The Nazi UFO Conspiracy
The basic story
A long-standing and pervasive conspiracy is that of the Nazi UFO base in Antarctica. The story basically goes like this:
Nazis went to Antarctica to look for possible sites for submarine bases just before the outbreak of World War 2. In their search they stumbled across ice caverns that led to a meeting with a reptilian race of aliens with advanced technology.
They built their own base there and combining alien technology with German science. This led to the development of Germany’s advanced aircraft, including some saucer based designs.
When Germany lost the war, Hitler and many of his followers, along with Nazi treasures, fled Germany. They utilised two submarines and settled into their Antarctic base.
The Americans supposedly discovered the base. In 1946-47 Operation Highjump, under the command of Admiral Richard E. Byrd, was sent to destroy the Nazi UFO base.
Byrd’s naval fleet and aircraft encountered the Nazi UFO’s and four aircraft and one ship was sunk. This lead to a retreat by the Americans. The British then sent the SAS in to clean up the Nazis under the secret Operation Tabarin. It too failed
The Americans came back a few years later (1958) and dropped three atomic bombs on the base. This finally wiped out the Nazis, orr so the story goes. There is more to it but that outlines the basics.
Where it began
Like so many modern myths the Nazi UFO base myth started with a book. It was called ‘Je sais que Hitler est vivant” (I know Hitler is alive) by Ladisla Szabo. A translated reprint is available on Amazon. The new title is “Nazi Antarctic Exploration: Hitler’s escape to South America & Secret Nazi Bases in Antarctica”.
Szabo came to the conclusion that ‘The Fuhrer’ was indeed still alive. It was part of a master plan to revive the Third Reich at some future point. Szabo goes on to discuss the appearance of two German U-boats (submarines) that surrendered in South America.
The increased crew numbers and massive amounts of stores the submarines were carrying led him to a new belief. They were part of a flotilla of submarines carrying Hitler and other members of the Reich to Antarctica to plan the resurgence of Nazism.
Much of his information about the subs and the war are true. Yes, it is possible that Hitler escaped the fall of Germany though highly improbable. Szabo diverges from his theme to discuss the possibilities of Hitler having fathered children. He also discusses the relationship with Eva Braun but then gets back to the possibility of a base in Antarctic.
He discusses the Schwabenland Expedition, which you will read about below, and the large-scale military exercise ‘Operation Highjump’ led by Admiral Byrd. Szabo says this was a search for Hitler and the secret Nazi base in Antarctica. Szabo ends his story there. It is definitely an interesting book and you come to understand how this whole conspiracy started. It is one author’s conjecture based on a few facts and a lot of fanciful guesswork.
Did the Nazi’s really build a base in Antarctica?
The Deutsche Antarktische Expedition 1939-40
In 1938/39 the Nazis did actually send an expedition to Antarctica on a ship called the Schwabenland. They were searching for sites for whaling stations so that they could remove their dependency on Norwegian whale oil. This was in readiness for the coming war (WWll) as whale oil was used in many items, from margariine to munitions.
They mapped large areas of what they named New Swabia (now Queen Maud Land), dropped some swastikas from planes to claim land and took lots of photos, before returning to Germany.
Operation Highjump
Admiral Byrd did lead an expedition called ‘Operation Highjump’ It’s purpose was to test military operations in extreme cold and set up an American base on Antarctica (Little America). At the height of the cold war, Antarctica was a great opportunity to test their men and equipment. But, without the risk of confrontation with the Soviet Union if they had done the same thing in the Arctic.
One ship did go to the area where the German Base was supposed to be (present day Queen Maud Land). It only landed twice for a day and left. All up, Operation Highjump only lost one aircraft in a blizzard. After they completed their mission they returned home.
Conspiracy theorists, in spite of claiming to do their own research, actually appear to do very little research at all. They often claim that Byrd’s expedition returned early because they were driven off by the Nazi UFO’s. The reality was that they actually left the U.S.A. late in the season and had limited time available in Antarctic waters due to the onset of winter.
Operation Tabarin
Conspiracy theorists believe Operation Tabarin was a secret SAS operation to destroy the secret Nazi UFO Base in Antarctica But it wasn’t there to find Nazi UFO’s.
In 1942, Argentina annexed Deception Island and announced the foundation of Argentine Antarctica (Antartida Argentina). Threatened with the loss of British control over the far South Atlantic territories, Britain sent the Royal Navy merchant cruiser HMS Carnarvon Castle to sort things out.
In 1943, a British party from the ship went ashore on Deception Island and destroyed all trace of the Argentine visit and hoisted the Union Jack. When they left the Argentinians returned and raised the Argentinian flag again.
In response the British set up Operation Tabarin. They sent two ships (HMS William Scoresby and the steamship Fitzroy) to Deception Island. A permanent meteorological station was established there (Base B). Another one at Port Lockroy (Base A) on the Antarctic Peninsula was establ later, an additional one at Hope Bay (Base D).
The members of the expedition carried out a scientific programme as well as manning these observation points/radio stations to locate German raiders and submarines. The underlying reason for Operation Tabarin was to assert British sovereignty over the sub-Antarctic Islands. Thus depriving Argentina of territorial intrusion into the Falkland Islands Dependency
George James, one of the last surviving members of Operation Tabarin recounts that a year after the mission began they spotted their first Argentines defending their meteorological station on Laurie Island
But as Mr James explained many of the Argentine crew had died and they had no supplies for 18 months “They were lovely to us. They came down to the beach to meet us, crying. We gave them cigarettes and edam cheese. The wireless operator got so excited that he put his arms round me. He took all the badges off his uniform and gave them to me.”
The SAS
Operation Tabarin became the Falkland Islands Dependency Survey and then the British Antarctic Survey. An organisation that has done such great scientific research in the Antarctic region. They were the first to discover the hole in the Ozone layer, for instance. Well done, and not a Nazi UFO in sight.
There were three former SAS members who signed civilian contracts with FIDS in 1946 (the SAS was disbanded in October 1945) and there were only a handful of men at each of the Tabarin bases. So, it is highly unlikely that they had enough men to conduct an operation against any Nazi UFO base which was thousands of kilometres from their position
Operation Argus
The USA did explode three atomic bombs at very high altitudes during the International Geophysical Year. It was part of Operation Argus to investigate the effects of nuclear explosions outside the atmosphere.
But they were conducted more than 2000 km away from New Swabia so if the intention was to destroy the Nazi UFO base….they missed!!!
Was there ever a Nazi UFO base in Antarctica?
Are there Nazi UFO’s in Antarctica? Well that would be really interesting if there. But consider this. 1) a number of modern scientific bases are in the area 2) thousands of people have been there without anyone reporting anything unusual. I would say a Nazi UFO base is unlikely. Pity😁
Colin Summerhayes wrote a very good paper that recounts the story and puts an end to the speculation here
Nazi Base in the Arctic
However, to be fair, a secret Nazi base is actually plausible (without the UFO’s). in 2016 the Russians discovered a secret Nazi base on Alexandra Island in the Arctic. About 1000km from the North Pole. It was set up by Hitler in 1942 as a tactical weather station. The scientists were withdrawn by U-boat in 1944 due to poisoning from eating Polar Bears. Possibly due to eating Polar Bear livers with their high Vitamin A toxicity.
But the Antarctic is a much harsher environment than the Arctic
Conclusion
Roald Amundsen, the first person to reach the South Pole built a small hut in Antarctica in 1911. This took 14 days to build with the use of 80 dogs to haul materials. The Norwegian/British/Swedish Antarctic (NBSA) Expedition of 1949-52 took 18 days to build a hut in 1950 and they had mechanised transport
Admiral Byrd had the might of American warships, machinery and thousands of crew to build his Little America base. He really only managed a rudimentary base that mainly consisted of a few buildings and a lot of tents.
The Germans were only in Antarctica for a month and had no motorised equipment. Considering the difficulties of building anything in Antarctica, it is highly doubtful that an Antarctic Nazi UFO base was ever built.
Unless they had help from the aliens or an advanced civilisation and that is also unlikely as there is no proof for it at all.
So I think it is pretty safe to say that the Nazis never got a foothold there.