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Vast Nazi Facility Uncovered In Austria; Purported A-Bomb Development Site

schwit1 (797399) writes "Suspiciously high radiation levels around the Austrian town of St. Georgen an der Gusen had long fueled theories that there was a buried bunker nearby where Nazis had tested nuclear weapons during WWII. Those suspicions came one step closer to being confirmed last week after the opening of a 75-acre underground complex was dug out from below the earth and granite used to seal off the entrance, the Times of Israel reports. The excavation team was led by Austrian filmmaker Andreas Sulzer, who says the site was "likely the biggest secret weapons production facility of the Third Reich" — a facility that probably relied on forced labor from the nearby Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp and may have even been the testing location for a nuclear bomb, the Daily Mirror reports. The weapons facility was believed to have been manned by SS General Hans Kammler and situated near the B8 Bergkristall factory, where the first working jet-powered fighter was created, International Business Times reports; Sulzer first got wind of the site after seeing references to it in an Austrian physicist's diary. The Washington Post cautions that while "the full scope of what occurred inside those reported chambers in the Austrian town of St. Georgen remains unclear and Sulzer’s conclusions are speculative, some analysts are already trumpeting the findings. ... The reported findings, if corroborated by further inquiry, could add fresh fodder to an ongoing debate over the Third Reich’s ultimately failed attempt to secure an atomic weapon."

4 of 292 comments (clear)

  1. I live in Austria, first thing I hear about this by crabel · · Score: 5, Informative

    I just searched for St. Georgen: The current top story in local newspapers is: A lumberman was hit by a bouncing branch. Of course, that Nazi story can be found too, but it doesn't get a lot of attention. Nobody cares because there is simply no story. That filmmaker just dug a hole and found a staircase. That's all. Well, that's not a 100% correct: They also found an army helmet, an army bike and several warning signs. Not really surprising, since it was a well known nazi base. But hey, maybe the staircase will indeed lead to a super-secret 75-acre nuclear testing underground complex dug by 320.000 inmates that died from it. Or maybe these numbers are simply completely bogus too. The actual number of victims in KZ Gusen (I + II + III) was 44.600, that includes children and people that died from exhaustion after they were freed).

  2. Re:Non-scientist at work by sumdumass · · Score: 5, Informative

    This is a funny thing about secret facilities. Often, their locations are kept secret from even the people working in them. Of course those building it would have a clue but slave labor was often killed so a lot of those builders could have been dead before the end of the war.

    Now we do know that some people did talk about it. They just couldn't point to the location which makes sense if it was secret. So a handful of people at the end of the war probably knew the location and it is possible that they were killed during the end of the war or put on civilian clothing to pretend to be a foot soldier and not imprisoned or executed. Of course those people are not going to officially talk because we still go after Nazis for qar crimes. What we end up with is rumors like what was there for years.

    I can see it happening. But only because most the people involced died and people though it was nornal to happen.

  3. Re:Non-scientist at work by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 5, Informative

    If we want to learn what happened, then we need to hand out immunity against further prosecutions for people who talk.

    Lots and lots and lots of people were given immunity for talking. Werner von Braun was an early member of the Nazi party, a member of the SS, and was involved in the deaths of thousands of slave laborers and civilians. He was not only given immunity for his cooperation, but in 1975 was awarded a medal by the US government.

  4. Re:Non-scientist at work by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 5, Informative

    Yes, your convoluted conspiracy theory involving thousands of people may be correct. Or some film maker may be doing some self-promotion. Gee, I wonder what William of Ockham would think?

    More evidence for theory #2: There has been no third party confirmation. There is no photo of the site. The photo accompanying the article is of a completely different underground bunker, in Bavaria.