On-line forum for Germans from Russia Researchers

I am familiar with the EWZ process as it registered Black Sea Germans "re-settled" to Poland in 1945. Not all of the Black Sea Germans ended up in Poland. Some treks ended in Sudetenland (which became part of Czechoslovakia). I assume the same processes of registration and German naturalization would have occurred in similar refugee camps there. I am looking for information about this particular aspect of the resettlement of the Black Sea Germans, particularly any records of individuals, like the EWZ50 records with which I am familiar.

BlackSeaGR.org has a great FAQ about the EWZs at http://www.blackseagr.org/ewz-qa.html which is very complete but the general focus is Germans to moved or were forced back to German in the 1939-1945 period. It does mention that "The 52 series covers ethnic Germans within Poland". So the EWZs seem to have some organization.

But I have sympathy about your question Merv as I have Germans from the Austrian province of Galicia who are found in the EWZ51 records (http://www.galiziengermandescendants.org/BDC_Files/index.htm). As you can see from this list of places found in these records there are Odessa families mixed in to this almost exclusively Galicia collection (eg Bergdorf, Neudorf, Odessa, etc). So, these EWZ records have the same weakness of other records where our families didn't follow the larger Germany to Russia to North America or Germany to Russia to Germany migration patterns. The movement of our ancestors seems to defy straight forward classifications. I am confident we will be able to embrace all these variations.

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Regards, Murray
BlackSeaGR Forum co-Administrator
Gauer Family Website

Merv,

Are you just looking for general information on the process and trek or specifics on people?

Deb

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The re -locations to Sudenten, as well as to Poland,would have been quickly & tragically terminated after April of 1945.

My father had one widowed aunt who,with her daughters, received permission to leave a French displaced persons camp & move to Canada. Most of the Black Sea Germans would have been shipped back to Soviet hands.