If you're a history buff then you probably already know that the Nazis were tinkering with a secret program throughout World War II to construct flying saucers. While the program never actually took off, a model toy company, Revell, recently “released a set in Germany that makes it look like one of the Nazi saucers actually worked.” Understandably, historians aren't too pleased and a recall has now been issued for the flying saucers toys.When discussing the toy, historian Jen Wehner said, “At that time it was technologically impossible to build something like this.”So far the toy company has pulled the “69-part set, known as the Haunebu II, from store shelves,” though consumers can still find the toy for sale at online retailers.

Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring, Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels, and Rudolf Hess image courtesy of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org

The real flying saucer project began back in 1934 and some “conspiracy theorists believe that the Nazis actually did achieve flight with the vehicle in 1943.” They also believe that the “Nazis hid these UFOs in secret bases in places like Antarctica.” For a brief time in 2009, the History Channel even devoted an episode of 'UFO Hunters' to the Nazi flying saucer project. That said, there is currently no concrete evidence that the Nazi flying saucers actually achieved flight.So why exactly was the toy recalled? Well, besides the fact that it promoted a false account of history, Germany “has strict laws against the glorification of Nazis.” The recall itself wasn't demanded by the German government, but many historians “pointed out that making a toy that imagined Nazis had achieved space travel might corrupt young minds.” Wehner said, “Enthusiasts can use this as a strategy to cast doubt on what we know today about Nazism.”Wehner isn't wrong. Even today there are many people that continue to glorify or sympathize with the Nazis. For example, many Holocaust deniers enjoy trying to promote the idea that Nazis were “actually the oppressed group and that we’d have an advanced high-tech society if the Third Reich had succeeded.” Ideas about the regime's flying saucer program and other advanced technological projects “fueled myths about the Nazi regime and downplayed the atrocities that they committed,” such as killing nearly 10 million people.When speaking out about the recall, a spokesperson for Revell said, “Unfortunately, our product description does not adequately express this and we apologize for it.”

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Flying Saucer Toy Recalled For Teaching Kids That Nazis Achieved Space TravelFlying Saucer Toy Recalled for Its Misleading Take on Nazi History