By the end of the reading I found myself questioning many things and thinking how sexual assault in the past has shaped our view on sexual assault today. With the #metoo currently trending in result of the Harvey Winstead case it is clear sexual assault is a prevalent issue in today’s society. However did sexual assault always have legal and social repercussions? Or was this seen as an unavoidable byproduct of war? As well do the answers to these two questions depend on race or social status? Furthermore how has the laws and culture surrounding sexual assault changed with the feminist movements? Did laws surrounding this crime become more severe with this rise? Or did sexual assaults increases with the changing status of women?

This part of the article discusses how in the German occupied territories women could be targets of sexual assault. However, the author also notes how the rates of sexual assaults varied between the eastern and western fronts. If a french women was rapped this was more rare an sever punishments where carried out. In the east this was common and no repercussions where given. This made me question how rape was used in previous war, for example the Napoleonic wars. Also how was rape used on other parts of history such as the slave trade?

Personally, I found this reading to be difficult as the subject matter is deeply unsettling, as well with the picture on the first page I found this to create the issue in a more real way. It is easy for one to disassociate with the past and believe that society has progressed since then, however with an issue that is still prevalent today. With a crime so horrendous it is easy to see how one can be still affected by this and dissociate themselves from the past.