Children of World War II: The Hidden Enemy Legacy

(Hardback)

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Description

There is a hidden legacy of war that is rarely talked about: the children of native civilians and enemy soldiers. What is their fateT his book unearths the history of the thousands of forgotten children of World War II, including its prelude and aftermath during the Spanish Civil War and the Allied occupation of Germany. It looks at liaisons between German soldiers and civilian women in the occupied territories and the Nazi Lebensborn program of racial hygiene. It also considers the children of African-American soldiers and German women. The authors examine what happened when the foreign solders went home and discuss the policies adopted towards these children by the Nazi authorities as well as postwar national governments. Personal testimonies from the children themselves reveal the continued pain and shame of being children of the enemy. Case studies are taken from France, Germany, the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Norway, Denmark and Spain.

Reviews

'Breaking a long post-war taboo, this book broaches the subject of sexual intimacy between enemy soldiers and female civilians. It focuses especially on the stigma attached not only to the women but also the children born of such liaisons. This is essential reading for anyone interested in the wider impact of the Second World War and occupation on European societies.' Nicholas Stargardt, author of 'Witnesses of War: Children's Lives under the Nazis' and Lecturer in Modern History, Oxford University 'A subtle and moving account of the children left behind by the forces of occupation in the Second World War. This collection for the first time gives voice to children who were stigmatized as the forbidden fruit of collaboration and until now have had to live with shame and silence.' Robert Gildea, Professor of Modern French History, University of Oxford

Author Bio

Kjersti Ericsson is Professor of Criminology at the University of Oslo and Eva Simonsen is Researcher in Special Needs Education at the University of Oslo.