Ian Bronson
War usually comes with chaos, but every now and then, there’s a moment that feels almost too strange to be real. No drama. Just something unexpected that sticks in your mind. These aren’t myths. They’re just things that happened—and happened weirdly. Keep reading to discover ten stories here where coincidence drifted quietly through the fog of war.
A British Soldier May Have Spared Hitler’s Life
One battlefield decision might have changed the course of history. Henry Tandey, a British soldier in WWI, allegedly spared a wounded German infantryman. Years later, Hitler himself claimed to be that soldier. Historians argue over the truth, but the eerie possibility lingers.
A Cat Who Survived Multiple Ship Sinkings
Naval folklore speaks of “Unsinkable Sam,” a cat said to have survived three separate shipwrecks, including the German battleship Bismarck. Official records don’t confirm if it was the same cat each time, but the tale has endured, which makes Sam a wartime legend.
The Midway Miracle
The Battle of Midway in 1942 saw an unexpected turn of events when American forces struck a devastating blow to the Japanese fleet. Some argue that luck led to the U.S. forces’ surprise attack, while others see it as a result of brilliant strategy. Regardless, the victory had a lasting impact on WWII.
German Manufactured Bombs Were Dropped On Berlin
Wartime irony doesn’t get much stranger. Captured German ordnance was repurposed by the Allies, and in some cases, bombs made in Nazi Germany were dropped right back over German cities. Berlin may have been hit by its own weapons, a cruel twist of fate.
The Soviet Union Declared War On Japan At The Last Minute
August 8, 1945, saw the Soviet Union make a strategic move. Just as Japan was ready to surrender, Stalin declared war so the USSR could have a stake in the post-war division of territory. A decision driven by politics, but the timing was almost uncanny.
Deadly Double
In 1941, “The New Yorker” published an advertisement that struck some as eerily prophetic. The ad, featuring the phrase “deadly double,” appeared only months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Some saw it as a chilling coincidence, while others speculated it might have been an eerie premonition of the events to come.
Tamerlane’s Curse
The tale of Tamerlane’s exhumation is pretty eerie. On June 19, 1941, Soviet archaeologists dug up the tomb of the infamous Mongol warlord. Allegedly, they found a curse inside: “When I rise from the dead, the world shall tremble.” Just three days later, Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa.
A British Pilot Was Rescued By The Germans
Peter Cazenove’s plane crashed into the Atlantic, and a German U-boat surfaced to pull him aboard. They saved his life—only to take him as a prisoner. One moment, an enemy. The next, a reluctant savior. Few war stories end like this one.
The Japanese Atomic Survivor
Surviving an atomic bomb once is rare enough. Tsutomu Yamaguchi lived through two. After being injured in Hiroshima, he traveled home to Nagasaki, only to face the second attack. Japan later officially recognized him as a survivor of both, an almost impossible fate.
The Crossword Mystery
A crossword puzzle published in “The Daily Telegraph” in 1944 almost gave away secrets about D-Day. The puzzle contained words like “Utah” and “Omaha,” referring to the beaches for the invasion. The timing was strange, right before the Allies stormed Normandy. While it raised alarms, D-Day proceeded without a hitch.
