World War II is known for some of the worst
atrocities committed against humanity. Many can agree that this was a dark time in
our history, fueled by a ruthless ideology and a desire to promote the wellbeing of what
was considered the “superior” or “master” Aryan race. The Aryan race included those with pure German
blood who possessed white skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes, modeled after Scandinavian
people. Given the lengths the Nazis were willing to
take to create a new Germany, it may seem unsurprising that they would have a program
specialized for breeding human beings in accordance with their philosophy on eugenics. During the 12 years of the Third Reich, between
1933 and 1945, it is estimated that around 20,000 babies were bred by the Nazis in Germany
as well as in Norway. A state-sponsored, top-secret program known
as Lebensborn was initiated by Heinrich Himmler. The word “Lebensborn” means “fountain
of life.” It focused on increasing the birth rate of
blonde, blue-eyed Aryan children through interbreeding. To do this, racially ‘pure’ women were
hand-selected to sleep with SS officers in the hope that they would become pregnant. So how did Lebensborn determine which women
were fit for breeding? It was a very carefully orchestrated process. First, a woman was given a series of medical
examinations and had to undergo a thorough investigation into her lineage. Obviously, it was imperative that she possess
no Jewish blood in her veins. She also had to make a statutory declaration
that there was no trace of hereditary disease or “imbecility” in her family. Additionally, she had to sign a document that
renounced all her claims to any children that she produced in the Lebensborn program. This is because these children would be considered
property of the state. She had to show a certificate of Aryan ancestry
dating as far back as her great-grandparents. Only after given the all-clear was the woman
then allowed to select a breeding partner from a chosen group of SS officers. She was encouraged to pick someone with similar
hair and eye color to her own. She and her choice would then get busy. You might now be wondering who would volunteer
to participate in this program. Mostly, people who strongly believed in the
importance of Nazi ideals. Hildegard Trutz was one such woman. She was a loyal supporter of the Nazis since
Hitler came to power. She was a member of the Bund Deutscher Madel,
otherwise known as BDM, which was basically the female equivalent of the Hitler Youth. Trutz joined the BDM in 1933 and loved it. She was quoted by historyextra.com as saying,
“I was mad about Hitler and our new better Germany.” When she finished her schooling in 1936, she
was only eighteen and not sure what to do with her life. That’s when a BDM leader approached her
with a suggestion. He said, “If you don’t know what to do,
why not give the Fuhrer a child? What Germany needs more than anything is racially
valuable stock.” Because it was top secret, Trutz didn’t
know about the Lebensborn program but she was intrigued by it, later admitting that
it sounded wonderful to her. Despite knowing her parents would probably
disapprove of the idea due to the stigma associated with pregnancy while not being married, Trutz
signed up for the program right away. She lied to her folks while explaining that
she was taking a residential course in National Socialism for a while. She probably felt flattered by the whole thing. After all, during her time with the BDM, she
was singled out as a figurehead for her local organization, mainly due to her ideal, Germanic
appearance. She said, “I was pointed out as the perfect
example of the Nordic woman for besides my long legs and my long trunk [and blonde hair
and blue eyes], I had the broad hips and pelvis built for child-bearing.” Thus, she was willing to dedicate her life
to the cause by producing children for her beloved Fuhrer, the big man himself: Adolf
Hitler. Trutz explained her experience with Lebensborn
as being luxurious. She stayed in a castle in Bavaria, located
near the Tegernsee. There were rooms for recreation, sports and
games, as well as a library, music room and cinema. According to Trutz, the food was also the
best she’d ever tasted. She was one among forty other girls there
at the time and they all lived under false names. The women didn’t have to work, and their
needs were catered to by servants. It was a relaxing lifestyle, like a high-quality
vacation. Trutz and the other girls were introduced
to the SS men who were to be their breeding partners. There was a getting-to-know-you session and
the group played games, watched movies and enjoyed social gatherings in the castle together. The women were given a week to choose which
man they wanted to get down and busy with. The names of the men were not given to them
though because the Lebensborn program was built on anonymity. Once the choice was made, the women had to
wait until the tenth day of their menstrual cycles, from the first day of their last period. This is roughly around the time that they
would be ovulating and thus, most fertile. The chosen SS officers would sleep with their
women for three evenings within their fertile window. On other evenings, he’d sleep with more
women who had chosen him as their breeding partner. In essence, the men were like studs, prized
racehorses to be used for this specific purpose. Trutz was very excited about the sexual activity
and the fact that she was doing this for the cause that she so heavily believed in. She said she had “no shame or inhibitions
of any kind.” She was impressed with her breeding partner’s
good looks though, she had to admit, she thought he was not really the brightest bulb. She even went as far as to say she thought
he was kind of stupid. When Trutz fell pregnant, she was relocated
into confinement in a maternity home for the next nine months. When it came time to deliver her baby, she
didn’t use any aids for the pain. Pain alleviation for childbirth was frowned
upon as it was something used in the – quote, “degenerate Western democracies”- unquote. Trutz was only able to be with her baby son
for two weeks while she weaned him. Then, he was taken from her and she would
never see him again. Trutz never discovered what happened to her
son and his fate is shrouded in mystery. Nevertheless, in the years that followed,
Trutz was tempted to breed more children with the program, but she fell in love with an
SS officer and got married. When she told her husband about her involvement
with the Lebensborn program, he did not react the way she had hoped. He was not pleased with it but, at the same
time, he couldn’t exactly criticize her for it because she had been doing her duty
to the Fuhrer. Children produced from the Lebensborn program
were to be brought up in special institutions where they would be indoctrinated in Nazi
ideology. They were meant to lead a glorious future
in the new Germany, but Hitler and the Nazis didn’t anticipate losing the war. After World War II ended, the children were
heavily ostracized due to the negative stigmatization associated with their connection to the Nazis. For the ones living in Norway, being associated
with Germany became a crime. For the most part, the children were alone,
unprotected and hated by the state. With literally nowhere to go, many were institutionalized. In these institutions, they were often treated
very badly, scorned and abused. This is sad when you consider that these were
just children who didn’t choose their fate. Nevertheless, many would spend their lives
trying to distance themselves from their past association with Lebensborn and the Nazi party. It was a legacy that caused many of them to
feel ashamed. Some of the lucky children who had been adopted
into families were never told of where they came from, so they had no idea. A lot of Germans to this day still don’t
know they were Lebensborn children while others who do know could not obtain the records to
find their birth parents. Many of the records were destroyed since a
lot of the fathers did not want to be found and revealed as SS men after the war. Still, even for those few who had fathers
who did not try to hide their identities, the names of many parents had been stricken
from record. Only a few were actually able to trace their
birth parents’ identities. One must wonder whether the breeding program
was even worth the trouble. It is interesting that so much emphasis was
directed towards creating more blonde-haired, blue eyed children. Especially when you consider that there is
no scientific evidence indicating that blonde hair and blue eyes is somehow more racially
valuable or has any advantage over other races. Still, you might be wondering why Lebensborn
was such a tightly guarded secret during the time of the war. For the most part, the secrecy was due to
the negative connotation with producing illegitimate children at the time. Though, Hitler had actually planned on being
open about the program once the war had been won. He was, of course, overly optimistic about
the outcome. So, what would have happened if the Lebensborn
experiment was left to continue? Well, the use of artificial selection techniques
would have certainly succeeded in terms of leading to the production of many similar-looking
people. But, more than likely, they probably wouldn’t
have been superior to anyone else. The Aryan race is nothing more than a construct
and there is no defining characteristic that separates blonde-haired, blue eyed people
genetically from others. In fact, all humans, regardless of race, are
very close to being genetically identical. It all seemed kind of hypocritical when you
also consider that Hitler did not embody any of the criteria of the ideal race. He was short with dark hair and brown eyes. He definitely did not fit the description
of the race that he promoted. On the topic of contradictions, many SS officers
also felt that the Lebensborn program did not conform to the Nazi principles of protecting
good, old-fashioned family values. They didn’t agree with producing children
for the state. Thus, many of them refused to participate. Though they were encouraged to have at least
four children each and could be fined if they didn’t, the average SS household possessed
one child. Aside from the breeding program, many women
who were part of Lebensborn also joined because they were already pregnant. As well as producing children, the program
was intended to discourage the abortions of Germanic, Nordic babies by providing a safe,
comfortable environment for single mothers to have their pregnancies and give birth in
a private setting while being sheltered from outside judgement and criticism by others. The mothers were also given prenatal care
and had the option of releasing their children into Nazi custody if they were unable to keep
them. In order to be accepted for care with the
Lebensborn program, not only did you have to resemble the ideal German race, but you
also had to be carrying the child of someone who fit the physical requirements. Women had to give names of the fathers and
be approved upon admission. Are there people you know of who had been
scarred by the Nazi breeding program? Do you believe the Lebensborn children were
unfairly treated for their Nazi connection after the war? What do you think of the parents who participated
in the program? Let us know in the comments! Also, be sure to check out our other video
The Nazi's Secret Plan to Destroy British Economy! Thanks for watching, and, as always, don’t
forget to like, share, and subscribe. See you next time!
