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evaluates unpublished material from the archives and private estates of the expedition members.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.
