Sleeping with the Enemy: What happened to the local women who had relationships with Nazis in occupied Europe?
The liberation of France in 1944 following the D-Day landings saw scenes of jubilation and celebration. However, there was also a darker side to the liberation that was also caught by the cameras.
Escape was virtually impossible for those who collaborated with the Nazis as the allies crossed the English Channel to liberate France in 1944. The horror of everyday Nazi occupation as many knew it could finally begin to return to normal. Yet for some, their world would be about to be turned upside down. The Nazi occupation of France was over and now the retribution could begin.
The retribution would be fierce for those who sought their occupiers as lovers during the occupation. Each individual would have had their own reasons for doing so. Fear, opportunity, greed and even being forced into a situation that they had no desire to be a part of. Regardless of their motives for sleeping with the enemy, the women who had any connection with the Nazis now faced judgment. Being innocent or guilty simply didn't apply to them as across France as communities could now take justice into their own hands.
Justice was swift across the villages, hamlets, and cities of France. Those women who had any sort of relations with their former occupiers were dragged out of their homes, had their heads shaven, swastikas emblazoned across their foreheads. In some cases, they even tarred and feathered before being paraded through the streets. The mob justice that followed the occupation was fierce and swift.
Jack Colville, Winston Churchill's private secretary, was dismayed by what he witnessed in France saying:
“I watched an open lorry drive past, to the accompaniment of boos and catcalls from the French populace, with a dozen miserable women in the back, every hair on their heads shaved off. They were in tears, hanging their heads in shame. While disgusted by this cruelty, I reflected that we British had known no invasion or occupation for some 900 years. So we were not the best judges.”
Regardless of their social status, the punishment was similar across the country. Even the French actress, Arletty, faced a similar fate.
Léonie Marie Julie Bathiat who was professionally known as Arletty was even imprisoned in 1945 following her wartime liaison with the German Luftwaffe officer, Hans-Jürgen Soehring. Soehring, who was ten years younger than Arletty, had fallen head over heels in love with the actress even proposing marriage. Despite Arletty rejecting this proposal, the couple remained in contact even beyond the war.
The high profile of the actress meant that her treatment was even harsher. She would be found guilty of treason for her relationship with the Nazi Officer and imprisoned for 18 months.
James Lord, the American writer, wrote about her punishment saying:
"Arletty was too well known for the mere humiliation of having her head shaved, her naked skull tarred with a swastika and in this abject state paraded through the streets to confront the jeers and spittle of the mob. Prison would be none too good for her, people said, looking forward to severe retribution for the moral treason of which they found her guilty."
Arletty's story is just one of the approximately 20,000 cases of Collaboration Horizontale in post-occupied France yet it is believed that the actual figure is much higher given the lack of records. Given its spontaneity and lack of order, the cases are more in line with that of the 17th-century witch-hunts that took place across Europe. And like the witch craze, this was also not just located in France but also took place in Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, and even Norway. Incorporating the action across Europe it is believed that hundreds of thousands of victims faced similar ordeals across the continent.
Whilst Arletty's relationship is well documented and others knew full well what they were doing it is important to remember that war also created desperation. Some were prostitutes and were even before the occupation. However, many were raped, some became innocent targets of the community who were the target of personal revenge and for some, even a brief conversation with the enemy was enough to convict them in the court of mob justice.
There were also further consequences for the children born out of Collaboration Horizontale as they were also considered to be the offspring of a national betrayal. Many were exiled and declared bastards by the state.
It is a fight that continues even today as the children of Collaboration Horizontale seek to gain an official apology from their respective governments.
In 2018, the Prime Minister of Norway Erna Solberg is the only national leader to publicly apologise to the "German Girls" and their children for the treatment they received following the liberation.
In France and Serbia, where the practice was far more prominent, governments have so far yet to follow in the footsteps of the Norwegians.
The aftermath of liberation remains to be a largely forgotten aspect of the Second World War but it reveals the darker side of human instincts that aim to define the righteous from those who slept with the enemy. In doing so it leaves us to take a moment to remember the forgotten victims of war and also those who carried out the cruelty from their moral high grounds.
Whilst much of the focus of the Second World War relies on its cause, the battles valiantly fought, the despots and the crimes they committed, we all too often forget about the other side of war. That being those who simply tried to get through the war simply by living their day-to-day lives, those who desperately sought to survive...by whatever means necessary.
This article appeared in Issue 11 of Inside History which is available from our new online store. Currently only £1.95 for your digital download.
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I wonder why this didn't happen to Coco Chanel?
I understand where you’re coming from, and I agree that it was a bad situation all around, but personally “sleeping with the Nazis” isn’t a hill I’d want to die on. Thank you for sharing though!