Why you should stockpile condoms if WW3 breaks out - it's not the reason you think

As the threat of World War 3 looms ever closer, news consumers have been forced to consider which items they'll stockpile if all hell breaks loose.

Apparently, condoms sit within a list of the most queried items, with many Doomsday preparers and historians ceaselessly issuing warnings on how vital these pregnancy preventatives could prove during global warfare.

Traditionally, condoms have been used as a physical barrier during sexual intercourse to keep pregnancy at bay, and to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Historically, however - and especially during periods of international conflict - they were used outside of the bedroom, as handy hacks.

Historical condom use during warfare:

During World War II, for example, Norwegian soldiers reportedly handed condoms out to Nazi troops that had been laced with itching powder, which tricked the receiver into believing they'd contracted a sexually transmitted disease.

Condoms were reportedly used to frighten Nazis during WW2 (Fred Ramage/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

According to Comdomerie, it was a pretty effective way of getting under the skin of enemy soldiers, and even caused delays of German submarine launches whilst soldiers sought treatment for their mystery conditions.

Condoms were also incorporated into army intimidation tactics during the Vietnam War, when US soldiers are said to have adopted a strategy first enacted by Alexander the Great in 300 BC. To frighten his enemies, the ancient hero supposedly ordered his armourers to make helmets that would 7m soldiers.

Similarly, the American Army Psychological Operations Unit ordered 30cm-long condoms to be made, which would later be scattered along Ho Chi Minh City to intimidate Vietnamese troops and make them feel inferior ‘down there’.

If war were to break out now, however, especially in light of this weekend's US-Israeli missile strike on Iran, and the latter's equally devastating bomb-dropping response, experts predict condoms could be used for a number of beneficial reasons, not just sex.

They were reportedly used to shame Vietnamese soldiers (Fred Ramage/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

What could condoms be used for during WW3, besides sex?

Beyond contraception, condoms have a huge range of practical purposes that'll undoubtedly come in handy if war breaks out.

Firstly, they could be used as rather versatile storage containers, given that they're waterproof. So, during times of flooding and soil fall-out caused by bombings, they'd keep any fresh produce safe from contamination.

In the same way, they could also be used as a means of preserving emergency water supplies in desperate, bunker-style situations.

Similarly, condoms could be used to keep vital equipment like medication, tech and communication devices and even weapons free from factors that could otherwise tarnish them.

They'd also prevent the ruin of essentials like matches and tinder.

We should reportedly be stockpiling ahead of WW3 (Mahsa / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

Hektoen International says similar techniques were also used during the two Great Wars, when the covering of gun muzzles with condoms was seen as a savvy way of preventing mud from clogging the barrel.

The fact that condoms are sterile also means they could prove life-saving if standing in for a surgical glove to prevent the spread of infection.

Non-lubricated condoms could also serve as makeshift tourniquets to cover bandages on wounds to keep them both clean and dry.

Lastly, in the more dire of cases, like the total collapse of society as we know it, they could also be used as a bartering tool for higher-value items.