All over the world, the army is assigned a serious role of national defense. But, like any organized structure, every army has its own characteristics, sometimes reaching the point of absurdity and comic relief.
1. Pervitin stimulated the Nazis to feats
At the beginning of the war, an amphetamine called pervitin was widely used in the Wehrmacht army. The fascist leadership believed that this stimulant would help soldiers perform heroic deeds, which would bring victory closer. In just 6 months of 1939, the Berlin pervitin manufacturing plant supplied about 30 million tablets to the army. However, the Nazis underestimated the side effects of the highly addictive drug. The period of withdrawal from the effects of amphetamine was constantly increasing, the concentration of the soldiers' attention was weakening. Several even reported repeated deaths from overdose.
2. Serve - through the lottery
Thai men are drafted into the Royal Army at the age of 21. Volunteers are the first to be identified during the spring draft. There are no less than 10% of all conscripts. They are allowed to choose their branch of service, and the duration of service, depending on their choice and education, lasts from six to twelve months. Subsequent soldiers are recruited already through the most real lottery.
Those who have drawn a black card are exempted from service, and the service life of those who have drawn a red card is already from a year to two. The atmosphere of the draw is similar to a gambling game; relatives even come to cheer for the young man. According to the results of the lottery, no more than 20% of all candidates are recruited into the Thai armed forces, while the rest are dismissed to their homes. According to the 1954 Draft Law, all transsexuals were recognized as mentally ill at a physical examination and were not allowed to serve in the army. Today, men who have slightly changed their appearance, under rare circumstances, can even be summoned.
3. Invincible Gay Squads
In the modern world, men who openly position their orientation as non-traditional are not called up for military service. Differently approached this issue in the ancient city of Thebes. The so-called Sacred troops, considered invincible, were formed by the ancient Greek rulers. Plato in his dialogue "The Feast" mentioned the open practice of homosexual relationships in the social environment of that period. One of the most distinguished elite military formations was the sacred corps from Thebes. Similar "royal troops" of the Spartans were found throughout Greece. This approach to the formation of the army was explained simply. It was believed that men who did not want to fall face down in the mud in front of their own lovers would stand to death and never surrender.
4. The Japanese who wrote the history of the American army
The 442nd Infantry Regiment of the United States Army consisted of soldiers of Japanese descent. On the side of the Americans, this unit most actively participated in the events of World War II, even despite the internment of their families in the United States. From the beginning of 1944, the regiment fought mainly in Europe (Italy, southern France and Germany). Today, the 442nd Regiment, nicknamed the "Purple Heart", is recognized as the most titled military formation in the history of the US Army. The regiment's motto was “Go for broke”. The legendary unit operated with a short break until 1969. After the regiment was disbanded, however, its part of the 100 Infantry Battalion is still active today.
5. How penguins were generals
In 1972, at the International Festival of Military Musicians in Edinburgh, members of the Norwegian Royal Guard took care of one of their vending penguins. It was decided to call the bird a double name Nils Olaf in honor of the commander of the royal guard and the king himself. 10 years later, the penguin was promoted to the rank of junior corporal, and he died in the rank of sergeant in 1987. On this occasion, a statue with a commemorative inscription in honor of the outstanding penguin is installed at the Edinburgh Zoo. His name and title were inherited by the pet of the same menagerie. And already the third follower of the tradition was knighted in 2008 and rose to the rank of general. The ceremony of conferring the high rank was attended by fifty Norwegian guards.
6. Why the missile forces need a sledgehammer
In addition to nuclear weapons in the arsenal of the strategic missile forces, there is always a sledgehammer stored at the central command post (central command post). This tool is intended for emergency opening of the safe, which contains military documents. Somehow in the era of the USSR, the Central Commissariat was inspected by a representative group of the generals from the General Staff. One of the inspectors asked the duty officer Georgy Novikov about the algorithm of his actions in case of launching missiles in the conditions of a jammed cipher lock. Then Novikov said that he would try to knock down the cipher-lock with a sledgehammer, which always stood behind the safe "just in case." The bulk of the commission members criticized this response. But one of the inspectors was able to convince the whole group of the advisability of such actions, after which the presence of a sledgehammer at the Central Commissariat for Control was legalized.
7. How Bukhara soldiers stood in front of the Russians in their arms
In the 19th century, during the battles of the Russians against the Bukhara Emirate, in front of the enemies, the infantry detachment of General Golovachev crossed the Zeravshan River right up to its neck in the water, occupying the Chapan-Ata height after a bayonet attack. Since the military maneuver was high-speed, there was no time to take off your shoes and pour out the water. The soldiers simply stood up on their hands, while colleagues helped them, shaking their legs.
A month later, another battle took place at Zarabulak, during which an unusual sight could be observed. The Bukharans who approached the rifle shot, one after another, stood upside down, and their comrades diligently jerked their legs. It turned out that the Asians mistook the movements of the Russians for a planned ritual that brought victory. True, luck never turned to the superstitious soldiers. The emir was defeated, and Bukhara was annexed to Russia.
But these 10 countries have the largest tank formations.