Brno death march

On the night of May 30, 1945, 20,000 German inhabitants of Brno were expelled from the town to Austria.

That meant a 30+ km long march, undertaken mostly by women, elderly people and children, to the border. Due to bureaucratic problems they had to return back from the border to a concentration camp in town Pohořelice – which caused death of several exhausted or infected runners, as the total lenght of the march was 56 km.

There is an interesting controversy around the fatalities estimates – some Czech historicians claim that no one was murdered during the event and only few people died because of their age or condition (quite cynical, isn’t it), while some German sources claim as much as 8,000 victims of raging Czechs and Soviets, taking a revenge for the World War II.

Wikipedia has a number quoted from publication that seems to cohere with a scientific consensus: About 700 are confirmed as dying, either by disease (shigellosis) or by murder.

The event, called Brno death march or Brünner Todesmarsch, is still a tabu in Czech society. It is rarely mentioned by media, although the situation is getting better thanks to young people interested in this part of history. It still remains to be one of the blackest moments in the history of the town.

I would rather not comment the event any more: I do not approve the concept of the collective guilt but I am not sure what would I have done in 1945 myself. I am glad that I live in an era where the biggest moral question is whether to commute by car or bike.

However: if you or someone in your family have taken a part in this event, please contact me at kasparek@brnonow.com and share your story.

Further resources

• Brno death march at Wikipedia
• Interview with one of the survivors of Brno Death March

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