During armed conflicts, the risks present for soldiers go beyond dying in battle. Diseases
resulting from the precarious hygiene that these men carried while in the midst of war
often took their toll, sometimes becoming more dangerous than the weapons themselves.
Because of this, as the Second World War progressed, the governments of the different
countries involved had to start awareness and prevention campaigns while taking sanitary
measures to fight against an invisible enemy that was decimating their troops.
Today we will dive into the mud and spend days inside a tank without bathing to discover what
soldiers smelled like during one of the greatest wars in history, Welcome to Copernicus's Galaxy.
Army of "ladies" to fight venereal diseases
Venereal diseases were nothing new for army troops. During the First World War,
the United States alone already had at least 87 casualties for every thousand
soldiers. Syphilis and gonorrhea were rife among the ranks of allies and enemies alike.
It was to be expected that soldiers would seek
the company of alcohol and women in the moments free of gunfire and explosions,
something with which to relieve the stress that the war generated on them, so many took
advantage of their stay in the occupied cities to hang out with their female inhabitants.
One out of every 10 combatants ended up incapacitated in the aftermath of these acts,
with ailments ranging from a simple rash to death,
and each side took different measures to deal with the problem.
For its part, Nazi Germany, knowing full well the infamous effects of these diseases, did not
hesitate to implement a strict system with which to satisfy the desires of its soldiers, while
controlling the spread of viruses. Establishments of sin were created, controlled and dependent on
the garrison, where professional ladies, women prisoners from the occupied countries or even
convicts offered their services, all approved by doctors who certified their good state of health.
The German system organized and structured everything in such a way that it could
identify the infected as soon as possible, implementing severe punishments for those who
violated sanitation rules and managing to prevent the spread of diseases among its troops, however,
between 1939 and 1943 the German armed forces registered 250,000 cases of venereal diseases.
For the U.S. Army, the measures did not go beyond awareness campaigns where soldiers
were encouraged through government-produced films to wear protective gear with clever slogans that
would stick in their minds such as "Don't forget - put it on before you put it in.", similar
messages were printed on matchboxes, posters, slogans and brochures explaining the risks of
venereal diseases, while lectures were given by surgeons to educate their men on the subject.
"Trench Foot" The terrible disease inside the trenches.
In both World War I and World War II,
both sides had to worry about a disease that affected the soldiers’ feet,
causing severe blisters, inability to walk on the affected feet, permanent nerve damage,
ulcers, gangrene and even the loss of the entire foot if they were not properly treated. The force
with which it hit the men on the front line caused it to become the main disease of the trenches.
Roads dug in wet, muddy soil, endless hours holding the same position, the precarious
hygienic conditions that a trench entails, inadequate footwear for such terrain and low
temperatures were the perfect combination for "trench foot". This disease begins just after
10 hours of your feet remaining constantly wet or damp, all this time inside the wrong
boots will cause circulation and nerve function to deteriorate, masking the pain. Deprived of
oxygen and nutrients, the capillaries will begin to destroy and damage the surrounding tissue.
It certainly sounds disgusting and painful. You would start out feeling a slight tingling
and itching that would slowly transform into numbness and pain. Your feet would
turn reddish or blue as they begin to swell. As your tissues and muscles become macerated,
a smell of decay would pervade everyone present and the blisters and sores that
all this would produce would be the perfect entrance for nasty infections.
The essential work of dentists during WW2
We all know nowadays that oral health is just as important as the health of any other part
of our body. Today we take into account the work of dentists and the care of our teeth,
because a single cavity could turn into damage to other organs.
Despite this, the dental field is not given the importance it really had during the Second World
War. Without their work, many combatants would not have been able to perform their jobs well,
either because of the pain that some of these conditions caused or directly because the lack
of hygiene and care had already wreaked havoc throughout the body. Their work not only helped
the soldiers to be prepared for action at any time, but also prevented problems
in their future life. They are a clear example of what we would call "heroes without a cape".
In the period from 1942 to 1945 the 30 dental officers that each army division
had performed over 69 million restorations, over 16 million extractions and over 2.5
million partial or complete dentures. Despite this, soldiers saw dentistry as a
burden and inconvenience during the war, even believing that they did more harm than good.
The dental officers had to stay as far away from danger as possible but at the
same time close enough to quickly attend to emergencies at the time of battle.
They worked in a mobile camp with cramped, rudimentary spaces under
unpleasant and miserable conditions, but even so these professionals did wonders with the
technology and medical knowledge they had at their disposal. Although sometimes the
procedures became unbearable and barbaric, the great work they did was undeniable.
Although their work and efforts were not duly recognized, the war prompted the
generation of new treatments, starting the use of penicillin, tyrothricin and
streptomycin. The soldiers were taught to brush their teeth daily and the use of toothpaste was
generalized thanks to the oral hygiene kit they were given, among many other advances.
Disney's obscure films for the education of soldiers.
For many of you watching, the word Disney will evoke a memory of happiness, you will remember
classic cartoons and the huge amusement parks, because we grew up with their characters which
taught us that Disney is more than just animated movies, Disney is magic and fun.
This great monopoly during the years of World War II was not going through the best times of its
short existence. The release of its films such as Pinocchio, Bambi and Dumbo were overshadowed
by news of events on the front lines, such as the attack on Pearl Harbor. Soon after,
the government ordered the company to make room for 700 people with vehicles,
camouflage and three million rounds of ammunition on one of its properties.
Disney signed a $90,000 contract with the Navy to record 20 training films
ranging from care and hygiene to how to spot enemy planes.
By 1943, more than 90% of the well-known company's work was war-related, creating military emblems,
insignia that soldiers had on their planes and, of course, propaganda.
These short films depicted the enemy as immoral or even inhuman, caricaturing
them and exaggerating their features to such a degree that they did not even look human,
creating completely racist concepts, since dehumanizing them was the only
way those fighting against the Germans and Japanese could endure what they had to do.
Propaganda included titles such as "Why We Fight" to motivate soldiers,
"The Grain That Built a Hemisphere" which taught the importance of corn and "The New Spirit" which,
through the use of Donald Duck, the company's most famous character at the time, encouraged
the payment of timely taxes to defeat the Axis, all under a message of patriotism.
But among all those war shorts, there was one that stood out, winning an Oscar in 1943 for
"Best Short Subject", praised by the public as Walt Disney's funniest creation and whose
protagonist is Donald Duck. Called "Der Fuehrer's Face", it showed the worst nightmare of every
American at that time... being a working citizen of the munitions factories of Nazi Germany.
The short film showed the likable character having to eat stale bread,
work tirelessly and constantly salute the fascist leaders,
either in person or photographs... At the end, Donald woke up to realize it was all a dream,
embraced a figurine of the Statue of Liberty and was thankful to be an American citizen.
Sweat and death: Inhumane hygiene inside steel machines
No matter if it was in the middle of a rugged terrain or in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean,
the lives of soldiers and sailors inside those metal beasts were not comfortable
and much less glamorous, you had to have nerves of steel and practically
zero sense of smell or else those war machines would also be your grave.
The submarines were a tough test, no novice really
knew how a submarine stank. The stench of diesel, the sweat of half a hundred
men and constant humidity were impossible to eliminate even using lemon scented perfumes.
There were no showers inside, let alone a place to wash your dirty clothes. That,
added to the smell of the rotting food after a few weeks was just the icing on the cake. As
they struggled with other discomforts, such as lack of beds for half of the
crew or a scarce space to walk, it generated violent hysteria attacks called "Blechkoller".
Inside the tanks, things did not improve at all, the sense of smell was also punished
inside these metallic moles, becoming a fight against the clock not to vomit. Here,
the 5 crew members had no opportunity to bathe except in the camp showers and
the pestilent aroma of the meat and entrails that were trapped in the chains after passing
over piles of decomposing human and animal bodies was a festival of rancid odors.
Leaving aside the problems related to the obviously limited space available to their
crews and the few food rations they could carry during the long transfers and intense battles,
the greatest fear of these soldiers was to hear the rumble of an enemy anti-tank gun,
as rarely anyone survived the impact of that armor-piercing ammunition.
Stench everywhere: the hygiene of an infantry soldier
Surely the last thing a soldier in the midst of danger cared about was
how stinky their clothes were or how long it had been since they had a bath.
On the battlefield the most important thing is to fight and avoid being eliminated... right?
To the surprise of most, the high commanders of each division instilled a correct and
constant hygiene in all their soldiers, of course... whenever they had the opportunity,
although the truth is that these healthy habits do not take more than a few minutes
in the morning. Many of these men knew the importance of taking care of their bodies,
because the war had taught them that diseases took more comrades than the enemy's own bullets.
Among the most common habits was the shaving of facial hair as a preventive measure for the proper
functioning of the gas masks, as harmful chemicals could seep through even the smallest opening.
Other points such as oral hygiene with orders to brush teeth at least once a day and foot
care due to the nefarious "trench foot" were essential for the welfare of the troops.
On the other hand, insects were also doing their thing by sticking to
clothes and causing infections, therefore mobile laundry stations were created,
where soldiers could wash their clothes and disinfect them effectively. These were trucks
similar to semi-trailers that had the necessary machinery to wash up to 125 pounds of clothes
every hour and easily disinfect up to 100 uniforms, preventing the spread of lice.
For pest control, along with efforts to keep soldiers' clothing clean, an insecticide known
as DDT, easy and cheap to manufacture, was used to eliminate mosquitoes, mites and other insects,
becoming a highly demanded product which in the late 1940s was made available to all.
Anyone who has not lived the flesh and blood experiences that active members
of the military face during war, would not believe the important role that hygiene plays
for victory. All of these events have given rise to the current adequate health systems
for the brave men of the military ... but you never know what new dangers lurk in future war
conflicts ... in any case, we'll be here to tell you about them, at Copernicus’s Galaxy.