At the end of World War II, Russian troops captured $3.4 million in German gold in the Berlin Reichesbank; it was inventoried and locked up, but disappeared within hours and has never been seen again. The US Army captured and inventoried six and a half tons of gold near Salzberg; it disappeared within days and was never seen again. The post-war black market was so rampant that US soldiers mailed home $16 million more than the total US Army payroll for the period.--Stephen V Cole