1Australian Internment Camps
Australia had ‘internment camps’ during World War 2 (and World War 1) in which almost 7000 people of Italian, German, and Japanese origin were detained in some of the remotest parts of Australia. They also included 1500 British National of German descent or part of radical nationalist organizations.
2. The Japanese officer who proposed the use of Kamikaze pilots during World War 2 shot himself post-war out of guilt for sending so many young men to their deaths.
3. Winston Churchill drew up plans for a surprise attack against the then-allied Soviet Union. Dubbed “Operation Unthinkable,” the plan would have rearmed up to 100,000 former Nazi soldiers and kicked off World War 3 almost before World War 2 had ended.
4. During World War 2, Allied submarines would often lie on beds of pistol shrimp to avoid detection. The snapping sound made by the shrimp was so loud that it stopped the submarines from being picked up on Japanese sonar.
5. The term ‘Blitzkrieg’ was a term created by the Western Media to describe German tactics during World War 2, and Hitler himself actually ridiculed it as ‘a completely idiotic word’ (ein ganz blödsinniges Wort).
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6American Army Boots
During World War 2, it was common for desensitized US troops to murder German POWs if they were wearing American boots, as it was a reminder that one of their buddies had been killed.
7. One of the most effective weapons in World War 2 was the proximity fuzed shell. The Allies were so terrified of the enemy getting hold of samples that they were initially only used over water by the Navy. There was an embargo on their use over land until 1944.
8. Nazis offered Iron Cross to 4 Finnish Jews during World War 2. None accepted. For example, Leo Skurnik was awarded Iron Cross for evacuating a German soldier under enemy fire. Major Skurnik told the Germans that he would “wipe his arse with the medal.”
9. In 1942, the Canadian government sold the homes of Japanese-Canadians to pay for their own detention in camps during World War 2. The majority were Canadian citizens by birth. Compensation in 1988 amounted to $21,000 to each surviving internee.
10. The Amber Room was a priceless work of art with over 6 tons of amber. It was once considered the 8th Wonder of the World. The entire room went 'missing' during World War 2.
11Pervitin
Methamphetamine was sold during World War 2 under the brand name Pervitin. It was used by all branches of the Wehrmacht forces of the Third Reich for its “stimulant effects and to induce extended wakefulness.”
12. UK’s highest-paid entertainer during World War 2, George Formby, went to Normandy after the landings and gave 9 shows to frontline troops who had held out for 56 days without relief. His audiences were in foxholes. He also crawled through trenches to tell jokes when the enemy was too close for a show.
13. After World War 2, the Allies discovered meticulous plans for a Sun Gun by the Nazis. Planned by renowned Nazi Scientist Hermann Oberth, it was a 1km in diameter mirror attached to a space station to burn cities and evaporate oceans, estimated to take 15 years to build. He later joined NASA.
14. The “Lazy Dog” bomb which was developed during World War 2 was a 2-inch steel kinetic projectile that was dropped by the thousands from 3,000 feet. It was capable of penetrating up to 9 inches of solid concrete with no explosives.
15. Toward the end of World War 2, when US Army Captain Moffatt Burriss along with two others were traveling in a Jeep, they accidentally stumbled upon a 15,000 strong German Panzer Corps outside of Berlin. He approached the enemy commander alone and tricked him into surrendering his army and being taken captive.
16Chechen-Soviet Soldiers
Upon the archaeological discovery of Chechen-Soviet soldiers from World War 2 in Ukraine, archaeologists discovered letters addressed by them to their relatives, in Chechen towns which no longer exist. Further investigation revealed the Khaibakh massacre which was perpetrated by Soviet forces.
17. During World War 2, American bomber “ye olde pub,” was nearly shot down. A German fighter gave chase and once in range, he noticed the dead and injured crew and the terror in the pilot’s face. He didn’t attack and escorted the plane. Both pilots survived the war and finally met in 1990.
18. Bhagat Ram Talwar was an Indian spymaster who was codenamed “Silver.” He was essentially the only known example of a QUINTUPLE agent having spied for Germany, Italy, Japan, USSR, and Britain during World War 2.
19. To get around the Versailles Treaty restrictions, before World War 2 started, the Germans built their tanks in Stalingrad and aircraft factories near Moscow.
20. Although Japan was allied with Nazi Germany and Italy during World War 2, they secretly supported Poland, going as far as helping Poland evacuate a gold reserve from German-occupied territory and sheltering Polish Jews fleeing the occupation, even after Poland declared war on them in 1941.
21Józef Unrug
After a Polish Admiral of German descent, Józef Unrug, was taken prisoner during World War 2, his former Imperial German Navy friends came to visit him. Unrug refused to speak German with them, saying that he had forgotten that language in September 1939, the day Germany invaded Poland.
22. During World War 2, an edible explosive was created under the code name “Aunt Jemima.” It was a mixture of flour and the powdery explosive HMX. It could pass for flour and was even be used in cooking. It was smuggled by the Chinese guerrillas to bypass Japanese checkpoints.
23. During World War 2, morale among the British Army (in desert campaigns) was directly proportional to the supply of tea that they had. This was due to them brewing it all the time in order to drink the foul-tasting water they were supplied with, as it came from fuel cans.
24. During World War 2, the USA implemented a nationwide “Victory Speed Limit” of 35 mph to conserve gasoline and rubber for the war effort.
25. During World War 2, 18 American shipyards produced 2710 Liberty ships (a type of cargo ship). This was at a rate of 3 ships every 2 days. Each ship took an average of just 42 days to complete.
