At the end of World War II, 14 million people from the eastern part of what was then Germany fled to West Germany. What was the escape like in 1945 through bombed cities, cratered landscapes, and rubble-strewn deserts in minus 20 degrees? What was it like as a child, as a mother with small children? For many years, these existential upheavals and experiences of violence that come with fleeing were suppressed in our country. It is high time to let those who can still tell their stories do so. The images and reports of today's refugees evoke deep memories for many people in Germany. Their images are 70 years old. Endless columns of fleeing women and children on icy roads and paths, a collapsed railway network, desperate people waiting at overcrowded emergency shelters. Heide Scherer has interviewed war mothers and war children about their experiences of fleeing during the winter of 1945. Some interviewees share their stories for the very first time outside their families. They immerse themselves in that time, becoming the refugees of then once again. It takes strength for them to allow the memories to resurface. "But we made it. We survived with our family.".