The Dangerous Element

While, based on his writings and recorded opinions, Hitler had little or no patience for the occult it didn't stop him prevent him from embracing a pseudo-mystical theory of “racial destiny” based partially on Theosophy, or from believing in Atlantis. It also didn't prevent those below Hitler (such as Himmler and Hess) from embracing various magical and paranormal beliefs, nor did it prevent the party from deliberately exploiting, and in some cases funding, supernatural and superstitious causes.
==Thule Gesellschaft==
The Thule Gesellschaft (Thule society) was formed in 1918 with the main goal of investigating a claim concerning the origins of the Aryan race. Its actual goals are unknown and seems to totally dissolved by 1930.
==Ahnenerbe==
The Studiengesellschaft für Geistesurgeschichte Deutsches Ahnenerbe (Society for Research into the Spiritual Roots of Germany’s Ancestral Heritage) or simply Ahnenerbe existed at least as early as 1928 but really hit its stride in 1935. Its agents traveled the world searching for ancient Aryan heritage, including several trips to Tibet. Other specialists studied rune magic, yoga, Druidism, and the Welteislehre, and experimented with mescaline, hypnosis, and other mind-control drugs and techniques.
This research spawned stories of a special group called Sonderkommando H that supposedly sifted German records for evidence of Catholic inspired witchcraft hunts and hidden Aryan sorcerous lore.
One of the weirder incidences was the 1938–39 German expedition to Tibet with one of its objectives being "to verify Heinrich Himmler's Nazi racial theory that a group of pure-blooded Aryans had settled in Tibet." It was thought by some that these Aryans were survivors of Atlantis who retained their magical powers and could contacted and subsequently bestow their powers on their Aryan descendants.In 1987 a manga series called [[GURPS 3x3 Eyes|3x3 Eyes] involving the, supposedly, last survivor of the Sanjiyan Unkara (a race of powerful immortals) was started and their holy land had an access point in Tibet.
==Britian==
The Nazis weren't the only ones looking into the supernatual. Most of the details of MI-5 B5 (b) supposed mystical operations are still classified but one of its operations was the sifting of Nostradamus' writings for prophesies that could be used as a psychological tool (it also resulted in totally fictitious prophesies some of which are still presented as actually coming from Nostradamus.)
There are also organizations such as the Quatuor Coronati Lodge, Fraternity of the Inner Light, and The New Forest Coven
==The United States==
The United States of the 1930s and 1940s seemed to be filled with a bewildering number of mystical societies, meditation temples, and other splinter groups of Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, and Theosophy.
==The Soviet Union==
While the czars had employed a number of mystics they could only function if they could put their abilities into scientific terms such as psionics and psychotronics.
==Japan==
Shinto and Japanese “hedge magic” emphasize spirits and so any magic used by them will be along those lines.
==References==
*GURPS WWII: Weird War II pg 42-49
Category:Setting Concepts
Category:WWII