WWII refugee camps, also known as DP camps(Displaced Persons Camps), existed throughout Europe after the war.  Many of the refugees in these camps settled in the camps of Austria and Germany where despite the hardships, extreme poverty and hunger, at least the language proved to be a ‘natural fit’ for the Donauschwaben inhabitants.

Definitions

Displaced person: (sometimes abbreviated DP) is the general term for someone who has been forced to leave his or her native place, a phenomenon known as forced migration. The term first gained widespread usage during World War II and the resulting refugee outflows from Eastern Europe, when it was used to specifically refer to one removed from his or her native country as a refugee, prisoner or a slave laborer. The meaning has significantly broadened in the past half-century. A displaced person may also be referred to as a forced migrant.  The term "refugee" is also commonly used as a synonym for displaced person, causing confusion between the general descriptive class of anyone who has left their home and the subgroup of legally defined refugees who enjoy specified international legal protection.

Displaced Persons (DP) Camps were established in Germany, Austria, France, Italy and Belgium. Some were located at former concentration camps or military camps, where the homeless immigrants were housed.  Many remained in these camps until the mid 1950’s while they waited for permission to emigrate.

Camp Memoirs . . .

Haigermoos - Austria, by Adam Martini

Schwabenlager Groedig - Austria, by Franz Bohn

My Childhood Experiences as a Displaced Person - Engelhartszell & Durchgangslager Balingen - Austria & Germany, by Anne Dreer

Obresch to Camp Haid near Ansfeldon - Austria, by Eve Brown

The Beginnings in Austria - Castle Güssing (in the Austrian Province of Burgenland), and Camps Lehen and Sitzenheim, in Salzburg - Austria, by Hans Kopp

Moschendorf - Austria (coming soon!)