Sinister depth: that the Nazis hid in the bottom of the Austrian lake Bashny.Net

The first victim

In the summer of 1945 in the federal state of Styria in the American zone of occupation of Austria by local fishermen are increasingly bringing to the bank to exchange British pounds. It soon became clear that the bill is not real, and very high quality fake. Fishermen testified that the money is in the water at the lake Toplice.
The first attempt to raise from the lake bottom recesses of the Third Reich was undertaken by American and British divers. According to one version, they dived for a long time, but found nothing. On the other - the search stopped immediately after the death of one of the divers, whose oxygen hose turned slit someone at depth. The war has just ended, and after this incident willing to risk his life in the military is no longer found.

Lake with a "double bottom»

In an interview with the TV channel "Star" on the lake Toplice told us Chairman of the Board "search groups Union of Russia" Yuri Smirnov. For many years he learned the most sensitive information on research "underwater cache of the Third Reich" from his Austrian friends - members of the search party "Black Cross».

"This is a lake with a" double bottom ". At a depth of 4-5 meters swim in it underwater island. They represent a cluster nezatonuvshih logs. Directly beneath them - 5-6 meters of silt, and more - total darkness. Our Austrian colleagues from the "Black Cross" many times descended into the depths of the lake, but to raise the surface of the object detection even once and could not. But all survived, "- says Yuri Smirnov.

Austrian lake Toplice has two names - Toplice See and Toplice. It is located 60 kilometers south-east of Salzburg, in the Austrian mountains of the Dead. Length is about 2 km, width - up to 400 meters. In tourist brochures call it "Black Pearl". Not just to get here - the road to the lake leads through three passes altitude of more than two kilometers. Scientists have found that at a depth of 16 meters in the lake Toplice practically no oxygen, which is detrimental to all living organisms. In some places the depth of the lake more than a hundred meters, and the water pressure is 4000 tons per cubic centimeter.





Treasures of the Third Reich

Some researchers argue that in boxes flooded SS troops on the lake bottom Toplice had tons of gold, which the Germans took from the occupied European countries to Germany. Others - that it contains documents about the grounds on which the bank accounts are kept money taken from the Jews by the Nazis.

But they both agree that the Toplice Zee holds about a dozen of the most valuable treasures. This, in particular, about 50 boxes taken from the cellars of the Reichsbank in Berlin, about 22 cans of gold pet Hitler Otto Skorzeny, about 5 kg of diamonds Kaltenbrunner, a valuable collection of stamps, owned by Goering, about safes with jewelry, on the unlikely collection of ancient coins.

Since 1945, the number of dead hunters inexorably rising. To this day, there is an assumption that it guarded secret "commando" from the former SS men who constantly watched "sacred" legacy of the Nazis.

Search history

In February 1946, the lake came two engineers from Linz - Austrian Helmut Meyer and Ludwig Pichler and their friend Hans Haslinger. Engineers, experienced climbers climbed Mount Rauhfang overhanging Toplice See. Haslinger went with them, but for some strange reason, soon returned to the base camp, divided by the lake, and a few days later - in Linz. A month later, local authorities, realizing that by climbers no news, and their tents on the banks are empty, start the search. High in the mountains of the Dead was found folded out of the snow hut, where the corpses of Mayer and Pichler. And the stomach was ripped open Pichler and his stomach removed and tucked in his own backpack. Investigation into the incident so did not give, but later it became known that during the war, Mayer and Pichler took part in the trials secret weapon on the banks Toplice Zee.

Meanwhile, the lake continued to come "tourists". In 1947, one of them identified the former adjutant Bormann. He was sent to the camp, but the reasons for his visit to the shores of the lake so he said nothing.

In August 1950, the lake came Toplice Hamburg engineer Keller accompanied by a professional climber Hertha Goerens. When you try to climb the steep southern slope of Mount Reyhenshteyn cord connected the climbers broke and fell into the abyss Goerens. Keller, giving testimony about the accident, quietly left. Relatives climber conducted their own investigation and found that Keller during the war was the chief of the secret base of submarines and was in charge of "experimental station" on Toplice Zee.

Around the same time, on the shore of Lake arrived and stopped in a small local hotel three French geologist with a letter from the army command in Innsbruck. Local police did not interfere with the scientists, and eight days later they departed, plunging into the car four heavy box with samples, as they said, minerals. When the owner of the hotel came to the bank to change received from the "scientists" money, it was found that counterfeit bills.
In 1952, on the shores of the lake were again found two unknown man with a bullet through his head. No sooner had the police properly investigate the matter, as on the other side was found dead geography teacher from France, Jean de Soz. And his backpack and tools disappeared. Near the corpse found fresh deep pit. When he started to fall asleep, it became clear that the earth even loose, not enough to bury the pit. It turns out that the Frenchman found something and paid for it with his life.



Expedition magazine "Stern»

In 1959, the West German magazine "Stern" has decided to put an end to the mysteries Toplica and undertook its own investigation. The team of divers for five weeks explored the lake bottom. Fifteen were raised wooden and iron boxes in which were forged British banknotes years 1935-1937 in the amount of 55 thousand pounds. And in the last box of documents were former Reich Security Main Office (RSHA) and lists of prisoners of concentration camps.

A few dozen boxes discovered did not raise. The operation was suddenly stopped. From the Editor received a telegram with the order: "Remaining inappropriate. Immediately stop looking. " Rumors that some people paid to owners of "Stern" a very large sum, so that they stop looking.

Representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Austria claimed that the boxes found expedition "Stern", were "extremely counterfeit banknotes GBP." But at a press conference, someone let slip that "diaries Himmler was not among the papers." Where did the reservation about blogs - is unclear. Like what is it that has been raised in the boxes ...

Lake, devouring searchers

In the summer of 1963 there was another tragic accident. Three West German tourist settled in Altaus See. A few days later one of them died in the Toplice See. It turned out to athlete from Munich, and his companions, as it turned out later, were former Nazis and Nazi Abwehr officers.
In 1963, the Austrian divers found at a depth of nine meters and seventy German plane. What was in it, could not figure out, and as the expedition was terminated prematurely. A 6 October 1963 19-year-old diving German Alfred Egner, who arrived at Toplice "dive", was found dead. The circumstances of his death were very suspicious, but the investigation again it never gave.

In November 1963, another treasure hunter, a seventeen year old Walter Niggli, drowned in a nearby lake Alat, and also under very strange circumstances ... From the neighboring lakes, which are much less famous Toplice also fetched counterfeit banknotes, and there was also registered a series of strange deaths. Shortly after these cases dive to the bottom of the lake were officially banned by the Austrian authorities. After that, for 20 years reports of deaths searches of the Austrian Alps have been reported.



Expedition Fricke

Hans Fricke went to the lake Toplice as a biologist. The purpose of his expedition were not mysterious treasures of the lake, and the study of its flora and fauna. Of course, Fricke had heard about the death of search engines. But his expedition was better prepared all previous - in his possession was a submarine.

"During the first dive, we did not expect to find anything significant. Thought that pick up any pieces of iron and a pair of British banknotes. But to our surprise, the fakes on the bottom was much more ", - said then Fricke.

Quietly to himself biologist Fricke turned into a search engine, and then in the historian. Soon after the first dive Fricke found at the bottom of the lake Toplice remains of military equipment, flooded during the Second World War. Rested on the bottom of the huge floats seaplane. With the help of the Austrian ankvalangistov sappers Fricke raised wreckage missiles, bombs, mines and pontoon. Fricke found that the ammunition intended for weapons systems of the ship. During the war, was located near the lake institutions involved in the German Navy. Dragged ashore a few minutes with integral fuses.

Hans Fricke tried to figure out what is the relationship between the institution and counterfeit banknotes. "At first glance at the Research Institute and the counterfeit banknotes have nothing in common, yet no less during the war, laboratory and fake weapons were Hitler. They develop new weapons for submarines. A banknote printed to undermine the British economy. The Institute and the counterfeit money was one destiny - at the end of the war they were drowned in the lake, "- says the researcher.

Doing work is complicated by a layer of mud that covered the bottom of the lake. Fricke assumptions about the development of new weapons for the German Navy confirmed. Among his discoveries was underwater mine with fuse, triggered at a certain depth. And missiles flying out of the water, and engaging surface targets. To develop new weapons to spend a lot of explosives. In secret laboratories of Nazi Germany is often used the labor of prisoners of concentration camps.

Underground printing fakes - death camp Sachsenhausen was considered a death camp. The Nazis destroyed it more than a hundred thousand people. Laboratory for the production of counterfeit banknotes was isolated from other areas of the camp. Sachsenhausen equipped with ultra-modern machines two barracks, № 18 and № 19. Covert production received encrypted known as "Operation Bernhard».

According to some reports, 12 counterfeiters were even awarded the Nazi medals. Fricke was able to find a living witness work in underground press.

A living witness "Operation Bernhard" Jack Jack Plapler Plapler hit the Sachsenhausen concentration camp at the age of 18 years. By profession he was a painter, and he was immediately sent to the barracks №19 - print Pound Sterling. Plapler painter turned the youngest in the team counterfeiters.

"In the laboratory work of the artist, printers and former bank employees. In early 1942, in a separate barrack worked 26 people. After 2 years - already 140 people. They had a task to produce 5, 10, 20 and 50 pound notes "- later recalled Plapler. Intelligence agencies Reich needed foreign currency, so the quality of fakes makes high demands. Plapler Fricke told that in the camp of Sachsenhausen regularly executed people. The murder was part of the daily duties of the SS. Hans Fricke tracked down one of them - a Nazi by the name of Kruger. He played a key role in the financial scam. "We have found Standartenfuhrer SS Bernhard Krueger. My friend met in South Africa with his daughter, so we went to the father himself. Kruger told how to print money, and what secret labels were put on the bills "- recalled Fricke. "The only more or less reliable way to protect the bills is a watermark. To his forge, need professionals, people who know their stuff "- shared memories of Kruger.

Kruger occupies an important position of the head of department, who was involved in forging passports and bank notes. His chief was none other than the head of the SS, Heinrich Himmler. Both are reported directly to Adolf Hitler.



Where were counterfeit money?

The famous scout Otto Skorzeny, Hitler took a special interest in the production of fakes. He needed dollars to send to the US agents. Skorzeny guaranteed isolation "factory" from the outside world. Out of town Friedenthal ready cliches were sent to Sachsenhausen, which published "almost real" money.

Intelligence chief Schellenberg used the money to finance companies abroad, where he knew that he was dealing with shrewd and selfish businessmen. Counterfeit money was spent as the smuggling of arms purchase by the German secret agents. In countries where there was a resistance movement in Italy, Greece and France, to fake pounds in some partisans to learn English and American weapons, and then it was used in operations against them.

Military secrets Lake Toplice

In addition, Germany was in need of re-equipping its fleet. At the beginning of the war, German submarines was carried out naval blockade of Britain, but the Allies found the submarine with the help of radar and aircraft. Depth bombs destroyed many German submarines. Contrary to the propaganda of Nazi British fleet defeated.

Laboratory workers at Lake Toplice worked on the creation of underwater missile. 20 years after his expedition Fricke, working in the library of the British Navy, found documents on the creation of new weapons. It turned out that German designers have tried to create an underwater missile launcher. And deals with the peculiarities of the rocket under the water in the lake Toplice.
Fricke discovered photos and laboratory workers during the first test. At the bottom of the lake Fricke found fragments of missiles with the photo itself. Fricke raised from the bottom to the surface of one of the launchers that are going to equip the German submarines. Installation immersed to a depth of 90 meters with a winch. Development German scientists were later used by the Americans when creating Polaris missiles.

This missile could hit a target located thousands of kilometers away from the submarine. In contrast to Polaris, the German rocket will not fly. The first trial ended in the Baltic Gulf explosion and the death of a German submarine.

Meanwhile scam with fake money grows. In early 1945, Nazi Germany was losing the war. Soviet troops liberated Poland, crossed the Oder and take on German soil. The defense of the fascist troops cracked at the seams. Soviet troops surrounded Berlin and the Nazis tried to take everything they could.

In February 1945, was sent to Sachsenhausen from lab to print counterfeit money. Prisoners transferred echelon south Germany. All that had value, and belonged to the Reichsbank to be removed and disposed of in the mountains in the recesses. It was hard to hide. Columns attacked Allied aircraft.

"The column moved through the countryside, and suddenly swooped down Americans and opened fire on us," - says Jack Plapler. Finally the prisoners were brought to the labor camp near Salzburg. SS troops tasked to take custody of counterfeit banknotes. They were ordered to take the boxes with the money to the cache in the mountains. But the SS strayed from the planned route. They arrived at the research institute, which was close to the lake and saw that the building is unoccupied. Until the surrender of Germany remained a matter of days.

"The SS decided to destroy counterfeit banknotes. They did not burn the money, fearing that the fire will not be able to destroy all the bills. The Nazis decided to drown in the lake boxes. Boxes were so many that their flooding took two days, "- said Plapler.

All prisoners who participated in "Operation Bernhard" were still alive. They were released on US troops. "I remember the noise of tanks, and then they went. By the time the floor was littered with the corpses of the camp, "- says a former concentration camp inmate Plapler. Ganz Fricke visited Lake Toplice last November 11, 1987. He brought back a former SS man Kruger. The German went on a submarine with a depth Fricke, and saw the still floating in the water counterfeit pounds, his eyes, according to the scientist, radiant with happiness. Exploring the underwater world, Fricke has caused a strong reaction on land. Fricke learned that his work interferes with those who want to keep a secret lake.