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Channel: WWII – Crazy Facts
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Joseph R. Beyrle is thought to be the only American soldier…

Joseph R. Beyrle is thought to be the only American soldier to have served with both the United States Army and the Soviet Army in World War II. His son John Beyrle served as the United States...

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There was a magician by the name Jasper Maskelyne…

There was a magician by the name Jasper Maskelyne who used “magic” to help against the nazis in WWII. He would hide tools and maps in everyday objects and fool the Nazis by using illusions.

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One of the very few surviving ships from the…

One of the very few surviving ships from the 1944 D-Day invasion is still in service as a car ferry in Connecticut.

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During WWII, Coca-Cola lobbyist Ben Oehlert convinced the…

During WWII, Coca-Cola lobbyist Ben Oehlert convinced the government to allow their product to be given to the troops as an alternative to alcohol in order to be excused from sugar rationing, thus...

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Tea was so important for morale in the British…

Tea was so important for morale in the British army that in 1942 the UK bought the entire world’s crop of tea.

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Captain Richard Antrim was captured in 1942 & held as a POW…

Captain Richard Antrim was captured in 1942 & held as a POW. During this time, he impressed with his engineering skills & helped the Japanese arrange trenches. From the air, the trenches...

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The first man to perform cardiac catheterization…

The first man to perform cardiac catheterization, did it on himself then walked downstairs to the radiology department to take the x-ray to prove you would not die. He was fired, became a Nazi, then...

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Russian pilot Semyon Bychkov served both in the Soviet Air…

Russian pilot Semyon Bychkov served both in the Soviet Air Forces and the Luftwaffe and was stripped of all Soviet awards posthumously.

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During the WWII naval battle of Leyte Gulf, an American pilot…

During the WWII naval battle of Leyte Gulf, an American pilot made repeated attack runs against one of the largest battleships in history, Japan’s Yamato. After running out of ammunition, the pilot...

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During WWII, more people died manufacturing…

During WWII, more people died manufacturing V-2 Rockets than were killed by its use.

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The Soviet tenor Victor Ivanovich Nikitin was so good, that when…

The Soviet tenor Victor Ivanovich Nikitin was so good, that when he sang to the Soviet troops at the Eastern front in WWII, German troops on the other side stopped shooting to listen to him.

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During the siege of the city during WWII, music performances were…

During the siege of the city during WWII, music performances were broadcast over the city of Leningrad 24/7 to bolster the civilians’ spirits. At rare times, when music wasn’t broadcast, a metronome...

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Joseph Medicine Crow, a Native American of the Crow…

Joseph Medicine Crow, a Native American of the Crow tribe, served in World War II and completed all the requirements to become a war chief while at war, making him the last Crow member to do so.

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The U.S. government spent years holding fake…

The U.S. government spent years holding fake arrival ceremonies honoring the return of American soldiers killed in WWII, Vietnam, and Korea to American soil, but the planes were actually empty. The...

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During WW2 in Africa, US tanks were outmatched by superior…

During WW2 in Africa, US tanks were outmatched by superior German tanks. So the US used Jeeps with machine guns to go behind enemy lines to destroy the fuel trucks supplying gas to the German tanks...

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During the Battle of Stalingrad, factories in the city…

During the Battle of Stalingrad, factories in the city continued to produce tanks. These tanks, unpainted and lacking gunsights, were driven directly from the factory floor to the front line and were...

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Some of the first German Soldiers captured at Normandy on D-Day…

Some of the first German Soldiers captured at Normandy on D-Day were actually Korean. They had been pressed into service by the Japanese, captured by the Soviets, then captured by the Germans, then...

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Explorers on Greenland found a P-38 aircraft used during WWII…

Explorers on Greenland found a P-38 aircraft used during WWII buried under 264 ft of ice. They dug it out and restored it to flying condition.

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In WW2 an American popular culture trend resulted…

In WW2 an American popular culture trend resulted in people graffiti-ing “Kilroy was here” across Europe, which convinced Hitler that Kilroy was a spy and Stalin even investigated trying to find out...

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Starting in 1945, more than 8,000 Dutch people have adopted the grave…

Starting in 1945, more than 8,000 Dutch people have adopted the grave of an American WWII soldier buried at Margraten, Netherlands. They visit regularly with flowers and graves are passed to the next...

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