Sexuality and love were as much part of the experience of occupation after the end of World War II as brutality and violence. The exceptional conditions of the wartime and immediate postwar period in Austria produced an unusually broad spectrum of sexual encounters, ranging from rape and prostitution to what was perceived as the great love of one’s life. Abortions and sexually transmitted diseases were among the unwanted “side effects” of these uneven relationships. Another aspect was the prosecution of women accused of being enemy spies who had allegedly lured officers into a “honeypot” trap.

In romantic relationships, perceptions of attractiveness differed markedly between the local women and Allied occupation soldiers. This divergence was primarily shaped by gender-specific circumstances and by the—often negative—reactions of the surrounding social environment. In the case of Soviet occupation soldiers in particular, the political system played a central role, as it prohibited (long-term) relationships with Austrian women for ideological and disciplinary reasons. As a result, almost all of these relationships were forcibly terminated from the outside. The only—equally risky and illegal—“way out” was desertion.

Both consensual sexual relationships and acts of rape resulted in the birth of thousands of so-called “occupation children.” They were regarded as “children of the enemy” and simultaneously evoked painful memories of defeat. Many were subjected to various forms of discrimination. Especially the so-called “Russian children” constituted a generation of “fatherless” daughters and sons who often spent their childhood with aunts, grandparents, or foster parents. A wall of silence frequently surrounded those affected—a silence that some have been unable to break to this day. Questions of personal identity and the search for one’s “roots” were common consequences and could extend to the next two generations. The immediate consequences of these uneven relationships have lost none of their relevance, transcending both geographical boundaries and the decades that have since passed.