Führer Headquarters

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Map showing the locations of the Führer Headquarters throughout Europe.

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Map showing the locations of the Führer Headquarters throughout Europe.

The title of this article contains the character ü. Where it is unavailable or not desired, the name may be represented as Fuehrer Headquarters.

The Führer Headquarters (Führerhauptquartiere in German), abbreviated FHQ, is a common name for a number of official headquarters especially constructed in order to be used by the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and various German commanders and officials throughout Europe during World War II[1]. Perhaps the most widely known headquarters was the Führerbunker in Berlin, Germany, where Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945. Other notable headquarters are the Wolfsschanze (Wolf's Lair) in East Prussia, where Claus von Stauffenberg in league with other conspirators failed in an attempt to assassinate Hitler on July 20, 1944 and Hitler's private home, the Berghof, at Obersalzberg near Berchtesgaden, where he frequently met with prominent foreign and domestic officials.

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Introduction

At the beginning of World War II there were no permanent headquarters constructed for the German supreme leader, the Führer. Hitler visited the frontlines by using either airplane or his special train, the Führersonderzug; thus, the Führersonderzug can be considered as the first of his field headquarters. The first permanent installation which became a Führer Headquarters was the Felsennest, which was used by Hitler during the Battle of France in May, 1940. Hitler actually spent very little time in Berlin during the war, and the most frequently used dwellings of his were without comparison the Berghof and the Wolfsschanze.

The Führer Headquarters were especially designed to work as command facilities for the Führer, which meant all necessary demands were taken into consideration; communications, conference rooms, safety measures, bunkers, guard facilities etc. were prepared accordingly. Even Berghof and the Obersalzberg complex were modified and extended with considerable defense facilities (bunkers, guard posts etc.).

The Führer Headquarters can not be considered as strict military headquarters; the military (Wehrmacht) had their own, distinctly located in other places, yet often in the vicinity of the FHQ:s. Nevertheless, since Hitler infamously very frequently intervened in the military command structure, the FHQ:s more than often became de facto military headquarters. In reality, the Führer Headquarters consisted of Adolf Hitler and his entourage; including the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) (directly controlled by Hitler), liaison officers and adjutants.

Notes on the term

Every place Hitler ever stayed at can not be considered as Führer Headquarters, and he did not stay at every official FHQ. Furthermore, some sources may not refer to the Berghof and the Führerbunker strictly as official German Führerhauptquartiere at that time in history, but both of them became de facto Führer Headquarters; thus, they are historically often referred to as such. The Berghof was modified in much the same way as other FHQ:s[2], and Hitler had daily conferences on military matters here at the latter part of the war [2]. The "Eagle's Nest", i.e. the Kehlsteinhaus, was rarely used and may not be considered a FHQ as such alone; however it was associated with the Berghof and part of the Obersalzberg military complex.

The Führerbunker, located under the garden of the old Reich Chancellery, became a de facto Führer Headquarters during the Battle of Berlin, and ultimately, the last one of Hitler's headquarters [3].

Headquarters locations

The "Eagle's Nest" (top), and the tunnel leading to it. It was associated with the Berghof which became part of the Obersalzberg military complex near Berchtesgaden. Photographed in 1945, Berchtesgaden, Germany.

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The "Eagle's Nest" (top), and the tunnel leading to it. It was associated with the Berghof which became part of the Obersalzberg military complex near Berchtesgaden. Photographed in 1945, Berchtesgaden, Germany.

The location of the Führerbunker and Vorbunker in Berlin, 1945.

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The location of the Führerbunker and Vorbunker in Berlin, 1945.

There were about 14 known completed Führer Headquarters (of about 20 planned)[4]:

Name

Alternative designations

Location

Build started

Completed

Usage as Führer Headquarters

Adlerhorst[5]

Mühle (OT)
Bauvorhaben Z
Lager K
Bauvorhaben C

Bad Nauheim, Germany

1 Sep 1939

yes

yes - used by Hitler during the Ardennes offensive

Anlage Mitte[5]

Askania Mitte

Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland

1 Dec 1940

yes

no - only industry

Anlage Riese[4]

none

Wałbrzych, Poland

Oct 1943

no

no

Anlage Süd[5]

Askania Süd

Strzyżów, Poland

1 Oct 1940

yes

yes, Hitler met with Mussolini here on 27-28 August 1941[5]

Berghof[4]/"Eagle's Nest"

none

Obersalzberg, Berchtesgaden, Germany

?

yes

yes

Bärenhöhle[6]

none

Smolensk, Russia

1 Oct 1941

yes

no - used only by Heeresgruppe Mitte

Felsennest[7]

none

Rodert, Bad Münstereifel, Germany

unknown

yes

yes, used by Hitler during the Battle of France in May, 1940

Führerbunker[8]

none

Berlin, Germany

1936/1943

yes

yes, Hitler committed suicide here in 1945

Führersonderzug[1]

(a special train)

"Amerika", "Brandenburg"

various (movable)

1939?

yes

yes

Olga[4]

none

200 km north of Minsk, Belarus

1 July 1943

no

no

S III[4]

Wolfsturm, Olga etc

Ohrdruf, Germany

Autumn 1944 (?)

no

no

Siegfried[4]

none

Pullach, Germany

?

?

?

Tannenberg[9]

none

Freudenstadt/Kniebis, Germany

1 Oct 1939

yes

yes (27 June - 5 July 1940)

W3

none

Saint-Rimay by Vendôme, France

1 May 1942

no

no

Waldwiese[6]

none

Glan-Münchweiler, Germany

1 Oct 1939

yes

no

Wasserburg[6]

none

Pskow (Pleskau), Russia

1 Nov 1942

yes

no (assigned to Heeresgruppe Nord)

Wehrwolf[5]

Eichenhain

Vinnytsia, Ukraine

1 Nov 1941

yes

yes

Wolfsschanze[10]

Askania Nord

Kętrzyn, Poland (Rastenburg)

1 Dec 1940

yes

yes

Wolfsschlucht I[11]

none

Brûly-de-Pesche near Couvin, Belgium

1 May 1940

yes

yes

Wolfsschlucht II[5]

W2

Margival, France

1 Sep 1942

yes

yes

Zigeuner[4]

Brunhilde

Thionville, France

1 Apr 1944

no

no

The Special Train (Führersonderzug)

The Führer's Special Train (Führersonderzug in German) was a train which was frequently used by Hitler to travel between various headquarters throughout Europe[1]. It also served as headquarters itself; it was called FHQu Frühlingssturm (Spring Storm) when it was located at Mönichkirchen, Austria during the Balkans Campaign in the spring of 1941. The train was named Führersonderzug "Amerika" in 1940, and later, Führersonderzug "Brandenburg". After the Balkans Campaign the train was never again used as a Führer Headquarters, but Hitler used it throughout the war when he travelled between Berlin, Berchtesgaden, Munich and other headquarters.

The exact components of the Führersonderzug are not known, but some details were revealed by the departure information "Bln 2009", when the train departed Anhalter Bahnhof in Berlin on 23 June 1941, arriving at Wolfsschanze on 24 June 1941;

The individual 17 components (locomotives and cars) in order were[4]:


There were other special trains (Sonderzug in German) as well, used by prominent German officials[5] [6];

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Raiber, Richard, Guide to Hitler's Headquarters, After The Battle, No.19, Introduction and p.1.
  2. ^ a b Eberle, Henrik and Uhl, Matthias, The Unknown Hitler, 11th chapter, p.199-200
  3. ^ Beevor, Antony, Berlin: The Downfall 1945, p.357
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Raiber, Richard, Guide to Hitler's Headquarters, After The Battle, No.19, p. 2.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Raiber, Richard, Guide to Hitler's Headquarters, After The Battle, No.19, p. 48-51.
  6. ^ a b c d Der Kommandant Führerhauptquartier from Das Bundesarchiv (German, www.bundesarchiv.de)
  7. ^ Raiber, Richard, Guide to Hitler's Headquarters, After The Battle, No.19, p. 4.
  8. ^ The Berlin Führerbunker: The Thirteenth Hole, After the Battle, No.61 Special Edition (entire)
  9. ^ Raiber, Richard, Guide to Hitler's Headquarters, After The Battle, No.19, p. 18.
  10. ^ Raiber, Richard, Guide to Hitler's Headquarters, After The Battle, No.19, p. 28.
  11. ^ Raiber, Richard, Guide to Hitler's Headquarters, After The Battle, No.19, p. 10.

External links