In times of war, all the citizens of the countries involved are affected, not only the high leaders,
political leaders and soldiers of the army receive the effects of a warlike confrontation.
On many occasions the economy for the middle and low social strata becomes even more complicated,
especially if the person who provides for the home is forced to take up arms.
The Second World War in particular demanded the support of the country's women to fill positions
that at that time were destined only for men. Given the lack of manpower,
mothers, wives and daughters who met the necessary characteristics for the job played roles ranging
from simple to complicated and dangerous, even fighting as full-fledged soldiers.
Today we will talk about the positions that these brave women held during World War II and the value
of their work in the different countries involved, Welcome to Copernicus’s Galaxy.
Women: An essential role during WW2
Gender discrimination in all aspects has been present until today. Although women have
managed to prove their ability and worth with the passage of time, they still have a long way to go.
At a time when the separation of gender roles was quite clear, women were not allowed to perform
outside their socially accepted work under any circumstances. At first, the government,
businesses and society itself did not want to accept that women take positions that should be
held by a man. They considered women to have no skills or strength. However, time was pressing.
Both the country's own army and that of the allies needed weapons, food and services,
which were in short supply due to the lack of manpower, so all those who were opposed
to employing women to meet these needs had no choice but to swallow their old-fashioned pride.
The war left a large number of vacancies, as many men were required, including major league baseball
players and even presidents of renowned companies, so women had the opportunity to occupy more than
200 different positions. At first, the jobs to be performed in most countries did not present any
risk to their lives. The major exception to this was the Soviet Union, which from the beginning was
the only country that allowed the participation of women both in the back and front lines,
being integrated as full-fledged members of the army and not as mere auxiliaries.
More than 1000 of them served as snipers, shooting down about 12,000 confirmed enemies,
the most outstanding being Lyudmila Pavlichenko. Among the other risky positions
were the tank divisions where Alexandra Samusenko reached the rank of captain.
In 1939, Australia passed the "National Security Act" which allowed the recruitment of women
in the industrial branch, increasing the number of Australian salaried female employees from 644,000
to 855,000 in 5 years. Although this figure is actually small, what is relevant is the number
of traditionally female jobs that were abandoned to fulfill functions that were thought to be
exclusive to men... unfortunately at the end of the war many were forced to abandon these tasks.
Germany allowed many roles for women including early on in combat, serving as auxiliaries in the
navy, air force and army, although most served as concentration camp guards, while in Nazi-occupied
Poland, brave women served in the resistance carrying messages, couriers, serving as medics
and even participating in combat. Wanda Gertz was awarded the highest decorations for her bravery.
For countries like Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom,
women were also pillars during the war even though none of the 3 allowed their participation in the
front line. They instead performed work in the areas of nursing, communications, assembly of
weapons and war machines, food harvesting and even entertainment for the soldiers...
In the United Kingdom the enlisted women auxiliaries had to go through
all the training protocols and perform the same activities as their male counterparts,
resulting in even better artillerymen, however in any attack they would be evacuated.
The life of the "ladies of the street" in WW2
Having to fight in hostile terrain, under constant life-threatening danger is bound
to generate exorbitant levels of stress. If they do not find an escape valve, this stress could
accumulate and wreak havoc on the soldiers' minds, obstructing their performance on the front line.
Because of this, the high ranks of the militia were aware that alcohol,
gambling and above all, the women that would be found in cities and towns near their outposts
would be a great temptation for the soldiers who were looking for distraction
and fun... it sounds normal but the real problem appears when talking about venereal diseases.
Especially for the Germans, this was alarming because during the period of occupation in France
alone, the local ladies disabled more soldiers than the French army in 1940. Because of this, the
Wehrmacht imposed regulations to be followed so that their uniformed could enjoy these services.
Two controlled establishments were set up where the soldiers would find ladies authorized
to perform that work. Some were professionals hired both in Germany and in the countries they
occupied. Others were women of "weak character" who preferred to provide this service over forced
labor and finally there were the prisoners of war. It should be noted that most of the
recruitment was voluntary, although, as always there are reports of soldiers who dishonored them.
Anyone who wanted to enjoy some time in the company of these maidens
had to present a previously requested pass attesting to the good health of the soldier.
In addition to providing all their information for the easy and quick identification of the infected,
they were given protection and disinfectant spray, which they had to spray on the lady
before starting the task, under threat of being punished if they did not follow the regulations.
The health of both the ladies and the soldiers was the responsibility of the area commander and the
medical officer, however, despite all precautions, between 1939 and 1943 there were 250,000 cases
of venereal diseases due to the inability to control each and every one of the men,
who disobeyed orders and satisfied their needs with women without a
proper sanitary regime or who directly solicited these services on the streets.
On the other hand, the U.S. Army did not regulate these acts from the beginning,
so diseases occurred left and right, leaving thousands of soldiers disabled or having to
offer them treatment while they continued fighting on the battlefield. It was common
for soldiers under the influence of alcohol to disrespect young ladies in the different countries
through which they passed, becoming infected on some occasions. So, propaganda was launched in
order to raise awareness among uniformed men about the dangers of venereal diseases and to
indoctrinate them to be more cautious when having fun with an unknown lady.
Ugly Carnival and the Shaving of French Heads
It is almost certain that no one watching this today knows the feelings caused by
being occupied by a foreign military force, the horrors and humiliation possibly experienced by
the citizens of different countries during the years it lasted. Yet, there is no excuse for the
cruel treatment given to the women of German and French towns and villages, among others,
for their supposedly dishonorable actions, without taking into account the circumstances.
Immediately after France was liberated by the Allied forces, and with the
morale of its citizens at rock bottom, they celebrated their freedom by causing more pain.
They sought out any woman accused of fraternizing in any way with the enemy and publicly humiliated
them by shaving their heads and forcing them to parade through the streets, sometimes with a huge
swastika painted on their foreheads, covered with tar or even stripped of their clothes....
not to mention that beatings could also be part of these so-called "Ugly Carnivals".
This was an imitation of what the Germans did with those women who spent the night
with non-Aryan or foreign prisoners. Apparently, this became a way to atone for the frustration
and impotence of men humiliated by the occupation of their country according
to historian Antony Beevor... which is still deplorable.
It is estimated that at least 20,000 women were victims of such primitive,
humiliating and unjust acts as most were from the lower strata of society.
These included ladies who offered their services, young mothers whose husbands were
fighting on the frontline or had already died and needed a means to support their families,
and schoolteachers who were intimidated to provide shelter for the Germans.
The practice was replicated in countries such as Belgium, Italy, Norway and the Netherlands.
All wars are plagued by unethical and immoral acts disguised as ideals to defend. War is the
deepest pit into which humanity has fallen and represents the worst horrors we have perpetrated
against our own species. The times we live in remind us how dangerous our selfishness can be
for the planet and all its inhabitants... What will the future horror stories be
and what role will our mothers, sisters and daughters play in them...?
No matter what lies ahead, we will be here to tell you about it, at Copernicus’s Galaxy.