World history is replete with a huge number of wars that have affected almost all continents and most of the previously existing and current states. Each of them is studied in detail by historians, scientists, politicians, however, despite scrupulous research, various monographs on a particular conflict, interesting facts about wars remain mostly unknown to a wide audience.
One of the bloodiest and largest in the history of mankind was the Second World War of 1939 - 1945, which affected more than 60 of the states that existed at that time. The main participants were members of two coalitions - the Axis (Germany, Italy, Japan) and the Anti-Hitler coalition (USA, UK, USSR, China).
Interesting facts about the war of 1941 - 1945
At the very beginning of the war, the United States watched from the sidefollowing the unfolding events without going to war, until on December 7, 1941, Japan defeated the American fleet based at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
After that, the United States became a full-fledged member of the anti-Hitler coalition. But almost immediately, the Americans faced significant difficulties: they needed to train and train pilots, preparing them for combat operations in the Pacific. It was not possible to do this in the open ocean because of the danger from German submarines. Then the American command decided to practice takeoffs, maneuvers and landings on aircraft carriers on the Great Lakes. Especially for this, 2 steamships were converted. During the exercises, more than 18 thousand pilots were trained and about three hundred aircraft were lost due to accidents. That is why so many fragments of this military equipment remain at the bottom of the Great Lakes.
Hawaiian dollar - what is this currency?
The attack on the US military base was the reason for the emergence of the "Hawaiian dollar". The government of the country urgently withdrew all dollars from the population, replacing them with banknotes with a large inscription "HAWAII".
This maneuver was made in case of a possible capture by the Japanese of the islands: if this happened, a currency that had no value would fall into the hands of the enemy.
Camel Luck
Interesting facts about the war of two coalitions give an idea not only about endurance and the ability to make difficult decisionscommand of the allies, but also about ingenuity and an extraordinary approach in the fight against the enemy. So, the German tankers who fought in North Africa started an unusual tradition - to move "for good luck" heaps of camel dung. Allied troops, noticing this trend, began to make anti-tank mines, which disguised themselves as such piles, and destroyed more than one enemy tank. Having guessed the opponent's maneuver, the Germans began to go around the untouched manure. But here, too, the Allies showed their imagination by creating mines that looked like heaps of manure already with traces from caterpillars that had driven over them.
Carrot diet and vitamin A
What other interesting facts about wars show the extraordinary thinking of the allied command? A vivid example, the effect of which has been preserved in our time, was the legend of vitamin A, which is allegedly found in large quantities in carrots and directly affects the improvement of vision and skin condition. In fact, the amount of carrots eaten does not directly affect good vision and he althy skin. This myth was invented by the British, who developed a radar with which pilots could see German bombers at night. To prevent the enemy from guessing about the invention, the military distributed publications in newspapers about the carrot diet of pilots.
The grave of Tamerlane and the war: is there a connection?
About whether there is a connection between fiction and reality, you can find out by studying some interesting facts about the war. 1941, June 21 - Soviet scientists opened the grave of the famous Turkic commander Tamerlane, discovered in Samarkand. According to one of the legends,opening the grave will lead to war. On June 22 of the same year, the Germans attacked the USSR, thereby unleashing a war that was called the Great Patriotic War. However, such an unusual circumstance among scientists is considered just a coincidence, since according to available data, the plan for the German attack on the USSR was approved long before 1941.
Interesting facts about the Patriotic War: animals and their role
The theater of military operations of 1941-1945 unfolded on the territory of the USSR and was called the Great Patriotic War. During the conflict, a huge number of people who fought for the liberation of their homeland from the Nazi invaders died. However, not only human resources were involved in the fighting.
Interesting facts about the war of 1941-1945 indicate that animals were actively involved in the fighting. Soviet cynologists trained dogs whose purpose was to destroy German tanks. The dogs were practically not fed, accustoming them to the fact that they can get food under the model of the car. Thus, already trained dogs with packs of TNT and an explosive device tied to them ran to enemy tanks during the battle, undermining them and themselves. Until now, there are disputes about the effectiveness of this method of dealing with the enemy.
Sometimes an unexpected find for history buffs is interesting facts about the great war. For example, it is known that in addition to dogs, camels also took part in the Great Patriotic War! To be more precise, camels were a draft force forguns in the 28th reserve army, formed in Astrakhan during the battles for Stalingrad. Due to the lack of equipment and horses, the Soviet military was forced to catch wild camels and tame them. About 350 animals took part in hostilities. Most of them died, but two camels even reached Berlin along with the Soviet army. The surviving animals were sent to zoos.
Interesting facts about the war of 1945, or rather about the significant day on June 24, when the Victory Parade was held in Moscow, tell the layman about the notable event of this grandiose procession: one of the participants in the parade carried a dog on his tunic.
This was not a simple dog, but the famous Gilbras, who, during demining operations on the territories of European states, discovered about 150 shells and 7,000 mines. But on the eve of the holiday, Gilbras was wounded and could not pass at the Parade among the rest of the representatives of the school of military dogs. That is why Stalin gave the order to carry him along the Red Spare on his tunic.
Coca-Cola in the USSR?
Interesting facts about the war also illuminate the unknown side of diplomatic relations between the USSR and the USA, in particular, between their prominent political figures. So, during the war in Europe, a meeting took place between Marshal of the USSR Georgy Zhukov and General of the US Army Dwight Eisenhower, during which the general treated Marshal Coca-Cola.
Zhukov appreciated the drink and turned to Eisenhower with a request to deliver it to headquarters. InAvoiding rumors about the Soviet general's worship of such a prominent symbol of American imperialism, Zhukov asked for Coca-Cola to be bleached. This wish was conveyed to the beverage factory through President Harry Truman. Chemists succeeded in discoloring Coca-Cola, which was delivered to the marshal in 50 cases in ordinary bottles with a red star and a white cap.
How Fanta appeared
However, this is far from the only Coca-Cola-related episode. Interesting facts about wars tell how Fanta actually appeared.
Even in the early years of World War II, the German representative office of the bottling factory for this drink was left without ingredients that were supplied from the USA. In search of an alternative, the Germans began to produce another product, using food production waste (whey and apple pomace) for this. The drink received the unpretentious name "Fanta" - short for "fantasy". Until now, there is an opinion that the Nazi, Max Keith, was the director of the plant and the inventor of the drink. But this is not true, he was not a Nazi. After the war, Keith got in touch with the Coca-Cola headquarters in the United States, and the company's ownership of the plant in Germany was restored. The leaders did not abandon Fanta, which had already gained great popularity, and continued its production on a par with Coca-Cola.
30 years later
Thirty years after the Great Allied Victory in the war, a rather symbolic event occurred: in July 1975, an Americanthe Apollo spacecraft and the Soviet Soyuz, during which the cosmonauts were supposed to shake hands. However, the calculation of the meeting place was made incorrectly, and the handshake took place over the Elbe River, where a meeting of American and Soviet soldiers took place 30 years earlier.
All these interesting facts about wars, little known to the general public, show the reverse side of the events and sometimes highlight the curious or unusual cases that are woven into the story of difficult military everyday life like a bright ribbon.
