NL 001-014_157

Source: Alfred Wegener, Tagebücher, April 1930 – September 1930. DMA NL 001/014.

[157] an Stelle von Weiken der auf Hundeschlittenreise muß. Holzapfel wünscht 1 Grönländer als Hilfe bei der Aerologie, Gudmund möchte gern die Expedition weiter mitmachen. Eben habe ich meine Drucksachen angesehen, die noch hier unterlagen. Viele Zeitungsberichte über die Expedition und das Buch von der Vorexpedition.

10. September [1930]. Morgens, Mi[ttwoch]. Scheideck. Als ich gestern Nachmittag gerade das Communiqué tippte, kam die Krabbe und brachte Peter Freuchen und Magister Larsen… (dän.) Wir gingen gleich noch gestern Abend hinauf nach Scheideck, was für Peter Freuchen mit seinem Holzbein sehr anstrengend war. Holzapfel ist schon heute früh 4 Uhr zu Scheideck hinauf, um zu verhindern, daß sie uns vor der Nase wegfahren, – wenn sie überhaupt da sind. Wir müssen jedenfalls noch im Lauf der Nacht nach Kamarujuk zurückkehren, da ich die Krabbe um 4 morgen fahren muß, um die Disko noch zu erreichen. Das Wetter

[157] on the propeller sled, since the latter has to go on the dog sled trip. Holzländer wants 1 Greenlander as an assistant for the aerology. Gudmund would like to continue on with the expedition. I just looked at my printed papers, which I had stored away. Many newspaper articles about the expedition and the book from the earlier expedition.

We[dnesday], 10 September [1930], morning. Scheideck. Yesterday, as I was typing up the communiqué, the Krabbe arrived with Peter Freuchen and Magister Larsen … (Danish). Yesterday evening, we went up to Scheideck, which was very exhausting for Peter Freuchen with his wooden leg. Holzapfel left at 4 am this morning for Scheideck to make sure that they didn’t leave right under our noses—if they are even there at all. Anyways, in the course of the night, we have to turn back towards Kamarujuk, since I have to drive the Krabbe tomorrow at 4 in order to still make it to Disko. The weather

The Wegener Diaries: Scientific Expeditions into the Eternal Ice

This virtual exhibition sheds light on Alfred Wegener’s expeditions to Greenland between 1906 and 1931. Its main focus is on the diaries Wegener wrote during his explorations, which offer unique insights into the manifold challenges man and material faced in Greenland’s extreme environments. You may choose to read the diaries in their original state, or browse the expeditions individually and read transcribed and translated excerpts by clicking on the individual chapters.

This version, published in 2020, includes minor updates to the original 2013 virtual exhibition. PDFs of the virtual exhibition, as well as original scans and transcripts of the Wegener Diaries, can be found at the exhibition’s PDF Depot.

Christian Kehrt

About the author

Kehrt, Christian

Christian Kehrt works in the fields of environmental history, military history, and the history of science and technology. He studied history and philosophy in Tübingen and Stony Brook, NY. His PhD “Moderne Krieger. Die Technikerfahrungen deutscher Militärpiloten, 1910–1945” deals with flying experiences of military pilots in the age of the two world wars. It was completed as part of the postgraduate research program “Technology and Society” at the Technical University Darmstadt and received the Werner-Hahlweg-Prize for military history, the Georg-Agricola Prize and the prize for young scholars of the German Society for Aeronautics and Astronautics. As a postdoc he worked at the Deutsches Museum in Munich on a project on the origins of nanotechnology. In 2009/10 he was a Carson Fellow at the Rachel Center for Environment and Society. Currently he is pursuing a habilitation project on polar exploration in the period of the Cold War at the Helmut Schmidt University in Hamburg where he holds a position as a research associate.

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The Wegener Diaries: Scientific Expeditions into the Eternal Ice

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