Girls in topless German uniforms. The image of the ideal woman of the III Reich

German girls made a real holiday for men in Altenberg, Saxony, Germany, riding topless on a sled. The annual competition caused an unprecedented full house - thousands of spectators came to see the athletes in their underpants, among whom was Getty Images photographer Joern Haufe. The sponsor of the event was the local radio station RSA-Radio.

(Total 15 photos)

1. Participants of the race rise to the starting point, Altenberg, Saxony, Germany. (Joern Haufe/Getty Images)

2. Athlete in a sheet - the audience is in anticipation. (Joern Haufe/Getty Images)

3. That's right, the audience did not come in vain! (Joern Haufe/Getty Images)

4. Germans without complexes. (Joern Haufe/Getty Images)

5. Dear Sophie. (Joern Haufe/Getty Images)

6. After the fall. (Joern Haufe/Getty Images)

7. Back to the sled. (Joern Haufe/Getty Images)

8. Men who made up the company of German beauties. (Joern Haufe/Getty Images)

9. The most prominent blonde participant could not ride head first, so she did it while sitting. (Joern Haufe/Getty Images)

10. Some athletes have professional extreme cameras on their helmets. (Joern Haufe/Getty Images)

11. Background. (Joern Haufe/Getty Images)

12. The finish line is not far. (Joern Haufe/Getty Images)

What Germans and Brits do not complain about when they are dissatisfied with their vacation! For what only curious "shortcomings" they are not suing travel agencies! DW has chosen the most incredible examples.

What do vacationers from the West complain about?

neighbor sex

What do vacationers from the West complain about?

Hot sand compensation

What do vacationers from the West complain about?

Where is polar ice?

What do vacationers from the West complain about?

Fish in the water?!

What do vacationers from the West complain about?

Too strong coffee

What do vacationers from the West complain about?

Too many bikini girls

It seems unbelievable, but true: one German vacationer complained that there were too many girls in bikinis on the beach. Her husband kept staring at them. Another German woman from Spain demanded a ban on topless sunbathing on public beaches. The reason is the same: the girls "without a top" were staring at her husband all the time ...

What do vacationers from the West complain about?

Abstinence is a personal matter

All inclusive! This option is very popular not only among tourists from Russia, but also among Germans. But one of them expressed his dissatisfaction: in two weeks of vacation in Turkey, he recovered by two and a half kilograms. "It's better when some boundaries are set for thoughtless grub and alcohol ..." - the vacationer lamented belatedly. "Abstention is a personal matter for everyone," the court decided and dismissed the claim.

What do vacationers from the West complain about?

neighbor sex

A Briton who went on vacation to Bulgaria with a girlfriend complained to a travel agency that passionate cries and groans of neighbors making love could be heard every night from the next hotel room. Because of this, the British companion, as he put it, "made claims", and the vacation was ruined.

What do vacationers from the West complain about?

Consequences of a double bed

Claims of a completely opposite, so to speak, nature were presented by an Englishwoman who became pregnant after a summer vacation. She blamed it on... the travel agency! Instead of two separate beds, as promised, there was one double bed in the hotel room. The court did not accept the case for consideration, referring to the well-known methods of protection.

What do vacationers from the West complain about?

Hot sand compensation

A resident of Germany demanded payment of compensation for flip-flops bought for children on vacation. Because the sand on the beach, the mother of the family motivated her demand, was so hot that the children could not run barefoot on it. The most interesting thing is that the travel agency agreed with the demand and paid for the purchase of shoes, stressing, however, that in this case we are talking about a gesture of goodwill.

What do vacationers from the West complain about?

Where is polar ice?

Someone was too hot, while others were not enough ... polar ice. Instead of the ice floes promised in the catalog, dissected by the bow of the ship, the tourists saw only snow-capped mountains. The reason for this was unusually warm weather for polar latitudes. Despite this, the organizer of an expensive cruise (from five thousand euros per bow) had to return 10 percent of the cost to travelers.

What do vacationers from the West complain about?

With whom do the Germans and the British do not want to relax?

Both German and English holidaymakers have one interesting thing in common: they are extremely selective. As hotel and beach neighbors, Russians and each other are most disliked. And in third place are fellow countrymen. Germans who come to Turkey complain that there are too many Germans there, and the British in the Balearic Islands complain that there is British dominance there.

What do vacationers from the West complain about?

Fish in the water?!

An elderly couple from the Scottish province demanded that the travel agency return 10 percent of the amount paid for a vacation on the ocean, because ... fish swam in it! The couple were afraid to go into the water and swam only in the pool. Of course, they were denied compensation. But for other vacationers, for sea cucumbers at the bottom (see photo), five percent of the total cost of the tour was still returned.

What do vacationers from the West complain about?

Too strong coffee

More than 20 thousand complaints have to be heard every year by British travel agencies. Most of the complaints are about hotels and food. And if complaints about hotels are often justified (construction nearby, a disco rumbles all night, etc.), then complaints about food are most often curious: too many spices in an Indian dish, there are no "real" English cookies on the menu, too strong coffee in Turkey...

Context

Linen color and sunset duration: what a German vacationer complains about

German courts often have to consider complaints against travel agencies: vacationers demand compensation for ruined vacations. What the Germans don't complain about! (25.07.2014)

The topic of prostitution in Germany during World War II has always been a taboo, only in the 90s did German publications begin to cover this layer of history. This is hard to believe, because as soon as they came to power, the National Socialists began by supplementing the Criminal Code with a paragraph according to which, for worrying a citizen with a depraved proposal, one could go to jail. Only in Hamburg for six months about one and a half thousand women were detained, accused of prostitution. They were caught on the streets, sent to camps and subjected to forced sterilization. Somewhat more fortunate were those women who sold their bodies, combining prostitution with government jobs. We are talking here primarily about the notorious “Kitty Salon”, sung in the film of the same name by Tinto Brass. (19 photos)

1. In the 19th century in Germany, the creation of brothels was welcomed to avoid numerous diseases. Men, accustomed to the availability of the female body, did not deny themselves habits and did not consider it immoral to hire a prostitute. The tradition was preserved under Nazism, therefore, in connection with the numerous cases of rape, homosexuality and diseases of soldiers, on September 9, 1939, Minister of the Interior Wilhelm Frick issued a decree on the creation of brothels in the occupied territories.
To account for front-line brothels and prostitutes, the military department created a special ministry. The merry frau were listed as civil servants, had a decent salary, insurance, and enjoyed benefits. The fruits of the propaganda work of the Goebbels department cannot be discounted: the German man in the street, who had a son or brother in the war, was kind to the Wehrmacht, and even among prostitutes, along with professionals, there were, as they say, quite a few who went to serve front-line soldiers from patriotic motives.

2. The highest quality service was supposed to be in the hospitals of the Luftwaffe, Goering's favorite brainchild, which provided for the presence of one full-time Frau for 20 pilots or 50 technicians from ground staff. According to the strictly enforced rules of conduct, the prostitute met the pilot in clothes, with neat make-up; immaculately clean underwear, like bedding, had to be changed for each "iron falcon".

4. It is curious that for the soldiers of the satellite armies, access to German sex establishments was closed. The Reich fed them, armed them, uniformed them, but it was considered too much to share their Frau with the Italians, Hungarians, Slovaks, Spaniards, Bulgarians, etc. Only the Hungarians were able to organize for themselves a semblance of field brothels, the rest got out as best they could. A German soldier had a legal norm of visiting a brothel - five or six times a month. In addition, the commander could issue a coupon on his own to the one who distinguished himself as an encouragement or, on the contrary, punish him with deprivation for wrongdoing.

6. An hour was allotted for the visit, during which the client had to register a coupon, where the girl's name, surname and account number were entered (the soldier was instructed to keep the ticket for 2 months - for every fireman), receive hygiene products (a bar of soap, a towel and three condoms) , wash (wash, according to the regulations, it was necessary twice), and only after that was allowed to the body.
Barter flourished in the subdivisions: womanizers exchanged coupons with those who liked to eat more than sex for marmalade, schnapps, and cigarettes. Individual daredevils indulged in tricks and, using someone else's coupons, made their way to the sergeant's brothels, where the girls were better, and someone even penetrated into the officer's, risking getting ten days in case of capture.

8. Having capitulated on June 22, 1940, France provided its numerous brothels to the German invaders. And in the second half of July, two orders had already arrived to curb street prostitution and create brothels for the Wehrmacht.
The Nazis confiscated the brothels they liked, recruited management and staff, adhering to the criteria of Aryan racial purity. Officers were forbidden to visit these establishments; special hotels were created for them. Thus, the command of the Wehrmacht wanted to stop sodomy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases in the army; increase the incentive and stamina of a soldier; stop intimate relationships on the side, because of the fear of espionage and the birth of handicapped; and saturate with sex to stop the sexual crimes that undermine the ranks of the army.

9. Only foreigners worked in these brothels - mostly Poles and French women. At the end of 1944, the number of civilians exceeded 7.5 million. Among them were also our compatriots. For a penny, raising the economy of the warring Germany, living in closed settlements, they had the opportunity to buy goods on a voucher in a brothel, which was encouraged by the employer.

11. To visit the brothel, the prisoner had to make an application and buy the so-called Sprungkarte worth 2 Reichsmarks. For comparison, a pack of 20 cigarettes in the dining room cost 3 Reichsmarks. Jews were not allowed to visit the brothel. The prisoners, weakened after a hard day's work, did not willingly go to the brothels provided by Himmler. Some for moral reasons, others for material reasons, a brothel coupon could be profitably exchanged for food.

September 13, 2013, 11:30

Racial theory in Nazi Germany included the cult of a biologically healthy female body, the cult of childbearing and the multiplication of the nation. Thus, the very meaning of communication between a man and a woman was deprived of any romance, giving way to physiological expediency. There is an opinion that the "Aryan" standard of beauty is boring, monotonous and joyless - a muscular blond with a fixed lower jaw and a "snow queen" devoid of any piquancy.

National - socialist propaganda used the interest in the chaste-naked human body to demonstrate the Aryan ideal of beauty, to educate a physically developed person. Marriage itself was not considered an end in itself, it served the highest task- to increase and preserve the German nation. The personal life of two people had to be consciously placed at the service of the state.

As a standard of beauty, antique was chosen, with its ideal perfection of forms. The sculptors of the Third Reich - Josef Torach and Arno Breker carefully embodied the image of the superman in their monuments. Superhumans were simply obliged to resemble ancient gods and goddesses.

Pictures from Olympia.

Sepp Hilz. Village Venus

E. Liebermann. By the water. 1941

In a perfect body, the visual arts of National Socialism embodied the idea of "blood" (nation). "Blood" in the ideology of National Socialism was directly connected with the "soil" (earth). In this case, it was about the symbiosis of the people and the land, as well as their material and mystical connection. In general, the idea of "blood and soil" was turned to pagan symbols of fertility, strength and harmony, expressing nature itself in human beauty.

National Socialist art paid great attention to the theme of the family, women and motherhood. In the Third Reich, this value triad merged into a single whole, where a woman was exclusively the continuer of the family, the bearer of family virtues and the keeper of the hearth.

As Hitler stated: “German women want to be wives and mothers, they don’t want to be comrades, as the Reds call for. Women have no desire to work in factories, in bureaus, in parliament. Good house, beloved husband and happy children are closer to her heart."

The National Socialist fine arts formed the image of a German woman exclusively as a mother and guardian of the family hearth, depicting her with children, in the circle of a family engaged in housework.

The National Socialists did not recognize any equality of women in public life - they were assigned only the traditional roles of mother and girlfriend. "Their place is in the kitchen and in the bedroom." After coming to power, the Nazis began to view the desire of women for professional, political or academic careers as unnatural. Already in the spring of 1933, the systematic liberation of the state apparatus from the women employed in it began. They fired not only employees of institutions, but also married female doctors, because the Nazis declared the care of the health of the nation such a responsible task that it could not be entrusted to a woman. In 1936, married women who worked as judges or lawyers were relieved of their posts, since their husband could support them. The number of female teachers was sharply reduced, and in women's schools, home economics and needlework became the main subjects. Already in 1934, only 1,500 female students remained in German universities.

A more differentiated policy was pursued by the regime in relation to women employed in production and in the service sector. The Nazis did not touch either those 4 million women who worked as "household helpers" or the large detachment of saleswomen whose working day was not fully paid. On the contrary, these activities were declared "typically female". The work of girls was encouraged in every possible way. From January 1939, labor service became compulsory for all unmarried women under 25 years of age. Mostly they were sent to the village or as servants to mothers of many children.

L. Schmutzler "Country girls return from the fields"

Gender relations in the Hitlerite state were influenced by numerous public organizations. Some of them included women together with men, others were created specifically for women, girls and girls.

The most massive and influential among them were the Union of German Girls (BDM), the Imperial Labor Service of Women's Youth (Women's RAD) and the National Socialist Women's Organization (NSF). They covered a significant part of the female population of Germany: more than 3 million girls and girls were in the BDM at the same time, 1 million young German women went through labor camps, the NSF numbered 6 million participants.

In accordance with the National Socialist ideology, the Union of German Girls set as its task the education of strong and courageous women who would become comrades to the political soldiers of the Reich (educated in the Hitler Youth) and, becoming wives and mothers, organizing their own family life in accordance with the National Socialist worldview, will raise a proud and hardened generation. The exemplary German woman complements the German man. Their unity means the racial rebirth of the people. The Union of German Girls instilled racial consciousness: a real German girl should be the guardian of the purity of blood and people and raise his sons as heroes. Since 1936, all girls of the German Reich were required to be in the ranks of the Union of German Girls. The only exceptions were girls of Jewish origin and other "non-Aryans".

The standard uniform of the Union of German Girls is a dark blue skirt, a white blouse and a black tie with a leather clip. Girls were forbidden to wear high heels and silk stockings. Of the jewelry, rings and wristwatches were allowed.

The worldview, norms of behavior and lifestyle acquired in Nazi organizations influenced the way of thinking and actions of many representatives of the older generation of modern Germany for a long time to come.

When the girls were 17 years old, they could also be accepted into the organization "Faith and Beauty" ("Glaube und Schöncheit"), where they were at the age of 21. Here the girls were taught to lead household prepared for motherhood, childcare. But the most memorable event with the participation of "Glaube und Schöncheit" was sports and round dances - girls in identical white short dresses, barefoot went to the stadium and performed simple, but well-coordinated dance movements. The women of the Reich were charged with being not only strong, but also feminine.

The Nazis propagated the image of a "real German woman" and a "real German girl" who doesn't smoke, wears no makeup, wears white blouses and long skirts, and wears her hair in braids or in a modest bun.

Also, the authorities, in accordance with the "Blood and Soil" setting, tried to introduce "tracht" as festive clothes - that is, a dress in the national style based on the Bavarian dress.

W. Wilrich. Daughter of a Bavarian peasant. 1938

Such stylized "national clothes" were worn by participants in the grandiose theatrical celebrations that the Nazis liked to arrange in stadiums.

A special place was occupied by sports and group games. If the boys emphasized strength and endurance, then gymnastic exercises for girls were designed to form their grace, harmony and sense of body. Sports exercises were selected taking into account the female anatomy and the future role of women.

The Union of German Girls organized hiking trips, in which the girls went with full backpacks. Campfires were lit, food was cooked and songs were sung. The nighttime observations were successful. full moon overnight in a haystack.

The image of the Hollywood "vamp woman", which was popular in Weimar Germany, was especially attacked by Nazi propaganda: "War paint is more befitting of primitive Negro tribes, but by no means a German woman or a German girl." Instead, the image of "natural German female beauty" was promoted. True, it should be noted that these requirements did not apply to German actresses and movie stars.

Portrait of a woman from Tyrol

They perceived the image of the emancipated Berlin woman of the 1920s as a threat to public morality, to the dominance of men in society, and even to the future of the Aryan race.

In many in public places even before the war there were posters "German woman does not smoke", it was forbidden to smoke in all party premises, in bomb shelters, and Hitler planned to ban smoking altogether after the victory. At the beginning of 1941, the Imperial Association of Hairdressers adopted a directive that limited the length of women's hairstyles to 10 cm. So hairdressers did not make hairstyles from longer hair and could even shorten too much. long hair, unless they were put in a modest bun or braided.

Christmas cover of one of the women's magazines. December 1938

The German press emphasized in every possible way that the outstanding successes of the magnificent actress and director Leni Riefenstahl or the famous sports pilot Hannah Reitsch were directly related to their deep faith in the ideals of National Socialism. The former actress Emma Goering and the mother of six children Magda Goebbels were also declared role models, whose elegant toilets clearly showed the German women that there was no need for a true National Socialist to dress in the modest uniform of the Union of German Girls.

Hanna Reich

Leni Riefenstahl

Magda Goebbels

Emma Goering

German women, on the whole, calmly perceived the policy pursued towards them. The improvement in the well-being of the population also contributed to the loyal attitude of German women to the new regime. This was also facilitated by the favorable demographic policy of the ruling party in support of the family. The Nazi regime was very interested in increasing the population. If a working woman married and voluntarily left her job, she was given an interest-free loan of 600 marks. Since 1934, active encouragement of the birth rate began: child and family allowances were introduced, medical care for large families was provided at preferential rates. Special schools were opened where pregnant women were prepared for future motherhood.

In any case, Germany became the only major European country in which the birth rate was constantly growing. If in 1934 a little more than 1 million babies were born, then in 1939 - already about 1.5 million children.

In 1938, the order was established - "Mother's Cross" - in bronze, silver and gold. The inscription on the back of the cross read "The child ennobles the mother." As conceived by the Ministry of Propaganda, women were to occupy the same place of honor like the front line soldiers. Three degrees of an honorary title were established - the 3rd degree for 4 children, the 2nd for children (silver), the first for 8 children (gold).

Paradoxically, this anti-feminist regime contributed a lot to improving the real situation of women. Therefore, it is not surprising that the vast majority of German women adored their Fuhrer. They were largely impressed by the statement of A. Rosenberg that "the duty of a woman to support the lyrical aspect of life."

A selection of German posters and covers from 1933 - 1943 I have already published a selection of posters "", which was dedicated to the boy and youth component of this organization. But in its composition, separately and on autonomous rights, there was also an organization that united all German girls and girls of the III Reich (Bund Deutscher Mädel or BDM). In order not to ignore the facts of the activities of the Union German girls, I decided to publish a selection of posters on this topic.True, the posters themselves dedicated to BDM, compared to those related to the activities of the Hitler Youth as such, were printed much less in Nazi Germany (for the simple reason that for the III Reich the most important there were future soldiers, and not future patriotic mothers and housewives.) Nevertheless, such materials have accumulated quite enough to form a certain idea of the Union of German Girls as such. Representatives of the Union of German Girls of various ranks and ages in winter and summer uniforms (illustration from the book) - 1933 "I have a girlfriend" - cover of a book for German girls that encouraged them to join BDM (1934)