From France24 · · 3m
France24: Édith Pagot's Nazi Past Revealed
French woman discovers she was born in Nazi-run maternity home.
In brief
French woman discovers she was born in Nazi-run maternity home. Édith Pagot, adopted as a child, learns she was born in a Nazi Lebensborn home in France in 1944 and was repatriated to France in 1946. Originally reported by France24.
Édith Pagot's hidden past
Adopted as a child, Édith Pagot had no idea she was born in a Nazi-run Lebensborn maternity home until her daughter began researching her origins.
“This photo is of a baby about 18 months old. It has my first name and surname on it”
The 1945 photo
Édith holds a black-and-white photo of herself as a baby, taken at the Indersdorf orphanage in Germany in 1945.
“I look nice. I look very well-behaved”
Dark history behind photo
The photo was taken at the Indersdorf orphanage in Germany in 1945 to find families, but Édith was born in a Lebensborn home in France's Oise department on April 11, 1944.
“It was taken at the Indersdorf orphanage in Germany in 1945. They photographed us holding a sign with our first names and surnames on it, to try to find our families”
Lebensborn project
The Lebensborn project, created in 1935 by Heinrich Himmler, aimed to produce 'perfect Aryan children' through Nazi maternity facilities.
“They were Nazi maternity facilities, and the man behind them was Heinrich Himmler. He wanted a 'pure race'”
No answers for Édith
Édith was unaware of her Nazi origins until her daughter started researching, as her adoptive parents only told her she was adopted without further details.
“My adoptive parents told me right away that I’d been adopted, but nothing more. I asked several times, but I was never told anything else”
Daughter's research
Émilie Ruffra, Édith's daughter, discovered her mother's birth name through a book about her own mother's past and contacted Édith in 2026.
“Through Matthieu’s and his mother’s stories, I discovered there were similarities with my own mother’s story. So I contacted him in the spring of 2026, and he was the one who confirmed that Mum had also been born in a Lebensborn home”
Lamorlaye maternity home
Édith was born in a manor house in Lamorlaye, France, near Chantilly, in the only Lebensborn home on French soil.
“Édith was born in a manor house in the Lamorlaye commune of France, near Chantilly”
Children's conditions
At the Lamorlaye facility, mothers were admitted six weeks before their due date and had to stay for six weeks after birth to breastfeed their children.
“young women were admitted, at the father’s request, six weeks before the due date and had to remain [at Lamorlaye]for six weeks after the birth to breastfeed their child”
23 children born
Twenty-three children were born at the Lamorlaye facility in France, with no information about Édith's mother except the surname 'de Vicar' and her French nationality.
“Twenty-three children were born at the facility in France. Nothing is known about Édith's mother, apart from the surname 'de Vicar' and the fact that she was French”
Journey to Germany
As the Allies advanced in 1944, Édith was taken to Germany and arrived at the first Lebensborn home in Steinhöring, Bavaria, in April 1945.
“As the Allies advanced and the Germans sensed the tide turning in the summer of 1944, the children at the Lamorlaye manor were taken to Germany”
Indersdorf orphanage
Édith was transferred to the Indersdorf refugee center near Munich in August 1945, where the photo was taken.
“After the war in Europe ended later that year, she was transferred in August to the refugee centre at Indersdorf, near Munich”
Repatriation to France
Édith was repatriated to France in August 1, 1946, arriving in Commercy with 10 other children after a year in Germany.
“A year later, on August 5, 1946, she was finally repatriated to France, arriving in Commercy with about 10 other children”
New identity
Édith was given a new name, Georgette, and her birthplace was changed to Bar-le-Duc in France after repatriation.
“They were also given new first names to erase their origins. Édith was now to be called Georgette. The French state also decided to change their places of birth: all of them were now recorded as having been born in Bar-le-Duc”
Adopted in 1951
Édith was adopted by a childless couple in 1951 and kept her original first name, Édith, causing issues with administrative appointments in France.
“They formally adopted her in 1951 and decided to keep her original first name, Édith, a decision, she says, that continues to cause issues with routine administrative appointments in France”
Family connection
Édith met Gisèle Niango, who arrived in Commercy in 1946, and they now consider each other sisters after sharing similar life stories.
“She’s a year older than me. We’ve had the same life story. It’s extraordinary. She now thinks of me as her sister”
The headline
Édith Pagot, adopted as a child, learns she was born in a Nazi Lebensborn home in France in 1944 and was repatriated to France in 1946.
