'Grenzverkehr' : Eine transnationale Rechts- und Sozialgeschichte von Vaterschaft und Unterhalt (1940-1980)

Many men who came to strange lands as members of occupying forces, prisoners of war, or refugees had sexual intercourse with the native women. A consequence of this was the birth of 100,000 illegitimate binational children, who were automatically under official guardianship. Youth welfare offices tried for years to obtain legal paternal acknowledgements and the provision of paternal care.Could it at all be possible to get child support or an acknowledgment of paternity across borders in the early 1950s? Who was involved? And how did fathers and mothers act in law suits before the time of valid paternity tests? Family conflicts across borders, which disturb the establishment of the so called "normale Familienverhältnisse" and contrast with the German ideal of the "Normalfamilie", take center stage in my study.