So... the Nazis.

[Trasch17]

Highways were just built by the Nazis. They were actually planned by the Weimar Republic.

Oh, and Hitler wasn't his real last name, i think it was Schicklgruber or something like that. He changed his name so it would sound harder, more brutal (Same reason why the Konzentrationslager were called KZ and not KL).

Hitler was a soldier during WW I and wanted to become officer but his superiors declined beacause they thought he wasn't suited to lead and to take responsobility. (Somehow ironic)

Not all Germans were Nazis. They just didn't dare to speak up, fearing strict punishment.

Indoctrination of children through school worked pretty well (my great-grandmom is still convinced that the Nazis were actually good)

Hitler wasn't as intelligent as you may think. The only thing he was good at was talking.

The Nazis wanted to rename Berlin into Germania.

The idea of different human races was originally formulated by some french guy (forgot his name).
Blitzkrieg was invented by a british guy (forgot his name too and I'm too lazy to look it up).

Hitler stopped the invasion of the Soviet Union for several months because he wanted Tiger-Panzer at the Eastern Front.

HItler wasn't a vegetarian.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Was it not something they, not surprisingly, called Monster? It was a super self-propelled artillery platform fitted with their massive rail mounted Artillery gun (Schwerer Gustav). Of course, physics had some words with those engineers and it was scrapped before leaving the drawing board.

EDIT: Ha, I found the name. It was called the Landkreuzer P. 1500 Monster. Aptly named. As a size comparison, the MAUS weighed 200 tons... the Monster was to weight 1,500 tons.

I looked through google to see if anyone did an artists rendition of this never to be monstrosity. What I saw laughs in the face of what Warhammer 40k calls large in terms of tanks. I wonder if the limitations would still be present today? Of course a super sized artillery platform would only be a massive target for a tomohawk strike, but still... I want to live in a world where tanks are as big as city blocks.

It's not merely physics, but resources and logistics that laugh at that.

Hitler was big on that sort of thing, he also wanted the most ginormous battleship ever built...it didn't go into production in the end because it was absurd, and people recognised that there was no point building normal battleships at the end of WW2 anyway.

...

Nowdays, you probably could build a tank that big, but what would it be good for?

 

[EMFCRACKSHOT]

Was it not something they, not surprisingly, called Monster? It was a super self-propelled artillery platform fitted with their massive rail mounted Artillery gun (Schwerer Gustav). Of course, physics had some words with those engineers and it was scrapped before leaving the drawing board.

EDIT: Ha, I found the name. It was called the Landkreuzer P. 1500 Monster. Aptly named. As a size comparison, the MAUS weighed 200 tons... the Monster was to weight 1,500 tons.

I looked through google to see if anyone did an artists rendition of this never to be monstrosity. What I saw laughs in the face of what Warhammer 40k calls large in terms of tanks. I wonder if the limitations would still be present today? Of course a super sized artillery platform would only be a massive target for a tomohawk strike, but still... I want to live in a world where tanks are as big as city blocks.

EDIT EDIT:

Spoiler

Hilariously large is it not.

That is unbelievably awesome. We have to build this.
And i can't believe i've never heard of it before. Damnit i want one so much

 

[Trivun]

Also, It was the RUSSIANS who defeated Germany at the Battle of Berlin, NOT AMERICANS. But the Americans liberated west Europe.

Wrong. The Soviets (not just Russia, but rather the USSR) were the main guys on the Eastern Front. The British and their fellow Comnwealth countries were the driving force on the Western Front and in Africa, with support from the French Resistance and US troops. Yes, the Americans were vital to help provide supplies for the UK given the German blockades, and they were vital in securing certain beaches on D-Day. But aside from that, their part in the Western Front was relatively minimal compared to the British push.

The Americans' most useful role really was on the Pacific Front, fighting Japan and their local allies on the islands. That was mainly the US Air Force and Navy taking key islands and gaining enough of an advantage to flank key fronts and hit key targets, pushing towards Japan. We Brits helped out to a certain degree on the mainland, on the Asian continent, but the Pacific Front was mostly American forces.

Basically we can sum up the situation like this:

Eastern Front: Soviets mainly pushing to Berlin, with minimal support from Allies.
Western Front: Mostly British, with some support from Americans and French Resistance and Allies.
Pacific Front: Mostly Americans, with some limited support from Allies.
North Africa: Mostly British, with Allied support.

 

[Ragsnstitches]

Was it not something they, not surprisingly, called Monster? It was a super self-propelled artillery platform fitted with their massive rail mounted Artillery gun (Schwerer Gustav). Of course, physics had some words with those engineers and it was scrapped before leaving the drawing board.

EDIT: Ha, I found the name. It was called the Landkreuzer P. 1500 Monster. Aptly named. As a size comparison, the MAUS weighed 200 tons... the Monster was to weight 1,500 tons.

I looked through google to see if anyone did an artists rendition of this never to be monstrosity. What I saw laughs in the face of what Warhammer 40k calls large in terms of tanks. I wonder if the limitations would still be present today? Of course a super sized artillery platform would only be a massive target for a tomohawk strike, but still... I want to live in a world where tanks are as big as city blocks.

It's not merely physics, but resources and logistics that laugh at that.

Hitler was big on that sort of thing, he also wanted the most ginormous battleship ever built...it didn't go into production in the end because it was absurd, and people recognised that there was no point building normal battleships at the end of WW2 anyway.

...

Nowdays, you probably could build a tank that big, but what would it be good for?

Making aliens think twice about entering our atmosphere? It would please Warhammer 40k fans to no end though.

 

[EMFCRACKSHOT]

Blitzkrieg was invented by a british guy (forgot his name too and I'm too lazy to look it up).

Blitzkrieg is a populist term invented by the american press. The only example of Blitzkreig (in world war two, the six day ar could legitimately be termed blitzkrieg as well) as it is defined was the battle of France, and much of that success was not intentional and only made possible by poor allied command and armoured doctrine.
Thats a quote from my armoured warfare lecturer Dr Aleric Searle

HItler wasn't a vegetarian.

According to all of his generals with published memoirs he was.

 

[Agayek]

I have my History GCSE exam on Tuesday, and it's on Germany from 1918-1945. I'd like to sneak in some interesting facts that we haven't been taught in class, just to be a smartass. So, has anyone got any interesting facts about the Nazis (as you may be able to guess, they feature rather prominently under that heading). In fact, anything interesting about the topic at all would do for me. I'll soon see how quirky I can make my essay...

Just off the top of my head:

1) The Rosenstrasse Protest of 1943 was a movement of Germans (primarily women, almost all related in some way to the victims) non-violently protesting the treatment and demanding the return of the Jews being held in Rosenstrasse 2-4. It's significant because it's the only successful large-scale protest of the Nazi treatment of the Jews, with around 1,800 lives saved.

2) There is a quasi-common conspiracy theory that the leaders of the Nazi party were in contact with aliens and that is why they had the most advanced technology of the war.

3) The post-WWI depression in Germany got to the point where you would need a wheelbarrow of cash to buy a loaf of bread. There's several amusing-yet-utterly-depressing photos from the time of long lines of people with their wheelbarrows of cash outside bakeries, grocers, etc.

4) The Nazis were all over the place with their crazy super-science research. They did everything from super-soldier programs to flying tanks to ICBMs, almost all of which failed miserably. The scientists involved however were conscripted by the US and USSR after the war and laid the groundwork for a significant portion of modern technology.

5) Hitler was reportedly a superficially decent guy. Clearly, he was a twisted son of a *****, but there's numerous accounts (most of which were discounted as/with propaganda on either side) that those who knew him personally felt him to possess a large degree of integrity.

I'm not inclined to agree with that, and I'd personally chalk it up to the fact that he was a charismatic fuck, but that's what the reports have said.

 

[silver wolf009]

Mention the roughly fifty times someone tried to introduce Hitler to a bullet or a bomb or a cloud of poison gas. Too often the Nazi government and people are portrayed as a single force of genocidal monsters, when there were so many attempts on Hitler's, and other members of state I'm sure, life. Shame none of them succeeded.

Captcha: Until tonight.

...Captcha, what do you know that I don't, and what do you have planned?

 

[Thaluikhain]

3) The post-WWI depression in Germany got to the point where you would need a wheelbarrow of cash to buy a loaf of bread. There's several amusing-yet-utterly-depressing photos from the time of long lines of people with their wheelbarrows of cash outside bakeries, grocers, etc.

There's a story about someone taking a basket full of money to buy something with, leaving it unattended for a money, and coming back to find someone had stolen the basket, but left the money.

Though, IIRC, Austria had even worse inflation, only nobody cared because it became part of Germany, not the other way around.

 

[FamoFunk]

The Nazis were actually the first people to ban smoking in public places, such as hospitals.

They knew the health dangers of smoking.

I say we start allowing smoking in public places. We don't want to be like the Nazis now, do we?

I agree, I miss having a cuppa and a smoke inside. I feel like a dirty Nazi every time I go outside to light up now ;_;

 

[g_hughes]

Among the last soldiers fighting to defend the Third Reich were actually French. They'd deserted and went to fight for the Nazis. They knew that if they surrenered they'd be executed anyway, so they carried on fighting.

 

[Angry Camel]

Just pulling this from Wolfenstein 3D for the iPhone:
Hitler supposedly acquired the Spear of Destiny, the spear used on Jesus Christ after he died on the cross. Some say it makes the wielder invincible.
The US supposedly retrieved the spear at one point, leading to Germany's downfall.

Why must there be such an interesting thread the day before my exams?

 

[M-E-D The Poet]

From what I've heard, Adolf Hitler was into painting. He wasn't very successful when he tried to make it into a career however.

this believed to be hitlers actual cause for hatred towards the jews (Being refused to enter a University/study in austria in a jewish school where they said his painting sucked)

 

[archvile93]

You could include Hitler's obsession with mythical and religious artefacts. Or their exploration of "UFO" technology. Mostly speculation and rumours there, though it does make for interesting reading.

Actually I recall hearing Hitler wasn't particularly religious. In fact He didn't like the church but he tolerated it because he knew he'd lose a lot of support if he tried to get rid of it. From what I heard, he was hoping to remove religion and make the state itself function as an object of religious devotion, which makes sense since he saw how blindly and strongly people will follow their religious leaders, and would certainly cement his grip on power.

 

[Agayek]

Actually I recall hearing Hitler wasn't particularly religious. In fact He didn't like the church but he tolerated it because he knew he'd lose a lot of support if he tried to get rid of it. From what I heard, he was hoping to remove religion and make the state itself function as an object of religious devotion, which makes sense since he saw how blindly and strongly people will follow their religious leaders, and would certainly cement his grip on power.

Hitler was very much religious. His end goal was something like the Anglican Church, where the clergy answer to the Fuhrer instead of the Pope, but he was very much a Christian.

 

[balanovich]

Why does everyone put "So" in their thread titles?

From what I've heard, Adolf Hitler was into painting. He wasn't very successful when he tried to make it into a career however.

Yeah but this isn't particularly unknown.

Hitler had only one testicle.

Pretty sure this and him being a vegetarian aren't even true

This is more or less evidence for the one testicle part.... I find it surprising that the soviet autopsy could tell that 1 ball was missing since the body was brunt

 

[toobie]

Dunno if it's already mentioned, But a nazi created a multi-headed dog (forgot wether it was 2 or 3).
Also, they tried to create a village consisting of only twins.

 

[templar1138a]

Hitler was democratically elected. A surprising number of history classes tend to gloss over that fact. Not because it would give the impression that he was a good guy, but because we don't want to think democracy is flawed in any way by giving the masses the power to put the evil *cough* Mitt Romney! *cough* or the incompetent *cough* Dubya! *cough* into office.

Captcha is "mum's the word". Cute.

 

[loc978]

...They developed one of the smartest economies this world has ever seen, which thrives to this day with only evolutionary modifications. Say what you will about the tenets of national socialism, at least it's an ethos it's actually highly effective from a purely economic standpoint. Once they removed Hitler's social ideology, there was nothing wrong with their system.

 

[Vegan_Doodler]

There was a an elite group of Nazis that wore gas-masks, wielded mini-guns, and could take three sniper bullets to the head before dieing.