Everyone knows that the Nazi bonzes were very actively interested in esotericism, parapsychology and the occult, believing that this would help them in conquering the world. But most of all, this topic was carried away by the Reichsfuehrer SS Heinrich Himmler. He strenuously promoted his sometimes strange ideas. Unsurprisingly, he was in charge of virtually every secret project in the Third Reich.
The incarnation of ancient kings
Himmler was literally fixated on ancient mythology. He believed in reincarnation and insisted that he had to personally communicate with the spirits of prominent people of the past … Moreover, he considered himself the embodiment of the protagonist of the legends about the Knights of the Round Table - King Arthur of the Britons, or the already existing late monarch Henry I.
In 1935, the organization "Ahnenerbe" (in translation it means "German Society for the Study of Ancient German History and Ancestral Heritage") was created, headed by Heinrich Himmler himself. Its tasks included the study of the historical heritage of the Germans. "Ahnenerbe" sent expeditions to the countries of the Middle East, to Tibet, to Antarctica. The goal was to obtain evidence of the chosenness of the Aryan race, as well as a variety of magical and occult artifacts that could be used, for example, to gain power over the world.
Another area of activity of Himmler was various studies, the results of which could also be useful to the Reich.
Caucasian project
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In 1942, Anenerbe sent an expedition to the Caucasus. It was supervised by the famous German professor-archaeologist Herbert Jankun. The expedition members had to find traces of the Goth tribes who once lived in those lands, who are considered the progenitors of the Aryans. Operation Edelweiss was developed, during which flags with Nazi symbols were erected on Mount Elbrus.
According to the head of the regional branch of the Russian Geographical Society, Igor Ogay, in the Caucasus, the Nazis could be interested not only in "Gothic roots", but also in numerous dolmens and megaliths, in which they saw a source of magical power.
Search for the Holy Grail
Himmler was especially interested in the legendary biblical vessel, the Holy Grail, supposedly capable of giving its owner power over the whole world. An ancient German myth said that the Grail comes to the surface of the earth every 700 years. The Reichsfuehrer calculated that this should happen again in 1944. On March 16, 1944, an expedition headed by Alfred Rosenberg set off to the castle of Montsegur in the Pyrenees, where, according to legend, the last guardians of the Grail - the Cathars - lived and where in 1244 they last saw the famous cup. Himmler's envoys raised a flag with a Celtic cross over the castle, but that was all. Of course, they did not find any Grail.
Experiments on dogs
The Nazis believed that dogs were almost as smart as humans and could be taught to “talk” to humans and even read. In addition, they believed that a person could enter into a telepathic connection with a dog.
Himmler, among other projects, oversaw the Tier-Sprechschule ASRA dog school, which was founded in 1930 near Hanover. A certain Margaret Schmitt ran the establishment. The "most gifted" dogs from all over Germany were selected there. In the classroom, they were taught, in particular, to imitate the human voice, and one dog allegedly even learned to clearly pronounce "Mein Fuhrer" in response to the question of who Hitler was.
An Airedale Terrier named Rolf was trained in such a way that he could type words on a special keyboard. A certain number of clicks meant this or that letter. Rolf's "educators" claimed that with the help of phrases typed on the keys, the dog talks on religious topics! And he once asked one of the visitors: "Could you wag your tail?"
Rolf, apparently, was generally a dog genius. He allegedly managed to achieve outstanding success in the study of foreign languages and even … writing poetry!
Alchemical experiments
Hitler was no stranger to alchemy, the ancient occupation of all self-respecting magicians and occultists. At first, as the German historian Helmut Werner writes in Hitler's Alchemists - Secret Attempts to Produce Gold at Dachau, he was fired up with the idea of converting water into gasoline. True, not with his own hands - this was promised to him by a certain Heinrich Kurshildgen. However, it quickly became clear that the "magician" was an ordinary charlatan. He was sent to a concentration camp.
Despite his failure with gasoline, Himmler fell under the influence of another "alchemist" - Karl Malchus. He suggested turning the river sand into gold. This did not seem such a utopia, since in the 30s small gold nuggets were indeed found at the bottom of Bavarian rivers.
The Third Reich certainly needed gold. Mahlhus said he could get enough of it with stones, paraffin and sand from the bottom of Munich's Isar River.
All the dirty work, of course, was to be done by the prisoners. A secret alchemical laboratory was organized on the territory of the Dachau concentration camp. When Malthus' employees arrived at the site, they were thoroughly searched to see if they had brought precious metals with them. However, Malkhus still managed to carry cigarettes into the laboratory, in which grains of gold were hidden. For several weeks, the "alchemist" fooled the customers' heads, demonstrating the gold he had brought with him and assuring him that he received it as a result of laboratory experiments. But then the truth came out. First, the angry Himmler ordered the arrest of Malkhus, who became a prisoner in the same Dachau. But then he released him, demanding a promise on pain of death not to tell anyone about the laboratory. How many such strange projects the Reichsfuehrer had - no one knows …
Irina Shlionskaya