Figure 1.--Children faced many problems after the War. The greatest was the lost of their parents. But even if they still had mothers, the absence of fathers meant that they were often poorly supervised. This photograph was taken on June 19, 1949, we think in Germany. The press caption read, "Playing with death: In this boys' hideaway, kids assemble for a staff conference which is part of the game of 'war'. They can tell you all about what each weapon does, but don't seem to realize the danger in playing with them."

Children were a special category of displaced persons after the War, a heart wrenching one and difficult to deal with because so many children were sparanted from their parents. Often the parents were killed in the War. Others were seized and transported to the Reich for slave labor. No provision were made for any dependants left behind, both children and the elderly. As part of the NAZI Hunger Plan these people were to be left to starve. The Germans did not feed slave and forced workers adequately. They had no desire to feed 'non-workers'. Jewish childrern were a special category, but very few managed to survive. Children were especially vulnerable to the Holocaust. Children were also caught up in German anti-partisan campaigns. Many children were affected by the loss of their parents. This could be because their parents were killed in the fighting or caught up in NAZI sweeps to secure forced labor for the war industries. Some children were kidnapped by the NAZIs as part of the SS Lebensborn porogram. Other had fathers who were soldiers and killed in the War or held as POWs after the War. In Eastern Europe there were often no organized group to assist them. As the War turned against the Axis, we begin to see displaced children in those countries as well. Thry were, however, the most likely children to survive because Allied war policies were not genocidal in nature and there were programs in those countries to aid children both duing and after the War. American aid as in World War I played a key role in saving countless lives. Some mothers or other family members were unable or unwilling to care for them. Even if mothers did care for them, they often lacked the supervision and support supplied by a father. Schools all over Europe were destroyed. This was a major problem in Germany whose cities were reduced to piles of rubble. And there were also the war orphans, children who lost both parents and did not have reltives willing are able to adopt them. Orphanages and groip homes were opened in belligerant countries. The nature and extent of these institutions varied from country to country. Some fortunte children were adopted by people in fireign countries, primarily America.

Causes of Displaced Children

Children were a special category of displaced persons after the War. The conly more tragic aspect than the number of displaced children, was the huge number of children killed in the War. This was not jusr the colateral damage of the War, but Axis genocidal policies. And the NAZIs as part of its genicidal policies actually specifically targeted children. The survivors was a heart wrenching one and difficult to deal with because so many children were separated from their parents. Often the parents were killed in the War. Others were seized and transported to the Reich for slave labor. No provision were made for any dependants left behind, both children and the elderly. As part of the NAZI Hunger Plan these people were to be left to starve. The Germans did not feed slave and forced workers adequately. They had no desire to feed 'non-workers'. Jewish childrern were a special category, but very few managed to survive. Children were especially vulnerable to the Holocaust. The children were not only the most vulnerable, but actully targeted by the Germans as part of the Holocaust killing plan. Children were also caught up in German anti-partisan campaigns. Many children were affected by the loss of their parents. This could be because their parents were killed in the fighting or caught up in NAZI sweeps to secure forced labor for the war industries. Some children were kidnapped by the NAZIs as part of the SS Lebensborn porogram. Other had fathers who were soldiers and killed in the War or held as POWs after the War. In Eastern Europe there were often no organized group to assist them because of German occupation policies. As the War turned against the Axis, we begin to see displaced children in those countries as well. There were, however, the most likely children to survive because Allied war policies were not genocidal in nature and there were programs in those countries to aid children both duing and after the War.

Location

During the war dispaced children appeared throughout Europe and in much of Asia. This was the result of the Wwar itself and the horrendous occupation policies of the Axis countries. The situation was somewhat different for adults and children. Jews were a special case. Here the German policy was to kill. The children and elderly were killed first because they could not work. The adults were essentially killed through labor by mistratment, lack of shelter, food, and medical care. The Jews were concentrated, with most brought into Poland to be killed immediately or worked to death, but at the end of the War the pitifully few survivors were forced marched into the Reich, many dieing along the war. Virtually no children survived once they fell into German hnds. The only real chance for the children was to be hidden. This was also the best chance for adults. After the War, it was difficult for Jews to go home, sspeciallin Eastern Europe. Mny who tried were attacked. Non-Jewish displaced children were mostly found it their home contries. Unlike Jewish children, the Germans made no attempt to stop occupied countries from caring for displaced children, but they did not supply needed resources. Plans were being laid to kill much of the population of Eastern Europe, but major killing actions were delayed until after the wat was won. To support the war effort, nillions of teenagers and adults were brought into the Reich as workers. Thus the Allies found large numbers of dispalced persons. Most of the displaced children were left in the occupied countries. We have found some displaced non-Germn children in the Reich. We are not sure just how they got there because the idea was to bring workers. There are several poossibilities. Some of tghe wark workersere pregnant when selected for wark work. They may have beem embregnated wj=hile in the Reich. Most of the women war workers were from Eastern Europe. The babies were generally killed after birth. Some may hae been Lebenborn children. Some civilians inclusing children were interned as aesult of ant-partisan actions. There may have been other causes which we are not aware.

American Aid

American aid as in World War I played a key role in saving countless lives. This was mostly done directly through the Red Cross and foodshipments to the various countries involved in the war. In World war, America aid was handled differently. Much of it was directed through the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRAA). This was begun at a time that the United Nations did not yet exist.

Domestic Programs to Aid War Orphans

Some mothers or other family members were unable or unwilling to care for them. Even if mothers did care for them, they often lacked the supervision and support supplied by a father. Schools all over Europe were destroyed. This was a major problem in Germany whose cities were reduced to piles of rubble. And there were also the war orphans, children who lost both parents nd did not have reltives willing are able to adopt them. Orphanages and group homes were opened in belligerant countries. The nature and extent of these institutions varied from country to country.

Overseas Adoptions

Some fortunte children were adopted by people in foreign countries, primarily America. After World War II the plight of war orphns was especually compelling. Many Jewish orphans were moved to the United States by Jewish orphans, After the creation of Israel this opened more options for the apauling small number of child survivors of the Holocaust. Gradually interest in American began to build for war orphans. Not all international adoptions were made by Americans, but the vast majority were. Press coverage of the War and the terrible conditions following the War gave considerable visability to the problem and appealed to Americn humanitarian instincts. There was even a popular comic strip about an Italian war orphn--'Dondi'. U.S. servicemen stationed around the world were the most exposed to the problem. The largest numbers were after the War stationed in Germany and Japan. Anotger factor was children fathered by American servicemene, esentilly creating half-Americans. After tge War, international adoptions mobilized Lutherans, Catholics, and Seventh Day Adventists, among others, and inspired the formation of such organizations as the League for Orphan Victims in Europe (LOVE) and the American Joint Committee for Assisting Japanese-American Orphans. This gave sympathetic American families access to the orphans. These adoptions came primarily from the European Axis countries (Germany and Italy). This was a phenomenal development. Rarely in history had a victorious coubtry began adopting children from eneny nations. This iccurred because most of Western Europe quickly recovered abd were able to care for their own countries. The Soviets who seized cintrol of Eastern Europe prevented such adoptions, we think becaue it showed how poor their economy functioned--not good press for people claiming to be creating worker pradices. Thus the adoptees came largely from Germsny and toa lesser extent Italy. This was fed in part by a baby boom that developed in Germany, in part fuled by healthy children had been abandoned by irresponsible fathers or men who had never even been told of their children’s existence. Military families began adopting these children, but mass media reports resulted in creating an interest among Americans at home. quickly spread the news to Americans at home. One such story which had a major impact was that of the Doss family, desribed as 'THe Family Nobody Wanted' by Readers's Digest. This magazine had an enormous readership and massive impact. ['Our ....']

Sources

“Our 'International Family,” Reader's Digest (1949).

Created: 9:11 AM 8/14/2010
Last updated: 12:38 AM 6/1/2017