People talk so much about the "fanatic genocidal fascism" aspect of Nazis that some of their other, less genocidal (but no less crazy!) ideas. Like the Nazi sex doll "designed to stop soldiers being laid low with syphilis"!

According to the Daily Mail, which cites the book Mussolini's Barber, SS commander Heinrich Himmler was deeply worried about French prostitutes. ("The greatest danger in Paris is the widespread and uncontrolled presence of whores," he wrote. Take that, De Gaulle!) So he contrived to neutralize them:

Smaller than life-size, the so-called ‘gynoids' were to be targeted at the men most at temptation from a ‘quick adventure' with a French prostitute.

[...]

The dolls were apparently trialled in Nazi-occupied Jersey at the German barracks in St Hellier.

After being refined, Himmler was so impressed he immediately ordered 50 of them.

However, at the beginning of 1942 he changed his mind and the whole project was axed and any evidence was destroyed in the Allied bombing of Dresden.

Author Graeme Donald says the story came out through Arthur Rink, a member of the—wow!—"Racial Hygiene and Demographic Biology Research Unit." Donald came across it while researching the "Lilli" doll, an adult novelty doll that was the inspiration for Barbie (opinion seems to be divided as to whether or not the Lilli was used for actual sex); apparently, the two looked similar.

And yes, we are wondering too: "Smaller than life-size"?

[Daily Mail]