FAN MAIL: Community@timeghost.tv World War Two dives into the history of one of the most devastating wars in human history. Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson and their team of dedicated historians cover the events of World War Two week by week in realtime. Additionally, we take an in-depth look at the war against humanity, key figures in all camps, military hardware, impact on culture, military strategies and life at the home fronts or under occupation. Patreon: https://bit.ly/WW2_CH TimeGhost Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLfMmOriSyPbd5JhHpnj4Ng CREDITS A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH. Lead writer and host: Indy Neidell Produced and Directed by: Spartacus Olsson and Astrid Deinhard Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson Creative Producer: Marek Kamiński Contains Archive material from Screenocean/Reuters.
Curated by: World War Two (1315 videos)
How did Nazi Germany massively rearm in the 1930s without officially blowing up its budget? The answer lies in a financial scheme called MEFO bills, one of the most creative (and dangerous) accounting tricks of the interwar period. In 1934, under finance minister Hjalmar Schacht, the Nazi regime created a dummy company called Metallurgische Forschungsgesellschaft (MEFO). Instead of paying arms manufacturers like Krupp or Messerschmitt in cash, the government paid them in promissory notes — MEFO bills — guaranteed by the German Reich. These IOUs carried 4% interest and could be redeemed at any bank for Reichsmarks. The banks then passed them to the Reichsbank, which quietly expanded the money supply — all while keeping rearmament spending off the official state budget. The result? • Industry got paid • Germany appeared financially stable • Foreign observers saw no massive deficit • Rearmament exploded By 1938, around 12 billion Reichsmarks had been financed this way. But the scheme was a ticking time bomb. When the bills began maturing, Schacht warned of a financial crash. Hitler responded by firing him and converting the hidden debt into government bonds. The MEFO system didn’t solve Germany’s economic problems — it postponed them long enough to launch a war. This wasn’t economic genius. It was controlled financial deception designed to buy time. The trick bought time, just enough to prepare for war. #history #ww2 #timeghost #historyfacts Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory Or join the TimeGhost Army directly at: https://timeghost.tv/signup/ Check out our TimeGhost History YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/timeghost Between 2 Wars: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrG5J-K5AYAU1R-HeWSfY2D1jy_sEssNG Follow WW2 Day by Day on Instagram: @ww2_day_by_day Follow TimeGhost History on Instagram: @timeghosthistory Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TimeGhostHistory/ Source literature list: https://bit.ly/SourcesWW2 Archive footage: Screenocean/Reuters - https://www.screenocean.com A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH. #timeghost #timeghost #history #historical #history #worldwartwohistory #worldwartwo #ww2 #ww2history #historymatters #maps #cartography #camo