Occult Warfare
When Nazi Germany entered World War Two in September of 1939 the government gathered together all of the best psychics, mediums, dowsers, and occultist into an organization to assist the war efforts against the West. They called this unit The Institute for Occult Warfare (IOW) and it was placed under the dreaded SS and its infamous leader Heinrich Himmler. Hitler had long believed in the supernatural after a dream saved his life in the First World War — reinforcing his beliefs an event happened early in his rise to power. An Astrologer made a premonition that warned him of a bomb and saved his life.
Many in the Nazi government didn’t share their leader’s trust in the paranormal, but were willing to fund the organization in hopes that it might prove to be of some value. Its first use was as a tool of propaganda. Their first task was to interpret the predictions of 16th Century seer Nostradamus. His vague poetic verses were (and still are) believed by some to reveal future events. The IOW used his writing to “prove” that Nazi Germany would win the war and dominate the world. Their findings were turned into radio broadcasts and leaflets dropped behind enemy lines. They helped demoralize the French Army and may have helped to defeat France. So compelling were the arguments put forth by the German Occultist that England had to enlist psychics and mystics of their own to counter the claims of the Nazis.
Architect Ludwig Straniak, a member of the Institute, had a special gift for map dowsing. He would dangle a special pendulum over a map and locate things. As a test, the German Navy asked him to locate the Pocket Battleship Prinz Eugen, then at sea. They provided him with charts and were amazed that he pinpointed the warship even through it was on a secret mission off the coast of Norway. This impressed them enough to take the workings of the odd unit a bit more serious.
Though the Occult Warfare unit made some outstanding failures they also scored some impressive successes. Perhaps the greatest was when they were assigned to locate Italian Dictator, Benito Mussolini.
In 1943 Italy grew weary of the war. The Government deposed the Fascist leader and made peace with the West, becoming one of the few nations to fight on both sides in World War Two. Mussolini was arrested and imprisoned in a secure place. The new Italian Government feared that Hitler would attempt to rescue his old friend. The Occult Warriors were given the task to locate the former Italian leader.
They used every tool they had to find Mussolini, from crystal gazing to map dowsing. They located the target on the island of Ponza. German spies were dispatched to confirm the psychic impressions. When they got to the site, they discovered that the former Italian leader was gone. He had been moved to a safer location. The pendulums were set to swinging again and they indicated that he was housed at a hotel high in the mountains. Once again spies were sent out, and once again the psychics proved their worth when they found their efforts had been accurate.
The Germans organized a daring raid using glider troops, and Mussolini was rescued. He was brought to Berlin and given a pep talk and new cloths by Hitler. He was then installed as the dictator of Northern Italy (that section of the nation still occupied by the Nazis). He became little more than a German puppet. Within two years he would be killed by Italian partisans.
As the war grew more and more desperate, the Institute of Occult Warfare was pressed to come up with new ways to save the doomed Nazi state. When one astrologer accurately predicted the fall of Germany, he earned nothing but a one way trip to a concentration camp. As the war ended, the special unit collapsed with the Third Reich it was constructed to serve. But, it did prove that psychic research can be used for military purposes.
Perhaps this is something the United States should employ today. Maybe psychics, mystics, crystal gazers, and map dowsers should gather together and use their gifts to locate the terrorist leader, Osama bin Laden. Maybe, with the help of occult warriors, we could gain the edge on these killers. It would be worth a try in any case. Perhaps an American Psychic Warfare Unit could be formed to use supernatural means to combat our enemies? I would be the first to volunteer. Would you?
