Thousands of prostitutes, cologne baths and hectoliters of champagne. This is what Paris brothels looked like during the Nazi occupation. German soldiers had brothels organized to meet the most repugnant and perverted expectations of the Master Race.
The basis of Nazi power was the control of every sphere of citizens' lives. So no one is surprised that they wanted to have a decisive opinion also on the intimate life of their soldiers. It is for the sake of their well-being and morale in July 1940, under the order of OKH ( Oberkommando des Heeres ), the construction of a network of brothels in occupied Europe was started .
The sexual needs of thousands of young German men sent to conquered territories became a pressing problem for the command. Venereal diseases and inappropriate intimate contacts with random women posed a real threat to Hitler's army. Accordingly, the commander of the German troops in Denmark, Norway and France, General Walther von Brauchitsch, ordered that every German soldier use the military services of brothels.
For bread, for champagne
Tens of thousands of French women worked as prostitutes during the German occupation. Even though the occupation in Paris was much different than in other European capitals, the situation of women was similar everywhere . More than two million French men were captured or killed in the campaign, and their daughters and wives had to fight for survival on their own.
At least they are young and fun. But prostitution for the benefit of the Nazis was more of a survival than a game (source:Bundesarchiv; -foto Dietrich; lic. CC-BY-SA 3.0).
Fear, hunger, and the cold winter of 1940 meant that legal prostitution often seemed the only way to survive. War paid love was not only a survival strategy - was also a profitable business for many women and a guarantee of a relatively prosperous life. It is enough to realize that the hour of sexual services guaranteed a woman at least three times the "daily wage" of a prisoner of war's wife.
Spécialité parisienne
Paris, regarded by Hitler as a nest of debauchery, degenerated additionally by the presence of Jews, Masons and Blacks turned out to be a paradise for soldiers in terms of warfare .
The article was based, inter alia, on the book by Antony Beevor "Paris Liberated" (Znak Horizon 2015).
It turned out a lot of the puff , especially those considered exclusive, can successfully function under the current management - it was enough to introduce appropriate regulations, in line with the SS guidelines. Others were confiscated and the supervision over them was handed over to German hands. It was also not without creating new ones.
The best job in the war
It is estimated that after the occupation of France the number of women engaged in prostitution increased sixfold . These data, of course, relate to registered prostitutes. So let's add to that nearly eleven thousand women engaging in prostitution privately.
The crew of one of the best Parisian "shrines", le Sphinx , early 1930s (photo:public domain).
It should be remembered that illegal prostitution was prohibited and severely punished. French women remain a separate issue, as they provided sexual services sporadically, in return for protection, food or small, exclusive goods during the war - such as coffee, chocolate or underwear.
Officially, in occupied France, there were twenty-two brothels "only for the Germans" , fully supervised by the Wehrmacht. However, careful calculations indicate at least two hundred and fifty brothels operating at that time in Paris .
Where does this discrepancy in numbers come from? Well, sonderpuffy these are not only places for soldiers and officers, but also for civilian collaborators and forced laborers. Finally, there were those that operated semi-secretly, with the tacit consent of the occupant.
Brothel yes, but not in papers
Those who believe a visit to the military puffie it's a private matter of the client, they couldn't be more wrong. There were restrictions and strict rules for both prostitutes and visitors. The women registered and employed in the brothel were thoroughly instructed on how to take care of hygiene:
Thorough washing is required after intercourse intimate parts of the body with soap and water (…). Later, a daily cleansing bath for the whole body, careful hair care and frequent rubbing of the whole body with cologne is required. After each intercourse, you need to wash the vagina thoroughly with boric water. Rinse mouth with water and a few drops of strong mouthwash; in this case gargling is essential. Lips should be washed with soap and water and then rubbed with cologne.
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A prostitute who infected a soldier with a venereal disease was punished for sabotage. Serious regulations were also imposed on soldiers. The younger ones were obliged to attend regularly to puffu . However, the most important thing was hygiene. Therefore, a condom is included in the price of the service . While condom use was generally compulsory, command was aware of the relatively low effectiveness of the regulation.
Medical control in the Wehrmachtsbordell (photo:public domain).
Reports have reported that girls are being forced into unprotected sex. So the only way to fight the plague could be to accurately record the trysts. Each soldier kept a visiting card, in which information about the visit was recorded:data of the prostitute and the date and place of the meeting, including the room where the intercourse took place. The women also underwent medical examinations every two days.
Gentlemen's clubs
The officer cadre and high-ranking officials enjoyed themselves more freely. Already in July 1940, three legendary Parisian "cabarets" were opened - Le Schabanbais, Le Sphinx and Le One-One-Two. - The nights during the occupation were fantastic and the brothels never looked better than during the German stay - Fabienne Jamet, owner of the latter wrote in her memoirs.
In these places, the most beautiful girls were gathered, who - apart from their bodies - could offer their clients sophisticated entertainment . So they declaimed German poetry, played classical music, and conducted tasteful discussions about works of art.
Truly Byzantine interiors favored the fulfillment of the innermost desires of Nazi officials. Thematic "evenings" attracted a fan of Parisian brothels, Herman Goering, who was reportedly entertained by prostitutes in costumes of Greek goddesses . The story seems plausible given Goering's love of watering parties at his Carinhall estate, where he performed in a Roman toga with carmine lipstick on his lips.
The employees of these exceptional "institutions", apart from money , received jewelry, cigarettes, expensive alcohol and furs . Like other prostitutes, they were subject to obligatory medical examination.
Demanding clientele that is not denied (photo:public domain).
It is no secret that France has been reluctant to its war history for years. "National collaboration" was a kind of taboo, and to this day the French are torn between the glory of la Resistance and a disgrace to Vichy. The post-war settlement of women considered collaborators was the easiest.
We know of over 23,000 women publicly stigmatized for their sexual relations with Germans. Another hundreds were murdered others chose to commit suicide. This is the price paid by the women whose body was their single currency during the war.
Marthe Richard, a prostitute-spy, was the first to dare to talk about brothel connections and Nazi collaboration. Thanks to her activity, in 1946 nearly 1,600 French brothels were closed, of which one hundred and eighty were closed in Paris itself.