On February 1, 1947, an expedition led by Rear Admiral Richard Byrd landed in Antarctica in the area of Queen Maud Land and began to study the territory adjacent to the ocean. The studies were designed for 6-8 months. But already at the end of February, all work was suddenly stopped, and the expedition urgently returned to the United States.
The idea of such a naval expedition was born in the fall of 1945. Submariners from the crews of several German submarines interned in Argentina told the American special services that before the end of World War II, they allegedly carried out special flights to supply a certain Nazi base in Antarctica.
The Americans took this information seriously. They decided to send an entire squadron, led by the most experienced polar explorer at the time, Admiral Bird, in search of the mysterious base.
Richard Byrd knew Antarctica well. In 1929, an expedition under his leadership established the Little America base in Kitovaya Bay.
In 1929, he and his partner made the first flight across the South Pole. In 1939-1941, he undertook an expedition to the west and south of Antarctica: to the area of the Ross Barrier, Mary Bird Land, Graham Land, Edward VII Peninsula. And when World War II began, Byrd commanded the so-called Greenlandic patrol and fought against the Nazis in the Arctic.
Admiral Bird is back in Antarctica
At the end of 1946, the admiral was put in charge of a new military and scientific expedition to Antarctica. The American Navy has allocated serious forces for these purposes: an aircraft carrier, 13 cruisers and destroyers, a submarine, an icebreaker, more than 20 aircraft and helicopters, and a total of about five thousand personnel.
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Within a month, the members of the expedition managed to take about 50 thousand photographs, map several previously unknown mountain plateaus, equip a new polar station. One of the destroyers conducted a training bombardment of the pile of ice hummocks with torpedoes. And suddenly the Americans were attacked … by devices resembling "flying saucers". By the way, such a term did not exist then.
Bird allegedly reported on the radio that after a short battle an unknown enemy had expelled the envoys. They were two young men, tall, blond and blue-eyed, pulled into uniforms of leather and fur. One of the envoys in broken English demanded that the Americans urgently, in a couple of hours, leave the area.
Tragic collision
Byrd rejected these demands. Then the envoys withdrew towards the snow ridge and seemed to vanish into thin air. And an hour or two later, enemy artillery hit the cruisers and destroyers. After 15 minutes, the air attack began. The speed of the enemy's aircraft was so high that the Americans, who fought oncoming anti-aircraft fire, only managed to keep the enemy out of the target range of the ships.
A member of the expedition, John Cyerson, recalled many years later: “They jumped out from under the water like madmen and literally slipped between the masts of ships at such a speed that streams of disturbed air tore the radio antennas. Several "corsairs" managed to take off from the "Casablanca", but in comparison with these strange flying machines, they looked like hobbled ones.
Before I could even blink an eye, two "corsairs", struck by some unknown rays that gushed from the bows of these "flying saucers", buried themselves in the water near the ships … These objects did not make a single sound, they darted silently between the ships, like some kind of satanic, bluish-black swallows with blood-red beaks, and incessantly spat a deadly fire.
Suddenly "Murdoch", which was ten cables from us (about two kilometers - Approx. Auth.), Burst into a bright flame and began to sink. From other ships, despite the danger, lifeboats and boats were immediately sent to the crash site. When our "pancakes" flew to the battle area, shortly before that they were relocated to the coastal airfield, they could not do anything either. The whole nightmare lasted for about twenty minutes. When the “flying saucers” dived under the water again, we began to count the losses. They were terrifying …"
By the end of that tragic day, about 400 Americans had died, about 20 aircraft and helicopters were shot down, and one cruiser and two destroyers were damaged. The losses would have been even greater, but night has come. Admiral Bird in those conditions made the only correct decision: to curtail the operation and return home with the whole squadron.
Ufologists today are convinced that alien bases were located in this sector of Antarctica. In any case, the bases of those who controlled these "flying saucers". And the aliens reacted appropriately to the arrival of intruders. It is unlikely that the Germans had aircraft with such crushing weapons at that time. Yes, and the German servicemen themselves after the surrender of Germany in May 1945 in Antarctica no longer remained. They scattered all over the world, most of them were in Argentina.
When the American squadron finally reached its shores and the command was informed about the fate of the expedition, all its participants - both officers and sailors - were isolated. Only Admiral Bird remained free. However, he was forbidden to meet with journalists.
Then he began to write memoirs about this period of his life. It was not possible to publish the manuscript, but it got into the "high spheres". Byrd was dismissed, moreover, declared insane. In recent years, the admiral lived practically under house arrest, did not communicate with anyone, could not even see his former colleagues. He died in 1957. Nobody remembered the famous polar hero then.
New expedition
It must be assumed that in 1947 the top American leadership reacted to the report of Admiral Byrd with due attention, since in 1948 the 39th task force of the US Navy was sent to this area of Antarctica. It was equipped with the latest radar equipment and reinforced by naval special forces. Undoubtedly, the Americans expected to take revenge for the battle lost by Bird. But a new meeting with the mysterious strangers did not happen, although the helicopters scrupulously surveyed the coast, and the tracked transporters went deep into the continent.
The new expedition managed to explore only some of the ice caves on the coast. The results were modest. Construction and household waste, broken drilling rigs, some mining equipment, torn mining overalls. There were stamps "Made in Germany". Surprisingly, not a single spent cartridge case was found that was related to German weapons during the Second World War.
There was no doubt that the Germans had spent more than one year here. But when did they disappear from the icy continent? Where are the mythical underground factories that produced this supposedly superweapon? The Americans came across only dilapidated barracks. Admiral Gerald Ketchum, having met no one but penguins, ordered to sail home …
Until now, little is known for certain about the expedition of Admiral Byrd in 1946-1947. Information about the presence of military and scientists in the area of Queen Maud Land in early 1947 is mostly classified. Most likely, the members of the expedition encountered aliens there. And all the materials related to them, and today in the United States are classified as classified.
Vasily MITSUROV, candidate of historical sciences