Unbrauchbare Väter

Many men of the SS Lebensborn managed to remain anonymous – but not all: a story about double standards, secrets, and endless suffering. An association that aimed to increase the birth rate of Aryan children. To this end, it operated maternity homes where selected women – whether married or not – could give birth to their child anonymously if they wished. This was the Lebensborn e. V., an SS organization led by Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler. Much research has already been conducted on Lebensborn homes, Lebensborn children, and mothers – the fathers only appear on the periphery, as many have managed to remain secret. In the lives of the children, they played no role; in the narratives of many mothers, they were omitted. Dorothee Schmitz-Köster investigates this gap. Despite all the secrecy, some Lebensborn children can remember their fathers, and not all mothers have remained silent. Additionally, there is a substantial collection of documents that reveal the thoughts and behaviors of these men. Against the backdrop of the gender roles of the time, the author scrutinizes the Lebensborn fathers. As different as the model men and affairs, fleeing progenitors and surrogate fathers were, they all share one thing in common: from today’s perspective, almost all are seen as inadequate fathers.