Germans in the Antarctic

Description

While science was usually at the forefront of German Antarctic expeditions, research into the Southern Polar region always had a political or economic component, whether it was about resource use or securing areas of influence. Cornelia Lüdecke presents the course of the three German Antarctic expeditions from 1901-03, 1911-12 and 1938/39 with their partly dramatic turns and twists and provides insights into everyday life under extreme conditions. She also evaluates unpublished material from the archives and private estates of the expedition members. She looks at the expeditions from a scientific and political point of view and also deals with the myths associated with the "Schwabenland" expedition during the National Socialist era. Finally, the author describes German south polar research after World War II, which took different paths in the German Democratic Republic and in the Federal Republic of Germany, and gives an outlook on future research. For the first time, this book presents the history of the Germans in Antarctica in a factual and informative way for the general public. With numerous pictures, some of which have never been published before. Preface Acknowledgements Contents The Race for the Last White Spot on the Map: The First German South Polar Expedition (1901–1903) The Wilhelminian Policy and the Beginning of Antarctic Research The Road to Germany’s First South Polar Expedition Preparations for the First German South Polar Expedition International Cooperation and Other Research Plans Orders for the South Polar Expedition The Voyage to the South Overwintering in the Ice Back to Cape Town Homeward Bound Meteorology and Mutiny: The Second German South Polar Expedition (1911–1912) The Political Framework Conditions for German Polar Research on the Eve of World War I The Plan for a Second German South Polar Expedition Training Expedition to Spitsbergen (1910) Preparations for the Main Expedition The Departure to Antarctica In Antarctica The Return and the Scandal The Scientific Results and the Aftermath Excursion: Continuity after World War I—The Foundation of the German Society of Polar Research [Gesellschaft für Polarforschung] The Discovery of Neu-Schwabenland: The Third German South Polar Expedition (1938–1939) The “Fat Gap”, Whaling, and German Possession Claims in Antarctica The Plan for a New German Antarctic Expedition Preparations for the Schwabenland Expedition The Assignments on the Schwabenland Expedition The Execution of the German Antarctic Expedition (1938–1939) The Evaluation, New Plans, and Untenable Myths Excursion: Elements of German Antarctic Expeditions Before World War II Separate and United Paths: German Antarctic Research from the End of World War II Until Today A Private Initiative to Resume Antarctic Research in the Federal Republic of Germany The International Geophysical Year (1957–1958) Without German Participation Antarctic Research in the German Democratic Republic Since 1960 Antarctic Research in the Federal Republic of Germany Since 1975 The Merging of West and East German Antarctic Research After 1990 The Future of German Antarctic Research Further Reading Appendix Bibliography and Sources Archives Unpublished Sources Literature Internet Resources Picture Credits Abbreviations Chronology of the History of German Antarctic Research About the Author Geographical Index Person Index