On 23 February the uppermost edge of the sun appeared briefly for the first time over the southern horizon; by 1 March the sun's full disc had appeared, and thereafter the daylight period lengthened rapidly. Apart from some minor cases of insomnia, lack of appetite and lassitude, the long period of darkness had had little effect on the wintering party in terms of either morale or physical health. Most importantly, there had been absolutely no sign of scurvy, undoubtedly due to the regular dose of vitamins which Dege insisted his men take, and to a substantial intake of reindeer meat over the winter.
WAR NORTH OF 80: THE LAST GERMAN ARCTIC WEATHER STATION OF WORLD WAR II. Wilhelm Dege. Translated from the German and edited by William Barr. 2004. Calgary: University of Calgary Press and Arctic Institute of North America (Northern Lights Series 4). 361 p, illustrated, hard cover. ISBN 1-55238-110-2. Can$49.95