During World War II, the way civilians treated downed airmen said a good deal about wartime societies. In Germany, civilians’ behaviour became violent toward downed airmen when state policy, popular culture and ideology started aligning. Several hundreds of allied airmen were lynched between 1943 and 1945. This presentation draws on statistics and a particular case of lynching.
Claire Andrieu is Professor of History at Sciences Po Paris. Her work focuses on World War II. She is the author of Le Programme commun de la Résistance (1984), La Banque sous l’Occupation (1936-1946), Pour l’Amour de la République. Le Club Jean Moulin, 1958-1970 (2002). She is also the editor in chief of the Online Encyclopedia of Mass Violence and manages the research project “Helpers and Lynchers in German Europe 1940-1945).”
Co-sponsored by the History Department
