there was not much time for preparations. the first 200 refugees arrived on 10 march 1946. to help feed them, sections of the airfield were transformed into farmland and vegetable gardens. by may, the camp housed 420 people. then a train arrived with over 1,500 refugees, most of them old people or women and children from silesia. they came from a camp in poland, where the food supply had been very inadequate. this influx caused massive overcrowding in the camp. there were not enough jobs in the area, so most of the camp's inmates became dependent on welfare handouts. paratyphoid fever became a problem.