Read more
Examining the sexual crimes committed by German troops in the occupied territories of the Soviet Union during the Second World War
Sexual violence was a widespread reality during the war and occupation in the Soviet Union: Wehrmacht soldiers and SS men made women and girls victims of sexual torture, and committed rape and sexual enslavement. They also visited 'secret' prostitutes and military brothels, and met women who were forced to trade sex for protection or food. In some areas, they engaged in consensual relations, which sometimes led to applications for marriage permits.
This book dispels the myth that military leaders, in adhering to the Nazi ideology of 'race defilement', strictly repressed soldiers' sexuality. Regina Mühlhäuser opens up new perspectives on the complexity of wartime sexual practices beyond the Nazi case by looking at the whole spectrum of heterosexual encounters - forced and consensual, violent and non-violent, commercial and non-commercial. In doing so, she develops a more nuanced understanding of soldiers' sexual behaviour and the ways in which military commands assess soldierly sexuality and integrate it into their strategic thinking.
Regina Mühlhäuser is a Senior Researcher at the Hamburg Foundation for the Advancement of Research and Culture, and a founder of the 'International Research Group "Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict"'.
List of contents
Map: Eastern Europe before World War II
1. Introduction: War, Violence, Sexuality Points of Departure
Sources on Sexual Encounters
Private Photographs by Wehrmacht Soldiers, Part 1 2. Sexual Violence Forms and Functions of Sexual Violence
Situations
Negotiations in the Military
3. Sexual Transactions Occasional Sexual Bartering
Professional Prostitution
Persecution of Women 'Suspected of Prostitution'
Disciplining Wehrmacht Soldiers
Appeals to SS Men
Wehrmacht Brothels
4. Consensual Relations The Men's Desire for Normality
The Women's Desire for New Experiences
Regulation by the Wehrmacht
SS Directives
Negotiations Regarding Marriage Applications
Rhetoric of Defeat
Private Photographs by Wehrmacht Soldiers, Part 2 5. Occupation Children Population Policy Strategies
Control Measures
6. Concluding Remarks: Gender, Sexuality and Violence in the War and Post-War Period
7. Epilogue: What Can We Learn from the Nazi Case? Racist 'Pollution Taboos'
Conflicting Military Interests
Sexual Violence and Sexuality
Soldiers' Corporeality
Sexual Violence as a Weapon
Bibliography Index
About the author
Hamburg Foundation for the Advancement of Research and Culture.Regina Mühlhäuser is a Senior Researcher at the Hamburg Foundation for the Advancement of Research and Culture and a founder of the 'International Research Group "Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict"'.Jessica Spengler is a German to English translator specialising in the humanities and social sciences, who has worked as a translator and copyeditor on numerous museum exhibitions, academic publications and other projects.
Summary
This book dispels the myth that military leaders, in adhering to the Nazi ideology of 'race defilement', strictly repressed soldiers' sexuality.
