New film broaches taboo topic of post-war expulsions
The movie "Habermann" tells the tragic tale of the Germans and Czechs living in the Sudetenland from the day the Nazis marched in until the Germans were expelled after World War II. That history remains a touchy topic.
The expulsion and murder of the so-called "Sudeten" Germans by war-weary Czechs after World War II traumatized the German-Czech relationship. Decades later the two countries are both part of the European Union and share an open border. Yet the fate of the three million Sudeten German expellees has remained a sensitive topic.
"Habermann," a Czech-German-Austrian film playing in European theaters this fall portrays the suffering of the ... - Read article ...

Poland Up In Arms Over Erika Steinbach Statements
As the German people address await crucial and numerous decisions from their leaders, the government here seems to drift farther apart still. The latest conflict between officials stems from comments made by Erika Steinbach about Poland’s part in the onset of WWII. An undersecretary of foreign affairs in the Merkel cabinet waded in today condemning Steinback’s comments. At a time when good relations between EU members seems crucial, the EU seems more like a powder keg than a unified continent. -  Read article ...

German expellee groups reassert their history as charter turns 60
Critics have questioned the role of ethnic German expellee communities forced to leave their homes after World War II. As the Charter of German Expellees turns 60, the groups have reasserted their presence.
Bundestag President Norbert Lammert spoke out Thursday against the proposal for an official national day of remembrance for German World War II expellees, saying such a day would ultimately not contribute to public awareness on the subject. -  Read article ...

Germany's strengthened expellees' associations
Erika Steinbach, president of Germany’s Federation of Expellees (BdV), has said she will not take a seat on the foundation board of the Centre against Expulsions, a museum dedicated to the victims of flight, displacements, forced resettlements and deportations. -  Read article ...