Buzz
The Nazis believed they possessed a covert tool to secure victory in World War II: the employment of mystical abilities.
Surprisingly, this is a factual account. While exaggerated tales of the Nazis exploring the occult and creating mythical zombie-demon armies abound, there’s more to it than mere fiction. The Nazis genuinely pursued programs involving psychic abilities and astrology to sway the war’s outcome, convinced that magic would lead them to triumph.
10. Hitler Enlisted a Jewish Clairvoyant to Predict His Future
In January 1933, shortly before assuming the role of Germany’s chancellor, Adolf Hitler sought out a clairvoyant named Erik Jan Hanussen (pictured center above) to reveal his destiny.
Hanussen had drawn Hitler’s interest a year prior by publishing an article predicting Hitler’s rise to the chancellorship in 1933. Convinced of Hanussen’s prophetic abilities, Hitler paid for at least one private session—though Hanussen claimed there were numerous undocumented visits.
During their meeting, Hanussen foretold a promising future for Hitler but warned of an obstacle. He vowed to cast a magical spell to secure Hitler’s success, involving a mandrake root obtained from a butcher’s yard, to be buried in Hitler’s birthplace under a full Moon.
Unaware of Hanussen’s Jewish heritage, Hitler was oblivious to the clairvoyant’s awareness of his plans to scapegoat Jews. Hanussen believed he could sway Hitler’s anti-Semitic views, asserting, “Hitler simply needed friendship to realize goodness exists in all people.”
Perhaps Hanussen’s foresight wasn’t as accurate as he claimed.
9. Hitler Employed a Man to Magically Identify Jews
Shortly after World War I concluded, Adolf Hitler befriended a physician named Wilhelm Gutberlet. While appearing as a modest doctor by day, Gutberlet allegedly utilized hidden mystical abilities to uncover Jews by night.
Gutberlet often claimed, as one Nazi described, that he possessed “the ability to instantly detect the presence of Jews.” He would swing a pendulum and interpret its movements to reveal whether someone was Jewish, convinced it could unveil concealed Hebrews.
Gutberlet played a significant role in the early Nazi movement. As one of Hitler’s initial supporters, he managed the Nazi Party’s propaganda efforts before Joseph Goebbels assumed control. Their shared anti-Semitic views forged a strong bond, and Hitler relied on Gutberlet’s so-called magical abilities to identify Jews.
Walter Schellenberg, the Nazis’ head of foreign intelligence, confirmed that Hitler “utilized Gutberlet’s mystical powers.” This practice wasn’t a one-time event—Gutberlet reportedly continued using his pendulum to detect Jews until his death.
8. The Nazis and the British Engaged in an Astrological Battle
Just days before an assassination attempt on Hitler at the Munich Beer Hall, a Swiss astrologer named Karl Ernst Krafft attempted to alert Hitler about the impending danger to his life.
In early November 1939, Krafft sent a letter to his acquaintance Dr. Heinrich Fesel, an associate of Heinrich Himmler, warning that Hitler faced significant risk between November 8 and November 10. Krafft urged Hitler to avoid all public engagements during this period.
Initially, Dr. Fesel ignored the warning, but after the bomb exploded, he immediately informed Himmler. Taking the matter seriously, Himmler enlisted Krafft into the Nazi ranks.
Krafft’s contributions to the Nazis were likely minimal. While evidence shows Goebbels employed him to reinterpret Nostradamus’s prophecies to suggest Hitler’s inevitable victory, many of Krafft’s claims—such as being Hitler’s personal astrologer—were likely exaggerated or false.
Krafft fabricated numerous tales about his significance to the Nazis, which caught the attention of the British. In response, they enlisted their own astrologer to counteract his influence. This led to a peculiar fortune-telling competition between the world’s two most formidable military powers.
7. Dietrich Eckart Predicted Hitler as the German Messiah
Dietrich Eckart played a pivotal role in Hitler’s life. Hitler regarded him as a mentor, erected monuments in his honor, and even dedicated Mein Kampf to him. This deep admiration stemmed from Eckart’s declaration that Hitler was the prophesied messiah.
Eckart, a member of the Thule Society—a German group fascinated by the occult—believed Germany was destined to produce an Aryan savior who would lead them to a promised land. He was convinced that Hitler was this chosen figure.
Eckart had an elaborate prophecy about the German messiah. He told Hitler that the Jews were fated to cause chaos in Germany, only to face severe retribution. This would pave the way for the rise of the German savior.
While Hitler never publicly acknowledged sharing Eckart’s beliefs, Eckart believed Hitler became more obsessed with the idea than he did. In Hitler’s final years, Eckart lamented, “Adolf’s behavior has gone beyond my understanding. The man is utterly insane.”
Eckart suggested it was as if Hitler had developed a “messiah complex,” possibly influenced by someone or something.
6. The Nazis Promoted a Creation Theory Inspired by a Dream
The Nazi Party was convinced they understood the universe’s origins. They believed that two stars collided millennia ago, scattering enormous ice blocks across the cosmos. This theory, known as the World Ice Theory, was rooted in a dream experienced by its founder.
Hanns Horbiger formulated his theory after concluding that the Moon was composed of ice—a shaky foundation for any scientific claim. He claimed to have dreamt about the universe’s origins and, upon waking, declared, “Newton was wrong” about gravity.
The Nazis championed Horbiger’s theory, not for its scientific merit but, as they explicitly stated, to “put Jewish politicians in their place.” They favored it because it opposed what they labeled “Jewish science.”
Heinrich Himmler dispatched archaeologists worldwide to find evidence supporting the idea that the universe began as a massive ice block. Meanwhile, Hitler established a planetarium to educate the public about the World Ice Theory—a creation story born from a visionary dream.
5. The SP Project Utilized Magic Pendulums to Locate Warships
A secret Berlin office marked with the letters “SP” (short for “Sidereal Pendulum”) housed Nazi psychics who used enchanted pendulums to detect enemy warships.
The Nazis initiated the project under the belief that the British had already assembled a team of psychics to spy on them. A Nazi report cited “reliable sources” confirming that the British operated an institute using pendulums to track the positions of German warships, particularly U-Boats.
In truth, the British had deciphered Enigma and were intercepting coded messages—but the Nazis remained unaware. They embraced the psychic theory and attempted to create their own team.
The project gained momentum when Ludwig Staniak successfully located a sunken German battleship by hovering a pendulum over a map. While likely a coincidence, the Nazis were so impressed that they assembled a dedicated team to use pendulums over maps to pinpoint enemy locations.
4. Heinrich Himmler Believed He Could Predict the Future
Wilhelm Wulff, Heinrich Himmler’s personal astrologer, claimed that Himmler didn’t just employ individuals with supernatural abilities—he believed he could foresee the future himself.
Himmler confided in Wulff that he never made a decision without first analyzing the positions of the stars and moons. He asserted that every significant command he issued to the Nazi army was guided by “obscure lunar constellations.”
Ironically, Himmler outlawed astrology across Germany, but according to Wulff, it wasn’t because he considered it invalid. He banned astrology out of fear that its power was too great.
“We cannot allow others, apart from ourselves, to practice astrology,” Himmler stated. “Astrology must remain ‘privilegium singulorum’ in the National Socialist state and is not meant for the general populace.”
3. The Nazis Employed a Psychic to Locate Mussolini
Despite Hitler’s ban on supernatural practitioners, Heinrich Himmler continued to employ them, firmly believing in their effectiveness.
When Mussolini was captured, Himmler turned to the occultists he had imprisoned. Desperate to locate Mussolini, he offered them freedom in exchange for their assistance.
One psychic claimed to have pinpointed Mussolini’s location on an island west of Naples using a pendulum over a map. Although the Germans ultimately found Mussolini through intercepted radio signals, Himmler noted that the psychic’s prediction had been accurate.
Himmler secretly retained psychics on the Nazi payroll, convinced that his covert team of psychics would secure victory in the war.
2. Rudolf Hess Betrayed Hitler Due to Six Planets Aligning in Taurus
On May 10, 1941, Rudolf Hess, Hitler’s deputy, fled Nazi Germany and flew to Scotland to negotiate peace with the Duke of Hamilton and the British government. This act of treason baffled the world, leaving many to wonder about his motives.
The reason, however, is stranger than one might expect: an astrologer advised him to take this step.
Hess’s friend, Karl Haushofer, shared a dream in which he saw Hess traversing English castles, brokering peace between Britain and Germany. Hess consulted his astrologer, who revealed that six planets in Taurus and a full Moon on May 10 created an ideal moment for a peace mission. Convinced it was his fate, Hess flew to Scotland.
The plan didn’t succeed. Hess was apprehended by the Home Guard in Scotland and remained imprisoned for the duration of the war. Hitler, holding psychics responsible, outlawed astrologers, faith healers, and occultists nationwide.
1. An SS Brigadefuhrer Persuaded Himmler That Jesus Was German
SS Brigadefuhrer Karl Wiligut held bizarre beliefs. He claimed German culture originated in 228,000 BC, during a time when three suns illuminated the sky, and giants and dwarfs inhabited the Earth. He also insisted that Jesus was German, with the true name Krist.
Wiligut’s eccentric spiritual views included a god complex. He declared himself a descendant of an ancient German god-king, which most dismissed as madness. However, Heinrich Himmler embraced these ideas, reportedly believing Wiligut’s claim that he was the reincarnation of Henry the Fowler, a medieval king.
While it’s unclear how many of Wiligut’s beliefs Himmler fully embraced, he undoubtedly enlisted Wiligut to assist in an eccentric, mystical construction project. Wiligut played a key role in selecting the ideal location for Wewelsburg Castle, Himmler’s ambitious effort to create a Nazi-inspired version of Camelot.
