Were “Minions” inspired by kids the Nazis used for poison gas experiments?

The truth

The photograph was taken around 1908 right before the reign of Adolf Hitler. They are not children, but men in Hall and Rees Submarine escape apparatus.

Because submarines before World War I had a high risk of sinking, the Admiralty looked for ways to develop equipment that would help trapped crew members to escape. Captain S.S. Hall and Fleet Surgeon O. Rees designed the apparatus with the help of Siebe Gorman.

The gear with a hard helmet and a belted, long-sleeved tunic containing a canister with a special chemical called “Oxylithe.” Invented by Professor Georges Jaubert between 1903 to 1907, this chemical formed in sodium peroxide or sodium dioxide, absorbs carbon dioxide and at the same time releases oxygen. However, regardless of the very functional design, the production of the gear was cut short because it took up a lot of space inside a confined submarine.

Featured image via  Guts, The Black Swordsman’s Page/Royal Navy Submarine Museum