Interesting set of figures, certainly worth purchasing, I will be adding to my collection, as the resistance was one I thought was sorely missed, kudos for K & C adding to the previous Resistance fighters. These releases have a multitude of opportunities. The woman holding the baby reminds me of the scene in Band of Brothers when they are in Holland and she was thrown a rations pack. Think I would use them in this context.
The French called the women ‘Collabraeurs Horizons’ [Horizontal Collaborators].
The cutting of the hair has been said by sociologists and psychologists was a way of the men in the occupied countries getting the women back. The men felt emasculated as the invading force had taken their country and then their women, a female France or Denmark or Holland being ravaged by a male Germany. It was a constant reminder of their impotency against the might of the invader and they felt as a community cuckolded by their own women.
The number of women that had relations with German soldiers was higher than people think, Keith Lowe points out in his book that in Norway it was around 10% [in other places I have read as high as 20%] women between the age of 15 and 30 who had relationships with German soldiers. The overall numbers are in the hundreds of thousands, it is hard in today’s world to judge them, as there were many reasons why, some out of economic reasons, others for emotional or reasons of attraction and/or love, one thing that did come across was prostitutes were treated less harsh than other women. There was a poll in wartime Denmark where 51% of women found German men more attractive than Danish men.
The women had done nothing wrong legally and often argued that it was for love and love/sex was politicised, the communities knew they had to be punished. The cutting of the hair took away their femininity and it was a non-permanent act of violence that all could join in with sense of morality. Many were stripped naked [do not want that in a toy figure] and daubed with crosses, done in a very public manner in town squares to reclaim them as male property.
Many countries tried to prosecute the woman, but they had broken no law, in my research one of the women that stuck in my mind was French actress Arletty who was put in prison in 1945 for her relationship with a German Luftwaffe officer, at her trial she defended herself and has been quoted as saying "My Heart belongs to France, but my vagina is mine". However, I cannot confirm this, she was found guilt of treason. She carried on working and her final screen appearence was in the film The Longest Day.
The Longest Day scene: Jean a de longues moustaches - YouTube
This type of retribution was quite short lived, as the Allies realised that to function as a government social order had to be stable, particularly as they had not the manpower or time to manage the rear areas once the fighting had moved on.
The treatment of the offspring of the relationships was as we can imagine not great, for many decades and even up to the early 2000s. Denmark had around 6,000 children born, Holland has been quoted as high as 20,000, France close to 100,000, Norway around 10,000. In Norway the government offered the Australian government as many German fathered children for their adoption agency as they wanted. This was turned down, but only because of logistic reasons. A study in 2001 found that the majority of these children suffered throughout their lives, they were barred from certain universities, occupations and careers. Many were classed as mentally deficient, which went on their records and this affected them forever. With some being compensated in later life.
I cannot recommend more highly the Book
Savage Continent – Europe in the Aftermath of World War II by Keith Lowe. A very informative and interesting read which engages the reader about the end of the war, cover retribution, legacy and the unrest/civil wars after the end of WW2.
