Since the rise of Nazi Germany in 1933, Hitler and his government had been under intense international speculation. Hitler’s outrageous views and 12-year dictatorship changed the future of the whole world. Under his rule, Germany was a land of extreme-biased judgments. But what most people don’t know is that Hitler was not always a negative person. Before the war, he even tried to offer peace negotiations. But when his efforts were rejected, war became inevitable. In this article, we are bringing some similar less-known facts about Hitler’s Nazi Germany.

1 Nazi Germany ran the first anti-smoking campaign and didn’t allow soldiers to smoke. They were also the first to link smoking to lung cancer.

Nazi Germany was the first country in the world to introduce a public smoking ban. This happened after German doctors became the first to identify the link between smoking and lung cancer. Nazis waged a campaign against alcohol and tobacco consumption as well. They urged people of Germany to consume whole-grain bread and other foods, which are high in vitamin and fiber, for better health and a long life.(source)

2 Hitler offered England peace numerous times before the beginning of World War II.

Before World War II, Adolf Hitler and other German leaders made numerous efforts for peace in Europe. They provided many serious proposals for armaments reductions and limits on weapons deployment. One such instance is the speech of Hitler as a Chancellor on May 17, 1933. In that speech, he included a plea for peace, equal rights, and mutual understanding among nations. However, those proposals were rejected by Britain, France, and other powers. This was because they considered it a bluff or insincere pretense.(source)

3 In Auschwitz, there was an area where the belongings of prisoners were taken and sorted. This site was called “Canada” because it was seen as the land of plenty.

“Canada” was a slang name given to a site in Auschwitz concentration camp. This site consisted of a huge, open compound containing a number of sheds and covered areas. It was used to store the clothing and possessions taken from the prisoners entering Auschwitz. The name Canada was used as it was the land of plenty. These goods were sorted out for the Nazis by the prisoners.(source)

4 The Old Jewish Town in Prague is completely untouched by WWII because Hitler wanted it to be the Museum of the Extinct Race.

When Germany was defeated in World War I, Hitler blamed Jews for the loss. In 1942, during World War II, Hitler thought that Germany would emerge victoriously, and by then all the Jews would be obliterated from Europe. At the same time, he planned to leave the Old Jewish Town in Prague untouched. He decided that after emerging victorious in World War II, they can call the Jewish Museum in Prague the “Exotic Museum of an Extinct Race”.(source)

5 During the Third Reich, there was a program called Lebensborn, where ‘racially pure’ women slept with SS officers in the hopes of producing Aryan children. It is estimated that 20,000 children were born during 12 years.

Lebensborn was a program started during the Nazi rule with the aim to increase the number of blond haired and blue eyed Aryan children. Only those women who had an Aryan ancestry at least till their great-grandparents could apply for this program. Also, they were required to make a statutory declaration that there had never been any case of hereditary diseases, dipsomania or imbecility in their family. Women who were considered fit in both criteria were taken to a luxurious castle where they met and mingled with OSS officers. After 10 days, each woman was allowed to choose an officer to sleep with.

When a woman got pregnant, she was shifted to maternity home for the next nine months. After being born, the child was considered as the property of states. Then, the child was brought up in special institutions which intended to install the ideal of absolute loyalty to the Nazi in them. It is thought that about 20,000 babies were born under this program during the 12 years of Nazi rule, especially in Germany and Norway.(source)