Half-Naked Nazis Sneaked Into US: WWII Files

The Nazi war effort wasn’t limited to the battlefield: Hitler’s Germany also attempted an unorthodox campaign against the US that involved poison sausages, trick cigarettes, and swimsuit-clad saboteurs. Newly declassified British documents show that two teams of four Germans were dropped off on the shores of Long Island and Florida, wearing just bathing trunks and German army hats, the AP reports. They were instructed to mix with the population before sabotaging factories and railways—but what ensued was more a comedy of errors than terrorism.

Prior to their dropoff, one of the men got drunk in a Paris bar and announced he was a secret agent, which just might “have contributed to the failure of the undertaking,” said the British report. The submarine carrying the men ran aground in Long Island, and escaped attack "only owing to the laziness or stupidity of the American coast guards." Later, the team’s leader decided to call it quits, “ringing up the FBI” to reveal his story. All but two of the men were executed. Other efforts included poisoning sausages, Nescafe, and chocolate. The Germans also made special cigarettes intended to give enemy smokers headaches; they’d then be offered poison aspirin. Click through for more on bizarre Nazi schemes. (More Nazis stories.)