The Impact of Forced Labour at Telefunken and War Experiences in Ulm on the Health of Female Children and Adolescents (1944-1945)

<title>Abstract</title> <p> <bold>Purpose</bold> In the summer of 1944, an estimated 1,400 female forced labourers were deported from their hometown Łódź to work for Telefunken in Ulm. Almost all of them were girls aged between 12 16. The main purposes of this paper are to reconstruct the living and working conditions of the girls as well as their medical care in Ulm and to evaluate the impact of forced labour and war experiences on their health. <bold>Methods</bold> We conducted eight qualitative interviews with former female forced labourers and with their children. We examined unpublished documents from the Telefunken company archive, the Public Health Department of Ulm, Files of the Ulm denazification tribunal as well as the minutes of the Ulm city council. For the examination of these sources, we implemented the historical-critical method. <bold>Results</bold> Upon arrival in Ulm, the girls had to undergo humiliating medical examinations. In their labour camp, they were exposed to malnutrition, cramped living conditions and inadequate hygiene. Medical treatments were limited almost exclusively to abortions and ophthalmic examinations. After their return to Poland, the girls suffered from physical and psychological consequences of forced labour and war experiences. <bold>Conclusion</bold> Given the hard work and poor living conditions, medical care for the girls was completely inadequate. It was limited to protecting German staff from infection and maintaining the girls’ ability to work. Consequently, many of them became seriously ill during their stay in Ulm and suffered from the health consequences of their forced work for the rest of their lives. </p>