Antarctica during World War II

Common card · No. 369095

International competition extended to the continent of Antarctica during the World War II era, though the region saw no combat. During the prelude to war, Nazi Germany organised the 1938 Third German Antarctic Expedition to preempt Norway's claim to Queen Maud Land. The expedition served as the basis for a new German claim, called New Swabia. A year later, the United States Antarctic Service Expedition established two bases, which operated for two years before being abandoned. Responding to these encroachments, and taking advantage of Europe's wartime turmoil, the nearby nations of Chile and Argentina made their own claims. In 1940 Chile proclaimed the Chilean Antarctic Territory in areas already claimed by Britain, while Argentina (who already had a permanent establishment since 1904) proclaimed Argentine Antarctica in 1943 in an overlapping area. In response to the activities of Germany, Chile, Argentina, and the United States, Britain launched Operation Tabarin in 1943. Its objective...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Ivan Mackenzie Lamb, British Antarctic Survey; Archives ref: AD6/19/1/A1/29, Public domain