 Throughout World War II , condoms were not only distributed to male U.S. military members , but also heavily promoted with films , posters , and lectures . European and Asian militaries on both sides of the conflict also provided condoms to their troops throughout the war , even Germany which outlawed all civilian use of condoms in 1941 . In part because condoms were readily available , soldiers found a number of non @-@ sexual uses for the devices , many of which continue to this day . 
