Adlerhorst
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The Adlerhorst ("Eagle's Nest") was a
.Designed by
Background
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Hitler-Headquarters-Europe.png/375px-Hitler-Headquarters-Europe.png)
There were no official
.Construction
The main complex was a collection of seven buildings, in a heavily wooded compound beyond the castle's main entrance.[
The locals were told that it was an expansion of the air defence zone of
Operations
During construction of Adlerhorst, Hitler had used the castle to plan some of the early western campaigns, including the
After the completion of construction, quick approval was given for operation. However, after a visit by Hitler in February 1940, he dismissed it as an operational base, as he considered it too lavish for his Spartan taste (and image as a man of the people). Thus, Speer was asked to adapt the complex to meet the needs for use by the Luftwaffe, and specifically to serve as the Luftwaffe headquarters for Hermann Göring during Operation Sea Lion, the planned invasion of Great Britain.
Hitler's Directive No. 16 (the order initiating Sealion) nominated the 'Adlerhorst' (Eagles Nest) at Ziegenberg as the Sealion headquarters. The directive ordered the headquarters for each of the services to set up nearby. The Army and the Navy were to occupy mutual premises in the Army Headquarters at Giessen while the Luftwaffe was to move its headquarters train to Ziegenberg. Ziegenberg is north of Frankfurt and 32 km from Giessen, but it was usual at that time for the German armed service headquarters to be separated by distances up to 50 km during a major operation. For example, Goering's HQ was located 50 km from Felsennest, Hitler's HQ for the invasion of France (10 May-6 June 1940)[2] This distance did not prevent that operation from being successful. Although Hitler didn't move to the purpose built Führerhauptquartier, he may have done so had the plan been put into execution. His 1,100 man bodyguard, the Fuhrer-Begleitbataillon, plus a 600-man Luftwaffe anti-aircraft detachment, moved to Adlerhorst 5 July 1940 in anticipation of Hitler's arrival. They didn't leave until November 25, 1940.[3]
When plans for the invasion of Britain were abandoned in favour of Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, the castle and complex were put to use as a rehabilitation centre for soldiers of all ranks, and allocated as Göring's personal retreat.[4]
Ardennes Offensive
After the
Adlerhorst had been given additional security since 1943. Most of the cottages were further disguised with fake evergreen trees as camouflage. From October 1944, Adlerhorst had also become the headquarters of the Commander in Chief of OB West, Gerd von Rundstedt.
Hitler arrived at
, close enough for the generals and Panzer Corps commanders who were planning the attack, to travel to Adlerhorst in an SS-operated bus convoy that evening. With the castle used to provide for overflow accommodation, the main party settled into Haus 2/the mess. Those present included generals Jodl, Keitel,Shortly after Christmas, Göring arrived and took up residence in the castle. Göring privately suggested to Hitler that a truce be sought via his
Operation Nordwind
After giving his 1945 New Year's speech from the Pressehaus, Hitler returned to Haus 1 to welcome in the New Year with his close friends and secretarial support team. At 04:00 he walked to the mess to watch the development of
At midnight, nine Panzer divisions of
This defence line had been weakened by U.S. general Dwight D. Eisenhower, who had ordered troops, equipment and supplies north to reinforce the American armies involved in the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes. If successful, the German operation would have opened the way for Operation Zahnarzt, a planned major thrust into the rear of the U.S. 3rd Army.
However, having cracked the
Abandonment and attempted demolition
On 6 January 1945, a blockbuster bomb was jettisoned on Ziegenberg by a returning Allied bomber, damaging some buildings and killing four residents. With the Ardennes Offensive failed, and no new military plans or the resources with which to carry them out, the German military high command accepted that the western front was lost. Hitler left Adlerhorst on January 16, 1945, for Berlin.
Having been made commander of OB West on March 11, on March 17, Kesselring had sensitive documents and materials removed from the castle, moving himself and the command centre to the
On March 28, with the American army only 12 miles (19 km) away, Kesselring ordered all civilian employees and families of military personnel to evacuate.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Adlerhorst_%26_Ziegenberg.jpg/325px-Adlerhorst_%26_Ziegenberg.jpg)
Capture by Allied forces
The castle and village were captured by units of the
Soon afterwards in Operation Paperclip, a British-American detention centre was established in parts of the complex for high-ranking German non-military prisoners of war. It focused on key industrialists, scientists and economists; among those interrogated here were Hjalmar Schacht, Wernher von Braun, Ferdinand Porsche, and the leaders of the IG Farben chemical conglomerate. The highest-ranking of these persons of interest was the complex's original designer Albert Speer.[5] Others interrogated here included Hjalmar Schacht[6] and many technical, financial and industrial leaders.[7]
Present
Most of the castle lay in ruins after the war, but in 1956 the
The Wachhaus and the Pressehaus are both preserved, with the Pressehaus an almost exact replica of the Führerhaus.
The Kraftfahrzeughalle motor pool building was not demolished. It was occupied for two years post war by a
The foundations of several houses in the compound have been recycled for modern home and business construction.
Gallery
-
Inside the bunker under Kransberg Castle, part of Adlerhorst
-
Sign Removed From Adlerhorst Bunker In 1957
-
Adlerhorst Bunker (1961)
See also
- Führerhauptquartier Tannenberg, similar site to the south
- Kehlsteinhaus, known in English-speaking countries as the "Eagle's Nest", Hitler's personal private retreat in the German Alps near Berchtesgaden
References
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Irwin J. Kappes. "Hitler's Ultra-Secret Adlerhorst". militaryhistoryonline.com. Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
- ^ Seidler & Zeigert (2004), p.63.
- ^ F W Siegler & D. Ziegert, Hitler's Secret Headquarters, Greenhill Books, London, 2004, p. 75
- ^ Ein dunkles Kapitel in der Geschichte des Schlosses (A Dark Chapter In The Castle's History). Usinger Anzeiger September 12, 2001 Archived July 21, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 3-7766-2092-7.
- ^ p=95 books.google.ca
- ^ p=233 books.google.ca
Bibliography
- Anderson, Rick: The Guns at Last Light. Staking Everything on One Card. p. 389-390, Henry Holt New York 2013
- Hansen, Hans-Josef: Felsennest - Das vergessene Führerhauptquartier in der Eifel. Bau, Nutzung, Zerstörung. Helios Verlag, 2. erweiterte Neuauflage 2008. (darin auch Informationen und Fotos von Adlerhorst, S. 18-23)
- Kappes, Irwin J.: Hitlers Ultra-Secret Adlerhorst. militaryhistoryonline.com 2003
- Raiber, Richard, Guide to Hitler's Headquarters, After The Battle, No.19,1977
- Rupp, Kurt: Das ehemalige Führerhauptquartier "Adlerhorst" mit den Bunkeranlagen in Langenhain-Ziegenberg. Ober-Mörlen 1997.(self-published)
- Seidler, Franz W.; Zeigert, Dieter: Die Führerhauptquartiere. Anlagen und Planungen im Zweiten Weltkrieg. München 2000. Available in English as F W Siegler & D. Ziegert Hitler's Secret Headquarters, Greenhill Books, London, 2004
- Sünkel, Werner; Rack, Rudolf; Rhode, Pierre: Adlerhorst - Autopsie eines Führerhauptquartiers. Verlag W.Sünkel Offenhausen 1998 unveränderte Neuauflage 2002. ISBN 3-930060-97-3
- White, Osmar: Conquerors' Road: An Eyewitness Report of Germany 1945. p. 54-57, Cambridge University 2003