During World War II there was tremendous trench warfare, and neither the American nor the German troops could get the upper hand. They were reaching a stalemate.
So one day, an American G.I. came up with a plan that he thought might help them win the war. This soldier went to his commanding officer and platoon and explained his idea. After hearing him out, they all agreed to give it a shot, figuring, "Why not? It's not like we have any better ideas."
So the very next day the American soldiers started implementing their new plan. One American G.I. shouted out, "Hans?"
The next thing you know a German soldier popped his head up and shouted back, "Ja?!"
Bang! The German was shot right through his head.
The next day the Americans shouted out once again, "Hans?" and sure enough another German soldier raised his head up, responding "Ja?!"
He too, was shot right through the forehead and killed.
This process continued on steadily for days. The Germans were getting whacked out left and right, and losing large numbers.
Pretty soon they started catching on.
So the Germans had an emergency meeting. They figured they might be able to come back from their heavy losses by using the same type of tactics as the Americans.
One German soldier asked, "So what's a popular American name we could use?" "John!" replied another.
The very next day, the German platoon decided to execute their plan.
The first German shouted out, "Hey John!?"
Almost immediately an American G.I. shouted back, "Is that you Hans?"....
"Ja!" replied a German.... - And that's how the Americans won the war!
