World War II reshaped the entire globe, but the history books often skip over the strangest details. Beyond the major battles and political treaties, the war involved inflatable armies, soldier bears, and secret codes hidden in board games. For instance, a shortage of ingredients in Germany led to the creation of a famous soda we still drink today. Furthermore, the Queen of England herself served as a mechanic during the conflict. Prepare to uncover the hidden files of the war.
World War II
The French resistance cut the Eiffel Tower’s lift cables to stop Hitler. When the German army occupied Paris, French rebels severed the elevator cables so the dictator would have to climb the stairs to reach the top. Hitler chose to stay on the ground rather than walk up 1,710 steps.
A brown bear officially served in the Polish army. Soldiers adopted a Syrian brown bear named Wojtek and enlisted him as a private to get him rations. He eventually attained the rank of corporal and helped carry heavy ammunition crates during the Battle of Monte Cassino.
Coca-Cola Germany created Fanta because of a syrup shortage. The Allied trade embargo prevented the German branch from importing the secret Coca-Cola syrup. Consequently, the head of operations created a new drink using available leftovers like whey and apple fiber.
Queen Elizabeth II worked as a truck mechanic. The future monarch joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service in 1945 at age eighteen. She learned to drive military trucks and fix engines, making her the only female member of the royal family to serve in the armed forces.
The British government lied about carrots to hide radar technology. The Royal Air Force developed secret radar that allowed them to spot German bombers at night. To keep this a secret, the government launched a propaganda campaign claiming that eating carrots gave their pilots night vision.
A Japanese man survived both atomic bombs. Tsutomu Yamaguchi visited Hiroshima on business when the first bomb fell, and he survived with serious burns. He returned home to Nagasaki just in time for the second bombing and miraculously survived that one as well.
Japan floated bomb-carrying balloons all the way to Oregon. The Japanese military launched over 9,000 “fire balloons” into the jet stream to drift across the Pacific Ocean. One of them actually landed in Oregon and tragically killed six people on a church picnic.
British intelligence hid escape maps inside Monopoly games. The manufacturer Waddington’s printed maps on silk and hid them inside the game boards sent to prisoners of war. These secret kits also included a compass and real money to help soldiers escape German camps.
The Soviet Union deployed an all-female bomber regiment. The Germans nicknamed them the “Night Witches” because they flew wooden biplanes that made a “whooshing” sound like a broomstick. These pilots turned off their engines to glide silently over targets before dropping their bombs.
A cat named “Unsinkable Sam” survived three shipwrecks. This black and white cat started on the German battleship Bismarck, then survived the sinking of the HMS Cossack, and finally the HMS Ark Royal. He retired to a home for sailors in Belfast after using up several of his nine lives.
The youngest American serviceman was only twelve years old. Calvin Graham lied about his age to join the Navy and served on the USS South Dakota. He fought in the Battle of Guadalcanal before his mother revealed his true age to the military.
A Korean soldier fought for three different countries during World War II. The Japanese army conscripted Yang Kyoungjong, then the Soviets captured him and forced him to fight for the Red Army. Finally, the Germans captured him and made him fight in Normandy, where Americans captured him.
The last Japanese soldier did not surrender until 1974. Hiroo Onoda hid in the jungles of the Philippines for twenty-nine years, refusing to believe the war had ended. His former commanding officer had to fly to the island to order him to lay down his rifle personally.
Nutella exists because of a cocoa shortage during World War II. An Italian pastry maker named Pietro Ferrero tried to stretch his limited supply of chocolate by mixing it with hazelnuts. This paste eventually became the famous spread we know today.
Americans renamed hamburgers “Liberty Steaks.” To avoid using German-sounding names, restaurants changed “hamburger” to “Liberty Steak” and “sauerkraut” to “Liberty Cabbage.” This patriotic rebranding mirrored similar trends from the First World War.
