A new book puts forth evidence that Hitler had an atomic reactor near Berlin that was up and running for days and possibly weeks. In addition it finds that there were multiple atomic tests made by the Germans. It is generally believed that Germans were not close to developing an atomic bomb.
The Germans surely were heading towards atomic usage. There is the story of a famous raid on the Norsk Hydro heavy water reactor in Norway and the subsequent sinking of a shipment of heavy water on a barge heading for Germany.
BBC
A German historian has claimed in a new book presented on Monday that Nazi scientists successfully tested a tactical nuclear weapon in the last months of World War II.
...
Mr Karlsch describes what the Germans had as a "hybrid tactical nuclear weapon" much smaller than those dropped on Hiroshima or Nagasaki.
He said the last test, carried out in Thuringia on 3 March 1945, destroyed an area of about 500 sq m, killing several hundred prisoners of war and concentration camp inmates.
The weapons were never used because they were not yet ready for mass production. There were also problems with delivery and detonation systems.
Several skeptics say his findings and interpretations of documents is flawed and that witnesses to the events were unreliable. Even Karlsch himself admits he can't prove it 100%, but it's still interesting. One physicist says that while Karlsch's understanding of physics is lacking he has found valuable evidence that the Nazi programs went further than previously thought.
Tipped by: Nervecentre
