[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Re: Deportation of Germans to Siberia

[Ed S]

The Ulmer family was in Karlswalde.   When the command came
that all Germans had to leave Volhynia they had to put on their wagons what
they needed.
Since the Russians wanted to have everybody moved it was done in July so it
wouldn't
happen in winter. In some villages if people weren't moving fast enough to
get ready for
the trip to Siberia some boys and men were rounded up and threatened to be
shot if the
Germans didn't get ready.  Early one morning they followed a Russian
policeman on a horse.
When he stopped everybody stopped.   If someone died during the day they had
to wait
until they stopped to bury them.   Many were buried beside roads along the
way.  For
2 weeks they travelled this way until they got to the trains.  Then people
could only take what
they could carry.  Wagons etc were sold if possible for peanuts.  If it
wasn't sold they had
to just leave it behind.
When the Germans arrived at their destination they found work and places to
live.  My grandmother
was 7 at the time and since one of her brothers was very sick they went to
some Russians
and were taken in.   They were encouraged to stay in the rooms provided by
the Russians
at not go further which was allowed.
After the Czar and his family were killed the feelings towards the Germans
changed and
they were allowed to return starting 1917.  The first to arrive had trouble
because while they
were gone Galacian refugees had moved into their homes and many wouldn't
leave.
When the Germans finally did get their properties back many found they had
to rebuild from
scratch.   The Galacian people didn't do anything on the land or buildings.
When firewood
was needed they just tore up wooden floors or took beams from barns etc.  My
grandmother's
family decided to stay until 1918 until they returned.  The only bad part
about that was the
train stopped many times and the two week trip turned into 6 weeks.