View Full Version : Antarctic Base: How feasible?
I'm working on a concept for a story invovling the Nazis building a facility near the South Pole during the 1930's and 1940's. However, while it's fiction, I want to make it at least somewhat realistic. So I would appreciate any insight into this concept.
I am making the following assumptions, for the sake of this idea.
1. That there is something compelling enough for the 3rd Reich to consider this an important project, and that the political will and resource availability on the part of the german govenment will be available for several years at least. This will be an inherent part of the plot of the story as to why the base exists.
2. That most transport will take place in the antarctic summer.
3. That greenhouses will make the base at least somewhat self-sefficent, lessening the need for food supplies.
4. The base will not be sustainable by 1945, for various reasons.
As I see it, such an undertaking would be tough, to say the least and I have indentified the following problems:
- The ocean around Antartica isn't the clearest patch of water around and there's not a lot of places for ships to get close to the shore and unload cargo. I remember a movie about Ernest Shackleton and his failed expedition a while ago and it gave the impression that sea travel isn't exactly a picnic in that area.
-The nearest airstrip would probably be in New Zealand or Argentina, which would make flights to the base location a challenge.(though I suspect New Zealand would not be possible due to political realities) Since germany has no Aircraft carriers, Argentina would be the best bet.
-Extreme cold would make it difficult to use machinery or even motor transport (I've heard that people in minnesota have to turn their engines over every few hours during the winter to keep the anti-freeze from freezing).
-Distances from the sea to the Pole would use a lot of fuel for ground transport. Supply caches is the only thing I could think of to really solve this.
-Vehicles might be a sticking point. Wheeled vechicles would be out, so perhaps halftracks and treaded tractors would be the best bet. Planes would have to be either bombers or cargo planes. Distance and carrying capacity would be very important here.
I know that there are research stations down there, but most I believe are fairly close to the Ocean. I'd be interesting in knowing how they built and transported the needed materials (though I seem to rememebr they had helicopters that helped a lot).
As much as I've been able to plan out, Freighters could be used to deliver supplies to the coast, as well as dogs, sleds, and later vehicles (after the requsite supplies of fuel had been left at supply depots along the way the way to the building site). An Airstrip is later built at the base so planes can be used for transport from Argentina (which was far more likely to allow german air travel from 1933-1945 then New Zealand or Austraila). Freighters and land transport would still have to make a sizable bulk of supplies, though his would be increasingly difficult from 1940 onward, due to British and American Navy intervention. I only idea I can think of in that regard is use of freighters that disguise themselves as allied shipping once leaving the range of the luftwaffe, but I have no idea how pratical this is.
So, is there anything I'm not thinking of? Or is there something that would make it impossible (Like do logistics allow it?) that I'm overlooking?
Any nits in this idea would be appreciated.
Dravin
11-21-2002, 02:28 AM
Not much to add except didn't Clive Cussler deal with that premise in one of his Dirk Pit novels? I think it was Atlantis Found.
stuyguy
11-21-2002, 02:31 AM
Got one word of advice that would solve most of your problems and give you that zesty Germanic flavor your story craves: Zeppelins.
Originally posted by Dravin
Not much to add except didn't Clive Cussler deal with that premise in one of his Dirk Pit novels? I think it was Atlantis Found.
Did he? I haven't read any Cussler. I know the idea isn't new, since I got the idea from something else, but I'm hopeing that I could make it a decent story anyway.
*Stupid Nothing New under the sun*
Originally posted by stuyguy
Got one word of advice that would solve most of your problems and give you that zesty Germanic flavor your story craves: Zeppelins.
Could zeppelins work in Antarctic weather conditions?
Somebody else mentioned railroads. I'm not sure how feasible that is, but it would solve a lot of problems.
Racer1
11-21-2002, 03:08 AM
Originally posted by HPL
Could zeppelins work in Antarctic weather conditions?
Somebody else mentioned railroads. I'm not sure how feasible that is, but it would solve a lot of problems.
I've read Cussler's Atlantis Found. It did feature a similar idea, but IIRC it was based in modern times and the bad guys had merely made use of an old secret Nazi base in Antarctica.
I like the idea but wasn't especially impressed with Atlantis Found, so I don't let it discourage you from your idea.
You should be commended for your desire to keep to the possible, but as it is fiction, I'm sure you can afford some artistic licence on the details. You could always make up some special technology developed by the Nazis to help their trains/zeppelins work in the conditions?
Perhaps an incentive for the German base could be a huge natural resource field (oil/gold/whatever) found under Antarctica? I have read a book where the remains of a past civilisation were found under the ice, but I haven't read anything on natural resources found there so far.
FYI the Graf Zeppelin, completed in 1931, had a range of 6000 miles and made at least one flight over the north pole.
I can't find any references to a south pole flight by any airship. Richard Byrd flew an airplane over the south pole in 1929.
Currently the South Pole Station is supplied by air, using LC130 cargo planes. McMurdo Station on the coast serves as a transfer point, I believe.
zigaretten
11-21-2002, 03:13 AM
Antarctica is one of the windiest places on the planet with gales of up to 200mph, so I have my doubts about zeppelins.
In 1957 Sir Edmund Hillary made it to the south pole using farm tractors rigged with skis, and the Snowcats they use today are really just a modern version of the same thing. These tractors were able to haul short "trains" of sledges with supplies. So that's probably the most realistic method.
Racer1
11-21-2002, 03:14 AM
In case it helps, I just found this (http://polarmistexp.com/polarmist_web/antarctica/land_resources.html) link, which speculates about resources that Antarctica could be harbouring. It also has a bit on how feasible it would be to retrieve them, and mentions the balance between the cost and the likely profits.
Good luck!
Originally posted by Racer1
I've read Cussler's Atlantis Found. It did feature a similar idea, but IIRC it was based in modern times and the bad guys had merely made use of an old secret Nazi base in Antarctica.
I like the idea but wasn't especially impressed with Atlantis Found, so I don't let it discourage you from your idea.
It's possible I could do it better. Though I'd have to read it to compare.
Originally posted by Racer1
You should be commended for your desire to keep to the possible, but as it is fiction, I'm sure you can afford some artistic licence on the details. You could always make up some special technology developed by the Nazis to help their trains/zeppelins work in the conditions?
And I guess I'm really into the accuracy thing is because I'm one of those people who watches movies and lator picks them apart (I can still like them, but I will take them apart). Hell, I love spaghetti westerns and little in them is particulary accurate. But then again, I've always found that there is a lot of fun to be had with possible Nazi inventions ( I once did a computer game scenario that invovled Allied Commandos destorying a fully functioning Nazi Missle Silo complex. The basic idea featured Mustard Gas being loaded into the warheads of Advanced V-2 rockets and lauched at london from an underground silo built into a hill, with railroad equipment being used to move the missles around inside)
Zepplin I could possibly do, but I'm ruling out the train thing. The Ice is a mile thick and I don't think you can really lay track on it.
Broomstick
11-21-2002, 04:45 AM
Originally posted by HPL
Could zeppelins work in Antarctic weather conditions? Don't see why not. The obstacles to any vehicle working in the Antartic involve lubricating and hydraulic fluids solidifying, and the fact that metal becomes brittle in extreme cold. Zepplins, I believe, can carry more cargo per unit of fuel than an airplane, which is important if you're fuel supply is limited. Two additional problems: Zepplins usually require a significant ground crew to land safely, and high winds at landing can be a real problem. Still, it would be plausible for the Germans to attempt to use Zepplins. They'd try to manage this during good weather - but remember weather prediction in 1940 wasn't nearly as accurate as today. Could be an interesting part of the story, wether the Zepps work out or not.
Somebody else mentioned railroads. I'm not sure how feasible that is, but it would solve a lot of problems. Too much labor to build and maintain in those conditions. EVERYTHING would need to be brought in, and how are you going to feed a small army of workers? Dogsled and, as mentioned, tractors dragging sldeges make the most sense.
Paul in Qatar
11-21-2002, 04:47 AM
Well, it is the day for Nazi threads.
(Nazi threads? You know, boots, feldgrau woolen pants with red stripes, a tunic. But I digress.)
In this era (the 1930) many goofy ideas appeared. One of these was Hollow Earth Theory. This held that UFOs and stuff came from the advanced civilization in the center of the (hollow) earth. Their were supposed to be holes at the poles.
I owuld point out a Nazi base Down South would be supplied (I suppose) from nearby Argentina.
Originally posted by Paul in Saudi
In this era (the 1930) many goofy ideas appeared. One of these was Hollow Earth Theory. This held that UFOs and stuff came from the advanced civilization in the center of the (hollow) earth. Their were supposed to be holes at the poles.
Actually, I think the hollow earth theory is far older then that. Poe used it at least once in his stories.
And there are still people who believe it. They are easy to spot because of the Tin Foil hats.
Originally posted by Broomstick
Don't see why not. The obstacles to any vehicle working in the Antartic involve lubricating and hydraulic fluids solidifying, and the fact that metal becomes brittle in extreme cold. Zepplins, I believe, can carry more cargo per unit of fuel than an airplane, which is important if you're fuel supply is limited. Two additional problems: Zepplins usually require a significant ground crew to land safely, and high winds at landing can be a real problem. Still, it would be plausible for the Germans to attempt to use Zepplins. They'd try to manage this during good weather - but remember weather prediction in 1940 wasn't nearly as accurate as today. Could be an interesting part of the story, wether the Zepps work out or not.
But then again, if it fails, can you say "Hindenberg?"
Originally posted by Broomstick
Too much labor to build and maintain in those conditions. EVERYTHING would need to be brought in, and how are you going to feed a small army of workers? Dogsled and, as mentioned, tractors dragging sldeges make the most sense.
Yeah. Besides, the ice cap is a mile deep on the plateau. Ice and Snow doesn't sound like the best thing to anchor tracks in.
Skippman
11-21-2002, 08:39 AM
HPL -
I second the Zeppilin idea. You're forgetting a few important things. The Zeppilin need not "dock" or "land" but could employ air drops like we do to our troops now. Another method of supplying the facility might be submarines.
Heating wouldn't really be a problem, if you dug deep enough into the snow. Snow works as a great insulator. Maybe there's a geo-thermal pocket there for heat/power.
As for food, how about Hydroponics. Not like your going to have a water shoratege in the land of eternal snow. Fish and plant life could be supported in a closed eco-system. This type of enviroment is called an "archology". Need electricity? How about wind power? I don't know if they had developed the concepts of wind power back durring WW2, but the Germans definatly knew about windmills so it's not a far gone step to make the technological leap.
German half-tracks could have their front wheels replaced with Ski's to work as giant snow-mobiles.
As for why there are there, they could be doing scientific experiments. Belief in the hollow earth theory is quite well attributed to Hittler. Maybe there ARE resources there we're not aware of. There are serious theorys in todays scientific community that at one time the poles actually sat on our equater and "The Meteor" that hit Mexico caused a polar shift. If that is true, then the possiblity of oil being there is high as creatures in that area would have no where to go.
Keep us up to date on the story!
The Clawman
11-21-2002, 10:17 AM
Need electricity? How about wind power? I don't know if they had developed the concepts of wind power back durring WW2, but the Germans definatly knew about windmills so it's not a far gone step to make the technological leap.
This (http://www.state.nd.us/dcs//Energy/windhist.html) cite suggests that there was small scale use of wind power to generate electricity in rural USA prior to WWII.
Originally posted by Skippman
Another method of supplying the facility might be submarines.
I think you're confusing the two poles. There's solid rock under the south pole. A submarine won't get any closer to the south than a good icebreaker. North pole, on ther other hand, is just ice floating on top of the ocean. Submarines and even surface ships (Soviet nuclear-powered icebreakers) have reached it.
Polycarp
11-21-2002, 10:57 AM
Although I'm not willing to throw cold water on the Zeppelin idea (and, yes, airships were regularly used for Arctic exploration prior to 1937; the Norge, with Amundsen and Nobile co-commanding, comes to mind), it's worth noting that Flottadmiral Raeder was in the process of building an aircraft carrier when WWII broke out, and it was not completed simply because there were other things with higher priorities to the German armed forces. Getting that carrier finished during the war would not be much of a stretch from real history.
The area south of Australia and South Africa and north of the Antarctic Ice Pack is among the most treacherous in the world -- the "Howling Sixties" (being around 60 degrees south latitude). It's possible to penetrate to the Antarctic coast quite easily with icebreakers, but the pack ice surrounding the continent (except for the Antarctic Peninsula pointing towards South America) usually precludes penetration by ships without an icebreaking hull or else escorted by an icebreaker.
heresiarch
11-21-2002, 11:11 AM
Most research sites are near the coast, but there is one smack dab at the south pole. (webcam (http://www.cmdl.noaa.gov/obop/spo/livecamera.html)). A skeleton crew spends the winter there.
They normally can't get planes there in the winter, but a few years ago, when there was a medical emergency, a small plane (IIRC a Canadian Sea Otter) flew to the pole from McMurdo. The pilot had to wait a few days for a break in the weather. He was facing high winds, low visibility due to blowing snow, low illumination, and, of course, low temps. Besides the chance of hydraulic fluid getting too thick, low temps and an altitude near 10,000 feet adds up to thin air and very little lift.
They originally planned to leave the engine running while they loaded the passengers, but for some reason the pilot couldn't leave again immediately. They were able to start the plane the next day and get back to McMurdo.
As for the greenhouse, I'm not sure how feasible that would be. You would need a very large building and even with triple-paned windows the station would lose a lot of heat. The low sun angle would give you a very short growing season. They'd have to transport a huge quantity of building supplies for a meager amount of veggies. I think they'd be better off transporting stocks of rations and storing them in unheated buildings.
heresiarch
11-21-2002, 11:14 AM
here's another good site: http://www.spole.gov
Skippman
11-21-2002, 11:16 AM
scr4 - I was thinking they could use them to smuggle supplys to the coast, not nessicarly to sub pens. But you are right about it being almost all earth under the frozen south.
I still think the hydroponics would work with UV lamps. You could have them underground and they would still grow. I know that hydroponics was pretty well known in the 50's but I'm not to sure how well it was known in the 40's.
Sofa King
11-21-2002, 12:34 PM
For an added dash of verisimilitude, you might want to check into the story of U-977 (http://uboat.net/boats/u977.htm). It turned up in Mar del Plata, Argentina, after the surrender of Germany after a 108 day voyage, including 66 days continuously submerged and using a Schnorchel. The captain, Heinz Schaffer, wrote a book about it in 1952, entitled U-977. It's out of print but I picked up a copy for a quarter at a used book store a couple of years ago.
Schaffer was interned and interrogated for weeks because of a persistent rumor that he had dropped off high-level Nazis in Antarctica. However, his log listed a number of ship and aircraft sightings which confirmed his route straight to Argentina. There was another U-boat tasked with a similar mission, but I am uncertain of its fate.
The Germans had a prototypical peroxide-powered (http://www.withhonourinbattle.com/typxxvi.html) U-boat which presaged the nuclear submarine in performance. They also had supply U-boats, called milch cows (http://uboat.net/types/milkcows.htm), designed to resupply other U-boats at sea. In addition, the German navy had a number of armed merchant raiders (http://members.tripod.com/mackenziegregory/log/macslog/MaraudersoftheSea2GermanA.html) (sometimes mistakenly termed Q-ships (http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq111-1.htm)), though most if not all were sunk before the end of the war, and a fairly extensive fleet of supply ships (http://www.die-marine.de/english/ships.html#lueneburg) designed to keep its raider fleet at sea.
With all those goodies you should be able to get your Nazis to the Antarctic shore. If you wanted to get real creative, why not invent something like an "ice submarine" which could travel (slowly) underneath the Antarctic glaciers by melting or boring a path? Heck, you could even sink a base right at the north pole by heating it up and letting it settle through the ice.
Earl Snake-Hips Tucker
11-21-2002, 01:10 PM
Submitted for your perusal. . .
"Genesis" (1980) by W.A. Harbison
Originally posted by Mjollnir
Submitted for your perusal. . .
"Genesis" (1980) by W.A. Harbison
Interesting, but makes me glad my story is not using UFO's.
Originally posted by Skippman
scr4 - I was thinking they could use them to smuggle supplys to the coast, not nessicarly to sub pens. But you are right about it being almost all earth under the frozen south.
While I love the idea of using U-boats for clandestine transport, I've had to rule it out. If for no other reason that even the German U-boats, far more advanced then any other nation's submarines, were piss poor transports. Little room for anything past their own supplies, fuel and crew. Besides, until later in the war, they had to run on the surface for much of the time.
Originally posted by Skippman
I still think the hydroponics would work with UV lamps. You could have them underground and they would still grow. I know that hydroponics was pretty well known in the 50's but I'm not to sure how well it was known in the 40's.
That's what I was thinking. As long as Electricity could be supplied (Windmills would work fine here), food could be grown. And water really wouldn't be a problem.
Two things,
Read the book South by Ernest Shackleton. It will give you great insight about survival in the cold.
Secondly, all your base are belong to us!
[somebody had to say it]
reprise
11-21-2002, 05:46 PM
You could always contact the Australian Antarctic Division (http://www.antdiv.gov.au) for clarification of any scientific details.
Originally posted by heresiarch
Most research sites are near the coast, but there is one smack dab at the south pole. (webcam (http://www.cmdl.noaa.gov/obop/spo/livecamera.html)). A skeleton crew spends the winter there.
They normally can't get planes there in the winter, but a few years ago, when there was a medical emergency, a small plane (IIRC a Canadian Sea Otter) flew to the pole from McMurdo. The pilot had to wait a few days for a break in the weather. He was facing high winds, low visibility due to blowing snow, low illumination, and, of course, low temps. Besides the chance of hydraulic fluid getting too thick, low temps and an altitude near 10,000 feet adds up to thin air and very little lift.
Well, I'm thinking that air travel(If for no other reason that it would be tough to actually navigate) would be suspended during the winter and that planes would be stored in shelters (heated somewhat if need be).
Originally posted by Rick
Two things,
Read the book South by Ernest Shackleton. It will give you great insight about survival in the cold.
Good idea. He'd know, wouldn't he? (IIRC, Everyone survived the expereince during his "Endurance" expedtion)
Originally posted by Rick
Secondly, all your base are belong to us!
No Soup for you!
Spiratu
11-21-2002, 06:23 PM
Hmmm... a story set in the 1930s about an expedition to Antarctica for strange and mysterious reasons? Your board name doesn't happen to stand for an HP Lovecraft, by any chance, does it? :)
Originally posted by Spiratu
Hmmm... a story set in the 1930s about an expedition to Antarctica for strange and mysterious reasons? Your board name doesn't happen to stand for an HP Lovecraft, by any chance, does it? :)
I was wondering how long it would take for someone to pick up on that. :)
Lumpy
11-21-2002, 07:42 PM
How near to the geographic pole is the south magnetic pole? Maybe you could have the Nazis working to develop a super-weapon involving Tesla-like technology, that has to be located near one of the magnetic poles to work.
Originally posted by Lumpy
How near to the geographic pole is the south magnetic pole? Maybe you could have the Nazis working to develop a super-weapon involving Tesla-like technology, that has to be located near one of the magnetic poles to work.
Aparently the South magnetic pole is out in the antarctic ocean.
banjoboy
11-22-2002, 10:44 AM
HPL - though it seems pretty unlikely that UBOATS would be used for transport and so forth, the Nazis did have plans that involved both north and south poles, for whatever reasons, and they DID use uboats to that effect. I don't have time to post the links right now, but trust me, the Nazis WERE trying to construct some kind of base down there. Whether or not it actually happened, I have no idea.
Another bit of info - there are warm areas of earth in the south polar region, with warm waters(some of which connect to the ocean) and bare ground. Would'nt that be a great place to land a sub or build a base? You might wanna factor that into your story.
I'll have those links in a few hours
dorkusmalorkusmafia
11-22-2002, 11:38 AM
Your transportation issues are solved. The windiest place on earth you say? Winds over 200 mph? Let's just assume they did some research and development and came up with a wind powered vehicle. Some technical details supporting a vehicle that can travel 4 times faster than the wind! However, I don't think these were land based. (http://www.btinternet.com/~a.ghinn/windcatmore.htm)
I can't find the link that had the sailboat looking things on skis and wheels that could also be a great form of transportation in a place that is virtually flat and has an excess of wind. Think of them like wind surfing on land.
banjoboy
11-22-2002, 08:40 PM
here's one link. I know you'll find this interesting ;)
http://www.violations.dabsol.co.uk/enigma/enigmapart1.htm
Rhum Runner
11-22-2002, 09:34 PM
dorkusmalorkusmafia ice boats regularly exceed the wind speed, but they are small and light. I am wondering if a 300' steel hulled windjammer type ship on skis could work, my initial guess is that the friction would cause the skis to melt the ice and dig in.....
On the Zeppelin angle I think it is just too windy.
I think what you need is a hover craft! Great all terrain capability, moderate lifting and load carrying, terrible fuel efficiency, but still kind of cool techno factor. hmmm....
ok, how about this. A wind driven ice ship combined with a mini zeppelin on the top. The zeppelin provides some lift so the friction on the blades is reduced, but not enough lift to fly so that the ship gets blown around. Imagine a windjammer sized vessel with a flat bottom, probably would need some outriggers since you wouldn't have a balasted hull, so this is a trimaran, and along the under side of the main hull are huge hydrogen tanks that provide some lift. Add a huge amount of canvas sails, and off you go! At least until you hit that first mountain range, and then you are stuck. Now that I have rambled all this, I am going to post it anyway. You asked for ideas!
Ranchoth
11-23-2002, 12:18 AM
Well, if you really want to go with the sci-fi/alternate history route, you could try using an A9/A10 (http://www.germanvtol.com/a9folder/a9.html) complex for long range, low capacity cargo drops...though if the Germans had enough of THOSE available that they could spare some for a research base, they'd definitely have used them for standard military purposes first.
For a slightly less-outrageous option, you might try a Me-264 (http://users.visi.net/~djohnson/prototyp/me264.html) bomber, which it was hoped, would be able to be converted to a transport version for supplying future German colonies in Africa. Still, like the a9/a10, you'd think an available one would be used for military purposes before research purposes, but if the research base was important enough (like...digging up a few "old ones," maybe?), using a prototype bomber would seem a lot more realistic than using a prototype ICBM...and the Me-264 DID actually make it to the prototype stage, unlike the A9/a10.
'Hope I've been of some help,
Ranchoth
(If you thought that site was interesting, BTW, you might try http://j-aircraft.org/xplanes/, as well. Scary stuff.)
Originally posted by Ranchoth
Well, if you really want to go with the sci-fi/alternate history route, you could try using an A9/A10 (http://www.germanvtol.com/a9folder/a9.html) complex for long range, low capacity cargo drops...though if the Germans had enough of THOSE available that they could spare some for a research base, they'd definitely have used them for standard military purposes first.
For a slightly less-outrageous option, you might try a Me-264 (http://users.visi.net/~djohnson/prototyp/me264.html) bomber, which it was hoped, would be able to be converted to a transport version for supplying future German colonies in Africa. Still, like the a9/a10, you'd think an available one would be used for military purposes before research purposes, but if the research base was important enough (like...digging up a few "old ones," maybe?), using a prototype bomber would seem a lot more realistic than using a prototype ICBM...and the Me-264 DID actually make it to the prototype stage, unlike the A9/a10.
'Hope I've been of some help,
Quite interesting. THe only problem is that I've found is that the germans had no shortage of large submarines/bombers/transports, but they weren't created until around 1942 at least. While good for supplying and building extentions an already existing base, they are two late to be used to actually partcipate in the original construction in the latter half of the 1930's(assuming 1935 would be the beginning construction point).
But then again, if they had been able to create all the really advanced stuff by 1939, they might have won the war.
Rhum Runner
11-23-2002, 09:28 AM
Since no one seems to like the windjammer on ice, :(
What about a large Wing in Ground Effect (WIGE) aircraft? According to this (http://www.geocities.com/equipmentshop/wig.htm) site, the first WIGE research was done in the 20s. Research on wing-ground-effect began in the 1920s. The first WIG craft were patented in Finland in 1935. T. Kaario, the Finnish engineer built what he called the "wing-ram" craft in that year.
It isn't so hard to belive that the Germans could have secretly built and tested a large cargo plane built on the concept
Originally posted by Rhum Runner
Since no one seems to like the windjammer on ice, :(
What about a large Wing in Ground Effect (WIGE) aircraft? According to this (http://www.geocities.com/equipmentshop/wig.htm) site, the first WIGE research was done in the 20s.
It isn't so hard to belive that the Germans could have secretly built and tested a large cargo plane built on the concept
Nice job. I like the concept.
Pushkin
11-23-2002, 03:38 PM
"Often only found in small quantities, they include iron, coal, copper, molybedenum, gold, silver, chromium, nickel, cobalt, platinum, lead, zinc, tin, manganese, titanium and uranium. Since most deposits lie one and one half miles beneath an ice cap, exploration and recovery is not yet economically feasible."
Fromhere (http://www.munfw.org/archive/40th/ga1.htm) Maybe they're mining uranium after a chance discovery of a large deposit.
I like your approach, details like those make a good story better. I've just flicked through the ton of WWII books my Grandfather offloads here occasionally and I've found that the Germans did have large military projects in the pipeline. There were large transport aircraft like the Blohm and Voss 222 and 238. An aircraft carrier was semi complete but later mothballed and destroyed by the Soviets. Towards the end of the war very large Uboats were sent out into the Atlantic to fight. There's a wealth of "could have" and "why not," technology when it comes to the Nazi's. You could take the Indiana Jones approach, remember the V winged plane in one of the films?
I want to thank all of you for the feedback and the ideas. I'm hoping that further research will allow me to develop this into something really good (or, failing that, Something that doesn't suck).
Squirebob
11-25-2002, 04:55 AM
There is a 'Factual' book i have read 'Blue Fires' a book which looks into the Nazi's developing saucer shaped aircraft. There is a lot of general Sci-fi stuff, but the auther does not attempt to force you into believing the really far out stuff... Some of the technologies seem feasable and there are sme documented events.
Part of the study involves a Nazi base in the south Polar continent that continued until after the war and may have been destroyed by admiral Byrds expidition this is far fetched but could give you some ideas...
Perhaps using Flying Saucer Transports to reach the pole?
Sofa King
11-25-2002, 08:31 AM
If you'd like an example of Soviet WIGs, you might check this page (http://aeroweb.lucia.it/~agretch/RAFAQ/WIG.html), which includes the modestly famous Caspian Sea Monster (http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/row/rus/903.htm). However, with an altitude of only ten feet or so, it would be no cake-walk to hurtle over jagged surface ice at 300 mph.
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