Taken by Force

Did American's 'greatest generation of soldiers' commit horrendous crimes against civilians in Europe during World War II? Is this an absurd idea, or something which did occur but was generally kept from the American public?

Taken by Force makes unprecedented use of military records and trial transcripts to throw light on one of the overlooked consequences of the US Army's presence in Western Europe between 1942 and 1945: the rape of an estimated 14,000 civilian women. The study makes an important and original contribution to our understanding of sexual violence in armed conflict. Using not only official military records, but also interviews with World War II soldiers, rape victims and their families, Lilly speaks as often as possible through the protagonists themselves and examines the differing social contexts prevailing in England, France and Germany. Attention is also given to the racial dimension of this issue: the disproportionate number of black GIs prosecuted and the relative harshness of their sentences when convicted.