After 80 years of silence, a survivor of a horrific wartime assault has spoken out about her experience.
Aimee, now 99, recalls the night in 1944 when two drunk American soldiers attacked her family’s farm in Brittany, France, during World War II... Continue reading here ▶
Aimee’s Story
At the time, Aimee was 19 and living with her family in Montours. Like many in her village, she was overjoyed when Allied forces arrived, viewing them as liberators.
But her happiness turned to terror on the night of August 10 when two American soldiers came to her home.
The soldiers fired their guns at her father to intimidate him and demanded a woman. Aimee’s mother, in an act of self-sacrifice, left with the soldiers to protect her daughter.
“They took me to a field and raped me, taking turns four times each,” her mother later wrote in a letter.
Aimee, who kept this traumatic event private for decades, read the letter aloud with a trembling voice. “My mother sacrificed herself to protect me,” she said. “While they raped her, we waited, unsure if she would come back alive.”
A Hidden Chapter of History
Aimee’s story is not isolated. In October 1944, after the battle for Normandy was won, U.S. military courts tried 152 soldiers for raping French women. Historian Mary Louise Roberts estimates that hundreds, perhaps thousands, of rapes went unreported during the occupation from 1944 to 1946. Shame, fear, and the joy of liberation made many victims reluctant to speak out.
Roberts explains that American military leadership fueled a harmful narrative by portraying French women as “easy to get” to motivate soldiers. U.S. Army publications like *Stars and Stripes* celebrated the idea of French women being enamored with American soldiers. This narrative overshadowed the darker reality of exploitation and violence.
Race and Justice
The U.S. Army’s segregationist policies also played a significant role. Out of 29 soldiers sentenced to death for rape in 1944 and 1945, 25 were Black. Historian Philippe Baron highlights how racial stereotypes led to the scapegoating of African-American soldiers, while white soldiers often evaded justice due to their mobility.
One survivor, Jeanne Pengam, recalls how her sister Catherine was raped and her father murdered by a U.S. soldier.
Catherine kept the trauma a secret for most of her life, only revealing it shortly before her death. “It was the Liberation; everyone was happy. I couldn’t ruin that,” she told her daughter.
Breaking the Silence
The taboo around these assaults has kept this dark chapter of history largely hidden. Survivors like Aimee are finally sharing their stories, shedding light on the injustices they endured. Roberts, whose book *What Soldiers Do* examines these events, faced significant backlash for challenging the idealized image of American soldiers during World War II.
This part of history serves as a sobering reminder of the complexities of war and the importance of giving survivors a voice, no matter how many years have passed.