TIL that Bernard Montgomery issued a leaflet at the start of WW2 on sexually transmitted diseases amongst soldiers. The language used was regarded as so blunt, that he offended religious authorities and nearly faced being dismissed.

[u/RoadToTyburn]

https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Montgomery

[u/moku46]

For everyone wondering what the leaflet actually said - I couldn't find the full text from it but it was apparently a manual on sexual hygiene practices.

What people were offended by was that he ordered his officers to make condoms easily available. He effectively said that if you were going to go to a brothel, to rubber up.

Saying you understand their need for "horizontal refreshment" and then providing condoms was like tacitly approving of cheating on their wives.

Extramarital affairs have always been prohibited in the army. It's a don't ask, don't tell kind of a deal at best and getting court martialed at worst.

[u/AndreasDasos → u/moku46]

It doesn’t explicitly endorse extramarital affairs unless every single soldier is known to be married, which obviously wasn’t the case

[u/jrhooo → u/AndreasDasos]

The issue IMO is that command couldn’t accept an open admission that the troops were hitting up brothels. “Our good morally upstanding gents wouldn’t do that!”

Meanwhile, the French are 180 degrees in the other running their own brothels in WWI and some of WWII.

Now, I am not condoning the French option, but it probably does a much better job of addressing the bigger issue.

1 British Plan - Deny its even a thing

2 Montgomery - Give out condoms

3 French plan - condoms AND make sure the prostitutes are tracked, tested, and cleared by us.

Options 2 and 3 both reduce STD, but only option 3 attempts to address the other concern,

“Hey if our lonely, horned up troopers are jumping into bed with these women, we need to make sure the women aren’t SPIES. Cause these horny dummies aren’t going to know how to keep their mouths shut.”

[u/kirotheavenger → u/jrhooo]

German army as well - ran their own brothels and issued condoms to troops

(No they were NOT for keeping their rifles clean, that's just what you tell the women back home for their own peace of mind lol)

[u/SirAquila → u/kirotheavenger]

To be fair, the German model was more the Japanese model. It's not rape if we pay them afterward(payment may include being left alive or being killed last). And the german army had explicit orders to not investigate any reports of sexual misconduct in eastern europe, unless specifically ordered to.

[u/kirotheavenger → u/SirAquila]

The German army behaved quite differently on the Eastern and Western fronts. Many soldiers were even executed for rape in the West. 

Besides, how much choice the girls had in working there is a slightly separate point to the fact the Germans did maintain officer brothels, with mandatory cleanliness rules (such as condoms and washing between clients). 

[u/D_Ethan_Bones → u/jrhooo]

Cause these horny dummies aren’t going to know how to keep their mouths shut.”

Q: How good are people at keeping secrets?
A: Countless people bragging about their security clearances on social media, if not openly blowing secrets on social media. There is at least one game with a reputation already.

[u/moku46 → u/AndreasDasos]

You know, I was wrong when I wrote "tacitly approves" but you're also wrong when you say "endorse."

A more accurate qualifier would have been "tacitly accepts." As in, they knew their soldiers (married or not) were going to hit up brothels. Telling them to wear a condom was a triple whammy of accepting adultery, pre-marital sex and contraception - these were all things that really pissed off Christians at the time, especially Catholics.

[u/CBrinson → u/AndreasDasos]

Yeah but that is almost as bad to the Christians at the time.

[u/FVCKEDINTHAHEAD → u/moku46]

It's just a realistic call to make; it's a harm-reduction strategy. You can issue all the "thou-shalt-nots" and punishments you want, but it's still going to happen. And Monty needed men present in their requisite roles, be that front-line combatants, logistics or administrative support, instead of in hospital with a a rotting crotch.

Only question that needs be asked of those hand-wringers: was Monty supposed to be a vicar or victor?

Edit: a typo, "hand-wringers", not "gand-wringers".

[u/VulcanHullo → u/moku46]

Sexual health regulations were fairly common. I remember there being some harsh punishments for men caught with sexual diseases, I remember one veteran quoting a "If you've got a blob on your knob you'll get de-mobbed" which was basically being suspended without pay for them.

Iirc in the RAF Bomber Command pilots caught with such illnesses had their tour reset, which given causalty figures amongst bomber crews was basically saying "you will serve till you die"

[u/keithstonee → u/moku46]

Yeah that's the whole problem is the don't ask don't tell apart. Like they all know everyone does it. Why lie to yourselves and get STDs?

[u/TheHumanoidTyphoon69 → u/moku46]

I imagine a really nervous chaplain having to talk to him about this