German Forces

Believe it or not ...

Bundesarchiv./Ernst Krause (author)

Remarkable 'photo (one of many) from the German Tibetan Expedition of 1938-'39, showing members of the expedition sharing a meal with happy Tibetans. To explain the objects of the expedition exactly is beyond my limited powers of expression. Suffice it to say that they were mainly anthropological and historical without, however, other life-sciences being ignored. The expedition was by the Ahnenerbe (the "ancient intellectual history" association that was fully incorporated in the SS in 1939), under the patronage of the Reichsfuhrer-SS, Heinrich Himmler. Most of the (enormous) cost - in excess of 120,000 RM - was borne by private sponsors. The expedition was led by Ernst Schaefer - a distinguished biologist, zoologist and explorer, and also an officer of the SS. In fact, Himmler's support was conditional on all German members of the expedition being members of the SS. Schaefer's interest seems to have been genuinely scientific; but he was willing to meet Himmler's conditions in return for his official support. Himmler's interest was in investigating the alleged "Aryan" common origins of the Germans and the Tibetans ... for reasons too complex to relate here. In any event, it had to do with confirming various aspects of the "Aryan supremacy" mythic element of Naziism, and also fed into Himmler's involvement in what might be described as Nazi mysticism. Whatever about Schaefer's scientific interest, Himmler's Nazi-mystical interest was basically harebrained - like most of the Ahnenerbe's "reserarch". And yet - recent archaeology has shown that there was a presence of people who appear to be of "European" origin linking Europe and Tibet in prehistoric ancient times. This is in no way a vindication of the batty Nazi myth; but it does suggest that truth may, indeed, be stranger than fiction. Best regards, JR.