Episode overview

Project Chronos | Hitler's Last Weapon

The Why Files · 37m · 3 Egleze moments

Episode summary

The Y Files host AJ examines claims that Nazi Germany developed an anti-gravity weapon called Die Glocke (the bell) during World War II and traces alleged connections to modern US Navy patents for advanced propulsion technology. The episode explores how ancient Indian king Bhoja wrote about mercury-powered flying machines in 1010 AD but deliberately withheld construction details due to mercury's toxicity. AJ details how the Nazis allegedly attempted to build a bell-shaped device powered by counter-rotating mercury cylinders that could warp time and gravity, though project leader Hans Kammler and the bell itself disappeared at war's end. The episode reveals that NASA engineer Harold Calfman successfully built a mercury-powered ion engine in the 1960s that operated for 11 years on the SERT 2 satellite before the program was abandoned due to mercury poisoning of workers. In 2017-2018, aerospace engineer Salvatore Pais filed multiple US Navy patents for gravity-warping, cloaking, and advanced propulsion technologies allegedly based on spinning charged matter, with the Navy claiming the technology works and that China is pursuing similar capabilities. Most dramatically, the episode exposes how Apollo Fusion, Inc. nearly commercialized mercury-powered satellite engines in 2018 that would have released 20 metric tons of mercury annually into Earth's atmosphere before a UN treaty closed the loophole in 2022. AJ ultimately concludes that while the Nazi bell story lacks solid documentation and likely originated from a single journalist's unverified source, the recurring pattern of mercury-based propulsion attempts throughout history demonstrates humanity's repeated failure to heed ancient warnings about the metal's catastrophic toxicity.

Key points

US Navy filed patents in 2017-2018 for anti-gravity propulsion, cloaking technology, and advanced spacecraft allegedly based on spinning charged matter principles similar to Nazi bell weapon claims
Apollo Fusion company attempted to deploy mercury-powered satellite engines in 2018 that would have released 20 metric tons of mercury into Earth's atmosphere annually before UN banned the practice in 2022
NASA engineer Harold Calfman built mercury-powered ion engine in 1960s that successfully operated for 11 years on SERT 2 satellite before program abandoned due to worker poisoning
Aerospace engineer Salvatore Pais, inventor of Navy's controversial patents, currently works for United States Space Force with most details about his technology remaining classified
Ancient Indian king Bhoja documented mercury-powered flying machines in 1010 AD but deliberately withheld construction instructions warning the technology was too dangerous to build
Nazi SS commander Hans Kammler, who allegedly oversaw Die Glocke bell weapon project, disappeared in 1945 with US documents showing him in American custody despite official death claims
Die Glocke story originated from single journalist Igor Witkowski in 2000 based on interrogation transcripts that no other researcher has verified or seen

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3 moments from this episode

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Military

US Navy Secretly Filed Patents for Anti-Gravity Technology Traced to Nazi Bell Weapon

The episode reveals that in 2017-2018, the US Navy filed multiple patents for advanced propulsion technologies including gravity warping, cloaking, and a cone-shaped craft capable of air, water, and space travel. The patents were initially rejected as fiction until the Navy's chief technology officer claimed they worked and that China was developing similar technology. All patents were attributed to aerospace engineer Salvatore Pais, who now works for the US Space Force, and allegedly trace back to Nazi bell weapon technology from World War II.

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Energy & Climate

Silicon Valley Entrepreneur Nearly Released 20 Tons of Mercury Annually Into Atmosphere

A Silicon Valley company called Apollo Fusion attempted to commercialize mercury-powered satellite engines in 2018, which would have released approximately 20 metric tons of mercury into Earth's atmosphere annually. A whistleblower calculated the catastrophic environmental impact before the UN closed the legal loophole in 2022. The Minamata Convention had banned mercury in manufacturing and healthcare but had not addressed space applications.

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Science

NASA Engineer Built Mercury-Powered Ion Engine That Ran for 11 Years Despite Toxicity

NASA engineer Harold Calfman developed the first ion engine in the 1960s powered by mercury vapor, which became one of NASA's greatest successes when tested on the SERT 2 satellite from 1970-1981. Despite its extraordinary efficiency and longevity, NASA abandoned mercury propulsion because it poisoned workers and posed contamination risks. The engine's pale blue glow reportedly matched descriptions of the Nazi bell weapon from World War II.

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