Horizontal collaboration

Horizontal collaboration (French: Collaboration horizontale, collaboration féminine or collaboration sentimentale) referred to the romantic or sexual relationship many women in France had or allegedly had with members of the German occupation forces after the Fall of France in 1940. The existence of these liaisons had been a major reason for young men to join the French Resistance.^[1] After the Liberation of France from German occupation, such women were often punished for collaboration with the German occupiers.

After the war, throughout France, women accused of collaboration had their heads shaved.^[2] These women were referred to as "femme tondue" (shaven women) and were easily identifiable. ^[3] In many of the 20,000 cases, the women in question had performed only professional services for the occupying Germans, rather than being engaged in sexual relationships with them.^[4] Due to the head-shaving in public spaces being used to punish women thought to be collaborators, and the presence of many foreign photographers in post-war France, thousands of photos exist of women being subjected to this punishment.^[5]

"Collaboration horizontale" is believed to have produced 200,000 French babies with German fathers.^[6] Since 2009 Germany has offered these children of "the other bank of the Rhine" citizenship, after French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner lobbied for their recognition.^[7] The same phenomenon and later punishments occurred in other parts of Europe that were occupied by Germany during the war.