Hitler’s war machine continues to
devastate Europe. The Allies have to contend with super weapons concocted by
the minds of Nazi scientists and engineers. But one threat looms greater than all
the rest, a nuclear bomb. The allies have been working towards creating
an atomic bomb for several years now, hoping to beat the Nazi’s to the punch. But
as World War II rages on no one is quite sure how close Hitler and the Nazi regime are to
weaponizing nuclear enegry. One thing is for sure, if Hitler has access to the power of the atom,
he will use it to bring the world to its knees. This cannot be allowed. To stop the Nazi
bomb, the Allies send soldiers on secret missions to find out how close
the Nazis are to an atomic bomb. Their mission is to gather and analyze intel
on the Nazi nuclear program. If the Nazis are close to creating an atomic bomb, then
they must find ways to slow them down. If they have succeeded, then they must
be stopped before the bomb can be used. Reconnaissance gathered at the beginning of the
war shows that the Germans started researching nuclear power under the name “uranium project.” It
began shortly after the German invasion of Poland in September of 1939. This is unwelcome news
because it means the Nazis have been working with nuclear energy for several years. The German Army
Ordnance started the program by putting physicist Kurt Diebner in charge to investigate
the military applications of fission, who was aware that when an atom is split
apart, huge amounts of energy are released. Who knew something so small could be so
powerful? What will scientists think of next? Diebner is working with another physicist, whose
name is Werner Heisenberg. Communications between the two Nazi scientists had been intercepted
revealing that Heisenberg has calculated that using nuclear fission to create a chain
reaction may be the Nazi’s path to producing a nuclear explosion. It would seem that the Nazis
understand the basic principles of an atomic bomb and Hitler might be closer to completing an
atomic bomb than anyone originally thought. It is clear that Nazi scientists have
figured out the basic principles of fission, but have not yet been able to weaponize atomic
energy. However information from a Norwegian scientist who escaped Nazi occupied Norway
provides vital information on the path the Nazis are planning to take to create their nuclear
bomb. The scientist had worked at a facility that specializes in creating heavy water. Heavy water
is a water molecule that has hydrogen atoms with a neutron in their nucleus. This is very rare, but
gives the hydrogen atoms more mass, making the water molecule itself heavier. This special form
of hydrogen is vital to the Nazi nuclear program, because it can be used to created the chain
reaction needed for a nuclear explosions. If the Nazis are allowed to continue using
the heavy water facility, they will eventually be able to create an atomic bomb. A mission
must be organized to shut down the facility. Allied Command is informed of the
role the heavy water facility plays in Hitler’s nuclear program and a secret mission
called Operation Gunnerside is organized. The chemists who worked at the heavy water
facility in Vemork, 100 miles outside of Oslo, volunteer to spearhead the mission. They
already have a working knowledge of the facility and will be able to infiltrate and disrupt the
Nazi operations. They are trained in Scotland and put through rigorous physical and mental tests.
By the end of their short training regiment they have the basic skills of a special forces unit.
The leader of the squad is Leif Tronstad. He is nicknamed the Mailman by his comrades. Tronstad
was a professor of chemistry before the war started. When the Germans invaded Norway he
enlisted and fought to protect his country. Norway lost and became one of the many
European countries occupied by the Nazis. Tronstan joined the underground and provided the
Allies with intelligence on what the Nazis were using the heavy water at the Vemork facility
for. He escaped Norway and went to England to relay all the information he had gathered.
Once in England he only wanted one thing; to be sent back to Norway with a squad
of soldiers to disrupt the Nazi’s plans. The intelligence that Tronstan provides informs
the Allies that they can not just bomb the facility. All of the vital equipment is deep
underground, and even if the plant is bombed, operations most likely can resume with minor
adjustments. Also, innocent Norwegian civilians are working in the heavy water facility and will
be killed in a bombing raid. The Allies know they need boots on the ground. The Norwegian scientists
under the command of Tronstan are assigned the job of killing Nazis and disrupting their
plans for the heavy water facility. After receiving their training
on sabotage and stealth warfare from a top secret British unit called
the Special Operation Executive, the Norwegian unit is ready for their mission.
They are flown to Norway and air dropped outside of Vemork. The Norwegian squad knows that
the facility is already a natural fortress. It can only be accessed by a single-lane
suspension bridge and is surrounded by mountains. Legend has it that the air grows
cold so fast, that it can freeze the flames of a fire. The Norwegian squad buckles in
for the coldest few weeks of their lives. The scientists turned soldiers spend days skiing
through the snow to collect more intel on the operations at the facility. They were all born
and raised in Norway, so they grew up in similar harsh environments. They use their new training
and longtime knowledge to carefully make their way through forests and across mountains. However,
the natural topography is not the only thing the Norwegian squad has to worry about. The Nazis
have surrounded the facility with minefields, searchlights, barbed wire, and patrols.
It seems that the heavy water factory is now a Nazi fortress. But the mission has to
succeed. The Nazis might be close to creating a nuclear weapon. The disruption of their
heavy water facility could slow them down. After days in the harsh environment,
the squad decides there is only one way into the Nazi fortress. They
must climb down the steep cliff that the heavy water facility sits against.
They slowly rappel down the icy rock wall, supporting one another incase someone slips. It is
treacherous, but the squad makes it down without any mishaps. They infiltrate the facility through
one of the rarely used back doors, being sure not to trip any alarms. The Norwegian squad sets
explosives at key points around the facility. They sneak through winding concrete hallways, always
making sure they are one step ahead of the Nazis. The squad escapes out of the facility and moves
to a safe distance. Then they wait and watch. The explosives go off, causing fires to erupt
all over the facility. The machinery is damaged and will take months to repair. They successfully
disrupted Hitler’s ability to make heavy water, and the Allies can breathe a sigh of relief
that Nazis will not be able to create any more heavy water for nuclear weapons in the near
future. But what if they have already stored up enough heavy water to make an atomic bomb? Is it
possible the Nazi’s already have everything they need for nuclear warfare? The Allies need to
make sure that Hitler does not already have a stockpile of atomic bombs hidden somewhere.
It’s time to move on to the next mission. Further intel from Allied soldiers suggests
that there might be an operational nuclear reactor somewhere in Germany. This can not be
confirmed, but nothing can be left to chance. The Allies are making great progress across the
world. The United States has even completed the testing of their nuclear bombs and the
devastation it causes is immense. If Hitler has his own atomic bomb, he might
turn Europe into a radioactive wasteland. Allied forces are advancing on Berlin. It
seems that Hitler is backed into a corner, but that is when a wild
animal is the most dangerous. Intel comes in that scientists working under
Diebner have built and tested a nuclear device. The Germans are doing everything in their
power to try and turn the war around. Allied Command puts together a secret
mission to kidnap Hitler’s main scientists. If successful the mission will end the
possibility of a Nazi nuclear bomb once and for all. A covert special-ops unit
is formed, code-named the Alsos Mission and nicknamed “Lightning A.” The
team is led by Colonel Boris Pash. Pash was the counterintelligence officer in charge
of security for America’s nuclear-weapons program. Pash and Lightning A follow the Allied troops to
the front lines. They interrogate any scientists that are captured along the way for more
information about the Nazi nuclear program. It seems that the Nazis do not have a nuclear
bomb yet. But the Allies need to be sure, so Pash’s team presses forward with the
rest of the advancing Allied troops. Lightning A is about to embark
on their most dangerous mission. Pash and Lightning A push pass the advancing
Allied forces. They are now operating on their own behind enemy lines. The advance forward was
not moving fast enough for Lightning A’s mission. Unfortunately, the special force has to
deal with some of the toughest Nazi soldiers still left in the war, the Wehrwolf. This is the
name given to the bands of diehard Nazi youth. They will not give up, and are waiting
to kill any Allies that cross their path. Pash and Lightning A reach Heidelberg
where they come upon a large Nazi force. Things can go really bad, really
fast, if they are not careful. But the Nazi soldiers believe the war is
almost over and surrender to Lightning A. The Nazis are interrogated for information on the
whereabouts of the remaining nuclear scientists. The information that is uncovered leads Lightning
A to a secret Nazi nuclear laboratory hidden in a cave. The lab contains a test nuclear reactor.
It is disassembled immediately. The problem now is that the Nazi scientists have been tipped off
about the Allies’ special mission. They are on the run. The fact that there is a test reactor in
the cave is not a good sign. Pash and Lightning A need to capture the rogue scientists to ensure
Hitler does not have nuclear capabilities. Lightening A pushes further into enemy
territory and continue to uncover clues about the Nazi nuclear program. A
nuclear research facility is found, hidden in a textile mill with laboratories
in the surrounding buildings. They have finally stumbled upon what they are looking
for. Lightening A captures 25 scientists. Through intense interrogation the Nazis
reveal the location of hidden research files. They have been stored in a watertight drum and
sunk into a cesspool. Those Nazi bastards are not making things easy for Pash and Lightening A.
Members of the squad have to dig through feces, but eventually locate the drum with
all of the notes and research in it. The Nazis have conducted a lot of research around
nuclear weapons. Pash is nervous that Hitler may be preparing for one last push using nuclear
weapons. Lightening A needs to find one of the men who started the Nazi nuclear research
program. A man who has more knowledge than practically anyone else about Nazi nuclear
capabilities, Pash needs to find Heisenberg. Intel has uncovered that Heisenberg is hiding
in the Bavarian Alps. Pash takes Lightening A to track him down. The squad is attacked
again and again by the Wehrwolf youths. They engage in gorilla warfare across the Alps,
all to find one Nazi scientist. Due to all of the fighting Lightening A has been reduced
to 20 men, but they are close to their goal. Lightning A reaches the town of Urfeld
where they encounter approximately 700 SS troops. Pash uses his cunning, and a little
lying, to convince the commanders of the Nazi soldiers that he has a lot more men
than just twenty worn down soldiers. The Nazis decide to surrender instead
of fight. The commanders eventually give up the location of Heisenberg, who is
hiding in a mountain cabin not too far away. Lightening A captures the scientist two days
before Hitler commits suicide. After questioning Heisenberg it is clear Hitler never had, and was
never really close to having nuclear weapons. It is a great relief that the Nazis
never developed nuclear weapons. The war may have gone very differently if they
had. “But why didn’t they? Hitler undeniably had the resources and scientists to make an atomic
bomb a reality. The main reason it seems is because Hitler never really put the energy or
effort into developing his nuclear program. He had been so successful with his troops, tanks,
and aircraft, that he didn’t see any reason to pump money into developing an atomic bomb until
it was too late. Towards the end, he began to realize a nuclear weapon could turn the tide of
the war back in his favor, but it was too late. Another issues is that the Nazi nuclear
program was divided into different camps. There were several different scientists working
on nuclear fission, but they seemed to be more in competition than working together. This
is one of the reasons the United States developed nuclear weapons first. The U.S.
consolidated all research to one project, the Manhattan Project, so all scientists
were working together collaboratively. Now the second world war is over
and there is no longer any need to worry about Hitler and his crazy idea
for a Third Reich. The world is safe from the threat of nuclear devastation
and everyone can sleep safely at night. There’s just one little problem.
The Cold War is about to begin. Now check out what might have happened if Hitler
did have nuclear weapons and won World War II by watching “What If Hitler Had Won?” Or check out
“50 Insane Cold War Facts That Will Shock You!”
