On 24 July 1945, the Deutsche Volkszeitung, periodical of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Germany, focuses on the difficult issue of the fate of German refugees.

In 1953, the Council of Europe publishes a report in which it analyses the problem of refugees and excess population in Europe.

On 2 November 1951, on the occasion of the departure of the one millionth displaced person from the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) to his native land, Hans Lukaschek, West German Minister for Displaced Persons, summarises the achievements of the campaign carried out by the International Organisation for Refugees in Europe.

On 25 April 1951, the Federal Government adopts a law which determines the status of foreign refugees in the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany.

On 25 October 1947, the German daily newspaper Die Welt paints an alarming picture of the refugee situation in Germany.

One of the major challenges faced by post-war Germany was the accommodation of German civilian refugees fleeing from areas east of the Oder-Neisse Line and their economic and social integration.

The first mass movements begin with the advance of the Red Army westward. At the end of the Second World War, West Germany has to accommodate some 12 million refugees.

On 13 February 1945 in London, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) and representatives of the seven European Allied Governments sign an Agreement Concerning the Care and Repatriation of Displaced Persons.

From 9 to 14 April 1951, an international conference is held in Hanover, convened by the League of Red Cross Societies. The conference is attended by representatives from the 17 national societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the League of Red Cross Societies, to examine the problem of the 9 million refugees in western Germany and Austria. At the conference, 17 recommendations are adopted to establish solutions that will enable refugees and exiles to build new lives.

Statistics on displaced persons housed in assembly centres in the US, British and French occupation zones in Germany in January 1947.