Children of the Third Reich

Every mother of good blood will be sacred to us, wrote Heinrich Himmler, as he founded his Lebensborn ('Fount of Life') programme in 1935.

The Lebensborn programme was founded in Nazi Germany to breed racially pure Aryans, from mothers who believed it was their national duty to provide 'A Child for Hitler', and fathers who served in the SS, selected for their good looks and pure Aryan ancestry. As many as 11,000 babies were bred like this, across nineteen homes across the German Reich and beyond. A further 200,000 blond, blue-eyed children were stolen from their parents to be raised as 'good Germans'.

Critically acclaimed historian Catrine Clay traces the lives of two children raised in these extraordinary circumstances—one bred, one stolen—as they try to come to terms with their past, and forge futures of their own, long beyond the end of the second world war. This is a gripping, moving and compelling tale that exposes a lesser-known narrative of Nazi Germany, and explores the echoes of history in the present day.

Children of the Third Reich delves deep into this aspect of history, offering insights into personal struggles and the broader implications for our understanding of the past.