Hitler Invented Blow-Up Dolls

France may have tanked very early on in World War II because of its ill-advised military tactic but that doesn’t mean that the French people didn’t still have a killer weapon against Nazis during the Occupation and the collaboration in Vichy: sexually transmitted diseases.

In a letter to Hitler, SS chief Heinrich Himmler told that soldiers’ problem with the French, specifically women, was syphilis.

“The greatest danger in Paris is the widespread and uncontrolled presence of whores, picking up clients in bars, dance halls, and other places,” he wrote. “It is our duty to prevent soldiers from risking their health just for the sake of a quick adventure.”

The two men realized they wouldn’t be able to stop their men from fornicating so they came up with the idea of a “gynoid,” or sex doll, that could “comfort” the soldiers in need of a sex fix. They were created under The Borghild Project, a top secret 1940 mission; after testing, 50 dolls were made for Himmler’s troops.

The dolls, whose faces were blank (except for their blue eyes and blond hair, of course) to leave soldiers the possibility to fantasize about who they wanted during use, were unsuccessful. By 1942, the project was scrapped because the dolls were a source of embarrassment for the soldiers and officers feared possible mockery from the enemy.  Later, the Dresden bombings destroyed the factories that made the dolls.

From a semi-viable solution against STI transmission to vilified accessories symbolic of the objectification of women and our disconnected relationship with sex, sex dolls have come a long way over the years.

What doesn’t seem to have changed too much is the way some conservatives don’t see that when it comes to STIs, often the answer isn’t abstaining from contact with another human being, but more education.

Contact the author here: sedera@morningquickie.com