That development was not exactly legal even then, but there was no one who would stop them because the superpowers carved up Europe and this was Stalin's area.

That development was not exactly legal even then, but there was no one who would stop them because the superpowers carved up Europe and this was Stalin's area. He could do what he wanted. 1.2M.. I think the current estimates are 2.4M expelled Germans, not counting the expelled Hungarians from Slovakia (many of which later returned and were granted citizenship).