War children 296627 225768857 2008-07-15T09:06:18Z Stor stark7 723881 [[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 225692798, please see talk {{For|the mass evacuation of children from Finland during the Continuation War|Finnish war children}} {{For|children used as soldiers|Military use of children}} {{redirect|War baby}} A '''war child''' refers to a child born to a native parent and a parent belonging to a foreign military force (usually an occupying force, but also soldiers stationed at military bases on foreign soil). It also refers to children of parents collaborating with an occupying force. Having a child with a member of a belligerent foreign military force has historically been regarded as an unforgivable act. It is common for the native parent to be disowned by family, friends and the society at large. == Fate of the mothers and children == Children whose either parent was part of an occupying force ''or'' whose parent(s) collaborated with enemy forces were innocent of any [[war crime]]s committed by their parents. Yet these children have felt condemned by the crimes uncovered in the subsequent prosecution of their parents' acts. As they grew to adolescence and adulthood, many of them harbored the feelings of guilt and shame. One example is children born to WWII soldiers. These children claim they lived with their identity in an inner exile until the 1980s, when some of them presented themselves officially. In 1987 [[Bente Blehr]] refused anonymity when an interview with her was published in "Born Guilty", a collection of 12 interviews with children whose parent(s) collaborated with German forces in occupied Norway. The first autobiography by a [[Nazism|Nazi]] child, dedicated to all of them, was published in Norway: "The Boy from Gimle" (1993) by [[Eystein Eggen]]. Having a relationship with a soldier of an occupying force has historically been censured. Women who became pregnant would often take measures to conceal the fact that the father was a foreign soldier, if possible. The choices available to them usually were: *Arrange a marriage with a local man, who would take responsibility for the child *Claim the father was unknown, bring up the child as a single mother *Acknowledge the relation, bring up the child as a single mother *Acknowledge the relation, accept welfare from the occupying force (see the German [[Lebensborn]]) *Place the child in an orphanage or give the child up for adoption *Immigrate to the occupying country, and claim that identity *Have an (illegal) abortion After the war it was common for both mother and child to suffer repercussions from the local population. Such repercussions were widespread throughout Europe. While some women and children experienced acts considered horrendous, including torture and deportation, most acts fell into one or several of the following categories: *Name calling: ''German whore'' and ''German kid'' were common labels *Isolation or harassment from the local community and at schools *Loss of work *Shaving the head of the mothers, an act not uncommon in the immediate aftermath of the war *Temporary placement in confinement or interim camps While repercussions were most widespread immediately after the war, sentiments against the women and their children would linger into the 1950s, 60s, and beyond. == Norway == German forces invaded Norway in 1940 and [[Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany|occupied the country]] until 1945. At the end of the war the German presence stood at 372,000. It is estimated that between 10,000 and 12,000 children were born to German fathers and Norwegian mothers during the occupation. Nazi ideology considered Norwegians to be pure [[Aryan race|Aryans]] and German authorities didn't prohibit soldiers from pursuing relationships with Norwegian women. In other occupied territories like Eastern Europe, such relationships were forbidden because of Nazi views that [[Slavic peoples|Slavs]] were an inferior race. === The Lebensborn program === {{main|Lebensborn}} ''Lebensborn'' was one of several programs initiated by Nazi leader [[Himmler|Heinrich Himmler]] to secure the racial heredity of the [[Third Reich]]. The program mainly served as a welfare institution for parents and children deemed racially valuable. In [[Norway]] a local Lebensborn office, ''Abteilung Lebensborn'', was established in 1941 with the task of supporting children of German soldiers and their Norwegian mothers, pursuant to German law (Hitlers Verordnung, [[July 28]], [[1942]]). The organization ran several homes where pregnant women could give birth. Facilities also served as permanent homes for eligible women until the end of the war. Additionally, the organization paid child support on behalf of the father, and covered other expenses, including medical bills, dental treatment and transportation. In total, between 9 and 15 Lebensborn homes were established. Of the estimated 10,000 - 12,000 children born by German fathers and Norwegian mothers during the war, 8,000 were registered by Abteilung Lebensborn. In 4,000 of these cases the father is known. During and after the war, the Norwegians commonly referred to these children as ''tyskerunger'', translating as "German-kids" or "Kraut kids", a derogatory term. (As a result of later recognition of their post-war mistreatment, the more diplomatic term ''krigsbarn'' (war-children) came into use and is now the generally accepted form). === Post-war years === As the war ended the children and their mothers were viewed as outcasts by many among the general populace who felt antagonized by the war and everything that had to do with Germany. The children and their mothers experienced isolation and many children were bullied by other kids, and sometimes by adults, due to their origin. Immediately after the peace 14,000 women were arrested, 5,000 were without any judiciary process placed in [[forced labor]] camps for a year and a half.<ref name="Tyskerunger">[http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=1159&a=286209 "Tyskerunger" tvingades bli sexslavar] by Anna-Maria Hagerfors, [[Dagens Nyheter]], [[2004-07-10]].</ref> Their heads were shaved and they were beaten and raped.<ref name="Tyskerunger" /><ref>[http://www.willy-brandt-stiftung.de/krigsbarn.htm Krigsbarn]</ref> In an interview for the Swedish newspaper [[Dagens Nyheter]] it is claimed by warchildren that in an orphanage in [[Bergen]] the little children were forced to parade on the streets so the local population could whip them and spit at them.<ref name="Tyskerunger" /> In a survey conducted by the Ministry of Social Affairs in 1945, the local government in one third of the counties expressed an unfavorable view of the war children. The same year the Ministry of Social Affairs briefly explored the possibility of reuniting the children and their mothers with surviving fathers in post-war Germany, but decided not to. 500 children who were still living in Lebensborn homes at the end of the war had to leave as homes were closed down. Some children were left to state custody during a time when such care was marked by strict rules, insufficient education and abuse. Approximately 20 children ended up in a mental institution in 1946 due to lack of space in other institutions and unsuccessful adoption attempts, where some remained past their 18th birthday. The Norwegian government also made plans to forcibly deport 8000 children and their mothers to Australia.<ref>[http://www.bt.no/kultur/article114048.ece Ville sende alle «tyskerunger» ut av landet]</ref> === Financial and legal issues === In 1950, diplomatic relations made it possible for the Norwegian government to collect child support from those fathers living in West-Germany and Austria, and as of 1953 such payments were made. Child support from fathers living in East-Germany was kept in locked accounts until diplomatic relations between the two countries was established in 1975. Some of the war children have tried to obtain official recognition for past mistreatment, which some claim equates to an attempt at [[genocide]]. In December 1999, 122 war children brought a claim before the courts (only 7 signed the claim, which was a case to test the boundaries of the law). The courts have found any claims void due to the statute of limitations. However, an arrangement in Norway allows citizens who have experienced neglect or mistreatment by failure of the state to apply for "simple compensation" (an arrangement is not subject to the statute of limitations). In July 2004 the government expanded this compensation program to include war children who had experienced only minor difficulties. The basic compensation rate is set to 20,000 NOK (€2,500 / $3,000) for what Norwegian government terms "mobbing" (bullying). Those who are able to produce evidence of abuse can receive up to 200,000 NOK (25,000 € / $30,000). On 2007-03-08 158 of the warchildren will have their case heard at the [[European Court of Human Rights]] in [[Strasbourg]]. They are demanding reparations of between 500,000 SEK (≈ 431,272 NOK) and 2,000,000 SEK (≈ 1,725,088 NOK) each for systematic abuse. The Norwegian government contests the claim that the children were mistreated.<ref>[http://www.expressen.se/index.jsp?a=901290 Norge ville landsförvisa 9 000 barn]</ref> === Medical experimentation === In conjunction with the claim brought before the courts by the war children in 1999, a motion was filed in September 2000 to national headlines alleging 10 war children had unknowingly and involuntarily been subjected to medical experiments with [[LSD]] during the 1950s and 1960s. It was further claimed that these experiments were approved by the government and financed by [[CIA]], the American intelligence agency.<ref>Article: [http://tux1.aftenposten.no/english/local/d159850.htm War babies died in LSD experiments], ''Aftenposten'', September 4, 2000</ref><ref>Article: [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2001/02/25/wnor25.xml Norwegian government sued over children Nazis left behind], ''Telegraph (UK)'', February 25, 2001</ref> The motion didn't cite evidence for the allegation, rather the attorney referred to four sources whom she at the time refused to identify. It was already known that certain hallucinogenic drugs, including LSD, had been considered possibly valuable in psychotherapeutic treatment (see [[Psychedelic psychotherapy]]) in the 1960s, so the Norwegian government appointed an independent commission to investigate the allegation in October 2001. Following two years of work the Commission concluded in a final report that the allegations all originated from a single source who neither mentioned the war children specifically nor LSD experiments on humans, but rather animals. The Commission also concluded that they were unable to find any other evidence in local, national and international archives which could support the allegation.<ref name="NOU33">Final report by Commission: [http://odin.dep.no/filarkiv/207798/NOU0303033-TS.pdf NOU 2003:33 - Granskning av påstander om uetisk medisinsk forskning på mennesker] (Warning: PDF-file, in Norwegian), December 17, 2003</ref> The Norwegian Defence Research Establishment conducted their own investigation into the allegation in 2001 and found it unsupported by evidence, though the complete report remains classified. Later the Ministry of Defence vacated the obligation of professional secrecy for current and previous employees in regard to information about the matter. This move did not yield any new information.<ref>Article: [http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/article215652.ece Krigsbarna til rettssak uten LSD-beviser] (in Norwegian), ''Aftenposten'', October 22, 2001</ref> It should be noted that medical staff in several European countries as well as the US conducted [[clinical trial]]s or experimental treatment involving LSD, most them at some point between 1950 and 1970. In Norway trials involved volunteer patients where traditional medical treatments had proved unsuccessful.<ref name="NOU33"/> === Acknowledgment and apology === Since the mid-80s the fate of the war children has become well known and the government has admitted neglect. The Prime Minister of Norway apologized publicly in his New Years Eve speech in 2000. Currently, as adults, the 150 former Lebensborn Children are suing for reparations and damages from the Norwegian government for failing to protect them and discriminating against them.<ref> [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6429565.stm Norway sued by children of Nazis] BBC. March 8, 2007</ref> == Denmark == German forces [[Occupation of Denmark|occupied Denmark]] between 1940 and 1945. German soldiers were allowed to have contact with Danish women. It is estimated that between 6,000 and 8,000 children were born to German fathers and Danish mothers during the occupation or just after the occupation. The Danish government has 5,579 such children in their files.<ref>Summary: [http://www.krigsboern.dk/artikler/anette_warring.htm 'German-Girls during Occupation and Post War Purge' ], ''Anette Warring'', date and format unknown</ref> In 1999 Danish government allowed this group access to parenthood archives, exempting them from the country's normal secrecy period of 80 years for such records. Newspaper reports also claim children were born to Soviet, American and British soldiers following Germany's withdrawal. The number is unknown. == France == The number of war children born in France is uncertain, with estimates ranging from 80,000 to 200,000. There are 26,000 known cases of women being punished in the aftermath of the war for having relationships with German soldiers. German soldiers were forbidden from having relationships with French women by the Nazi regime at the beginning of the [[German occupation of France in World War II|Occupation]], but, due to difficulties of enforcement, it became tolerated &mdash; an intermediate situation between the encouragement of similar relationships in [[Denmark]] and [[Norway]], and strict prohibition in [[Eastern Europe]], the different regulations stemming from racial ideology.<ref>Article: [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3722321.stm Book gives 'Boche babies' a voice], ''BBC'', June 1, 2004</ref> == Netherlands == The [[Netherlands]] was one of the few countries occupied by Germany where soldiers were allowed to have relationships with local women. The [[NIOD|Dutch Institute for War Documentation]] originally estimated that around 10,000 children were born to German fathers during the occupation. However, recent figures based on records at the archives of the German Wehrmacht (name of the German armed forces from 1935-45) indicate that the real number could be as high as 50,000.<ref>Article: [http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=19&story_id=8000 German soldiers 'fathered 50,000 Dutch children'], ''Expatica '', May 28, 2004</ref> == Allied soldiers== The Allied forces maintained a presence in Germany for several years after World War II. The book ''GIs and Fräuleins'', by Maria Hohn, lists 66,000 children as born to soldiers of Allied forces in the period 1945-55: *American parent: 36,334 *French parent: 10,188 *British parent: 8,397 *Soviet parent: 3,105 *Belgian parent: 1,767 *Other/unknown: 6,829 === Soviet === Tens of thousands of "Russian Babies" were born as a result of the rapes of possibly up to 2,000,000 women at the end of the war and early occupation (see [[Soviet war crimes]]), convenience relationships for food and protection from rapists, and also from real love stories during the occupation (the number is an estimate by [[Norman Naimark]]). The children were despised in German society, and many of them are still searching for their real fathers, whether they be rapists or not.<ref name="Spiegel2">[http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,500251-2,00.html Lost Red Army Children Search for Fathers] by Irina Repke and Peter Wensierski, [[Der Spiegel]], [[2007-08-16]].</ref> The Soviet approach to these children was to ensure that no mother of these children would be able to claim alimony, already in 1944 Soviet authorities issued a decree that "illegitimate children were not related to the men who had fathered them, therefore no one had to pay anything." Between 1946 and 1953 it was illegal for Soviet citizens to marry foreigners. Those who tried to break this law were punished harshly.<ref name="Spiegel2" /> === American === According to Perry Biddiscombe<ref name="Biddiscombe">[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2005/is_3_34/ai_72412197/pg_1 Dangerous Liaisons: The Anti-Fraternization Movement In The U.S. Occupation Zones Of Germany And Austria, 1945-1948] by Perry Biddiscombe, Journal of Social History 34.3 (2001) 611-647</ref> more than 37,000 illegitimate children were born to American fathers in the 10 years following the German surrender. Relations between the occupation forces and German and Austrian women were seen with suspicion by the locals, who feared that the Americans would impregnate their women and then leave the children to be cared for by the local communities. Those fears were borne out in at least in part, as a majority of the 37,000 illegitimate children ended up as wards of the social services for at least some time. Many of the children remained wards of the state for a long time, especially children with African-American fathers who were never adopted. The food situation in occupied Germany was initially very dire (see [[Eisenhower and German POWs]]). By the spring of 1946 the official ration in the U.S. zone was no more than 1275 calories per day (much less than the minimum required to maintain health), with some areas probably receiving as little as 700. Some U.S. soldiers used this desperate situation to their advantage, exploiting their ample supply of food and cigarettes (the currency of the black market) as what became known as "fra bait"(The New York Times, 25 June 1945). Some Americans still felt the girls were the enemy, but used them for sex nevertheless.<ref name="Biddiscombe" /> The often destitute mothers of the resulting children usually received no [[alimony]]. Between 1950 and 1955 the [[Allied High Commission]] for Germany prohibited "proceedings to establish paternity or liability for maintenance of children."<ref name="Spiegel">[http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,456835,00.html Children of the Enemy] by Mary Wiltenburg and Marc Widmann, [[Der Spiegel]], [[2007-01-02]]</ref> Even after the lifting of the ban West German courts had little power over American soldiers. The children of black American soldiers, commonly called "Negermischlinge" ("Negro half-breeds"), were particularly disadvantaged, since even in the cases where the soldier was willing to take responsibility he was prohibited from doing so by the U.S. Army which until 1948 prohibited interracial marriages.<ref name="Spiegel" /> In the earliest stages of the occupation, U.S. soldiers were not allowed to pay maintenance for a child they admitted having fathered, since to do so was considered as "aiding the enemy". Marriages between white U.S. soldiers and Austrian women were not permitted until January 1946, and with German women until December 1946.<ref name="Biddiscombe" /> The official U.S. policy on war children was summed up in the [[Stars and Stripes (newspaper)|Stars and Stripes]] in 8 April 1946, in the article "Pregnant Frauleins Are Warned!": {{quote|Girls who are expecting a child fathered by an American soldier will be provided with no assistance by the American Army... If the soldier denies paternity, no further action will be undertaken other than to merely inform the woman of this fact. She is to be advised to seek help from a German or Austrian welfare organization. If the soldier is already in the United States, his address is not to be communicated to the woman in question, the soldier may be honorably discharged from the army and his demobilization will in no way be delayed. Claims for child support from unmarried German and Austrian mothers will not be recognized. If the soldier voluntarily acknowledges paternity, he is to provide for the woman in an appropriate manner.<ref name="Biddiscombe" />}} === Canadian === Canada declared war on Germany in 1939, following Britain's war declaration the week before. [[Canada in the World Wars and Interwar Years|During the war]] Canadian forces participated in the allied invasions of both Italy and Normandy. Prior to the invasion of continental Europe significant Canadian forces were stationed in Britain. An estimated 22,000 children were born of Canadian soldiers and British mothers stationed in Britain. In continental Europe it has been estimated that 6,000 were born in the Netherlands, with smaller numbers born in Belgium and other places where Canadian forces were stationed during and after the war.<ref>Article: [http://www.vancourier.com/issues02/123202/news/123202nn1.html Where's Daddy], ''Vancouver Courier'', August 5, 2004</ref> ==Amerasians== {{Main|Amerasian}} Probably more than 100,000 children have been born to Asian parents and U.S. servicemen in Asia. This chiefly occurred during [[World War II]], the [[Korean War]] and the [[Vietnam War]], though it has occurred during times of peace on the several U.S. military bases in the region since World War II. These children are known as ''[[Amerasian]]s'', a term coined by the author [[Pearl S. Buck]]. ==See also== * [[Organised persecution of ethnic Germans]] * ''[[Walk on Water (film)|Walk on Water]]'', an 2004 Israeli film dealing with the relationship between a war criminal's grandchildren and the man assigned to assassinate him ==References== {{Reflist}} ==Books== *Jean-Paul Picaper: ''Enfants Maudits'' (2004) ISBN 2-84545-088-5 (about French war children, in French) *Olga Rains, Lloyd Rains, Melynda Jarratt: ''Voices of the Left Behind'' (2006) ISBN 1-55002-585-6 (about Canadian war children) *Maria Hohn: ''GIs and Fräuleins: The German-American Encounter in 1950s West Germany'' (2001) ISBN 0-8078-5375-5 * Kare Olsen: ''Vater: Deutscher. - Das Schicksal der norwegischen Lebensbornkinder und ihrer Mütter von 1940 bis heute''. Published 2002. (the authoritative resource on Lebensborn in Norway and available in Norwegian as: ''Krigens barn: De norske krigsbarna og deres mødre''. Published: Aschehoug 1998. ISBN 82-03-29090-6) * [http://home.online.no/~kluwer/gimlefr.htm Eystein Eggen ''The Boy from Gimle'', 1993] French tranlslation. ==External links== *[http://www.warandchildren.org War and Children Identity Project] - Organization raising awareness on war children world wide *[http://www.nkbf.no/Engelsk/main_e.htm Norwegian war children’s association] - Norwegian group of children fathered by German occupying soldiers, founded 1986 *[http://home.online.no/~kluwer/ The Organization of Norwegian NS-children] - founded 1991 *[http://home.no.net/nsbarn/english.htm Children of Members of the National Unification (NS) in Norway] - Norwegian group of NS children founded 1996 *[http://www.krigsboern.dk/ Children of War - Denmark] - Danish group founded 1996 *[http://www.werkgroepherkenning.nl/english.htm The children of collaborators in the Netherlands] - Dutch group of NS children founded 1982 *[http://hnn.us/comments/7983.html Born of a Norwegian Mother and a German Father in Norway During WW II] *[http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1504125,00.html "Enfants Maudits" (cursed children)] French children *[http://home.online.no/~uf-skog/thereconciliation.cfm The reconciliation] between war children from opposite sides [[Category:Aftermath of World War II]] [[Category:Nazism]] [[Category:Children in war]] [[de:Besatzungskind]] [[ja:ナチの子供]] [[no:Krigsbarn]]