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Germany to oppose restitution claim against Poland AP, BERLIN Tuesday, Dec 19, 2006, The German government said yesterday that it will firmly oppose a "groundless" bid by a group of Germans expelled from present-day Poland at the end of World War II to win restitution for lost property through a European court. The Prussian Claims Society, which represents a small group of expelled Germans, said on Friday that it had filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights. It accused Poland of violating the human rights of those driven from their prewar homes as borders were redrawn in...

Is the World Ready for German Victimhood? By Charles Hawley Immediately after World War II, millions of Germans were expelled from Poland and Czechoslovakia. And the wounds are still open today. Now, a preliminary agreement by the new coalition may pour salt on them. Poland is warily observing events in Berlin. The bulk of the exodus began soon after the guns of World War II went quiet as millions of Germans suddenly found their homes were now on the wrong side of the border. They were forced to abandon houses and property and trudge across the newly created frontier into...

Sudeten German days open with decoration of Czech bishop AUGSBURG- The traditional Sudeten German days in Augsburg, Bavaria, opened today with the presentation of the Sudeten German Landsmannschaft's highest prize, the European Karl IV Award, to Czech bishop Josef Koukl. Koukl, 79, who became the first Czech on whom the Sudeten Germans bestowed their award, was decorated for his long-lasting effort at Czech-German reconciliation. "Today is the holiday of sending the Holy Spirit when all nations spoke one language although they did not lose their identity. It is important to talk together and understand each other," Koukl told journalists. He...