Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 23 hours ago
In May 1945, the war in Europe was finally over. But the continent that had been broken beyond recognition. Entire cities lay flattened to rubble and governments had collapsed or were being rebuilt under foreign occupation. For the millions of ethnic Germans living outside of the new German borders, the end of the war did not bring peace or relief.. It brought expulsion, starvation, and death. Between 1944 and 1950, more than twelve million German civilians were forcibly removed from their homes across Central and Eastern Europe in one of the largest forced population transfers in human history
In May 1945, the war in Europe was finally over. But the continent that had been broken beyond recognition. Entire cities lay flattened to rubble and governments had collapsed or were being rebuilt under foreign occupation. For the millions of ethnic Germans living outside of the new German borders, the end of the war did not bring peace or relief.. It brought expulsion, starvation, and death. Between 1944 and 1950, more than twelve million German civilians were forcibly removed from their homes across Central and Eastern Europe in one of the largest forced population transfers in human history
