Wikipedia
Heimkehrer
Heimkehrer (literally "homecomer") refers to the German prisoners of war and internees of World War II who were allowed to return to Germany and Austria after the war.
By 1948 the number of German soldiers still held in captivity was as follows:
- United Kingdom: 435,295
- United States of America: 30,976
- France: 631,483
- Soviet Union: 890,532.
In 1955, Erich Hartmann was released along with 16,000 German military personnel as one of the last Heimkehrer. After spending 10 and a half years in Soviet POW camps, he was among the last batch of prisoners to be turned over.