1945 Flucht aus Tangermuende Saxony-AnhaltGermany 1 May 1945

Flucht und Vertreibung (Gallery)

VerfuegungThis image gallery contains photos of the German Expulsion from “the East”. Some of the images are disturbing and may not be well suited for young children. Should you notice any problems with respect to time, place, information or copyright with these photos, please inform me so that I may rectify things immediately.

The following link describes a bit about why this gallery appears on ManyRoads as well as our thoughts on Ethnic Expulsion: On the “Vertreibung”, Expulsions, and Hope

Across the years, many of our ancestors (Rabideau & Henss alike) have been expelled, persecuted and “driven out or away” because of their beliefs or ethnicity. Rabideau & Henss forebears have been:

  • Imprisoned for 5 1/2 years and driven from Wales for being Quakers (1600s)
  • “Exported” to the New World from France as “wives for the colonists” because they were Orphans and/or Poor (1600s)
  • Driven from England for being Puritans (1600s)
  • Expelled from Switzerland for being Mennonites (1700s)
  • Forced from the Palatinate for being Mennonites (1700s)
  • Driven from France for being Mennonites and refusing military conscription (1800s)
  • Forced to leave Bas Canada because they were poor, spoke French and there was no place for them in an English Canada (1840-1850s)
  • Expelled from Prussia and imprisoned in Russian Gulags for being German (1940s)

The Vertreibung of post-World War 2 Germany is particularly recent and it is the only expulsion for which we have a large photographic log. We maintain and share these photos so that we may remind the world of the pain of expulsion and intolerance.

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In honor of all those who have suffered, or currently suffer, expulsion, intolerance, and persecution we offer these photos with the hope that peace and tolerance will prevail. To quote Thich Nhat Hanh:

The practice of peace and reconciliation is one of the most vital […] of human actions.

Please contact me if you have any additional Vertreibung images from 1944-1950 to share.

This image gallery contains about 300 images.

It can take a long time to load.


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