Everything starts with Coca-Cola. Although Coca-Cola is now popular worldwide, until the 1940s, most of the world was not buying this drink. Before the outbreak of World War II, Coca-Cola's only achievement on the international stage was its bottling business in Nazi Germany. A Coca-Cola poster from the Nazi era. In 1929, American Ray Powers brought Coca-Cola to Germany. He worked hard and was ambitious; by 1933, Coca-Cola sales in Germany had increased from an initial 6,000 cases per year to 100,000 cases per year. In the chaotic period after World War I, Ray Powers' business was quite successful, but it paled in comparison to Adolf Hitler, who had risen to become the head of state. Many people know Hitler. After this very bad (bad, bad, super bad) villain came to power and promoted Nazism, anti-American sentiment became mainstream in German public opinion. Some Nazi propagandists tirelessly promoted the idea that America wanted to turn Germany into a colony, making the masses believe that all their misfortunes were the work of American imperialism. With such nationalist and anti-American sentiment exploding, Coca-Cola sales seemed destined to fall into a very unfavorable position. Raise your hand if you think Americans are bad. But that was not the case. In 1938, Coca-Cola sales in Germany expanded further, with 43 bottling plants and over 600 local distributors, and sales doubled again compared to the previous year. This was not because the caffeine in Coca-Cola made Germans addicted, but because the shrewd Ray Powers found a solution to the problem at its source—if no one knew Coca-Cola was American, wouldn't no one boycott it? Ray Powers, well-versed in Nazi-style brainwashing tactics, began to promote the localization of Coca-Cola's image through all communication channels, and to strengthen the close connection between the cola brand and the Nazis as much as possible. If a magazine cover featured Hitler, the back cover would feature Coca-Cola; if the top half of a newspaper was a Nazi poster, the bottom half would be Coca-Cola. Even the cola packaging was Nazified. In addition to overwhelming advertising, Coca-Cola also heavily participated in various Nazi Party activities, such as providing trucks for Hitler Youth rallies or sponsoring various Nazi exhibitions. Even Nazi Germany's most famous slogan, "One People, One Empire, One Leader," was adapted by Coca-Cola to "One People, One Empire, One Cola." In short, they were fawning in every way, as if they wanted to set up loudspeakers on the Brandenburg Gate to sing daily praises of Father Hitler as the great savior of the German people. If you don't drink, you're not German! When Hitler Youth rode in trucks emblazoned with "Coca-Cola" and drank refreshing free cola to attend anti-American rallies, who would believe that the upright-looking bottle contained an American import of counter-revolution? It was clear that this company's implementation of the national socialist core values was even more profound than the cola syrup shipped all the way from America. Nazi youth who loved the Führer more than cola. Just as you might not know that Coca-Cola comes from Ireland rather than being an American brand, Ray Powers used his great marketing tactics to successfully fool the Germans, making the German public believe that Coca-Cola was a quality domestic product they could be proud of. When the 1936 Berlin Olympics were held, Coca-Cola was one of the three main sponsors, and Hitler was the proudest host in front of the world. Higher, faster, more Nazi. Sorry, my keyboard input had a problem just now; Coca-Cola is indeed 100% an American brand. If a typo of mine made you doubt the origin of cola, it also proves how easy it is for the media to distort the truth. Remember, that was an era without Google or Wikipedia; it was hard to figure out the ins and outs of a new thing from what others said. So when a salesman suddenly appeared on the road and invited you to taste a strange bubbling soda, especially when the cola logo on the poster behind him was comfortably nestled next to the Nazi swastika—as a young Nazi stormtrooper with exploding patriotism, your first reaction would definitely be, "Ah, long live the latest invention of my great German Third Reich." If you thought, "This tastes so good, it might be a sugar-coated bullet from American imperialism," then get out of here. We like fearless cannon fodder, not such clever fellows. Where did the smart German boys go? Ray Powers' monkey tricks won development space for Coca-Cola, but the fate of this drink in Nazi Germany ultimately depended on Hitler's attitude. Although imperial officials believed this kind of thing was too boring for Germans, American-style products, such as wealth and flashy dreams, had an unusual appeal to people worldwide, and even Hitler was no exception. Despite trying to fool Germans into hating America in every way, Hitler himself was an advocate of American mass consumption and welcomed American efficient production methods. Coca-Cola's modern, unified production methods impressed Hitler; our Führer also needed a product to promote the unparalleled production efficiency of the Nazi Empire. So the two hit it off. After the Nazis came to power, Coca-Cola almost immediately learned to align its interests with those of the German rulers, even accomplishing the impossible task of surviving intact in Germany as an American company until the end of the war. Even the bottle opener was Nazified. To promote the glorious image of the Nazis, this international patriot even enjoyed privileges that many German brands did not have. Hitler's confidant Hermann Göring launched a "Four-Year Plan" in 1935, limiting imports to a minimum to make Germany self-sufficient and prepare for war (at the same time, the Soviet Union was also implementing a Five-Year Plan; both sides were calculating quickly). Even in this tense atmosphere, Ray Powers was still able to continuously ship American-made cola syrup to Germany. Coca-Cola's deception in Germany was so successful that after World War II, a group of German prisoners of war being transported to New Jersey saw a Coca-Cola billboard by the roadside and asked the American soldiers escorting them in surprise, "You have Coca-Cola in America too?" Ray Powers' efforts made Coca-Cola and the Nazis walk hand in hand on the broad road of the Third Reich, but everyone in this entrepreneurial story was so unusual that he died in a car accident in 1938. When Ray Powers exited in the most standard and melodramatic way in business war dramas—being hit by a car—his assistant, the male lead of this article, German Max Keith, took his place. The stern-looking man with slicked-back hair in the picture is Max Keith, the head of Coca-Cola in Germany during the Nazi era. Compared to the unfulfilled Ray Powers, Max was more proficient in Coca-Cola's brand survival philosophy: under his management, Coca-Cola not only inherited the fine quality of loyalty to the party and patriotism from the Ray Powers era, but the entire company's operations became more Nazified: Max was diligent, autocratic, ambitious, and had considerable fanaticism for the company's operations, just as Hitler treated his Nazi Empire. But as the old saying goes, for a brand, self-struggle is important, but one must also consider the course of history. Like Coca-Cola, Hitler also had a dream of conquering the world, and he was even more impatient. So in 1939, World War II broke out. War is always so cruel. We have seen in movies many scenes of brothers separated or even killing each other because of war. Now this tragic story was about to befall Coca-Cola. As Max the slicked-back hair's famous German compatriot—Max the big slicked-back hair—said, capital will stop at nothing to pursue profit. Across the ocean in America, the Coca-Cola Company gave Coca-Cola a patriotic image and called on everyone to use cola as a weapon to fight against the enemies of freedom and democracy. In Germany, Coca-Cola was a staunch supporter of the Führer and the Third Reich. Every bottle of Coca-Cola was a grenade filled with Nazi spirit, not stopping until all foreigners hindering the development of the German nation were blown up. So in Germany, people waved cola bottles to love their Führer; in America, people waved cola bottles to love their freedom. The slogan of freedom and democracy was obviously not as practical as foreign exchange. Although the Coca-Cola headquarters knew what was going on in Germany, for better product sales, cola syrup continued to be shipped to support the Nazi cause. This flexible corporate strategy formed a wonder of the world in the early stages of World War II: Coca-Cola existed simultaneously as a local patriotic brand in Nazi Germany and democratic America. But patriotism has never been used to curry favor; two colas competing to be patriotic is like two brothers competing to love the same woman, ultimately evolving into a tragedy of fratricide. Brother, your American cola is not as authentic as my German cola! Now it was time to solve the problem. After the war began, all communication between America and Nazi Germany ceased, and cola syrup—the most important ingredient for making Coca-Cola—could not be shipped to Germany. Without support from headquarters, Max's company immediately fell into trouble. He had to invent a new drink to continue supporting the Führer's imperial plan: yes, Max invented Fanta. Like all the bizarre Nazi plans you see in movies, the development of Fanta also involved the participation of Nazi mad scientists: Max, along with his chief chemist Dr. Scheteling, developed this substitute for Coca-Cola. The original Fanta still maintained the color of cola to alleviate the soldiers' homesickness. During wartime, materials were scarce, and Max could not replicate Coca-Cola's complex recipe, which was like brewing traditional Chinese medicine. So they used leftover products from other food industries, including whey, a byproduct of cheese production, and apple fiber left over from cider production. If you are a yellow-skinned Nazi or a German military enthusiast, please remember that the original Fanta only had an apple flavor; all other flavors of Fanta are counterfeit, and drinking more of them will not let you experience the glory of the former Nazi Empire. I am a fence-sitting old driver; wherever the wind blows, I change my paint. Max named his drink Fanta, derived from the German word "Fantasie" (fantasy). The emergence of Fanta was a far-sighted effort. If American and German soldiers met on the battlefield and were about to shoot but found they both held bottles of cola, it would be awkward to clink glasses or fight to the death. Fanta solved this embarrassment. "Fuck you, Nazi drinking Fanta!" "Fuck you, you counterfeit our German Coca-Cola!" Heil Fanta! With pride in their cola and anger at the Americans for counterfeiting, the German army was invincible in the early stages of World War II. A side effect that slightly changed the course of history was that wherever the Germans went, the supply of cola syrup was interrupted. So Max's subordinates always followed the SS eagerly, taking over cola factories to convert them to Fanta production. If a European resident woke up to find that the cola stand on the street corner had switched to selling Fanta, sorry, your country has fallen; you'd better stand at attention and give a Nazi salute quickly, lest the Gestapo watching from the shadows throw you to the gas chambers. Isn't that a Fanta drink truck? What! My great France has fallen? Under Max's leadership, Coca-Cola (Germany) further demonstrated its support for the Nazi war effort: in 1943, total Fanta production reached a record 3 million cases. At the same time, Max was also considering better cost-saving measures to support the Nazi war, such as using Jewish slave labor in the occupied territories to bottle Fanta, just like Kodak produced slave film. The slave Fanta factory saved many Jewish lives (at least temporarily). Producing a few more cases of Fanta meant a few more days before being sent to a concentration camp, perhaps escaping the fate of being made into soap. For those Jews who did not make it onto Schindler's list, being on Max's list was also a way to survive. Whether intentional or not, Max more or less played the role of a savior during this period, showing that the free spirit of Coca-Cola can shine even in the darkest corners of human society. Labor brings Fanta! The Nazis did not treat Max's loyalty badly; his company was able to obtain excess sugar throughout the war, beyond the rationing system. When sugar resources were scarce, Fanta began to be used as a seasoning in German cooking, further expanding sales. Even in the difficult stages when the party and country were in jeopardy, the company's loyalty did not waver: in 1944, Max and his company still produced 2 million bottles of Nazi Fanta and Nazi slave Fanta, sold to a country that was being reduced to rubble by Allied bombing. 1944 might have been a good year for Fanta, but it was much worse for the Nazis. As Soviet tanks fueled by vodka pushed back into German territory, it was time for Hitler to be freed from his Third Reich dream. At this point, one can only hope that Hitler had a bottle of Fanta when he committed suicide in the Führerbunker, so that his disillusionment might have been a bit more bearable. Hitler, blinded by unrealistic fantasies, photoshopped this himself. When the Allies arrived, Max made another astonishing display of company loyalty. With the joy of someone who had been waiting for the king's army for ten years, he eagerly expressed his willingness to hand over all assets of German Coca-Cola (including factories and profits, and perhaps Jewish slave labor) to the American headquarters, seemingly proving his consistent loyalty to Coca-Cola. Given that the cola factories in Germany had actually been bombed to ruins by the Allies, and the Reichsmark was worthless, we have reason to believe that it was Max's loyalty, not these theoretical assets, that moved the headquarters. In any case, Fanta avoided being completely eliminated as a Nazi remnant and was absorbed as a fruit-flavored beverage brand of the Coca-Cola Company, sold to this day. Although today's Fanta glass bottles are filled with the spirit of freedom and democracy, the proud Aryan genes have never completely disappeared. Perhaps tired of the humiliation of living under someone else's roof, in 2015, Fanta launched a 75th anniversary commemorative advertisement in Germany, hoping consumers would review "the good old days 75 years ago" with Fanta. Seventy-five years ago, in 1940, was the year Max and Dr. Scheteling invented Fanta. At that time, the bright swastika flag flew high over the Berlin Reich Chancellery; at that time, Guderian's armored forces were routing the British and French armies; at that time, the scream of Stuka dive bombers terrified the entire European continent. That was also the most glorious period for the loyal Max and his loyal German Coca-Cola Company. What a pity, what a pity. If it weren't for that stupid fat man Hermann Göring holding things back at Dunkirk, in the English Channel, and at Stalingrad, perhaps the Führer could have realized his dream of building the Third Reich, and Fanta would have naturally become the world's number one beverage, rather than the eternal second fiddle behind Coca-Cola as it is now. At this point, Fanta's heart is filled with only hatred. This article is reposted from the WeChat public account: Neutral Finger (ID: Neutral_Mr_Finger) -END-