1938 German U-boat Engine
Posted by:
Ralph Langley
()
Date: April 26, 2001 06:56PM
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1938, 8 Cylinder Submarine Engine
On April 20, 1939, the National Socialists Workers Party presented their ‘Fuhrer’ with an extravagant costly 50th birthday present: the ‘Eagles’s Nest’, or ‘Kehlsteinhaus’ as it is called in German. It is located at 1834 meters atop Kehlstein Mountain in Berchtesgaden, Austria. As one of the most complicated and ambitious projects of its time, it was to become a milestone engineering feat. Today, more than a half century later, the Eagle’s Nest still attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors. A group of Italian World War 1 veterans visiting the Teehouse on the Kehlstein Mountain with Hitler coined the phrase “Eagle’s Nest.†The construction began on January 18, 1937. The main leader of the entire construction project was Reichsleiter Martin Bormann who a few years later was appointed as Hitler’s personal secretary. Bormann was a taskmaster that initially ordered and obtained approval for a 60 hour work week and towards completion around the clock even in severe snowstorms. A total of 3800 workers were recruited from all over Europe. A total of 7,320,232 man-hours were expended. Total cost of the project at today’s dollar value was approximately 300 million DM paid entirely by the NSWP. Hitler who suffered from vertigo and also had a fear of heights made his first of 14 official visits on 9-16-38 that include only one on 10-17-40 after war broke out. During the period of construction German’s industry was working around the clock on war armaments. It was solely because of Bormann’s position in the Nazi Party that he was able to commandeer the labor, materials and money for this project. This was especially true in his ability in acquiring an 8 cylinder submarine engine manufactured in a submarine shipyard in Bremerhaven. This submarine engine was installed in an underground engine room in 1938. Its purpose was to supply electrical power in the event of a power failure for the elevator and other technical installations. Even today the engine is fully operational and still serves the same purpose.
Article source; notes taken from the ‘History Of The Eagle’s Nest’ by Florien M. Beierl
Personal note; My wife and I visited Berchtesgaden and the ‘Eagle’s Nest’ in 1999 and highly recommend it as a very worthwhile experience. The ride up the mountain on a serpentine road including one 180-degree curve plus tunnels is awesome. You will have an immediate appreciation of a truly remarkable engineering feat as well as the rigorous labor required. The view from the summit is breathtaking.
Regards to all, Ralph
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1938, 8 Cylinder Submarine Engine
On April 20, 1939, the National Socialists Workers Party presented their ‘Fuhrer’ with an extravagant costly 50th birthday present: the ‘Eagles’s Nest’, or ‘Kehlsteinhaus’ as it is called in German. It is located at 1834 meters atop Kehlstein Mountain in Berchtesgaden, Austria. As one of the most complicated and ambitious projects of its time, it was to become a milestone engineering feat. Today, more than a half century later, the Eagle’s Nest still attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors. A group of Italian World War 1 veterans visiting the Teehouse on the Kehlstein Mountain with Hitler coined the phrase “Eagle’s Nest.†The construction began on January 18, 1937. The main leader of the entire construction project was Reichsleiter Martin Bormann who a few years later was appointed as Hitler’s personal secretary. Bormann was a taskmaster that initially ordered and obtained approval for a 60 hour work week and towards completion around the clock even in severe snowstorms. A total of 3800 workers were recruited from all over Europe. A total of 7,320,232 man-hours were expended. Total cost of the project at today’s dollar value was approximately 300 million DM paid entirely by the NSWP. Hitler who suffered from vertigo and also had a fear of heights made his first of 14 official visits on 9-16-38 that include only one on 10-17-40 after war broke out. During the period of construction German’s industry was working around the clock on war armaments. It was solely because of Bormann’s position in the Nazi Party that he was able to commandeer the labor, materials and money for this project. This was especially true in his ability in acquiring an 8 cylinder submarine engine manufactured in a submarine shipyard in Bremerhaven. This submarine engine was installed in an underground engine room in 1938. Its purpose was to supply electrical power in the event of a power failure for the elevator and other technical installations. Even today the engine is fully operational and still serves the same purpose.
Article source; notes taken from the ‘History Of The Eagle’s Nest’ by Florien M. Beierl
Personal note; My wife and I visited Berchtesgaden and the ‘Eagle’s Nest’ in 1999 and highly recommend it as a very worthwhile experience. The ride up the mountain on a serpentine road including one 180-degree curve plus tunnels is awesome. You will have an immediate appreciation of a truly remarkable engineering feat as well as the rigorous labor required. The view from the summit is breathtaking.
Regards to all, Ralph
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| Subject | Written By | Posted |
|---|---|---|
1938 German U-boat Engine
|
Ralph Langley | 04/26/2001 06:56PM |
|
RE: 1938 German U-boat Engine
|
Rainer Bruns | 04/26/2001 11:59PM |
|
RE: 1938 German U-boat Engine
|
Kris | 04/27/2001 11:04AM |