Between 1944 and 1945, he completed his high school education and at age 18 was immediately conscripted for military service in the German Army during World War II.

On orders to recapture a hill held by the advancing Red Army, Rössler was severely wounded during the assault and one of few from his troop to have survived the hail of grenades, he was subsequently captured and taken prisoner of war.

At the end of the War, Rössler left his hometown Leipzig for Bad Nauheim, where in 1946 he began working for a photo store, as salesperson, photographic laboratory technician and photo-retoucher.

[6] Rössler began his photographer apprenticeship from 1947 and returned to Leipzig to study at the "University for Graphic and Book Design" (Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst).

Rössler also collaborated across the Eastern Bloc, especially with the iconic fashion-forward magazine Lada published in Sofia, Bulgaria's equal to Vogue; Lada (Bulgarian: Списание Лада), backed by its own fashion house, was referred to as the "fashion encyclopedia" of the Bulgarian woman and held high regard by women from all walks of life.

In 1984, Playboy (West Germany-edition) published a ten-page article titled Mädchen der DDR (Girls of the GDR) with photos by Rössler.