Нацистите в Тибет

by Peter Meier-Hüsing, Петер Майер-Хюсинг

На 21 декември 1938 г. петима млади мъже пресичат високия хималайски проход Натху-Ла между Сиким и Тибет. Те са първите германци, получили официално разрешение да посетят забранения град Лхаса.

Върху техния багаж трептят вимпели с пречупен кръст. Мъжете са офицери от СС, а експедицията им е под покровителството на Хайнрих Химлер и окултната организация „Аненербе“. Какво води петимата на Покрива на света? Дали става дума само за антропологични измервания и научни експерименти, или целта е била изграждане на тайни дипломатически контакти зад гърба на Британската империя? Може би са търсили в Тибет останки от древните праарийци? Мнозина обаче вярват, че нацистите са се опитвали да се доберат до мистичната страна Шамбала и нейното тайно знание.

И до ден днешен експедицията е забулена в мистерия. В своята книга Петер Майер-Хюсинг се опитва да разграничи истината от спекулациите и да разкрие причините и следствията от това начинание.

Genres: Nonfiction, World War II

272 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Aldi · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some reason I had got the premise of this stuck in my head as "the Nazis attempted a secret Everest expedition in the 30s" and was therefore expecting an odd side chapter in mountaineering history. Turns out it's got nothing to do with that; the expedition went to Tibet to shoot and stuff a shitload of animals (for "science"), persuade as many locals as they could to let them measure their heads and bodies (for "science"), and look for traces of ancient Aryans (for "science"). There were a lot of interesting bits as the author delves into the occult side of national socialism, especially Himmler's obsession with ancient, otherworldly origins of Aryans and his determination to establish a (bug-shaggingly crazy) scientific basis for same. The result is a whole lot of bizarre pseudoscience and cryptohistory, mixed up with a generous helping of gross/bogus race theory. The book focused heavily on expedition leader Schäfer's full complicity with Himmler and the SS who were funding large parts of the expedition, and how he managed to talk his way out of any accountability after the war. Pretty much same for other members of the expedition, including the dude who was heavily involved in the murder of 86 concentration camp inmates for his sick pseudoscientific experiments. Depressing.

The style was a bit overly sneery (mate, no sane person is going to disagree with you about these men being nazis first, "explorers" a proudly self-declared second, and scientists a distant third), but it was definitely educational.

[Marvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein solides Werk über die SS Expedition nach Tibet der SS.

Meier-Hüsing beginnt damit, dem Leser das Interesse der SS, genauer gesagt Himmlers, sowie des Dritten Reichs an einer solchen Expedition insgesamt zu erläutern, indem er zunächst einen wichtigen Kontext mit Weisthor und der Welteislehre setzt.
Anschließend skizziert er den Werdegang des jungen Schäfer, bevor er dann beides zusammen setzt und hierbei spannend den Charakter, dessen Künste der Überzeugung aber auch charakterliche Schwächen aufzeichnet.
Die Expedition selbst schildert er ausführlich, setzt dabei aber treffend die Eigenwahrnehmung Schäfers - oder zumindest dessen Berichte - mit denen der Bevölkerung in Kontrast und zeigt hierbei oftmals deutliche Unterschiede auf.
Selbiges tut der Autor immer wieder und besonders zum Schluss hin mit Bezug auf die Überzeugung der Expeditionsteilnehmer zum Nationalsozialismus und der "Rassenlehre".

Alles in allem ein sehr gelungenes und spannendes, manchmal von bissigem Humor durchsetztes Buch!

[Ptr Mat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Název slibuje vlastně více, než kniha přináší. Vlastně přesněji napsáno - expedice byla fiasko, dostala se sice do hlavního města Lhasy, ale kromě zabíjení zvířat pro vědecké účely a neúspěšné měření lebek domorodcům žádné tibetské kulturní, náboženské nebo sociální poznatky nepřinesla (protogermány též v Tibetu nenašli...). Ale kniha zabíhá do dějů před expedicí a po expedici, které jsou bezesporu zajímavé a nosné věčným tématem poznání a moci. Zvlášť část po expedici, která končí až některými obviněnými členy expedice po druhé světové válce je přínosná. Bohužel se v té chvíli stává kniha spíše zkratkovitou, než hlubší analýzou. Platí to zejména o období, kdy se sebrané muzejní exponáty a někteří účastníci zase znovu stávají "jen" věděckými exponáty či pracovníky, bez ohledu na politický ráz expedice. Přesto doporučuji k čtení sociálním vědcům a antropologům zvlášť.

[Aamos Anttila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Copped this from a small bookstore in Berlin in October.
Truly a fascinating read that dives into the frankly insane mythos created by the NSDAP around the „master race“.
Ernst Schäfer‘s expedition into Tibet is told in great detail and the book also offers a glimpse into the really tense political climate around the expedition.

[Владислав Димитров · Rating 3 out of 5]

Има някакъв проблем с превода. На места книгата е нечетима.

[Стефан Петков · Rating 4 out of 5]

Добър обзор на експедицията на Шефер, който демистифицира всички окултни глупости, свързани с нея. Единствената груба грешка на автора е, че приписва окултни интереси на Хитлер, при все че уж е ползвал монографията на Гудрик-Кларк. Препоръчвам.