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 Muhlhauser 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.

About the Author
Regina Muhlhauser, Senior Researcher, Hamburg Foundation for the Advancement of Research and Culture.


Book Information
ISBN 9781474459082
Author Regina Muhlhauser
Format Paperback
Page Count 368
Imprint Edinburgh University Press
Publisher Edinburgh University Press