New Drontheim
New Drontheim was the name of a projected city that planned the leadership of the National Socialist German Reich in connection with a naval base about 20 km outside Trondheim ( Norway ).
history
It is believed that the Führer Headquarters in Berlin began planning a gigantic German naval port as early as the autumn of 1940, which was to be built because of its strategic location on the Trondheimfjord . Adolf Hitler soon indicated that this port would necessitate the rapid construction of a city with housing for 250,000–300,000 residents - mainly Germans - in the immediate vicinity.
Hitler entrusted the planning to Albert Speer , his favorite architect and later armaments minister. On May 1, 1941, Speer received the necessary data and framework conditions from Vice Admiral Fuchs, and on June 21 he and Grand Admiral Erich Raeder presented the project to the "Führer" in the Reich Chancellery . Following this, Hitler decided the exact location of the city.
In 1943, the first blasting began on the site. A prisoner-of-war camp and a reserve runway were built in Øysand. Even today you can see concrete foundations of various corresponding construction projects on the shore in this area of Trondheimfjord. Due to the course of the war, work was stopped in 1944.
Location, dimensions and plans
Construction was to be carried out in the area of Øysand on Buvik Bay, about 14 km south-southwest of Trondheim. For the up to 300,000 residents of Neu Drontheim, 55,000 apartments should be available on an area of around 700 hectares. This city would make Singapore look like child's play , in Hitler's words . In addition to the residential complex, shipyards, docks and submarine bases (see: Dora 1 and 2 ) were planned as part of the naval base in Trondheim .
Albert Speer was entrusted with the planning. In cooperation with Admiral Karl Dönitz , Grand Admiral Erich Raeder and Vice Admiral Fuchs , this project developed into a very detailed model several meters in size in Hitler's model hall and the first demolitions on the site in 1943. The model was destroyed in an Allied bombardment of the Reich Chancellery and the model hall destroyed.
Strategic importance
Neu Drontheim and the associated naval port were to become part of the great Atlantic Wall , which was intended as a line of defense from Spain to the North Cape against the Allies. During the Nuremberg trials it was also revealed that Hitler had planned to keep individual large port cities such as Brest in France and Trondheim as German enclaves and bases in the Third Reich after the war . Neu Drontheim was supposed to become a German colony with German residents. Similar plans were made for cities in the Soviet Union , where former front-line soldiers were supposed to settle with their families.
There were several considerations that led to the selection of Trondheim as the new naval base:
- For example, the battleship Tirpitz had to be transported to Germany for major repairs, as there was no dock further north that was large enough for ships of this size.
- After the German air raids on Great Britain did not bring the desired success until 1941, Hitler realized that the battle for the island had to be won by sea. Even before the Second World War, the naval strategist and vice admiral Wolfgang Wegener referred to the strategic advantages of bases along the Norwegian coast.
- In addition to its importance in connection with the fight against the British, Trondheim is also conveniently located for broader naval activities in the North Atlantic.
These reasons led to Norway in general and Trondheim in particular being classified as strategically important. Due to the initiative of Admiral Karl Dönitz and Grand Admiral Erich Raeder, the Trondheim project soon became one of Hitler's most popular projects.
After the Tirpitz capsized badly in November 1944, the leadership of the Navy was replaced and the course of the war did not show the necessary success, work on Neu Drontheim was stopped and the plans were not pursued any further.
literature
- Albert Speer : Memories. Ullstein, Berlin 1969, ISBN 3-549-07184-1 .
Coordinates: 63 ° 19 ′ 52 ″ N , 10 ° 14 ′ 7 ″ E