The Polish Diaspora, 1939-55

POST-WAR EUROPE
Family Life in Post-War Europe	From Neu Ulm, my mother went to Ludwigsberg where she met my father, then to Forstein. In Ludwigsberg, the family was together but the authorities began to split them up. My mom went to Altenstadt. The authorities wanted them to return to Poland, but they didn’t want to. The authorities placed them in huge hangars with only curtains for privacy. My mom was once on a train when the IRO told them they were going to a different camp in Germany; they were, in fact, going back to Poland. Everyone on the train revolted so the train had to turn back. Many people were afraid that they would be killed if they went back. Rampant rumors flew around the camp and she believed what she heard. The Red Cross tried to reunite families; even when they were in different camps, at least they knew where they were. The DPs were promised money and clothes to go back to Poland as there was no space for them in the camps. The German people did not want them; they were not only a defeated nation, they also had insufficient food for themselves. Wanda Larkowski b. 1949-51, Germany 1951-present, USA
The Allies didn’t know what do with us; they wanted us to return to Poland so they put pressure on us to do so. They gave us difficult living conditions and, while UNRRA was supposed to be looking after us, they constantly reminded us that the best way to solve our problems was through repatriation. Meanwhile our Polish organizations were opposed to this. We knew what communism was and what was waiting for us if we returned. So there was continuous war between the Allies and our Polish organizations. Zbigniew Haszlakiewicz b. 1922, Przec³aw 1943-51, Germany 1951-present, USA	Wanda Larkowski’s nursery class, Wildflecken, Germany, 1951