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projects could be carried out without even the basic had a monopoly on tests involving chemical weapons such information having to be shared with other central as tabun, sarin and soman. These chemical agents were institutions such as Albert Speer's Reichsministerium fiir | more deadly than those in the respective Allied arsenals by Riistung und Kriegsproduktion (Reich Ministry for an order of magnitude. They acted directly on the nervous Armaments and War Production). That was a huge — system and had a crucial advantage: they were not advantage. absorbed by filters of any existing gas masks, and were The SS developed its own "black world" of research, absorbable almost as easily through the skin as through the which even the state leaders—except Hitler himself— lungs. There was no effective defence against them, and generally knew nothing about. For example, the most — over 10,000 tonnes had been produced. important research project, concerning antigravity Another kind of weapon of mass destruction was the (described later), was controlled by a top-secret cell in the nuclear one. The existing publications on German nuclear SS-Fihrungshauptamt (the operational headquarters) research don't reveal the whole truth, simply because the called the Amtsgruppe VIII or "Amt VIII-FEP" Allies and postwar researchers generally applied a scheme (Weaponry Department). The problem that was a mirror reflection of the US is that very few people even now—after Manhattan Project. But it wasn't over 60 years—realise that such an organised that way. The German institution existed at all. Moreover, the activities were not centralised: person who commanded the Amt numerous institutes, organisations and VIII—SS-Gruppenfihrer Otto That's why it was so groups carried out their own projects, Schwab—is virtually unknown, as are . . mostly completely independently from the other leading persons who appear in crucial for the Third the others. The consequence was that, this story and were supposed to save the . after the war, some projects were never Third Reich from defeat. All of them Reich to develop a revealed, especially those from the zone were high-level generals, including SS- propulsion system controlled by the Soviets. ; ; Obergruppenfiihrer Emil Mazuw and One project played a crucial role in SS-Brigadefiihrer Heinrich Gartner. based on the new our case. It was directed by German Little is known about them simply . theoretical physicist | Werner because nothing of the original physics. It was Heisenberg, working with a team documentation survived the war, at basically the only from Dresden University, and was least not in Germany. Nothing . carried out in occupied could more clearly demonstrate the thing that could Czechoslovakia near the town of ability of the SS to keep secret the details of specific projects —and not even mention the most important project of all. Unravelling this puzzle was really a hard job, believe me! The execution of this armament project as such was coordinated by SS- Gruppenfiihrer Hans Kammler and recently declassified documents he is known, but you cannot say which I present in my that about the people responsible for the specific areas of | aforementioned book. For space reasons, I have omitted research or the ones to whom Kammler sent his reports. __ the sources for this article.) So, the aim was to carry out the most crucial armament The Third Reich did have an arsenal of weapons of mass project completely independently of the other — destruction—and a very big one, in fact. Why, then, did it institutions—and, in particular, without the knowledge of not use these weapons? The problem was that, by 1944, Jachymov (St Joachimsthal). It followed a completely different path to the construction of a nuclear bomb or warhead and was based on a "mix" of various unstable isotopes including radium. (This claim and claims about other projects are based on change the course of the war! Albert Speer's ministry. Germany was surrounded by enemies—and without air superiority over its own skies, any drastic moves or strikes German weapons of mass destruction would be effective only if carried out on a large scale. The But what was the purpose of all this secrecy? The Third Reich had no strategic bombers that could paralyse paradox is that from 1943 onwards, the Third Reich was all the enemy territories and their industrial centres. An losing the war, although it possessed an arsenal that was _ attack on just London, for example, would only trigger a superior to what the Allies had. These were weapons of massive retaliation, with thousands of bombers dropping mass destruction, potentially more deadly than the the Allies' own chemical and biological weapons. The American atomic bomb! Third Reich would be defeated even more quickly. So, the The SS controlled an intensive biological weapons destruction of London alone would just make things program, virtually unknown in the West, and primarily it | worse. A strike would only make sense if the Reich were That's why it was so crucial for the Third propulsion system based on the new physics. It was basically the only thing that could change the course of the war! German weapons of mass destruction But what was the purpose of all this secrecy? The paradox is that from 1943 onwards, the Third Reich was losing the war, although it possessed an arsenal that was superior to what the Allies had. These were weapons of mass destruction, potentially more deadly than the American atomic bomb! The SS controlled an intensive biological weapons program, virtually unknown in the West, and primarily it NEXUS ¢ 37 Reich to develop a FEBRUARY — MARCH 2009 www.nexusmagazine.com