At the end of World War II, French people accused some women for being collaborative with the occupying Germans were punished with humiliating acts, such as their heads where shaved in public and they were beaten. Some women were marched through the streets and shamed. The humiliating scenes often took place in front of jeering crowds as you can see in the photographs below.
A lot of committees, Resistance cells and French intellectuals protested against these public shaving because they were also punishing women, who did simple jobs like cooking, laundry, cleaning or other housemaid jobs for the Germans staying there. Some of these women had to pay the rent and food themselves to survive during wartime. Unfortunately, the resistance cells and committees only managed to keep these public shaving low in few regions of France.
they captured something similar in band of brothers
In the Netherlands liberation scene (which looked 0% like the Netherlands)
That’s right. Many of these women prostituted themselves to German soldiers or were raped. Imagine being dragged into the street, shaved bald, and paraded naked in front of your neighbors because you took the wrong shortcut home from the market. It was also punishable to stop a person from talking on the street during occupation in Belgium, Italy, Norway and the Netherlands.
To be honest, I was reminded of the collaborators when I learned about them in school. At the time I lived with my elderly grandmother and disabled mother. If sleeping with a random German soldier meant staying out of the camps and having a semi-comfortable life during a war, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
The soldiers of Normandy and those involved in the battle of the bulge would have been counting their lucky stars they did not have to deal with this type of German offensive. They truly sacrificed for the greater good.
I was wondering if there was a lot of misogyny behind this, because they don’t say anything about men accused of being collaborators being punished. Also, it sounded like they could just accuse any woman and then go shave her head and beat her without repercussion.
Bro, at least do a little research before jumping to the “misogyny” conclusion. The women were publicly humiliated while the men were publicly EXECUTED. Over 10,000 in France alone were executed – more detailed info: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pursuit_of_Nazi_collaborators#:%7E:text=The%20French%20Minister%20of%20the,the%20number%20executed%20was%20105%2C000.
I’m not saying that neither was A-OK or that the “punishers” were totally fair in what they did, but to suggest that male collaborators got away with lighter punishment because they were male is………. incorrect, to say the least.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizontal_collaboration
This page states that they were allegations, so they didn’t actually have to prove that these women did anything to shave their head, beat them, and parade them through town. Also, it says many of the women only performed professional services, which may be difficult to avoid when your country is being occupied. Why are putting misogyny in quotes like it didn’t exist in the 1940s?
Your article never states that only male collaborators were executed, so it’s more than likely women faced the same punishments as men.
And just to be clear, I’m not talking about or defending the actual Nazi supporters. I have no sympathy for those people. I was just wondering about how this could have been abused because it’s not like this went through court and had to be proven before they did this to the women.
Initially, it seemed that you were trying to have a sincere discussion, but now it seems that you’re trying to discredit me by putting words in my mouth. Therefore, I must respond to this poorly written comment:
1) The word “allegations” can be used in a variety of contexts. It can be used in cases where no evidence exists that a person committed a crime, as well as cases where a person is undoubtedly guilty. You can read any news article. No matter how many times they are witnessed stabbing a victim to death, they are still “alleged” to be the murderer until they are proved guilty in court. So, your claim that the word “allegation” means that “they didn’t have to prove the women did anything” is nothing more than an attempt to make the punishers look like witch-hunters, using their power as males to attack poor women. The majority of the attacked women were almost certainly involved in a relationship with the Nazis that was considered inappropriate and “traitorous”. Did the retaliation (physical violence and shaming) make sense? Most likely not. However, do not portray it as some kind of manic witch-hunt where innocent women were assaulted. Be aware that both sexes were quite involved in this revenge act.
2) The word “misogyny” is in quotes because it comes before the word “conclusion”. I wrote The “misogyny” conclusion. This is how words can be written in such contexts. Such as The infamous “Bonnie and Clyde” couple or The “self defense” plea. It is not that misogynistic behavior occurred during those times; misogyny has always existed and only gets worse during times of war (as does most other negative behavior). There is no misogyny here, as women do not receive unfair treatment in this case. Nevertheless, yelling “misogyny!” here is ridiculous. History is not taken into account in this argument.
3) Since the article doesn’t state that women WEREN’T executed, it’s more likely that women faced the same punishments as men” – a horrendous instance of the “since A cannot be disproven, it must have happened” fallacy. You cannot find any historical evidence that women collaborators (who did nothing but sexual activities) with the Nazis were ever executed. History will never state that executions of women collaborators never happened, as that would be denying something without proper evidence. It is silly to expect them to do so, and it goes against historical documentation in general. Women collaborators may have been executed or murdered by someone with hatred against them – however, the lack of such case reports suggests that those cases were likely quite rare. Following the end of WWII, tens of thousands of male collaborators were tortured, battered, and murdered with pride. It was also common for them to be smeared with mud/feces and humiliated publicly.) If you find any historical evidence that many women “collaborators” suffered public executions at the hands of the “justice mob,” please let me know.
Some of the “collaborators” were wrongfully punished, or were coerced/forced to “collaborate” by German soldiers (what a soulless way to describe “sexual harassment/assault”…). There were plenty who voluntarily “cooperated” with the Nazi side, for a variety of reasons.
Here is a relevant wikipedia article discussing “horizontal collaboration”, basically “sexual” collaboration, during WWII. Please take a look if you have the time.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizontal_collaboration
Here’s a Dutch wiki article discussing the women who (voluntarily or not) had relationships with the Nazis. Also a good read.
https://nl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moffenmeid#
I was just discussing with the first person how misogyny could have contributed to the targeting of women, given that no proof was needed. After that, I was annoyed by your response. It came across as rude and dismissive of what I was saying. Whatever you think, I’m done.
Don’t you think we should listen to these allegations and believe them?
If there is adequate proof yes. I fully support punishing anyone who supported the Nazis. I was just wondering about how this practice could have been misused because it didn’t go through the courts (from what I can find). Mob mentality could easily lead to innocent people being subjected to this. That’s all I was trying to mention.
Right? “LISTEN AND BELIEVE!”
Oh…except for this sort of stuff. Don’t listen to allegations and believe the victims.
Despite this, these images portray absolute humiliation and degradation, whereas execution is more direct and brief. Certainly male collaborators were held accountable, but executing men while leaving women alive to drag out some prolonged violent public shaming seems misogynistic.
It’s not fair to compare public shaming and sexual assault to being beaten and executed. Particularly not to chalk it up to “misogyny” as if it were a “male” issue.
In other words, you call humiliation, torture, and death “direct and brief”. As if all male collaborators had just been tried and guillotined the next day. That’s not how things work.
I think more important to note that treachery is a worse crime than prostitution. Collaboration indicates helping the Nazi war effort…
Providing intel to benefit Nazis is worse than sleeping with them.
I mean, it’s cool if you disagree with me, I’m just saying I can see how misogyny could have played a role in the methods of punishment chosen.
You’re talking about Nazi sympathizers. I think worries about misogyny is probably misplaced here. Worry about the women they raped, killed and whose children were left for dead in rail cars.
So getting your head shaved and humiliated is really awful if you rat out your neighbor’s children who are sent to concentration camps and killed because of your complicity? What? Have some perspective here.
Executed. Men were sentenced to jail or executed. Not prostitutes or rape victimes for the women, but women who.had a love affair with a German soldiers… Or refused to have a remationship with a résistant or “late jour” résistant (Aka Nazi collaborators who changed side at the last moment). My mom, who was 7 at thé end of thé war in Belgium, still remembers a red hair young woman being executed without trial. What you see in this picture is soft.
There were tons of men who were publicly punished for collaborating. They were summarily executed instead of humiliated. I’m not sure the women had it worse.
Read this: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/25/opinion/simone-touseau-france-occupation.html
This was shockingly more tame than I thought it was.
Nevertheless, most women in Nazi-occupied Europe did not join them.
In my opinion, the women being punished were not simply rape victims, but people who actively slept with and/or collaborated with Nazis.
Sure, we can discuss the power dynamics between occupiers and occupied, and rape and coercion did occur. However, let’s not pretend that some women did not actively choose to take up with their occupiers. There is no doubt in the historical record about that.
Whether for good or ill, women are human beings with agency.
Exactly, I’m sure they outed a lot of Jews who died as a consequence
Many of them were educated women who spoke more than one language. The soldiers usually forced women who spoke English, French, and/or German to translate when they invaded. The question is whether they willingly had sex with their bosses or if they did so out of desperation.
And to be frank, they got off easy. The men were shot.
Funny how they still complain that being tortured and shamed publicly is worse than being fking dead.
“They”? You definitely don’t have a bone to pick with women as a collective group, you lil war hero you.
Well, well, well, it looks like the tables have turned 😂
Ah, yes, because every woman has to be a victim and cannot possibly have voluntarily chosen evil.
You are made of stupid.
Bs. There were love affairs. In fact, there were more râpes being commited by thé Allies than by the Germans, who were specifically instructed NOT to act against civilians (not Jewish, of course)
Men shaming and torturing women victims of rape during war? Shocking
Collaborators with Nazis are victims now if they’re women apparently.
Considering that male collaborators were shot, this is doubly stupid since women were not specifically targeted.
Shot Vs dragged through streets, beaten publicly, and/or raped. Oh yes, they sure got off easy
Yes dragged through the streets is easy compared to being killed
Id rather be shot than raped.
If someone pointed a gun at you I’m sure you would change your tune quick.
Many of the women often ended up dying by suicide afterwards anyway because of the shame/stigma. So it’s a just a longer route to the same end.
I’m not a female but I personally know 2 people who have been raped, one was pregnant because of the rape. They can personally tell you and i’m inclined to agree that being simply lined up and shot (as horrible and severe as it may be) is better than being brutalized, extremely humiliated and raped by the community I lived in. Some collaborators absolutely deserved to be punished or even executed for the crimes they committed but much like the Korean war women were forced to sleep with communists or fascists to even get food to eat.
For some reason people keep seeming to ignore this little fact: the punishment for collaboration was not rape. Being paraded through the streets is not rape
So you’re denying that collaborators, guilty or not, were raped? You’re delusional.
Rape was not a punishment. If they did get raped it wasn’t the punishment.
Do you care to give a single reference to these claims that they were raped so much by the French resistance?
When I heard about how they executed Quisling I was really sad and stuff :(.
Oh wait, he’s a man. And as we all apparently agree, only men have agency and women are weak and easily manipulated by oppressors. Therefore men are responsible for their a
Yes, comparing a high-ranking politician to a woman in the ’30s and ’40s is a totally equal and good argument, well done you.
If Quisling was a street sweeping bum who collaborated with the Nazis by ratting out Jews instead of by running Norway for them I would still condemn him. Just as I condemn Leni Riefenstahl for advancing her career by creating Nazi propaganda machine and a random French woman for sleeping with the oppressors of her people in order to advance hers.
They very well had a choice. It may have been a horrible choice with no good options, but they certainly had a choice. Just as the White Rose and other resistance movements had their own difficult choices.
People commenting in here are such an embarresment, all entangled in a mindset not compatible with actual historical facts. Fraternizing and sucking up to power and fame is what a lot of women do.
What’s with this sentimental view of women as these powerless little wisps? There were Nazis of both genders. Women who helped out their neighbors. Anne Frank may have been outed by a woman employee. Did she get her head shaved? She should have.
Men were shot, anything to say about this ?
Victims? No, collaboration isn’t victim hood.
If you can’t understand the complexities of coercion, grooming, and submission with momentary releases of pain being mistaken for pleasure beneath the pressures and stresses of everything you know being upturned if not destroyed or mutilated, you aren’t equipped for this conversation of a post.
“They’re all innocent. I decided 80 years later than none of them voluntarily were involved with Nazi’s”. You are the problem.
if they were collaborators they should have been punished the same way as the men
Women usually didn’t “collaborate” the same way as men, hence the different methods of “punishment”. While men who “collaborated” usually assisted the Nazis in their violence and murder (one way or another), women who “collaborated” usually had sexual relations or activities with Nazis. Different actions, different results.
Despite the fact that what they did was morally (and possibly legally, if their collaboration involved assisting the Nazis in their violence, such as outing a Jewish neighbor to your Nazi boyfriend), we must acknowledge why women were punished differently than men. They simply had different methods of “collaboration”.
(Of course, the act of group humiliation and punishment is not one to be encouraged – it often leads to innocent victims being falsely punished and is really an inhumane thing to do. Groupthink can lead to terrifying results.)
What would you say about Abu Ghraib I wonder. Not a slight on you, just curious.
Ah, yes, because every woman has to be a victim and cannot possibly have voluntarily chosen evil.
You are made of stupid.
Bs. There were love affairs. In fact, there were more râpes being commited by thé Allies than by the Germans, who were specifically instructed NOT to act against civilians (not Jewish, of course)
I’ve laughed at men’s jokes when I felt uncomfortable and scared as I didn’t want to deal with a physical encounter if they got mad at me. Who’s to say these “love affairs” weren’t also performances put on by people who were fearing death or even rape?
Why are you feeling sorry for Nazi collaborators? Serious question.
I’m 57. My parents were both kids during WWII, one of my grandfathers was a POW and a résistant. To paraphrase the French movie star Arletty, who arrested and shaved for a love affair with a German soldier: “Mon coeur est français mais mon cul est international”. There is a lot of confusion between how the Nazis treated Western and East European civilians. Once again, I’ve said that rape as a weapon was seldom in Western Europe, but love affairs did happen. Or happened in Vietnam, Korean etc between US soldiers and locals. Was there a threat there? Of course there were women who took a German lover to have a better access to ressources, the same happens all over the world. But claiming that all these women were victims of rape, no, it’s false. A lot of them were raped during arrest or in détention, but by the last hour résistants or just jealous men they had refused before. In my mom’s village Hornu, there were several women who had affairs with soldiers and among the one that survived, a lot of them came back to offert marriage. My mom went to school with one of these love children. His mother refused to marry his father when hé came back because she would have had to leave her family in Belgium to move to Germany. The kid kept contact with his father and they visited often.
To have sex while being cooreced is still rape though
The entire govt was Nazi.
Its wild how many comments are in here just saying this was okay. Wasn’t aware of how many incels were.
I think the collaborators should have been shot, man or woman.
They’re terminally online everywhere because they can’t find a woman who wants to build a meaningful relationship with them.
They said the catchphrase guys. Pack it up, it’s over.
Do you get angry and seethe when you see the word because you heavily relate with it? You’ve spent too much time on Twitter if you think I’m using this word as a catchphrase. If anything I’m using it correctly here.
Cope and seethe xoxo
Projecting? Unfortunate