Rhineland Bastards

German people

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July 20, 2026

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The term "Rhineland bastards" was used by the Nazis to refer to Germans of African descent. These individuals were often the children of German mothers and African American soldiers who were stationed in the Rhineland after World War I.1

The Rhineland itself is a historical region in western Germany along the Rhine River. Historically, it has been a buffer zone and a site of territorial disputes, particularly between France and Germany. After World War I, the Treaty of Versailles demilitarized parts of the Rhineland, a move that Adolf Hitler repudiated in 1936, reintroducing German troops into the area.2

The persecution of "Rhineland bastards" was part of the broader Nazi ideology that targeted various groups deemed undesirable. While their persecution was less systematic than that of Jewish people, it included forced sterilization and internment in concentration camps, driven by the Nazi fear of racial pollution.1

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Holocaust
Victims of Nazism
…descent—many of whom, called “Rhineland bastards” by the Nazis, were the offspring of German mothers and French colonial African troops who had occupied the Rhineland after World War I—were also persecuted by the Nazis. Although their victimization was less systematic, it included forced sterilization and, often, internment in concentration…
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…descent—many of whom, called “Rhineland bastards” by the Nazis, were the offspring of German mothers and French colonial African troops who had occupied the Rhineland after World War I—were also persecuted by the Nazis. Although their victimization was less systematic, it included forced sterilization and, often, internment in concentration…
Read More