In war, almost everyone becomes superstitious, hoping to attract an extra piece of luck. Some turn to faith, some to signs. But the American soldiers went further: their talisman turned out to be a playing card - the ace of spades. Moreover, this superstition turned out to be so popular that they began to attach a piece of cardboard from the deck to helmets and call it nothing more than a “secret weapon”.
The history of this unusual symbol of luck dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century, during the First World War. It was then that American soldiers and officers began to massively spread the legend about the special power of the spade suit - they say, it brings good luck and luck. Very soon, this symbol appeared on helmets, on military equipment, on weapons and uniforms. However, such popularity of superstition is not surprising: war inevitably forces a person to turn to the belief that there are some things or signs that can give him additional protection.
Twenty years later, another generation was fighting the Nazi coalition in World War II. But the superstition about the ace of spades has not lost its popularity. But time influenced the practice of wearing this talisman: now it was not drawn on the technique, but fixed card directly on a helmet or cap, expecting protection from him and at the same time demonstrating his fearlessness. In battle, the ace also played a practical role: with its help, American fighters distinguished between their own and opponents.
Interesting fact: US Army soldiers weren't the only ones who believed in the power of the spades. Thus, the surviving sources clearly demonstrate that both the British and Italians used a similar talisman. And the Germans even made it the emblem of one of the elite units of the Luftwaffe - it was often depicted on their fighter planes.
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The tradition of using the ace of spades or any other card of a similar suit did not end with the end of World War II. In a number of local armed conflicts, he continued to perform his functions. Moreover, even the American command was engaged in every possible way to support this superstition: they understood that if aces of spades gave the soldiers confidence and courage, so they elevated him to the rank of a kind of psychological weapons. Therefore, it was this card that began to be mass-produced and sent to the war zone in whole boxes. Sometimes the label "Secret Weapon" was placed on the packaging.
Over time, images of the skull and bones or motivating slogans began to be added to the usual drawing of the ace of spades. The trend was especially popular due to the opinion that the Vietnamese, with whom, in particular, the soldiers of the US Army fought, are very afraid of this card as a symbol of death. In practice, this was practically not confirmed, but the Americans still often scattered them around the district.
In addition to the topic: "Hearts" are still from worms: why the suits of playing cards have such names
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/021221/61442/