General Discussions
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII.
Re: German U-boats in Argentina after WW II
Posted by:
Guido
()
Date: December 11, 2002 03:12PM
<HTML>Hi again Johan!
I really didn´t know about the German expedition to Antartica, but some practical problems rise to my mind against the idea of setting up a Uboot base there.
1. Navigational hazards: the waters around Antarctica are very poorly charted, even to this date, and adding the danger of icebergs and icepacks it would be very dangerous for U Boote to try to get there.
2. Ice conditions: these are more or less unpredictable, so you never know beforehand were the ice boundaries are going to be the next summer, so you are never sure you will be able to get to the coast.
3. You can only use it in summer.
4. It´s a continent, but a bare one. You´ll find nothing there that you had not brought in yourself, so it would have been a logistical problem of enormous proportions.
5. Extremely low temperatures would hamper severely the submarine´s and torpedo batteries.
As a previous reference, the auxiliary cruiser Atlantis anchored in comparatively nicer Kerguelen Island, but ran aground against a submerged rock and found nothing to be seen other than an old hut and many seals.
That would have been a better location for an advanced base, but it was never established, and as far as I know, never thought of. Kerguelen is a French colony and, at least now, they keep a group of seamen there, but not sure if all year long. However, if the Germans had been there on a permanent basis, they would have left some trace that the French would have found by now.
Regards,
GUIDO.</HTML>
I really didn´t know about the German expedition to Antartica, but some practical problems rise to my mind against the idea of setting up a Uboot base there.
1. Navigational hazards: the waters around Antarctica are very poorly charted, even to this date, and adding the danger of icebergs and icepacks it would be very dangerous for U Boote to try to get there.
2. Ice conditions: these are more or less unpredictable, so you never know beforehand were the ice boundaries are going to be the next summer, so you are never sure you will be able to get to the coast.
3. You can only use it in summer.
4. It´s a continent, but a bare one. You´ll find nothing there that you had not brought in yourself, so it would have been a logistical problem of enormous proportions.
5. Extremely low temperatures would hamper severely the submarine´s and torpedo batteries.
As a previous reference, the auxiliary cruiser Atlantis anchored in comparatively nicer Kerguelen Island, but ran aground against a submerged rock and found nothing to be seen other than an old hut and many seals.
That would have been a better location for an advanced base, but it was never established, and as far as I know, never thought of. Kerguelen is a French colony and, at least now, they keep a group of seamen there, but not sure if all year long. However, if the Germans had been there on a permanent basis, they would have left some trace that the French would have found by now.
Regards,
GUIDO.</HTML>
