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Inside the infamous porn obsession of Hitler’s Nazi protégé Sections   News   Pay & Benefits   Flashpoints   Pentagon & Congress   Off Duty   Education & Transition   Veterans   Military Honor   Subscribe Now(Opens in new window)Subscribe Now(Opens in new window)NewsYour ArmyAir Force Times(Opens in new window)Marine Corps Times(Opens in new window)Navy Times(Opens in new window)Pentagon & CongressDefense News(Opens in new window)FlashpointsPay & BenefitsBenefits Guide(Opens in new window)Military Pay CenterMilitary RetirementMilitary BenefitsMil MoneyDiscount DepotOff DutyGear Scout(Opens in new window)Military CultureMilitary FitnessMilitary Movies & Video GamesMilitary SportsSpousesEducation & TransitionTransition Guide(Opens in new window)Pay It Forward(Opens in new window)VeteransBlack Military History(Opens in new window)Congressional Veterans Caucus(Opens in new window)Military Appreciation Month(Opens in new window)Military HistoryVietnam Vets & Rolling Thunder(Opens in new window)Military HonorHonor the Fallen(Opens in new window)Hall of Valor(Opens in new window)Black Military History(Opens in new window)Congressional Veterans Caucus(Opens in new window)Vietnam Vets & Rolling Thunder(Opens in new window)Service Members of the Year(Opens in new window)Create an Obituary(Opens in new window)OpinionEditorialsCommentaryMedals & MisfiresSpecial ProjectsInstallation Guide(Opens in new window)Task Force ViolentBattle BracketCFC Givers GuideVideosPhoto GalleriesEarly Bird BriefNewsletters(Opens in new window)Military NativeIHGLong-Term Care PartnersNavy FederalDigital Edition(Opens in new window)Installation Guide(Opens in new window)Inside the infamous porn obsession of Hitler’s Nazi protégéBy Claire Barrett Monday, Dec 4Streicher. (Bundesarchivs)As Nazis infamously looted art, jewelry and other valuables from the many cities and towns across Europe during the Second World War, Adolf Hitler’s protégé Julius Streicher had other, more debased collectibles on his mind: pornography.Born on Feb. 12, 1885, in the Bavarian town of Fleinhausen, Streicher was once considered a rising star on the radical right. The school teacher-turned-soldier fought in the First World War and in 1919 helped launch the Nuremberg wing of the Deutschsozialistische Partei — or, German Socialist Party — which “espoused right-wing ultra-nationalist, anti-Catholic and antisemitic principles,” according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.Three years later, Streicher persuaded his followers to merge with the National Socialist German Workers’ Party — the Nazi party under Hitler’s command.Considered among the “old guard” in the party, it was Streicher’s oratory skills, much like the Nazi leader, that drew the attention of his comrades.In 1923, Streicher’s passion for propaganda coalesced with his lecherous mind when he launched Der Stürmer, a virulent anti-Semitic newspaper that featured crude, graphic anti-Jewish cartoons, photographs and articles.Week after week, month after month, for nearly 22 years, Streicher tied together accusations of blood libel with pornography, which has come to be considered the very nadir of Nazi anti-Semitic propaganda.“These grotesque, often pornographic cartoons of Jewish stereotypes,” which were drawn by Philipp Rupprecht, “accompanied the propaganda Streicher disseminated, saturating the consciousness of Germans during the Third Reich and contribut[ed] to the capacity of many Germans to accept the Nazi program,” according to Michael D. Bulmash, whose family collection of Holocaust-related propaganda is accessible via Kenyon College.In a July 1946 article titled “Portrait of a Pervert,” author Herbert Eisen detailed the lascivious mind of Streicher.“Its pages abounded with tales of rape by non-Aryans — often negroes — of fair German virgins, described with all the details of smut and bawdry which a lecherous mind can invent,” Eisen wrote in the Australian magazine The Pertinent.“The [Nazi] excesses which have now — too late — become notorious, even among the most indifferent, and which have their origination in sexual aberrations skillfully enhanced and implanted over two decades, must be regarded as Streicher’s main contribution to the cause of Nazism,” Eisen continued.These lurid sexual assault stories Streicher propagated were largely consumed by the young men of Germany, and, with Streicher’s prominent place within the Nazi party, Der Stürmer’s graphic cartoons and pictures became the most accessible pornography of its time.But Streicher didn’t just produce fanciful, smutty and violent content. He also consumed it. Vast amounts, in fact.Streicher even went as far during World War II as ordering the local Nuremberg police and troops to seize all the pornography they discovered for “research” purposes, according to the popular podcast Behind the Bastards.Upon the Allied victory in May 1945, Streicher was arrested as “Jew-Baiter Number One” near his home in Nuremberg by Maj. Henry Plitt of the 101st Airborne Division. As American paratroopers tore through the Nazi’s home, they stumbled upon what might have been the largest stockpile of pornography in the world at the time.Streicher was later convicted during a trial at the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal on the charge of crimes against humanity, with the court deeming the Nazi culpable for murder and extermination within the pages of Der Stürmer. Yet his putrid newspaper wasn’t the only topic of conversation during the trial.According to Joseph Maier and Sender Jaari, who worked as researchers for the prosecution during the Nuremberg Trials, “Streicher was without a doubt the dirtiest man in Nuremberg. His collection of pornographic literature was the largest we have ever seen.”Julius Streicher was executed by hanging in October 1946. What became of his erotic collection, however, remains somewhat of a mystery.Archivists, do your thing.Observation Post is the Military Times one-stop shop for all things off-duty. Stories may reflect author observations. About Claire BarrettClaire Barrett is a digital media editor at HistoryNet and a World War II researcher with an unparalleled affinity for Sir Winston Churchill and Michigan football.Share:Tags:best war storiescrazy military storiesnazi looting wwiiworst nazis wwiiworld war ii stolen artporn world war iiworld war ii historyMore From Observation PostAir Force looks to create single ‘Frankenplane’ from 2 damaged F-35sThe jet is set for completion in March 2025.New trailer arrives for Spielberg-Hanks series ‘Masters of the Air’The show will launch on Apple TV+ with a two-episode debut on Jan. 26, 2024.Why some troops consider their military service a dating app red flagDating is tough, but apparently military service makes it harder.Where the ‘Battleship’ board game originatedHistorians trace its origins back to World War I.Keep soldiers out of our creek, farm owners tell Fort LibertyThere must be something in the water.In Other NewsDefense bill drops disputed abortion provisions in final compromiseThe annual defense authorization bill contains a 5.2% pay raise for troops and a host of other policy renewals needed for military operations.Political fights aren’t discouraging recruits, military recruiters sayService officials said one of their biggest obstacles is explaining the basics of military service to teenagers who rarely interact with veterans.OpinionUS troops can declare victory in 3M class action lawsuitWhile the settlement can never restore the hearing loss suffered by the plaintiffs, it is a victory for the veterans who had the tenacity to file the suit.Air Force looks to create single ‘Frankenplane’ from 2 damaged F-35sThe jet is set for completion in March 2025.Senators say DOD has a ‘long way to go’ to fix military housing issuesSenators want answers from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on steps the Pentagon is taking to address continued problems in family housing.Featured VideoHonoring accomplishment and courage: profiles of the 2023 Service Members of the YearWatch Navy football players react to 2023 uniform reveal for game against ArmyPsychedelics, cryotherapy and new treatments for vets | Defense News Weekly Full Episode 11.18.23As a veteran, what should I look for in a future employer? — Money MinuteTrending NowArmy fires commander of Europe and Africa support brigadeSoon-to-retire soldiers still waiting for Army to fix ROTC admin errorMeet the Army’s first female active duty sniperLawyer picked as Army’s first top sexual assault prosecutor firedHere are the 422 military leaders finally confirmed by the SenateArmy Times © 2023Army Times © 2023Terms of UsePrivacy PolicyTerms of ServiceGet UsSubscribe(Opens in new window)Newsletters(Opens in new window)RSS Feeds(Opens in new window)Contact UsAdvertiseGeneral Contacts, Subscription ServicesEditorial StaffAbout UsAbout UsCareers(Opens in new window)Jobs for Veterans(Opens in new window)