Man claims he has found Nazi nukes in Germany

Adolf Hitler, leader of the National Socialists, emerges from the party's Munich headquarters. (AP Photo/file)

A Nazi gold train. The Amber Room. Claims of legendary Nazi-era finds have been surfacing of late—and, it's worth noting, not panning out—and Nazi nukes now join that list.

In what it describes as a "fantastical" claim, the Local reports retired mechanical engineer and amateur historian Peter Lohr believes nuclear material has been housed in a large subterranean chamber near Chemnitz, Germany, for 71 years.

That worries the 70-year-old, who suspects that when the metal decays "a second Chernobyl" will follow, reports the German tabloid Bild. Using ground-penetrating radar, Lohr has for years been investigating a network of Nazi tunnels built by those held at the Buchenwald concentration camp.

Now that he's been able to use 3D modeling software, he says he has discovered an underground chamber containing five large metal objects. The shape of two of them, according to Lohr, echoes that of nuclear bombs.

Not everyone is concerned; treasure hunters and historians alike have been on the hunt for similar artifacts from WWII for decades, and historians generally agree that no evidence of nuclear success exists; the Local cites one historian who points out that Joseph Goebbels, "Hitler’s closest confidant," made no reference to a bomb in his diary.

But the Telegraph reports there has been a lot of speculation regarding the tunnels' purpose, which has remained elusive—perhaps it was a weapons test site, or a planned hiding place for Nazi leaders.

Either way, Lohr says the authorities aren't taking his find seriously: "They just told me that I’m not allowed to continue my research anymore."

This article originally appeared on Newser: German Man Claims 'Fantastical' Find: Nazi Nukes