The mysteries of this territory of Antarctica, to which Nazi Germany had claims until it ceased to exist as a state, still excite the minds of researchers of the unknown.
Someone considers New Swabia to be just a certain territorial Antarctic sector, interesting for scientific study. According to conspiracy theorists, Neu-Schwabenland is the secret base of the Third Reich.
In any case, the Germans continue to explore the territory of the former New Swabia today - the German Antarctic station Normayer III operates there.
Queen Maud's territory
Territorial claims for the Arctic New Swabia lasted 6 years - from 1939 to 1945 - a period when Nazi Germany still did not lose hope of world domination. The name of the German Antarctic sector comes from Schwaben (Swabia) - this is the former duchy of the German Empire, whose lands were ceded to France at the beginning of the 19th century.
It should be noted that the German government was never given a formal rejection of the lands of New Swabia. However, today this territory is called Queen Maud Land and the rights to it are claimed by Norway.
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From the first expeditions to the Hitlerite project "Neu-Schwabenland"
Following the example of other countries, Germany began exploring Antarctica at the end of the 19th century. The purpose of these expeditions was scientific research. Before the Nazis came to power, Germany carried out two independent Antarctic expeditions - from 1901 to 1903 and from 1911 to 1912. The Germans were the first to test atmospheric probes filled with hot air there, and they also discovered, described and named a new surveyed area, which they called the Land of Kaiser Wilhelm II. In the second expedition, German scientists were going to go through all of Antarctica in order to find out what it is - a solid continent or an island group. The large-scale project did not succeed, but the researchers discovered two more geographical objects, called the Luitpold Coast and the Filchner Ice Shelf by the Germans.
In 1933, the German National Socialist Workers' Party (NSDAP), led by A. Hitler, became the ruling party in Germany. "Gatherer of Territories" Adolf Hitler immediately announced territorial claims for "no man's" Antarctica, which the Fuehrer considered as a potential new territory of the Third Reich.
The Germans began preparations for a new, third, expedition to Antarctica with the aim of exploring a certain part of the continent and the subsequent consolidation of this territory for Nazi Germany. Antarctic land was to become the very New Swabia, Neu-Schwabenland.
What was Alfred Reacher's expedition doing there?
Preparations for the New Swabia expedition continued until 1938. The German ship "Swabia" was re-equipped for Antarctic research, a seaplane, a crane and other equipment were fixed on it. The team of specially trained polar explorers was led by Captain Alfred Reacher, an experienced explorer who had visited the North Pole several times before. The expedition is said to have cost the budget of Nazi Germany about 3 million Reichsmarks.
In December 1938, the "Swabia" sailed from the port of Hamburg in the direction of Antarctica, the journey to the mainland took a little more than a month. The research (and they were large-scale) took less time than the actual road from Hamburg to Antarctica - in mid-February of the same year, the expedition set off on the return journey.
During this expedition, photographs of the Antarctic territory of over 300 thousand square kilometers were carried out from two planes (and in general, the German researchers flew about 600 thousand km²), the Schirmacher oasis was discovered, on which there was no ice. The Germans scattered a large number of pennants with the Nazi swastika around the perimeter of the investigated territory, thereby marking the boundaries of their future possessions.
Upon returning home, Reacher urged Hitler to organize another expedition as soon as possible, with a lot of equipment. But the outbreak of the Second World War prevented the implementation of these plans.
Nazi Antarctic military base 211 "New Berlin" is nothing more than a myth
During their three weeks in Antarctica, Reacher's expedition could not even build a military base there. And she did not set such a goal - it was physically impossible. Meanwhile, the equipment of the Antarctic classified military base 211 "New Berlin" is attributed by conspiracy theorists and esotericists to Alfred Reacher. Allegedly, the occult values of the Third Reich were subsequently delivered to Antarctica on submarines and hidden there, and the Germans contacted aliens at a secret base.
All these tales are based on information about the activity of Nazi submarines off the coast of Antarctica during World War II. German submariners really often cruised in these places, especially since 1943, a period of turning point in the Great Patriotic War, when the Nazis realized that their defeat in this war was apparently inevitable.
The Germans transported valuables and people on submarines to Argentina, where, not without the help of Nazi Germany, a coup was made in 1943 and the pro-Nazi Juan Perón came to power. It is no coincidence that many Nazi criminals subsequently took refuge in this particular South American country. After unloading in some Argentine port, German submarines deliberately went to the shores of Antarctica and actively indicated their presence there in order to mislead American and British intelligence. And then they returned to their bases.
It is no coincidence that, apart from the sites of Nazi submarines, modern Antarctic explorers on this continent did not find anything. An entire base with underground utilities is not a needle in a haystack.
Anomalies on the Neumeier III
Today, the German Antarctic station Neumeier III is operating on the territory of the former New Swabia, whose employees are engaged in the usual scientific research work for these places.
Several years ago, scientists began to notice strange phenomena near the station - incomprehensible flying objects. So far, no one can explain what it is. But no greetings from a non-existent Nazi base.