German childhood in World War II

German childhood in World War II describes how the Second World War, as well as experiences related to it, directly or indirectly impacted the life of children born in that era. In Germany, these children became known as Kriegskinder (war children), a term that came into use due to a large number of scientific and popular science publications which have appeared increasingly since the 1990s. They describe the same phenomena from different perspectives, using diverse methods and various stylistic means. The literature on this subject has not yet been able to produce a universal and binding definition. However, there is consensus that the impact of war on children can be felt decades later, often increasing with advancing age, and that at times the impact can be passed on mute to subsequent generations. "War does not stop when the weapons fall silent." Into this simple formula German author Sabine Bode condensed the impact of war on human health. In 2015, on the occasion of the seventieth anniversary of Germany's capitulation and liberation from the Nazis – Victory in Europe Day – she was invited by Phoenix (German TV station) to discuss "how we feel the war to this day" with respect to grandchildren of war. Together with Katrin Himmler, Randi Crott, and Jens Orback, Sabine Bode participated in a round table discussion. None of the participants provided a definition of the two main terms, children of war and grand-children of war. Katrin Himmler, however, named a critical characteristic when she stated that "by far the most" war children in Germany were impacted "not only by the war", but "also by the pedagogy of the National Socialists". Author Matthias Lore had already attempted a definition as early as 2014: "For those born between 1930 and 1945, the term war children have become understood as youth who were too young for direct participation in the war, but old enough to suffer from hunger, expulsion and bomb attacks, loss of family members, separation and fear of death.