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Forgotten victims: The silent story of the children of occupation in the Allgäu
The article sheds light on the suppressed history of attacks by French troops in Wangen in 1945 and their impact on society.
Forgotten victims: The silent story of the children of occupation in the Allgäu
In 1945, serious attacks occurred in the then occupied Allgäu region that are still in the shadow of history today. In Enkenhofen, a district of the municipality of Argenbühl, 19 women, girls and a school child fell victim to French troops and especially Moroccan colonial soldiers. These incidents are documented in the parish chronicle of Prof. Funk, who worked as a pastor in the parish from 1937 to 1956. The chronicle was later anonymized by Martin Reutlinger and made available to the editorial team by local curator Anton Albrecht. City archivist Reiner Jensch considers the chronicle to be credible because it was written in a timely manner and also includes police reports from women who reported attacks.
Historian Professor Dr. Wolfgang Weber explains that in this context the Moroccan soldiers were no worse than other soldiers and were often victims of Nazi propaganda themselves. Although there were isolated documented attacks, they were relatively rare compared to attacks by other occupying powers. What is striking is the fact that Moroccan soldiers were severely punished by the French military justice system, while white soldiers were often treated more leniently. Historian Weber also emphasizes that not all sexual contacts were involuntary and that some children resulted from romantic relationships.
The disadvantage of those affected
The social reaction to the children born from these relationships was complex and often marked by discrimination. Many of these children, who came from extramarital relationships between German women and foreign soldiers of color, were excluded in the post-war period. According to research on the topic, including that from bpb, the children of occupying soldiers of color make up the largest group of black Germans in the 20th century. Before 1919, few immigrants from former colonies in Germany had received citizenship rights.
The debate about these “colored children of occupation” is a central point that ties into the racist narratives of the time. In the Third Reich, hundreds of occupation children were forcibly sterilized to “keep the race pure.” The large-scale “Black Shame on the Rhine” propaganda campaign portrayed soldiers of color as a threat, particularly in relation to sexual crimes, which led to widespread hysteria about “half-caste children,” who were viewed as inferior in society’s perception.
To this day, this ambivalent story often goes unnoticed. While some survivors and their descendants, who are often still on the margins of society, remain silent out of shame or fear of social ostracism, these issues remain unfinished. A circumstance related to the constant repetition of racist stereotypes in society, which have passed through centuries and political circumstances.