Gretchen sans uniforme

As an accurate portrayal of World War II Nazi Germany, SHE DEVILS OF THE SS (aka: FRAULEINS IN UNIFORM) is surpassed only by ILSA: SHE WOLF OF THE SS.

It's a quasi documentary about those brave fighting women of the Third Reich, able to disrobe for action in mere seconds. Who knew the war was this much fun?

In spite of its setting and rampant nudity, it's impossible to be offended, due to the utter lunacy / idiocy of the entire project!

Filmed in the blissful, early 1970's, it's difficult to imagine such a movie being made today...

Frauleins in Uniforms (AKA She Devils of the SS) features none of the mean-spirited nastiness and sexual degradation that is generally associated with the Nazisploitation genre; instead, it uses its German wartime setting as an excuse to get its more-than-willing frauleins out of their uniforms and onto their backs as often as possible, the lovely ladies doing whatever is necessary to assist with the Nazi war effort.

Boasting a very attractive female cast (leads Elisabeth Felchner and Renate Kasché are particularly appealing), most of whom get buck naked, plus better than average production values (that allow for the occasional ambitious battle scene, complete with authentic looking weapons and tanks), this had the potential to be a fun slice of sleazy trash, but with flat direction from Erwin C. Dietrich and nary a plot to tie the unimaginative soft-core sex and fighting together, the whole sorry affair proves tedious in the extreme.

2.5 out of 10, generously rounded up to 3 for the hilarious rifle rubbing scene.

With World War II rapidly coming to an end several young women volunteer to join the German army to show their support for their beloved Fuhrer. However, one of the doctors charged with helping them enlist comes into conflict with the Gestapo and as a result he and his two daughters are subsequently drafted and sent to the Russian Front. That said this film essentially tells the story of the ordeals that these three people encounter as the Russian army begins to close in from the east. Now as far as the overall movie is concerned, although it is billed as a comedy I have to say that I didn't find much humor anywhere. What it did have however were a lot of naked women and scenes of simulated sex, which not only lacked both passion and eroticism, but also lacked any tangible story to make any of these scenes interesting or worthwhile. Additionally, the characters lacked depth and the acting was quite second-rate as well. In short, this was a pretty bad film all around and I have rated it accordingly.

In most ways this fits in with the Nazi-sexploiters made in Italy or by Eurocine, except in one: this was made for the German market and consequently we do not get all the usual stereotypes: (i) all Germans are Nazis, (ii) all Nazis are evil, (iii) all Nazis are sexual predators. We just get (ii) and (iii). The film is also less violent and downright nasty than its foreign genre rivals, partly to accommodate the German censors (who always shunned the connection sex/violence) and partly because their target audience would not have been expecting that - for the aforementioned reason.

The supposed identification figures of the film are Dr Kuhn and his daughters, who suffer from not playing Nazi-ball with the required conviction. I qualify this as "supposed", because this is no more than a McGuffin. After a while the film focusses on its real purpose: ogling at beautiful young women in the nude, with some added spice caused by the dangerous surroundings. If this were an accurate description of the going-ons at the Eastern front then the Wehrmacht should not have had much trouble getting volunteers.

Obviously, this isn't complying with historical accuracy, or political correctness. But then, neither are 'Salon Kitty', 'Love Camp 7', 'Train spécial pour SS', 'Ilsa, she-wolf of the SS', or any of the other films of this ilk. One should not expect more of these pictures than a 1970s version of a roughie.

I recently watched She Devil of the SS (1973) on the Full Moon app on Prime. The storyline follows the German soldiers towards the end of World War II. Desperate to inspire the troops who know they're about to lose the war, women form free brothels on the front line to inspire the troops to fight harder and overcome impossible odds.

This picture is directed by Erwin C. Dietrich (Caged Women) and stars Karin Heske (Secrets of Naked Girls), Renate Kasché (Lady of Frankenstein), Carl Möhner (Carmen, Baby), Helmut Förnbacher (Manipulation) and Birgit Bergen (Sex Clinic '74).

This is a Swiss exploitation featured plenty of beautiful women, with the expected focus on nudity, including the obligatory shower and sex scenes. However, that's about where the film's appeal ends. The sex scenes are uninspiring, mostly showing soldiers in uniform laying on top of the women, and the humor feels forced, with more misses than hits. That said, the ending sequence does add a bit of fun to the otherwise lackluster film.

In conclusion, She Devils of the SS is a below average addition to the exploitation genre. While it delivers what you might expect in terms of visuals, there's little substance beyond that. I would score this a 4/10 and only recommend it with the appropriate expectations.