8 mysteries of World War II that remain unanswered

Although World War II generated startling discoveries, the terror of the holocaust and the conflicts that pervade the event are undeniable. Moreover, while many researchers and historians have tried to unravel the mysteries of a conflict that has marked human history, many questions remain unanswered.

Here are eight mysterious, little-known facts about World War II:

1. Brazil: a not so neutral country

Although Brazil is known as a more neutral country, that is, it prefers not to take part in the wars and conflicts that happen worldwide, during World War II it played a very active role. In times of war, it was believed that the Nazis could attack South America from the French colonies that occupied Africa.

Given this possibility, the United States created aeronautical bases in the Brazilian Northeast. At that time, they used as a facade investment in the development of commercial aviation - which had not seen new technologies since World War I. However, the Tupiniquin lands are at strategic points in relation to Africa.

The bases were set up on the island of Fernando de Noronha and in the northeastern capitals of Natal and Recife. As everything has its price, Getúlio Vargas received American support, declared himself president and the national armed forces were renewed - so much so that even the Americans themselves came to train the Brazilian army to face possible Nazi attacks.

In 1941 a Brazilian ship was attacked by a Nazi aircraft and the following year dozens more were decimated. In August 1942, 600 Brazilians were killed in the five ships hit by the U-507 submarine. On the 22nd of the same month, Getúlio Vargas declared the state of belligerence (war) against the Axis.

2. The (Imaginary) Battle of Los Angeles

A few months after the events at Pearl Harbor, the US was in big trouble - especially on the west coast. Everyone kept an eye on the sky for fear of the new possible Japanese attacks. In February 1942, a Japanese submarine bombed the Ellwood oil field near Santa Barbara. Later that month, tension erupted in a hysteria attack.

The disappearance of a weather balloon started the panic. After that, fires were fired to find potential threats or warn of danger. However, the people saw the signals as more attacks and launched a series of anti-aircraft measures. The activities continued for many nights. In the end, the only casualties were three victims killed by heart attack and three by firefight.

No Japanese planes were seen and the Japanese themselves denied any intent to attack near Los Angeles. The funny thing is that the flares were also mistaken for a UFO outbreak in this city.

At the time, the American newspapers claimed that the whole thing was orchestrated to induce panic and gain more support for the war. The military had little concern for alleviating concerns, and a public investigation was not conducted until 40 years after the incident.

3. The mysterious disappearance of Flight 19 and the Bermuda Triangle

This is one of the most mysterious incidents of all time. It happened a few months after the end of the war, although it involved the US Army and a piloted plane during World War II. In it, Lieutenant Charles Taylor led a group of five TBM Avenger aircraft in a training exercise toward the naval station in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

On the radio, Taylor complained that his compass was not working and that he did not know where it was. After many hours of blind flight, the planes ran out of fuel. Since then, none have been seen and all 14 men involved have been reported dead. The military inquiry was not very detailed either.

Taylor already had a history of getting lost while flying, and several radio operators - and even junior members of Flight 19 - seemed to know where they were. But following Taylor's lead, they ended up flying somewhere far away in the Atlantic instead of returning to Florida.

Much of the mystery involves the military's efforts to try to convince the lieutenant's mother, who complained about the inquiry that blamed her son without clear evidence. This caused them to change the document to "unknown causes." Shortly thereafter, new supernatural elements were included in the story, thus creating the legend of the Bermuda Triangle.

In it, the entire crew had had premonitions that warned them not to embark on the cursed flight - apart from the supposed radio broadcasts like "the sky is all wrong here." But still, this is a pretty scary legend in itself - five planes lost in the open sea, with approaching night and bad weather, and the very causes of the crew's deaths remain unknown to this day.

The last radio broadcast was a distorted and incomprehensible message. Operators were only able to identify the call signs of the "FT… FT… FT…" aircraft. How crew bodies and aircraft were never found, the truth behind Flight 19 remains a mystery.

4. The strange life of Rudolf Hess

Rudolf Hess's life seems to have come straight from a spybook filled with bizarre twists and strange plots that mask even more confusing events. Hess was a prominent figure in Germany, acting as Hitler's deputy in the Nazi Party.

On the eve of the German declaration of war with the Soviet Union, he flew alone to Scotland in an attempt to negotiate peace with the United Kingdom, but was instead arrested. He was tried in Nuremberg and sentenced to life imprisonment in Berlin's Spandau Prison, where he died in 1987. The question that arises is: Why did Rudolf Hess intentionally fly to Scotland to be arrested?

It was clear that Hess wanted to attempt a diplomatic victory by sealing a peace treaty between the Third Reich and England, but there is no document that would show any member of the British government to give the impression that a deal could be made between them. There is also no evidence that British officials misled Hess and forced him to make this flight.

The incident can also be considered Hess's last effort to win England's approval, given that a war with Russia could eventually end at the end of the Third Reich. The event remains one of the most documented and influential mysteries of World War II.

There are also some conspiracy theories behind the story. The Russians always suspected that Hess was secretly trying to unify Germany and England so that both could attack Russia.

When arrested, Rudolf's health also deteriorated greatly, and when he was tried, the man suffered from amnesia and could not remember his time as a Nazi. Some people believed that the real Hess was hidden and that the man who was tried and convicted was an impostor. The suspicions only increased when he was the last inhabitant of Spandau in 1987, and the place was demolished shortly after his death.

5. World War II Ghost Planes

Although they look like urban legends, there are several stories that tell of the appearance of ghost planes - few of them documented. There are basically two types. In the first, planes are seen in a postwar context, where people find the vehicles of the past.

Usually the scenario involves a young couple from the 60s, 70s or 80s who claim to have seen a vintage model crisscrossing the skies at low altitude - sometimes even a group of them. Some of these stories are well grounded: the plane disappears into the air, the apparition was an omen of an accident that occurred shortly thereafter, the pilots wave sadly to the spectators below, etc. Some reports involve speculation about "slits in time."

The second type is more interesting - and macabre. Some apparitions occurred during the war. In them, the plots approach planes that departed on a dangerous mission. Later all aircraft return except one. Everyone watches the skies waiting for the vehicle, but nothing appears. Until, hours later, a sound is heard in the distance and a plane is seen.

With a lot of work, the aircraft can land. But as people approach the cockpit, it is empty and the plane's tank completely dry. There are variations where the crew is aboard but dead. In others the plane is so damaged that it could not take off.

There is a story that says a wrecked plane was seen hours after the Pearl Harbor attack. The witnesses could see the pilot on board, but when the plane crashed, there was absolutely nothing inside it. Bizarre...

6. UFOs participated in the war

The term foo fighter was used by Allied infantry pilots to designate the mysterious air phenomena seen in Pacific Operations Theater missions and the skies of Europe. The first appearances came in November 1944, when pilots flying over Germany reported seeing bright objects flying at high speed and following the planes.

These mysterious objects have been described as bright red, white or orange fireballs. Some pilots said they looked like Christmas tree lights, and they ranged in size from about 91 meters to 30 centimeters. Foo fighters could not be knocked down or beaten.

The military, on the other hand, took the apparitions seriously, suspecting that the strange apparitions were a German secret weapon. However, further investigation revealed that German and Japanese pilots also reported seeing similar objects. During wartime, the term foo fighter became synonymous with any vision of a UFO. Many people have speculated extraterrestrial involvement.

During World War II, these events were widely studied. Even renowned scientists, such as David Griggs, Luis Alvarez and HP Robertson, also evaluated them. However, the phenomenon was never explained, since most information about the incident was kept confidential and was never revealed by any military intelligence.

7. The Secrets of the Amber Camera

Another mystery of World War II is the disappearance of the Amber Camera treasures. The site was 55 square meters and consisted of several amber-paneled, gold-plated mirrors and four Florence mosaics. The room contained precious jewels and a bookcase containing a collection of rare illustrations depicting valuable relics from Prussia and Russia.

The items were created by King Friedrich I and were given to the Russian Tsar, Peter the Great, in 1716. The relics were laid out in Catherine's Palace near St. Petersburg. In 1942, the Nazis invaded Leningrad and stole the artifact. and most of the relics of the place. They exposed the shop window at Königsberg Castle during the war.

However, in April 1945, after the German surrender, the treasure was nowhere and has not been seen since. However, evidence has recently been discovered of a possible underground hiding place where the treasure may be hidden.

8. The strange coincidences of “Deadly Double”

If you search the world of paranormal experiences, you will eventually come across numerology. Numerologists are people who find meaning in strange numerical coincidences - sometimes with credibility. But in the case of Deadly Double, the numbers come together terribly well.

A few weeks before the Pearl Harbor attacks, some strange ads appeared in New York. They advertised a new game called "The Deadly Double". One of them showed a pair of dice marked 0, 5, 7, XX, 24, and 12. At the top, a series of calls in several languages ​​warned: “Achtung! Warning! Alert me! "- meaning:" Watch out! "

The other ad featured a group of people housed in an underground shelter and explained that the "dice game" was an essential item for war survival. Strangely, even the manufacturer's logo was a suspicious double eagle widely used by the Germans.

Even though ads look suspicious, only in retrospect could they have a coded message. For example, the numbers could allude to the date of Pear Harbor's attack (7/12), while the other numbers could represent the codes that were to be cracked by agents who were undercover in the US.

Other than that, the "Deadly Double" was also considered a possible reference to the double threat from Japan and Germany. Like many retold mysteries, people tend to overlook the facts and emphasize the unknown.

Five and zero are sometimes considered as a possible prediction of the start of the attack, but the first plane only opened fire at 7:48 local time in Pear Harbor. However, the identity of the creator of advertising remains unknown to this day. It may sound silly, but at the time, even the FBI got involved in investigating Deadly Double.