Forbidden History - Nazis in Antarctica?

Episode Date: December 23, 2025

In this episode, we dive into one of the more peculiar World War II conspiracy theories: the alleged Nazi expeditions to Antarctica. We explore the historical roots, the myths of secret bases, and why this story continues to captivate imaginations decades later. Was it simply for science and discovery, or something stranger? Go to ⁠rula.com/forbidden⁠ and take the first step towards better mental health today. Cast List: Guy Walters: Author & Historian  Eric Meyers: Narrator  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the Forbidden History Podcast. We're an independent podcast, and advertisements help keep us going. Ads are automatically placed and not specifically chosen or endorsed by us, unless read by me the host. Thanks for supporting the show. Of all the shadowy legends surrounding the Third Reich, few are as tantalizing as the idea that the Nazis fled to Antarctica. It's a story that has circulated in whispers for decades.

half history, half science fiction. But what makes it compelling is that, as with many of the more outlandish theories, there are fragments of truth buried within it. There is a lot of forbidden history about what the Nazis got up to, and one of the most compelling is that the Nazis were on Antarctica. A big question is, do the Nazis actually build a secret base in Antarctica? In this version of history, the frozen continent became the staging ground for secret experiments, the development of flying saucers, and perhaps even a refuge for Adolf Hitler himself,

a hidden fortress from which a Fourth Reich could rise. The whole idea of a Nazi Antarctica is very seductive and it is really quite out there, but what's tantalizing is that there are elements of truth to this story, that gives people just enough to cling onto and maintain that the swastika really did fly amongst all that snow and ice. The legend begins with an undeniable fact. The Nazis really did send an expedition to Antarctica. The mission initially had a practical purpose. Germany's war machine was preparing for conflict, and whale oil was crucial. It not only lubricated engines, but it was used in the manufacturing of margarine and soap, everyday products that supported the economy and the

military alike. In a bid to ensure Germany would have a steady supply of oil and wouldn't have to rely on fat imports from Norway, Hitler set out to establish his very own whaling base. To help us unravel this mystery, we're joined by historian and author Guy Walters. So the idea, the whole origins of the idea that they were Nazis Antarctica, I think really stems from an official Nazi German expedition to Antarctica in 1938 to 1939. And that's led by a guy called Captain Alfred Ritcher. And that expedition had the very simple task of surveying and claiming territory. On the 17th of December 1938, some months before the outbreak of World War II,

The Germans set off for Antarctica in a vessel named Schwabbenland. The exhibition was authorized by Herman Goering as part of Germany's four-year plan for economic development. His objective was to explore the potential strategic advantages offered by the Antarctic, as well as to study the performance of aircraft at low temperatures, knowledge that would later prove valuable during the German invasion of the Soviet Union, Arriving at Antarctica's Droning Maudland coast, on the 19th of January 1939, the Germans set about surveying the land.

Their Schwabben Land vessel was essentially an 8,500 ton floating airport, complete with two seaplanes, a catapult to launch aircraft into the air, and a crane to retrieve them from the water once they'd landed. Throughout the expedition, the Germans surveyed an area of all

almost 100,000 square miles, pitching flags at strategic points along the coast, and dropping swastika flags from aircraft to stake territorial claim. They named it Noychwabenland, or New Swabia, but some believe this was no ordinary mapping mission. But of course, some people have thought, actually, no, the Nazis weren't doing that. And so actually what was considered the real purpose of this mission is that Richard and his team were there to establish secret bases for advanced weapons development and even to go there to try and plot out a refuge for high-ranking officials if things went badly, or even to research

UFOs. But what exactly led people to believe this outlandish theory? We know that the Nazis were pretty sort of cunning and secretive types and are up to no good all the time. After all, the expedition team were only in Antarctica for a total of 18 days. The whole thing is a little bit shrouded mystery, but the chances are it was simply an exploration mission. In fact, it was a few years after the expedition when people began to grow suspicious.

Supporters of the theory point to German U-boat activity later in the war. Dozens of submarines were unaccounted for when Germany surrendered in May, 144. with some later turning up in Argentina, a known refuge for Nazis on the run. Some people say, listen, we know that German U-boats made their way to the South Atlantic towards the end of the war. We know that some have ended up in Argentina and they could have transported personnel and technology to some hidden stronghold beneath the ice. Two of the most famous cases were U530 and U-977, both of which entered the stronghold beneath the ice. both of which entered the Argentine naval base in Mar-Delplata on the Atlantic coast. U-530 appeared at the base in July of 1945, just two months after the news of Hitler's suicide had circulated.

Ignoring this, many people believe that U-530 had somehow whisked Hitler, Ava Brown, and Martin Borman out of Germany, and had landed them either on the coast of Patagonia or, in the island. in Antarctica. Speculation for theories of this nature only increased when U-977 also surrendered at Mar-Delplata in mid-August of 1945. One theory claims that Hitler died in his Berlin bunker, but his ashes were later taken to Antarctica by submarine, along with others heading toward Mar-Del-Plaeta. The ashes were reportedly stored with Nazi treasures in six bronze, lead-line

boxes and placed in a very special natural ice cave in the Merlig Hoffman Mountains of drowning maudland. And, you know, there are apparently testimonies from former Nazi officers and reports of activity in the region that all fuel that myth. To believers, the U-boats appearing in Argentina was proof that submarines could have delivered personnel, technology, even Hitler himself, to a secret Nazi base in the United States. Antarctica. But skeptics point to the brutal reality of the South Pole. And there are other people who say, look, if you're going to plan some secret Nazi base,

the Antarctic is a seriously harsh place to do so. I mean, the logistical challenges of making a base in the Antarctic are very, very difficult. You know, you're better off doing it in Patagonia, in Argentina, not in the snow and ice. Antarctica is the harshest environment on Earth. Catabatic winds, temperatures dropping as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and not to mention 24-hour darkness during the winter months of June and July. With shifting ice sheets capable of crushing buildings and machinery, even today, constructing permanent facilities there is a monumental task. Could the Nazis really have done it in the 1930s and 40s?

No conclusive evidence has ever been found that shows that there was a secret base in Antarctica. And I think that the reports that they did, I suspect, is misinterpretation of what we do know. And so you've got to ask yourself the big question. If you are of a Nazi on the run, you don't want to make your new home. You don't want to make your retirement destination Antarctica. You'd rather go to some German friendly town in Patagonia and southern Argentina and make that your home. Despite there being no solid proof, the bizarre theories only continued to grow. In the late 1940s, reports of strange flying objects over Antarctica began to surface.

Some allege that these were not alien visitors, but the continuation of Nazi experiments. Some claimed that what the Nazi scientists were doing there was collaborating with extraterrestrials to develop flying sources. What we do know is that the Germans, you know, towards the end of the war were developing these things called the Wunderwaffe, wonder weapons, and some of them did look like flying disks. It's these designs that later fed the idea that strange post-war UFO sightings weren't alien at all, but the last gasp of Nazi technology.

Shortly after the Second World War, these rumors were only fueled further when the largest Antarctic expedition in history took place. Led by Admiral Richard E. Bird, a large American fleet was mobilized, complete with 13 ships, 33 aircraft, and nearly 5,000 men. One of the elements that gives rise to people thinking that there was a Nazi Antarctic base after the war was the fact that there was a U.S. military expedition to Antarctica called Operation High Jump. The primary objectives of Operation High Jump were for training and testing personnel and equipment in extreme temperatures, establishing an Antarctic research base, and mapping and photographing areas

of the land. But similarly to the Nazis' mission in 1938, High Jump also had geopolitical undertones. With the early Cold War era brewing, nations were beginning to show interest in Antarctica's potential. And the U.S. Navy's mission was no different. Polar training was also seen as imperative by U.S. military planners, who saw the threat of war with the Soviet Union in the Arctic as likely. And there are these reports that Admiral Bird had spoken about encountering advanced aircraft, his men had suffered heavy losses, and that all fuels the speculation of this kind of post-war conflict on Antarctica with Nazis.

According to this version, Operation High Jump was a clandestine mission to locate a secret Nazi base, and on discovery, forces clashed with remnants of the Third Reich. But how did people come to believe this wild claim? Perhaps due to the mission's initial classification as confidential, people thought the U.S. government had something to conceal. Believers of these theories allege that during Operation High Jump, Admiral Bird flew over the the hidden Nazi base, and that in retaliation four of his aircraft were shot down by German secret weapons or intercepted by strange enemy aircraft, including flying saucers. They insist that

the planes were lost, men were killed, and as a result they withdrew from the mission after just eight weeks. To them, Operation High Jump's sudden withdrawal displayed defeat of some kind. One of the great things about the whole idea of an Antarctic Nazi base is that some link it to unidentified flying objects, UFOs. Now, some of that is reinforced by these alleged post-war sightings made of mysterious aircraft and these unverified American encounters with UFOs over Antarctica. But the flying saucer theory was in fact given a small ounce of credibility. In 1947, an article written by one of the US reporters on Operation High Jump was published in Chile's El Mercurio newspaper. Theorists claim that in the article, Byrd warned that, in case of a new war, the continental

United States would be attacked by flying objects, which could fly from pole to pole at incredible speeds. So this really fuels the idea that the Germans went down to Antarctica, developed flying disks, you know, with their old friends, the aliens. While Byrd's newspaper quote is often repeated in UFO and alternative history circles, it's possible that mistranslation fueled this fire. The correct translation of the Spanish article is, Admiral Richard E. Bird warned today that the United States should adopt measures of protection against the possibility of an invasion

of the country by hostile planes coming from the polar regions. The Admiral explained that he was not trying to scare anyone, but the cruel reality is that in case of a new war, the United States could be attacked by planes flying over one or both poles. So, could it have been a mistaken translation? or a deliberate exaggeration. As discredited and implausible as that theory might sound, it isn't the only one.

Beyond the talk of flying saucers and hidden Nazi bases, there's another version of the story, one that some believe is far more grounded. We'll be right back after the break. In the accepted record, Hitler died by suicide in his bunker on April 30, 1945, as Soviet troops closed in. His body was partially burned, and later fragments of his jawbone and teeth were recovered.

Soviet doctors matched them to his dental records, sealing the case. But as alleged disputes in DNA testing of the fragments opened the door for those unwilling to accept the official story, alternative narratives began to spread almost immediately. Historian and author Guy Walters explains more. There is a strain of history that suggests that Hitler escaped the bunker and actually made his way to somewhere else in the world where he lived out his days trying to form a Fourth Reich. And the people who advocate that say that there's no physical evidence confirming his death in the bunker.

I happen to think there is. And there are some who say that actually Hitler managed to get to Argentina in a U-boat. And there are some who go one step further and say he didn't go to Argentina in a U-boat. He went to Antarctica. According to declassified CIA and FBI reports, informants claimed sightings of Hitler across the globe. Some said he fled Berlin by air to Denmark, then by submarine across the Atlantic, possibly on the previously mentioned U-977. One of the most popular versions places him in Argentina. There, according to post-war rumors, he lived quietly.

under an assumed identity in Patagonia, sheltered by sympathetic German communities, and even the Peron government. Some even claimed he fathered children in South America. I've looked at various intelligence reports, and there are a lot of post-war rumors and speculation saying we spotted Hitler in this place and that place and that place. None of this stuff, you know, it looks good if it's in a CIA report, but the CIA was just reporting rumors at the time. Others pushed the tail further.

They say a U-boat carried Hitler past Argentina to the Antarctic coast, where he was escorted inland to the supposed Nazi stronghold beneath the ice. In this version, the Fuhrer spent his final years not in defeat, but plotting the rebirth of the Reich from the most remote place on Earth. Most historians, however, are incredibly skeptical of this claim. also linked to the whole Nazi Antarctica conspiracy is this whole idea of the hollow earth, that the Nazis fiendishly managed to burrow their way deep, deep, deep into the center of the earth and thereby escape. Again, it's pretty hard to give that idea a lot of credence,

but you know, some of this stuff is out there. The hollow earth theory dates back centuries. The idea that our planet is not solid, but contains vast inner realms, complete with underground oceans, hidden continents, and entrances, at the Poles. By the 20th century, it was a fringe idea, but one that Nazi occultists took a surprising interest in. Heinrich Himmler's SS think tank, the Annen Erba, explored esoteric theories of lost civilizations and alternative geographies. Some claimed the Earth's poles concealed vast openings leading inside the planet. And according to this version of events, Nazi Yuba carried Hitler to Antarctica, where an entrance to the hollow earth awaited.

There beneath the ice, he was sheltered by an advanced civilization, sometimes described as survivors of Atlantis, sometimes as extraterrestrials. In this hidden world, Hitler would not just survive, but prepare for the return of a Fourth Reich. All German U-boats, frankly, are accounted for. There were no secret U-boats in the end. And also what we do know is that if Hitler did escape, he left quite a lot of his jawbone behind.

And because the dental records of the teeth that were found, the jawbone that were found, directly match Hitler's actual known dental records. So we know that Hitler died in Berlin in April 1945. While the hollow earth theory is outlandish, it thrives for one simple reason. Antarctica is the perfect stage for paranoia. One of the problems with Antarctica is it's a great place to keep mysteries and conspiracies going

because it's very remote, it's largely unexplored, so you can speculate what's out there. We know that there are magnetic anomalies there. There are occasionally some weird unidentified aerial phenomena, I suspect, weird geological formations. And so all this stuff you can kind of blend together and make spooky, strange things happen. A place where imagination can run wild. And if there are going to be secret civilizations and vanished Nazi armies, this is where people expect to find them. Most documents in World War II have been declassified and none provide any evidence of

Nazi bases in Antarctica. There is no reason if there was a Nazi base on Antarctica for it to be covered up today. And in the tense years of the Cold War, Antarctica's mystery was magnified. The United States and the Soviet Union were locked into a battle of propaganda. As relations between them began to fall apart, there's no doubt that there were intentional misinformation campaigns from both sides. I think we have to think of the whole idea of Nazi Antarctica being a kind of more of a pop-cultural phenomenon.

You know, there are lots of fun films and books and games. hyperising the whole idea of a secret Nazi base. I mean, who doesn't like the idea of a secret Nazi base to form some sort of fantastical story? Who doesn't like the idea of Nazi UFOs? I think there was a film called Iron Sky, you know, all about this. It's fun, you know, secret weapons, hidden bunkers, Nazi UFOs. This is all great stuff for the public imagination. And yeah, there's no evidence for it. And of course, the idea is going to thrive in the worlds of conspiracy and worlds of entertainment. It's easy to see how stories like this could take root in the years after the Second World War. The world was divided. Secrecy was everywhere, and people were already living

under the shadow of new and terrifying weapons. It's obviously very seductive to think that the Antarctic can make a really good hidey hole for Nazis on the run after the war. And personally, I've written books about how the Nazis escaped after the war and where they hid and we know a lot of them went to the Middle East. We know a lot of them went to Spain. We know a lot of them went to Argentina and South America. And some of them just stayed hiding in Germany for a long time. But, you know, I've never come across in all my work anything that suggests that the Nazis did escape to Antarctica. I think if we want to investigate what the nearest to reality to a Nazi base is, we have to go back to 38, 39, to that Nazi German expedition, to, you know,

research whaling in the area, to explore territory, claims in territory, like so many other country to claim territory on Antarctica. The Nazi German mission was exploration, looking for resources and not establishing a secret base. The Antarctic is a dreadful place to even build so much as a shed, let alone a whole secret base, let alone a secret base where you're going to hide Hitler. I think it's really unlikely there was a base there. I'd say that this is all rooted in post-war paranoia and misinformation and a lot of science fiction rather than straight historical fact. And in that kind of atmosphere, a story about Nazis hiding in Antarctica, conducting covert experiments, or encountering something otherworldly, could feel strangely plausible.

One unanswered question was all it took for speculation to turn into a global conspiracy. Thanks for exploring the past with us today. If you like this episode, please be sure to follow for more. We post new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. Don't forget to leave a comment below, and feel free to leave us a rating or review. Your feedback helps us reach more listeners like you. And for more from the Like a Shot Network,

check out Where Did Everyone Go, Histories of the Abandoned, a deep dive into the incredible stories behind Forgotten Places, available now on your favorite podcast platforms. Thanks for listening.