A new research has revealed that the Normandy invasion during the Second World War was a supercharged erotic adventure for some, who, after fighting their way off the murderous beaches, expected to find free love from a grateful public.
The study found that GIs were motivated by explicit stories of how French women had few morals and would be swift to show their appreciation, the Daily Express reported.
According to Life magazine- one of the prominent publications of the day- France was a tremendous brothel inhabited by 40,000,000 hedonists who spent all their time eating, drinking and making love.
Professor Mary Louise Roberts said in his book 'What Soldiers Do' that in order to motivate the GIs to fight in Europe, the US military lavished the official trench newspaper, Stars And Stripes, with pictures of French women kissing American soldiers.
His book suggests that during that time sexual relations became unrestricted and public, as GIs would roam the streets calling up at windows for sex or knocking on doors demanding "service".
The problem was replicated across France and into Paris, where four prostitutes were murdered by GIs after the city was liberated.
The book powers a spotlight on a side of war that is often shadowed by the loftier ambitions of a campaign.
