released from prison and sent back to the army to fight on the Russian front.
