At the height of the Second World War, Switzerland decriminalised homosexuality. At the same time, France chose to introduce a law punishing homosexual relationships in certain circumstances. Going beyond the issue of the persecution of homosexuals and the central role played by Nazi Germany between 1939 and 1945, this book is examines the daily lives of homosexual men and women in wartime. It tells a different history, one which was marked by repression but also by enlistment in armies at war and resistance groups, not to mention collaboration. It enables us to better understand why the Second World War was a turning point for gays and lesbians in Europe .