Fleeing ahead of the Red Army along with his fellow ethnic Ukrainians, he spent time in the Karlsfeld, Füssen, and Mittenwald DP camps. Given his advanced academic degree, he served as teacher and/or director at the Füssen and Mittenwald Camp Ukrainian Gymnasiums.

While in the Mittenwald DP Camp, his beloved wife Ievhenia fell ill and died. This photo shows Oleksii and A. H. Makarenko at his wife's grave on the second day after her funeral at the Mittenwald cemetary, surrounded by the scenery of the Bavarian Alps.

Soon after, Oleksii began to keep a diary, partly to record events, but also to put down his thoughts and help deal with the psychological blow of the death of his wife. He continued to make entries well into the 1950s. We have three volumes of his diaries, all written in his miniscule and often difficult-to-read handwriting. A full transcription and translation of these important documents is a major long-term goal of our Archives.