the roots of the Andromeda-Gerät

In the relatively modern variant of the Vril Society saga, it is claimed that, amongst others, in 1944 a huge, 139 meter long cylindrical mothership called the Andromeda-Gerat (depicted on the illustration at the bottom) was constructed by the Vril Society or by means of the technology of this highly secret society.

Again we stumble upon an echo of the large Adamski-type motherships, but a number of German language science fiction ideas preceded the Andromeda-Gerat. One of these is the cilindrical spaceship featured in Nils Meyn's Die Reise zur Venus (the Voyage to Venus), published in 1930. Obviously, the concept of an Andromeda Device is nothing new.

In Germany in 1908, readers were introduced to Captain Mors who flew through space with what may be considered the precursor to the Andromeda-Gerat (depicted on the illustration at the top). Captian Mors was a proto-science fictional hero who encountered various aliens, crystal robots with strange devices and discovered new planets with extraterrestrial life between 1908-1911 in 165 adventurous installments published in Germany. As with the Andromeda-Gerat, we find blueprints of Captain Mors' spaceship on many of the installments of the series.

Blueprint of Captain Mors' Lenkbares Luftshiff 

Nils Meyn, Die Reise zur Venus, 1930

Before Captain Mors took flight, there was the beautifully produced book Mac Milfords Reisen Im Universum. Von Der Terra Zur Luna Oder Unter Den Seleniten. Astronomische Erzahlung, (Mac Milford's Voyages in the Universe. From the Earth to the Moon. Or under the Selenites), published in 1902. Written by Oskar Hoffmann, it also features a cylindrical spaceship as seen in the left upper corner on its cover.

A cylindrical spaceship in 1902

As such, the fabulous Andromeda-Gerat of the Vril Society, Captain Mors' Lenkbares Luftshiff (manoeuverable airship), his Meteor, a Weltenfahrzeug (World vehicle) and the cylindrical spaceship of Mac Milford may be considered as exemplary extrapolations in a fantasmagoric world where the occult, avant-garde science and the sense of wonder meet.