Online Encyclopedia
New Schwabenland
New Schwabenland or Neuschwabenland was an area of Antarctica between 20°E and 10°W claimed by Germany between 1939 and 1945.
The claim to the region arose when the Schwabenland ship arrived in January 1939 to chart the region. Aircraft also dropped thousands of Nazi flags and metal poles to stress their claim. The expedition established a temporary base and claimed to have discovered hot springs with vegetation in some areas.
After the expedition left in February 1939, a second expedition was planned but never carried out. Some people believe that a secret base was maintained until the end of World War II in 1945, but there is no evidence for this. The claim disappeared with the fall of Nazi Germany and the name is now seldom used to describe the region, although some features in the area retain their German names.