World

Hatred of germans after World War II - Ethnic cleansing

by Babel-Fish | July 24, 2009 at 10:43 pm

410 views | 14 Recommendations | 7 comments

The story of mass deportations of Germans from the East is a terrible one. Alfred de Zayas, an expert on refugees, trained in history at Tuebingen and Goettingen, and in law at Harvard, gathered the expellees’ first-hand reports in his book (DeZayas, Alfred, A Terrible Revenge: The ethnic cleansing of the East European Germans, 1944-50. New York: St. Martin’s Press ). These Germans were civilians who had settled in Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary, mainly as farmers. Many had been there for several generations. Once the Germans were defeated, deportation orders were posted everywhere. Germans had to leave their homes within twenty four hours, taking with them only ten kilograms of personal belongings and leaving their households untouched.

Men, women and children set out on the road often with no transportation organized for them. In fact, there was frequently no plan at all for handling these refugees. For most, no food or shelter was provided. They were simply ordered to get out. And so, fifteen million Germans were displaced in what amounted to ethnic cleansing. As they made their way back to a shrunken and defeated Germany, these helpless people provided a perfect target for the wrath of Poles, Czechs and Hungarians who had suffered under the Germans during the war years. Women were brutally raped, often until they died of the injuries or were shot by their rapists. Children starved en masse. No one intervened on behalf of those people caught up in the horrific ethnic cleansing of Germans living in the eastern territories.

The unimaginable suffering of the expellees in those years was barely known outside of Germany. Very few foreigners paid any attention or made any effort to establish privately funded assistance. After all, those who were suffering were “bad guys”.

Thus was the vengence taken on those that were not really the cause of the German atrocities during World War II. It was absulute mayheihem no one in control and what is believe to be innocent people took the wrath for those that were guilty.

This was not something I knew much about and thought others would be interested in knowing the facts and the volumn of hatred for Germans after Germany was defeated. As normal in every war it would seem its innocent citizens that suffer the most on both sides of the fence. In this case after the war had finished.

6 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon

recommend This comment thread is now closed

anarkissed

at 23:09 on July 24th, 2009

It's always the innocent who suffer when tyrants play their games.

albertacowpoke

at 04:11 on July 25th, 2009

To add to this story. Many of those refugees from Eastern Territories and the Balkans made their way across the vast landscape. Families were split up between East and West Germany and were not welcome when they settled in in their new homes.

Many of those refugees emigrated to Canada and the U.S. between 1950 and 1953 and moved on to be successful.

This was an atrocity, as are many others in the world where the civilized world closes its eyes and ears.

Barry Artiste

at 05:32 on July 25th, 2009

Awesome Story Babel.

Many do not realise that many Germans did not vote Hitler into power, many, including soldiers just wanted Germany to live in peace and did not want a part in the war.

Many German civilians living in Germany starved after the war as allied troops in some areas refused to feed the populace in bombed out areas/

Russian troops were far more brutal to Germans, and history shows Russian troops under Stalin were far more brutal to their own people. before, during and after the war.

They say to the Victor go the spoils, certainly belies the fact the Russians in victory massacred (20 million) their own people for no other reason than paranoia and slave labor.

Babel-Fish

at 18:49 on July 25th, 2009

I have several German friends that confirm the starvation and bad treatment after the war, thanks for the comment. I remember the hatred of German's in United Kingdom after the war and have seen such hatred in Holland and Norway. It's because I served in the British forces in Germany and talking with German citizen and becoming friends with many, that the hate indoctrination received whilst I was a child disappeared gradually. As I have German blood myself and speak German it was very easy to see that I should not hold grudges against the new generations of German's as the war was nothing to do with them.

But its sad the innocent always receive the punishment for the wicked and that will seemingly never stop.

Paschen

at 07:03 on July 25th, 2009

The worth in all this is that the West German treated those refugees like unwanted Citizen. The East German felt abandoned by Germany and that grouch is still very much alive with the Prussian.

Adenauer was the worth in that regard, picked as Chancellor for post war West Germany he refused a soviet offer to reunite Germany and let the refugees back to their home land under the condition that Germany be Neutral.

The Chancellor did in stead join NATO wish was a slap in the face to all the German refugees.

The NAZI destroyed centuries of German traditions and culture and the Post War West German Government gave it the Killed Prussia and this not once but twice. In 1990 in accord with the post war treaty Germany was in its legal right to reclaim Prussia or at least negotiate a deal that the Prussian be allowed back on their home land. Germany shows to do neither and ignored the Prussian once again as well as the Volga German and the Zudeten German.