Forgotten voices : the expulsion of the Germans from Eastern Europe after World War II

Preface . . xi
Acknowledgments . . xvii
Foreword . . xix

I Background . . 1
The Reasons for Ethnic Cleansing . . 2
The Expulsions . . 7
The Flight from the Red Army . . 11

II The Flight and Expulsion of the German Population from East of the Oder-Neisse Line (Poland) . . 23
The Soviet Attack on East Germany and the Flight of the Civilian Population . . 23
The Return of the German Population to Their Homes East of the Oder-Neisse Line . . 56
Deportation of German Civilians as Forced Labor to the Soviet Union . . 58
The Expulsion of the German Population from East of the Oder-Neisse Line . . 64
The Polish Government's Justification for the Expulsion of the German Population . . 83

III The Expulsion of the Ethnic German Population from the Former Czechoslovakia . . 93
The History of German Settlements in Czechoslovakia . . 95
Evacuation and Flight of the Sudeten Germans from the War . . 101
The Prague Uprising . . 114
The Condition of the German Population in Bohemia and Moravia at War's End . . 124
The Internment of the Sudeten Germans in Labor Camps . . 131
The History of the Theresienstadt (Terezin) Ghetto . . 137
The Czech Government's Justification for the Expulsion of the Germans . . 142
The Expulsion of the Sudeten Germans Prior to the Potsdam Conference . . 146
The Expulsion of the Sudeten Germans after the Potsdam Conference . . 162

IV The Expulsion of the Ethnic German Population from Hungary . . 173
Introduction . . 174
The History of the German Settlements in Hungary . . 174
Hungary's German Minority in World War II, Including Service in the Waffen-SS . . 179
The Flight and Evacuation from the Soviet Army . . 185
The Hungarian Government's Justification for the Expulsion of the German Community . . 189
The Soviet Occupation of Hungary and Forced Labor in the Soviet Union . . 191
The Expulsion of the Ethnic Germans . . 195

V The Flight, Incarceration, and Expulsion of Ethnic Germans from the Former Republic of Yugoslavia . . 207
Summary . . 207
The History of the German Settlements in Yugoslavia . . 209
The German Minority in World War II . . 212
The Evacuation and Flight of Ethnic Germans from Yugoslavia . . 219
Deportation to the Soviet Union . . 219
The Fate of the Ethnic German Minority in Tito's Partisan Government . . 224
The Flight and Eviction of the Yugoslav German Minority . . 234
The Closing of the Camps, Forced Labor, and Emigration to the German Federal Republic . . 238

VI The Fate of the Ethnic German Minority in Romania . . 241
The Historical Ethnic German Settlements in Romania . . 241
The Inter-War Years . . 244
The German Minority in Romania in World War II . . 248
The Collapse of the Romanian Government and Soviet Occupation . . 249
The Evacuation of Ethnic German Civilians . . 255
The Fate of the German Minority after the War . . 261
The Forced Resettlement of Banat Germans . . 274
Developments after 1949 . . 279

VII Conclusion: Integration and Reconciliation . . 283
Integration of Refugees and Expellees into German Society . . 283
Reconciliation with East European Nations . . 288
Relations with Romania and the Former Yugoslavia . . 298
Concluding Remarks . . 301
Appendix . . 303

Bibliography . . 317
Index . . 325