مخبأ أدولف هتلر في الجبال ومنطقة أوبرسالزبيرج .. سلسلة صور Obersalzberg Nazi Complex

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"From Haus Wachenfeld to the Berghof"
Adolf Hitler's Home on the Obersalzberg, 1927-1945
Part 2 -- the Berghof, 1936-1952

To befit the head of state of a rapidly emerging world power country, plans were made to remodel Haus Wachenfeld in 1935. The 1936 work actually involved a total conversion, with large masonry additions of a main house and added wing, and an enlarged garage. Further work took place in 1938.

Haus Wachenfeld during its conversion into the Berghof, ca. June 1936. The west side of Haus Wachenfeld was retained, and the main part of the Berghof was simply added onto this. (U.S. National Archives RG 242-HB, 22443-22)




These colorized versions of period photos show how the Berghof was built around Haus Wachenfeld, retaining the west side of the original house. In the view on the left, the large picture window has been lowered into the basement. (from postcards in author's collection)




These period color postcards show how Haus Wachenfeld with its small terrace (on the left) was incorporated into the Berghof, with its enlarged terrace added to the front and side, over the larger garage. Hitler's native Austria is visible in the middle distance, through the cleft in the mountains. (author's collection)

After the initial 1936 reconstruction was finished, the eastward extension of the house was only about half as long as it eventually became. This part of the Berghof housed the kitchen, dining hall, and quarters and working areas for the staff. The view on the right shows the 1939 completed extension, with its auxiliary driveway allowing deliveries direct to the kitchen area. (postcards in author's collection)

The eastern part of the house was extended until it came almost beneath the Hotel Zum Türken. The view on the left, from Martin Bormann's house, shows a good picture of the layout of these Obersalzberg buildings. Bormann's house overlooked both the Türken and the Berghof, so he could oversee the comings and goings of the RSD and Hitler's entourage. (left - from "Hitler in seinen Bergen," 1938 ed.; right - period postcard; both in author's collection)

View to the northeast, from the covered balcony on the second floor of the Berghof (what Americans would call the third floor). (from "Hitler abseits vom Alltag" by Heinrich Hoffmann, Berlin, 1937 (author's collection)
This covered balcony appears below the roof peak in this view, which was taken from down off the hill in front of the house. The wooden walkway that made its way down this hillside was the beginning of the path for Hitler's daily walk to the Mooslahnerkopf Teehaus. (period postcard in author's collection)

The grand staircase led from the driveway to the Berghof entrance. This staircase was the scene of many famous photos, showing Hitler's visitors such as Mussolini, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Neville Chamberlain, and other national leaders, diplomats, and military figures. This is a post-war view dating probably from the summer of 1945. The wooden door in the distance in the right-hand photo led to a film projection room, for showing films in the Great Room. The open doorway was the entrance to the Berghof itself, directly behind the photographer's standpoint. (left - U.S. Army photo; right - U.S. National Archives RG 242-EB)

The exterior doorway opened into a vaulted corridor, from which one entered the Great Room, or went up the steps to the upper floors. In the left-hand photo, the door at the far end led into the Berghof dining hall. The door into the Great Room opened in the left-hand wall. The door in the center of the photo led into a men's lavatory. The stairway seen in the right-hand photo led to the right just before the far doorway in the left-hand photo. (National Archives RG 242-EB)

The doorway shown in these photos led off the corridor into the Great Room of the Berghof, which Hitler used as a reception and conference room. This room was lavishly decorated with Persian carpets, Gobelin tapestries, and original paintings and sculptures. These views show the right-rear corner of the room and the east wall; the large picture window is behind the viewer, and the marble fireplace is just out of view to the right, on the back (south) wall. The Gobelin tapestry on the east wall was removed to uncover the film projection openings, and the tapestry on the opposite wall was removed to use the wall behind as a screen. (photo on left from a period postcard; photo on right from "Hitler abseits vom Alltag" by Heinrich Hoffmann, Berlin, 1937 (both in author's collection)

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Further views of the east side and rear of the Berghof Great Room, from period postcards. (author's collection)

Continuing around the Great Room, the doorway in the west side wall led into the living area of Haus Wachenfeld. The Gobelin tapestry was removed to use the wall as a screen for film showings. (period postcards in author's collection)

Completing the circuit around the Great Room led to the front (north) wall with its famous grand picture window. This window could be lowered into the basement, giving an open view of the mountains. (left - National Archives RG 242-H; right - period postcard)

Two views of Hitler's office on the first floor of the Berghof (second floor to Americans). (period postcards)

Two views of the sun room in the Berghof (the old "wintergarten" of Haus Wachenfeld). (period postcards)




On the left, one of the cozy guest rooms in the Berghof, complete with Bavarian tile Kachelofen. These rooms were occupied by Hitler's secretaries and a few close guests, mainly Eva's friends (diplomatic guests were housed in Villa Bechstein or the Gنstehaus Hoher Gِll on the Obersalzberg, or the Berchtesgadener Hof in town, or the Kleكheim Palace in Salzburg). On the right, the Berghof dining room, with its decorative cembra pine paneling (Swiss stone pine). The dining room was located in the eastern extension of the Berghof building. Hitler sat in the middle of the table on the right, facing the windows and the view of the Untersberg mountains. (period postcards in author's collection)




Eva Braun's living room in the Berghof. Some sources say the painting on the wall represented Eva, perhaps with her face painted onto a model's body by artist Adolf Ziegler. However, this original painting still exists, and the face doesn't really resemble Eva. (left - period postcard; right - National Archives RG242)

A few of Hitler's visitors at the Berghof -- on the left, a visit on the terrace from the Goebbels family (the woman in the center is Heinrich Hoffmann's wife Erna). On the right, the Great Room was the scene for the Leibstandarte's congratulations on Hitler's 55th birthday in 1944, presented by SS-Obersturmbannführer Max Wünsche, commander of SS-Panzerregiment 12 "Hitler Jugend." Wünsche and Hitler shared the same birthday, April 20, and Wünsche had previously been one of Hitler's personal aides. SS chief Heinrich Himmler looks on. (photo on left from "Hitler abseits vom Alltag" by Heinrich Hoffmann, Berlin, 1937, on right, from "Hoffmann & Hitler" by Rudolf Herz, Munich, 1994, p. 325)

A military staff conference in front of the fireplace. The western side of the Berghof was an Adjutancy building, where many of Hitler's military staff and personal adjutants lived while he was on the Obersalzberg. Thus, they were always immediately available for conferences or consultation. (left - from Heinrich Hoffmann, "Hitler Was My Friend" (London, 1955); right - period postcard)

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"Bormann's Tree"

Before the outbreak of World War II, Hitler often greeted crowds of visitors to Haus Wachenfeld and the Berghof from the end of his driveway, either standing in the drive or on the retaining wall next to the road. These public "march past" reviews often lasted for hours, and in June 1937 Hitler complained to Martin Bormann about the lack of shade on the hot summer days. Bormann immediately procured a mature linden tree from Munich and had it planted near the end of the driveway.

I have been unable to find a photo of Hitler actually standing beneath "Bormann's Tree," but the photo on the left above shows him greeting the crowds at the end of the Berghof driveway - this location would later be shaded by the linden tree. The photo on the right shows the linden tree at the end of the main Berghof driveway (triangular-shaped tree without leaves). (left - Heinrich Hoffmann, "Hitler in seinen Bergen," Munich, 1938)

Further views of Bormann's Tree, also showing the details of the east wing of the Berghof. (left - period postcard in author's collection; right - courtesy Helly Angel)

These two U.S. Army photos show the Bormann Tree in 1945. On the left, GIs from the 3rd Infantry Division capture the Berghof on 4 May 1945 - the blasted remains of the Bormann Tree can be seen at the left. On the right, GIs touring the ruins in the summer of 1945 pass near the the Bormann Tree, stripped bare of its leaves. (US National Archives, RG 111-SC, left - #204347-S)




On the left, a GI guards the Berghof ruins in the summer of 1945 - the Bormann Tree is beginning to recover. When my father visited the site in early 1946 (right), the Bormann Tree was beginning to look like a healthy tree again. (G.A. and G.R. Walden collection)




These views show the Bormann Tree fully leafed out again. On the right, dignitaries visit the Berghof ruin later in 1946. The Bormann Tree has a sign tacked onto it which reads EINTRITT FـR ZIVIL VERBOTEN (Entry for Civilians Forbidden ... meaning German civilians). (left - period postcard in author's collection; right - US National Archives, RG 111-SC)




The Bormann Tree survived the 1952 destruction of the Berghof ruins - it can still be seen shading the end of the driveway in this aerial photograph taken ca. 1960, after the destruction and burial of the Berghof ruins (the rebuilt Hotel Zum Türken is at the upper left). At some point the tree was cut down, but its remains can still be seen as shoots growing up from the stump near the end of the driveway - in the recent photo on the right, the linden tree shoots are just leafing out in the left-center of the photo. (left - postcard in author's collection) ("Bormann Tree" story and details thanks to Guy Dartois and Ralf Hornberger)
Note: Clean-up efforts along the mountain roadways occasionally result in cutting down these shoots, but so far they have always grown back.

Destruction of the Berghof, 1945-1952




The Berghof was heavily damaged during the RAF bombing raid on 25 April 1945. This photo, taken
from a Lancaster bomber during the raid, shows most of the main Obersalzberg complex. The Berghof
appears at the bottom, showing at least two direct bomb hits. (Royal Air Force photo, Hotel Zum Türken)


This aerial reconnaissance photo taken shortly after the bombing shows the damage to the immediate Berghof area. The east wing
suffered a direct hit, and another bomb hit between the Adjutancy and the Haus Wachenfeld part. A bomb scored a direct hit on
the Hotel Zum Türken next door, and the Kindergarten building was also hit. Note the huge crater in the hillside behind the Berghof
east wing - from a Tallboy or Blockbuster bomb. This crater can still be seen there today. (U.S. National Archives)

Departing SS troops set the Berghof on fire on 4 May 1945, and the ruins were still smoldering when soldiers of the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry Division arrived that afternoon. Note the camouflage painting on the side of the house, which was also applied to the buildings of the Platterhof and SS Kaserne, and the snow remaining from a light snowfall the night before. (U.S. Army photos, National Archives RG 111-SC 204347-S, 204344-S)

GIs of the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division, the first Allied troops to arrive on the Obersalzberg (7th Infantry Regiment), haul down the swastika flag from in front of the smoldering Berghof. (Contrary to what you read in several books today (Stephen Ambrose's Band of Brothers is the best known example), the 101st Airborne Division were not the first Allied troops to reach Berchtesgaden or the Obersalzberg. However, it is possible that a vehicle or two from the Free French unit "Régiment de Marche du Tchad" were actually the first Allied soldiers to reach Berchtesgaden, and perhaps the Obersalzberg.) (U.S. Army photo, National Archives RG 111-SC 205102)


This view, taken from the hill behind the Berghof, shows the burned-out ruin as it was found by the 3rd Infantry Division
soldiers. (Rupert Prohme, "History of 30th Infantry Regiment World War II," Washington, Infantry Journal Press, 1947)

These two photos from Yank - The Army Weekly (22 June 1945) show the ruins of the Berghof from the conquerors' perspective. On the left, the still-smoldering ruins as seen from the terrace of the Hotel Zum Türken; on the right, GIs from the 3rd Infantry Division enjoy the Berghof stores of wine and cognac. They are sitting at the top of the grand staircase, just outside the Berghof entrance. (author's collection)

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Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division arrived the day after the 3rd Infantry Division. In this May 1945 photo,
it appears that someone has been taking pot-shots at the side of the Berghof. (from "The Epic of the
101st Airborne," 101st Airborne Division Public Relations Office, Auxerre, France, 1945)




Appearance of the ruined Berghof in the late 1940s - early 1950s. The dangling remains of the tin roof, seen in the previous photos, have been removed. Some said that the smoke and weather stains on the side of the house resembled a grinning skull (see photo on right, and just below). (author's collection)

The view on the left, taken from the ruins of Bormann's house, shows the retaining wall in the back of the Berghof, which is all that remains aboveground today. (author's collection)

To deter tourists, sight-seers, and neo-Nazis, the Bavarian government blew up the ruins of the Berghof on 30 April 1952, the anniversary of Hitler's death. The garage remained after the 1952 destruction, but was removed in 1995, after the U.S. Army turned the Obersalzberg area back over to Bavaria. (author's collection)

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Remains of the Berghof site as it appears today. On the left, the site seen from the terrace of the Hotel Zum Türken (compare to the 1945 Yank photo above). When the Hotel General Walker (former Platterhof) was torn down in 2000, debris was dumped at the top of the Berghof driveway areas. This and previous fill and debris has raised the ground level across much of the Berghof site, several feet higher than the original level. On the right, the retaining wall at the rear of the site. The main part of the Berghof sat where the trees are growing in the foreground. (MapQuest Map Link)