After the end of the fiercest war in the history of mankind, there are many mysteries that historians have been trying to unravel for over 70 years. Perhaps some of you have known for a long time, and some will seem fictional. Any war gives rise to great secrets, myths and legends. Probably, we will never know the truth of what has long been buried in the pages of history.
It is known that there are several points of view on the Second World War. The events were sampled from the American point of view.
Rommel's Treasures
Brief outline: the so-called "Rommel's treasures" were actually plundered by the SS during the war in 1943 by the corps under the command of the same Erwin Rommel, known during the war as the "Desert Fox". The general sent the treasures (gold and other valuables weighing more than 180 kg) by ship to Germany. Sailing near Corsica, during the attack of English ships, the SS men threw the jewels into the sea, thus deciding to "hide" them. According to one of the versions, one of the Nazis discovered the treasures, but it is possible that they still lie at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea.
Some historians appropriate the treasures to another German SS military leader, Walter Rauff, who took an active part in the creation of "gas vans" (or "gas chambers").
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Alien Battle of Los Angeles
In addition to the Pearl Harbor tragedy and a few days after the Ellwood attack, America experienced another shock: on the night of February 24-25, 1942, an incident occurred in Los Angeles associated with rumors of a Japanese attack and the subsequent barrage of fire by air defense forces. American soldiers noticed a luminous object in the sky and mistook it for an attacking force from Japan, launching an attack in response. Later, the incident was recognized as a "false alarm". Some argue that the incident was caused by a weather balloon, while others blame the alien invasion.
Foo Fighters - what is it?
No, not Dave Grohl's band. Although it was named after this phenomenon.
The pilots of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition called the term "fu fighters" unidentified flying objects (possibly unusual atmospheric phenomena) observed during hostilities. The photo shows the glowing Foo Fighters balls around the plane. Ufologists still assume that this phenomenon is the work of aliens. Mainly following the planes, the objects moved rapidly, performed complex maneuvers, and suddenly disappeared. A play of light, secret weapons of enemies or alien creatures - the truth is somewhere nearby.
What happened to the Bloody Flag?
The history of the "bloody banner" with the swastika (blutfahne in translation from German - "bloody flag") dates back to 1923, during Hitler's first and unsuccessful attempt to seize state power (the event is known as the "Beer putsch" in Munich), when the flag was splattered with the blood of one of the killed Nazis. Later, the banner became the first relic of Nazi Germany and was used in all ceremonies: SS officers swore an oath to this banner, the touch of this flag to others allegedly endowed them with strength. The banner was last seen in 1944 during a parade, what happened to it later - unknown, according to one version - it was destroyed during the hostilities.
Pearl Harbor Ghost R-40
The P-40 is an American WWII fighter.
In 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese dealt a second powerful blow to the Americans. A year after the event, one of the allegedly destroyed fighters was spotted in the sky by American radar. It was the P-40 defending the harbor a year ago when bombed. The fighter dived to the ground and crashed, later rescuers found that the cockpit was empty. According to the information in the flight diary, the plane was on an island near the Philippines. How the crashed plane took off and what happened to the pilot is still troubling the minds of historians.
Reincarnation of a fighter pilot
At the age of two, little James Leininger began to have nightmares, the boy often screamed about airplanes in his sleep and later said that his plane was shot down by the Japanese and crashed. According to the boy's stories, his parents noticed an amazing similarity with the fate of the US naval aviation pilot James Huston, who was shot down by the Japanese over the Pacific Ocean. How else could a small child accurately tell and learn about all the details, dates and names?
Soon after James and his parents went to say goodbye to the deceased pilot, the boy stopped having nightmares. Is the boy the reincarnation of Houston? Some believe that James's parents simply wanted to appear in this way in the media.
A Story of 17 Britons from Auschwitz
Many years after the war, today, during excavations on the territory of the Nazi death camp Auschwitz, a list of 17 names of British soldiers was found. Initially, it was assumed that they were prisoners of war, but the list looked strange: 8 names are marked with checkmarks, on the back it says "now", "since then", "never". These British are believed to have been either camp laborers or traitors working for the CC during the war. None of the theories have yet been proven.
Anne Frank's story
The name of 15-year-old Jewish girl Anne Frank is known all over the world.
The famous "Diary" of Anna, written to her during the persecution of Jews by the Nazis, was found in Amsterdam, in the house where the Frank family was hiding. After two years in a shelter trying to hide from the Gestapo, the family was discovered by the Nazis. Who betrayed the Franks? It is known that the location of the Jewish family was reported anonymously. According to the popular version, the informant was an employee of the company of Anna's father, Otto Frank. At the same time, it is possible that the Nazis accidentally found a refuge.
Submarine U-530 transported Hitler?
The history of the German submarines escaped from the allies, including U-530, still worries historians. The submarines surfaced off the coast of Argentina in the summer of 1945. According to one theory, the submarines were carrying the gold reserves of the Third Reich, others claim that the boats belonged to the secret "Fuehrer's convoy" and brought Hitler himself to America, along with the Nazis close to him. By a mysterious coincidence, no ship's documents or logs have survived.
Disappearance of link number 19
This flight accident is considered one of the most mysterious in the history of world aviation. A squadron of five torpedo bombers under the control of US Marine pilots took off on December 5, 1945, during refresher training. Under unknown circumstances, all the planes disappeared from the radar. The incident is associated with mysticism - allegedly, the cars were lost in the Bermuda Triangle, as well as with a pilot error - Lieutenant Charles Taylor. 50 years later, after a large-scale but fruitless operation to find missing aircraft on the coast of Florida and the surrounding islands, the planes were officially reported missing.
The mystery of the submarine I-52
The I-52 is perhaps one of the most famous submarines of the Second World War, and it was not famed for its military power. The circumstances of the death of the Japanese submarine were classified for many years. It is known that in 1944 she transported gold worth about $ 25 million to Nazi Germany and sank in the Atlantic Ocean along with a crew and an expensive cargo. Many operations were carried out to find the submarine. In the 90s, "gold digger" Paul Tidwell discovered I-52 (with the help of the Russian research ship "Akademik Mstislav Keldysh" and two deep-sea vehicles), however, he was disappointed - instead of jewels in the treasured boxes found in the boat, there was only opium.
Operation "Minced meat"
A successful British operation to misinform the enemy, carried out in 1943. The main "character" of the operation was a "drowned man" prepared by the British naval intelligence, to whose wrist was attached a briefcase with a note about the invasion of Greece by the allied forces. Thus, the Germans were able to convince that the landing of the allies in Europe would begin in Greece and Sardinia, thereby diverting attention from the true goal - Sicily. Who owned the body that changed the course of events is still not known for sure.
According to one version, the "drowned man" was a homeless Welshman Glyndr Michael, who died after taking rat poison.
The secret of Hitler's close friend, Rudolf Hess
The flight of Hitler's Deputy for the Nazi Party Rudolf Hess to Scotland is called the most mysterious event of the Second World War.
Hess was carefully preparing for the "mission", the purpose of which was to organize peace negotiations. On May 10, 1941, he flew in the direction of Scotland and jumped with a parachute from the newest Messerschmitt, which later crashed. Having reached the nearest farm, Hess introduced himself with an assumed name and said that he had to get to the estate of the Duke of Hamilton to convey an important message. Hess was later taken into custody and sentenced to life imprisonment. What exactly did Hess want to tell the British, who dared to do such an act? There are many theories, one of which is Hess's depression and even madness. The documents concerning his flight remain classified to this day.
The story of musician Glenn Miller
The legendary American musician, or Major Miller, a World War II veteran, founded the Army Air Force Band in 1943 to "breathe energy into the feet of marching soldiers." Towards the end of the war, in 1944, Miller was supposed to fly to Paris to prepare for the upcoming performance, but the plane on which he flew never reached France, being lost near the English Channel. Neither the musician's body nor the remains of the plane were found, and unexpected versions of his death still appear. A Miller pilot's mistake or bombs dropped by the British Air Force - the mystery rests at the bottom of the English Channel.
Heinrich Müller buried in a Jewish mass grave?
Heinrich Müller is the head of the secret state police of Germany, who disappeared without a trace after the end of the war. Some have suggested that he fled to South America like many other Nazis. One man was identified as Müller, even his own wife recognized him, but later the identification turned out to be erroneous. According to German historians, Müller died in Berlin and was buried in a mass grave in the Jewish cemetery, the version is considered the most reliable.