Between 1945-1950, over 12 million German nationals and ethnic Germans were forcibly expelled from their homes in Eastern Europe and resettled in post-war Germany and Austria. The document describes the largest forced migration in modern history, which occurred in three stages following WWII and under the Potsdam Agreement between Allied leaders. Up to 2 million deaths resulted from flight, expulsions, and the brutal conditions endured by expelled Germans.

1. German Expulsion 1945-50Overview and First-hand Account

2. Expulsion OverviewTime period- 1945-1950Later stages of WWII and after the warGerman Nationals and ethnic Germans in Eastern Europe were forced to migrate from their homes.Ended up in areas that would become post-war Germany and Austria.12 million people were moved, some say 14

3. Expulsion OverviewLargest movement of any single ethnic population in modern history500,000 to 2 million deaths associated with flight and expulsions

4. Expulsion Overview3 stages of displacement1944-1945: Spontaneous flight and evacuation of Germans due to the advancing red armies.Second displacement: disorganized expulsion of Germans immediately following the German defeatThird displacement- more organized following Potsdam Agreement

5. Expulsion OverviewPotsdam Agreement between Truman, Churchill and Stalin.The Agreement:Redrew national bordersApproved orderly and humane expulsions of Germans from Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary.

6. Expulsion Overview “If the conscience of men ever again becomes sensitive, these expulsions will be remembered to the undying shame of all who committed or conceived them…The Germans were expelled, not just with an absence of over-nice consideration, but with the very maximum of brutality.” – Victor Gollancz’s book Our Threatened Values