June 2, 2009

Nazi UFOs - Part 4 Achtung Logistics


When reviewing the German UFO's theory it's hard to believe how the Germans could have managed the logistical side of
establishing a base in Antarctica. Supposedly the Germans created a base in Antarctica on a claimed stretch of land which they named Neuschwabenland. The Germans certainly had claimed land in Antarctica, this was mostly done by dropping flags with the swastika on it from an airplane (see Wikipedia article in the link above). When Germany occupied Norway they also claimed Norway's section in Antarctica. That Germany tried to seize land is not so much contested, afterall expansion and territorial gain was high on their agenda. History records also show that German expeditions were made prior to the war but no country recognized the claim and when the Germans surrendered the whole matter became obsolete.

Supposedly during the last years of the Second World War, a secret arm of the SS shipped the flying discs and the plans to build them to Antarctica with the help of the German U-Boats. It is also alleged that the Germans found a region with hot water springs. While volcanic activity exists on Antarctica, Mount Erebus is an active volcano, I have yet to see a documentary which shows lakes or streams with hot water in Antarctica. To find them in the first place on that frozen continent is almost a miracle. Other lakes are under the ice sheet and are mainly caused by pressure from the ice above.

Portions of Antarctica itself was already claimed by several nations prior and during the Second World War. Among these nations were the Australia, Britain and France. These countries who were at war with Germany had bases on Antarctica but were small and no more than an outpost, weather-station or whaling-station. Yet if any of them would have detected a German presence they mostlikely would have been ordered to engage the enemy or at the very least gather intelligence. No reports exists of hostilities on Antarctica during the Second World War, to my knowledge.

Logistics would have been tremendously hard. Germany would have needed to load all the heavy equipment, fuel, personnel,
supplies, spare parts and food in German ports or from other occupied harbours. It has been suggested that U-Boats were used for the task. I must point out that an U-Boat isn't spacious. While cargo can be carried by an U-Boat it would be very limited both in volume and weight. U-Boats don't have a cargo door, everything has to be lifted by hand or hoisted through a hatch. These U-Boats would have to 'run the gauntlet' since the Allied forces were very much in control over the Atlantic especially during the latter stages of the war. Undoubtedly German transports would have suffered casaulties. A cargo ship would have been far more suited for the job. Again, ships sailing under a German flag certainly would have been engaged by Allied forces. Ships sailing under a flag belonging to a German occupied country idem dito. Ships sailing under a neutral flag could have been stopped and checked for contents and destination during war time.

On arrival in Antarctica similar logistic problems arise. While it isn't impossible it certainly would have been difficult. To unload
all the cargo the Germans would have needed a port facility on the shores off Antarctica. Ships would have needed refueling which could be done at another port on another continent but if they did it on Antarctica they would have needed fuel storage tanks. If their base was inland again they would have needed vehicles to transport all their cargo. Antarctica is a very hostile place. Climatic conditions are extreme. Those conditions have a tremendous impact on both man and machine. During the first winter when Germany invaded Russia, the Germans lost half of their tank force due to malfunctions caused by the cold. Metal buckles, even oil freezes up at some point. If the Germans had set out establishing a base on Antarctica they would have suffered losses, both in men and machines. Losses would have to be replaced if you want to continue what you set out to do.

All of the transports going to Antarctica in the form of cargo ships would have been noticed at some point. Shipping-lanes exist near the Capes of South America and Afrika. Allied forces sailed these waters too. Australia and New Zealand belonged to the Allies. In the south of Australia a huge naval base was constructed which participated in the defense of Australia and the Pacific war theater. South Africa was a 'dominion' state of Great Brittian. Allied Intelligence certainly kept an eye out for German activity in the south Atlantic and southern hemisphere. A good example would be the destruction of the German battleship the Admiral Graf Spee. After being engaged by 3 British cruisers in the southern Atlantic the Graf Spee fled into the neutral port of Montevideo. The British task force was in fact crippled by the German guns but in any case couldn't engage the Germans on neutral territory. British Intelligence stepped in and fed the Germans false information. The German captain of the Graf Spee was led to believe that British reinforcements had arrived, subsequently he disembarked his crew and scuttled his own ship.

Creating a base on Antartica even under the best conditions presents many problems. Even with a hot water supply an enginering feat has to be accomplished. A heating system would have to be constructed, the same goes for waste disposal. Crew quarters for all the personnel. A hanger bay for the aircraft. Security and patrols. Storage areas. Since Antartica has a half year of light and a half year of darkness, a huge stockpile of food has to be created. Growing crops, fruits and vegetables there would been difficult to say the least and mostlikely would have to be shipped in for a long time. To create the space itself tunneling equipment had to be shipped in and construction material such as beams, plates, wood, screws, bolts and so on. This would have been a tremendous task under the most harsh conditions. The alleged German flying discs have to be constructed from some material, not to mention the power source which propels the craft. Again building these crafts requires facilities, equipment, raw material, skilled personnel and so on.

In light of Germany's shortcomings during the war in which it became clear that she wasn't able to be self-suficient and had to
rely on the resources of other countries, it's very hard to imagine how a base could be established with flying crafts using exotic to this day unduplicated technology, in the most harsh conditions imaginable. Secondly, any large scale operation that involves moving a lot of men and material will get noticed by your adversaries and during war time they would have acted accordingly. Again history shows nothing of the sort. 4 down for the Nazi UFO hypothesis.

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