The Knight´s Legacy

Atlantic Ocean- 1938

S 47 ° 30' W 44 ° 25' ATLANTIC SUD

1938 — END OF THE AUSTRAL SPRING

The U Boot 977 of the Kriegsmarine (German Navy) had emerged in the cold waters of the South Atlantic after a prolonged dive of more than two days, during which they had made only short night exits to the surface. The crew wondered why so much secrecy in times of peace.

Heinz Horstmann took advantage to go up to the deck along with Dieter Knopf, Geophysicist embarked for geological reconnaissance of Antarctica, with whom he had locked a certain friendly relationship. In the dim light of the waning Moon they saw several feet away from them the Commander of the submarine along with two officers and a mysterious passenger called Knudsen, undoubtedly a Danish or Norwegian.

“We are in position.” Reported the Navigator.

“Call a meeting with all the officials in the room. We´ll meet in half an hour.” Replied  Commander Fischer.

Addressing Knopf, Heinz said in a whisper “ I hope to be included, as it is likely that the mystery of our mission will now be clarified.”

Knopf nodded with an affirmative gesture since he was also  naturally curious about the stage in his life that had recently opened.

After letting the crew members enjoy for a short while the fresh air of the night in the open sea, a sharp whistle rang and then all returned under cover, and the submarine began a new dive.

Horstmann and Knopf were summoned indeed to be in the reduced command room where already were the Commander and three officers of higher rank, in addition to Knudsen.

Fischer took the floor in the first place. Aware of the expectations created around the course and destination of the ship he immediately cut to the chase.

“Our goal is to reach Antarctica in the area known as Queen Maud Land. I cannot yet disclose the precise coordinates. There are also converging the nurse ship Schwabenland and U314, U227 and U208 submarines as well as ours. Once we arrive we will disembark the scientific equipment and supplies necessary for two consecutive summers.” Fischer´s voice was cold and precise “ The permanence of the men of the Reich in Antarctica shall be continuous and not restricted to the summer as in previous exploration voyages. This is a challenge that no power on Earth took before, and given the extent of the commitment of our country with the motive of this expedition, which will be explained next.”

After his introduction the captain -obviously a man more accustomed to action than to words- looked relieved. He turned his gaze to his right and made a presentation

“Dr. Ake Knudsen, member of the German Society of Polar Marine Travels will explain the purpose of this trip.”

Knudsen, very upright, with bright eyes and strong Scandinavian accent started a dissertation with an air of harangue.

“Our universe had ice as its original material. The water in that physical state is the constituent substance of all the stars and planets of our solar system and the other systems that revolve around other Suns. In the beginning of time the Sun collided with a large block of ice, and from that cataclysm were formed the planets, including our Earth.”

Knopf stirred annoyed. “Well,  a new cosmological theory.”Said in whispers to Horstmann “ I wonder from where he will draw the data to support it.”

Horstmann gave a gentle nudge to the Geophysicist, aware of the fact that his observation, in case of being heard, could cause them problems.

“Of that primordial ice emerged our Aryan race.” Continued Knudsen, “ the only surviving of the mankind five original strains of which the others are only degenerate derivations.”He inhaled deeply and went on.

“What we will find in Antarctica is that physical environment in which our ancestors developed and founded the foundations of our civilization. The great task of the Grand Germany is to rediscover these foundations for then projecting that civilization to the world and impose this project to all non- Aryan races which will subordinate to it.” The tone of his voice had risen significantly and his eyes now had a feverish glow.

“If the origin of our ancestors was in the northern hemisphere what are we looking for in Antarctica?” Interrupted unexpectedly Knopf  attracting towards him all surprised looks, in particular that of Knudsen. A lightning crossed his eyes, annoyed no doubt by the interruption. However, showing signs of great self-control, anger quickly gave way to an unexpected tranquility, and responded with apparent calm:

“It is a good observation, and logically it comes from a man of scientific training. The answer is that all ice circuits of ice are united beneath the surface of the Earth from the formation of the planet.”

“ And where does that information come from?” Asked Knopf again with what seemed a legitimate interest.

Knudsen hesitated a moment, and then as if he had decided to show all the cards replied.

“The main clairvoyants of our race have  transmitted his knowledge to us from generations. It is our task at this time to prove their claims. Hence emanates the scientific and historical importance of this mission.”

Horstmann, fearing that Knopf would continue asking embarrassing questions carried him discreetly out of the room by pulling his jacket sleeve and towing it to the submarine central corridor.

“Dieter, you should argue those issues only with me. Remember that one of the officers present in the room is a SS Commissioner. In an expedition like this they will not allow dissidents; and if you don't shut up I fear that you´ll finish at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.”

Nazism was not only a political movement, but also the expression of certain beliefs deeply rooted in a sector  -influential although numerically small- of the German society of its time. These esoteric beliefs were the culmination of the visions of members of several occult societies that had been operating in Europe since the end of the 19th century.

Indeed, as a derivation of the mysticism always present in the foggy German lands, at the end of the 19th century expanded the Theosophical doctrines based on visions of Madame Blavatsky, which included the presumption of the existence of five primary human races, of which precisely the fifth was the Aryan race which showed some outstanding features. These theses would be then collected by several societies not connected with the Theosophical movement.

In 1918 the Thule Gesselsschaft was formed in Bavaria, led by an occultist called Ludwig von Sebattensdorff. Its alleged purpose was to carry out studies of racial type, also based on his visions and ambiguous data from Greek and Roma  historians who spoke of a Hyperborean civilization in Northern Europe, and more specifically of a city or region called "Last Thule” supposedly located in the North of Scandinavia, perhaps a mass of Earth between Iceland and Greenland and now disappeared. According to these alleged seers’ theories the current Germanic race descends from a race of heroes who lived there.

Another society coetaneous with Thule, the Germanensorder had advanced more specifically anti-Semitic and racist theories. In 1920, when the National Sozialistische Deutsche Arbeitpartei or Nazi party was formed part of its cadres came from those esoteric societies. The Führer himself shared its postulates, and he turned to seers with varied purposes.

These theories of racial superiority were collected by the Ahnenerbe, founded among others by Heinrich Himmler, for the purpose of performing tasks of alleged research and dissemination of anthropological and archaeological nature to support such doctrines. Among other activities, this society sponsored an expedition to Tibet led by Ernst Schäffer, in search of the presumed origins of the Nordic race in these distant latitudes.

Like most Germans, Horstmann and Knopf were only marginally informed of these extravagant theories and they would have hardly subscribed them, but frank dissent was not an option in times of the Third Reich, particularly in the small area of a U-boat.

After the meeting, the speaker Knudsen approached the two friends with the obvious intention to speak with Horstmann so Knopf moved discreetly away.

“It seems that your friend is a dissident.” Knudsen said after introducing formally.

“No, it's that in his training at the Faculty of Science he has learned other different cosmological theories.”  Said Horstmann.

“Jewish degenerate Science based on Einstein and his followers whose purpose is to divert our race of his destiny by confusing it with respect to its origins. Anyway I would like to have a conversation with Knopf and try to see his points of view and let him know mine.”

Horstmann said that he - being only a soldier- was not  able to hold a discussion on the subject,. However he was surprised by what seemed to him a glimpse of Knudsen broad criteria to address racial issues, unknown in other fanatical Nazis.

“As I have learned through von Knobelsdorff, you are an offshoot of one of the noblest Aryan lineages.” Said Knudsen changing suddenly the subject. “You  should be well informed about the origins of your own people.”

Horstmann was dumbfounded; von Knobelsdorff had spoken about him with one of the passengers of the submarine. He instantly realized that the integration of the crew had been thoroughly studied and that nothing had been left to hazard. This alarmed him confirming  his intuition that his margins of freedom were null..

“I come from a family of farmers.” He said, overcoming his embarrassment.“ I have expressly told this to von Knobelsdorff.”

Knudsen varied again the tone of the conversation, talking about the hardships of the trip on the narrow U-Boot. Nowhere in the submarine could he totally stretch his high silhouette and he had to remain a bit tilted; Horstmann recognized he had the same problem, and finally the conversation died again as the ship whistle rang calling to the routines on board.