The story
In Přerov, Moravia, on June, 1945, an anti-German pogrom resulted in the deaths of 71 men, 120 women and 74 children who were ordered from a train and forced to dig their own grave before being shot.
Many of these Germans were totally innocent and in no way sympathetic to Hitler's regime. It is estimated that between 20 and 40 thousand Germans, Austrians and Hungarians were murdered during the Czech reprisals.
In the 2001 census in the Czech Republic only about 4000 persons claimed German ethnicity.
There's more to discover
You have arrived at just one small part of Back to Normandy — a personal project dedicated to preserving stories, images, music and memories of the Second World War.
Every record is a doorway to a larger story. Explore Back to Normandy to discover more, or visit Fred Vogels' personal website to learn about the person and the projects behind it.