- Nazi Germany organized an expedition between 1938 and 1939 to secure whale oil resources and search for sites for naval bases.
- A 600.000 km² area called New Swabia was claimed, where reconnaissance flights were carried out and beacons with the swastika were installed.
- Despite conspiracy theories about underground bases and secret shelters after the war, there is no documentary evidence to support them.
When we talk about the coldest corners of our planet, it's inevitable that stories emerge that seem straight out of an adventure film or a mystery novel. Antarctica, that white and hostile desert, has been the stage for geopolitical ambitions and dreams of glory, but no story is as fascinating or as debated as the Third Reich's incursion into its lands during the early stages of World War II.
Many people believe it was all a science fiction plot, but the reality is that Germany did indeed set its sights on the south. Between the pursuit of economic self-sufficiency and the need for strategic points, the Nazis launched a mission that left its mark, both physical and legendary, on a region we know today as Queen Maud Land, though they christened it with a much more evocative name.
The reasons behind the trip to the south
To understand why Hitler wanted a piece of ice, one must look at the accounts of the time. In those years, whale oil was the key ingredient in soap and margarine, and Germany was almost entirely dependent on Norwegian imports. For a regime that prided itself on independence, this situation was a major problem, so they needed their own resources to fuel their industrial machine.
But it wasn't all about whale blubber. The prevailing wartime atmosphere forced them to consider the global landscape. The Nazi government welcomed the possibility of establishing a strategic naval base that would allow them to control the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean, thus facilitating access to the Drake Passage and monitoring South America's oil reserves.
The Odyssey of the MS Schwabenland
The main mission was launched on December 17, 1938, secretly departing from the port of Hamburg. The star of the show was the MS Schwabenland , a cargo ship that had been transformed into a true technological marvel for its time, equipped with a weather station and a catapult capable of launching seaplanes.
On board was a multidisciplinary team of some 82 people, including sailors and experts in geology, biology, and cartography. Upon arriving at the Princess Martha Coast in January 1939, the Germans wasted no time and began carrying out cartographic surveys using two Dornier Do J aircraft, named Passat and Boreas.
During the following weeks, fifteen flights were carried out, covering a vast area of approximately 600.000 square kilometers. The result was more than 16.000 aerial photographs , although most proved to be of little use, as they were simply white landscapes without precise coordinates. To leave a record of their presence, the expedition members drove metal javelins bearing swastikas into the ice, some of which are said to still lie beneath the snow.
The discovery of the Schirmacher Oasis
One of the most significant highlights of this trip was the sighting of the Schirmacher Oasis . It's a curious area, a kind of ice-free plateau where the climate is surprisingly mild, allowing for the growth of mosses, lichens, and the occasional seabird. This place was named after the pilot who discovered it and is now a key location for Indian and Russian research stations .
The explored area was named New Swabia (Neuschwabenland), after the expedition's ship. However, the Nazi dream of a colony collided with diplomatic reality: Norway, which had already explored the area years earlier, proclaimed its own sovereignty over the territory almost simultaneously with the Germans' arrival, with the support of powers such as the United Kingdom.
Myths, secret bases and conspiracy theories
After the fall of the Nazi regime in 1945, the lack of information and the remote nature of the continent provided fertile ground for urban legends. The idea arose that the Nazi leaders had not died or been captured, but had instead taken refuge in a secret military base built in New Swabia, using the thermal oases to survive the extreme cold.
For decades, speculation has surrounded the existence of underground cities and even spaceships designed using secret Reich technology. Some testimonies, such as those of Ladislao Szabo and Lieutenant Heinz Schaeffer, suggested that Hitler escaped by submarine to these impregnable fortresses. Attempts have even been made to use Google Earth images to identify pyramidal formations as Nazi bases, although geologists have clarified that these are simply natural lake basins.
The scientific reality is far less glamorous. Experts like Colin Summerhayes have reviewed the archives and confirmed that there is no record of any plans to build permanent bases during the 1938 expedition. What existed were superficial commercial and military interests that were buried by the outbreak of war and the subsequent defeat of Germany.
The region's current legacy
Today, what the Nazis called New Swabia is part of Queen Maud Land and is under Norwegian jurisdiction. Where imperial dreams once flourished, there are now scientific stations dedicated to peace and knowledge, such as the German Neumayer III base and the South African SANAE IV.
The story of this expedition teaches us a lesson about how human ambition can drive us to conquer even the most remote corners of the planet. From the search for raw materials to the creation of modern myths, the New Swabia episode serves as a reminder of the blend of real history and fantasy that often surrounds totalitarian regimes and unexplored territories.
The German attempt to establish a presence in Antarctica was a combination of economic necessity for whale oil and pre-war strategic aspirations, resulting in the mapping of a vast area called New Swabia. Although the MS Schwabenland expedition was real and left physical traces, stories about secret bases and postwar shelters lack documentary support, remaining relegated to the realm of legend, while the continent continues to be a center of international scientific cooperation.
