Most of the Sesto/Sexten families had to secure accommodation for themselves because the army command was not prepared for the evacuation of the village and the subsequent consequences. There were no assembly camps for the people of Sesto/Sexten. Most families found shelter with acquaintances or relatives in the surrounding Val Pusteria/Pustertal communities. Sesto/Sexten had 1300 inhabitants in 1915. Most of the men were at the front; around 1000 people had to be evacuated. The evacuees received a small amount of financial aid designated for refugees. They had to help on the farms of the host families and had to endure a time of privation. The children were often unable to attend school. The harvest on the fields in Sesto/Sexten in 1915, 1916 and 1917 was brought in by the troops in a makeshift manner with the help of prisoners. While the farmers received compensation in 1915 and 1916, this was ended in 1917. In the summer of 1917, several houses in Moso/Moos were again set on fire.
The following statements are taken from interviews with inhabitants of Sesto/Sexten conducted as part of the project.

Paula Egarter: “My father’s friend made sure that my mother found an apartment with the children. Of course, they suffered hardship, but were warmly welcomed. They could only take the bare necessities with them. My mother had her hands full with the eight small children.”1Interview with Susanne Elsen and Alexandra Budabin, 16.7.2021, Sesto/Sexten.

Georg (Jörg) Lanzinger: “The family there only had one farm with 5-6 children. Everyone wanted to be taken care of. There was famine in 1916 and 1917. The grandmother often longed to return to Sexten to grow something and keep a cow to have something to eat. The municipal administration of Sexten was located in Innichen [San Candido].”2Interview with Thomas Benedikter, 8.7.2021, Sesto/Sexten.

Albert Tschurtschenthaler: “Certain families did not fight back at all. Old hunters had some game from time to time. But some families had no access to food. A relative of my grandmother died of hunger during the last period of the war. They just couldn’t defend themselves. At that time, the farmers were forced to supply the army. Even in the Second World War, they had to provide calves, wool and money. The fields were also damaged by the shelling, trenches were dug across the village. There was this line of defense between Haideck and Mitterberg. Forests were decimated.”3Interview with Thomas Benedikter, 17.6.2021, Sesto/Sexten.

Rudolf Holzer: “The women helped, they had to replace the men. Then there were also prisoners of war, because Austria had 2 million of them. They were used behind the front. These were mainly Galicians. There is also a register of prisoners of war in Sexten [Sesto]. The relationship with them was relatively good. The Russians, with a few exceptions, were diligent. In 1917 the famine began, which is why the Waldkapelle was built in the summer of 1917. The farmers on the Außerberg [Monte di Fiori] returned to work their fields. Bread prices are constantly rising. Other food stuffs also became more expensive. Hungary had already blocked the export of wheat at the beginning of the war. For example, there is also a shortage of grain in Austria. For this reason, bran, horse chestnut flour and then even sawdust were often added to the bread flour. In Tyrol, there were considerable supply bottlenecks among the civilian population, as well as the soldiers. All regulations for the sale of agricultural products did not apply to Sexten [Sesto] because the population had been evacuated. The obligation to hand over grain, milk and hay had been eliminated for Sexten [Sesto].4Interview with Thomas Benedikter, 29.4.2021, Sesto.