"Swastika in the ice.

 Secret Nazi base in Antarctica"

Description
The second book by Hans-Ulrich von Kranz focuses on the most
fascinating and mysterious of the projects of the Hitler Empire. We are
talking about the creation of secret bases in Antarctica, which-the author
is convinced of this – still exist today. When Germany began to suffer
defeat in World War II, the Nazi leaders began to prepare the foundation
for the coming Fourth Reich. With the help of submarines, specialists
and materials for the construction of a secret base were delivered to
Antarctica. Later, in the 60s, an American military expedition went here,
the results of which were strictly classified. What did the Nazis build in
Antarctica? And what did the Americans find? Read about this and
much more in our book. Mazes of Truth

Preface of the publishing house

In the Mazes of Truth series, we present the second book by Hans-Ulrich
von Kranz, a researcher specializing in the most secret aspects of the
Third Reich's history. Kranz is an ethnic German whose father, as an SS
officer, fled to Argentina after the war to avoid prosecution. Only after
his father's death did he learn that he was involved in the activities of the
most mysterious organization in Nazi Germany – the Ahnenerbe
Institute. And from that moment on, the respectable bourgeois turned
into a tireless and talented researcher, a real stalker, a hunter for
sensational secrets.
If you read Kranz's books and then look at his photograph, you get a
very strange feeling. Flipping through the pages of "Ancestral Heritage",
"Swastikas in Ice" or "Swastikas in Orbit", you imagine the author as a
young, fit man with strong – willed features and a steely look-such rigid
dynamics, such exciting intrigue is filled with every line of these
books. In the photograph, however, we are looking at an ordinary fifty-
year-old man, tanned blond with deep receding hairlines, inclined to
fatness, with a calm, serene face. This "split personality" is far from
accidental. Von Kranz had to lead a virtually double life for many years
before he decided to publish his first book. And few people could have
suspected that under the appearance of an exemplary bourgeois, a typical
middle-class manager or a university professor, there is a person who is
ready to destroy stereotypes and bring to light facts that were previously
carefully hushed up or hidden.
Yes, they were hushed up or hidden. What for? - the reader will be
surprised. After all, Hitler committed suicide long ago, and the Third
Reich collapsed long ago, cursed by the entire civilized world! At least,
that's what they teach in school, that's what they say on TV
screens. Well, each of us is free to make our own choice: whether to
believe him, the "blue screen", or to seek the truth. The reader of Kranz's
books has the opportunity, together with the author, to pull back the
curtain of lies and half-truths and look into the eyes of the true history of
the Hitlerite Empire, a history that did not end with the surrender of
Germany. Because next to Hitler and behind his back were very
powerful forces that are still active today, trying to hide the very fact of
their existence. It is precisely to these forces that the first of Kranz's
books, The Legacy of Our Ancestors, which our publishing house
recently published for the first time in Russian, is dedicated.
In contrast, "Swastika in the ice" is dedicated only to one, but the most
exciting and mysterious of the projects of the Hitler Empire. We are
talking about the creation of secret bases in Antarctica, which-the author
is convinced of this – still exist today.
However, it would be a thankless task to retell the contents of Kranz's
books. Therefore, we leave you, dear reader, alone with the brilliant
work of Kranz, which, no doubt, will make you take a fresh look at
many seemingly long-known facts.

To my readers
Antarctica… The land of glaciers, frosts and penguins. A country where
the cold always reigns. Where there are no people, except for a few
hundred polar scientists living on stations scattered across the
continent. This is how everyone imagines Antarctica. That's what I
thought – at least for the first fifty years of my life. But since then, I've
discovered a different Antarctica. The territory where the secret bases of
the Nazis are located, where all the threads from the huge grid that
entangled the entire globe converge.
I am truly happy to present my new book, dedicated to this unknown
side of Antarctica. I am happy, because the first book did not go
unnoticed and caused quite different, but lively responses. Now she is no
longer in danger of sinking into obscurity. And this can not but
rejoice. I'm happy, because I think the second book is much better than
the first-after all, I'm not a professional writer, and everything has to be
learned through trial and error. And finally, because it's always a hell of
a pleasure to discover new, unknown pages of history.
Since I have already described my life in the preface to my first book, I
will not dwell on it in detail. But I will still clarify some points so that
readers who are not familiar with the" Legacy of their Ancestors " can
understand everything.
I was born in Argentina in 1950. My father emigrated (or rather, fled)
here from Germany after the defeat in World War II. The fact is that he
was an SS officer. But not those who stood on the watchtowers of
numerous concentration camps. And not those who fought at the front as
part of elite units. When the Nazis came to power, my father was a
young but promising scholar of ancient German history and
traditions. All of this research was quickly taken over by Heinrich
Himmler's all-powerful SS. My father was faced with a very difficult
choice: either to become an SS man, or to give up studying his favorite
topic. He chose the former. History has shown that this was the wrong
choice, but can we blame the father for this today?
My father spoke little and reluctantly about his past. With friends who
fled to Argentina with him, he communicated, as they say, behind closed
doors. Sometimes he had strange visitors, with whom he locked himself
in his office. We children knew absolutely nothing about this aspect of
his life, especially since such things happened very rarely.
Perhaps it was my father's reluctance to talk about the Third Reich that
spurred my interest in this part of German history. Since I was a student,
I have been avidly reading books about Hitler's Germany and World
War II. However, in none of them could I read what the documents
found after my father's death in the simple metal safe that had been
stored in the attic of our house since time immemorial told me.
These papers, devoted to the most mysterious aspects of the history of
the Third Reich, led me to undertake research. In them, I read about
shocking things I had never seen before: the mysterious Ahnenerbe
project ("Ancestral Legacy"), the Nazi leadership's links to occult forces,
a secret Antarctic base, and groundbreaking scientific research that has
not been surpassed even 20 years after the end of the war… They were
kept secret by both the vanquished and the victors. Because these secrets
were able to completely blow up our understanding of the Nazi
Empire. After all, for a long time, historians have instilled in us the
image of the Nazi regime as a complete bankrupt, who failed in all his
endeavors. Maybe it was right at some stage, but you can't feed people
the same fairy tale for decades on end! Because in reality, this
monstrous, demonic, criminal regime has achieved in some areas such
successes that the rest of humanity has never dreamed of. This was
clearly stated, literally shouted by the documents that I inherited.
So I started a twelve-year investigation. During this time, I repeatedly
risked my good name and even my life, got into various scrapes, lost and
again found the ends of the thin threads leading to the hidden truth in the
darkness. But looking back, I don't regret taking this path. And I
sincerely hope that the fruits of my efforts will not be lost without a
trace.
So, let's open together the curtain of mystery behind which lies the
history of the Nazi bases on the sixth continent of the Earth.…

Chapter 1. The Mysterious Continent

It was a hot summer day. Sunday, I think. A few white clouds drifted
across the sky over the vast plain that could be seen from the window of
our cottage. The sun was blinding. Life in the village during these hours
froze – for half a century, the Germans were able to appreciate and adopt
the custom of the midday siesta from the Argentines.
I sat in the attic and sorted through the documents I'd taken out of my
father's safe. This time I came across a bundle of letters. At the top was a
bluish envelope with no return address. My father's name, as well as his
address, were typewritten. The letter was also typed on the typewriter-
very concise and not very informative. Someone was asking my father
for some data related to his previous scientific research. I was
immediately struck by the tone of the letter, which was both polite and
commanding, as if the person who wrote it knew that he had a lot of
power behind him and was used to giving orders.
And then I looked at the signature. And I experienced a real
shock. Under the text of the letter was written with a flourish: "Rudolf
Hess".
However, the shock quickly gave way to speculation. After all, Hess is a
fairly common surname. And probably quite a few Hessians are called
Rudolphs. It could simply be the namesake of a Hitler aide who was an
old acquaintance of my father's. However, for some reason I haven't
heard about such acquaintances of his. To test my guess, I began
feverishly flipping through the books on my shelves devoted to the Third
Reich. In one of them I finally found the signature of Rudolf Hess, the
deputy Fuhrer. I compared it with the signature on the letter and was
amazed: they were exactly the same!
Just in case, I checked the email's date again. September 1956. Rudolf
Hess had already been languishing in Spandau prison for several years,
having been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Nuremberg
International Tribunal. In principle, if the letter was sent from Berlin, it
would still be more or less understandable. Although, how could Hess,
who flew to England on his own initiative in 1941 to conduct peace
negotiations, have known my father, then a young scientist at the
Ahnenerbe Institute?
However, the letter was not sent from Berlin. The postmark indicated
that it had been sent from Rio de Janeiro. Handing over a letter from
Spandau to be dropped off in a mailbox in Rio was utter nonsense. In
addition, in this case, the reason for the lack of a return address was not
entirely clear. Obviously, my father was supposed to know where to
write, or give the information in some other way.
It soon became clear to me that the person who had sent the letter was
not in Spandau. So Hess (let's assume that it was really Hess) was at
large and hiding from justice. Then the absence of a return address on
the email also became understandable.
In fact, even before me, some researchers suggested that the Nuremberg
Tribunal was not Hess, but his double. Many researchers have pointed
out a number of strange circumstances that accompanied Hess's flight to
England. For example, one plane took off from the airfield in Augsburg,
where Nazi No. 3 started, and landed (or rather, crashed) in
England completely different. Hess's behavior at the Nuremberg trials
also seemed inadequate. At the same time, a medical examination
showed that the old scars he had received in his youth had surprisingly
disappeared from the body of "Hess". In general, there was enough
circumstantial evidence.
But where, then, could the real Hess be? The first answer that came to
my mind was yes, anywhere! - was rejected immediately. The face of
Nazi No. 3 was known to almost every inhabitant of the planet, and Hess
could not easily hide anywhere.
Perhaps we were talking about some German colony located on the
territory of South American states? But the members of such colonies
knew each other quite well and constantly communicated. Word of
Hess's presence – and if the former Nazi No. 3 had sent his messages
himself, he would not have been able to remain incognito for long-
would have spread soon enough. So this option was also eliminated.
Where, then, could Hess be hiding? Obviously, it's not that far from
Argentina – otherwise the letter (which, of course, he didn't send with
his own hand) would have been easier and more convenient to drop in a
mailbox in another country. Or if you had to go on a long trip, then you
can tell my father personally.
What nooks and crannies are there near Argentina? The first thing that
came to my mind was that it might be some kind of uninhabited
island. But the southern Atlantic waters are pretty deserted. The
Falkland Islands, although they have virtually no permanent population,
are nevertheless under constant monitoring and surveillance by the
personnel of the military base located there. Only to the south of
Argentina is a large group of uninhabited islands-however, they are
already close to Antarctica and therefore initially excluded from
consideration…
But why? I was immediately reminded of an interesting fact mentioned
in passing by the author of one of Hess's biographies. In 1938-1939, a
large scientific expedition was sent to Antarctica, and Hess was its main
curator. He showed a special interest in the Ice Continent and
encouraged its exploration. In addition, the Institute "Heritage of
Ancestors" was involved in these studies.
I opened the letter addressed to my father again. And I found something
that I hadn't noticed when I first read it: the questions asked in the letter
concerned Antarctica, namely the legends about its ancient inhabitants.
So a single thin trail led me to the South Pole. Of course, this thread was
very thin, but I simply did not have any other. So I decided to pull it.

Land of Ice
I will admit that at first the idea of a Nazi settlement in Antarctica
seemed absurd to me. They weren't really penguins to ride across
endless ice plateaus. But I still felt it necessary to test my
hypothesis. And the first thing I found out was that our common ideas
about Antarctica do not correspond to reality.
How do we imagine this continent? Endless white fields, icy rocks,
monstrous cold. This is indeed the case. But only in the interior of the
continent, closer to the South Pole. Antarctica is very large, and its coast
is partly located outside the Arctic Circle. For comparison: within the
Arctic Circle is a good half of Norway, vast areas of Russia and Canada,
where the permanent population of more than one hundred people. Of
course, in Antarctica, even on the coast, it is somewhat colder than in
Tromsø, Murmansk or the Clyde. But not by much. For example, on the
Antarctic Peninsula, which stretches towards South America, the
temperature in summer reaches plus 5-10 degrees, and in winter it rarely
falls below minus 20. No "eternal ice" exists there in nature; mosses,
lichens, ferns, and even certain grasses grow on the most ordinary
soil. There are seals on the coast, and the air is filled with many
birds. Even primitive man, without any modern technology, could easily
survive in this region.
By the way, there are also minerals in Antarctica. To date, coal, iron ore,
mica, copper, lead, zinc, and graphite have been found there. That is, if
someone really wants to open a metallurgical plant in Antarctica, they
can do it without any problems, based only on local raw materials. At
the same time, the amount of work on geological exploration, as you
understand, was quite small, so most of the fossils have probably not yet
been found. It is suggested that there are quite large oil and gas deposits
in the sea off the coast of Antarctica. But in any case, the international
convention prohibits the exploitation of the Antarctic subsurface.
After learning all this, I delved into the history of the discovery. And
here I encountered a lot of riddles.
It is believed that Antarctica was discovered in 1820 by the Russian
navigators Bellingshausen and Lazarev. This is true, but not quite. The
fact is that Antarctica is the only continent that geographers put on maps
long before its discovery. The Great Southern Land appears there in
ancient times, in contrast to the same America, the existence of which
people doubted even after the voyages of Columbus. It is interesting that
historians still do not find an explanation for this mysterious fact. They
usually refer to some kind of "intuition" of geographers. I agree that
medieval maps sometimes showed bizarre lands that never existed in
nature. But these are episodes, not a general trend. Did intuition really
come into play, and not half-forgotten ancient knowledge?
In any case, expeditions to the south Seas began only in the XVIII
century. In 1739, a French expedition led by Bouvet de Lozier
discovered an island in the south Atlantic called Bouvet. In 1772,
another French sailor, Kerguelen, explored the South Pacific and
discovered a group of islands named after him. To the south, the
expeditions were not allowed to break through the drifting ice, from
which sailing ships of that time could not dodge with one hundred
percent guarantee. For the same reason, the expedition of the famous
Admiral Cook (yes, the one who, according to legend, was eaten by the
aborigines) failed. He was the first navigator to cross the Arctic Circle,
but could not get to Antarctica and said that the Southern continent
could not be found at all, since the ocean is literally clogged with
icebergs.
This claim was refuted by Russian sailors less than half a century
later. On January 28, 1820, their expedition consisting of two ships
under the command of Bellingshausen first approached the coast of
Antarctica. The southern continent was finally discovered.
And here the riddles began…

Chronicle of strange events

Many books and films have been written about the Bellingshausen
expedition. The Vostok and Mirny ships covered almost 50 thousand
miles, their voyage lasted 751 days, of which 100 days they were in the
ice zone. The most valuable information about the nature of the
Southern Hemisphere was collected, and the Russians also made a
number of geographical discoveries in other parts of the ocean. Nine
times they approached the Ice Continent, defining-in general terms-its
borders. 29 new islands were discovered…
But why am I talking about two ships? The fact is that only one of them,
Vostok, has returned to Russia. "Mirny" was so damaged during one of
the storms that the crew left it and moved to an undamaged ship. And
then the real action-packed mysticism began.
The morning after the storm, Vostok's crew saw that Mirny was still
following them. Torn sails and battered by the storm, the ship stubbornly
followed the Vostok. And so it went on for several days. Like the
legendary "Flying Dutchman", "Mirny" chased the crew that left it and
even tried to ram the Vostok several times. The team was seized with a
mystical horror. Only a week later, I finally managed to break away
from my pursuer. It was later blamed on the winds and currents, but
those who saw the ghost ship with their own eyes swore that it acted like
a sentient being.
However, the veil of secrecy from Antarctica has already been torn
off. Over the next decades, several expeditions went to its
coast. However, they could not boast of special success. At best, they
were able to approach the land and examine it with their spyglasses in
one place. So, for example, the Antarctic Peninsula, Kemp's coast, Adele
Land, Wilkes Land and other areas of the coast were discovered. At the
same time, several expeditions disappeared under mysterious
circumstances. However, there was no radio then, the ships remained
very imperfect, and their death could well be explained by natural
causes. Even if we take into account that it was precisely those
expeditions that died who set themselves the task of landing on the
mysterious continent at any cost.
In 1840, the Ross expedition set out for Antarctica on two ships – the
Erebus and Terror. From the sea, she could see two tall, cone-shaped
mountains, one of which was covered in clouds of smoke. Ross assumed
that these were two volcanoes, one of which was active, and named
them after his ships. But if there are volcanoes in Antarctica, it means
that there should be ice-free land areas, some kind of warm oases with
plants and animals. The most daring assumptions were drawn in the
center of the continent, behind a wall of ice, a vast warm land, a real
paradise. And, according to some sources, they were right – at least,
such a paradise really existed there, and relatively recently. But let's not
get ahead of ourselves…
And then the exploration of the southern continent abruptly stopped. The
cause is still unknown. But there were dark and varied rumors among the
sailors about the horrors of the south seas. Some spoke of sea monsters,
others of ghost ships… In general, the usual sailor's stories. But
someone was very active and purposeful in distributing them. Therefore,
the next ship approached the coast of Antarctica only in 1873.
For more than 70 years, people have explored the Icy Continent from the
sea, without landing on its shores. They seemed too harsh and forbidding
even to seasoned sailors. And only on January 24, 1895, the foot of a
European first touched the Antarctic land. They were Norwegians who
had spent several hours on the beach and collected a collection of sparse
Antarctic vegetation. No one dared to advance into the interior of the
continent.
A surge of research interest in Antarctica occurred at the turn of the
century. At the height of the industrial age, people believed that
everything in this world was under their control, and they were not
afraid of ghosts or monsters. The VI International Geographical
Congress, held in London in 1895, set as the primary goal of all
geographers of the world the study of the southern continent. Following
these recommendations, England, Germany, Sweden and France send
their expeditions to Antarctica in the first years of the new
century. Moreover, scientists do not just land on the coast, but stay there
for quite a long time. The concept of "Antarctic wintering
grounds"appears. In 1903, the first hydrometeorological station was
created, which still operates today.
For the first time, the Scott expedition tried to penetrate deep into the
mainland in 1902-1903. Her goal was quite clear-to reach the South
Pole. Here, however, it failed, as did the Shackleton expedition in
1908. Researchers were forced to turn back, exhausted by the hardships
of the transition-terrible cold, strong winds, and thin highland air. In
addition, in the icy desert, they saw strange mirages: the ruins of huge
castles, oases with tall trees and running water. The diary of
Shackleton's expedition, for example, says:
Suddenly, a heavy snowstorm hit, which lasted for several hours. We
made steady progress, but eventually had to stop. At that moment, I
realized that Jerley wasn't there. It was a heavy loss. After spending the
next day searching, which proved fruitless, we moved on. And-lo and
behold! "a week later, Jerley caught up with us. As he said himself, he
managed to find our tracks randomly – the weather was clear and sunny,
unlike the previous days. At the same time, he did not look at all
haggard and talked about some deep basin where hot springs gush out of
the ground. Birds live there, grasses and trees grow there. He came
across this hollow by accident and spent a whole day there, recovering
his strength. None of us really believed him – the poor guy was probably
hallucinating. It was strange that he wasn't frozen in this icy desert…
Shackleton did not believe in the existence of such a natural anomaly as
the Antarctic oasis. Probably in vain, but in any case, you can't check it
now. The expeditions, instead of exploring the coastal regions and only
gradually moving inland, followed with a tenacity worthy of a truly
better application, to the one chosen goal – to the South Pole. Everyone
wanted to get the glory of the conqueror of this "navel of the Earth". In
the end, in 1912, Amundsen and Scott managed to achieve their
cherished goal almost simultaneously. It seemed possible to celebrate
victory – but the deep areas of the mainland were once again
unexplored. This shortcoming Scott decided to at least partially fill on
the way back, from the South Pole to the base. And – the entire
expedition, down to the last man, was lost! And literally next to the food
warehouse, just a couple of dozen kilometers away. The death was so
mysterious that a special investigation was even conducted about it. The
verdict was ultimately banal: hunger and cold. What else, pray tell,
could have happened to the people in the icy desert?
After that, the exploration of Antarctica continued at a rather slow
pace. At least, until they started using aviation. The first flights over the
southern continent were made in 1928. The pilots explored a fairly large
area of the Antarctic Peninsula, finding a lot of interesting and
mysterious things. For example, completely free of ice and snow areas in
the depths of impassable mountains. Naturally, no one dared to land
there, only the existence of green vegetation cover was noted.
However, little importance was attached to all these findings. People
continued to be drawn to the South Pole like a magnet. In 1929, it was
first reached by plane. Research in other inland areas continued at a
fairly slow pace. What was the hurry? Therefore, most of the southern
continent remained unexplored by man. It was at this point, a few years
before World War II, that Germany entered the research race. And it was
very actively involved…

Where did Antarctica come from?

Back in the days when the human foot did not set foot on the land of
Antarctica, a lot of assumptions and hypotheses were built around the
mysterious southern continent. When theories about the gradual
movement of continents won a place in science, scientists rushed to
solve the riddle-where did the Ice continent come from?
Indeed, geological studies have shown that once, many millions of years
ago, there was a single great continent on Earth – Gondwana. Then it
split in two, and several components emerged from it-America,
Australia, Eurasia, Africa, Antarctica, Atlantis and Arctogea. All but two
of them still exist today. Arktogeya "floated" to the north. It was a plain
with only one large mountain plateau, located between Europe and
America. Today, only Greenland remains of this plateau. As a result of
geological disasters, Arctogea, which was something like a
"counterweight" to Antarctica at the North Pole, disappeared under
water. And today, in the place where it once was, the Arctic ice cap lies
on the cold water.
Atlantis is the smallest of the ancient continents, almost an island that
existed in the Atlantic until very recently. At least, this is what many
geologists who have examined the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean are
convinced of. They assume that only a few thousand years ago there was
a vast land mass in the ocean, which then, for an unclear reason, sank to
the bottom.
Atlantis is considered by many to be the ancestral home of human
civilization. But Antarctica is the ancestral home of man
himself. Indeed, according to a very popular hypothesis, previously the
continent was located on the site of the Indian Ocean, separated from
Africa by a rather narrow strait. I want to remind you that it was on the
shores of the Indian Ocean – in East Africa and Indonesia, separated
from it by thousands of kilometers – that the remains of ancient people,
australopithecines and pithecanthropus were found. Moreover, these
remains were quite small, which indicated the small number of ancient
people. Or, much more likely, since small populations do not survive,
that the bulk of our ancestors lived somewhere else. But what are these
"places" from which you can equally easily get to Africa and Java? We
can only talk about a continent that was located on the site of the Indian
Ocean, that is, Antarctica.
Archaeological research in Antarctica has not been conducted, so it will
be very difficult to confirm (or refute) such assumptions. All traces of
human activity are likely buried under a thick layer of ice and snow. So
all of the above remains only a hypothesis, although very plausible.
Studies have shown that Antarctica began to rapidly "drift" towards the
South Pole just when, according to archaeologists, the first people
appeared. That is, they could easily have moved from the mainland to
Africa and Indonesia and from there spread around the world. But most
of them, no doubt, remained in Antarctica. What was their future fate?
As the mainland drifted south, it gradually became colder and colder. Of
course, this process did not take years or centuries, but tens and
hundreds of thousands of years. Animals and plants died or mutated, and
only the fittest, such as penguins or seals, survived. They formed the
basis of the Antarctic fauna, when all the others died out.
What about people? Most likely, they shared a common fate. Unable to
withstand the cold, they died out. After all, our ancestors were at too low
a stage of development to establish their own civilization, to create
sufficiently advanced technologies of protection from the
cold. However, not everyone thought so…

People in Antarctica. Weber's hypothesis

Professor Heinrich Ephraim Weber was born in Berlin in 1860. This was
a time when Darwin was promoting his teachings with great brilliance,
when in completely different parts of the world they were looking for –
and finding! - remains of ancient people and animals. Perhaps that is
why Weber decided to become a paleontologist – a person who studies
long-extinct flora and fauna. He was also interested in ancient people.
It was Weber who first hypothesized that Antarctica was the ancestral
home of humans. Moreover, he analyzed all the available knowledge
about the southern mainland, starting from ancient times. And I came to
the conclusion that people did not just guess, but knew about the
existence of a distant earth. In 1887, Weber defended his dissertation on
the topic "Ideas about the Southern Land in the Ancient East". There he
quotes very interesting documents, in particular one treatise of the
priests of Amun on the creation of the world. We'll quote it too:
And when the earth was created with people, Amon divided it into two
halves. He populated the Northern Land with animals, and the Southern
Land with people. But people learned quickly and learned to build great
rooks, enlightened by Thoth. They sailed north and reached the shores of
the Northern Land, the country of Punt. There they settled, and from
there they went through all the Land of the North, and founded the city
of Thebes in the heart of it, on the fertile banks of the Nile. But Amon,
when he learned of this, was angry and made him forget the knowledge
of building great ships. So the connection with the Southern Land was
interrupted.
In a number of myths, Weber said, human civilization originates
precisely from the legendary southern continent. Maybe the myths are
worth listening to? Perhaps they are telling the truth.
Weber believed that Antarctica began its southward drift much later, and
it occurred much faster than is commonly believed. Human civilization
there has reached quite great heights, especially under the influence of
harsh natural conditions. These conditions forced people to evolve in
order to survive. And a few tens of thousands of years ago, these people
sent a large fleet to the north, in search of new, warmer lands. These
people were the founders of the Egyptian, Babylonian, Chinese and
many other civilizations. A clear trace left after them and testifying to
the kinship of all ancient cultures is the pyramids. The Great Pyramids
of Egypt, the stepped ziggurats of Mesopotamia, the mysterious Chinese
pyramids, and the Aztec pyramid temples are all links in the same
chain. At the same time, according to their racial type, the "aliens" were
seriously different from the aborigines, who were at a much lower stage
of development. As a result of mixing these two races, modern man
appeared.
Weber suggested that the ancient navigators, having got from their
cooling homeland to a warm equatorial paradise, did not want to return
back. Most of the people who lived in Antarctica apparently
died. However, another option is quite possible: the inhabitants of the
southern continent were so few that they were all able to board ships and
cross the sea. This happened, according to Weber, no later than 10
thousand years ago. After that, during the next global cold snap,
Antarctica finally disappeared under the ice cover.
Weber completed the development of his concept at the turn of the
century. On the eve of the First World War, when Scott and Amundsen
were racing to the South Pole, his books "The Ice Homeland of
humanity", "Pyramid Builders", "Where did we come from?"were
published one after another. But science is conservative, and Weber did
not find understanding among his colleagues. The works that he
conceived as serious monographs are published almost in a series of
science fiction. He was practically expelled from all scientific institutes,
where he managed to achieve a rather influential position. Broken by the
struggles and hardships of life in post-war Germany, Weber died in
1921, defending his idea to the last breath.
Meanwhile, he was already being replaced by another, no less
interesting person…

People in Antarctica. Gott's hypothesis

Otto Gott was born in Bremen in 1897. His father was a biologist, and
there was a lot of relevant literature on the shelves in the house. One
day, Otto, who was already in high school and was seriously interested
in the same problems as his father, found Weber's Pyramid Builders in
the window of a bookstore. He read it "binge", overnight. And then I
took up the rest of Weber's work. My father, like almost the entire
scientific world, was against Weber. Therefore, Gott Jr. had to seriously
deal with issues related to Antarctica in order to seriously protect his
idol.
He wanted to meet Weber in person, but the outbreak of war prevented
him from doing so. Gott is drafted into the army, fights in an infantry
company for a couple of months, then is transferred to the air
force. During the few years of the war, the young observer (he never
became a pilot) developed an excellent eye, the ability to notice every
minute detail visible from a reconnaissance aircraft. German gunners
often specifically asked for Gott to correct the fire of their batteries;
there was even a saying among them: "So help us today Gott!
"(translated from German "Gott" means "God").
After returning from the front, Gott could not find a job for a long
time. Only in 1920 he entered the university and only ten years later
published his work "Antarctic civilization". By this time, the results of
the first "aerial reconnaissance" over Antarctica were already known,
and data on mysterious oases were multiplying. It was on them that Gott
built his theory. In the preface to his book, he wrote::
Studying the history of exploration of the southern continent, it is
impossible to get rid of the idea that the brave pioneers had to face some
unknown force. A force that did not want to reveal itself, but, as far as it
could, prevented the development of Antarctica, and quite consciously
and purposefully. To understand the nature of this power, we must delve
into a past so remote that no written record of it survives. At least not
with us.
In general, Gott started from Weber's hypothesis, considering it quite
fair. Only in one thing, the researcher believed, his predecessor was
wrong: that there were no people left in Antarctica.
Indeed, Gott asked, if the ancient inhabitants of the southern continent
had large ships, it is impossible to imagine that they did not have a
written language! It was a civilization at a fairly high level of its
development, significantly ahead of all others. Consequently, if the
Antarctica-as Gott called the supposed inhabitants of the continent-had
moved to Africa or America in a mass, their civilizational core would
have been preserved and, most likely, survived to this day. Therefore,
we should be talking about small research expeditions that could easily
dissolve into the rest of our ancestors, having previously significantly
increased the cultural level of the latter.
Obviously, contacts between Antarctica and the rest of humanity were
not an isolated episode. It is to them that the ancient legend of the
Atlanteans owes its origin. Plato mistakenly placed Atlantis in the
Atlantic Ocean, possibly because that was the way Antarctic ships got to
the Mediterranean. And then, for some unknown reason, the contacts
were interrupted.
One thing is clear: a civilization that was at such a high stage of
development could not simply freeze out! If only because warm oases
were plentiful in Antarctica (recall the results of the first flights over the
southern mainland). The vast depths of the continent have not yet been
explored, which means that oases can reach very impressive sizes, up to
the area of a small European state. Conclusion: if Antarctica really
existed, then they have survived to this day!
But what should be the level of development of their civilization? Gott
assumed it was the highest. It was possible, of course, that they, like the
Eskimos, had been arrested in their development by too difficult natural
conditions; but then Gott could not explain the many strange events that
accompanied the exploration of Antarctica. Most likely, the civilization
of Antarctica has reached unattainable heights. For some reason, they
don't want to make contact with us, but perhaps some time later, the
opinion of the inhabitants of the southern continent about humanity will
change – and a real meeting of civilizations will take place.
Gott would probably have had the same fate as Weber. If only his book
hadn't ended up on Rudolf Hess's desk one autumn day in 1930.

The Nazis and the Antarctic

I must say that by that time the Nazis had their own well-developed
racial theory. All the forerunners of Hitler claimed that there was a pure
Aryan race on Earth not so long ago, which lost its greatness only as a
result of mixing with "subhuman"people.
Where to find the homeland of the Aryans? It was placed in various
places – in the mysterious Atlantis, mythical Lemuria, distant Tibet. And
some – even in the Arctogeum. According to such scientists, this huge
island (or rather, the whole continent) was densely populated by people
before the onset of the ice age. It was a land of sunshine, reason, order,
balanced instincts, and true faith. It was here that the proto-language, the
basis of human civilization, emerged. The remains of this ancient
civilization are now buried under sea waves and a layer of ice. One of
the remnants of Arctogea – Greenland; no wonder the Vikings,
descendants of the ancient Germans, considered it a sacred land. After
Arctogea first disappeared under ice, and then-under water, the ancestors
of the Aryans were forced to emigrate to Eurasia.
The most interesting thing is that all these hypotheses did not conflict,
but perfectly got along with each other. Therefore, the Weber – Gott
theory was also very popular. It didn't take much: all you had to do was
identify the Aryans with the Antarctic and everything would fall into
place.
Indeed, it was they who sailed several thousand years ago on their ships,
settled on the "warm" continents and founded their civilization. At the
same time, the Aryans willy-nilly mixed with the ancient people who
then lived on these continents – in fact, half – apes-while spoiling their
pure blood. And then the geographical factor came into play. Where
these semi – Apes were plentiful – in Africa and the Mediterranean,
regions with exceptionally mild climates-the Aryans almost completely
disappeared into their ranks. And in Northern Europe (Germany,
Scandinavia), where it was too cold for semi-apes, the Aryan race was
preserved in almost its original form.
But if this is so, then Antarctica is still inhabited by true Aryans,
superhumans, demigods! Hess contacted Gott and arranged for him to
have an audience with Hitler. The young scientist was able to make a
deep impression on the future Fuhrer of the German nation, who was
able to appreciate the same convinced and fanatical people as
himself. As a result, the NSDAP no longer took its eyes off Gott. And
he, in turn, willingly joined the party in 1931, glad that at least someone
understood and appreciated him.
In 1933, almost immediately after the Nazis came to power, a special,
highly classified institute "Ahnenerbe" – "Heritage of ancestors"was
formed. I described it in detail in my previous book, so I will limit
myself to just a few words here.
The official task of the institute is to study everything related to the
history, culture, language, and traditions of the ancient
Germans. Ahnenerbe's first move was to monopolize ancient Germanic
research. Within a few months, it integrated into its membership all
scientific groups dealing with similar problems. By 1937, the Ahnenerbe
consisted of almost fifty institutes. It was at this point that Himmler took
it under his sole leadership, including it in the structure of the SS. By
this point, Ahnenerbe had begun to veer more and more away from
strictly scientific research. The bias towards the realm of the spirit, the
realm of mysticism and magic was increasing. Despite the fact that in its
program documents "Heritage of Ancestors" declared the full scientific
nature of all its research, occult practices as a new branch of knowledge
were quite firmly rooted in its structure. A huge amount of money was
spent on the work of Ahnenerbe-more than the United States spent on its
"Manhattan Project" (which – I will open the veil of secrecy-ended in
shameful failure). The research was conducted on a colossal scale and
was kept strictly secret.
It is known that SS scientists dealt with many serious historical and
cultural issues. For example, the history of the Holy Grail, the debate
about which does not stop to this day. They thoroughly investigated all
heretical movements and occult schools, including the alchemist
societies and the Rosicrucian Order. In addition, they organized Tibetan
expeditions to explore extraterrestrial intelligence and studied the
prophecies of Nostradamus. Since the beginning of the war, Ahnenerbe
specialists have followed the victorious Wehrmacht, taking under their
"care" the treasures of European museums and libraries. In addition,
over time, research in a completely non-humanitarian field began to be
conducted here. For example, related to the creation of psychophysical
weapons or the capabilities of the human body.
Gott also joined Ahnenerbe in 1933. Moreover, for a fairly high position
– the Antarctic Department was created specifically for him, and he
reported directly to the head of the Institute, Herman Wirth. From that
moment on, Gott set himself the task of preparing a special Antarctic
expedition.
However, this is a completely different story…
 Chapter 2. Captain Ritscher's Voyage
I remember Olaf's uncle, Olaf Weizsacker, from my earliest
childhood. An old friend of my father's – they had known each other
since the mid-1930s, and, as I suspected, because of their shared
research interests. He lived not far from us and often came to visit. I
knew as little about his past as I did about my parent's. Periodically,
Uncle Olaf disappeared for several months, but we were not surprised –
his work was connected with constant travel, and I did not see any
oddities in his behavior. I noticed them later, much later, when I already
knew what to look for. In the meantime… For the time being, I thought
of Uncle Olaf simply as a good-natured, good-natured, cheerful man
who had been involved in science in the past.
So he seemed to me in my 10 years, and in my 20s, and in my 30s, and
even in my 40s. It wasn't until I started going through the papers in my
father's safe that my ideas about Uncle Olaf changed radically. Because
almost immediately, among other things, I came across a small booklet
entitled "Traces of the Ancients in Antarctica." Author-O. Weizsacker,
published in 1940. On the cover – an imperial eagle and the stamp "Top
secret".
I turned over the yellowed pages with excitement. Uncle Olaf, it turns
out, took part in the Antarctic expedition of 1938-1939! The one about
which there are many rumors, but very little is known about the truth.
Sure enough, I was soon driving my Mercedes (I prefer German cars,
probably because of my background) to the Weizsacker cabin. Uncle
Olaf was a very old man, but he was remarkably sane. Senile dementia
did not affect him until his death. So I was sure that I would find out the
details I was interested in.
Uncle Olaf was delighted to see me – after all, he treated me like his
own nephew. However, his joy was somewhat dampened when I
explained to him the purpose of my visit. At first, he tried to deny any
involvement in secret research, and only when I presented him with the
pamphlet did he give up.
"Boy! "Uncle Olaf used to call me that for old times' sake, even though I
already had grown-up children of my own. – I'm not sure you need to
know that." Very unsure.
"But why, Uncle Olaf?"
– This is very dangerous knowledge, I emphasize: very much. The less
you know about this whole story, the more peaceful your night's sleep
will be!
– I have already learned a lot, so my sleep is unlikely to be peaceful
anymore…
"Yes, old Heinrich was a great fool not to burn all the papers
beforehand. I kept them all for some reason. And then he died so
suddenly that he didn't have time to take any measures. You don't need
to know all this…
"Uncle Olaf," I said firmly, " this is my father's life. I want to know
everything about her. After all, I, his son, have the right to do so. I
implore you, by your old friendship, to tell me about your research.
– I'm not sure your father would approve, " the old man chuckled. "But
I'll do it. I ask only two things: first, don't tell anyone about this before I
die. Second, think ten-no, twenty-times before you publish all this
anywhere.
I promised and kept my word. Uncle Olaf died in 1996, and I thought
twenty times before writing this book. I decided to publish the facts that
he told me that night and for many more nights to come.

Preparation
Preparations for the expedition to the Ice Continent began in 1934. It
was then that a special interdepartmental group A was created, which
included representatives of the Ahnenerbe ,the German Navy and
several well-known polar scientists. Group A was led by Rudolf Hess
himself, and his deputies were Gott and Captain Ritscher from the
Navy. The Fleet, which was then under the command of Admiral
Raeder, specifically assigned a non-titled representative to the group, so
as not to jeopardize the secrecy that was shrouded in the preparation of
the expedition.
Despite his rather low rank, Alfred Ritscher had a huge experience. He
was quite young-born in 1895 in a working-class family and, when the
time came for conscription, got into the famous "High Seas Fleet". And
then the First World War began; it is known that most of the German
Navy took a very small part in that war. But this applies more to large
vessels. Ritscher was lucky: he spent the entire war on light cruisers,
which were very active, and gained combat experience. After the defeat,
the German Navy was sharply reduced, and places for a young officer
(and Ritscher, thanks to his remarkable talent, was able to become a
Naval officer – a unique case for the ultra-conservative Kaiser's fleet!) it
wasn't there anymore. Not particularly upset, Ritscher joined the
Merchant Navy.
It so happened that in 1923 he got on a whaling ship that constantly
sailed in the southern latitudes. For 10 years of almost continuous
navigation, Ritscher became very familiar with the conditions of the
polar seas, and more than once landed on the ice coast of Antarctica. A
man of many talents, he knew quite a few polar explorers – Amundsen,
for example-who valued the young sailor and treated him as an equal.
In 1931, Ritscher spends almost six months on land. During this time, he
manages to do three important things: get married, write and publish the
book "Eight years in the company of penguins" and join the
NSDAP. Yes, like many officers who survived the ignominy of defeat in
the First World War, Ritscher was full of nationalistic feelings. Despite
his working-class background, the sailor was far from any sympathy for
the Social Democrats and communists. To him, like millions of other
Germans, it was Hitler who seemed to be the man who could lead the
country out of the crisis swamp.
Ritscher believed that Antarctica harbored many unsolved mysteries in
its depths. He described some strange phenomena in his book. Here, for
example, is one of these passages:
The weather is exceptionally clear, with excellent visibility. In the
distance, the coast of Antarctica rises like an ice wall. Suddenly, we see
a bright beam of light coming up from the ice wall. The whole crew runs
to the deck to see this miracle. The light is slightly bluish, clearly
distinguishable even against the background of bright sunlight. We can't
tell the width of the pillar at this distance, but it is clear that it is quite
considerable. After a short meeting, driven by curiosity, we turn towards
the icy shore.
As we approach, the beam fades and eventually disappears
altogether. What was that? A strange optical phenomenon unknown to
science? Any secret tests? Or something else, something we can't even –
or are afraid to – imagine? The icy continent holds many more secrets,
and we only touch them from time to time, unable to penetrate their
deeper essence.
Be that as it may, in 1933, after the Nazis came to power, Ritscher
triumphantly returned to service in the navy. Raeder understands that the
knowledge and experience of this polar explorer will be very useful to
the resurgent Navy, which intends to conduct operations around the
world. However, he is immediately "intercepted" by the famous Admiral
Canaris, who enlists Ritscher in his famous intelligence service-the
Abwehr. For a short time, he becomes the head of the Third Operational
Department. And the Nazi leaders have their own plans for Ritscher –
and in 1934, the captain gets into interdepartmental group A as an expert
from the navy.
The preparation of the expedition is carried out slowly and
thoroughly. To begin with, a decision is made to conduct a deep
"exploration". For this purpose, the ship "Cormoran" is equipped, which
in September 1935 under the command of Ritscher departs for the south
seas. The Cormoran's voyage lasted 8 months, until the spring of
1936. Ritscher and his crew traveled the entire Atlantic, exploring the
coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, the coast of Ellsworth Land and Mary
Baird Land. These desolate ice coasts are still extremely unpopular
among researchers today – a lot of floating ice floes, constant storms and
blizzards make them unattractive. So far, there is not a single polar
station here. But there was another reason: it was here that the sailors
mostly observed strange, mysterious phenomena, which no one could
explain. But the mystery only attracted Ritscher and his companions. In
the course of their voyage, they outlined a plan for the future landing
according to the following scenario: the establishment of a polar base on
the Antarctic Peninsula, followed by a thorough survey of the "white
spots" of the mainland.
In April 1936, the Cormoran returned to Bremen. His arrival was not a
triumphant one: a small, storm-battered boat slipped into the harbor at
sunset. There were only a few people waiting for him at the
dock. Among them was Rudolf Hess himself, as well as Ahnenerbe
specialists. Among them is Olaf Weizsacker, who has just made a
stunning discovery.
It concerned another famous mystery of human civilization – the giants
of Easter Island.
I think all readers know about this small island, lost in the expanses of
the Pacific Ocean. The tiny tribe of natives who live here has been
carving titanic heads of strange-looking people out of stone for centuries
and placing them on the mountainsides. Regarding the "giants of Easter
Island" expressed different versions. All the scientists agreed that the
islanders themselves would not have been able to cope with the
manufacture and installation of colossi. Some have suggested that the
small island is a fragment of a large continent, the legendary Pacific
Pacifis, gone under water. Others believed that the statues were made by
representatives of an extraterrestrial civilization. In support of their
hypothesis, they cited rock reliefs discovered on the island, which
depicted strange mechanisms.
Olaf decided to go the other way. He carefully researched the legends of
the islanders recorded by the missionaries. According to these legends,
the statues were actually erected by people who came from the
east. People with dazzling white skin, tall and thin. In fact, the statues
are their portraits, made with amazing accuracy.
As we know, any myth is based on some real events. A young historian
decided to try to reconstruct what happened on the island about a
thousand years ago. He did not believe in extraterrestrials, nor in
otherworldly forces. What remained to be understood was: what kind of
easterners, tall and white-skinned, could get to Easter Island and build a
whole gallery of stone sculptures there, and most importantly-why?
Maybe they came from South America. It is logical to assume that at
that time there was a certain highly developed civilization that sent its
expeditions overseas. However, archaeologists have not found the
remains of any such state. The legendary Toltecs and Olmecs, who lived
at the same time, inhabited the deep regions and were not at all
interested in long-distance sea travel. In addition, their remains found in
ancient graves allowed us to recreate their appearance quite
plausibly. And there were no tall, white-skinned people involved.
Who is generally characterized by white skin? For Europeans, residents
of northern latitudes, and countries of snow and ice. Or southern
latitudes, where snow and ice also reign. Isn't it logical to assume that it
was from such a country that mysterious aliens sailed to Easter Island?
What kind of snow country is located near the island? Only
Antarctica. Moreover, it is precisely those shores that enjoy a dark
reputation among sailors and have not yet been properly explored. If
Gott's hypothesis that Antarctica still exists is correct, then everything
falls into place: giant stone sculptures were erected by this mysterious
race. This means that we have their portraits made in stone.
Why did the Antarctic need to sail several thousand kilometers from
their homeland and build a stone pantheon there? Weizsacker never
found an answer to this question. Perhaps (and this, in my opinion, is the
most plausible hypothesis), they were afraid that their homeland, like
Atlantis, would disappear into the depths of the ocean as a result of some
cataclysm and wanted to leave a memory of themselves on the
planet. But this is nothing more than speculation.
Weizsacker's hypothesis appealed to the court. Among other things, it
once again proved the presence of "Aryan features"in Antarctica. The
process of preparing the expedition was accelerated.

Secret aircraft carrier of the Reich

It is generally assumed that the expedition of 1938 went to Antarctica on
the same old "Kormoran". This is not entirely true. In addition to the
relatively small vessel, it also includes three more large ships. However,
information about them is carefully hidden, and only thanks to diligent
searches I was able to find traces of it.
The first of them is a large icebreaker purchased in 1936 from the
Canadians. This ship, built under the name "Quebec" in 1925, regularly
drove caravans of ships to the freezing ports of Northern Canada. Eleven
years after its construction, it disappears from all lists. At the same time,
the accounts of the company "North Canadian Hansa", which owned the
icebreaker and belonged, by the way, to immigrants from Germany,
receive a large amount of money. In 1937, a new icebreaker of the
company, Labrador, enters service, which takes over the baton from
Quebec.
It is quite obvious that the ship was sold, and in an atmosphere of deep
secrecy. Uncle Olaf gave me a fairly detailed description of the
icebreaker Fafnir, which took part in the expedition; it exactly matches
the description of the Quebec.
The second ship was built in German shipyards. A large passenger liner
was created specifically for the Nazi organization "Strength through
Joy", which was responsible for the leisure of the Germans. In particular,
the company's liners regularly went on sea cruises with tens of
thousands of people on board. In 1936, another ship was launched –
"Leo Schlageter". The press published many enthusiastic articles, the
new ship was celebrated as a masterpiece of seaworthiness and
comfort. A few months later, the Schlageter sails on its first cruise –
through the Norwegian fjords - and almost immediately after returning,
it disappears for three years. The ship" floats " already in 1939, after the
outbreak of World War II, and is used as a military transport.
Where was the airliner all these years? On the Ritscher Antarctic
Expedition! It was on it that the headquarters of the entire compound
was located. "Kormoran" was used as a reconnaissance vessel, "Fafnir" -
for navigation in particularly difficult conditions.
However, the squadron also included another ship, information about
which is likely to surprise many experts in military history. It was the
aircraft carrier Manfred von Richthofen. There is no information about it
in any ship's reference book; it is believed that the only aircraft carrier
that Hitler's Germany had was the Graf Zeppelin, which was never
commissioned. I was lucky enough to open a secret page in the history
of the German Navy.
Indeed, the design of aircraft carriers in Germany began in the winter of
1933-1934. I didn't have my own experience, so I had to focus on
foreign models – in particular, English and Japanese ones. The result
was a ship with a displacement of more than 20 thousand tons, designed
for 50-60 aircraft with powerful weapons. Interestingly, the almost
completed model that the Russians got after the German surrender was
much weaker – it could accommodate no more than 30 cruise
vehicles. The launch of the aircraft carrier was scheduled for 1938.
And then something strange started happening. German shipbuilders,
always distinguished by discipline, began to ungodly break all
deadlines. At the very end of 1938, they barely launched the hull, which
still had to be completed. At the same time, according to the stated
parameters, as already mentioned, it did not correspond to the project at
all and generally left the impression of a crudely crafted craft. Another
oddity: the order for the construction of the ship was issued to the
Neptunia shipyard, and the ship was launched by Deutsche Werke Kiel.
To be honest, I've never heard of the Neptunia shipyard. In the annals of
German industry, it is difficult to find some references to it. It is reported
that this relatively small company was engaged in the construction of
patrol boats, minesweepers and submarines. However, in the album
"Shipbuilding of Hamburg", published in 1937, the following is proudly
reported about the Neptunia::
This is one of the largest shipyards in our city. Despite its relative youth,
it is already engaged in the construction of the most complex
vessels. For example, an aircraft carrier that will go down in history
under the name "Graf Zeppelin", as well as new submarines. The
shipyard currently employs more than 15 thousand workers.
The success of this state-owned shipyard is the subject of constant
concern and pride of our government. Neptunia is under the special
control of the NSDAP and our Fuhrer. Reichsfuehrer SS Heinrich
Himmler personally took patronage of the shipyard.
Well, is there enough evidence? Neptunia was an SS-controlled shipyard
and therefore operated in the interests of the Black Order. It was here
that the aircraft carrier was built, which will later be named after the
largest German fighter ace of World War II-Manfred von Richthofen. It
was, as planned, completed in 1938, but not included in the fleet, but
intended for the Antarctic expedition. Almost simultaneously, the
construction of another aircraft carrier was hurriedly started, which
received the proud name "Graf Zeppelin". However, since it was built
quickly and with a loss of quality, it had almost no combat
value. Therefore, its construction was never completed. Many military
historians wonder: why was an almost completely finished aircraft
carrier not used in battle? The answer is simple: precisely because it was
a low-quality craft. The Russians, who got the Zeppelin after the war, by
the way, figured it out almost instantly and also did not finish building
the would-be aircraft carrier, but used it as a floating target.
The real aircraft carrier, equipped with the latest technology, was
escorted by three other ships to the south…
On June 16, 1938, four ships formed the special squadron A. It was not
part of the Navy, but was directly subordinate to Hess. Captain Ritscher
was appointed head of the expedition, and an observer from the NSDAP
was with him. The name of this observer is probably known to
everyone. His name was Martin Bormann. On board the ships were, in
addition to sailors, polar explorers, as well as volunteers from the SS,
Luftwaffe and assault detachments. All of them signed a non-disclosure
agreement.
On June 29, four ships weighed anchor and sailed into the Atlantic
Ocean in the strictest secrecy.…

First steps
At the end of July, Squadron A reached the Antarctic coast. The first
stop was made off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Here was
founded the Horst Wessel base, which German polar explorers called
among themselves "Martin Bormann Station". The fact is that all the
time of the expedition Bormann, instead of enjoying peace in the
comfortable cabins of the Schlageter, spent on the icy coast of
Antarctica, which earned the respect of the other members of the
expedition.
When I found out about the existence of this base, I immediately became
obsessed with finding traces of it. It can't be that absolutely nothing has
survived from a sufficiently large scientific station! First of all, I
contacted the Argentine polar explorers who had been working in those
places for many years – maybe they found something? And I got an
email with an unexpected response.
Dear Hans-Ulrich, I think I can answer your question. The fact is that
when I first came to the San Martin base-and this was in 1975-there was
quite an interesting legend among the polar explorers. It was said that
the base was founded on the site of an old German polar station, created
before the war. It was said that there were quite large stocks of
equipment, things left there, and the buildings were rebuilt to glory, so
that the Argentines came to everything ready. I don't know if this legend
is true. Skeptics argued that it owed its appearance to German scientists
who left for our country after 1945 and worked for many years at this
polar station. It was this fact that gave rise to the legend of the "Martin
Station"that once existed here. However, I myself found some objects of
clearly German origin around the base – lighters, coins, etc. Do they
belong to German scientists who visited here before or after the war? I
don't know…
So, the Horst Wessel base, or Martin Bormann station, later renamed
San Martin and transferred to Argentina, began its activities in August
1938. The harsh Antarctic winter was coming to an end, and German
polar explorers began to build up completely. In terms of scale, the
secret station far surpassed anything that had been available in the
southern continent up to that point. It was designed for several hundred
people. Next to the base, an airfield was equipped, on which several
aircraft were based, brought here in disassembled form. A powerful
radio transmitter mounted on the top of one of the mountains provided
uninterrupted communication with the Reich.
At this time, the ships had already moved further, to the southwest, to
the still unexplored lands. The weather was surprisingly good, and
planes from the Richthofen began an aerial survey of the coast. Then
strange things began to happen.
On August 19, a single-seat scout flying over Ellsworth Land suddenly
disappeared from radar screens. At the same time, radio contact with
him was interrupted. At the same time, the pilot did not have time to
send any distress signals. Another plane was immediately dispatched to
help, with the task of rescuing the stricken pilot if possible. However, in
the same area, the same story happened to him. Again, no sound on the
radio.
The commander of an aircraft carrier sends a flight of three planes to
search for it. At the same time, they do not fly in a tight formation, but at
some distance behind each other, so as to keep at a distance of visibility,
but no more. And again – the first plane disappears from the radar
screens, the second pilot screams-and the same thing happens to his
plane. The third performs a sharp U-turn and goes at maximum speed
towards the sea. The plane lands in half an hour. The pilot sits down
hesitantly, like a novice, and hardly "fits" into the narrow take-off
deck. He himself is not able to get out of the cab. They carry him out in
their arms, pale as chalk, with shaking hands. The pilot is sent to the
infirmary, where Ritscher and several people from Ahnenerbe
immediately arrive. What the pilot who miraculously escaped told them
is hidden under a veil of secrecy. There was talk of some sort of flying
monster, of strange rays shooting out from a completely green strip of
land, or of a mysterious tornado that swallowed the winged machines. In
any case, the squadron is moving on at top speed, away from the damned
place.
After entering the Amundsen Sea, the ships stay as close to the shore as
possible. The coast itself in this place looks somehow strange – instead
of eternal ice, black rocks adorn, on which in some places there is even
stunted vegetation. Hydrological studies give a picture of a strange
anomaly: the water in the sea is several degrees warmer than usual! At
the same time, a fairly strong current is directed directly from the
shore. Scientists give their conclusion: the stream breaks out from under
the coastal rocks, where, obviously, there are warm springs. Expedition
parties land on the shore, which explore the territory of the
mountains. On the surface, they find many" oases " covered with moss
and lichens; in the mountains - a system of caves leading deep into the
rock mass. Pilots who have already overcome their fear of flying inland
discover the crater of an extinct volcano at some distance from the
coast. Obviously, here, under the mountains, the earth's crust is
particularly thin, and the magma that once broke out to the surface
warms the streams of water.
But in order to explore the source of the warm current, submarines are
needed. Ritscher immediately radioed Berlin and asked them to send
him at least a couple of large submarines.

Opening a Dead City

Meanwhile, the Horst Wessel base is not idle either. The first task is to
explore as much territory as possible. The four aircraft available at the
base make flights, taking advantage of every hour of good
weather. Bormann had data on strange oases seen several years earlier;
he assigns pilots to find and explore them.
The search took approximately two weeks. Finally, they were
successful: from the Dornier, which landed on the station's snow-
covered airfield, the crew rushed straight to the expedition headquarters
with burning eyes. They managed to find and photograph one of the
"oases" located in the depths of the mountain range. According to the
pilots, from the height they could see traces of some kind of vegetation
cover; perhaps the place was suitable for placing another station there!
But the real shock for the researchers came when the photographs were
developed and printed. The film clearly showed the man-made structures
that filled the entire mountain valley. Most of all, they resembled an
airfield with a wide and short runway.
Bormann immediately ordered an expedition in two Dorniers to be sent
to the valley called Flughafen Airport. The pilots confirmed that the
object is surrounded by impassable mountains and can only be reached
by air. One of the twelve people who flew out to meet the unknown was
Olaf Weizsacker.
As I wrote earlier, Uncle Olaf died in 1996. I was also mentioned in his
will. However, the inheritance I inherited did not represent, in the
opinion of the uninitiated, any material value. It was a package of
papers, including his Arctic diary.
October 14, 1938. Our planes circled the mountain valley for a long time
– the pilots understood that we would not have two attempts to land, and
tried not to make a mistake. Our Dornier is coming in first. Steep cliffs
flash past the windows. Finally, we touch the ground. The car rolls on
some kind of surface, as if on the runway of a Berlin airfield. But we
can't relax until the last second: who knows what's ahead? Finally, the
car stops.
We go out into the fresh air. The second Dornier lands behind us, but we
don't look at it; the panorama of the dead city is spread out before
us! When viewing photos taken at the camp, some skeptics suggested
that there is no city in fact and that the "ruins" are nothing more than a
bizarre creation of nature. Now they are no longer trying to prove
anything, but are standing next to me with their mouths agape.
There is no doubt that this is a small town. The remains of buildings
with preserved doorways and window openings, stairs, black obelisks-
these are the first details that our brain greedily absorbs. What we're
standing on is a flat rock surface. We couldn't tell if it was a carefully
hewn rock outcrop or if it was blocks of stone fitted together with
amazing precision. At the back, you can see a stepped temple that
resembles the Aztec pyramids. Soon, very soon, we'll be climbing up
and down all these ruins; but first we need to set up camp, and that's
what we're going to do.
The camp was set up in one of the structures located next to the
"runway". On the same day, scientists began a systematic survey of the
city. The settlement was divided by fairly wide streets into rectangular
blocks built up with stone houses. Some of the houses had only their
foundations left, while others were almost completely intact. The
runway, which ran through the very center of the city, was apparently
the main street, possibly a place of festivities and solemn ceremonies. It
ended at one end in a stepped pyramid – apparently a huge temple that
bore a striking resemblance to similar Aztec religious buildings. Another
is the remains of a large building that scientists have dubbed the
"palace."
In the square in front of the pyramid stood a long black obelisk covered
with writing and images. Scientists expected to see hieroglyphs, but
apparently those who left the inscriptions had some kind of alphabet,
vaguely resembling runic. Naturally, all the inscriptions were carefully
photographed. At the corners of the square were four sculptures that
looked like Easter Island giants, but were about half the size. Scientists
could not find the entrance to the pyramid, but they climbed to its top
and looked at the panorama of the dead city.
Roughly in the middle, the broad thoroughfare was divided into two
halves by another perpendicular street. It was not so wide, but both ends
of it rested against the rocks. However, the Germans passed through it
only the next day. But I'll give way again to excerpts from Uncle Olaf's
diary:
October 15, 1938. We are moving along a perpendicular street. We
photograph everything more or less interesting. Unfortunately, there are
practically no small items that we can carry with us. Houses from the
center to the outskirts are becoming more simple, without frills. Kuno
says that the best find for us would be a cemetery – there we would find
all the objects of interest to us, and the mortal remains of the local
inhabitants. In the deathly silence, his words sound ominous. Of course,
we didn't find any cemetery, and we don't know where the local
inhabitants buried their dead – maybe under the floor of their own house,
or maybe they burned them at the stake and scattered them to the
wind. As we talk about this, we reach the end of the street. It rests
against the open mouth of the cave, flanked by two stone obelisks. We
carefully photograph inscriptions and drawings. Then we enter the cave
vaults. It's a good place to get ropes and powerful lanterns, but we
decide not to go too far and come back with our gear the next
day. However, a few dozen meters of the way-and we understand that
we will not have to return. The road is blocked by a rock slide. Explore
the floor and walls of the cave. Under your feet – a flat surface with two
narrow shallow grooves. Cart track? It looks like it. Kuno jokes again
that it reminds him of tram tracks. On the walls – an unusual ornament,
intricately intertwined with each other lines. We go out into the fresh
air. We all have the feeling that we are being watched closely. It watches
this dead city from the empty eye sockets of its windows and doors. It
can be scary at night.
Scientists could not determine the age of the dead city – there was no
necessary equipment. According to rough estimates, it could be either
500 or 5 thousand years old. Several pieces of stone were chipped away
from the walls of the houses. The test excavation did not give any
significant results: half a meter from the surface, solid rock soil
began. Weizsacker and his companions knew that a large expedition
must be sent here. A week later, they flew back to Horst Wessel
Base. Bormann listened carefully to their report and ordered the
preparation of a permanent camp at Flughafen.
However, the German researchers were not destined to return to the
mountain valley.

Valhalla
The Antarctic expedition was given the highest priority in the Nazi
leadership, especially after the first successes were outlined. Therefore,
in response to a request to send submarines, Hitler ordered to allocate
not two or three, but as many as five new submarines of the VII
series. They were not introduced into the fleet and received special
onboard numbers - from UA-1 to UA-5. On October 11, 1938, the
submarines left Bremen and set out on a long voyage. To speed up the
transition, the boats went in the surface position. However, in this case,
there was a risk that someone would notice them; but in this case, a
simple and ingenious solution was invented. It was announced that
German submarines were making a "friendship cruise" across the
Atlantic, which was widely advertised. Along the way, the boats stopped
at several harbors, where they replenished their fuel and food
supplies. They moved, of course, under fictitious flight numbers.
After visiting Rio, the submarines headed straight for the coast of
Antarctica, and they were replaced by ordinary naval submarines, which
made a triumphant return journey. In early November, the submarines
arrived at the disposal of Ritscher. He gave them the task of immediately
exploring the area of the warm current. On the first day, one of the
submarines, UA-4, "dived" under the rock. After only 800 meters, she
was able to rise to the surface again. The submarine was located in a
giant cave, which was connected to other caves located in the thickness
of the mountain. The water in some of them was so warm that the sailors
could easily swim.
The current was quite strong in some places. Obviously, these lakes (and
the first studies showed that they were quite deep lakes with fresh water)
were fed by some underground river, or rather even a whole system of
powerful sources. The Germans gradually moved deeper into the lake
system, until at last they found a place where the coast was flat enough
to reach land. On November 14, 1938, the explorers first set foot on the
land of the sub-mountain kingdom, soon christened Valhalla.
Further research was conducted both on land and on water. Very quickly
it became clear that above the underground lakes there is another "tier"
of caves, and completely dry and habitable. And almost immediately, the
sailors came across traces of human presence here – at the entrance to
one of the caves there were two small obelisks covered with inscriptions.
At this point, Weizsacker and his companions, who were already
preparing for a new expedition to the dead city, were hurriedly
transferred to investigate the new find. In early December, together with
a team of professional cavers brought from Germany by transport
planes, they went to explore the caves. In many of them, traces of human
activity were found – reliefs on the walls, obelisks, steps cut into the
rocks... Moving forward, the detachments made a map of the mountain
world, each of the caves was given its own name. As a rule, they were
named after German cities or Nazi leaders. There were many unexpected
finds waiting for the Germans – to quote Uncle Olaf's diary again:
December 20, 1938. We went to a new cave, connected to the already
explored Nuremberg by a wide corridor. The walls of the corridor are
smooth and smooth, giving the impression that they are
artificial. However, it is likely that this is true. We take a few steps – and
instantly freeze: under our feet – not solid rock, but real earth! In a huge
cave, which we immediately christened Darre in honor of the Reich
Minister of Agriculture, someone's careful hands laid a layer of fertile
soil. However, there are almost no plants-the complete absence of
sunlight affects.
In early January, a shaft was discovered at the very end of the cave
system, sloping steeply down. Near the entrance to it stood a stone statue
– a four-legged winged animal with bared fangs. Such sculptures have
never been seen here before. Most of all, the "sphinx" – so the animal
was instantly nicknamed-resembled the winged lions that Assyrian kings
once placed in front of the entrance to their palace, but only very
distantly.
At this point, the Germans were struck by an unexpected outbreak of
flu. About half of the people in the caves went to bed immediately,
including Weizsacker. Submarines brought them on board the
Schlageter. Those who remained, under the guidance of the famous
archaeologist Dr. Bauer, decided to move down the shaft. On January
15, Bauer and his five companions moved forward.
They were expected for a week – despite the fact that Bauer had no more
than four days ' worth of food and water. A rescue party was then sent to
track them down. Since Bauer's party was pulling a thin line, it wasn't
difficult to find them. Indeed, the missing researchers, or rather their
bodies, were found on the first day of the search, only three kilometers
from the entrance to the mine. They were lying close to each other in
bizarre poses. There were expressions of extreme horror on their faces,
but no physical injuries were visible on the corpses.
In February, a second, larger research team was sent to the mine. And
she didn't come back, either. The fishing line that the cavers were
pulling was broken three kilometers from the entrance, where the bodies
of Bauer's group were found. Further exploration of the mine after the
death and disappearance of seventeen people was forbidden; among the
members of the expedition, it was called "cursed".
 New Swabia
Ritscher had no doubt that there was a way out of the cavern system to
the surface. It was necessary to look for it from two sides: "from below"
and "from above". The steep rocky shore did not allow landing directly
opposite the place where the system of underground lakes connected to
the ocean. The Cormorant had to sail along the coast for more than 30
kilometers before it could land a group of polar explorers. Then they had
to cover the same distance along the shore-overcoming steep rocks and
deep crevices. Finally, they were above the place where the karst caves
were located.
What do you think they found there?
A city that resembled the one that was discovered on the Antarctic
Peninsula! True, the victim is much stronger and almost completely
covered with snow. This, by the way, explains the fact that it was not
seen from the air. Polar explorers quickly cleared the main street of the
city, so that now planes could land on it. Here it was decided to create a
second polar station, called "New Germany". The equipment was
quickly unloaded from the ships to the shore.
Along with the other members of the expedition, Weizsacker also
landed, by then completely recovered. He knew exactly what to look for:
the first city had an entrance to an underground tunnel filled with
rocks. You need to look for something like this – it will probably be the
entrance to a system of karst caves.
On the third day of the search, luck finally smiled on the
researchers. The entrance to the tunnel, covered with snow, was
discovered. It took some time to clear the rubble, after which six people
were able to move deeper into the mountain. Olaf Weizsacker wrote in
his diary:
We are slowly moving forward. Everyone is a little uneasy, because we
remember the fate of Bauer's squad very well. Who knows what terrible
secrets this mountain holds? Where will the tunnel take us? However, an
SS officer should not, has no right to be afraid. Encouraging each other
with jokes, we move forward. Sometimes we stop to take a closer look at
the floor and walls of the tunnel. There are two tracks on the floor and
the same unusual geometric pattern on the walls as in the city located
hundreds of kilometers away on the Antarctic Peninsula.
Suddenly, Kuno, who was moving in front, screams, drops the lantern
and jumps back. A ray of light hits us. Terrified, I aim my flashlight at
him, simultaneously pulling the Walther out of its holster. A couple of
dozen meters ahead, the beam of my flashlight picks out human figures
from the darkness. Before I have time to experience the complex gamut
of feelings from meeting the inhabitants of this area, it occurs to me that
the people are wearing the uniform of the German Navy. So we've
finally found the entrance to the cave realm! It's a good thing that no one
started shooting out of fright!
While Weizsacker was searching for a way to the underground lakes,
another group of geologists conducted a thorough survey of the
surrounding mountains. At the same time, an iron ore deposit was found
almost immediately, which, it seems, someone has already tried to
develop. And the expedition's planes began detailed aerial photography
of the area. They also reached the South Pole.
After the war, Ritscher, who was accidentally captured by the British
(the ship on which he was sailing hit a mine, and the captain was among
the few survivors picked up by a British destroyer), was forced to tell
about the expedition. He knew perfectly well that it would be impossible
to silence a project of this magnitude, and he tried to present everything
exclusively as a banal Antarctic expedition. However, he did let
something slip – in particular, about the purpose of his aviation
flights. In his testimony, Ritscher wrote::
I have completed the mission assigned to me by Marshal Goering. For
the first time, German aircraft flew over the Antarctic continent. In
extremely difficult conditions, they landed near the South Pole and
hoisted the Reich flag. Every twenty-five kilometers, our planes dropped
swastika pennants and thus marked the flight boundaries. We have
covered an area of approximately 600,000 square kilometers. Of these,
350,000 square kilometers were photographed, and as a result, we have a
detailed map of the area.
Why were pennants dropped, which were immediately covered with
snow? Obviously, to mark the state border. The Antarctic expedition
was discussed at a meeting with the Fuhrer in mid-January. After
hearing from Hess and Bormann, who had already returned to Germany,
a report on the progress achieved, Hitler was delighted and ordered the
creation of a colony of the Third Reich on Antarctic land. Immediately,
a name was coined for it – New Swabia.
In April 1939, Ritscher returned to her homeland with three of her four
ships. In New Swabia, he left an aircraft carrier that explored the coast,
all five submarines, and two polar stations. The captain intended to
return to the Ice Continent in the very near future. His plans were not
destined to be realized – the Second World War broke out in Europe.

Chapter 3. The Fuhrer's Ice Bunker

In the summer of 1945, the whole of Argentina was shocked by the
unusual news: two Nazi submarines entered the port of Mar del Plata in
broad daylight. Red, white, and black Nazi flags fluttered above both of
them. Before anyone in the port could come to their senses and take
action (Argentina was formally one of the countries of the anti-Hitler
coalition), the flags were lowered. U-530 and U-977 surrendered to the
authorities.
The U – boat captains, Otto Vermauth and Heinz Schaeffer, were
immediately questioned. They both said the same thing: the submarines
came from defeated Germany. However, there was something that made
one doubt the truth of their words. The fact is that the last time these
submarines visited German ports was back in January 1945; of course,
they did not have any fuel or food for almost a six-month
voyage. However, quite quickly the story was hushed up. Submarines
were quietly introduced to the Argentine navy, and the crews were
interrogated behind closed doors.
There were two other things that alerted me to the whole story. First,
both submarines belonged to the so – called Series IX-the most massive,
but far from the newest in the German Navy at the time of the end of
hostilities. At the same time, both were already quite shabby and
required a thorough repair. Secondly, the crews of both boats were
incomplete. Rather, each of the submarines had exactly the number of
people needed to be able to move on its own at sea. Of the two teams, it
would have been difficult to put together one that was required by the
state.
Some historians justify this by saying that some of the sailors refused to
go to the Argentine port. And where on earth did they go, considering
that at the time of the German surrender, the boats were on the high
seas? Jumped overboard and swam to the nearest continent? Or were
they eaten by starving comrades? Then indeed the lack of mass hunger
among the teams is easily explained!
Discarding the absurd versions, I decided to try to establish the
truth. However, first we had to try to find the crew members of these
submarines, or at least their descendants. It is known that after
internment, most of them decided to stay in Argentina. We Argentinean
Germans form a kind of fraternity, so it's easier to find out information
about each other than it might seem. Now I'm on my way to Las Eras,
Patagonia, where Adam Schaeffer, the son of one of the two captains,
lives.
Adam is a little older than me – he was born right after the war in
Germany, and only in 1948, together with his mother, managed to leave
for Argentina, to live with his father. Adam tells me briefly about it – he
spent the rest of his life in Argentina, working for an insurance company
that specialized in shipping insurance. Repeatedly engaged by the
government as a consultant on naval issues. Schaeffer's colleagues noted
one of his amazing qualities – he could refuse to insure a particular ship
without explanation. As a rule, after that the ship was doomed – some
misfortune happened to it. Most often, he just went missing. Schaeffer
himself, in response to questions from colleagues, spoke about his gift of
foresight.
He told his son the same thing. When asked to tell him something from
the war's past, my father would talk for hours about the camaraderie that
prevailed among the U-boat's crew, the deadly risks associated with
attacking large American convoys, and the successful sinking of the
three ships that his boat had owned… He spoke little and sparingly
about his last campaign, except that he had sailed to Argentina because
he did not want to suffer the humiliation of the victors in his defeated
country.
This is how modern researchers explain the motives of those captains
who broke through to South America after the defeat of
Germany. Unwillingness to surrender to the enemy, the desire to swim
to friendly shores. However, what kind of "friendly shores" could we be
talking about? Both Brazil and Argentina were part of the anti-Hitler
coalition. Of course, surrendering to the Argentines is not the same as
surrendering to the British or the Russians, but the essence of this does
not change. Nevertheless, during the spring and autumn of 1945, 7
German submarines surrendered in Latin American ports. Another one
was discovered two years later in a secluded bay-it was abandoned by
the crew.
Meanwhile, the number of submarines that were missed by the winners
after the German surrender is much larger and is approaching 100
units. First of all, these were the newest submarines of the XXI and
XXII series. It is generally assumed that all of them were flooded by
their crews. Is it so? Of course, after the defeat, the sailors could sink
part of the fleet so that it would not get to the enemy. However, no one
has ever seen the sailors from these self-submerged submarines. It
remains to be assumed that the crews chose to stay on board their
submarines, but such a mass suicide is simply implausible.
A submarine isn't a needle in a haystack, it can't get lost. So, at the time
of the German surrender, more than a hundred submarines weighed
anchor and moved in an unknown direction. Where to? South to
Antarctica, obviously…

Secret meeting
Historians can hardly tell you anything about the meeting with Hitler on
April 21, 1939. Simply because this event, which took place the day
after the Fuhrer's anniversary, was held in the strictest secrecy. It was
only with great difficulty that I found information about him myself –
and then only because I knew exactly what I wanted to find.
It is quite obvious that the expedition, organized on such a large scale
and crowned with a very serious success, could not but be discussed by
Hitler. Apparently, this should have happened immediately after the
return of Bormann and Ritscher to their homeland – and the Cormoran
entered the port of Bremen on April 18. Two other vessels had separated
from it in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, and each had taken a
separate route to its home shores, so as not to arouse undue suspicion.
Hitler's meeting schedule is fairly well known, and so is their
agenda. However, not a single meeting of the second half of April 1939
in any way touched upon the question of Antarctica. I studied the
schedule in more detail – and was struck by the absence of the morning
meeting on April 21. Maybe this is due to the anniversary celebrated the
day before? But Hitler, as you know, was an absolute teetotaler. At the
same time, the Fuhrer never changed his habit of holding morning
meetings. What made him do it on April 21?
Maybe some other, more important event was scheduled for this
time? But I couldn't find any traces of such an event. Yes, Hitler had a
meeting scheduled for 15: 00 with representatives of the business
community, but until then nothing serious was expected. One thing
remained to be assumed: the meeting did take place, but its agenda was
so secret that it was impossible to disclose it. What else could we be
talking about, other than an Antarctic expedition? Just to be sure, I
checked where Bormann, Hess, and Ritscher were at that moment. It
turned out that in the morning hours of April 21, all of them were in
Berlin and were not seen in any extraneous affairs.
It was only some time later that I accidentally came across a fragment of
the minutes of this meeting. The meeting was so secret that there were
no secretaries or stenographers present; Hess wrote down everything that
happened personally. In addition to him, Bormann, Ritscher, the
commander of the Reich's U-boat fleet, Doenitz, and, of course, Hitler
himself took part in the meeting. It was about further prospects for the
development of the Ice Continent. I would like to quote this document.
Dennitz. I don't think we should send an entire submarine fleet
there. The Reich still has very few submarines, and by allocating too
many ships to Project A, we are seriously jeopardizing our defenses in
the event of a European war. I tell you with all my responsibility that if
the Neptunia does not start working for our submarine fleet, I will not be
able to interrupt Britain's Atlantic communications.
Hess. There are things more important than transatlantic
communications. Donitz, it's time for you to stop thinking in mundane
terms. It is precisely because of this mindset that Germany lost the last
war. Today we are on the threshold of contact with a previously
unknown civilization, which, apparently, significantly surpasses us in
terms of technological development. If we can put its technology at our
service, we will win any war.
Hitler. Captain Ritscher, give me your opinion."
Ritscher. I dare say, my Fuehrer, that I fully share the views of
Parteigenosse Hess. The results of the expedition were
staggering. Contrary to popular beliefs, Antarctica is quite habitable, and
we can turn it into our colony. I think Parteigenosse Bormann will agree
with me.
Bormann. He nods his head.
Donitz. My Fuhrer, I don't understand why we need colonies on the
other side of the globe, in a permafrost country. In my opinion, Africa or
Russia will suit much better.
Hitler. Mr. Admiral, you absolutely refuse to understand the essence of
our undertaking. Antarctica is not just a piece of rock covered in
ice. This is the ancestral homeland of humanity. I am, of course,
referring to true humanity, the Aryan race. Apparently, Herr Gott is
right, and the descendants of Aryans, whose blood did not survive
mixing with the lower races, still inhabit this seemingly lifeless land. Of
course, there is little glory for us in being forced to admit that we are
bastards, the fruits of a mixture of races in comparison with these perfect
superhumans. But how much deeper will our shame be if our enemies –
the British, Americans, or Russians-are the first to contact the Aryans! It
gives me the creeps just to think about it! And to avoid such a disgrace, I
am ready to go to any lengths. If you need to send ten boats, I will send
ten boats. If you need to send twenty boats, I'll send twenty boats. If you
need to send thirty boats, I will send thirty boats! If necessary, I will
send the entire Reich U-boat fleet to Antarctica! Do you hear that,
Doenitz? All of it!!!
Donitz. As you say, my Fuhrer.
Hitler. My generals and admirals have never been able to appreciate the
scope of my projects. They always grumbled. They grumbled when I
tore up the shameful peace of Versailles, when I returned troops to the
Rhineland, when I restored Austria and the Sudetenland to the
Reich. And it was always me who was right, not them! I order you to
prepare a larger expedition by the fall of this year. Explore the entire
Antarctic Peninsula, as well as the territories to the east, west and south
of it. Contact the Argentine government and ask for a base in Tierra del
Fuego. Project A continues to be led by Parteigenosse Hess.
Hess. It will be done, my Fuhrer!
Hitler. Doenitz, I order you to engage naval intelligence on a critical
mission. We need to know everything – I emphasize: everything! -
enemy plans concerning Antarctica. We don't want any uninvited guests.
Unfortunately, the excerpt that came to my hands does not contain the
minutes of the initial part of the meeting, where Ritscher apparently
reported on the progress and results of the expedition. I think a lot of
interesting information could be gleaned from there. However, the
fragment I got allowed me to draw very interesting conclusions. It turns
out that Hitler planned to continue colonizing the Ice Continent, and
counting, first of all, on meeting with its indigenous inhabitants. Despite
the fact that so far these attempts had failed - whether Weber was right
and they had long since died out, or whether they simply did not want to
make contact – the Fuhrer knew perfectly well that whoever first gained
access to the secrets of an unknown civilization would have a powerful
trump card in the struggle for world domination. Hitler did not even
think about the possibility that the Antarctic might not play by his rules:
such a question was unusual for him.
Work on preparing the expedition began to boil over. In the summer, a
transport ship was sent to Antarctica, delivering food, fuel and
equipment to the remaining German polar explorers. But life made its
own adjustments to Hess's plans: in September 1939, the Second World
War began. The Atlantic was dominated by the British, and the great
expedition had to be postponed indefinitely.

Mysterious series
To be honest, at first I thought that all the Nazi attempts to establish their
own colony in Antarctica ended there – at least until 1945, when they
rushed there simply out of desperation. Indeed, how was it possible to
supply two fairly large polar stations, if the country was actually in a
strict naval blockade? The only thing that was alarming was that I didn't
see any signs of evacuation of polar explorers from Antarctic
stations. Indeed, it is difficult to assume that several hundred people
were abandoned to their fate and died without leaving a trace.
However, why not? Hitler's regime was never particularly sentimental,
and the willingness to sacrifice was presented as the highest virtue. The
tracks may well have been noticed by those who arrived in Antarctica
after the war… No, it was all too complicated and improbable.
At that moment, the book "The Submarine Fleet of the Third Reich" fell
into my hands. I looked it up, hoping to get some information about the
Neptunia shipyard. However, I found something completely different,
however, no less useful for the course of my research. This treasure was
hidden in the "Unrealized projects" section. Turning the next page, I first
decided that my vision was deceiving me: the picture showed a typical
nuclear-powered cruiser of the late twentieth century! However, after
reading the text, I realized that the submarine depicted has nothing to do
with missile submarines. It was about the project of a large underwater
transport capable of transporting hundreds of tons of cargo over long
distances. In particular, it stated the following:
The project of underwater transport was developed by German
shipbuilding firms starting in 1938, when it became clear that a world
war was looming on the horizon. It was quite obvious that with the
outbreak of hostilities, the country would be in a naval blockade and cut
off from many types of scarce strategic raw materials. The Navy
leadership was well aware that it would be difficult for surface ships to
break through the British blockade, and planned to use submarines for
this purpose. By the summer of 1939, working drawings of the
submarine transport code-named UF (Unterwasserboot-Frachtschiff)
were ready. However, for a number of reasons, in particular due to a
lack of production capacity, the project was never implemented.
I doubted the latter very much. If a ship is really needed, it is built, and
no lack of capacity is a hindrance here. However, who says that no such
submarine was built? It is logical to assume that the limited edition was
released after all. True, not for the delivery of strategic materials to the
Reich, but for regular communication with Antarctica. And then it
dawned on me: I had already seen the letter code UF in some document
from my father's archive!
Half an hour later, I have a yellowed piece of paper in my hands,
obviously torn out of some notebook. On it is written in a large
handwriting I don't recognize:

Composition of Submarine Squadron A:

Location: Heligoland Island, Valhalla.
On 1 January 1940: VII-7, UF-2.
On January 1, 1942: VII-6, IX-4, UF-12.
On January 1, 1944: VII-4, IX-8, XIV-10, UF-25.
On March 1, 1945: VII-5, IX-14, XIV-12, UF-32.
For people who are not experts in naval history, I will explain: Roman
numerals are types of submarines. VII and IX are ocean-going
submarines designed to attack surface ships with torpedoes. The XIV
series is an underwater tanker; the UF, as we now know, is an
underwater transport. Note that the number of transport ships in
Squadron A significantly exceeded the number of combat ships
throughout almost the entire war. Consequently, Squadron A was
created for purely transport purposes. The route was obviously
determined once and for all: from Heligoland, a small rocky island in the
North Sea, one of the main bases of the German Navy, to the karst caves
under the Antarctic mountains, where the Valhalla base was located.
But why didn't anyone see these boats? – you may ask. The fact is that
no one really looked for them. The transport submarines went their own
way, trying not to attract much attention to themselves and not
interfering with the fighting taking place on the surface. In addition,
there was a special "distracting" group of submarines, called the
"Fuhrer's personal convoy". It was they who carried out active
operations in the southern Atlantic, attracted the attention of anti-
submarine ships and regularly died under their blows.
There are many legends associated with this "personal convoy". It
continues to play its distracting role today, diverting researchers '
attention away from Squadron A. For several decades now, historians
and ordinary enthusiasts have been trying to prove that some secret
cargo and passengers were transported to South America on the convoy
submarines. True, what kind of cargo they were, where exactly and why
they were delivered, and, most importantly, how much cargo could be
transported on the most ordinary combat boats – history is
silent. Supporters of the mysterious mission of the "Fuhrer's personal
convoy" operate with a simple argument: if there is a lot of evidence of
secret manipulations with these submarines, then something is
wrong! They do not understand the simple fact that the existence of such
evidence confirms that the "personal convoy" is nothing more than a
fake. Because professionals don't leave any traces.
Well, or almost do not leave. Because giant submarines have been
spotted several times from reconnaissance planes. Then these reports
were not given any importance: you never know what the most ordinary
submarine might look like in the eyes of a tired pilot? It's good if he
doesn't even see the sea serpent! Once it was reported that such a
submarine was sunk by a US destroyer that got in its way –
however,since the submarine is not a fish that pops up belly up, it was
not possible to check anything.
I now know that the giant UF - series submarines actually existed and
made regular voyages between Antarctica and Germany throughout the
Second World War. Moreover, the volume of traffic was quite large-
otherwise, why build and use a whole fleet of huge underwater
transports in conditions when the most ordinary submarines were sorely
lacking?
What did the Nazi leaders create on the Ice Continent?

In search of Antarctica
So, the Antarctic bases were not evacuated, but rather developed quite
actively. The number of personnel stationed on them increased from
several hundred in the spring of 1939 to two thousand in the spring of
1941. Several fishing boats were sent to the Antarctic coast to help
provide food to the" population " of New Swabia. Several other similar
ships were captured by German raiders operating in those waters.
Perhaps the most famous of the latter is the auxiliary cruiser Penguin,
converted from a conventional cargo ship. Armed with fairly powerful
artillery, this ship operated in the South Atlantic in 1940-1941. To be
honest, I always wondered why the Germans sent their " corsairs "to this
area, and not to the much more promising sea routes in the North
Atlantic from the point of view of possible" production". Historians
usually explain this by saying that these waters were dominated by the
British fleet, which did not cost anything to overflow all the auxiliary
cruisers. However, it is well known that in those years the system of
convoys had not yet been formed, transport vessels moved singly, and
the range of aircraft to control the sea was also not enough. This, by the
way, allowed German submariners to act with complete impunity and
sink an unimaginable number of enemy ships. The auxiliary cruisers, in
fact, would have enjoyed a good hunt, too.
There can only be one explanation for this strange behavior: the raiders
were supposed to protect the Antarctic bases from possible intruders. It
was not by chance that the ships that came closest to the Icy Mainland
went to the bottom. Among them, by the way, there were two research
ships – one French and one Australian. In early 1941, the Penguin
intercepted a whole flotilla of Norwegian whalers-this fact can be read in
all books. History, however, is silent about what the Germans did with
these ships. Dragging them across the Atlantic under a naval blockade
would be downright stupid, and their destruction is not mentioned
anywhere. Therefore, it remains to be assumed that these vessels also
took a very active part in providing New Swabia with food.
Obviously, caves with fertile soil were also used. At the very least,
several miniature hydroelectric power plants were quickly installed
there, which provided the entire cave system and the polar station
located above them with electricity. The equipment was manufactured in
1940 by the company "Siemens" - this is evidenced by the company's
documentation; the order was long-term and paid in double the
amount. Immediately after manufacturing, the power plant parts
disappeared in an unknown direction. Where, if not in New Swabia, did
the Nazis send them?
However, all this is nothing more than speculation, although very close
to the truth. I have very little evidence about New Swabia during the
first years of the World War. Uncle Olaf left in 1939 with the main part
of the Ritscher expedition and did not return until 1945, after the defeat
of Germany.
The only thing he clearly knew was that in 1940, the richest deposits of
rare earth metals were discovered on the territory of Ellsworth
Land. From that moment on, New Swabia ceased to be an exceptionally
expensive project for Germany and began to bring tangible
benefits. Parties of geologists explored every square kilometer of the
mountains, suffering incredible hardships, and found a lot of
minerals. To say that the entire Periodic Table was found in the land of
New Swabia would be an exaggeration, but not too much. Perhaps,
already at this time, oil reserves were discovered on the coastal shelf.
By the way, the situation with rare earth metals in Germany still
surprises many historians. This strategic raw material was absolutely
necessary in order to produce modern weapons – in particular, tanks and
ships. The Reich did not have its own deposits, and the reserves
accumulated by 1939 should have been sufficient for a maximum of two
years. This is largely why the military relied on "blitzkrieg" – a lightning
war. However, they failed to implement their plan. By all accounts,
German tank production was supposed to stop completely in the summer
of 1941. However, this did not happen! What happened? They talked
about supplies from Russia, from neutral countries via Spain, and from
distant Japan. But all this, with rare exceptions, was not
documented. Where did the Germans get the most important raw
materials? The answer is obvious: from the Ice Continent!
However, rare earth metals, despite all their importance, were far from
the first place in the list of priorities of the Nazi leadership. The main
goal that Hitler set for polar explorers was to establish contacts with the
mysterious Antarctic. And no one doubted their existence: the colonists
had many times witnessed strange and mysterious phenomena, for which
there was simply no reasonable explanation.
In 1939-1941, two more abandoned cities were found. They also had
entrances to underground caves littered with rock fragments. It was not
possible to break through the stone "traffic jams". At the end of 1939,
Gott personally arrived in Antarctica by submarine, who dreamed that
the honor of being the first to talk with "true Aryans"would go to him.
By this time, Gott had developed a new, refined theory about the
Antarctic. As the continent shifted to the pole and became colder, the
scientist wrote, the indigenous people were looking for warmer
places. Such "oases" were located mainly around active volcanoes,
which were numerous several thousand years ago. It was there that the
same cities appeared, the ruins of which were discovered by the
Germans. However, life in the vicinity of volcanoes was, as you
understand, unsafe; apparently, not one city suffered the fate of the
legendary Pompeii. Antarctica faced a seemingly unsolvable problem: if
you move cities away from volcanoes, people froze, if you move them
closer, they suffered from eruptions. But the locals found, as befits true
Aryans, a simple and ingenious way out: to escape from volcanoes, they
decided to hide in their thickness! Perhaps at first special "rock cities"
were built, but then the Antarctic discovered a system of karst caves,
which turned out to be much more suitable. Gott had no doubt that such
caves permeated the entire coastal zone of Antarctica, and possibly the
entire continent. It is there, in the underground world, that the powerful
state of Antarctica is located, constantly monitoring the people
swarming on the surface.
How do I get in touch with them? Gott's approach was quite
responsible. He drew up a "single message" that should have been
understandable to any intelligent being-even an alien. Since the runic
inscriptions in the abandoned cities could not be deciphered – there were
too few of them - we had to make do with simple pictographs
advertising the German Reich, expressing respect and
friendliness. Unfortunately, I did not get a single sample of such a
message, so I find it difficult to say anything in more detail.
Gott had several drilling rigs at his disposal. He used them to search for
Antarctica. To begin with, several wells were made in the area of the
abandoned city; if the drill ran into underground voids, a container with
a "single message" was immediately thrown there. It took him several
months to do this, and then Gott realized that he would not succeed in
this way. The protests of geologists, who had their own views on drilling
rigs, also played a role.
Gott then decided to re-examine the path that Bauer's expedition had
once tried to follow. But he didn't want to put his head in the lion's
mouth. A special device was built – a kind of robot that can move
independently, equipped with a TV camera and controlled by wires. It
was he who was launched into the "cursed mine", equipped with, among
other things, a container with the notorious "single message".
The robot drove exactly three kilometers on a smooth surface. The
researchers, who were waiting, didn't see anything special on the screen
– only the dark mouth of the corridor, torn apart by a weak beam of
light, and the stone walls. Once or twice, in the darkness ahead, they
thought they saw movement, but that was all. And then the image
suddenly disappeared. At the same time, the drum on which the wire
was wound stopped rotating. After waiting for a while, they began to
turn it in the opposite direction. A few minutes later, the end of the wire
appeared – it was simply torn out of the robot. No one dared to go to the
"cursed mine" to try to find the missing mechanism.
This, as far as I know, was the end of attempts to establish contact with
the Antarctic. In a letter to Weizsacker, which Gott sent in March 1941
(it was from him that I learned all the events described above), the
scientist wrote::
Ultimately, we will have to accept the fact that the Antarctic doesn't
want to make contact with us for some reason. I understand that this will
not be the most happy news for our Fuhrer, but it seems that we will
have to be patient. We are dealing with a civilization that is far superior
to us in its development and will choose the moment that it deems
appropriate for the first contact. All we can do is wait.
Olaf Weizsacker, however, had a different version of the story. The
young scientist believed that perhaps the aborigines still died out some
time ago, but the technique they left behind continues to work. What the
researchers had to face in the "cursed mine" is nothing more than an
ancient trap, the principle of which is still unclear, just as the mouse
does not understand the principle of the mousetrap. As you can see, it
was impossible to confirm or refute this version.
Meanwhile, the polar explorers faced other equally important tasks…

The Last Flight of Rudolf Hess

On May 10, 1941, a twin-engine Messerschmitt 110 fighter took off
from Augsburg airfield. According to the official version, it was
occupied by the Deputy Fuhrer, Nazi No. 3 Rudolf Hess. He went to
Great Britain on his own initiative to establish contact with the country's
ruling elite and ensure Anglo-British peace. The mission failed. Hitler,
who knew nothing about flying, was furious. After the war, Hess was
tried at the Nuremberg Tribunal…
I have already mentioned the weaknesses of this version before. First,
the idea that Hess, who was as loyal to Hitler as a lap dog to its owner,
could have taken such a bold and self-willed step is
absurd! Eyewitnesses from Hitler's entourage of those years said that
Hess completely subordinated his will to the will of the beloved
Fuhrer. Accordingly, we must at least assume that Hitler's consent to the
flight was obtained. This is what most sane historians assume.
Everything would have fallen into place, but here's the problem: a
photograph of the Messerschmitt, on which Hess flew away, at the start
from the Augsburg airfield, has been preserved. Meticulous researchers
have long noted that for some reason there are no fuel tanks on it,
without which the plane simply would not have reached the British
Isles! At the same time, on the copy that arrived in England, these tanks
were. Therefore, we are talking about two different planes.
Moreover, on the fighter taking off from Augsburg, the tail number is
clearly distinguishable. I matched it to the factory number of this
aircraft, which was relatively easy to set up. The factory number is given
to each car back at the factory, and the onboard number is given directly
to the military unit or other institution. Thus, during the" life " of the
aircraft, its tail number can change as many times as you like, but the
factory number will remain the same. Having clarified it, I then carried
out quite painstaking work, which was soon rewarded: it turned out that
the plane with this tail number was shot down in November 1941 by the
Russians near Moscow! That is, the fighter that took off from Augsburg
remained in Germany!
Maybe it wasn't Hess in the cab. But the landing of Nazi No. 3 in the
Messerschmitt 110 was seen by dozens of people! Where did he
go? Judging by the radar readings, the fighter crossed the coastline and
continued flying over the North Sea. After that, he actually had only one
landing site left: on the island of Heligoland. It was from there, as we
remember, that giant transport submarines were sent to Antarctica.
So, the events of May 10, 1941, allowed Hitler to kill several birds with
one stone. First, the departure of one of the representatives of the Nazi
elite to Antarctica was successfully hidden. Secondly, an attempt was
made to negotiate with Britain through the double of Hess. Hitler's fault
for its failure is minimal.
Well, it would seem that everything is clear. But a new question arises:
what was so valuable about Antarctica that Hess was sent there
personally? Previously, they seemed to be able to cope without top party
officials. Did Gott manage to make contact with the Antarctic after all?
Here we leave the ground of real facts and enter the realm of
guesswork. Indeed, Hess's urgent referral to Antarctica is most easily
explained by such a reason. Let's not forget that Hess was one of the
students of Haushofer, a well-known geopolitician and mystic who also
supported Gott's theories.
However, maybe I put the cart in front of the horse? Perhaps Hess was
sent to Antarctica for this purpose, so that with the help of occult,
mystical practices he could do something that did not work out with
conventional methods? This is more likely to be true, since I did not find
any traces of contact with the Antarctic before 1945, and I did not find
any effective contact. And we can be sure that if the Nazis had made
such contact, they would have advertised it all over the world.
Be that as it may, since 1941 Valhalla has become increasingly
important for Germany. Hitler hoped for a "lightning war", but life
overturned all his calculations. The country was embroiled in a long
European carnage for which it was not prepared. And Antarctica, with
its rare-earth metals, could not have been more welcome here.
There is also some evidence that even as early as 1941, the most
visionary members of the Reich's elite understood that the war could end
in a severe catastrophe. In this case, it was necessary to prepare a
springboard for retreat. In this scenario, what could be better than
unknown karst caves on the ice continent?!
So it was not for nothing that Rudolf Hess found himself in Antarctica in
the spring of 1941.…

Drown them all!

However, Antarctica is Antarctica, and it was necessary to use Valhalla
for military purposes. Especially after the United States and many South
American states (in particular, Brazil) entered the war on the side of
England in 1941-1942. The submarines that were part of Squadron A
received a new task: to strike at enemy merchant shipping. However,
only a limited number of submarines were involved in this operation, so
as not to attract too much attention to the Antarctic bases. Each of them
received a "fake" number, thus creating considerable confusion in the
minds and writings of military historians. After all, it turns out that this
or that boat, which sank a dozen enemy ships in the waters of the South
Atlantic, never appeared in Germany! Historians have sinned on the
sloppy maintenance of documentation, on the incompleteness of
archives… And no one thought of the simplest solution: submarines
with such numbers never appeared in Germany, because ... they really
did not appear there!
In 1941, even before the United States entered the war, the small
American transport General Pershing skirted South America, following
the Drake Strait. He was caught in a heavy storm, and the ship's
navigation equipment failed. As a result, the transport diverted strongly
to the south, reaching the west coast of the Antarctic coast. The captain
of the ship tells about what happened next in his memoirs, which he
dictated 30 years ago to a Chicago journalist.:
Moving north-north-east along the coast of the peninsula, we noticed a
submarine moving on the opposite course. The first reaction of the crew
was surprise, only then someone thought to pick up a camera and take a
few pictures. Finally, a transport was spotted from the submarine. The
submarine immediately turned around and approached the
Pershing. Men in German navy uniforms were pouring out onto the
deck. It took me a moment to realize that they were going to open fire
with a cannon. The Pershing is a fast enough ship, so I ordered an
immediate increase in speed. The first shot rang out; fortunately, the
Germans were not hit. I didn't feel afraid, but I felt like I was dreaming
and about to wake up. Soon we managed to hide behind a high iceberg,
risking every second to cut through the bottom, and then completely lose
our pursuers. We traveled the rest of the way through fog and low
clouds. Several times we heard the sound of an airplane engine above us
– however, where the planes could have come from here, we did not
even imagine. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the
shores of Tierra del Fuego on the horizon.
The Pershing had escaped by pure chance: the captain of the Nazi U-
boat had obviously used up all his torpedoes, and he couldn't compete
with the speed of a fast transport. Low cloud cover saved the Americans
from the planes that were looking for them. I think that all available
resources were devoted to the search for the lost transport that passed
dangerously close to the Horst Wessel base. If the weather was clear, the
Americans could easily see the huge Nazi polar station, but this would
be the last thing they saw in their lives.
The data received from the captain of the Pershing caused quite a stir
among the Americans. German submarines and planes in Antarctica
were a threat to be reckoned with. True, the leadership of the US Navy
sincerely believed that we were talking about several reconnaissance
airplanes and a couple of submarines serving a small weather
station. Nevertheless, very significant forces were allocated for the raid
on the Antarctic Peninsula: the battleships " Oklahoma "and" Nebraska",
as well as the aircraft carrier"Saratoga". It seems that the Americans set
the squadron some other tasks unknown to us – otherwise the allocation
of such a large force is not justified by anything. On November 14,
1941, a secret order was issued to prepare for the expedition, which was
to begin in January 1942. However, history has judged otherwise. On
December 7, 1941, Japanese carrier-based aircraft launched a powerful
attack on the Pearl Harbor Naval base. A few hours later, the Oklahoma
and Nebraska were reduced to piles of twisted iron, as were six other
battleships, and the remnants of the American Pacific Fleet had other
tasks than searching for Nazi polar stations. The expedition was
postponed for a full five years. However, let's not get ahead of
ourselves…
Submarines operating from Antarctica caused huge damage to Allied
shipping. According to the most conservative estimates, they sank about
a hundred ships, including several very valuable tankers with a cargo of
crude oil. Valhalla was doing Germany more and more good…
 When the Reich began to collapse
Many Germans believed in a German victory until the spring of
1945. True, the most knowledgeable and far-sighted had a premonition
of defeat since the Battle of Stalingrad in the winter of 1942-1943,
where the Russians inflicted the Wehrmacht's heaviest losses in its entire
history. Some of the smartest thought that Hitler had doomed himself to
defeat when he invaded Russia in June 1941.
We don't know which category Martin Bormann belonged to. Not the
first one, anyway. A clever and cynical pragmatist, he sensed it coming
long before the final collapse. It is to him, it seems, that the Antarctic
base owes the fact that it survived the collapse of the Third Reich.
Bormann was born in 1900 in the family of a sergeant in a cavalry
regiment. He did not receive a normal education and went to work in
agriculture. At the end of the First World War, he spent some time at the
front, and after the defeat of Germany, he returned to his favorite fields
and pastures with pleasure. However, he still had some useful contacts in
the army, and soon former colleagues began to actively involve Martin
in nationalist groups. As a member of the volunteer corps, Martin took
part in the fight against communists in the Baltic republics. Since then,
he was not destined to finally return "to earth". He actively participates
in the activities of right-wing radical organizations, including in power
actions, for which he was jailed in 1924. Not for long, though. Soon
Bormann is already one of the most active members of the NSDAP,
skillfully building his career. In 1929, he marries the daughter of a major
Nazi functionary and thereby eases his way to the top.
In 1934, Bormann became Reichsleiter – "leader of the Reich". He
conducts all party affairs, manages the finances of the NSDAP. Martin
had two qualities: ability to intrigue and fight underhand and developed
intelligence. This combination allowed him to work his way into Hitler's
inner circle. In 1938, he participated in the Antarctic expedition, which
he considers the most promising project. The calculation turns out to be
correct – after his return, Bormann becomes the closest associate of the
Fuhrer. In 1941, immediately after Hess's flight, Reichsleiter was
appointed Hitler's deputy for the Party and head of the Party
Chancellery. Immense power is concentrated in his hands. In 1943, the
"gray cardinal", as both friends and enemies called him behind his back,
became the Fuhrer's personal secretary. A small, squat man in an official
uniform, with a perpetual briefcase under his arm, becomes one of the
most powerful leaders of the Reich. He used this power to his own
advantage.
Bormann was almost the exact opposite of Hess – an idealist and
mystic. The two men clearly disliked each other. A materialist to the
roots of his hair, Bormann secretly laughed at occult practices and
attempts to establish contact with the Antarctic. However, the two Nazi
leaders had one common interest: the development of an Antarctic
base. Hess-because he saw it as an "embassy" in the country of true
Aryans, Bormann-because he wanted to make it his refuge in the event
of a German defeat.
It was Bormann who insisted that Gott's drilling rigs be taken away and
turned over to geologists. In his report to the Fuhrer, he justified this as
follows::
If we want to ensure the survival of a base tens of thousands of
kilometers away from Berlin, we need to make it autonomous. We can't
afford to write out every cog and needle from Germany. Transport
submarines are already operating at maximum voltage. By setting up our
own metallurgical and machine – building industry in Antarctica-and
there are all the necessary resources for this-we could make life much
easier for the Reich's enterprises.
However, it took me a long time to get to this note. At first, a strange
fact caught my attention – a dispute between the Soviet and British
occupation administrations in August 1945, concerning a small but very
important enterprise. It was an electrical engineering firm that produced
the latest aircraft radars. Initially, it was located in central Germany, but
then, after the start of massive American bombing, it was forced to
evacuate to Saxony and settle down in a mountainous area. Accordingly,
after the surrender of Germany, the plant was to be in the Soviet
occupation zone, which the Russians really wanted. However, it was not
found in Saxony; the documents found showed that, by Bormann's
personal order, all production had already been curtailed in March and
sent to the North Sea coast. The Russians demanded that the British
return the plant, but they fought back, saying that there was nothing like
this in their occupation zone. Given that at that time relations between
the allies were still far from a crisis and the British would hardly have
quarreled over one factory, it can be assumed that there really was no
such company in their area of responsibility. Then where did it go?
After digging through the archives, I found several more such
enterprises that have sunk into obscurity. In the confusion that prevailed
in Germany for a couple of months before and after the defeat, their loss
could easily be explained: they died during the bombing, ended up in
different places and ceased to exist during the evacuation, and so
on. Several circumstances seemed strange to me. First, all these
enterprises were relatively small in size, but produced important high-
tech products. Secondly, they had almost no large, bulky equipment such
as blast furnaces and rolling mills. In other words, any such plant could
be loaded onto several transport submarines and sent anywhere.
And finally, the final piece of evidence: I found completely identical
information about some of the missing factories. All of them were
evacuated by personal order of Martin Bormann in January-April 1945
to the north of the country. Evidently, their next move was across the
Atlantic Ocean to the land of eternal ice. In addition, by order of
Bormann at the end of 1944, the number of UF series boats under
construction was sharply increased, of which, according to some
sources, at the time of the surrender of the Reich there were already
about fifty.
Directly in Antarctica, the construction of the base was carried out by
Heinrich Kramer, a trusted representative of the all-powerful
Reichsleiter. Born in 1902 into the family of a schoolteacher, Kramer
was a fanatical anti-Semite and a man of extreme nationalist views. He
did not have a chance to participate in the First World War (although he
once tried to escape to the front), but he managed to fight with the
"Reds" as part of the volunteer corps in the Baltic States. In fact, it was
there that fate brought him together with Bormann, who soon became
his close friend. Kramer joined the NSDAP even earlier than Martin, and
soon became one of the most active fighters of the Nazi assault
detachments – the famous SA. In 1923, during the so – called "beer hall
putsch" – Hitler's attempt to seize power-Kramer was walking in a Nazi
convoy and was wounded when police opened fire. A couple of years
later, he became a "hero" of street fights with communists, in which he
lost an eye. Since then, he has been known as " one-eyed Kramer." In
1929, he joined the ranks of the "black corps" of the SS. "One-eyed
Kramer" had very stable connections with specialists of the Institute
"Heritage of Ancestors"; at one time it was rumored that he would soon
join the Ahnenerbe, but this was not to be the case – Himmler, who did
not particularly like Bormann, did not want to allow his confidant into
his "inner sanctum". However, the Reichsleiter still managed to get
Kramer sent to Antarctica, where he was able to quickly take the reins of
real power in the colony from the hands of Hess, who was soaring in his
dreams.
Kramer in 1940-1941 accelerated geological research. As a result, it was
possible to find quite large reserves of various minerals – from coal to
iron ore. By 1942, with incredible difficulties, it was possible to
establish their production. Human and material resources, primarily
industrial equipment, flowed from the Reich to Antarctica in a
continuous stream. Some of Hitler's associates, such as Heydrich and
Speer, tried to point out to the Fuhrer that Germany could not afford
such extravagance in a world War. However, Hess and Bormann were
always stronger. In the end, Heydrich was killed by British saboteurs in
1942-apparently not without the secret assistance of his competitors in
the leadership of the Reich.
In order to somehow justify the investment of huge resources, Kramer
completed the construction of a submarine repair yard in the karst caves
by 1943. However, the scale of the enterprise was such that it was
possible to easily establish mass production of submarines there. By this
time, several metallurgical and machine-building enterprises were
already operating in New Swabia. The total population of the colony, as
far as I can tell, has exceeded ten thousand people. Many of them were
highly qualified specialists – later, in the chaos of defeat, their
disappearance was attributed to massive bombing and Nazi death
camps. The countries of the anti-Hitler coalition themselves unwittingly
helped Bormann cover his tracks.
The exploration of the continent also continued. In 1941, in the interior
of the continent, about 100 kilometers from the coast, a huge oasis was
discovered, completely free of ice, with non-freezing freshwater
lakes. There were also many hot springs here. The area of the oasis,
called "Paradise Garden", exceeded 5 thousand square kilometers. What
is most important – instead of rocks, the discoverers of the oasis had a
thin layer of soil under their feet, but still sufficient for agricultural
work. From the end of 1941, New Swabia was fully self-sufficient with
food. Important steps towards autonomy have been taken.
Time has shown that Bormann's calculation was correct…
 Chapter 4. When the rats run away from the ship
My conversations with Uncle Olaf continued for many evenings. He was
quite frank and detailed, but I still got the impression that he was hiding
something from me. Weizsacker talked a lot about what happened at the
base during the war, but for some reason kept the post-war history
hidden. Only once did he mention that he had found himself in
Antarctica after the defeat of Germany, in 1945. He arrived in Argentina
three years later. Why? The base was eliminated? Destroyed? That's
what I asked Uncle Olaf.
"You know," he said after a moment. "Everything comes to an end
sooner or later. I, like many others, simply got tired of playing these top-
secret games. I think the base ceased to exist shortly after I left.
That's what I didn't believe. If only because my father received Hess's
letter in 1955, and New Swabia was quite a powerful entity at that
time. In addition, it is unlikely that a person who knew so much would
have been safely released from Antarctica. Why did Uncle Olaf decide
to hide the truth from me, when all the other questions he answered
seemed to be honest and sincere? So I decided to dig into his past.
Getting access to official information turned out to be quite simple. And
then, for the first time in my life, I was surprised to learn that Olaf
Weizsacker had been brought to a very serious trial! Rather, they tried to
attract him, but he managed to prove his complete innocence.
It was about the "Young Girls' Case " that shocked the whole of
Argentina in 1952. I think some of my older readers still remember these
events. A very dark court case, never fully solved, excited the
imagination of journalists and ordinary people. And the events unfolded
as follows.
In early 1952, the Argentine police drew attention to the activities of the
Gloria recruitment agency. This firm specialized in recruiting young
girls to work abroad. There was no need for any qualification, since the
work offered was the simplest-maids, laundresses, waitresses. In Europe,
depopulated after the devastating war, the agency's advertising brochures
said, a lot of workers are needed. Therefore, local residents are willing to
pay a lot of money for the work of girls from Latin America.
It was these exorbitant rates of payment by Latin American standards
that attracted the attention of the police. Having made appropriate
inquiries, the Argentine detectives easily established that there is no
shortage of workers in Europe and is not expected. Consequently, all the
agency's advertising turns out to be a deliberate lie. The police assumed
that they were dealing with a banal slave trade office that provides
prostitutes to brothels in the Old World. And they started checking the
activities of Gloria.
From the very first steps, it became clear that the company was doing
something illegal. All contracts with Europe turned out to be fake or
fictitious, where the girls went is unknown. The investigators ' version
was also supported by the fact that the recruitment agency preferred to
"hire" orphans and foundlings – those who have no relatives and who,
therefore, will not be searched for.
But there were a few odd things that set Gloria apart from other slave
trading firms of this type. Usually, "sellers of live goods" do not hesitate
to sign official documents so as not to leave unnecessary traces. The
victim receives only a bunch of promises and with joyful hope sails
towards his terrible fate. "Gloria" signed an official contract with each
girl for many years to come and – most surprisingly – gave each girl a
large amount of money in her hands! It was strange.
The sheer scale of the agency's activities was also striking. According to
the most conservative estimates, during the 5 years of his work, at least 7
thousand Argentine girls went abroad! However, why only Argentine
ones? Almost a third of the victims were German women, who were
received with special joy. And this was also strange – usually such firms
do not deploy particularly large-scale activities, so as not to attract too
much attention.
Argentine police contacted their colleagues from the Old and New
Worlds to try to track down the missing girls. The detectives were
confident of their success: at least a few people from the 7-thousandth
army of victims had to show up and give evidence. However, several
months of searching brought a stunning result: none of the recruited girls
were ever seen in any other country!
This was out of the question. The darkest rumors began to circulate
about the company's activities. For example, it was said that girls were
killed for ritual purposes, that they were subjected to forbidden
biological experiments… However, it was impossible to prove
anything. Ordinary employees of Gloria knew nothing, and the
management was silent as fish. By the way, it all consisted of former SS
men who came to Argentina in the second half of the 40s. Miraculously,
there was no wave of anti-German sentiment in the country-apparently,
the fact that the Germans themselves suffered the most from Gloria's
activities played a role.
The new details revealed during the investigation only raised new
questions for the police. It became known that the girls were picked up
once every two months by the ship "Astarta", which sailed under the flag
of the Dominican Republic. Needless to say, after the arrest of the
Gloria's managers, the ship disappeared. It was also interesting that this
ship, according to insurers, did not call at any port in the world, except
for Buenos Aires. The impression was created that the Astarta was
simply throwing live cargo into the sea and returning for a new batch.
On the eve of the trial, a daring raid was carried out on the prison where
the prisoners were being held. As a result, all the defendants were
released and immediately disappeared forever. The investigation
conducted on this fact revealed the fact of complicity of some police
officials – while the bribes they were given were truly
astronomical. After that, the Gloria case finally reached a dead end.
Olaf Weizsacker was quite closely connected with the recruitment
agency. However, it was not possible to prove his involvement in
crimes, the essence of which was also not completely clear, and he was
released.
Where did the seven thousand girls go? To answer this question, we will
have to dig through the history of the last days of the Third Reich.

The mysterious fate of Martin Bormann

Among those who stayed with the Fuhrer until the last moment was
Martin Bormann. The Reich was collapsing, Russian cannon shells were
exploding around the Reich Chancellery, and all the planes in the sky
over Berlin were flying red stars on their wings. And the pragmatic
Reichsleiter does not leave Hitler, who is determined to stand up to the
end. Why? Wouldn't it be easier to run for your life before it's too late,
ignoring the doomed Fuhrer?
It would seem that this is exactly what a pragmatist would do. Goering
and Himmler, the two most loyal paladins, had already abandoned the
doomed Fuhrer. For this, they were publicly cursed and removed from
all their posts, but it didn't matter to them. The Reichsmarschall and the
Reichsfuhrer wanted to save their own skins, but they didn't care about
anything else.
Bormann didn't want to be cursed. He had a lot to lose – a new Nazi
state was operating in Antarctica, in which he hoped to take a leading
position. If he had incurred Hitler's wrath in the last few days, it would
have been much more difficult. Therefore, Bormann plays all-in – all-
out-at the risk of not getting out of Germany, he still remains in
surrounded Berlin next to his master. And as a thank you, he is awarded
the title of "the most loyal of all". In addition, it is Bormann who Hitler
appoints as the new party leader in his will.
Who, according to this will, becomes the head of state? Grand Admiral
Doenitz, once the commander of submarines, and now – the entire navy
of the Reich. Historians call this decision of Hitler's paradoxical and
have been trying to find an explanation for it for more than half a
century. Why Doenitz, who did not occupy the first lines in the Nazi
"table of ranks"? Why not one of the old companions?
Obviously, here we need to remember that it was the submarine fleet
that provided the construction of the colony in New Swabia. It was from
submariners, in other words – from Doenitz, that the evacuation of the
Nazi elite to Antarctica after the defeat of Germany depended. There is
evidence that Bormann initiated the appointment of Doenitz as the new
Fuhrer. Perhaps the Reichsleiter had an agreement with the Grand
Admiral: Bormann seeks the appointment of Doenitz as Fuhrer, and the
latter, as a thank you, is silent about New Swabia. If so, the Admiral
kept his word. Neither at the Nuremberg trials nor in his memoirs will
Doenitz say a single word about the ice base.
So, on April 30, Hitler, having married Eva Braun, passed away. He was
followed by the Goebbels family. Now Bormann could think of fleeing
Berlin. This proved to be a daunting task: battles with the Russians were
already taking place on the streets of the city. Together with the other
inhabitants of the bunker, he made it to the surface. And then the
testimony of witnesses who were interviewed after the war
diverges. Some said that Bormann was shot by the Russians while trying
to cross their positions. Others, such as Hitler's chauffeur Erich Kempka,
claimed that the Reichsleiter was killed by a shell that exploded next to
him. The leader of the Hitler Youth, Arthur Axmann, claimed that he
personally saw Bormann swallow a cyanide capsule after it turned out
that it would not be possible to break through the Russian battle
formations.
In short, the fact of Bormann's death could not be clearly
established. Moreover, reports began to arrive from different parts of the
world that the former Reichsleiter was seen alive and unharmed. In
1947, he was allegedly met in Northern Italy, where he was granted
asylum in one of the monasteries. Further reports came in from South
America. I know for a fact from Uncle Olaf that Bormann arrived in
Antarctica in 1947. How did he escape?
The solution was simple and elegant. In a small, pre-prepared bomb
shelter, Bormann spent almost a month without going to the
surface. Several of his agents passed on information about what was
happening in the country to their boss. Two weeks after the German
surrender, Bormann emerged from his hiding place. Hiding in the ranks
of refugees, unrecognized by anyone (for three weeks he deliberately did
not eat anything and as a result lost weight beyond recognition), he
managed to get to Austria, and then cross the Italian border. In one of
the Italian monasteries, the abbot of which was known for his pro-
Fascist sympathies, Bormann hid until the ODESSA organization (which
will be discussed below) decided to take him to New Swabia.
Bormann was not alone. After the defeat of the country, whole hordes of
Nazi figures fell through the ground. Obviously, they were going in the
same direction – to Antarctica

Issue
Among the mysteries of the Third Reich, there is another one that is
directly related to the course of our story. The fact is that in the spring of
the forty-fifth year, when the German fronts were bursting at all seams,
and the soldiers of the anti-Hitler coalition were everywhere in
Germany, most of the French ports remained in German hands! The
garrisons trapped there defended themselves fanatically, to the last drop
of blood, and the Americans and the British understood that the assault
on these fortress ports would be very expensive. Therefore, they
preferred to avoid the German garrisons without getting involved in
military clashes. And they seemed only too happy about it.
Why were the soldiers not withdrawn from the ports in a timely
manner? After all, tens of thousands of infantrymen would not be
superfluous in the defense of the Reich. Historians give a standard
answer to this: Hitler did not want the ports to go to the Allies and
through them it would be possible to organize the supply of advancing
armies. But to do this, it was not necessary to leave garrisons – it was
enough simply to thoroughly destroy the port facilities. Also, if these
harbors were critical to the Allies, they would take them at all
costs. What is the reason for such a strange persistence?
The fact is that the Nazis understood that the transfer of French ports
into the hands of the Allies would allow for a close blockade of German
harbors. And this would significantly interfere with the activities of
Squadron A. Of course, it was possible to use a long roundabout route-
through Norway, to which cargo could be delivered from Denmark or
via the Baltic Sea. But the Baltic at the beginning of ' 45 was dominated
by Russian submarines, which destroyed several large transports-Goya,
Gustloff, Steuben-and many smaller ships. It remained to send caravans
directly from the harbors of the North Sea coast. The last such convoy –
and the largest one at that – left in May 1945.
I have already told you about the submarines that went missing en
masse. We are talking about about a hundred submarines, three-quarters
of which belonged to the newest XXI series. All of them went to
Antarctica. Only about a dozen submarines hit the ports of South
America. Why?
The Nazi leaders understood that the disappearance of such a large
number of ships could not pass without a trace. The allies will definitely
start investigating, and it's best to cover your tracks. Therefore, several
old, completely worn-out submarines safely surrendered to the
Brazilians and Argentines. Apparently, another couple of submarines
simply did not reach the southern continent, having an accident on the
way.
The selection of crews and personnel for evacuation overseas began in
April. Donitz was in charge of this personally. By May 1, when the
Fuhrer was already dead and the fate of the Reich was clear, all the
problems were solved. Olaf Weizsacker was among the people preparing
for the long voyage. In his notes, he cites the speech that the grand
admiral made before sending the first batch of boats.
Friends! Comrades in arms! Germany is going through a difficult time,
and we are losing this war. But ideas cannot be killed, and in another
part of the world you will have to build a new, great, Fourth Reich. My
submariners found a real paradise there, perfectly adapted for human life
and activities. Our ancestors are looking at you, and future generations
are looking at you. Go and prove that our struggle was not in vain, that
the German spirit is not broken! Sieg Heil!
In total, about 150 boats were prepared for the great exodus, including
submarines from Squadron A. A third of them were transport boats with
a fairly large capacity. In total, the submarine fleet could accommodate
more than 10 thousand people. In addition, relics and valuable
technologies were sent overseas.
From May 1 to May 5, the submarines set out – 30 boats a day. The
excellent organization of the transition led to the fact that the losses were
surprisingly small. Almost all submarines successfully reached the ice
continent.
What did they bring there? This should be discussed separately…
 Cargo and passengers
As a matter of fact, it is not quite correct to call the May convoys
"evacuation". This was the last, though most significant, part of the
exodus. Thanks to Bormann's efforts, much has already been transported
to Antarctica. This, for example, applied to the latest models of aircraft,
including jet aircraft, which had just begun to enter service with the
Luftwaffe. Of course, the Reichsleiter did not mention the need to
preserve the best samples of equipment – God forbid, for such
defeatism, he would have been instantly sent to a concentration camp! It
was about the modernization of the Richthofen air group and the
exploration of the interior of Antarctica, nothing more. However, for
these purposes, almost three hundred aircraft were sent to the south –
this would be enough to complete the Richthofen air group five times.
Since we are talking about airplanes, it is worth opening the veil of
secrecy over another allegedly unrealized project – the Junkers-390
transport aircraft. This six-engine machine had a monstrous range: from
the territory of Germany, "Junkers" with bombs on board reached the
shores of the United States, and another copy was able to fly over the
territory of the entire USSR and China, to deliver the German delegation
to Japan. All historians vying to say that the Junkers-390 was built in
two prototypes. At the same time, none of them can explain the fact that
since the summer of 1944, a whole, albeit small, aviation plant located in
the Czech Republic has been engaged in the production of these
giants! The documentation of this plant, by the way, was destroyed in
the last days of the war.
If we dig even deeper into the history of the Junkers 390, we will
discover even more interesting things. For example, the fact that this
project was personally supervised by Bormann, who was usually not
interested in aviation, which caused considerable dissatisfaction with
Goering. The Reichsleiter categorically demanded that the designers
ensure the maximum possible flight range. The resulting aircraft could
easily reach the Horst Wessel base, starting from Munich. Flying,
however, had to be almost in a straight line, which created certain
difficulties, but these liners could "turn around" much faster than
submarines. Regular air service between Germany and Antarctica seems
to have been opened no later than September 1944. Since then, the fleet
of six-engine giants has steadily increased. Its exact dimensions are
unknown to me, but I would venture to assume that it was no less than
30-40 cars. The planes apparently flew over Switzerland, then followed
the shortest straight line into the airspace of Francoist Spain, then flew
over West Africa and continued their journey over the ocean. Of course,
I don't have exact data, but common sense and one little-known fact
helped me reconstruct the route: in 1989, the wreckage of a giant plane
was photographed from the air in the African desert, almost completely
covered with sand. It was not possible to organize an expedition to this
place – there is a very real civil war going on in Western Sahara – but,
judging by the picture, the crashed plane was a Junkers-390.
What did the submarines of the dying empire take with them?
First, a very valuable staff. It is no secret that after the defeat in the war,
Germany missed many famous scientists. Mostly, they were those who
were firmly tied to the Nazi regime and did not expect anything good
from the victors. Among those who emigrated were biologists,
specialists in rocket technology, nuclear physics, and aircraft
construction. Among these people were many fanatical Nazis. They
were accompanied by skilled workers who were going to expand
production in New Swabia.
In addition, many Nazi functionaries, including Ahnenerbe specialists,
went to new shores. These latter carried with them many mystical relics
collected during the years of the Third Reich. I have already described
some of them in my first book. Among them, for example, was the Spear
of Fate, which, according to legend, was pierced through the heart of
Jesus Christ while he was hanging on the cross. This ancient artifact is
considered one of the most powerful. There was also the Holy Grail, a
monument of an even more ancient era, about which very little is
known. All we know is that the idea of the Grail as a chalice that has
developed in the Christian tradition does not correspond to reality. Hitler
considered the Grail a sacred stone of the ancient Germans, on which the
wisdom of the ages is carved in runes. However, I won't repeat
myself. Much more practical than all these museum exhibits were the
latest technologies possessed by the Nazis.
It is no secret that science in the Third Reich developed very rapidly, far
ahead of the science of other developed countries. Many historians
believe that if the Second World War had dragged on a little longer, the
Germans would have been able to fully realize their technical superiority
and snatch victory from the hands of their opponents. At least on the eve
of the defeat, atomic bombs were created in Germany (a fact that is still
carefully hushed up). It was the Germans who were the first – and only
ones in World War II – to use jet aircraft en masse. It was they who
managed to create an intercontinental bomber, as well as medium-and
long-range ballistic missiles. There is no point in talking about all the
technical wonders – I will devote a separate book to them. I want to note
only one thing-in the spring of 1945, Antarctica became a real
storehouse of advanced technical thought.
However, not only Antarctica attracted the attention of the Nazis. The
Ahnenerbe team decided to choose a different destination – Tibet. It is
there, in their opinion, that the mysterious state of Shambhala is located,
which many people have been searching for for a long time and without
success. But perhaps only one person succeeded. His name was Ernst
Schaeffer.
 Shambhala vs. Antarctica
I have already written about the expeditions to Tibet organized by
Schaeffer in the pre-war years in a previous book. Let me briefly remind
you of their history. Ernst Schaeffer was one of the youngest and most
talented employees of the Ahnenerbe Institute. Even as a child, he was
interested in Oriental culture, but at the university he studied zoology,
not his favorite orientalism. It was as a zoologist that he went to Eastern
Tibet in 1931 as part of the Dolan expedition. No one knew that
Schaeffer was a member of the NSDAP and knew Himmler
intimately; The Reichsfuhrer SS "blessed" the young man for the trip
and set him several difficult tasks, including the search for the country of
Shambhala.
The expedition made many geographical discoveries, described new
species of animals and plants. A young zoologist begins to lead a double
life – on the one hand, he continues his open scientific research, on the
other hand, he plunges headlong into occult topics. There is enough time
and energy for both. Himmler's affection for him persists and even
grows stronger. In 1933, immediately after the founding of the Heritage
of Ancestors Institute, Schaeffer became its full-time employee. Two
years later, he sets out on a new expedition to Tibet. After it, the SS
found itself in possession of thousands of ancient Tibetan manuscripts, a
significant part of the vast cultural heritage of Eastern wisdom. The
results were so encouraging that the question arose about the immediate
organization of a new, regular expedition.
The preparatory work was completed by the end of 1938. In addition to
professional scientists, the expedition included professional scouts and
saboteurs, as well as radio communication specialists. Himmler at that
time dreamed of organizing direct radio communication with Lhasa, so
that he could constantly communicate with higher unknown
forces. Obviously, it was planned to place a permanent center in
Tibet. In fact, the first step was being taken towards the colonization of
Tibet by Nazi Germany, which, as a number of scientists believed, was
the mysterious ancestral home of the Aryans.
The Germans set up camp at Mount Kangchenjunga. Schaeffer claimed
that at the foot of this mountain is one of the entrances to the mysterious
Shambhala. At the top, we managed to install containers with radio
equipment that could work completely offline. All approaches to the
repeater were mined, any careless attempt to approach entailed an
imminent explosion. At the same time, the explosions automatically
caused an avalanche, which destroyed both the equipment and the
person who tried to come for it.
Only the outbreak of World War II prevented the Germans from
continuing their colonization of Tibet. Judging by a number of indirect
signs, Schaeffer still managed to find Shambhala, or at least something
quite valuable. The transmitter on the mountaintop, which was supposed
to provide communication with the supposedly higher intelligence living
in Tibet, operated until 1942, when it was destroyed by the British. A
curious detail: Germany won victories until 1942, after which it began to
suffer constant defeats. Of course, there are a great many quite objective
reasons for this; but in addition to them, there is always a certain
personal factor. In management theory, there is a concept of "quality of
management decisions", which characterizes how well the manager
leads. So, it was precisely this quality of Hitler's managerial decisions
that plummeted in 1942, simultaneously with the destruction of the
transmitter. So the question of whether the Fuhrer did not receive
recommendations from Shambhala is still open.
However, the Tibetan department of the Ahnenerbe Institute continued
to flourish. At the same time, the" Tibetans", supported by Himmler
himself, openly disliked Gott and his supporters. They believed that the
Aryans came from Tibet, and ridiculed all theories about the
Antarctic. Therefore, it is not surprising that after the defeat of Germany,
this group did not follow the majority to the Ice Continent, but chose to
retire to Tibet. However, both centers agreed to keep in touch with each
other.
Schaeffer's last expedition was small – only about 30 people. Perhaps
that's why she managed to get through the bustling Asia and reach
Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. No one knows what happened to the SS
group next. Perhaps all of them died under a mountain avalanche, or
maybe they still got to the cherished Shambhala. Who knows?

Destination-ODESSA
The word "ODESSA" means nothing to the majority. Only a Russian
who hears it will confidently say: "This is a major port on the Black
Sea." And only a rare person, after thinking a little, will answer: "Some
SS organization."
In general, he will be right. Not all of them made it to Antarctica in time;
many did not manage to get on a plane or submarine, and they remained
in Germany, where they faced prosecution and even – quite possibly –
the death penalty. Therefore, already in 1946, in Madrid, where Hitler's
ally Franco ruled, the ODESSA organization was created – in decoding
this abbreviation sounds like "Society of Former SS Members". But SS
members, as we know, do not become ex-SS members. And the whole
of Europe is covered by a thin network codenamed "Spider", through
which dozens and hundreds of former SS men are fleeing from Germany
to safe countries. Priority is given to those who have stained themselves
with blood, and to Ahnenerbe employees like my father. At the head of
the "Spider" was the famous saboteur Otto Skorzeny. Skorzeny had
large amounts of money at his disposal – the Nazi deposits were still
there – as well as a lot of blank blank passports of other
countries. Argentina alone gave him 7,000 forms.
However, Argentina and other third world countries are not always the
final destination. The most reliable and proven people were transported
further – to the Ice Continent. Weizsäcker estimates that the population
of New Swabia exceeded 60,000 by 1946. They were located at several
"ground" stations, primarily in the so-called "Garden of Eden", as well
as in the cave city of Valhalla. Here, in Valhalla, was the main
production center and base of submarines. One and a half hundred
submarines required constant maintenance. In addition, at this time, the
conversion of UF – series submarines into so-called "submarine
cruisers" began-submarines that carried a huge supply of torpedoes and
V-2 ballistic missiles on board. The Germans again, as in the case of jet
aircraft, were ahead of everyone. However, this is not the case right
now.
For several years of its existence, ODESSA took out about 20 thousand
people from Germany, and at least 5 thousand of them ended up in
Antarctica. The organization operated as follows: in Germany, it had a
well-developed agent network, which had large financial resources. The
money was spent primarily on bribing the occupation authorities, who
(at least in the western zones of occupation) were ready to turn a blind
eye to how former criminals evade responsibility for a decent bribe. The
ODESSA organization also had small combat detachments at its
disposal, which could, if necessary, organize power actions. However,
they tried not to abuse their actions, using them only in extreme cases.
The "rescued person" was usually taken across the border to Switzerland
or Italy. The ideal option was to get to Spain, where the Nazis operated
almost without hiding. Once abroad, a person immediately received a
foreign (usually an Argentine or Egyptian) passport and started a new
life. Skorzeny had very extensive connections: the "saved ones" owed
their lives to him, so they automatically became his agent. Thus was
woven the net that was soon to enmesh the whole world.
Many journalists tried to investigate the activities of ODESSA, but
almost all of them failed. The organization created by Skorzeny was
much more powerful and disciplined than the famous Sicilian mafia, and
treated the renegades no less cruelly. Englishman Thomas Crowell, who
spent several years of his life studying Skorzeny's work and eventually
died under unclear circumstances, wrote about it as follows::
This system acts as a perfectly well-established mechanism. It has its
own center, its own leaders, but even if you eliminate the "head", all the
limbs will still move and perform their role. The existence of such an
organization as ODESSA makes us seriously doubt that the third Reich
was destroyed in May of the forty-fifth. No, it continues to exist, even if
without a certain geographical reference, even in the minds of a limited
number of people. But if there is a surge of nationalism anywhere on
earth, you can be sure that Hitler's heirs will be right there and help
found a new, Fourth Reich, even more dangerous than the Third.
These words, indeed, turned out to be prophetic: later, the "Spider "will
take under its unspoken guardianship many racist and nationalist
movements in" white " countries, will begin to finance and coordinate
their activities. Both the famous American Ku Klux Klan and the
European "skinheads" - they all operated within the same system,
without even knowing it.
Otto Skorzeny's relations with the leadership of New Swabia should be
mentioned separately. Until 1947, when Bormann arrived in Antarctica,
Hess was the sole head of the colony. A man of a mystical disposition
and not a strong character, he could not exert much influence on the bold
and indomitable Skorzeny. Spider enjoyed considerable
independence. Moreover, Hitler's chief saboteur was seriously
considering taking over all the remnants of the Nazi Empire, including
the Antarctic base.
New Swabia, meanwhile, was in serious danger. And it did not come
from outside. Most of the people who inhabited it were not fanatical
Nazis-ordinary engineers, skilled workers, scientists of various
specialties. All of them suffered from having to live in a cold, icy land,
far from normal human society. They didn't have any common idea that
they would be willing to suffer hardships for. The Nazi secret state of
Antarctica was nearing its crisis point.
But in 1947, everything changed. Martin Bormann reappeared on the
stage.

Operation Gloria
Until 1947, the Reichsleiter was holed up in a monastery in Northern
Italy. It was dangerous to go out into the "outside world" – there was a
hunt for Nazi criminals everywhere, and the length of free life outside
the monastery could be measured for Bormann in days, if not
hours. Especially since they were looking for him – no one was
completely sure about the death of the "gray cardinal". Even the
Nuremberg International Criminal Tribunal decided to try Bormann in
absentia. The Reichsleiter was sentenced to death. After that, he had
only one way to go: to Antarctica.
Two years after Germany's defeat, the opportunity finally presented
itself to take Bormann out of Europe. With the help of Skorzeny and his
organization, a former Reichsleiter, equipped with forged documents
and disguised beyond recognition, boards a ship that goes... no, no, not
to South America – all such flights were carefully checked-but to East
Africa via the Suez Canal. It was in this way that Bormann reached New
Swabia by a circuitous route through India and Australia.
Finding Hess in a rather depressed state, Bormann immediately set to
work with all his usual energy. Before the new head of the colony (and
Hess almost without a murmur gave up the reins of power to his long-
time rival), the most important task was to ensure the existence of the
"Fourth Reich", as Swabia has since become known. And there was a lot
of work to be done.
First, Bormann – now from a slightly different perspective-negotiated
with Skorzeny. They ended with the fact that the former saboteur No. 1
unconditionally recognized Bormann's primacy. The reason was very
simple: it was the Reichsleiter who controlled the Nazis ' Swiss bank
accounts and their property scattered around the world, at the expense of
which the Spider existed.
Then the Reichsleiter took over the affairs of the colony. It was
necessary to inspire new hopes in people who were beginning to
despair. To do this, it was necessary to "normalize" their lives. With his
usual insight, Bormann identified one of the main reasons for the decline
in morale. Of the ten inhabitants of New Swabia, nine were men. Among
other things, this situation did not ensure the demographic survival of
the colony. It was necessary to provide the inhabitants of New Swabia
with women, and to do this as quickly as possible. Already at the end of
1947, Bormann developed a special plan "Gloria", the essence of which
was as follows.
First, Skorzeny and his organization ODESSA were tasked with
bringing as many wives of people stranded in New Swabia as possible to
Antarctica. However, there were not so many of them found. The fact is
that initially, for the sake of secrecy, people who did not have a family
went to Antarctica. And the spouses of many of those who fled to New
Swabia in the last days of the Reich have already abandoned their
husbands.
Secondly, a network of recruitment agencies called Gloria was
established all over the world, primarily in Europe and South America. I
had to work very hard to find them in fourteen countries around the
world. The task of the agencies was to send as many young girls as
possible to New Swabia; they were founded at the turn of 1947-1948
and lasted until 1952, when, after the Argentine scandal, they
simultaneously quietly sank into oblivion. Apparently, the risk of
exposure has become too high, and they have already completed their
main task. I could not find out the details of their activities; according to
the most approximate estimates, between 20 and 30 thousand girls were
sent to New Swabia.
However, even before these events, the measured life of the colony was
rather grossly disrupted. The US authorities decided to carry out the
planned expedition to the Ice Continent.…

Chapter 5. The Odyssey of Admiral Bird

I sit in an easy chair on the veranda of a large cottage and drink black
tea. Opposite me, in the same chair, is George Bird, grandson of the
famous polar explorer Admiral Richard Bird. It was for the sake of
meeting him that I covered a distance of several thousand kilometers and
came to the United States, to the state of Connecticut.
George Bird is my age, so we understand each other quite
well. However, I don't tell him the true topic of my research – he might
take me for a madman or a cheap sensation hunter. No, for George Bird,
I am a man who studies the history of polar exploration. The ones his
grandfather had dedicated his entire life to. Maybe that's why he was so
willing to meet me and tell me about Admiral Richard Bird's life.
Admiral Bird's name is hard to find in World War II history
books. However, it was he who had the opportunity to put an end to this
war by destroying New Swabia. Admiral Bird led an expedition sent by
the US government in 1946 to the coast of Antarctica.
But first, I patiently listen to the life story of the future admiral. He
really deserves it. Born at the end of the 19th century, Bird dreamed of
great geographical discoveries from childhood. He should have been
born in the age of Columbus, but unfortunately for him, Richard was
born at a time when everything-or almost everything-had already been
discovered and studied. There was only one unexplored continent left –
Antarctica, to which Byrd devoted his entire life. He organized a number
of polar expeditions in the 1930s, and convinced the US government
leadership that these studies were not speculative and scientific, but
purely practical. Here's what Bird wrote in one of his memos::
Antarctica is currently the only free territory on the entire globe over
which no government has established its authority. Everyone is scared
off by her fame as an Ice Continent. However, it is very likely that
innumerable natural treasures are hidden in the bowels of this continent,
as well as traces of an ancient and powerful civilization. Therefore, a
real "race for Antarctica" should soon unfold, in which it would be very
desirable for the United States to initially take the first positions.
It is interesting that in his memos Bird refers, in particular, to the work
of Gott, which has long been his reference book. It is not known whether
officials would have paid attention to these calls or not, if the Byrd
family was not closely associated with the Roosevelt clan, to which the
current US president belonged. The U.S. Navy has also expressed
interest in Antarctic bases. Bird is getting more and more high ranks, the
success of his expeditions is known all over the world. It was he who
was supposed to lead the American squadron in search of German bases
at the end of 1941. But it didn't work out.
– What did your grandfather tell you about the 1946 expedition? I ask
George.
"To be honest, he didn't like to talk about it," my companion says after a
moment. – There were too many rumors and speculations surrounding
this ill-fated voyage.
"Like what?"
- For example, that my grandfather found an alien nest there or a hideout
for escaped Nazis. In short, there was a lot of chatter.
– But you don't believe it yourself?"
"Of course not! What reasonable person would believe that? My
grandfather always made fun of such articles!
– But why didn't he demand a retraction?" After all, his reputation
suffered!
"I don't know," George said thoughtfully. "Maybe I just didn't want to
get involved with the tabloids." My grandfather's distaste for journalists
was always huge. Interviewing him was considered quite a feat in
newspaper circles.
"It is known that the expedition returned much earlier than expected," I
continued my inquiries. – What happened?" How did your grandfather
explain it?
George shifted uneasily in his chair. "He never talked about it.
I knew it was time to end the conversation. And finally I asked just one
question:
"Tell me, did your grandfather leave any diaries or letters?"
"No," said George, looking away.
A little later, when I was studying Richard Bird's life from other sources,
I understood the reasons for my interlocutor's confusion. There was one
thing George didn't mention. After returning from an Antarctic
expedition, Bird was put in a madhouse and spent five long years there.
What is known about this mysterious expedition?

Official Version Riddles

So, the volleys of World War II died down. However, the presence of a
possible Nazi polar station did not allow the Americans to sleep
peacefully. The failed 1941 expedition must be repeated. Already in the
days of the surrender of Japan, in August 1945, Byrd began to bombard
the leadership of the fleet and the country with new memos. In them, he
spoke about the need for deep exploration of previously undeveloped
territories, about the possible presence of "unfinished Germans" on
them, and hinted in a muffled voice that some of the German submarines
could have gone to Antarctica. In the end, the authorization to conduct
the expedition, called "High Jump", was given.
In the shortest possible time, a relatively small squadron of 14 ships was
formed, led by the aircraft carrier Philippine Sea. On board this ship
were almost a hundred different planes and helicopters. Preference was
given to reconnaissance and anti-submarine bombers. By the way, the
squadron's ships were also dominated by anti – submarine ones-
obviously, the Americans were seriously afraid of meeting German
submarines.
At the end of 1946, the squadron went to the coast of Antarctica. In total,
it was attended by about four thousand people. Fuel and food supplies
were supposed to last for eight months. The expedition members met the
New Year crossing the equator. In January 1947, they finally reached the
shores of Mary Baird Land. A thorough study of the coastal areas has
begun. Planes flew out to explore and photograph the area every day – in
just a month and a half of work, more than fifty thousand images were
taken, detailed geographical maps of the area were compiled. And then
something unexpected happened. On March 3, 1947, the expedition that
had just begun was urgently curtailed, and the ships hurriedly headed
home. The reasons for this decision have not yet been disclosed, the
maximum that US officials can do is to declare that "the expedition has
achieved its main goals."
However, Bird had a slightly different point of view. In one of his
conversations, he talked about quite strange things. About the fact that
the expedition met fierce resistance at sea and in the air, about the many
mysterious and frightening phenomena observed in the area of Ellsworth
Land. It was as if, the admiral said, we were facing a technically
superior civilization.
This information got into the press in a roundabout way. In May 1948,
the British magazine "Brizant" published an article "Unknown forces in
Antarctica", in which he tried to answer the question: what did the Byrd
expedition find? Journalists drew attention to a few more strange facts:
the fact that all participants of the expedition were taken under the
strictest non-disclosure agreement; that 14 ships went to the polar
latitudes, and only 13 returned; that the brand-new aircraft carrier
Philippine Sea was up immediately after its return for a long overhaul,
and workers from the shipyard talked about the serious damage to the
ship, as if it had been in a naval battle.
After the" Brisant " referred to the words of Bird, the honored admiral
was immediately put in a madhouse. However, after five years, he was
quietly released from there and appointed to a responsible position;
therefore, officials never had any real doubts about the admiral's
sanity. The authorities made sure that the hype in the press was hushed
up, using all possible levers of influence.
Why did the Americans decide to silence the results of the Byrd
expedition? And why didn't they make any more attempts to send a
military squadron to the Antarctic coast?
Let's try to understand this riddle…

New Swabia is in danger!

Even before the enemy squadron left the harbor, Hess received a
message on his own channels about the approach of the enemy
squadron. Nazi intelligence functioned flawlessly. The reaction of the
head of New Swabia was quite adequate. On January 7, 1947, his order
appears, the text of which I found in Uncle Olaf's papers. It says the
following:
New Swabia is in danger!
According to reports from reliable sources, a squadron of the US Navy
will arrive on the coast of New Swabia in the coming weeks. The
purpose of this squadron is to detect and destroy our base. In this regard,
I order:
1. Implement a full range of works on masking objects from the air and
from the sea.
2. Establish surveillance of the enemy squadron by the submarine
fleet. Put the armed forces on alert number one.
3. Send the cruiser Westphalen to the east coast of the United States for
a possible warning strike.
Fuhrer of the colony of New Swabia Rudolf Hess
The Americans were expected, and not with open arms. The Germans
had one very important advantage: Admiral Bird had no idea what an
impressive force he would have to face. A squadron of 14 ships against
one and a half hundred submarines, an aircraft carrier and three hundred
combat aircraft is like a pellet against an elephant. Still, Hess didn't want
the base to be found. Because he knew perfectly well that the United
States could easily set up a fleet of thirty aircraft carriers and concentrate
five thousand aircraft against new Swabia. In this case, the collapse of
the Fourth Reich was inevitable.
Measures to disguise objects were taken. White cloths were stretched
over the ground bases or simply a thick layer of snow was laid. In the
"Garden of Eden" they tried to make the traces of human presence as
small as possible. Then they waited. However, I didn't have to wait long.
Already in mid-January, the American compound was discovered on the
approaches to Antarctica. Since then, it has been continuously
monitored, remaining at a respectful distance, by the latest submarines,
which the Americans could not detect. Unbeknownst to them, the ships
of the expedition were already trapped by the beginning of their
research, from which there was no way out: they were separated from
their native shores by a very dense veil of Nazi submarines.
But everything was quiet until February 15. On this day, an American
pilot flying in the area of the New Germany base discovered a strange
object on the ground. The pilot descended and began to examine the
unusual area. Perhaps, if it had been anyone else, he would have thought
that he was dealing with a bizarre game of nature. However, to the
misfortune of his admiral, the pilot was born in a mining district and
knew perfectly well what the mining sites looked like. There was no
doubt in his mind that the quarry he saw below him was clearly
artificial.
This was also confirmed by experts, looking at the pictures taken by the
pilot. A detachment of about 500 men was immediately landed on the
shore,which began to move in the direction of the quarry. Aircraft from
the carrier provided constant air cover and supply. Naturally, the squad
was closely watched. It soon became clear to Hess that by following the
old route, the Americans would definitely get into the territory of the
"New Germany". And here no disguise can save you.
I had to react quickly and decisively. American pilots noticed several
dots on the horizon, rapidly increasing in size. Surprise quickly turned to
horror: fast-moving jet planes with crosses on their wings were clearly
not approaching to cheerfully greet dear guests. I don't know what the
doomed pilots were thinking in their final seconds: in any case, before
the ones they were protecting had time to recover, the Nazi fighters had
destroyed every single one of them and started hitting ground targets.
A lot of people in dark clothes, sleds, bulky equipment on white snow –
can you find a more attractive target for a skilled pilot? In a matter of
minutes, the large force was partially destroyed, partially
dispersed. Black smoke from burning all-terrain vehicles rose from the
snow-white Antarctic plain. And then, as if from under the ground,
skiers in SS uniforms appeared, who began to capture all the
survivors. Those who tried to resist or flee were killed on the spot
without much discussion. There weren't many of them, though. The
wounded were shot.
Even before the Americans realized that something abnormal was
happening to their landing force, an unknown transmitter interfered with
the squadron's communication frequencies. In clear English, an
unfamiliar voice announced that Admiral Bird was invited to talk. The
time limit for thinking is two hours. If no consent is given at the end of
this period, the entire squadron will be destroyed. As proof of the
seriousness of these intentions, one of the destroyers will now be sunk.
Admiral Bird and his staff were roused from their stupor only by the
sound of the explosion. At the site of one of the destroyers, a column of
water rose to the sky. There was no doubt about the seriousness of the
enemy's intentions. The admiral tried to contact the Navy Headquarters
as a matter of urgency, but someone was diligently jamming all
communication frequencies. You had to make the decision yourself.
But what alternative did Bird have?

A mason won't peck out a mason's eye

Here we should mention another fact that George Bird tried (quite
naively, by the way) to hide from me. The fact is that his grandfather
was a Freemason. Yes, yes, a real Freemason, who occupied far from the
last place in the Lodge of the West. He had joined it as a young man, on
the eve of his first expedition; it was Byrd's Freemasonry that had
provided his projects with such large-scale support from government
agencies.
Why is this so important? The fact is that the Ahnenerbe figures whom
Hess authorized to negotiate with the admiral were also
Freemasons. This may surprise the unsophisticated reader – how so,
after all, the Nazis fiercely fought against Freemasonry! Yes, we fought,
but at the same time we respected and continued its traditions. This is
typical of all the highest Nazi hierarchs, starting with Hitler, whose first
group of teachers in the distant 20s were Russian masons-
emigrants. Hating the power of the "Reds", they sincerely believed in
national socialism and took up the" education " of Hitler. Moreover, the
latter, despite all his openly proclaimed hatred of the Slavs, treated these
people with respect. Obviously, he considered them descendants of the
Germans, who formed the noble elite of the Russian Empire. The head
of these Russian Freemasons was the Baltic German Scheubner-Richter,
who made a huge contribution to the development of Hitler as a political
leader. True, Russian Freemasons advocated a strong Russo-German
alliance – a lesson that the head of the NSDAP did not want to learn
under any sauce.
Russians marched with Hitler on the cobblestones of the Odeonplatz in
Munich on the day of the beer hall putsch. General Biskupsky will shield
the Fuhrer from the bullet with his body. Another bullet will kill
Scheubner-Richter. "Everyone is replaceable, but not him," Hitler said
when he learned of his death.
However, Haushofer quickly seized the initiative from the Russians. His
"Luminous Lodge" will work to create a more powerful Masonic
organization, at the head of which it will be possible to put Hitler. It is
clear that in relation to the "Luminous Lodge" itself, this organization
will have to occupy, according to Haushofer, a subordinate position.
Indeed, such a lodge was created. However, she did not get a serious
independent role. It could not oppose itself to Hitler, since he was
considered a grand master; the Fuhrer himself preferred to rely on a
mass party, rather than on a small, albeit highly intelligent, sect. The
Fuhrer's attitude towards Freemasons during this period begins to mix
hatred and admiration.
Therefore, any defeat of Masonic organizations was out of the
question. Putting them under state and party control is quite another
matter. Here the Nazis did their best. The Masonic lodge, which never
really appeared, was embodied in the Ahnenerbe Institute. A significant
part of his cadre, indeed, was from among those whom Haushofer
predicted to become Hitler's associates.
However, Haushofer's opinion was not so interesting at that time. He
had already created his own Masonic lodge, which was subordinate only
to him. It was here that he integrated the Heritage of Ancestors Institute
and all other projects related to the Freemasons of the Third
Reich. Naturally, with the Masons who obeyed him, since Hitler did not
tolerate contradictions. This lodge was, in particular, to put under its
control all independent Masonic organizations of the Reich. In addition,
it was to take over contacts with foreign Freemasons (as far as possible),
and thus contribute to the foreign policy of the Third Reich. Hitler
appointed one of his closest associates as the head and grand master of
this lodge.
The name of this lodge is SS. Hitler considered this organization a
certain analogue of Masonic lodges and more than once called Heinrich
Himmler his personal Freemason. Indeed, Freemasonry in many ways
served as a prototype of the SS formations. Masonic practices were
actively implemented in such areas as psychological processing,
hierarchical structure, and education. At the same time, it was not
considered shameful to make such borrowings. After all, the Freemasons
themselves once borrowed all this from the Teutonic Order, the color of
German chivalry.
That is why both sides in the negotiations quickly came to an
understanding. A contract was signed between them, but I do not know
the exact text. We can only try to reconstruct it in its main parts.
Both sides had quite strong positions. Bird couldn't help but realize that
even though he was trapped, and his life depended entirely on the
Germans ' will, he had the power of the United States behind him, far
exceeding that of New Swabia. So in the event of a serious armed
conflict, there is no need to guess for a long time who will win. But is
this what Freemasons strive for – war and mutual destruction? No, quite
the opposite! Therefore, the question should be put not " what did the
parties threaten each other with?", but "how could they be useful to each
other?"
The main condition that the Nazis put forward was that the base should
be left alone. What could they offer in return? Advanced technologies
that the United States desperately needed in view of the ongoing
confrontation with communist Russia. Their support in the development
of Antarctica is also quite a valuable factor. In addition, the Nazis
apparently demanded that the United States not interfere with the
activities of Skorzeny and his ODESSA organization. This is indirectly
confirmed by the fact that it was in 1947 that the Americans abruptly
stopped searching for and punishing Nazi criminals; moreover, it was
after Byrd's expedition that Bormann was able to leave his secret hideout
and sail away to the ice shores.
However, getting Bird's consent was the easiest thing to do. Hess knew
that it would be much more difficult to force the American authorities to
accept this secret treaty. And in this case, they were prepared for another
trump card…

Half a century before September 11

In Hess's order of January 7, the third point remained unclear to me for a
long time. What kind of cruiser "Westphalen" could we be talking
about? And what does "warning strike" mean?
As we have already said, New Swabia did not have any large surface
ships, except for the aircraft carrier Richthofen. But she didn't really
need them, because the German shipyards were located in karst caves
and could only build submarines. Or rather, they could build anything,
but this "anything", being a surface ship, would never be able to go
beyond the caves.
Therefore, we were talking about a submarine cruiser. I have already
written that the Germans have begun to convert some of the transport
submarines into combat submarines; obviously, the Westphalen is one of
them. The assumption is very logical, but what could one submarine,
even if very large, do against the entire US fleet? Any blow she struck
would be nothing more than a pinprick.
Nevertheless, I decided to find out what kind of weapons these cruisers
could carry on board. It is known that at the end of the war, the Germans
conducted experiments with submarines of the XXI series, installing
launchers for V-1 cruise missiles on them. These submarines were
supposed to bombard the Atlantic coast of the United States. Only the
end of the war prevented the implementation of the plan. Perhaps the
Westphalen also carried similar weapons?
However, how could a cruise missile-or rather, a plane – shell-frighten
the American authorities? We learned how to fight them perfectly well
in the last year of the war. "V-1" was very unstable in flight, in addition,
its maximum speed was less than the speed of a modern
fighter. Intercept and destroy it was not difficult. In short, it was not a
"miracle weapon", as Goebbels ' propaganda long called it.
But after all, in addition to the V-1, there were also V-2s! This ballistic
missile is truly ahead of its time. It flew three times faster than the best
fighter, and there was no way to detect it in advance. Neither to shoot
down the V-2, nor even to predict the place of its fall, was
impossible. This weapon struck quickly and mercilessly.
With rough drawings of the transport submarine, I was able to check
whether it was possible to place a ballistic missile launcher on it. It
turned out that this is quite real. Moreover, several more missiles could
fit on board the Westphalen. Thus, creating a submarine missile carrier
turned out to be a very real task for the Nazis. It is known that German
designers realized even what was considered impossible, so there was no
doubt about their ability to transform a transport boat into a submarine
missile carrier.
Now it was necessary to answer the question, did the Nazis manage to
implement their "warning strike"? The answer was found in the New
York Times, February 25, 1947. On the front page of the newspaper in
the section "Emergencies" was placed the article "Explosion in New
York".
A powerful explosion occurred yesterday on the northern outskirts of
New York. Within a radius of several tens of meters, all buildings were
destroyed – mainly industrial facilities and workers ' homes. Other
surrounding buildings were also seriously damaged. There are no exact
data on the number of human victims, at the moment about 20 corpses
have been found. Analysis of the rubble continues, firefighters and
medics work without interruption.
Authorities are still unable to make an official comment on the cause of
the explosion. The mayor of New York went to the scene, who said that
at the moment several versions of what happened are being worked
out. At the same time, the first eyewitness reports arrive: a cigar-shaped
object flew from the east, leaving a smoky trail behind it, and fell to the
ground. It looks like it was a rocket.
The authorities were frantically searching for an explanation for what
had happened. In the absence of reliable information, newspapers began
to print sensational articles after sensational articles about the Russian
attack, about Japanese kamikaze avengers, and even about
extraterrestrials. Interest in the explosion did not fade, when suddenly, at
the end of March, the government gave an official explanation: a new
secret American missile that was being tested fell on the outskirts of
New York. The Pentagon apologizes and transfers compensation to the
families of the victims, who eventually reached 56 people.
A few details immediately catch your eye: first, exactly a month has
passed since the explosion before the official version appeared. During
this time, Bird just managed to return to the United States and,
apparently, present his report to the president and the leadership of the
armed forces. Secondly, the official version is clearly untenable: all
"dangerous" US tests are usually conducted in the southern deserts, and
not in the vicinity of New York. Yes, and a mysterious rocket arrived
from the east, from the ocean.
So, the Americans decided to hush up the case after all. The US
government leadership accepted the terms of the agreement signed by
Bird. There were obviously reasons for this…

Do you have a contact?

The version of how events unfolded during the mysterious Byrd
expedition is supported by many facts. On the other hand, there are
many strange circumstances that, if they do not refute the above
hypothesis, still correct it to a very significant extent.
For example, the above-mentioned damage to the aircraft carrier
"Philippine Sea". If Byrd and the Germans agreed among themselves,
who was attacking this ship? In addition, the information that one of the
sailors of the aircraft carrier reported 20 years later to the French
newspaper Le Monde looked very intriguing. In particular, he said the
following:
All these weeks we lived in an environment of constant terror. No less
than twenty of the ship's crew were losing their minds. From time to
time, strange disk-shaped vehicles emerged from the water and attacked
our aircraft carrier. There was no escape from them. Strange discharges
caused depression and depression, which led to a sharp increase in the
number of suicides. Everyone had the impression that we were facing an
extraterrestrial intelligence that was vastly superior to us.
Of course, US officials immediately qualified these words as an attempt
to inflate the sensation from scratch. But let's trust the sailor. What could
be said about the mysterious phenomena that occurred around the
American squadron?
The first thing that comes to mind is the intervention of the
Antarctic. An extraterrestrial intelligence vastly superior to human
civilization – it can only be them. It turns out that Rudolf Hess still
managed to establish contact with the original inhabitants of the ice
continent. Moreover, the contact is so good that they even began to help
the Germans put pressure on the Americans. Such a turn of events could
be a major trump card in the hands of Hess. The Americans were also
interested in contacts with the Antarctic and willy-nilly had to accept the
mediation role of the Germans.
However, this was perfectly understood by the Germans
themselves. Therefore, they could simply portray the activities of the
Antarctic! Secret documents show that in the last months of the Third
Reich's life, disk-shaped flying machines resembling the famous "flying
saucers"were created there. These paradoxical machines were equipped
with jet engines, which, however, were soon to be replaced by engines
of a fundamentally new design, using the Earth's gravitational
field. However, almost nothing is known about these latter; perhaps they
never left the design stage. But the "plates" with jet engines were
actively tested at the Rechlin test site. True, these tests were conducted
under the auspices not of Goering's Luftwaffe, but of Himmler's
SS. Compared to traditional fighters, the "dish" had a number of
advantages: high maneuverability, the possibility of vertical launch and
landing, and so on. True, these machines were very difficult to control,
so it did not make sense to launch them in a mass series. But there is no
limit to perfection and, perhaps, by 1947, several "plates" were already
in service in New Swabia. It was impossible to achieve serious combat
results with their help, but it was possible to scare the Americans.
The same applies to mysterious "discharges". The development of
psychophysical weapons, which were supposed to give their owners
power over people's minds, was carried out in the Third Reich from the
beginning of the 40s under the auspices of the Ahnenerbe Institute. The
principle of operation of the technomagic apparatuses created here was
based on the use of so-called "torsion fields", consisting of many
elementary particles forming vortex flows. Torsion fields directly
affected the pituitary gland and the nerve centers located in it that
control the human will. The project was named "Tor". His trial was
conducted on prisoners from concentration camps. The experimenters
managed to completely suppress the will of the person, so that he could
not make any movements. Particularly sensitive people even lost
consciousness. Little by little, it was also possible to force people to
perform some simple actions. However, it took time to study all the
effects of the torsion field and create a more or less functional telemagic
device. Before the collapse of the Third Reich, the developers did not
have time. But it is likely that by 1947 they already had working
samples. They were good enough to be a scarecrow for the Yankees, too.
In addition, the Germans could present the Americans with some other
developments of their own, without hiding behind the mythical
Antarctica. The US leadership could not have failed to know that the
"atomic project"was successfully implemented in the Third Reich. The
Westphalen raid showed that US cities are virtually defenseless against
German attacks. Of course, it was possible to block the entire ocean with
anti-submarine patrols, take all precautions… But even a single
submarine breaking through with nuclear missiles on board could
simultaneously ruin several hundred thousand precious American
lives. And that was a risk that President Truman and his team didn't want
to take.
The deal with the Nazis – the real deal with the devil-came into force…

Chapter 6. Cousteau's Unknown Expedition

I had to travel all over the world to get materials for my books. Visit the
United States, Great Britain, Russia, France… But most of the time, of
course, I was in Germany. Here I worked in a variety of archives-from
the central state archives to the archives of small towns and individual
companies. And there was never a time when I didn't find a single bit
that would lead me closer to the goal of my investigation. And
sometimes, during my wanderings, I made quite interesting
acquaintances…
This was in Berlin in 1997. In a small room are plump files – the
archives of the German Polar Explorers Club. I've been here from dawn
to dusk for days now, finding out many interesting details about pre-war
expeditions to the southern continent. The old archivist, however, is only
too happy about this circumstance – he most often has to spend his days
alone, and a guest, and even from an exotic country, such as Argentina
in Germany, brings a pleasant variety to the gray everyday life.
Suddenly, the door opens and a small black-haired man looks in. He
turns to the archivist and reminds him of the call he made two days
ago. The stranger's German is not very clear, with a noticeable French
accent. He looks about sixty years old.
It turned out that he needed the same materials as I did. We met. The
Frenchman's name was Jacques Andre, and at first he didn't really want
to talk about the reasons for his interest. And only later, in the evening,
at a cafe table, when I told him a lot of what I knew myself, did he tell
me:
"Do you know why I'm digging into all this? The thing is, my brother
died near those damn bases.
– When?"
"Seventy-three." We swam together with Captain Cousteau, made films
about the underwater world. I don't know why, but the captain was
drawn to Antarctica. And we didn't just do underwater filming and
explore the local flora and fauna, no. I got the impression that Cousteau
was looking for something. Something very definite, but not exactly
knowing what it is. You know, it happens like this, you're looking for
something, you can't really describe it, but you know that as soon as you
see it, you'll know it right away. That's something similar back then.
– Did you find what you were looking for?"
"Looks like it." It was in the area of Queen Maud's Land. A lot of our
people died there. Then the captain mentioned that we were looking for
signs of a Nazi base.
"They weren't looking there. The Germans settled in a completely
different place.
– How do you know that?" Are they reporting to you?" Maybe, of
course, it wasn't the Nazis ' fault. It was all too weird…
I asked you to tell me more about it. He readily agreed. Since this story
was long and rather confusing, I will allow myself not to quote it
directly. I'll start from the beginning.

Captain
Jacques-Yves Cousteau was born on June 11, 1910. Since childhood, he
was drawn to the sea and therefore, as an adult, he chose a career as a
naval officer. In 1933, he set out on his first long-distance voyage
aboard the cruiser Primozhe. But the ship seemed too slow to him –
Cousteau, like many young people, showed a craving for high speeds. A
young officer is being transferred to the Naval Aviation
Service. However, he was not destined to conquer the sky for long:
Cousteau gets into a car accident and gets seriously injured. His career in
aviation was over for him, and he had to return to the ship.
On the eve of World War II, Cousteau meets Philippe Taillet and
Frédéric Dumas, who introduce him to the secrets of the underwater
world. After the first scuba dive, the young officer understands: here it
is, his dream! But the realization of the dream had to be postponed. The
war began. Cousteau actively fought against the Nazis, was a fighter of
the French Resistance. Only after defeating Hitler was he able to
partially devote himself to his favorite business.
In 1950, Cousteau bought an old English destroyer and converted it into
a real floating research laboratory. The ship gets the name "Calypso". It
was on it that the captain spent all his famous expeditions. In 1953,
Cousteau's first book was published, and the following year, his first
film about the underwater world was released. After that, movies and
books follow each other, bringing resounding success. Cousteau
becomes a worldwide celebrity. The series "Odyssey of the Cousteau
team" was watched, I think, by most of the inhabitants of our planet.
Cousteau left the Navy, however, only in 1956. However, according to
very reliable data, he continued to cooperate with naval intelligence on
some issues after that. One of these questions, obviously, was the search
for a Nazi base in Antarctica.
At first, I was somewhat surprised by the geography of the search – the
area of Queen Maud Land. But then I realized that Cousteau's data had
been taken from American sources.
After returning from his voyage, Bird was forced to give an interview to
the American press. Such is the tradition there – every major figure is
defenseless before the "fourth power": almost something goes wrong –
the" sharks of the feather " will eat him alive and not choke. So, when
asked how the expedition went and what areas the squadron visited, the
admiral, smiling broadly, answered:
We examined the coasts of Antarctica, which had previously been
almost never thoroughly studied. In particular, we are talking about
Queen Maud Land, located in the South Atlantic. We made many
interesting observations and studied unique natural phenomena. I don't
think it will be possible for the next expedition.
The admiral was lying: he did not intend to go on the next expedition at
all. However, he deceived journalists in another way: he did not
approach the shores he named at all. Queen Maud Land is located to the
east of the Antarctic Peninsula, while all the dramatic events of early
1947 took place hundreds of kilometers to the west of it. The Horst
Wessel station, as I have already said, was evacuated and handed over to
Argentina immediately after the war. By the way, all sorts of "yellow"
books still place a secret Nazi base on the territory of Queen Maud
Land. They talk, for example, about the whole underground city of New
Berlin with a population of two million people, about the Nazis
communicating with extraterrestrials, about time machines... I wouldn't
be surprised if I found out that all this nonsense was paid for by the
Nazis themselves, so that no one would definitely believe in the
existence of a New Swabia.
How the French learned about the existence of a Nazi base in Antarctica
is unknown. Even for good intelligence, it is not possible to get any
accurate information about it. However, the French still decided to set up
an experiment-apparently, in the hope of establishing contact with the
same legendary Antarctica.
Andre handed me an interesting document, or rather a copy of it – a
letter from the head of the French intelligence service, addressed
personally to Cousteau. It read:
Dear Monsieur Cousteau, Our long-standing cooperation gives me the
right to hope that you will not refuse to fulfill another of our
requests. The case concerns a very sensitive issue: according to
unverified information, military bases of some states were located in
Antarctica during the Second World War. Specifically, we are talking
about Queen Maud Land, although you should not lose sight of the
Antarctic Peninsula and the coast to the west of it. We would like you to
informally conduct a survey of coastal waters. Your expedition will, of
course, be generously funded, and we will continue to turn a blind eye to
some of the financial abuses of your employees.
So that's it! Cousteau wasn't just asked, he was blackmailed! In the 90s,
when the old man almost completely retired, a number of scandals broke
out related to the activities of the organization he created. Under the
guise of Cousteau's name, his subordinates carried out financial fraud
and evaded paying taxes. Apparently, this process began long before it
surfaced.
The French did not want, like the Americans, to send a large squadron to
the southern waters of their interest and thereby attract unnecessary
attention. Cousteau, whose voyages around the world have long been
accustomed to, could perform this mission much more successfully and
efficiently. It was a dangerous business, of course, but that didn't
frighten the French scouts. They weren't afraid to risk someone else's
skin.
So, in mid-October 1973, the Calypso headed for the coast of the
southern continent.

And again the caves!

Exploring the coastal waters of Queen Maud's Land could take a very
long time. This territory stretches for many hundreds of
kilometers. Therefore, the Calypso ,already equipped with the latest
technology, was literally stuffed with the most complex systems-from
electronic devices to powerful metal detectors. Some of them were taken
from warships of the French Navy.
From time to time, members of the expedition went down into the water,
dived, and explored the local (rather meager, I must say) flora and
fauna. However, it didn't take long, and the Calypso didn't stay
anywhere for long. Cousteau was looking hard for what French
intelligence needed – an abandoned (as he believed) wartime base.
At the end of December 1973, the expedition finally discovered an
interesting anomaly: a wide stream of warm water burst out from under
the rocky shore. This natural wonder needed to be explored. Cousteau
suggested that under the rocks are hot springs that throw their water into
the ocean. This version was also confirmed by the fact that the warm
water was much more fresh than the salty ocean.
The next day, the first party of divers made a dive. Fighting the current,
they swam about two hundred meters underwater when the current
weakened. Moreover, the rocky "ceiling" above their heads abruptly
went up. The divers came to the surface. And they realized that they
were in a huge cave. The emotions they experienced, according to
Andre, were indescribable: the French felt as if they were in a huge
natural temple. Probably, similar feelings were experienced by the crews
of German submarines who first penetrated similar caves hundreds of
kilometers to the west.
For the time being, Cousteau forgot about the search for the base and
began to explore the cave vigorously. It was truly huge and beautiful: a
high vaulted ceiling with huge stalactites hanging from it… The walls of
the cave shimmered under the rays of powerful lanterns, as if they were
studded with diamonds. The huge underground lake, however, did not
reach the cave walls; its banks formed beaches of golden sand. "Remove
the mountain from above – and there will be a resort," one of the scuba
divers joked.
However, there wasn't much to explore in the lake. Neither flora nor
fauna was developed in it. But we managed to find something interesting
on the shore. Have you already guessed what it is?
Yes, it is obelisks covered with runic inscriptions. "When we first saw
them, who had previously been standing inconspicuously in the shadow
of a rock ledge, we had a real shock," Andre told me. " Many people
involuntarily began to look around; people had the feeling that someone
was watching us, as if someone's invisible eyes were watching their
every step. The silence around us was instantly ominous. Everyone was
silent, so strong was the general shock. Indeed, who could have
imagined that traces of some ancient civilization would be found on a
continent that was considered lifeless?"
However, soon some people seriously doubted that this civilization was
ancient. Although no one could read the inscription, some members of
the expedition considered that it was a completely modern secret script,
installed here by some unknown mystics. But how did the mystics get
into this mountain cave? Maybe they have something to do with the
military base Cousteau is looking for.
A metal detector was delivered to the cave. As soon as the device was
turned on, it showed that there was a large accumulation of metal at the
bottom of the lake. Scuba divers tried to dive as deep as possible, but
they did not succeed: the bottom current was too fast. Muddy water,
which carried sand particles, did not allow you to see what is below. At
the same time, on the surface, the lake was completely calm and crystal
clear.
The anomalies didn't end there. Researchers noticed that the surface of
the lake sometimes waves, strange ripples run through it. Why this is
happening remains unknown. But all this was still "flowers" compared
to what the expedition members had to experience on one of the first
days of January 1974: the lake began to ... glow from the inside! At the
same time, the intensity and color of the glow changed all the time: then
a faint blue, then a powerful red, then a fading green again.
"We watched this illumination with a kind of incomprehensible horror,"
Andre told me, " we all felt as if we had touched something unknown
and too big, compared to which we are all just pitiful grains of
sand." The reasons for this glow, even experienced researchers could not
determine, they did not have to meet anything like this in nature. Peering
into the lake's waters, some of them could make out some strange
shadows of an unusual shape. If an ancient god had risen out of the
water at that moment, I don't think the French would have been
surprised at all after all that had happened.
After a while ,the "lighting show", however, stopped. After recovering
from the shock, Cousteau and his companions continued to explore the
cave. People were reluctant to enter the water; they all felt as if they
were walking on the body of a sleeping dragon.
In the depths of the cave, researchers found a sculpture. Or rather, first
someone saw two strange red dots and pointed a flashlight at them. The
stone statue was designed to instill fear in anyone who approached it. A
predatory animal - either a lion or a panther-crouched low, as if
preparing to spring. Huge, webbed wings with sharp claws spread out
over his back. The animal's mouth was open, revealing long, thin
fangs. On the muzzle – a terrible grimace, a mixture of rage and
madness. And the strangest thing is that instead of eyes, the statue had
two red stones. And they glowed in the dark for no apparent reason.
Cousteau ordered one of the obelisks and the statue to be delivered to a
ship for shipment to France. However, it was not possible to do this: the
pedestals on which the statues stood were too strong. The tools available
to the explorers were powerless against them. The statue and obelisks
were carefully photographed from all sides. And only then did they
notice the entrance to the tunnel in the cave wall, behind the statue.
Does this remind you of anything, dear reader? Andre didn't have any
associations with the statue and the passage that followed it in the
rock. As I listened to his story, I was immediately reminded of the
"cursed mine" in Valhalla. And I already knew exactly what would
happen next.
Four members of the Calypso crew volunteered to go further down the
tunnel. They were provided with a long rope and sent ahead. Scuba
divers and cavers have a lot in common, so no one was worried about
the daredevils. The worry came an hour later, when the rope stopped
unwinding and a distant cry echoed from the depths of the tunnel. Andre
told me:
I was among those who followed in the footsteps of the first group. The
tunnel we were traveling through narrowed and widened. Somewhere
two people could walk side by side, somewhere we had to walk one at a
time and bend over. My heart was pounding in my chest, both from fear
and because we were walking so fast. I wanted to get to our comrades as
soon as possible and find out that they were all right. We had walked
about three kilometers when Louis, who was walking in front of us, gave
a loud cry and stopped. We, too, were frozen in a daze. The beam of the
flashlight picked out the ghastly face of Paul of the first group, lying
against the wall. Oh, my God, I hope I never see an expression of such
deep horror in my life! The bodies of the other three lay nearby. We
were afraid to imagine what had so frightened them. After all, it didn't
matter. We had to get their bodies out of this horrible place. We tried to
lift Paul's body... but it began to crumble in our hands, as if the corpse
had been lying there for countless hours. At this time, a screeching
sound was heard from the depths of the tunnel. We looked at each other
and, without speaking, moved back. I walked next to last, not looking
back, and imagined what it would be like for Louis to come last. I could
always hear his heavy breathing behind me. Finally, after what seemed
like an interminable time, the tunnel's exit came into view. I went
outside with the same feeling that Dante must have felt when he left
hell. Then I looked around. There was no one behind me. I went
last. The heavy breathing was my own. Louis was gone.
Having lost five men at a time under terrible circumstances, Cousteau's
expedition no longer risked sending people inside the tunnel. The
captain himself said that the available equipment is clearly insufficient
to cope with the unknown threat.
A few days later, the divers left the cave. The Calypso sailed further
along the coast in search of its primary target – a mysterious underwater
base.

Aircraft carrier on the bottom

So, the Calypso sailed along the coast of Queen Maud Land and reached
the Antarctic Peninsula, continuing its exploration. As you can guess,
they didn't find anything interesting. Little by little, a film was being
made about the Antarctic nature – so sparse that the expedition members
had to go out of their way to find at least something that could be shown
to the TV audience. As a matter of fact, it was already clear to everyone
that no base could be found. However, the team hastened to make this
conclusion…
Hoping to gather more material for a TV movie, Cousteau rounded the
Antarctic Peninsula and approached Ellsworth Land. Rather, it was not
possible to approach it immediately – strong storms for about two weeks
did not allow the ship to pass to the coast. The most interesting thing is
that at this time the Calypso crew twice observed UFOs-dark cigar-
shaped aircraft. Everyone hastened to write off the bizarre weather
conditions, but the crew had a bad feeling. I immediately recalled the
notoriety that these shores enjoyed.
On the fifth day of sailing along the inhospitable coast, the ship's
equipment began to show something strange. According to her
testimony, a huge pile of metal was hidden under the water in this
place. Scuba divers prepared for the dive. Andre was one of them.
We sank deeper and deeper, afraid to even imagine what might be
waiting for us below. The events in the devil's caves were still fresh in
our minds. But we are used to being professionals who are not afraid of
anything. And they simply couldn't ignore the captain's order.
We saw it simultaneously and very clearly. A huge ship lying on the
bottom. It was painted a dazzling white and looked more like a block of
ice that had been submerged in defiance of all the laws of physics. The
ship looked like something unearthly: the deck was square, perfectly
level, except for a small superstructure sticking out on one side. We
wouldn't be surprised if the ship's lights suddenly came on and it soared
up like in bad UFO movies. Only when we got closer to it did we look at
it and realized: it was an aircraft carrier.
There was no limit to my amazement. I was well versed in naval history,
and I had no doubt that none of the aircraft carriers that had ever been
built had either sank or sailed in these waters. Could it be a ship from
Bird's squadron? But after all, the Philippine Sea returned to the United
States in one piece. And why would the Americans paint their ship
white? We had a lot of questions, but the only relief was that there was
no doubt about the ship's origin on Earth.
No inscriptions or markings that would allow identifying the ship were
found during a cursory inspection. Scuba divers tried to get inside the
ship, but there were too few holes, and it was just madness to climb four
of them into the maze of rooms. There was no visible damage to the
aircraft carrier; it appeared that the ship had not sunk, but was simply
submerged.
Having risen to the surface, scuba divers told about the sensational
discovery. Cousteau immediately contacted French intelligence and
relayed the information. There, his message caused a surge of
enthusiasm: after quickly checking all the data, the military found that
none of the aircraft carriers ever built sank in those latitudes. About "
Richthofen "(I hope the reader guessed that Cousteau discovered it)
there, of course, did not know anything.
The next day, a party of ten scuba divers descended. Captain Cousteau,
who was very eager to go with them, was forced to stay on board due to
illness. This was considered a bad omen. Nor did the story of one of
Andre's comrades who had dived the day before add to the optimism-
that during the survey of the aircraft carrier, he saw in the distance a
dark cigar-shaped object that looked like a small submarine. Since he
was the only one who saw the boat, his story was initially ignored. But
only at first. I'll give the floor to Andre.
I wasn't one of the ten who went down. They were very experienced
scuba divers, and the entire team was looking forward to the moment
when they would rise to the surface to tell about their journey inside the
aircraft carrier. However, as time passed, they didn't show up. We didn't
want to believe the worst. And yet they were forced to state with horror
that those who had gone into the depths should have run out of air long
ago.
Eight more people were sent down. This time, we were tightly bound by
safety cables. As we approached the aircraft carrier, we didn't notice
anything suspicious. There were no signs of our missing comrades
either. Two of us (including myself) remained on the deck of the ship,
while six of us, tightly bound by safety cables, moved down through a
hatch (I think it was an airplane lift). Twenty minutes later, two large air
bubbles burst out of the elevator. And two minutes later, cutting through
the water, with incredible force and speed, the ends of the safety cables
flew out! One of them sliced through my wetsuit and cut my arm almost
to the bone. Because of this, and because we knew perfectly well that
there was nothing we could do to help our comrades, we went up to the
ship. We were later told that on deck we looked more like ghosts out of
hell than human beings. In general, it was not far from reality.
Captain Cousteau realized that he was once again confronted with an
unknown force that was sacredly guarding its secrets. He abandoned the
expedition and went home to France. Upon their return, Naval
intelligence was given a detailed report on the incident. The film about
the underwater world of Antarctica was never shown.
A few months later, the French Navy launched an expedition to the site
where the Calypso crew discovered the aircraft carrier. They could not
find any sunken ship. Soon after, a thunderous shout came from
Washington, and the expedition was abandoned. Thus ended another
attempt to penetrate the secrets of the secret Nazi base.
But there was another force that was extremely interested in finding the
truth and did not obey Washington. They were Russians. It was up to
them to make the next move in this game…

Chapter 7. The Russian Trail

After all, I was absolutely right when I left my phone number with
Andre and asked him to call me at any time of the day or night if he
found anything interesting. As a matter of fact, it was during the night
that he called. Apparently, I didn't take into account the time zone
difference between France and Argentina. However, I don't hold it
against him.
"Hans! I heard his excited voice on the phone. "Listen to me! I managed
to discover some very interesting facts! It turned out that the Russians
were also looking for Nazi bases in Antarctica!
– How did you find out?"
– It's very simple. A friend of mine does business with Russian
merchants. Supplies them with used cars from France. So, one of the
haulers turned out to be a Russian naval officer who retired after the
collapse of the Communists. They had been talking recently, and it had
turned out that this officer had taken part in an expedition to Ellsworth's
Land!
The news was so intriguing that I lost no time in flying to
Paris. Fortunately, the Russian was still there. We met in a small cafe in
the Bois de Boulogne area. The former naval officer turned out to be a
middle-aged, smiling man, with numerous gray streaks among his raven-
black hair. His military bearing was striking, and his handshake was firm
and firm.
"I think I can tell you that today," he said, answering my questions. –
After all, we haven't been able to solve this mystery completely. Rather,
we were on the verge of solving it, but we didn't have enough time. Just
a little bit…

And again the white aircraft carrier

Cousteau's team would probably be very surprised if they found out that
the ship they found was very well known to Russian intelligence. True,
only from photos, and not of very good quality.
Let me remind you of a few well-known facts. In 1957, the Russians
launched the world's first artificial satellite. In 1961 – the first
cosmonaut. Naturally, the military almost immediately raised the
question of using space for exploration. They were very nervous about
the fact that the Americans from their bases were trying to use spy
planes to spy on them. Observation from space was supposed to be an
asymmetric response.
Already in the 60s, the first spy satellites were developed and launched
into space. By the beginning of the 70s, their number had reached such
proportions that they were also used for research purposes. For example,
to refine geographical maps. In 1971, one of the Russian satellites
photographed the coastal areas of Antarctica. The images showed an ice
floe of a strange shape – almost a perfect rectangle. However, they did
not think about it for long – what kind of miracles do not happen in
nature!
The Russians caught on only in 1972, when the next series of pictures
showed the same "ice floe"in the same area, followed by a clearly visible
wake. Nearby, a small object resembling a plane that took off from an
aircraft carrier was visible. The ice floe was classified as an "unknown
aircraft carrier of the US Navy", specially designed for operations in
polar waters. What was he doing in the area? I could only guess.
However, Russians are not used to guessing for a long time. By the end
of 1972, the military had deployed two heavy reconnaissance aircraft to
Antarctica. Their task was to keep an eye on the mysterious ship. Soon it
was possible to get more or less clear pictures of it. Analysts were
puzzled: the aircraft carrier was not like any of the existing types of
ships. In addition, there were strange objects on its deck that did not look
like standard aircraft. So the next version was born – the aircraft carrier
is designed to test secret weapons.
The pilots were ordered to photograph the ship in even more detail. But
the mysterious aircraft carrier simply disappeared. The scouts were
puzzled: the huge ship could not simply evaporate! He wouldn't have
been able to get away from Antarctica overnight, either. Hence, it was
perfectly camouflaged. But no matter how many planes plied the sky
over Ellsworth's Land, no matter how much the analysts looked at the
photos, they could not find the ship.
But they found something else. The pictures often featured
submarines. They kept close to the coast – there was even a picture in
which the submarine was half "sticking out" from under the rock. As a
result, the report went "up", briefly summarizing the experience gained
and conclusions.
In the area of Ellsworth Land, there is increased activity of the US
Navy. The presence of an aircraft carrier with aircraft of an unknown
type was noted, the trace of which was then lost. It was not possible to
identify the aircraft carrier based on the information available to us,
apparently, we are talking about a secret project. In addition, submarines
are active in the same area, possibly with nuclear missiles on board.
The reasons for the activity of the US Navy in the Antarctic region have
not yet been established. Perhaps we are talking about testing new
weapons or creating a secret base. Although there are currently no
grounds for making an official protest, it is necessary to continue
intensive monitoring of the area.
To be honest, I even regret that the Russians did not make an official
protest, relying on the treaty on the status of Antarctica, which
prohibited the deployment of military bases there. Perhaps then they
would have learned the truth much earlier – that the mysterious aircraft
carrier has nothing to do with the United States. Well, or almost none.
Meanwhile, new information came in from the satellites. Exploring the
interior of Antarctica, they found several "oases" completely free of
snow. Nothing was previously known about their existence. Upon a
detailed study of the images, it turned out that the oases were already
inhabited by people. The Russians couldn't stand it anymore. In 1977, a
large expedition to one of the oases was organized. Apparently, it was
about the "Garden of Eden".

Russians in paradise
In the second half of the twentieth century, the Russians continued to be
leaders in the field of southern continent research. The Soviet Union was
the only power to establish as many as four research bases on the coast
of Antarctica. These are Bellingshausen on the Antarctic Peninsula,
Novolazarevskaya and Molodezhnaya on Queen Maud Land, and Mirny
on Wilkes Land. It was from the Bellingshausen that the expedition set
off, which was ordered to find the American (as it was then believed)
base in the oasis. In total, about 100 people went to meet the unknown,
supported from the air by 4 aircraft.
The road to the oasis was quite difficult. It was necessary to overcome
difficult mountain ranges, move through deep snow, through blizzards
and blizzards. However, all this was not a burden to the
researchers. Another thing was alarming: there was an impression that
someone was constantly watching them and trying to prevent them from
passing. A couple of times people with good eyesight noticed in sunny
weather incomprehensible glare in distant mountains, resembling the
reflection of rays on the lenses of optical devices. Twice a large
avalanche descended from the mountains, threatening to bury the
expedition under it, while its causes in both cases remained
unclear. Only by a happy coincidence, no one was injured. Soon after,
one of the planes noticed a track in the snow, clearly not connected with
any of the expedition's vehicles. However, it was not possible to clarify
where it led – the next day it was swept by a snowstorm.
As we approached the oasis, the weather improved. The day when the
Russians crossed the snow border was generally very sunny and
clear. There's a report on their research that I managed to get hold of in a
roundabout way. It stated the following in dry official language::
The area of the oasis discovered by us is 4-5 thousand square
kilometers. In the middle of the oasis is a large lake, the water
temperature in the upper layers of which is +20...+25
degrees. Obviously, the lake is fed by hot springs, which warm the
surrounding surface. The soil temperature varies from +20 degrees at the
lake shore to zero at the snow border.
Vegetation and traces of human activity were found in the oasis. Near
the lake there are several buildings, obviously for economic
purposes. These are long concrete hangars, completely empty
inside. The roofs are painted to match the color of the surrounding
area. Several other buildings of unknown purpose are located throughout
the oasis. The land around the lake has clearly been cultivated-traces of
crops are visible. Not a single person was found during the study. It was
not possible to determine the nationality of the people who inhabited the
base, nor how long ago they left it. The term can range from 10 days to
10 years.
On the second day of exploration, the Russians discovered a tunnel
leading deep into the earth. However, as soon as the researchers took a
few steps, a powerful explosion was heard, and the tunnel
collapsed. Three people were killed. An attempt to sort through the
rubble showed that the tunnel was destroyed for quite a long distance,
and it is simply impossible to break through further – at least without the
help of special equipment.
The expedition worked for about two weeks, after which heated
arguments broke out. Some said that it was necessary to establish a small
base camp in the oasis, which will continue to be engaged in
research. Others say that everyone needs to return to the active polar
stations in order to organize a larger and more well-equipped expedition
later. Eventually, by order of Moscow, a new polar station was
established in the oasis, called Goryachy Klyuch. Supply was carried out
by air-containers were dropped from parachutes.
However, the "Hot Key" lasted only a few weeks. A strong storm made
it impossible for aviation flights for five days. The plane that took off on
the sixth day dropped containers with food and radio equipment (the
station never got in touch, so it was assumed that the transmitter was
damaged). When the same pilot arrived with a new batch of cargo, he
saw that no one had picked up the containers he had dropped. A search
and rescue team was immediately dispatched to the oasis, but no
personnel from the new station were found. People simply disappeared
without a trace. What happened to them remains a mystery.
A new expedition to the oasis was organized a few months
later. However, at the site of the oasis, the planes found only a snowy
desert. No hot lake, no buildings, no arable land existed anymore. Even
the exact location where all this was located quite recently, could not be
established.
However, the expedition did not remain idle. Because by that time,
Russian intelligence was able to get information about the Cousteau
expedition. And all the forces were thrown into the search for the karst
cave, from which the French had once fled in terror.…

Underwater and underground

In 1979, three submarines and two research vessels were deployed to the
coast of Antarctica. They could have put together a more powerful
squadron, but they didn't want to attract too much attention. A thorough
study of the coast of Queen Maud Land finally brought the desired
result: a warm current bursting out from under the rocks – the main sign
of karst caves-was found. And then, as in the case of the Nazis,
submarines came into play.
The giant nuclear-powered cruiser couldn't get into the cave, of
course. But this was easily done by an ordinary diesel-electric
submarine. Admiring Russian submariners were presented with the same
picture that the divers from the Calypso used to see: a giant underwater
temple, striking in its beauty. Its walls glittered in the
floodlights. However, the sailors did not intend to admire this beauty for
a long time. With the full reports of the French expedition in hand, they
were going to find the answer to two main questions: first, where the
mysterious tunnel leads, where people died, and secondly, what is
hidden at the bottom of the underground lake.
The mysterious winged beast was found quickly enough. The only
strange thing was that this time, his eyes didn't flash red, but
green! While archaeologists carefully studied the runes on the obelisks,
military cavers moved deeper into the mysterious tunnel. Here is the
story of one of them, whom I managed to find many years later:
We went through the tunnel that started just behind the sculpture. At
first, the corridor went in a horizontal direction, then gradually began to
go down. Everyone was struck by the absolutely smooth and even walls
– it gave the impression that they had been carefully processed for a long
time. However, perhaps it was because of the streams of water that could
flow through this mine for thousands of years. We moved slowly and
cautiously – three men in front, five more slightly behind. The rear ones
pulled a telephone cable, communication with the main group was
constant. One and a half kilometers from the entrance, we came across a
human skeleton in the remains of a wetsuit. When you tried to touch it, it
crumbled into dust. After a few hundred meters, three more skeletons
appeared, one of which seemed to be completely broken. Apparently,
these are the remains of unfortunate Frenchmen. They didn't go any
further. We had the feeling that we were moving into the mouth of a
dragon. Well, in the mouth-so in the mouth, we went on.
After another half kilometer, a stone slab blocked our path. We tried to
move it, but without success. There was only one way out – to blow
up. It wasn't certain that the entire tunnel wouldn't collapse, but the risk
was worth it. We laid our sticks of dynamite and retreated. An
explosion! We were shaken violently, but not a stone fell from the
ceiling. And when we went to the stove, we found that it was completely
undamaged. There weren't even any cracks. After examining its surface
in more detail, we came to the conclusion that it is not a stone, but some
more durable material. There was no point in staying any longer, so we
started back. When we came out of the tunnel, we found that the stone
cat's eye color had changed to red. One of us, who was the last to go,
later claimed to have heard some strange sounds in the distance behind
him. But we didn't go down that shaft again.
But the sailors on the submarine decided not to waste any time
either. They had to explore the bottom of the lake and try to find the
metal object that the French were talking about. However, the dive was
short-lived. At a depth of 50 meters, the submarine seemed to be picked
up by some invisible hand. She was thrown several times from side to
side (as one of the sailors later said, at that moment he realized that he
felt a cocktail when it was shaken in a glass), after which she hit a stone
wall. By some miracle, the captain brought the boat to the surface, but it
was no longer capable of another dive – holes decorated the entire
hull. Most of the team was seriously injured. The boat had to be
abandoned in the cave, after removing all the secret equipment. Further
research with the existing equipment was considered inappropriate. It
was decided to send a new expedition after a while. But even this was
not implemented.
The reason was simple – polar explorers accidentally discovered one of
the abandoned cities.

In Okmaron
In the early 80s, polar explorers from the Bellingshausen base decided to
explore the mountain range of the Antarctic Peninsula in detail. The
rocks, previously considered impassable, were quite up to them. In the
middle of the second week, they came out into a small mountain valley,
where the snow and ice froze in rather bizarre shapes. It seemed that
before the researchers a real ice city, with streets and houses, with
squares and temples… After admiring the play of nature, Russian polar
explorers decided to stop here for the night. A fire was lit – and stone
slabs appeared from under a thin layer of snow. Yes, not simple, but
with strange runic inscriptions!
The polar explorers jumped to their feet and looked around once
more. And then they began to randomly clear snow and ice from what at
first seemed to them an unusual, but natural phenomenon. And
everywhere under the white blanket, from twenty centimeters to half a
meter deep, there was a stone with obvious traces of processing.
In 1983, a fairly large expedition was sent here. In "Flughafen" (the
Russians, of course, did not know this German designation, but the
reader, I think, has long guessed that this is the place we are talking
about) they set up a fairly large camp, cleared the helipad. Gradually
freeing the ancient city from the snow cover, they never tired of being
surprised. After all, archaeologists (and it was archaeologists who
arrived in Antarctica from Russia in a hurry) had an exciting picture of a
new civilization! The frozen ground was dug up with unprecedented
enthusiasm, hoping to find at least some small objects. All the
inscriptions were carefully copied and analyzed, but it was not yet
possible to decipher the language of the ancients.
After a while, we managed to find the entrance to the caves, littered with
stones. The analysis of the rubble took several months, but the results
were worth it: all new elements of ornament and inscriptions were
discovered on the walls of the tunnel. At the same time, several dozen
stone slabs with short runic lines of the same type were found in the
rocks near the entrance to the tunnel. Scientists immediately realized: in
front of them – a cemetery where the inhabitants of the city
rest! However, after opening several graves, they were disappointed: the
burial chambers were completely empty. Only in one of them they found
a small piece of the phalanx of the finger. It was carefully measured and
determined to be definitely human, but of an unknown racial type – the
phalanx was longer than that of any other race on the planet.
Meanwhile, the tunnel opened up more and more secrets for
scientists. Plates were found in its walls that glowed dimly in the
dark. They did not reflect light, but served as its sources. It was not
possible to remove the plates from the wall and see what caused the
glow.
Half a kilometer from the entrance, the tunnel split into two. The ruts
that ran along its floor were also divided. Both new corridors, however,
soon ended in a stone partition, similar to the one found in the karst
caves. It was made of an alloy unknown to science, extremely strong and
resistant to any efforts of archaeologists. There was only one way out –
to build a bypass tunnel in the rock column. In fact, this is what the
Russians planned to do when perestroika and the serious economic
difficulties that accompanied it began in their homeland. Funding was
initially restricted and then discontinued. The camp in the mountain
valley had to be abandoned. The Russians did not return here again, but,
not wanting to give up the fruits of their labors to anyone, they kept the
find a secret.
However, the story didn't end there. In the early 90's, cryptanalysts from
a research institute managed to decipher runic writing – at least
partially. The results of these studies are still kept a deep secret, it is
only known that the abandoned city was called Okmaron and was built
about 6 thousand years ago.
So do Antarctica exist? And does a secret Nazi base function alongside
them? We will finally try to find the answer to these questions…

Chapter 8. The World Wide Web

As I scoured the world for information about a secret Nazi base, I
gradually began to feel uneasy. I've been to almost every continent
except Antarctica, which I was preparing to write a book about. I wasn't
going to be like the authors who write books about the habits of tigers
and have never seen anything bigger than a domestic cat. And at the end
of 1999, he went to the Antarctic station "San Martin".
Antarctica met me quite gently. It was a little below zero, and the sky
was still fairly clear, with only the occasional hint of cloud. It was with
excitement and trepidation that I set foot on the shore that held so many
secrets. And although I didn't expect to find anything serious, the
excitement of a researcher, a discoverer woke up in me.
Every day I spent on the southern mainland cost me a lot of money, so I
wasn't going to waste my time just like that. I didn't care if the polar
explorers thought I was a rich tourist on a penguin ride. For me, the most
important thing was to get results. And first of all, I tried to find out all
the legends associated with the polar station. It took me a while, but I
managed to get some information that would make the San Martin's
provenance clear. I was even shown some iron cutlery with an eagle on
it and the words "Horst Wessel" written on it. However, some of the
polar explorers explained this quite prosaically: the Germans who
worked here, already being citizens of Argentina, were all ardent Nazis
and secretly smuggled their symbols here. However, at that time I
already knew exactly the truth and was only looking for confirmation of
my guesses.
It wasn't the gathering of rumors that was the main goal of my trip. I
decided to find Okmaron, twice discovered and twice lost. Accompanied
by three polar explorers, I moved deeper into the mountain range,
despite all the assurances that it is considered impassable. I had the exact
coordinates of the mountain valley where the abandoned city was
located.
Our journey was surprisingly easy. That is, of course, it was not a walk
along the boulevard on a weekend, but compared to the difficulties that
the polar explorers drew for me before leaving, everything seemed quite
simple. I was even a little disappointed: are these really the impassable
rocks that the Germans were talking about?
On the third day, we reached the mountain peaks surrounding the
valley. Climbing them turned out to be very difficult indeed. Once I
almost fell into the abyss. However, there are no insurmountable
obstacles, and now I was standing over the valley and looking down…
In general, I should have expected something like this. The valley was
covered with a smooth, thick layer of snow. There was no point in going
down: it was clear that everything – the palace, the pyramid temple, and
the entrance to the mysterious tunnel-was hidden under a blanket of
snow a hundred meters thick. I wasn't so naive as to expect to break
through it. We turned back.
– You just wanted to see the Valley of the City?" one of my companions
suddenly asked.
- what? I asked, surprised. "What city?"
"That's what we polar explorers call it among ourselves. There is a
beautiful legend that there, below, under the snow, lies a large and
beautiful ancient city.
I chuckled. An awl in a bag is still very, very difficult to hide.

Version # 1: Scattered around the world

There wasn't much else to do in Antarctica. Finding karst caves required
a lot of equipment and people, which in turn required a lot of money. I
didn't have any. However, in my heart of hearts I cherish the dream of
someday organizing a full-fledged expedition to the Ice Continent and
trying to uncover all the secrets of the Nazi bases to the end. In the
meantime, I had to dig up the truth mostly, as they say, solely on
circumstantial evidence.
This also applies to the main mystery: do the Nazi bases still exist?
There are several versions to this effect. Each of them is logical in its
own way. First, let's think: why do the Nazis need a secret base? After
all, they, like Freemasons in their time, can create a secret state among
unsuspecting people. Or rather, they have already done so.
When Russian artillery thundered on the outskirts of Berlin, many high-
ranking Nazis and SS men, especially employees of the Heritage of
Ancestors Institute, understood that the end of the Third Reich was not
yet their end. It is necessary to create a new, invisible Fourth Reich. And
this work began almost immediately after the German surrender.
As I have already written, in 1946, the ODESSA organization was
created in Madrid, which was engaged in the evacuation of Nazis from
Europe to safer parts of the world. The whole of Europe is covered by a
thin network codenamed "Spider". It doesn't just shelter people whose
hands are covered in blood up to their elbows. It also takes over the
management of assets left over from the Third Reich.
The fact is that the property of the Nazis is not necessarily the state
property of Germany. Most of the foreign assets in Hitler's Germany
belonged not to the state itself, but to the party. The property of the
NSDAP was recorded on specific persons, often fake ones. Therefore, it
was very difficult to find the property of the Nazis after the war. For
example, after the war, an interesting fact was discovered: up to 90 % of
the army trucks supplied to the Wehrmacht were built in factories owned
by the American company General Motors. There was a lot of hype
around this news, they even wanted to start a judicial investigation, but
the company's representatives managed to hush up the scandal. They say
that in this case, not just large, but astronomical sums of bribes were
used. The box was opened very simply – a significant share (if not most)
of the shares of General Motors through front persons were bought up
by Nazi leaders. All foreign assets of the NSDAP were recorded not for
the party, but for specific people – and it turned out that the party
disappeared, but the people remained.
As an example, we can cite the same Martin Bormann. It was he who
managed the Nazi accounts in Swiss banks. During the twelve years of
the Millennial Reich's existence, huge sums were transferred there,
according to the most conservative estimates – billions of dollars. Even
today, no one knows what happened to these accounts after 1945. Swiss
banks flatly refuse to provide any information whatsoever.
Most of the Ahnenerbe archives that were not captured by the Red Army
were also sent to South America. Where they went afterwards was a big
mystery to me (however, today I already know the answer to this
riddle). In the South American states, German colonies flourished-
settlements founded by former SS men and enjoying almost complete
independence (in one of these settlements, in fact, the author of these
lines grew up).
The Ahnenerbe Institute was actually revived under its former name and
operated in Madrid until 1975 (before Franco's death). Further, its
location had to be changed, and in general, it was necessary to switch to
the decentralization scheme as more profitable. Of course, the veterans
of the Third Reich gradually retired, but they were replaced by young
people who are eager to "not drop the honor of their fathers."
ODESSA and Ahnenerbe became pioneers in many financial
frauds. Yes, they not only spent their earnings during the years of Nazi
rule in Germany, but also actively earned money. There is fairly accurate
information about the fact that many financial crises – for example, the
Asian one in 1997 and the Russian one in 1998 – were made by the heirs
of Nazi organizations.
Covert financial and intelligence links extended to Ireland, Austria,
Sweden, Switzerland, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Germany, Lebanon,
Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Iran, Tunisia, Turkey, Morocco, Italy, and South
Africa. In many traditional areas of the "shadow economy", the SS heirs
have destroyed traditional mafia clans and fully control in some regions,
for example, the arms trade, precious stones, and money laundering. The
mafia is not able to fight them, because it looks like a school bully
against the background of serial killers against the background of the SS.
On the basis of the "Heritage of our Ancestors", which has its own
financial and economic department, a profitable business of security,
detective and audit world companies has been built. The world financial
empire of the Nazis is represented by the Flick concern, which includes
the well-known Mercedes-Benz company, the IG Farbenindustri trust,
the United Austrian Metallurgical and Steel Plants, the Steibach
company, the Vereinigestalwerke AG concern and hundreds of other
multinational companies, trusts and corporations.
Chile is considered the center of Nazi activity. It is here that the
Ahnenerbe research complex called Dignidad has been operating since
1958. It is here, in the spurs of the Western Cordillera, that training
centers are located-modern "order castles". The Nazis helped Pinochet
come to power, and then they felt completely at ease in Chile.
As the Second World War recedes into the past, it is increasingly
difficult to trace the history of Nazi organizations and Nazi money. All
over the world, they rely on all sorts of right-wing radical movements,
which they generously finance. In this scenario, the secret base, which
was originally created as a shelter, does not seem to be needed. And the
sunken Richthofen, which Cousteau's expedition discovered off the
coast of Ellsworth Land, would seem to be a clear confirmation of
this. And how is it possible today, in the age of satellites and radars, to
hide the existence of a powerful base?

Version # 2: and yet they exist!

Yet there are many indications that the Antarctic base still exists. The
entire network of Nazi organizations scattered around the world is
nothing more than the tentacles of a giant octopus. But there must be a
head somewhere, too! And it is difficult to find a more suitable place for
it than Antarctica.
Ultimately, a sunken aircraft carrier proves nothing. After all, Russian
planes spotted it when it was still afloat, and only after that it was sent to
the bottom. After all, there was no way to get him into the karst cave,
and this vessel, in truth, was no longer of military value – completely
unsuited to the take-off and landing of modern aircraft, the Richthofen
could only serve as a museum. Moreover, then it disappeared even from
the bottom-most likely, it was simply cut into metal right under the
water.
In addition, the Russian scout spotted submarines that "emerged" from
under the rocks! It would seem that there could not be a clearer proof of
the existence of a secret base. And the fate of many participants of
various expeditions who disappeared under mysterious
circumstances? And the disappearance of ancient cities and unknown
forces at the bottom of underground lakes? And UFOs that are often
seen over Antarctica?
Indeed, this is not a fairy tale or idle fiction. Antarctica is considered a
real "paradise for ufologists", where it is full of all sorts of "flying
saucers" and other strange, mysterious phenomena. To give just one
example: in 1979, powerful radars installed in Australia immediately
detected 19 "flying saucers" that flew over Antarctica and then landed in
the area of Ellsworth Land. From time to time, there was also evidence
that these strange objects belong to the Germans.
Here are at least a few mysterious stories that I picked up from one of
the lost UFO sites on the Internet.
November 5, 1957, Nebraska, USA. Late in the evening, a grain –
buying businessman named Raymond Schmidt came to the sheriff's
office in Kearny and told a story that happened to him near the city. The
car he was driving on the Boston – San Francisco highway suddenly
stalled and stopped. When he got out of it to see what had happened, he
noticed a huge "metal cigar"in a forest clearing not far from the
road. Right before his eyes, a hatch opened and a man in ordinary
clothes appeared on the platform. In excellent German, Schmidt's native
language, the stranger suggested that he enter the ship. Inside, the
businessman saw two men and two women of quite ordinary appearance,
but moving in an unusual way – they seemed to slide on the
floor. Schmidt also remembered some flaming pipes filled with colored
liquid. About half an hour later, he was asked to leave, and the cigar rose
silently into the air and disappeared behind the forest.
November 6, 1957 USA, Tennessee, Dante (near Knoxville). At six-
thirty in the morning, an oblong object of indeterminate color landed in a
field a hundred meters from the Clark family home. Twelve-year-old
Everett Clark, who was walking his dog at the time, said that the two
men and two women who came out of the phone were talking to each
other "like German soldiers from a movie." The Clarks ' dog ran toward
them, barking furiously, followed by the other neighborhood
dogs. Strangers at first unsuccessfully tried to catch one of the dogs that
jumped up to them, but then they left this idea, went into the object, and
the device flew away without a sound. Reporter Carson Brewer of the
Knoxville News-Sentinel found flattened grass on a 7.5-by-1.5-meter
plot at the site.
And there are actually hundreds of such testimonies! It's just that the
official authorities don't take UFO information seriously, and the
scientists they feed obediently say that all this is nothing more than idle
gossip and stories. However, maybe the authorities just know perfectly
well who is hiding in the "flying saucers", and do not want to make these
facts public?
Moreover, UFOs are often attributed to extraterrestrials. This is done, in
my opinion, with a single goal-to dissuade people from believing in the
existence of "flying saucers". After all, who, being in a clear mind and
solid memory, will believe that we are really talking about some aliens
who came from a distant galaxy and still can not really establish contact
with people?
Much closer to the truth will be those who say: these objects are quite
terrestrial in origin. Only here they are created in secret laboratories,
about which most of us do not have the slightest idea. Or maybe all this
is the legacy of the Antarctic?
Indeed, much thought has led me to the conclusion that Antarctica still
exists. After all, the systems that blocked the path of the Russians and
the French also worked on the Germans and, therefore, were created
long before the Nazis appeared on the Ice Continent. Of course, there is
a theory that these are automatic devices that operate completely
autonomously after their creators have long since died out. But let's
remember the history of the French and Russian expeditions to the karst
cave. If the French were killed, brutally and indiscriminately, then the
Russians were just not allowed to go beyond a certain limit.
Therefore, it is quite possible that the Nazis have long established
contact with the Antarctic and found a common language with them. In
this case, it is quite obvious why the governments of the developed
world, especially the United States, are in no hurry to find (and find) a
Nazi base. After all, its inhabitants can call on the help of forces whose
true power is unknown to anyone. Perhaps the current population of
Valhalla acts as intermediaries between the Antarctic and the powerful,
selling the latter high technology in exchange for their own immunity.
And one more argument in favor of the existence of a Nazi base in the
ice of Antarctica: in the early 50s, its population numbered at least 150-
200 thousand people. At the same time, thanks to Operation Gloria, the
demographic imbalance no longer existed, tens of thousands of young
women could give birth to tens of thousands of children. Valhalla's
population couldn't have died out, so where could it have gone? Travel
to different countries? But to keep the secret in this case would be
simply impossible. Wipe out the entire population? Of course, the Nazis
were quite capable of such a step, because in their concentration camps
they exterminated many more Slavs and Jews. But why cut up the
golden egg-bearing hens? After all, most of those who inhabited
Valhalla were highly skilled experts.
As for modern tracking devices, you need to remember that every sword
has its own shield. Means of tracking are contrasted with means of
counteraction. And the fact that the inhabitants of Antarctica have a very
high level of technology, there is no doubt. The Nazis are very adept at
disguising their bases, as a rule, simply "covering" them with snow and
ice. And even the most modern satellite is not able to understand that
there is an abandoned city down there? Hot lake? By the way, the most
modern and high-precision remote sensing spacecraft disappear or stop
working soon after entering orbit. So, for example, it happened recently
with two of the newest Russian satellites. In addition, information is
periodically received about the detection of strange objects in orbit that
are not satellites launched into space by one of the great powers known
to us. It is quite possible that they were launched from secret spaceports
in Antarctica.
In short, I am convinced that the Nazi base on the southern continent
continues to exist. Of course, Hess and Bormann, as well as almost
everyone who stood at its origins, are long dead. However, their children
and grandchildren, who are joined by thousands of volunteers from all
over the world, continue their work. And who knows if we'll all wake up
one day in a world ruled by the Fourth Reich?

Afterword
So, it's time to put an end to my book. But not in the history of the secret
Nazi base in Antarctica – I'm sure of that. As in the fact that sooner or
later we will find out the truth about it. The whole truth.
Why can't we recognize her now? After all, it is quite obvious that many
people are accurately informed about the existence of this database. First
of all, this applies to the governments of Western countries (primarily
the United States), which maintain regular contacts with this base. In
exchange for technology, they allow the Nazis to operate with complete
impunity. However, the latter act with impunity for another reason. The
fact is that the heirs of the SS know too much about the international
relations of Nazism, about the help that was given to it by Western
democracies, their governmental and Masonic circles. The modern West,
which ignores many of the mysteries of the Third Reich with deadly
silence, is extremely uninterested in making this information public.
Of course, I don't know much myself, and many things still remain
"white spots"for me. But if we agree not to turn a blind eye to them, not
to limit ourselves to the poor popular art that corrupt historians give us
in someone's selfish interests, sooner or later we will touch the true
knowledge. This belief keeps me going and keeps me doing my
research.
Because I am sure that a threat is looming over us now, from which we
cannot turn away and bury our heads in the sand. Recall the history of
the NSDAP: at first, Hitler tried to seize power by force, but the "beer
hall putsch" was suppressed, and the future Fuhrer switched to legal
struggle. Ten years later, he gained power legally. The whole history of
the Third Reich is a kind of "beer hall putsch" on a global scale, which
also failed. And today, the Nazis, acting all over the world, are preparing
the new year 1933. Capturing leading positions in the economy,
promoting yourself in the political sphere. After all, there are right-wing
radical movements in any country, in France and Austria, for example,
they are very close to winning the elections. Their victory on a global
scale cannot be allowed.
And my next books are almost ready. I hope they will be well received
by readers. They are devoted, as you understand, to the riddles of the
Third Reich. Separately, my attention was drawn to the "miracle
weapon" of the Third Reich. During 1942-1945, the Nazi leadership
repeatedly promised soldiers at the front its imminent appearance. A
propaganda stunt? Yes, this is how it is usually interpreted today. At the
same time, no one denies that the Third Reich was the first to create jet
combat aircraft, long-range ballistic missiles… What other projects were
close to completion? I took up two of them: the space rocket program
and the atomic bomb. After all, many historians admit that the Germans
came close to creating their own nuclear bomb and almost beat
America. In fact, they were level. And only an accident prevented the
use of German nuclear weapons in the spring of 1945. As for the rocket
space program, it was aimed primarily at creating an intercontinental
ballistic weapon capable of reaching the territory of the United
States. Such a rocket was indeed created and launched. And I will
definitely tell you about her fate, too.
See you soon!

Table of contents
 Preface of the publishing house
 To my readers
 Chapter 1. The Mysterious Continent
 Land of Ice
 Chronicle of strange events
 Where did Antarctica come from?
 People in Antarctica. Weber's hypothesis
 People in Antarctica. Gott's hypothesis
 The Nazis and the Antarctic
 Chapter 2. Captain Ritscher's Voyage
 Preparation
 Secret aircraft carrier of the Reich
 First steps
 Opening a Dead City
 Valhalla
 New Swabia
 Chapter 3. The Fuhrer's Ice Bunker
 Secret meeting
 Mysterious series
 In search of Antarctica
 The Last Flight of Rudolf Hess
 Drown them all!
 When the Reich began to collapse
 Chapter 4. When the rats run away from the ship
 The mysterious fate of Martin Bormann
 Issue
 Cargo and passengers
 Shambhala vs. Antarctica
 Destination-ODESSA
 Operation Gloria
 Chapter 5. The Odyssey of Admiral Bird
 Official Version Riddles
 New Swabia is in danger!
 A mason won't peck out a mason's eye
 Half a century before September 11
 Do you have a contact?
 Chapter 6. Cousteau's Unknown Expedition
 Captain
 And again the caves!
 Aircraft carrier on the bottom
 Chapter 7. The Russian Trail
 And again the white aircraft carrier
 Russians in paradise
 Underwater and underground
 In Okmaron
 Chapter 8. The World Wide Web
 Version # 1: Scattered around the world
 Version # 2: and yet they exist!
 Afterword