10 Outlandish Conspiracy Theories About The Nazis

To say that the Nazis caught the world off guard when they unleashed their military might at the end of the 1930s would be an understatement. In the 70 years since the fall of the Third Reich, there has been much theorizing and questioning to find out just how the German military became as strong as it did so quickly.

SEE ALSO: 10 Times The Nazis Tried To Use Supernatural Powers

Some of those theories venture into an area bordering on absurd. Absurd or not, however, they are possibly some of the more interesting conspiracy theories of their time.

10 1936 Black Forest Incident

According to various reports that surfaced toward the end of the 20th century, a UFO crash-landed in Germany’s Black Forest near Frieberg in 1936. It is claimed that the craft was saucer-shaped and was ultimately recovered by SS troops shortly afterward.

The object was allegedly taken to Wewelsburg Castle, the main headquarters of the Third Reich, where their top scientists worked to reverse engineer it and find ways to use the technology to their advantage. Whether they achieved this or not is open to debate, but it is widely accepted that German scientists and engineers were far ahead of other countries at the time.

Although it should be treated with a large pinch of salt, an article that appeared online in 2013 claimed that the author had been able to “channel” into the crash site that evening. He had achieved this by allegedly tracking down a pair of field glasses that had belonged to an SS officer who had witnessed the crash.

The author stated that not only were there survivors but that they were shot on sight by the SS. The article also claimed that the craft was not an alien vehicle but was in fact a time machine containing humans from the future.

9 The Nazi Bell

In the 2000 book The Truth About The Wonder Weapon, author Igor Witkowski claimed that he had translated the documents of Nazi SS officer Jakob Sporrenberg regarding a top secret Nazi weapon. According to Witkowski, the documents were given to him by an unnamed source in the Polish intelligence service. He was allowed to translate them but not allowed to make copies.

The documents referred to Die Glocke—also known as the Nazi Bell—and went into great detail about how it worked and what it was capable of. Housed in a military facility called Der Riese, which was close to the Czech border in Poland near the Wenceslas Mine, Die Glocke stood around 5 meters (15 ft) high and measured 3 meters (9 ft) across.

It was underground beneath a stone circular structure called “The Henge,” which is still there today. It was also said to have ancient symbols like hieroglyphics around the bottom of the bell shape. Two counterrotating cylinders within the structure were filled with a substance called “Xerum 525,” with Die Glocke employing antigravity technology. When tested and in motion, it was released from its underground facility while chained to The Henge to prevent it from flying off.

When Die Glocke was in motion, it was claimed that visions of the past could be seen upon its inner mirrorlike surface. Some even stated that the antigravity technology could warp time and space and that this was the true purpose of Die Glocke. It was, in fact, a time machine.

Die Glocke has not been found yet, but a 1965 incident in Kecksburg, Pennsylvania, raised a few conspiracy-minded eyebrows. The initial reports stated that a strange bell-shaped object had crashed in the woodlands near the town. The mysterious craft had strange hieroglyphic symbols around its base.

8 Ahnenerbe And The Hunt For Ancient Artifacts And Relics

Although the Indiana Jones movies are complete fiction, their portrayal of the Nazis’ interest in ancient relics and artifacts is very much true. It is said that Hitler was obsessed with ancient texts and philosophies and that he made genuine, concerted efforts to bring into his possession such revered items as the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant, and the Spear of Destiny.

It appeared to be Heinrich Himmler, however, who was the main driver behind Ahnenerbe—officially a study institute for German ancestral heritage. The real reason for its existence, however, was to acquire knowledge of the Aryan race of “superior” humans whom Himmler believed were once residents of Atlantis.

Not only that, but Himmler claimed that survivors of the disaster at Atlantis had fled northward and that true Germans were descendants of this race. Privately, Himmler felt that providing proof of this would pave the way for him to establish a new Aryan religion that would replace Christianity.

Under Himmler’s direction, the SS explored areas all over the world, including Scotland, Iceland, France, North Africa, and India. Following his research, Himmler believed that he would find evidence that the Tibetans were descendants of the Aryan people. A 1939 expedition to Tibet followed in which the SS crudely scrutinized the local population—including the bizarre procedure of measuring a person’s head to determine their true race.

Himmler returned to Germany from this particular exploration feeling satisfied that he had proven his theory. More chillingly, especially given the horrific events that unfolded throughout German-occupied Europe over the next five years, he felt sure that the descendants of the Aryan race had been weakened by mixing with the indigenous Tibetans. Himmler is regarded as being directly responsible for the millions of deaths at the dreaded concentration camps throughout the early 1940s.

7 Seeking Knowledge In Ancient Sanskrit Texts

To mold their own twisted ideology, Hitler and the Nazis turned to many ancient beliefs and occult reasonings, not the least of which were ancient Sanskrit texts. Even the swastika, a symbol that the vast majority of us automatically link with Nazi Germany, was “stolen” from ancient cultures of the region. “Swastika” is actually a Sanskrit word; the Nazis called their symbol Hakenkreutz.

The Nazis were particularly interested in the ancient Hindu texts of India due to their belief that an ancient Aryan race had attacked the country in antiquity and installed a rigid society of caste systems. It should be noted that mainstream scholars completely reject this notion and state that the Aryan civilization simply did not exist.

Himmler was also said to be quite proficient in reading and translating Sanskrit texts. In the same way that many ancient astronaut theorists take ancient texts more at face value to prove their points, so did Himmler with these particular writings. For example, he believed that references to thunderbolts in these texts actually spoke about ancient technological weapons of the Aryan society—technology that he and Hitler were desperate to obtain and master.

6 The Haunebu Disc

Beginning in 1935, Nazi scientists were said to have begun the process of developing an antigravity-powered flying disc—essentially a flying saucer. A lot of this work involved alternative, “free” energy sources that would create electromagnetic fields, which in turn would power the craft.

These craft were allegedly tested and developed in northwest Germany in Hauneburg. They measured around 8 meters (25 ft) across and could seat eight personnel. Although they could only fly at low altitude, they allegedly could reach an astonishing 4,800 kilometers per hour (3,000 mph). At their most developed, the craft supposedly reached speeds of 17,000 kilometers per hour (11,000 mph). It was also believed that metallurgists had developed a heat-resistant armor called Victalen (aka Frozen Smoke).

In 1942, three years after the first Haunebu test flights were carried out, the Haunebu II was developed. Slightly larger than the first craft and able to seat one more crew member, the Haunebu II’s main difference was its flight endurance, which was said to be a staggering 55 hours as opposed to the 18-hour limit of the first flying disc.

Whether the Haunebu was real or only legend is unknown, but the fact that Nazi scientists and engineers experimented with antigravity systems suggests that it wasn’t completely beyond the realm of possibility, however unlikely it was.

5 Vril And The Vril Society

The Vril Society was alleged to have been a secret society whose members were said to have included Adolf Hitler and other high-ranking Nazi members. The name of the society and, to a point, their philosophy comes from the 1871 science fiction book The Coming Race by Bulwer Lytton. The book tells of a highly advanced civilization (the Aryans) who could tap into the Vril—essentially the energy of the universe—and use it for their own ends.

The Vril Society, who believed that they were direct descendants of the Aryan race, also believed that they could master and tap into this energy field. Female members of the Vril Society let their hair grow as long as possible in the belief that doing so allowed them to tap into the Vril.

It is said that the Vril Society positively encouraged Hitler and other influential people in the Nazi Party to embark on their searches for ancient relics and ancient technology.

4 Secret Arctic Expeditions

In 1938, the Nazi regime sent the Schwabenland vessel to western Antarctica, and upon arrival, they claimed New Swabia as their own. This was done to “secure Germany’s whaling industry”—which seems very reasonable given the number of valuable products the Third Reich would have used from whaling.

For some, though, the expedition has led to much debate about its true purpose. They believe that the Nazis’ real intent was to establish a military base named Base 211 in Antarctica. The Nazis were also allegedly searching for an entrance to the “inner Earth” that they firmly believed had been inhabited by the Aryan race.

Interestingly, an Alaskan man named Joe Watson recently claimed to be in possession of a letter from a German crew member who had been aboard submarine U-209. In the letter, the crew member claimed that the purpose of their mission was to find the location of the inner Earth, a goal that they had supposedly achieved. German records do show that U-209 was in this area in 1943, but the submarine went missing in early July.

Perhaps another comment that should be looked at more closely is that of Karl Donitz, who was in charge of the German U-Boat fleet. In 1943, he stated that the Germans had rebuilt their submarines “in another part of the world—a Shangri-la land—an impregnable fortress!” Could he have been referring to the top secret base in Antarctica?

Some have even claimed that Hitler escaped to the Nazi base in Antarctica and did not commit suicide in a Berlin bunker at all. While this claim is almost certainly not true, there are official records of Nazi activity in Antarctica in the weeks immediately before their surrender to Allied forces.

3 Claims Of Help From People From Other Worlds

While there is no doubt that the Nazis were quite ahead of the Allied forces in terms of technology and advanced weapons, some claim that the reason is due to help they received from aliens. The theory itself is crazy, right?

But the stories have been around almost since the end of World War II, and very recently, an Iranian news platform stated that they had documents from whistle-blower Edward Snowden that also made such claims. This particular report stated that these aliens—known as the “tall whites”—are also secretly controlling the US government today. So make of the claims what you will.

A similar story was told decades earlier in 1970 by UFO researcher Allen Greenfield. He said that he had asked Dr. Wernher von Braun, who is generally regarded as the “man who put the US on the Moon,” how Germany had gotten so far ahead of their enemies during World War II.

According to Greenfield, von Braun replied, “We had help! From them!” and then he pointed to the UFO files that Greenfield was searching through at the time. For clarification, Greenfield asked if he meant extraterrestrial help, to which von Braun replied, “Yes!”

Hermann Oberth, another German engineer, also made similar comments in the book Did Spacemen Colonize The Earth by Robyn Collins. As to why Germany was so far advanced in the 1930s and 1940s, Oberth stated, “We cannot take credit for our record advancement in certain scientific fields alone—we have been helped.” When he was asked who had given this help, he stated, “The people of other worlds!”

Of course, both von Braun and Oberth have long since passed away, so it is impossible to verify either of their comments.

2 Hitler Was Possessed By The Devil?

Although he is not considered reliable by the vast majority of historians and researchers, Hermann Rauschning is just one of many people who have claimed that Hitler may have been possessed by none other than the Devil himself. In his book Hitler Speaks, Rauschning stated that Hitler would go into a “trance” while giving various speeches. He felt that the leader of the Third Reich was a medium for evil spirits and even the Devil himself.

August Kubizek, one of Hitler’s childhood friends, has also made similar insinuations. In his book, The Young Hitler I Knew—The Memoirs Of Hitler’s Childhood Friend, he recalled a conversation in which the 17-year-old Hitler spoke of his ambition to restore Germany to the glory it once enjoyed. Kubizek said of the conversation, “It was as if another being spoke out of his body!”

It is even said by some members of the Catholic Church that Pope Pius XII attempted an exorcism of Hitler from a distance, but he ultimately failed. More recently, in 2006, Pope Benedict XVI’s “caster out of demons,” Father Gabriele Amorth, claimed that Hitler was almost certainly possessed by the Devil. He added that it is not only individuals who can be possessed but that entire populations are susceptible.

It should perhaps be noted that Father Amorth has also cited the Harry Potter book series as being responsible for children wanting to experiment with the occult. He even went so far as to say, “Behind Harry Potter hides the signature of the King of the Darkness, the Devil!”

1 Hitler Really Escaped To South America

In summer 2014, declassified FBI documents alleged that Adolf Hitler didn’t commit suicide in Berlin but instead fled war-torn Europe on his way to Argentina. It is said that he landed in the South American country just over two weeks after Berlin fell into Allied hands.

The declassified files state that the FBI was given this knowledge by an informant who was seeking political asylum in the United States. Allegedly aided by the Argentinian government, Hitler settled for a time in a small village near the Andes Mountains. The files concluded that the information they had was not enough to justify further investigation.

Just weeks before these files were released into the public domain, a photograph that allegedly showed Hitler in Brazil found its way online. The picture was released by a Nazi hunter and author who believed that Hitler had gone to Paraguay from Argentina before finally settling permanently in Brazil. The photo allegedly shows Hitler in 1984 without his mustache and with his arm around Cutinga, his Brazilian lover. This photo was supposedly taken two years before Hitler’s death at age 95.

If Hitler did escape from Germany in the final days of World War II, then the question would be: Did the Russians, who discovered and identified his body, know that he had actually fled and covered it up? Or did they genuinely believe that they had the remains of the leader of the Third Reich? As shown above, a retouched photograph by an artist with the US Secret Service shows how Hitler might have looked in disguise if he had escaped from Germany in 1945.

In 2009, archaeologist Nicholas Bellantoni was allowed to conduct DNA tests on one of Hitler’s skull fragments. The results showed that the recorded DNA samples that are thought to be Hitler’s didn’t match the skull fragment held by the Russians. Of course, this only fanned the conspiracy flames even more.

Marcus Lowth is a writer at Me Time For The Mind and Me Time For The Mind on Facebook.