10 Insane War Stories That Turned Out to Be Myths
War comes with its fair share of propaganda. On and off the battlefield, the different players try to control the story. Whether it's to gain support from the masses in their war efforts or simply to boost the morale of those in the trenches, stories of heroes and victims are an important part of the whole charade. But sometimes, during a war, real heroes emerge with stories that will shake the average person to their core. Other times, those stories are so grand, so impossibly sensational, that you have to wonder if such horrors or ordeals have been blown up into something that has outgrown the original story, or if they happened at all.
Here are ten crazy war stories that turned out to be myths.
Related: 10 oft-forgotten battles that helped shape the modern world
10 Angel of Mons
When the British Expeditionary Force met the German army at Mons, Belgium in 1914, some 75,000 men took to the field seeking an unlikely victory against an army more than 150,000 strong.
The odds were gone and the Germans beat back the Commonwealth army, forcing them to retreat (and taking heavy casualties). Surrounded by Germans and under heavy fire, some 4,000 soldiers found a way to return from the battlefield, prompting rumors that some angelic intervention was the reason for their safe return.
Legend has it that the soldiers' prayers were answered when a ghostly figure descended from heaven, preventing the Germans from inflicting further damage and scaring their horses. The public accepted the fable as fact, and soldiers returning from battle confirmed the sighting of an angelic presence. Despite confirmation that the story had been invented by a writer at the time, the legend lived on.[1]
9 German Corpse Factory
One specific form of propaganda is to make your enemy look as bad as possible – to be the terrible villain behind the worst atrocities known to man. And while you may think that war provides plenty of material to work with, much of what was reported was incorrect. One such false report is the so-called cadaver processing facilities or corpse factories that emerged during the First World War.
According to this myth, the Germans, efficient and resourceful as they were, set up entire factories where they would repurpose the dead and finish off the bodies. This was done so they could collect the fat, a resource that had become scarce since the start of sanctions.
The story first appeared in a local newspaper suggesting that they were extracting glycerin from bodies. Another article was later published in which eyewitness accounts from these factories suggested that the smell was similar to 'burnt limes'. The public was extremely shocked and attempts by the Germans to dismiss the claims were largely ignored.[2]
8 Spirit of Kiev
In a war that is still raging, honest and true information is difficult to come by. Yet stories about the Ghost of Kiev spread on social media like a wildfire of hope and a symbol of Ukrainian fighting spirit.
According to this particular myth, the Ghost of Kiev was a fighter pilot for the Ukrainian Air Force during the early stages of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He reportedly shot down around 40 Russian fighter planes with his MiG-29 fighter jet, relying on sheer skill and willpower, and stories of his antics spread around the world. Even videos showing his cruelty could be found at the height of the hype. Ultimately, the Spirit of Kiev succumbed to the dangers of war.
The point is that the Ghost of Kiev never existed. In fact, the Ukrainians went so far as to affirm that the Ghost of Kiev is nothing more than a figment of someone's active imagination, which raises serious questions about the dissemination of information in difficult times. Questions also need to be asked about merchandising, as the Ghost became somewhat of a hot seller selling T-shirts and NFTs.[3]
7 The Battle of Balaklava
The Battle of Balaklava was a somewhat disastrous skirmish between British forces and the Russians during the Crimean War in 1854 and consists of three main battles: the Thin Red Line, the Heavy Brigade Charge and the Light Brigade Charge. .
Much has been said about the Light Brigade and their heroic but disastrous attack, which led to the deaths of 110 of 673 men, with approximately 130 wounded and 58 captured. So much so that poems, books and films have been written about the failures of military superiors, the harrowing nature of war in the 19th century and the importance of a well-thought-out strategy when initiating frontal attacks.
Although the battle was real and the Charge of the Light Brigade was understood as a historical event recorded with relative accuracy, the impact and overall importance of the battle has been greatly exaggerated over the years, with some other battles seeing the sides in stood in the shadow. it by tip and scale.[4]
6 The lost battalion
The story goes that during the First World War, during a battle around the Argonne Forest, a battalion of men, 550 strong, fought bravely. But eventually the men found themselves cut off from their forces and isolated from support and much-needed resources, surrounded by enemy forces, with no one knowing where they were or how to reach them.
While much of it is true, the truth is that they were not a battalion and the people (or those in charge at least) knew exactly where they were. The men, made up of several companies from the 77th Division of the American Expeditionary Forces stationed in France, had managed to capture Hill 198. They were digging in, but their neighboring forces were unsuccessful. So the men were cut off.
Even though their own troops and the Germans knew well where they were (and moved their position), they will forever be known as the Lost Battalion because those higher up were not kept informed.[5]
5 The Crooked Virgo
Also known as the Golden Virgin and Albert's Leaning Virgin, this myth captivated so many people to the point that some believed it would determine the outcome of the entire First World War.
The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Brebières, found in the French city of Albert, was hit by enemy artillery. Still, the golden statue managed to hold on to its dear life as it swung from the tower. The statue hung from the tower above the French city for three years, while the British, French and Germans all invented legends for it. A common myth is that the war would end as soon as it fell. Another suggested that whoever was responsible for the fall would be the victor.
Ultimately, the statue was thrown from its place by the British, who inexplicably shot the tower. The Golden Virgin was recreated and reinstalled above the bell tower during the reconstruction and remains a symbol of the triumph of good over evil.[6]
4 Mystery of Celtic wood
On October 9, 1917, in West Flanders (Belgium), 85 men of the 10th Battalion of the 1st Australian Division advanced into the Celtic Forest, most of whom were never seen again. The rest disappeared without a trace. Or did they?
It turned out that the attack was part of a much larger operation known today as the Battle of Poelcappelle, a furious and terrible battle. The Aussies fought under British command, who decided that to have a chance of defeating the German army they had to pull off a so-called 'feint', a small but fierce attack to convince the Germans of a false point. of attack. A list.
In reality, the men of the 10th Battalion were chosen because they were hardened, experienced fighters who could further enhance appearances. In other words, the men were sent to fight and die so that the army could advance. The mystery surrounding their deaths was nothing more than a tragic sacrifice.[7]
3 The Rescue of Jessica Lynch
When Lynch became the first woman rescued from a POW camp during the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the media was ready to blow up every piece of the story they could find. Although Jessica was real and her rescue was a miracle, much of the story surrounding it was fictional.
Suddenly, Lynch was an action hero, fighting those who dared to imprison her. From kindergarten teacher to soldier, a nurturing soul who also showed courage in the face of terrorism. A beautiful mix of everything a woman could be in the US military.
According to false reports, Jessica suffered multiple gunshot wounds, a broken leg and a broken arm, all from the torture she survived. Finally, they threw in a stab wound for good measure. By the end of it all, she was left for dead by soldiers who had killed eight of her fellow soldiers. Later the wounds were downgraded to concussion fractures, carefully treated by a hospital in Iraq.[8]
2 The Katyn Massacre
In the early spring of 1940, Soviet secret police murdered thousands of Poles near the Katyn Forest, a short distance from the Russian city of Smolensk. But then they blamed the Nazis.
After capturing hundreds of thousands of Polish prisoners, including some 10,000 officers, the Russians faced a logistical crisis: what to do with so many people? They divided the people into groups. Some were released, some were transferred to Germany and others were placed in special camps where conditions were appalling.
It is unclear how many died, but estimates indicate that more than 20,000 people were killed. The Red Army placed the responsibility squarely on the Germans, and Western countries believed them. Many years later, the truth is still being discovered.[9]
1 Kuwait Incubator Babies
In October 1990, news hit the headlines about Iraqi soldiers committing terrible acts against the people of Kuwait.
The story goes that so-called eyewitnesses saw soldiers storm a hospital, take babies out of incubators, steal the incubators and leave the children on the cold floor to die. The report sent shockwaves through the American public, leaving many baying for blood. Testimonies of the events even found their way to Congress, and in 1991 Congress authorized the use of force against Iraq. The Gulf War had begun.
The funny thing is: it's made up. The reports about the incubator babies were later confirmed as nothing more than a farce staged by American politicians as a means to achieve their own political ends through manipulation of public opinion.[10]