The Misappliance Of Science

Previous legend || The Misappliance Of Science || Next legend

They Got The Elephant

In Dispute: The first bomb dropped on Berlin during World War II killed the only elephant in the city.

It's sometimes reported that the bomb freed the elephant, whose trainer then rode it to safety across war-torn Europe. This is a wonderful story but pretty clearly fanciful.

As far as the question of whether the elephant was killed in the first raid, no certain conclusion has been reached; however, many historical accounts of the war enumerate the targets hit by the first raids on Berlin, and none include the zoo (which is in the middle of the city, whereas the raids concentrated on the outskirts). There's also a version set in Moscow during a German bombing raid, which is clearly a joke (about statistics: "There are seven million people in Moscow, and one elephant. Last night they got the elephant!")

References:

• AFU post retelling the Russian joke and citing an historical account of the raids on Berlin.