Why German girls willingly went to work in brothels and on what principle did brothels of the Third Reich work?

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Two ancient professions - military and ladies of easy virtue have always gone hand in hand. In order to control an army of young and strong men for a long time, it was necessary to take care of all their physiological needs. It is not surprising that at all times violence was accepted in the occupied territories, although there was an alternative - brothels, in the creation of which the Germans especially succeeded during the Second World War.

The First World War made it clear that the sex life of the army is becoming a state problem, because the number of venereal diseases that spread among German soldiers forced the command to take tough measures. Although earlier everything was done only with appeals and leaflets.

Why brothels were created in such numbers

Hitler, accustomed to calculating everything a few steps ahead, also thought about this delicate moment. Most of all, the Fuhrer craved control over everyone, and therefore he could not admit the thought that, having missed the female affection, his army could disobey orders or lose health. It was much easier in this case to agree to double standards, because the ruling party of Germany in every possible way condemned easy behavior, representatives of the oldest profession were exiled to the camps, but by the beginning of World War II, a system of brothels had been developed both in cities and in the army, in the occupied territories and even concentration camps. This made it possible to control the behavior of the Wehrmacht soldiers and take care of their health.

After the capture of Poland in 1939, registration of ladies of easy virtue began, checks were organized in hotels, restaurants, and raids were organized. So the invaders filled their brothels, later spreading this practice to other occupied territories. At least in countries where this "service sector" was not developed to the extent they needed, in France and Holland everything was already adjusted and without the intervention of the Nazis.

Brothels were created not only to control soldiers, but for a number of very logical reasons.

• Brothels, where women could be checked by a doctor on a regular basis, were safer in curbing the growth of sexually transmitted diseases. • During love dates on the side, the soldiers could tell a military secret, so it was better if they had connections only with trusted girls within the walls of a brothel. • Violence against local women, residents of the occupied territories, negatively affected the image of the army, satisfied soldiers did not would force local women to have connections. • Brothels were supposed to be a prevention of intimate relations between the Nazis themselves (yes, it happened). • Sexual relations with Slavic women (Polish, Czech, Soviet women) were considered harmful to the purity of the race. However, this did not prevent the creation of brothels in the occupied territories, in which women of these nationalities worked. Only Jewish women were not involved in such work (and even then officially), but in the houses where rich Jews once lived, they often arranged dating houses.

After a woman in the occupation territory ended up in a brothel, she was deprived of any rights, but had to undergo regular medical examinations, if a venereal disease was discovered, then she had to undergo treatment. But it was more likely that she was simply shot, since that was the easiest solution to the problem than long-term treatment.

Working principle of German brothel houses

Women were divided into four categories based on military ranks. For the lower-ranking military, one girl was allocated for a good hundred soldiers, in sergeant brothels for every 75 people, for officers - 50. In flight units there was one lady for every 20 pilots, there were also mobile brothels - special trailers in which there were up to 20 girls. A kind of mobile team that can be brought to remote regions, but most often it was its own, attached according to the staffing table.

German women of easy virtue were not at all considered the lower strata of society, they had the status of civil servants of the defense department. They received salaries, insurance, uniforms, and had their own benefits. Production rates were also set, for example, the maximum rate for a female worker on the invisible front was 600 soldiers per month.

The recruitment of German girls for such controversial positions was carried out without violence, the girls were sure that in this way they were contributing to the common cause and bringing victory closer. At the very beginning of hostilities, it was even difficult to get into a brothel; only a purebred German woman, tall, with blond hair, eyes and skin, could do it. Later, when the army went deep into the territory of the Soviet Union, those who outwardly resemble the Aryans, or with knowledge of the language, were recruited into brothels.

For each type of troops, there were requirements not only for the workers of brothels, but also for their visitors. For example, girls for pilots dressed smartly, changed underwear and bed linen after each date. Those who served the ground soldiers managed to change their linen every tenth, the flow was too large. It's no joke - dozens of soldiers a day.

Soldiers could visit brothels 5-6 times a month, but for some merits the command could give them additional coupons. A very effective motivation, because coupons (even those that are rightfully relied on) could be taken away for violation of military discipline.

Only girls for lower military ranks drove behind the troops in trailers; they usually stopped at the nearest village, where the soldier received a leave of absence. The officers visited special brothels or visiting houses, sometimes a woman could be delivered to the place of demand. For those of higher rank, a doctor's examination was provided, while the soldiers had to wash themselves with soap (soaping twice) and use protective equipment. For everything about everything, one hour of time was allotted, and the time for washing was also included here.

In Germany itself, there was an elite brothel "Salon Kitty", although it was used not only to entertain high-ranking fascists, but also to collect secret information, since it was all crammed with eavesdropping devices. It employed 20 women, who were carefully selected not only for their external data, but also for their level of language skills, intelligence (as far as it is generally feasible in such a place), and even with obvious signs of nymphomania. However, it was not possible to find out any valuable information in the cabin, and in 1942 a bomb hit it, later it was restored, but its further work was only for its intended purpose.

An ordinary day for ladies of easy virtue involved getting up early, a medical check-up, breakfast, a walk around the city, and getting ready for work. The work itself took most of the time from 14.00 to 20.00. Needless to say, such a regime turned out to be disastrous for most women.

Brothels have not been spared from violence in the occupied territories

Despite the measures taken by the German side, this did not allow to avoid violence from the German invaders. By the third year of the war, there were nearly 600 brothels scattered across all fronts. But at the same time, by 1944, more than five thousand soldiers of the German side were convicted of pedophilia and sodomy, violence against women was not even punishable by law. Moreover, none of the parties, even the administration of the occupied territory, turned a blind eye to the rape of local women.

Often, local residents were forced to cohabit under threats or bribery, so we can safely say that the presence of brothels did not protect against crimes against the residents of the occupied territories.

An ambiguous fact. Immediately after the end of hostilities, the incidence of syphilis was 174 for every hundred thousand people. Whereas the pre-war figure was at around 3-4 people. And we are not talking about the servants of brothel houses who were infected by the German invaders and rapists. Men who returned from Europe brought with them not only trophies and gifts, but also venereal diseases. It took at least 10 years to bring this medical indicator back to its previous level.

Sex life of concentration camp prisoners

In some concentration camps, brothels also existed, which, along with increased nutrition, improved living conditions, were supposed to stimulate prisoners to loyalty and denunciations.

The "workload" in the concentration camps for women from brothels was enormous, based on one in 300-500 men. A black triangle was sewn on the sleeves of the pea jackets of the brothel workers - a special identification mark.

More than 50% of women of free behavior in concentration camps were German women, convicted of immoral behavior, those who were previously engaged in this craft were used as mentors. Moreover, these workers were intended exclusively for prisoners, the Nazis themselves were not supposed to enter into any relationship with them.

In brothels, women from 16 to 35 years old were selected from among the prisoners, at first they lay in the infirmary, received injections and vitamins, disinfected, ate and even sunbathed. After these simple procedures, they were transferred to the brothels themselves, which were buildings on the outskirts, with female guards.

A visit to the institution also took place according to a coupon, and only the Germans could count on it, and most often they were overseers and wardens. Clients underwent a medical examination and, having received his permission, could choose a lady. For everything about everything, 15 minutes were allocated, and it was forbidden to talk. There was a special peephole in the doors of such rooms, since only the missionary position was allowed.

If in military hospitals condoms were distributed everywhere, in concentration camps they were not used; in case of pregnancy, the woman was simply replaced. Even in these conditions, women managed to create their own hierarchy, appoint pimps and earn money. Especially in-demand girls paid to redirect the flow of customers.

There were rumors that after 6 months of such work the prisoners were released, but in fact they either worked until their death, or returned to the camp to work. In the European archives, violence against women during World War II is still a closed topic.

The fact that the Nazis forced women to give up education and profession is also not widely publicized. However, for Germany of this period it was in the order of the norm - to deprive a woman of knowledge, aspirations and the possibility of self-realization in something other than her husband and children. Meanwhile, for women who were to become the wives of the top of the rule of Nazi Germany, a number of requirements were put forward, and not related to appearance. The school of brides of the Third Reich existed officially and the girls considered obtaining such a certificate prestigious.