My Aunt grew up in Czechoslovakia in Sudetenland, she was born in 1923 to German parents. She and her parents were separated and sent to separate work camps - I don’t know which ones they were sent to. She was later drafted into the German army. When the war was over she was exiled and sent on a train to Berlin and told to seek aid in the American zone. She got a job in a shop there and met and married her husband, an American solider. He brought her to the US.
I have her parents names, her date of birth, and this story. That’s about it. I’ve tried searching for documents and on Ancestory, but I can’t find anything. It seems like her parents names were very common.
Can anyone give me any ideas on how to find out more about her family? I’m really interested to learn more about which camps they were in and where her parents died. My aunt unfortunately died a few years ago and didn’t like to talk about her life in Germany. I’d greatly appreciate any help or ideas!! Thank you!
You could always try the Bundesarchiv (Federal [German] Archive), maybe they can at least point you in a new direction if they can't help you themselves. The archive also includes a military archive, so you might find records of her time in the army. In the same vein, you can try the Berlin state archive
If they were born in the Sudetenland, maybe try hitting up the Sudetendeutsche Landsmannschaft, a union of refugees from former Sudetenland? They might even still have some US office or presence, though I'm not sure of that.
Also, was your aunt in a camp as a refugee? As a prisoner? If the latter, maybe some archive related to the Holocaust can help you, since they might also keep documents related to work camps?
Finally, maybe the DRK Suchdienst, a service of the German Red Cross for missing persons, can help you? I think the Red Cross took part in some evacuations and resettlements?
If you have names, the Arolsen Archive, which began in the 1940's as the International Tracing Service may be your best bet. They deal with enquiries around any kind of person persecuted by the Nazis.