Because high school was a long time ago …
To aid our podcast discussion of occultism and the paranormal during World War II we put together a very brief timeline of key events between the end of WWI (1918) and the end of WWII (1945) followed by a Fortean timeline of strange (substantiated) events during the war:
Key Events in WW II
1918 – End of World War I
- Germany signs the Armistice (Nov 11).
- Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates; Weimar Republic established.
1919 – Treaty of Versailles
- Harsh reparations and territorial losses for Germany.
1920 – Nazi Party (NSDAP) founded
- Hitler becomes involved with the German Workers’ Party (renamed NSDAP).
1923 – Beer Hall Putsch
- Hitler’s failed coup attempt; imprisoned, writes Mein Kampf.
1929 – Great Depression begins
- Economic collapse fuels extremism across Europe.
1933 – Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany
- Reichstag Fire; Enabling Act grants Hitler dictatorial powers.
1934 – Night of the Long Knives
- Purge of SA leadership; Hitler consolidates power.
1935 – Nuremberg Laws
- Anti-Jewish racial laws passed.
1936 – Remilitarization of the Rhineland
- Clear violation of Versailles; minimal Allied response.
1938 – Anschluss and Munich Agreement
- Germany annexes Austria; Sudetenland ceded from Czechoslovakia.
1939 – Invasion of Poland
- Germany invades (Sept 1); Britain and France declare war (Sept 3).
1940 – Fall of France
- Germany swiftly defeats France; Battle of Britain follows.
1941 – Operation Barbarossa and Pearl Harbor
- Germany invades Soviet Union (June); U.S. enters war (Dec).
1942–1943 – Turning Points
- Battle of Stalingrad (Soviet victory); Allies begin gaining momentum.
1944 – D-Day Invasion
- Allied forces land in Normandy (June 6).
1945 – Collapse and Surrender
- Hitler commits suicide (April 30); Germany surrenders (May 7-8).
WWII Fortean Timeline –
(Real phenomena, real occult influences, real events)
1918–1923: Postwar Chaos and the Occult Underground
- Collapse of the German Empire → Rise of völkisch movements mixing nationalism, occultism, and race theories.
- Thule Society founded: Secret society promoting Aryan myths, anti-Semitism, and occultism. Some early Nazi connections.
- Karl Maria Wiligut (“Himmler’s Rasputin”) active in esoteric circles. Claimed ancestral clairvoyant knowledge.
1929–1934: The SS Becomes an Esoteric Order
- 1929: Heinrich Himmler takes command of the SS.
- Himmler envisions SS as a spiritual elite based on racial mysticism.
- Karl Maria Wiligut brought into SS service (officially 1933):
- Designs SS rituals, insignias (including the Totenkopf death’s head), and spiritual doctrine.
- Astrologers and dowsers (such as Wilhelm Wulff and Straniak) begin quietly advising Nazi figures.
1934–1939: Institutionalizing Mysticism
- Wewelsburg Castle transformation begins (1934):
- Himmler’s “center of the world” project for SS spiritual ceremonies, based on runic and pagan ideals.
- SS creates the Ahnenerbe: Research institute dedicated to pseudo-archaeological and racial “science”—including expeditions searching for Atlantis, the Holy Grail, and Aryan origins.
- Straniak, a noted dowser and occultist, participates in mystical “research” for the SS (geographic and archaeological missions).
1939: Outbreak of World War II
- Hitler and Nazi leadership still quietly influenced by astrology and mysticism, though public reliance suppressed.
- Occult practices semi-officially tolerated within SS circles.
1940–1941: Strange Aerial Phenomena and Fortean Signs
- Early Foo Fighter sightings: Reports begin from Allied and Axis pilots over Europe — luminous objects following planes, defying physics.
- Battle of Britain: Reports of strange lights occasionally recorded but not systematically studied.
1941: Hess’s Occult-Influenced Flight
- May 10: Rudolf Hess flies solo to Scotland seeking peace talks.
- Driven by astrological advice (notably from astrologer Wilhelm Wulff, though indirect).
- Hess believed cosmic forces favored a German-British alliance.
- Hess’s flight alarms Hitler, leading to distrust of mysticism at the official level.
1942: Crackdown on Public Occultism
- Hitler orders a ban on astrologers, clairvoyants, and occultists (Aktion Hess).
- However, behind the scenes, Himmler continues private mystical activities through the SS.
1943: Rise of Wunderwaffe and Dark Science
- Real technical innovations (V-1, V-2) underway.
- Rumors begin among Allied intelligence of exotic Nazi experiments:
- Psychic warfare, dowsing for underground bunkers, mystical technology.
- Ahnenerbe continues racial research, and studies into “earth energies” for possible weaponization.
1944: Secret Programs and Last-Ditch Mysticism
- Der Riese Complex construction accelerates:
- Massive underground facilities in Lower Silesia (now Poland), still partly unexplained.
- Suggested uses: weapons production, advanced experiments.
- Alleged development of Die Glocke (“The Bell”):
- Story based on SS officer Jakub Sporrenberg’s postwar testimony.
- Device described as a heavy, bell-shaped object that emitted radiation and strange effects on time or gravity — highly speculative, but connected to real SS secret research themes.
1945: Collapse, Disappearances, and Mysteries
- April: Hans Kammler, the SS General overseeing secret weapons, disappears.
- No confirmed death; last seen moving secret technology westward.
- Final Foo Fighter reports fade with the end of the European conflict.
- Hess captured and tried (though he remains mentally unstable — some blame his occult obsessions).
Fortean Threads
Astrology and Mysticism in Nazi Strategy:
- Direct impact on Hess.
- Indirect influence on Himmler and the Ahnenerbe operations.
Occult Foundations of Nazi Ideology:
- Thule Society, Völkisch mysticism, runic symbolism, Aryan Atlantis myths shaped early Nazi worldview.
SS as a Quasi-Occult Order:
- Wiligut’s rituals, Wewelsburg as a magical center, racial-mystical concepts of German destiny.
Secret Weapons + Mystical Science:
- Real technology projects (rockets, jets) mixed with mystical speculation (Die Glocke, Vril energy ideas).
Important: Recognized Hoaxes and Exaggerations
- Vril Society, Maria Orsic, Nazi UFOs:
- Entirely fabricated postwar (especially by neo-Nazi and conspiracy circles in the 1950s-60s). https://malcolmnicholson.wordpress.com/2018/08/13/the-maria-orsic-hoax/
- Philadelphia Experiment:
- Discredited hoax, not connected to real WWII operations.
- https://www.military.com/off-duty/2020/05/04/truth-behind-wwiis-creepy-philadelphia-experiment.html
- Admiral Byrd’s “Secret Diary” and Hollow Earth Claims:
- No authentic “secret diary” of Admiral Richard E. Byrd exists describing contact with an inner-earth civilization or Nazi UFOs.
- The so-called “Byrd Diary” surfaced decades after his death, written by a known 1970s mystic/hoaxer (not Byrd himself).
- “Inner Earth Nazi bases” connected to Byrd are later Cold War legends, not WWII reality.
Conclusion
World War II’s occult side was real, but must be separated from later hoaxes.
The Nazi leadership — especially Himmler, Hess, Wiligut, Wulff, and Straniak — genuinely engaged in mystical, astrological, and esoteric practices that, at times, influenced strategy and operations.
Meanwhile, Foo Fighters and other wartime anomalies represent authentic unexplained phenomena encountered during the most violent conflict in human history.
Footnotes and References
1. Thule Society Influence:
- Goodrick-Clarke, Nicholas. The Occult Roots of Nazism. (NYU Press, 1992)
Link to publisher overview
2. Karl Maria Wiligut and SS Occultism:
- McNally, Raymond E., and Florescu, Radu. In Search of Dracula: The History of Dracula and Vampires (touches on Wiligut)
- “Karl Maria Wiligut: Himmler’s Lord of the Runes” — Ancient Origins article.
Ancient Origins – Wiligut
3. Wewelsburg Castle and the SS Mystical Project:
- Wewelsburg Official Museum Website (Documentation of Himmler’s plans)
Wewelsburg 1933–1945 Museum
4. Rudolf Hess’s Flight and Occult Beliefs:
- Picknett, Lynn and Prince, Clive. Double Standards: The Rudolf Hess Cover-up. (2001)
- Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke also discusses Hess’s belief in astrology.
- Short summary: History Extra – Hess and Astrology
5. Wilhelm Wulff and Nazi Astrologers:
- Wulff, Wilhelm. Zodiac and Swastika: How Astrology Guided Hitler’s Germany. (1973)
- Detailed firsthand account.
6. Straniak and Nazi Dowsing Activities:
- Hale, Christopher. Hitler’s Foreign Executioners. (2011) – mentions dowsers used by Nazis.
- https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/hitlers-foreign-executioners/9780752457246/
7. Foo Fighters Reports:
- Keith Chester, Strange Company: Military Encounters with UFOs in WWII (2007)
Anomalist Books – Strange Company - U.S. Air Force Declassified Reports on Foo Fighters (1940s, Project Sign Precursor)
8. Die Glocke and Der Riese Documentation:
- Igor Witkowski, The Truth About The Wunderwaffe (2003)
- Caution: Speculative but includes primary documents like Sporrenberg’s testimony.
- Polish Government Documentation on Der Riese Construction (see Książ Castle museum)
Książ Castle – Secret Nazi Tunnels
9. Hans Kammler’s Disappearance:
- Joseph P. Farrell, Reich of the Black Sun (2004) – Collection of theories on Kammler and hidden technologies.
- Standard history: Kammler’s disappearance recorded by OSS and U.S. intelligence without confirmed death.
10. Vril Society and Maria Orsic Hoaxes:
- Sourced mainly to Louis Pauwels and Jacques Bergier, The Morning of the Magicians (1960) — acknowledged as semi-fictional.
- No wartime or pre-1945 evidence exists for Orsic or a “Vril Society” connected to real Nazi programs. Skeptoid
10. Byrd Diary and Operation Highjump:
Byrd wrote and sounded nothing like the author of the so-called diary.
The diary was created by a mystic-hoaxer and it is painfully obvious.
Quick Example Comparison:
| Real Byrd Report | Fake Byrd “Secret Diary” |
|---|---|
| “Cloud ceiling 1200 ft. Temp -24C. Navigational drift 2 degrees west.” | “We have been received by the luminous beings who guide us into the inner earth…” |
https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4107
https://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/operation-highjump/
Fortean Winds: Anolmalous Research 