Between 1944 and 1945, up to 20,000 French women accused of ‘horizontal collaboration,’ meaning sexual relationships with German occupiers, were subjected to public humiliation. As part of the épuration sauvage (the ‘wild purge’) that followed the liberation of France, these women had their heads forcibly shaved, were stripped or partially undressed, marched through the streets, and in many cases beaten, spat on, or marked with painted swastikas. These acts were carried out by civilians rather than courts and reflected the chaotic desire for revenge and moral cleansing that gripped many communities after the end of the occupation.

Posted by Fred Bassett