Authors

Samantha Knapton¹;  ¹ University of Nottingham, UK

Discussion

At the end of WWII, there was a sizeable Polish displaced person (DP) community in British-occupied Germany and, alongside the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA), numerous repatriation attempts were made.

Between 1945 and 1947, the Allies and UNRRA encouraged repatriation as much as possible. Throughout the summer of 1946 'Operation Carrot' was instituted to coerce 'voluntary' repatriation to Poland. Yet, the numbers returning remained low. By the beginning of 1947, thousands of Polish DPs were still resident across western Germany, many showing few signs of wishing to return but instead waiting for resettlement opportunities. By mid-1947, however, the vast majority repatriated to a Poland they had exclaimed was not 'their Poland'.

In the historiography to date, the issue of repatriation has remained contentious with 'Operation Carrot' standing out as the main program. This paper will explore how informal networks across British-occupied Germany worked in collaboration with representatives of the Warsaw Repatriation Mission to ensure repatraition was ultimately the only option for many remaining DPs, the majority of which were children. The lesser-known, but larger repatriation program 'Home by Easter' will be analysed alongside internal correspondence to show how ad-hoc policy implementation often reinforced the Polish government's nation bulding rhetoric in DP camps.