How The Nazis Oppressed Black Germans

Afro-Germans’ Suffering Under a Racist Regime

Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi with a Nazi Swastika. Source: Shadow and Act

Post-WWI: The Rhineland Bastards

After WWI, Rhineland — an area in West Germany — became occupied under French forces. And under the French, around 25,000 to 40,000 French colonial soldiers were stationed in the region. The French colonial soldiers would have sexual relations with some German women.

As a result, 400–500 Afro-German children were born between 1919 and 1927. Derogatorily, they were referred to as the Rhineland Bastards. Besides the Rhineland Bastards, other black children in Germany included black royalty from the German colonies, artists, and jazz musicians.

Young Rhinelander who was classified as a bastard and hereditarily unfit under the Nazi regime. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Throughout the 1920s, there would be considerable debates about the “mulattoisation” of the Rhineland. But, in truth, only about 1/3 of France’s Rhine army had colonial soldiers. The French colonial soldiers’ offspring also made up a small portion of the French zone’s occupational children.

Out of 715 out-of-wedlock children, only 68 were from French colonial fathers. And British and American soldiers had far more offspring with German women than…