Post by rexmorane on Jan 18, 2019 21:47:08 GMT -5
OK, here's a question.
I recently bought a board game called "Storm over Dien Bien Phu". One of the action cards is titled, "Bordels Mobiles De Campagne" (BMC), and has the ability to refresh all troops in a certain area. Well after seeing this I did a little research online about these "BMCs". It seems they were attached to French units to keep sexually transmitted diseases down while providing "comfort" to the troops. Basically sanctioned prostitution, or "Controlled Military Brothels". It appears that a number of military groups had such "Comfort Units" even in WWII.
That said, I haven't found much on the French BMCs in Indochine. I have a number of questions that has hit me:
1 - Were these BMCs within military complexes our on the boarder of such secured areas (like camp followers in the Civil & Indian Wars)?
2 - Were the same women who serviced officers also servicing enlisted men?
3 - How many women were in a single BMC?
4 - How many BMCs per Battalion (or how many women to men were there)?
5 - Were these women selected by the French Military or forced into service?
6 - Most of the images I have found show indigenous women as members of the BMC, were there any native French women?
7 - Were any of the women who served in the BMC used as nurses during battles?
8 - What benefits other than monetary were there for women in a BMC (any offered citizenship)?
9 - What was the basic cost for such services to the soldier?
10 - Were these women taxed by the French government?
11 - Are there any official documents that are available to read about this topic?
12 - When did the French military finally stop this type of service (it appears to have gone into the '90s)?
As I ask these questions it seems strange to have such an interest but it's a story waiting to be investigated (if it has not already been exhausted).
Many thanks,
R. Morane
I recently bought a board game called "Storm over Dien Bien Phu". One of the action cards is titled, "Bordels Mobiles De Campagne" (BMC), and has the ability to refresh all troops in a certain area. Well after seeing this I did a little research online about these "BMCs". It seems they were attached to French units to keep sexually transmitted diseases down while providing "comfort" to the troops. Basically sanctioned prostitution, or "Controlled Military Brothels". It appears that a number of military groups had such "Comfort Units" even in WWII.
That said, I haven't found much on the French BMCs in Indochine. I have a number of questions that has hit me:
1 - Were these BMCs within military complexes our on the boarder of such secured areas (like camp followers in the Civil & Indian Wars)?
2 - Were the same women who serviced officers also servicing enlisted men?
3 - How many women were in a single BMC?
4 - How many BMCs per Battalion (or how many women to men were there)?
5 - Were these women selected by the French Military or forced into service?
6 - Most of the images I have found show indigenous women as members of the BMC, were there any native French women?
7 - Were any of the women who served in the BMC used as nurses during battles?
8 - What benefits other than monetary were there for women in a BMC (any offered citizenship)?
9 - What was the basic cost for such services to the soldier?
10 - Were these women taxed by the French government?
11 - Are there any official documents that are available to read about this topic?
12 - When did the French military finally stop this type of service (it appears to have gone into the '90s)?
As I ask these questions it seems strange to have such an interest but it's a story waiting to be investigated (if it has not already been exhausted).
Many thanks,
R. Morane
