Nazi program still a source of pain

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ^ | November 25, 2006 | Mark Roth

[mcg2000]

Lebensborn children feel shame of 'master race' ideology

Anne-Lise Fredriksen was walking on the beach one day during a Key West vacation when her husband told her to straighten up so her back wouldn't ache later.

To his shock, she burst into tears.

Her husband's innocent remark had dredged up a far darker memory, from the time when she was a young girl growing up in a fishing village in Norway, the child of a German father and a Norwegian mother.

Because her father had been a Nazi soldier during the occupation of Norway in World War II, children threw rocks at her, adults chased her away from public gatherings, and "I didn't eat because I wanted to be so skinny no one would see me."

She also walked bent over to avoid attention, but one woman in her village would always spot her and call out, "Straighten up! I can see you, you German kid."

That is the memory her husband unwittingly tapped into that day on the beach.

Mrs. Fredriksen is one of 9,000 to 12,000 Norwegian children who became part of the Nazis' Lebensborn program, which was begun by SS chief Heinrich Himmler to increase the supply of blond-haired, blue-eyed "Aryan" children.

In some ways, the Lebensborn effort -- it means "fountain of life" in German -- was the obverse of the Final Solution.

At the same time the Nazis were rounding up millions of Jews, Gypsies and others for slavery and execution in the concentration camps, they also began several programs to increase the "Germanification" of Europe.

The Lebensborn program began in the 1930s as a set of maternity homes in Germany for the wives of SS officers and for unwed mothers with the right traits, to ensure their children would be raised as good Nazis.

[VOYAGER]

Such a sad sad memory it makes my heart ache for those innocent victims of demonic power mad men and the women who supported them!

[PAR35]

Next month, the European Court of Human Rights has scheduled a hearing in a case brought by several Norwegian Lebensborn children, seeking damages from their nation for the abuse they suffered growing up.

In case someone wonders about the recent spate of stories. New secrets of Hitler revealed
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1733537/posts
Waterbury Republican-American ^ | November 6, 2006 | Melissa Eddy (A.P.)

Germans tell of secret Nazi program
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1732524/posts
AP Via Yahoo ^

And earlier stories:

Innocent Children of Hitler's Racial Master Plan Still Haunt Norway 60 Years After War's End
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1361549/posts

Norway's abused war children move step closer to compensation
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/802835/posts

[raybbr]

In some ways, the Lebensborn effort -- it means "fountain of life" in German ...

Another author who can't do any research:

Lebensborn (Source of Life, in German)... From here.

A simple search would have given him the meaning of the word "lebensborn".

[mcg2000]

It can be translated in several other ways while remaining legitimate - wellspring is also another common translation.

Wikipedia allows too much open input from posters ... I listened to a WSJ Radio program the other morning about the fact aspect of Wikipedia losing it's dependability.

[Bringbackthedraft]

"Mrs. Fredriksen is one of 9,000 to 12,000 Norwegian children who became part of the Nazis' Lebensborn program, which was begun by SS chief Heinrich Himmler to increase the supply of blond-haired, blue-eyed "Aryan" children."....... I wonder how many "other" children were born to "married" German/Norwegian couples? (It would appear that most just went on with their lives.) Also, how many Russian/German children were born out of wedlock in 1946? (We don't see/hear much about them.) (Maybe now with the declining birth rate in Western Europe, they should consider re instituting a similar program?) Wars have a tendency to produce children by invaders. Ever hear of Amerasians? I'm sure the Romans, Mongols, Huns, etc. did their fair share too. Mrs. Fredricksen didn't ask to be born, and for that reason alone they should not have picked on her. No child can pick out its parents. Also, Out of the approximately 300,000 German troops occupying Norway, how many were SS? There were SS units in Hungary and Berlin at the wars end that were made up of Norwegians, but were there SS Divisions actually stationed in Norway? I have always been under the impression that Norway was invaded only because German Intel. discovered the British plan to use it as a base. Norway could have remained neutral, like Sweden had the British not intended to use it. Thus Norway and Mrs Fredricksen ended up as victims of circumstance.

[BubbaHeel]

Mrs. Fredricksen didn't ask to be born, and for that reason alone they should not have picked on her.

Who are "they"?

[BubbaHeel]

Such a sad sad memory it makes my heart ache for those innocent victims of demonic power mad men and the women who supported them!

I dunno - in theory, the children should bear no responsibility for the crimes of their ancestors.

Now this is a difficult thought to elucidate [which probably indicates that it's not much of a thought in the first place], but if the children turn their backs on hope, and embrace despair, then maybe they DO become every bit as guilty as their parents.

Freedom or tyranny, life or death, nurture or murder, hope or despair, love or - what's the opposite of love? Nihilism? Materialism? Some kind of pure, unadulterated iniquity*?

Choices, choices, choices...

 

[*Or maybe Love doesn't have an opposite...]

[GaryMontana]

Norway was a supply base for a number of German minerals and the hope of attaining hard water. Britain offered arms and men to build up a force to prevent a possible German invasion- Norway said no thank you. Quisling - a Norwegian Nazi opened Norway for an easy take over by Germany. Sweden opened her ports and railroads to be used by the Germans so that Germany could capture Norway. Sweden collaborated with the Nazis. Sweden openly sold the Nazis minerals, weapons etc... -- so much for a neutral Sweden -- Norway and Sweden were OPENLY sympathetic to the NAZIS, even today Sweden and Norway have prevented NAZI hunters from arresting NAZI criminals from being arrested -- Norway and Sweden are NO friends of the Human race -- lastly thousand and thousands of Norwegians openly volunteered to fight for the NAZIS, many joined the SS. Both Germany and Norway during WWII issued postage stamps honoring the Norwegian assistance to the NAZI war effort. Today Sweden and Norway openly hate Israel. All I can say is Norway and Sweden are getting exactly what they deserve as they nations are dying and turning into hot spots for islamic growth! All Sweden and Norway care about are money -- just like france.

[ProudNorseman]

I don't know why I bother, but nearly every sentence in your farcical comment is false, and the rest are misleading.

[ccmay]

Another author who can't do any research

Actually, it is you who needs to do a little more research. In many European languages, the word for "source" and the word for "fountain" or "spring" are one and the same.

The English word "source", in fact, comes from the French word "source", which means "spring." Foreign film aficionados will recall the movie "Manon des sources", which was translated into English as "Manon of the Spring."

In German, the words "Born", "Brunnen" and "Quelle" all signify a source of water like a spring, well or fountain. I don't know enough German to know the shades of meaning between the words, but any of them can be used in the sense that we in English would use the word "source".

"Born", I think, is a more archaic or dialectical usage that might be used poetically, in the same way that an English speaker might use the word "font" instead of "fountain" or "source".

So in the end, it is a matter of how the word is translated. Perhaps the best translation of "Lebensborn" would be "wellspring of life".

-ccm

[albee]

"...nearly every sentence in your farcical comment is false, and the rest are misleading."

Talk is cheap!

How about providing us with some proof rather than attacking someone who described Norway during WW2 as I recall it.

[Last Dakotan]

Wars have a tendency to produce children by invaders. Ever hear of Amerasians?

Probably won't be any AmerIraqis.

[raybbr]

English word search for "fountain":

On click in results search further in:

	English	German
	fountain	Brunnen {m}
	fountains	Brunnen {pl}
	fountain	Fontäne {f}; Springbrunnen {m}
	fountains	Fontänen {pl}; Springbrunnen {m}
	fountain figure group	Brunnenfigurengruppe {f}
	fountain figure groups	Brunnenfigurengruppen {pl}
	fountain pen; pen	Füllfederhalter {m}; Füller {m}
	fountain pens; pens	Füllfederhalter {pl}; Füller {pl}
	fountain of youth	Jungbrunnen {m}
	basin of a fountain	Brunnenbecken {n}
	sculpture on a fountain; fountain figure	Brunnenfigur {f}
	fountain; fountain head	Quelle {f}	No mention of "born". Search for the German word "born":	On click in results search further in:

	German	English
	geboren {adj}	born
	Ich wurde 1964 geboren.	I was born in 1964.
	tot geboren	still-born
	geborene	nee; née
	Christiane von Goethe, geborene Vulpius	Christiane von Goethe, née Vulpius
	gebären; zur Welt bringen; hervorbringen {vt}	to bear {bore; born, borne}; to give birth
	gebärend; zur Welt bringend	birthing
	geboren; zur Welt gebracht	born; borne
	ich gebäre	I bear
	du gebierst; du gebärst	you bear
	sie gebiert; sie gebärt	she bears
	ich/sie gebar	I/she bore
	sie hat/hatte geboren	he/she has/had born
	ich/sie gebäre	I/she would bear
	gebier!; gebär!	bear!
	ich/er/sie wurde geboren	I/he/she was born No mention of fountain. If I were to tranlate "lebensborn" literally it would be "birth of life". That makes more sense then "fountain of life". Other searches I did brought the general meaning to be "source of life". I stand by my criticism. "Born", I think, is a more archaic or dialectical usage that might be used poetically, in the same way that an English speaker might use the word "font" instead of "fountain" or "source". We are not talking about archaic German.

[mcg2000]

Get a life! rotfl!!!

[ProudNorseman]

As you recall it? Yeah, right! I remember you from a previous discussion of WWII. You set a new standard for ignorance and childish idiocy. Go back to your X-box and ask your mom to make you a pizza.

[raybbr]

Get a life! rotfl!!!

Ich habe ein Leben. Aber, heute ich bin zu arbeit so Ich habe viele zeit.

[ccmay]

We are not talking about archaic German.

Hey, Hitler and his henchmen named the "Lebensborn" program, not me. Take it up with them. Hitler loved archaic and poetic German; he saw it as patriotic.

Here's a page in German containing the text "Born = Brunnen/Quelle". It has a picture of a village water fountain beside it for the linguistically challenged such as yourself: Bornum am Elm. It notes that "Born" is a Low German term for what would be called "Brunnen" or "Quelle" in High German, i.e. a well or source.

Oh, and here's a page from a German thesaurus: Synonyme Born, Brunnen, Quelle.

I stand by my criticism.

Feel free, but know that your criticism is based on dubious sources (heh heh) like Wikipedia, would not be shared by any native speaker of German, and gives you precious little standing from which to criticize the research of others.

-ccm

[albee]

Thanks for your rant!

Now can you supply me with the facts that I requested?

If you can't, you should quit making lying staements and just shut up.

[raybbr]

Here's a page in German containing the text "Born = Brunnen/Quelle". It has a picture of a village water fountain beside it for the linguistically challenged such as yourself: Bornum am Elm. It notes that "Born" is a Low German term for what would be called "Brunnen" or "Quelle" in High German, i.e. a well or source.

Okay. I stand corrected.

I did more than search wikipedia. There were several sources that referred to "lebensborn" as "source of life" and not "fountain of life".