What was an Ilag?

Introduction Ilag is an abbreviation of the German word Internierungslager. They were internment camps established by the German Army in World War II to hold Allied civilians, caught in areas that were occupied by the German Army. They included United States citizens caught in Europe by surprise when war was declared in December 1941 and… Read More

What is a Civilian Internee?

Introduction A civilian internee is a civilian detained by a party to a war for security reasons. Internees are usually forced to reside in internment camps. Historical examples include Japanese-American internment and internment of German-Americans in the United States during World War II. Japan interned 130,000 Dutch, British, and American civilians in Asia during World… Read More

An Overview of the Deportations of Germans from Latin America during World War II

Introduction During World War II, 4,058 ethnic Germans along with several hundred other Axis-nationals living in Latin America were deported to the United States and their home countries, often at the behest of the US government. Although the arrest, internment and/or deportation of belligerent country nationals was common practice in both Axis and Allied countries… Read More

What is Internment?

Introduction Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement “of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects”. Thus, while it can simply mean imprisonment, it tends to refer to preventive confinement rather than confinement after having been… Read More

An Overview of the Flight and Expulsion of Germans between 1944-1950

Introduction During later stages of World War II and post-war period from 1944 to 1950, Germans fled and were expelled to present-day Germany from Eastern Europe, which led to de-Germanisation there. The idea to expel the Germans from the annexed territories was proposed by Winston Churchill, in conjunction with the Polish and Czechoslovak exile governments… Read More

An Overview of the Dutch Annexation of German Territory after WWII

Introduction At the end of World War II, plans were made in the Netherlands to annex German territory as compensation for the damages caused by the war. In October 1945, the Dutch state asked Germany for 25 billion guilders in reparations. In February 1945 it had already been established at the Yalta Conference that reparations… Read More