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World War II’s Weirdest Paranormal Mysteries, by Matthew L. Swayne

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

I'm not exactly breaking new ground when I say that military history and haunted history are intimately connected. Ghosts of entire armies still trudge through the fields and forests of Europe, according to paranormal buffs and folklorists. There are so many ghost stories lingering around American Civil War battlefields that a cottage industry of ghost tours and haunted hotspot guidebooks have blossomed around those sites.

Experts on these hauntings say the connection between conflict and haunted activity is no mystery. The equation goes something like this: Death + High Emotional Intensity = Ghosts. My question before writing Haunted World War II was: Would the world's greatest conflict create the world's greatest collection of stories about spirits and tales of the supernatural? I'll let the readers judge from themselves, but I found that World War II, arguably history's most violent conflict, serves as the source of a considerable amount of ghostlore, as well as accounts of paranormal activity and high strangeness. Here are Haunted World War II's top ten weirdest tales that help stake the war's claim as history's most haunted conflict.

1. Warbirds Still Fly UK's Haunted Skies
   During World War II, the skies above the United Kingdom buzzed with every make and model of warbird that the Allied—and often, the Axis—powers could produce. Bombers, fighters, and transports made England the world's biggest aircraft carrier. After the war, you would expect the skies of the UK to quiet down a little. But, dozens of witnesses claimed to have seen World War II-era planes cruising the blue yonder above England. When the witnesses raise the alarm, authorities often can't explain the appearance of these ghost planes. There are no air shows scheduled, nor do air traffic controllers have any record of these planes.
2. Apparition Invasion
   After writing a bunch of books about ghosts and ghostlore, I thought I had written about it all—ghost mules, haunted Mexican restaurant restrooms, and possessed tour buses—but I could not imagine an entire beach being haunted by legions of ghosts. But, that's exactly what a group of holiday vacationers said they encountered while on holiday at the beaches of Dieppe, site of a bloodily botched raid in World War II. During the early morning hours of August 4, a few weeks before the anniversary of the Dieppe Raid, or Operation Jubilee, the group said they heard the bark of cannons and the shouts and screams of soldiers. This band of spirit brothers even had air cover, the witnesses said, adding that they heard the scream of dive bombers. When the vacationers went out to investigate the next morning, they found no sign of a real armed incursion and promptly reported their experiences to paranormal authorities.
3. A German General's Ghost in the US?
   You might expect the ghost of German General Erwin Rommel to be gliding through the sands of North Africa, or staring out onto the English Channel from the cliffs over Omaha Beach, or even appearing in his homeland of Germany. But, believe it or not, your best chance of running into the spectral version of the Desert Fox is in the American South. People claim they saw Rommel's ghost in graveyards and in a hotel in Virginia. The bit of ghostlore is based on Rommel's supposed secret visit before the war to America to study Civil War battlefields and tactics. Historians say there's no evidence of that secret mission. Believers say the ghost is evidence enough for them.
4. The Not-So Passive Pacific
   The Pacific Theater was the scene of World War II's most violent battles. In Okinawa, a Pacific island about 1,000 miles from Tokyo, that battle became personal. Japanese strategists knew that if the Americans seized Okinawa they would have a base suitable to stage an invasion of Japan's mainland. They filled the imaginations of the island's civilians with tales of supposed American atrocities. When the US did invade, thousands of Okinawans reportedly jumped off cliffs to their deaths. Visitors to the island say that they have heard the beat of footsteps rush by them to the cliffs and heard screams. Some have even said when they heard the footsteps and simultaneously felt a breeze blow by them. Others believe the presence of spirits passed directly through them as the ghosts re-enact their last, desperate leap.
5. Haunted Harbors
   America's battleships played key offensive and defensive roles during World War II. Many of these ships were brought back to the states, where they became both museums to preserve history and floating tributes to the sailors who served on board these floating fortresses. Some of those sailors are still around, according to legends. Moored in the appropriately named Cape Fear River, the USS North Carolina, for instance, is supposedly haunted with several ghosts. Witnesses have seen, felt, and heard the ghostly presences while touring, working, and investigating on board the ship.
6. Signs and Synchronicities
   Famed Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung coined the term "synchronicity" for events that seem related but aren't causally connected. Others might call this phenomena "signs." Jung must have had a field day during World War II when synchronicities became part of the headlines in war coverage. In one case, an advertisement, which featured a graphic with dice sporting a 12 and 7, seemed to predict Japan's pending attack on Pearl Harbor. In another bizarre case, code names for aspects of the D-Day invasion cropped up in crossword puzzles. Now, people wonder whether these were just coincidences, or the manifestation of unknown forces.
7. Freaky Foo Fighters
   Everyone knows that the modern UFO era began with Kenneth Arnold's 1947 sighting of a formation of unidentified craft flying, "like a saucer if you skipped it across water" over Mount Rainier in Washington. Or did it? During World War II, several pilots claimed to see objects fly near, or even at, their formations. Descriptions of the crafts resembled what Arnold saw during his jaunt over the Cascades. The pilots dubbed these weird flying machines "foo fighters," and many UFOlogists say these sightings ushered in the first credible reports of UFOs in modern history.
8. Ghost Tank
   We've heard of ghosts, ghost ships, ghost planes, and even ghost trains, but, at least according to one group of witnesses, a ghost tank may still be patrolling the former battlefields of the Eastern Front. Witnesses told a newspaper that one night, while scouring the fields for artifacts from the war, a team of war trophy hunters say they distinctly heard the unmistakable clanking of steel treads and the roar of an engine cutting through the otherwise silent darkness. Too scared to investigate at the moment—I mean, who wants to take on a vaunted Soviet T-34 tank, let alone the ghost of one?—they did report finding what looked like the twin tracks of some type of vehicle in the ground. And the tracks were fresh!
9. The Churchill-Lincoln Spirit Summit
   Abraham Lincoln's ghost. Winston Churchill in the nude. OK, now that I implanted those images into your mind for the rest of your life, let's go on with the ghost story. Throughout the war, Churchill visited the White House several times. According to several sources, during one such visit, the prime minister stayed in what is now called the Lincoln Bedroom. He had just popped out of a bath, went into the bedroom—completely unclad—and saw, leaning against the fireplace, Abraham Lincoln. The unflappable prime minister simply said, "Good evening, Mr. President. You seem to have me at a disadvantage." Lincoln, Churchill said, acknowledged the prime minister with a knowing look and then, like all good former heads of state who are, technically, dead, slowly faded away.
10. 007 Meets 666
    Secret agents during World War II came from all walks of life. Some were military, some were civilian. Only one claimed to be the anti-Christ, however. According to historians and paranormal theorists, Aleister Crowley, a magician, occult legend, and master provocateur, served as a secret agent—or secret agent provocateur—during the war. These experts even suggest that future James Bond creator Ian Fleming, an intelligence officer during World War II, enlisted Crowley's magical talents to cast a spell that eventually lured Rudolf Hess, Adolf Hitler's head henchman, to secretly fly to England on a so-called peace mission. Another story says that Prime Minister Winston Churchill's "V for Victory" sign was actually an occult gesture proposed by agent 666 himself, Aleister Crowley.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2018. All rights reserved.

I have three kids, nearly all grown. Two are in their twenties and have left the nest, and my youngest is a teen and will be off on his own before too long. Suddenly I find myself facing the future with no idea who I am supposed to be or what I am supposed to do. I've talked to other women about this issue, and we all agree that modern parenthood seems very deceptive in many ways. We spend years putting our kids first, devoting tremendous time and energy to them, and often get little but heartache in return. Then one day they leave and never look back. I'm wondering if our modern absorption with our children is distorted - if we do too much and expect too much from the whole experience. What would a "natural spiritual" relationship with one's children look like?

 R.

Dreamchaser:

I have two teenagers myself, so I can relate to various aspects of your question. The part that concerns me is you saying that you "often get little but heartache in return." I am truly sorry you feel that way.

I take a little of this and a little of that when it comes to organized religion, and then formulate what works for me. Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, who changed his name to Osho later in his life, is one person I learn from. He was a teacher/ guru whom many believe was an ascended master.

His advice on raising children was to teach them what society says is right and wrong, then step back and let them choose their own way, because they will anyway. You can lose sleep; pull your hair out; yell, scream, and argue; but that child will still do what that child will do.

I think that as spiritual beings, we have to understand that souls have a path that they must follow. We choose lessons to learn before we arrive on earth. We have certain things we must do in this life to learn those lessons.

If what your children are doing does not align with what you think is "right," you need to find peace in faith that they are simply being true to themselves. In being troublesome, that child is stretching her soul and learning and growing.

I know it's easier for me to say this and for others to passively hear it than to actually live it. I often ask parents who are complaining about staying up all night waiting for kids to get home, or parents who are so upset they can't eat or sleep because of something their kid is up to, "What good is that doing?" I think deep down we all know that this sort of behavior from parents does nothing to change, help or fix the situation. If anything, it just adds more negative energy to the circumstances.

Let's also remember that in the past, children got married and started their own families at a much younger age. We have to deal with our children as children for a longer period of time than any other society I have learned about in history.

I think you are also experiencing the anticipation of "empty nest syndrome." We women define ourselves by our families. When our children are doing their own thing and we no longer have an active, central role, where does that leave us? Who are we?

It's time for you to redefine yourself. For the most part, you now have the freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want. So what did you long to do back when you were strapping your kids in car seats or driving them to sporting events? Find some new passions now that you are free.

I wish you fresh experiences.

*****

Astrea:

I've been extremely lucky to experience what I think you mean by "spiritual parenting." My mother and father have been unfaltering in their support of every path I've chosen. They've defended me in a deep and meaningful way when others criticized me.

As I was growing up, my parents not only talked to me, they listened to me too. They guided me without directing or lecturing. They taught me crafting skills, some of which were very ancient and deeply spiritual experiences, like spinning and weaving. They introduced me to great art and books, and took me to see ballet, modern and folk dancing. They let me paint with them when I was quite small, which was a wonderful bonding experience. They taught me to be an independent thinker and to take care of myself.

From them I learned about God and how the forces of nature work in God's world. I learned about different religions. From my mother's family, I learned magic and spell making. From Daddy's, I learned ancient healing techniques. Every person in my immediate family had some natural spiritual wisdom to offer me as a child.

They are still answering my questions. My grandparents have all crossed over but they still visit and teach me things. Sometimes it's a little hint about something I'm creating. Recently, Daddy's mother taught me a trick or two about applique, but there were other things in that "visit" as well. Mother's mother is often around to gently warn me when I'm not paying attention to something.

In general, I feel there is an openness about these relationships that is very wise. Spiritual parenting is more than just feeling it; it's giving your children a way to practically apply their spirituality. You mention that you get very little in return from your children. Perhaps they feel, as I do, that nothing they could do would ever repay you for the loving care you've given them. I know if I live to be 100, I can't express the full meaning of what my parents have given me. My gratitude for all they gave me to do and learn is boundless.

It's not about the money or the clothes or the cars, or anything material. It's about teaching and learning and sharing and listening. That's how you can be a spiritual parent. Teach your children what you know to be right, and listen to what they know too. Spirit is everywhere, and will join you in that endeavor, no matter how grown up your kids seem to be, or how distant you feel at the moment.

Experience and explore life together. Love is the heart of a great family; give them love and the courage to face the world.