# Any famous urban legends of WWII? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 13, 2012, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-famous-urban-legends-of-wwii/634640 "2012-09-13T23:09:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-famous-urban-legends-of-wwii/634640/1 "2012-09-13T23:09:15Z")
I know plenty of the WWI ones, the Angel Of Mons, the Russian soldiers in Scotland, the crucified Canadian etc. but I don’t recall ever hearing any from the second world war. Anyone got any? ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-famous-urban-legends-of-wwii/634640/2 "2012-09-13T23:35:48Z")
Well, there is Ronald Reagan’s ludicrous bullshit story about the airman who chose to ride to his death to accompany a wounded colleague. That one’s pretty funny. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-famous-urban-legends-of-wwii/634640/3 "2012-09-13T23:38:09Z")
Mythbusters did one about guy who’s parachute didn’t open, but a bomb blast slowed his descent enough to survive the fall. There’s also Kilroy. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-famous-urban-legends-of-wwii/634640/4 "2012-09-13T23:39:37Z")
Kilroy was here true. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-famous-urban-legends-of-wwii/634640/5 "2012-09-13T23:57:34Z")
[Gremlins.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gremlin) A whole buncha guys getting written up as heroes back home, by imaginative journalists. A whole lotta propaganda stories qualify, too. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-famous-urban-legends-of-wwii/634640/6 "2012-09-14T00:04:56Z")
Another one from Mythbusters was using a samurai sword to slice through a machine gun barrel. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-famous-urban-legends-of-wwii/634640/7 "2012-09-14T00:10:22Z")
[Nazis/Lampshades](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2511/did-the-nazis-make-lampshades-out-of-human-skin) etc ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-famous-urban-legends-of-wwii/634640/8 "2012-09-14T00:32:42Z")
U-Boat sunk by [malfunctioning toilet](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_submarine_U-1206). [FDR knew about Pearl Harbour](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Harbor_advance-knowledge_conspiracy_theory) hours/days/months before it happened ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-famous-urban-legends-of-wwii/634640/9 "2012-09-14T00:49:13Z")
[Capt. Colin Kelly](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Kelly), the first US B-17 pilot lost in combat, did _not_ suicide crash into a Japanese battleship. He did, however, score hits on a cruiser, and stayed at the controls until his crew bailed out. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-famous-urban-legends-of-wwii/634640/10 "2012-09-14T01:06:33Z")
[Eating carrots to enhance RAF pilot’s eyesight](http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/carrots.asp). This myth was used to hide the abilities of the British radar system. ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-famous-urban-legends-of-wwii/634640/11 "2012-09-14T01:24:23Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Mythbusters did one about guy who’s parachute didn’t open, but a bomb blast slowed his descent enough to survive the fall. > > There’s also Kilroy. There was at least one person I can think of who surived falling out of a plane without a (working) parachute. As for the original question, what exactly counts as an urban legend? Do the foo fighters count? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-famous-urban-legends-of-wwii/634640/12 "2012-09-14T01:30:13Z")
Hitler dancing a jig when France surrendered. He apparently just stamped his foot once and they looped the film to make it look like he was dancing. Hitler chewing on the carpet. Apparently “chewing the carpet” is a German idiom for somebody acting nervously. But somebody said this once about Hitler and when it was translated from German to English people thought it was literally true that Hitler dropped to the floor and began biting the rug. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-famous-urban-legends-of-wwii/634640/13 "2012-09-14T01:44:35Z")
> [@Simple\_Linctus](#): > > There was at least one person I can think of who surived falling out of a plane without a (working) parachute. > > As for the original question, what exactly counts as an urban legend? Do the foo fighters count? Well let’s go with the definition I found online “An entertaining story or piece of information of uncertain origin that is circulated as though true.” Essentially extraordinary stories told as fact, they might actually have come true, but typically didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-famous-urban-legends-of-wwii/634640/14 "2012-09-14T01:46:29Z")
> [@Simple\_Linctus](#): > > There was at least one person I can think of who surived falling out of a plane without a (working) parachute. [Nicholas Alkemade?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Alkemade). 18,000 ft without a chute. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-famous-urban-legends-of-wwii/634640/15 "2012-09-14T01:49:51Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > [Nicholas Alkemade?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Alkemade). 18,000 ft without a chute. Obviously not WWII but [Vesna Vulović](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesna_Vulovi%C4%87) fell 33,330 ft without a chute. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-famous-urban-legends-of-wwii/634640/16 "2012-09-14T02:03:10Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Obviously not WWII but [Vesna Vulović](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesna_Vulovi%C4%87) fell 33,330 ft without a chute. There is [some doubt about this story](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesna_Vulovi%C4%87#2009_report). ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-famous-urban-legends-of-wwii/634640/17 "2012-09-14T02:07:53Z")
> [@Lord\_Mondegreen](#): > > There is [some doubt about this story](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesna_Vulovi%C4%87#2009_report). Shhh, you’re no fun. That section wasn’t there the last time I read the wiki! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-famous-urban-legends-of-wwii/634640/18 "2012-09-14T02:23:45Z")
There were no gays in the military back then. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-famous-urban-legends-of-wwii/634640/19 "2012-09-14T02:37:54Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > There were no gays in the military back then. And no atheists in the trenches either. Oh, wait, that was WWI. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-famous-urban-legends-of-wwii/634640/20 "2012-09-14T02:42:00Z")
> [@Simple\_Linctus](#): > > There was at least one person I can think of who surived falling out of a plane without a (working) parachute. I know a person who survived a fall without a working parachute. But the point of the story wasn’t that he didn’t have a parachute, the point was that he was saved by the bomb blast. I don’t remember the details from Mythbusters, I’m not even sure he didn’t have a parachute. The bomb blast was the key to the story. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-famous-urban-legends-of-wwii/634640.md?page=2)