My grandparents are so-called "Heimatvertriebene" (expellees).

My grandmother, born in 1944, was expelled from Karlsbaden together with her mother. Back then the Czechs came to the Germans’ front door and told them that they had about 2 hours to leave the house. People were not allowed to carry more than a backpack. My great-grandmother had at first sewn some gold coins into my grandmother’s coat-buttons several weeks before, but the Czechs then told all the families, that, if something was smuggled, the children would be taken away. So my great-grandmother removed the gold coins and they took only the allowed backpack per person with them. They then travelled to Heuberg by car. There the expellees were put into different families and my grandmother and great-grandmother came to live in Nördlingen with a dentist's family. There they got a room without heating. If they had not been picked up by neighbors with a fireplace they would probably have frozen to death. These people are falsely called refugees today, but they are expellees.

My grandfather, born in 1942, was expelled from Neutitschein (Czech Republic) in 1946. My grandfather’s mother was scared and first escaped with a group (my grand-grandma took my grandpa with her in a pram). They were, however, caught and then expelled. They had 2 hours to leave their home. They were allowed to carry one backpack per person. They were brought to Krumbach in a cattle truck and a horse and cart. They were also called refugees, but were expellees. The whole family had to help on the farm (my grandfather, his mother, his grandmother). There they received a small wage and were allowed to live with the farmers.