During World War II, the Nazis developed a secret weapon named the “Schweres Wasser” (Heavy Water) which was a isotope of water that was enriched in the hydrogen isotope deuterium. This heavy water was used in the production of nuclear weapons but the allies became aware of this and they launch an operation to sabotage the heavy water production in Norway. The operation was successful and it slowed down the Nazi’s Nuclear weapon development program which in turn changed the outcome of the war.
WWII
Frederic John Walker known…
Frederic John Walker known more popularly as Johnnie Walker because of the brand of whisky, was the most successful anti-submarine commander of the Second World War. With 17 U-boats destroyed one aspect of his charismatic nature was to play the tune “A Hunting We Will Go”.
During WW2, German pilots in North Africa…
During WW2, German pilots in North Africa would wrap Coca-Cola bottles in wet towels and attach them to the wings before takeoff, so that it would be cold when they landed and needed a drink.
Ted d’Auvergne, a New Zealand WW2 soldier, was at the pub…
Ted d’Auvergne, a New Zealand WW2 soldier, was at the pub and late for his embarkation train. He asked the bartender to set aside his 2nd bottle of beer to drink when he came home. Ted was killed but the promise was kept and that bottle of beer is still there.
Leo Marks, a WWII cryptographer…
Leo Marks, a WWII cryptographer, suspected that Germans had infiltrated the Dutch network in 1943 because all messages were being sent without any errors. To test his theory, Marks sent a message with “HH” and received “HH” in response. “HH” was a common German sign-off for “Heil Hitler.”
World War II Spitfires only had…
World War II Spitfires only had about 20 seconds of ‘gun time’ before running out of ammo, making most movie depictions wildly inaccurate.
Also one of the biggest issues any historian of WW2 aircombat notices in movies depicting it, is that anyone shoots anything down.
D-Day was originally supposed…
D-Day was originally supposed to happen on 5th June but meteorologist James Stagg persuaded Dwight Eisenhower to postpone by a day right at the last minute. The weather conditions had to be just right for the landings and planners took the tide, wind speed and even the moon cycle into account.
In effort to keep morale high for WWII…
In effort to keep morale high for WWII troops fighting in the Pacific, the British built a floating brewery and dispatched it to the South Seas. America did something similar with ice cream. They recommissioned a warship to make ice cream during WWII.
21 leading Nazis were given…
21 leading Nazis were given IQ tests at Nuremberg. The average score was 128. The smartest Nazi was Hjalmar Schacht, a key resistance fighter who was acquitted on all charges. He scored 143.
Rolex gave watches to British prisoners…
Rolex gave watches to British prisoners in WW2 and allowed them to pay after they had been released. One of these watches was sold for more than $65,000 in Sydney, Australia in 2006.