2 Million German Women Raped in 1945, My Gosh!

Why the voices of millions of women were ignored for more than 70 years

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When most of us think of World War II, we imagine battles, soldiers, tanks, and perhaps even powerful political leaders. However, the German women who were raped during World War II can be seen in the background. It is one of the most secret and painful legacies of that war.

You are reading this either because you are curiosity-fueled, or perhaps because you have been searching for history and have accidentally found yourself here, or just maybe you have always had this suspicious sensation that some accounts of the war have never been aired out at all.

The Scale of Rape in Postwar Germany

Historians imagine that some two million German women were raped by Red Army soldiers as they moved into Germany in 1945. And no, these were not isolated cases. Gang rapes, women being attacked in the presence of their families, and even children as young as eight being attacked are all described.

Antony Beevor sparked outrage around the world when he published his book Berlin: The Downfall 1945, revealing that up to 130,000 women were raped by Soviet soldiers in Berlin alone, as stated by the **BBC**.

And, just in case you thought this was only a Soviet crime, historian Miriam Gebhardt points out that U.S., British, and French soldiers were also involved in mass rapes.

She estimates that up to 190,000 German women were raped by US soldiers alone prior to 1955 As reported by The Guardian). The point is not to compare numbers but to confront the reality: sexual violence was common in war, and women paid the price.

Why Survivors Stayed Silent for Decades

You may be wondering why these women did not speak sooner. So, here is the thing: you have just survived a series of attacks, you have lost your house, and your family is ruined.

To make matters worse, you are told to keep your mouth shut because your country was the aggressor. This is exactly what happened to German women in the aftermath of the war.

In West Germany, the subject was a secret. In Communist East Germany it was banned, as the Soviet colonial masters were presented as “liberators,” not as oppressors. Any criticism of the official propaganda showing Soviet thugs as ‘liberators” was illegal.

Moreover, in East Germany any criticism of the Soviets could prompt a visit from the Stasi secret police and a trip to a torture dungeon. Predictably survivors kept their trauma to themselves, even to the point of keeping it quiet, even from their own children.

When one of the women, Ruth Schumacher, was raped at the age of 19, she stated that fear is always present in her body. The agony subsides with time, but the fear never goes.” Based on **Independent**.

Personal Stories That Break the Silence

Statistics can get you lost. However, when you hear one story, it has a different impact. Consider the case of Gabrielle Kopp. She was only 15 years old when she was repeatedly raped while fleeing Soviet forces in 1945.

At the age of 80, she finally published her memoir, Warum war ich bloss ein Mädchen? (Why Did I Have to Be a Girl?), the first openly printed book by a German woman on rape during war, according to ***Spiegel***. She does not only reflect on the attacks but also the betrayals of women that gave her away to soldiers and even her mother telling her to keep it a secret.

Then there’s the woman, Ingeborg Bullert, who didn’t speak up until more than 60 years later, on the advice of Greifswald University researchers and the NGO Medica Mondiale.

These end-of-life stories are crude and heartbreaking, but they are not in vain. They are reminding us that they were not just nameless victims but daughters, sisters, mothers, and human beings.

Why Did It Happen? The Hard Truth

Historians continue to argue over the why. Others claim it was revenge for Nazi atrocities in the Soviet Union.

Others point to propaganda that made German women fair game. According to a historian named Norman Naimark, soldiers were motivated by hatred, alcohol, and even a distorted sense of ownership over the so-called spoils of war.

Beevor goes even further by stating that rape was a sort of bonding ceremony for soldiers encouraged by the apathy of the commanders.

Certainly, there was punishment; some Soviet soldiers were hanged as rapists after 1945, but in general the culture of impunity allowed it to continue until 1947–48, when the situation was tightened, according to **wikipedia**.

The Long Shadow of Trauma

It is pointless to mince words; the trauma has not been resolved. For other women, it was a case of not having children at all. To some, it was a lifetime of fear, failed relationships, or family silence. Kopp admitted that the incident prevented her from loving or being intimate.

Decades later, psychiatrists such as Professor Phillip Kuwert of Greifswald University are examining survivors to come up with treatments that can be given to elderly women who continue to be haunted by the moments. As stated by **Independent**. Imagine having to live with that kind of pain for 70 years.

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The Controversy Around Acknowledging the Truth

Naturally, this history is not accepted by everyone. Sadly even anti-Communist Russian officials (such as President Vladimir Putin) have frequently denied the claims of mass rapes by the Red Army as slander. Ambassador Grigory Karasin described the work by Beevor as an exaggeration, and other historians in Russia said that the majority of soldiers acted honorably.

But this is not what Western historians, survivor testimonies, and even Soviet archives tell us.

It is not only numbers that are controversial. It concerns recollection, humiliation, and the awkward reality that any army, not only the Soviets, left marks on the bodies and lives of women.

Why This Story Matters Today

And therefore, why not get over talking about what happened 80 years ago? Sexual violence in war has not ceased.

In Bosnia, Rwanda, and Ukraine, women continue to serve as weapons of war. The silence of German women reminds us of what can happen when victims are not given room to voice their opinion, when the society chooses to ignore certain suffering.

Their tales are not mere history. They’re warnings.

Final Thoughts

I tell you: it was a hard burden to write this. History is not meant to be cozy. The fact is that the German women who were raped in World War II were long forgotten. Their voices, whether in memoirs such as Kopp, or in studies at Greifswald, or in documentaries such as A Woman in Berlin, are at last being heard.

You can also read further into* Berlin: The* Downfall 1945 **by Beevor and this collection of testimonies of the survivors. History does not simply fade away because we do not remember. It repeats.