The Nazis had two main goals of the Third Reich. The first was the commonly known destruction and planned extermination of “undesirables.” The lesser known objective was the enhancement of the Aryan race. To do this, the Nazis began encouraging the rise of the Aryan birth rate.
Young couples were given loans to start their new families. As each child was born, one-fourth of the repayment was taken off of the loan. By the fourth child, the loan was annulled completely. Special tax rebates were given to family with children by taxing single men. Marriages in Nazi Germany had to be approved and the race history of the couple had to be ideal.
The Lebensborn or ‘Spring of Life’ program was founded and led by Heinrich Himmler. The first Lebensborn homes were for unmarried Racially-pure Aryan women who were pregnant with potential racially pure children. As the war progressed and new territories were acquired with racially pure populations, Lebensborn homes were set up in different countries. Norway was home to the most Lebensborn homes since they were a Nordic population and seen as the most valuable Aryans, next to Germans. Other homes were in France, the part of Czechoslovakia incorporated into the Reich, Belgium, Holland, and Austria.
Many children who possessed Aryan traits were taken to be Germanized. They were tested on their racial characteristic and, if they passed, were taken to centers to be taught German and made to forget their Polish past. Most children were taken from orphanages or were children of parents killed by the Nazis. Others, however, were kidnapped from their parents. Some parents were told that their children were going to be evaluated for special schooling since Polish children were supposed to receive only the minimum of education. The children were given German names and a false German background. Children between 2 months and 6 years of age were given to approved Nazi families. Those who were between 7 and 12 were sent to centers first, than sometimes adopted.
Children who did not passed the racial test were sometimes sent to concentration camps. Most were exterminated since the Nazis did not want any German blood and potential intellectuals in Poland who could lead a resistance. Others were approved but failed to be Germanized. Not being able to master the German language, bed-wetting, uncleanliness, constant farting, and masturbation were automatic disqualifications for Germanization.
After the war, only one-fifth of the taken children were returned to Eastern Europe. Since most of the countries were under control of the communist Soviet Union, returning children that were being trained to be leaders was not on the top of the list for the democratic Allies. Those born in Lebensborn homes in countries like Norway or France were persecuted. In Norway, some were put in insane asylums and the mothers arrested.
Additional Information on the Lebensborn Program by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Other sources
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/Europe/2009/jan/Nazi-Victims-as-Children-Lebensborn-Adults-Piece-Together-Their-Pasts.html
Movie on the Lebensborn Program
Lebensborn
Pramen Zivota “Spring of Life”
