In the trials for Nazi crimes conducted by the Allies, only in a few cases did those responsible for crimes against forced labourers and prisoners of war face the courts. After the foundation of the two German states, these crimes were concealed or trivialised as a “normal” side effect of the war. Applications for compensation from former forced labourers were routinely rejected. Prisoners of war received no compen­sation either. In the GDR, however, people who had betrayed forbidden relationships were condemned as informers. Former forced labourers were first able to apply for a one-off compensation payment in 2000, and Soviet prisoners were able to do so as of 2015. For most of those affected, this came far too late.

German women convicted of “forbidden contact” who fought for compensation or to have their entry in the criminal record deleted were usually unsuccessful. Many avoided seeking compensation out of shame or fear of stigmatisation. In 1998, the German Bundestag passed the law on the cancellation of wrongful Nazi judgements. However, applications for vindication and compensation for persecution for “forbidden contact” continued to be rejected.

Rejection of Emilie Andris’s application for compensation, 30 November 1951

In 1951 Emilie Andris, who was imprisoned in Ravensbrück Concentration Camp because of a love affair with a Polish forced labourer, tried to receive compensation for her imprisonment. The application was rejected on the grounds that Emilie Andris had not been persecuted for political, “racial”, religious, or ideological reasons.

Staatsarchiv Freiburg

Scholarly reappraisal

In the Federal Republic of Germany in the late 1970s, civil society initiatives, local historians, and school classes began looking into the history of National Socialism at the local level. This also brought the topic of forced labour to the attention of a wider public. However, the historical studies this inspired only started dealing with “forbidden contact”—in particular, sexual contact between Germans and prisoners of war or forced labourers—in 2010. This research gave little consideration to the life stories of the children born from such relationships.

The “stumbling stone” laid on 15 September 2012 for Maria Leins, 2024

Maria Leins had come to know a Polish forced labourer in her hometown of Horb am Neckar. After the two were denounced, Maria Leins was sent to Ravensbrück Concentration Camp. She did not survive her imprisonment.

Photo: Heinz Högerle. Träger- und Förderverein ehemalige Synagoge Rexingen e.V.

Commemoration and remembrance

Former forced labourers were already campaigning in the immediate post-war period for memorial stones to commemorate those persecuted for “forbidden contact”. The occupying authorities also supported and initiated memorials, for example for publicly executed Polish forced labourers. After the founding of the two German states, however, for a long time there was hardly any public remembrance of this persecuted group.

Since the 2010s, memorials are increasingly being erected again, mostly for executed male forced labourers. In contrast, to this day there is hardly any remembrance of women who were persecuted because of their relationships with forced labourers. Their fate has long been hushed up both in society and in their families. They often have had to fight for recognition in the organisations of former victims of political persecution.

Memorial stone for Rosa Broghammer, erected in 2002 at the Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum, 2024

Peter Broghammer, son of the German Rosa Broghammer and the French forced labourer Marcel Sebbah, instigated this memorial stone for his parents.

Photo: Manuela Schulz. Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum

Commitment to the politics of remembrance

Today, many children from forbidden relationships are keen to keep the memory of their parents alive. They also stand up for the public remembrance of all people who were persecuted under National Socialism for “forbidden contact”. They write autobiographies, speak as contemporary witnesses, and campaign for memorials. Through their research at memorial sites and their public relations work, they significantly help raise awareness of the issue.

Many children from forbidden relationships feel it is their duty to get involved and keep alive the memory of the Nazi crimes. They want not only to remember the history of their parents, but also to warn future generations against right-wing extremism, social marginalisation, and war.