German bunker in a rotten village. Military history, weapons, old and military maps
The noise around Hitler's "golden train" has not yet subsided, in which the Nazis allegedly hid the looted treasures of the "Third Reich" underground in Poland, and the German media are already reporting a new possible sensation. This time we are talking about underground galleries discovered in the vicinity of the Brandenburg village of Genshagen, south of Berlin. During World War II, one of the factories of the Daimler-Benz concern was located here, which produced, however, not cars, but engines for military aircraft - mainly for Messerschmitt 109 and 110 fighters.
An underground bomb shelter for workers was built nearby. For some reason, underground work was carried out for a surprisingly long time, and construction did not stop until the very end of the war, when cement, bricks, steel and other building materials were sorely lacking even for direct military needs. Another oddity: according to local residents, the entrance to the adits was guarded by SS soldiers, even if they were from the elite division "Dead Head". There was nothing like this in conventional bomb shelters.
Why were the entrances to the bunker blown up?
A few days before the surrender of Nazi Germany, in April 1945, several powerful explosions rocked the neighborhood. The Red Army was very close, but it had nothing to do with the explosions. The SS men blew up all five entrances to the bunker. The underground tunnel was filled up so that these entrances were discovered only after seven decades!
Context
This was possible thanks to the efforts of the historian Rainer Karlsch. His attention was attracted not only by the indicated facts, but also by the fact that the underground bunker was not shown on any maps of that time. Even in the well-preserved archives of the Daimler concern, he did not appear. True, they knew about its existence from local residents, and twice, in the fifties and eighties, they tried to find it. They dug in different places, including with the help of excavators, but to no avail.
It took Karlsh two years and the help of another enthusiast, Vice Mayor of the district center Torsten Klaehn, to first discover the ventilation shaft, and then gradually explore the adits themselves - more precisely, so far only 6 kilometers of an extensive system of tunnels, presumably stretching for several dozen kilometers.
What was found underground?
It turned out that we are not talking about a large vaulted hall (this is how underground bomb shelters were usually built), but about adits diverging in different directions, about 2 m 30 cm high and one and a half meters wide. They are dug at a depth of 15 meters, reinforced with solid concrete blocks interconnected. The construction was clearly not completed: the researchers found piles of bricks stretching for several tens of meters, facing tiles, and so on.
More, however, - nothing interesting. Rusted metal cabinets, half-rotten wooden furniture, ancient medical equipment, steel doors bent from explosions - that's all. No hidden treasures, no secret dossiers of the "Third Reich", no plans for the first Messerschmitt 262 jet fighter, which was assembled at the plant in Genshagen at the end of the war ...
Rainer Karlsh is not at all embarrassed by this. He reminds again and again that only a small part of the underground galleries has been explored. And draws attention to the fact that just 15 kilometers from the bunker, next to the personal estate of the Minister of Posts of the "Third Reich" Hakeburg (Hakeburg), the scientific laboratory of the ministry was located. It sounds almost anecdotal, but the fact is that the Reich Minister of Posts was Hitler's old ally in the Nazi Party, the owner of the "gold badge" of the NSDAP, Wilhelm Ohnesorge. His department conducted very important research. According to Spiegel magazine, under the leadership of Ohnesorge, remote-controlled surface-to-air missiles were created, in particular. In addition, its scientists worked on the creation of nuclear weapons.
Eyewitnesses talk about trucks that allegedly transported some heavy cargo from Hackeburg to Genshagen in April 1945. What were they carrying? Blueprints for a "weapon of vengeance"? Secret dossiers of the "Third Reich"? Nazi gold? Anything can be assumed. By the way, Ohnesorge, who died in Munich already in 1962 and did not spend a single day in prison (although all his property was confiscated after the war), never talked about the underground bunker, nor about any treasures or secret documents. You can also interpret this however you like.
See also:
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Warehouse №12
This secret warehouse was the largest bunker in East Germany. Up to 20 thousand tons of cartridges, shells, uniforms, as well as diesel fuel, anti-aircraft guns, field kitchens, bakeries, other equipment and equipment in case of war for the armies of the GDR and its Warsaw Pact allies were stored here. It would take 500 railway wagons to take everything out at once.
Secret bunker near Halberstadt
underground plant
The warehouse was located near the German-German border near Halberstadt. For the construction of the bunker in 1979-1983, adits were used, cut through by prisoners during the "Third Reich", when they were going to transfer the production of "Junkers" from Dessau here. On the territory of the concentration camp, a few kilometers from the underground complex, there is now a memorial complex.
Secret bunker near Halberstadt
Disarmament
After German reunification, the warehouse was used by the Bundeswehr, but in 1994 the garrison was disbanded, and the bunker was sold to a private investor who never figured out how to use it. The complex was badly damaged by vandals and metal thieves, for whom gates, bars and locks did not become an obstacle. With the permission of the owner, excursions are sometimes made into the bunker.
Secret bunker near Halberstadt
Dark, cold and dry
Total darkness, everything is de-energized. Light - only from flashlights. Dry and cold, 12 degrees. Everywhere - a thin layer of soot. A few years ago, there was a fire underground, apparently due to careless handling of autogen, with which the thieves cut metal. Once upon a time, 250 soldiers served in the bunker. Now it is practically unguarded.
Secret bunker near Halberstadt
"Dolphin"
The warehouse began to be filled in 1983. The arrangement took 190 million marks of the GDR. It was part of the Dolphin program, which planned to build almost seventy nuclear shelters in East Germany for the government, military and civil defense needs. The total cost of the program exceeded two billion Eastern marks.
Secret bunker near Halberstadt
Dismantling
What happened to the complex over several decades from the spring of 1945 until the opening of the warehouse? Halberstadt was in the Soviet occupation zone. The equipment that they managed to install underground for aviation production was taken to the USSR. After that, the adits, during the laying of which thousands of prisoners of a concentration camp specially created nearby, died, they decided to blow them up.
Secret bunker near Halberstadt
Preparing for demolition
Preparations for the demolition began in 1949. Soviet miners managed to lay more than 90 tons of explosives, but nine times more was required to completely destroy it. With such a powerful explosion, a crater would have formed in the place of the mountain. The new German authorities turned to the Soviet command with an insistent request to abandon the plan with such consequences.
Secret bunker near Halberstadt
After the war
Instead of blowing up, the Germans offered to fill everything up, but as a result they agreed to blow up the tunnels at the entrances. Around the same time, a memorial complex was opened nearby on the territory of the former Malachite concentration camp (Langenstein-Zwiberge). Now in one of the adits leading to the underground bunker, an exposition of its documentation center is equipped.
Secret bunker near Halberstadt
eyewitnesses
According to the stories of local residents, the remaining accessible part of the underground complex was used for some time by units of the Soviet Army. One tour participant recalls how in 1959, as a boy, he and his friends climbed into the forbidden zone, where they stumbled upon Soviet tanks in a dark tunnel.
Secret bunker near Halberstadt
In case of nuclear war
In the 1960s, the GDR authorities remembered the existence of the complex and began to consider options for its use for the benefit of the national economy. In particular, it was supposed to place a cold storage facility in the tunnels, but with the aggravation of the Cold War, the object acquired strategic importance, since underground shelters were actively built on both sides of the German-German border in case of a nuclear war.
Secret bunker near Halberstadt
seventeen kilometers
"Warehouse complex number 12" (Komplexlager KL-12) of the National People's Army of the GDR was put into operation for the May holidays of 1984. The total length of the tunnels, including the new ones, was about 17 kilometers. Half of the old tunnels that could not be restored were walled up.
Secret bunker near Halberstadt
underground city
The scale is amazing. Railroad trains drove in for unloading underground. In one of the tunnels, a 500-meter platform was equipped for this. From it, goods were transported to storage compartments. The total storage area is almost 40,000 square meters, and the volume of underground space is 220,000 cubic meters.
Secret bunker near Halberstadt
At the battle post
"I prefer to show the bunker by car, you can see more. You get tired of walking on concrete," says Hans-Joachim Büttner, former commandant of the complex. A retired lieutenant colonel served here from the first to the last day. He started in the GDR and ended up as an officer in the Bundeswehr.
Secret bunker near Halberstadt
Questions to the commandant
This is what the bunker looked like in 1993. The former commandant patiently answers the group's questions. Ask about Soviet nuclear missiles SS-20? "We definitely didn't," he says, smiling. Did you know who cut down the old tunnels? "Yes. Everyone who served here has visited the memorial complex at least once." Where was the money? ...
Secret bunker near Halberstadt
One hundred billion
The bunker played a role in one of the final acts of the history of the GDR. After the exchange of Eastern marks, all the cash currency of East Germany, withdrawn from circulation, was brought here - 620 million notes for 100 billion with a total weight of three thousand tons, as well as savings books and checks. They decided to bury the money, mixing it with rock - in the hope that over time they would rot. The entrance was securely sealed.
Secret bunker near Halberstadt
money graveyard
The place was kept secret, but after a few years strange-smelling East German banknotes began to appear at numismatic auctions. Among them were banknotes of 200 and 500 marks, which were not put into circulation at all. Someone climbed into the bunker and punched a hole in a multi-meter layer of concrete. It turned out that in a dry and cold bunker, socialist stamps did not rot, did not decompose, did not deteriorate.
Secret bunker near Halberstadt
The Irony of Fate
Several treasure hunters were caught and sentenced to suspended sentences. In order to stop the amateur mining of priceless money, in 2002 they decided to remove it from the bunker and destroy it at the garbage incineration factory along with household waste. Ironically, the Eastern brand outlived the Western brand, so to speak. By this time, the Germans were already using the euro.
Secret bunker near Halberstadt
Bunker in a bunker
Inside the storage bunker was another one - for personnel. He had more serious protection and had all life support systems. After a nuclear attack, this bunker in a bunker could work offline for 30 days. In the event of a military conflict, the shipment of ammunition here could begin as early as 70 minutes after receiving the order.
Secret bunker near Halberstadt
What to do?
The private owner wanted to use the bunker to store mining waste. The business is profitable, but the authorities have withdrawn the already issued permit. The bunker hung, as they say, dead weight. Plans were seriously considered to set up an underground disco here, but they were abandoned. To dance in the galleries, the construction of which claimed the lives of several thousand concentration camp prisoners?
Secret bunker near Halberstadt
P.S.
We talked about the memorial complex on the site of the former concentration camp Langenstein-Zwieberg in a separate report. An interview with retired lieutenant colonel Hans-Joachim Büttner can be read at the link at the bottom of the page.
June 21st, 2015
The forests of eastern Germany hide many secrets in their depths related to the military past of these lands. A huge number of secret objects were built in the forests of the former GDR - these were bunkers for the leadership of the GDR and underground communication centers and numerous military camps of both the People's Army of the GDR and the grouping of Soviet troops. But the highest degree of secrecy has always surrounded everything related to nuclear weapons. Such objects were usually located deep in the forest thicket away from civilization and human eyes and were protected by a triple energized perimeter with patrols and firing points. Germans were not allowed into Soviet nuclear facilities, even servicemen of the Soviet-controlled People's Army of the GDR. It was exclusively Soviet territory, and local residents could only guess what was hidden in the surrounding forests.
My today's story is dedicated to one of these top-secret objects - the positions of Soviet medium-range nuclear missiles OTR-22, located in a forest near the Saxon city of Bischofswerda. In the post I will tell the history of the object, show what is left of it and then give the coordinates for those who want to visit this place on their own.
I learned about this place, as well as about many other equally interesting objects from the book of Martin Coyle (Martin Kaule) "Faszination Bunker: Steinerne Zeugnisse der europäischen Geschichte". There were no coordinates of the object in the book, but the villages adjacent to the former secret forest were named, so it was not difficult to calculate the approximate location of the missile positions using Google maps. At the end of March of this year, I again found myself in Saxony and, on the way from Dresden to Zittau, I decided to make a stop on the way and visit the once secret object in order to see with my own eyes what was left of it.
01. In the right place, I turn off the highway onto the dirt road, which should lead us to the goal, but a barrier blocks the path in front of the forest. The forest is a protected area and entry by transport is prohibited. We leave the car in front of the barrier and continue on foot.
02. After half a kilometer of the way, a forest dirt road leads us to a site lined with concrete slabs. This is one of the four launch sites at the facility from which ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads would launch in the direction of West Germany in the event of X hour. Two concrete blocks depart from the launch pad - one leads straight, the second to the right. We go first to see where the right concrete road leads.
03. After a hundred meters, the concrete road rests against the bunker.
04. There was only one photograph of a similar bunker in the book, and I thought that this bunker was all that was left of the object, since the book contained information that the military unit was demolished and the bunkers were covered with earth.
But before continuing the review, traditionally a little history.
In the mid-1970s, the countries of the Eastern Bloc and NATO achieved nuclear parity. In 1976, the Soviet Union deploys RSD-10 medium-range ballistic missiles in Europe, upsetting the established balance. As a response, in 1979 NATO decides to deploy in Europe medium-range missiles "Pershing-2" and ground-based mobile cruise missiles "Tomahawk". The NATO bloc was ready to partially or completely eliminate these missiles, provided that the Soviet Union does the same with its RSD-10s, in response, the Soviet Union strengthens its nuclear presence in Eastern Europe with OTR-22 missile systems (SS-12 Scaleboard according to NATO classification ). In the GDR, missile bases armed with OTP-22 missiles were built in four places: Bischofswerda, Königsbrück, Waren and Wokuhl. (see map)
In 1981, the forest between the villages of Uhyst am Taucher and Stacha was declared a closed military zone and the construction of a future missile base began there, which lasted three years. In April 1984, the 1st separate missile battalion (point 68257) of the 119th missile brigade (the 2nd and 3rd battalions were stationed in Königsbrück) arrived from ZakVO (Georgia, the village of Gombori) and part took up combat duty.
They were armed with OTR-22 "Temp-S" missile systems (according to NATO classification - SS-12 / SS-22 Scaleboard). The main task of the Temp-S missile system was to deliver nuclear strikes in the corresponding theater of operations. The MAZ-543 tractor was used as a chassis for the launcher. At the same time, the rocket was covered in a special container that opens along the longitudinal axis after the verticalization of the rocket before launch.
In the photo, the OTR-22 Temp-S missile system.
At the missile base near Bischofswerda, four launchers and eight missiles with nuclear warheads with a capacity of 500 kilotons (35 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima) were placed. The range of the missiles was 900 km. The construction of the base took place in an atmosphere of strict secrecy, and even the employees of the Stasi (Ministry of State Security of the GDR) initially did not know what would be placed in the forest near Bischofswerda and were gradually privy to this secret. But the population of the surrounding villages already in 1985 knew about nuclear missiles in the forest, since a transport convoy with a rocket passed from Bischofsverda to the forest at night every two weeks and on these nights the inhabitants of the villages adjacent to the forest were forbidden to approach the windows overlooking the road, through which the missiles were transported.
Missile complex OTR-22 "Temp - S" at the starting position. Next to the launcher is a test and launch vehicle (MIP)
In December 1987, the USSR and the United States signed the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles (INF), according to which all medium-range (from 1000 to 5500 km) and shorter (from 500 to 1000 km) range missiles were subject to elimination. According to the agreements, all OTR-22 "Temp-S" complexes were also subject to destruction.
The town of Bischofswerda went down in history by the fact that it was here that the practical implementation of the measures provided for by the Soviet-American Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles began. On February 25, 1988, a ceremony was held in Bischofswerde to withdraw the 119th missile brigade (seeing off the echelon with missile systems to the base for their elimination in Stankovo, Belarus). In March of the same year, the last units left the garrison. The 119th missile brigade was relocated to the ZakVO (Georgia, Gombori settlement).
I found on the net several archival photographs taken at the Bischofswerd railway station on the day the missile systems were sent"Temp - C"back to USSR.
At the Bischofswerda railway station, after a solemn rally, the tent was removed from one launcher and journalists were allowed to shoot.
Solemn ceremony on February 25, 1988 in Bischofswerd on the occasion of the withdrawal of nuclear weapons from the region.
Article dated February 25, 2012 in the newspaper Bautzener Bote on the history of the placement of nuclear missiles in the Taucherwald forest:
After the removal of the missile systems, the Soviet military remained on the territory of the missile base for several more years, and only on June 14, 1992 did they finally leave it. During 1996, work began on the reclamation of the forest on the territory of the base - the perimeter and firing points were dismantled, trenches were filled in, in 2002 the barracks building and several other buildings were demolished.
Now let's go back to our walk and look at what is left of the former missile base.
05. This bunker was the first structure we encountered in this place. Seeing the closed doors, I thought that they were welded or tightly rusted.
But soon, to our joy, it turned out that I was wrong in my assumptions:
06. If you watched the video, then you saw that there is nothing inside except a building materials warehouse, skeins of Rabitz mesh and the remains of a ventilation installation.
07. This bunker was designed to shelter the main element of the missile system - the SPU 9P120 launcher and the MIP 9V243 test and launch vehicle.
08. The test and launch vehicle is designed for pre-launch preparation and rocket launch at the starting position. It housed all the control equipment of the complex. MIP is made on the basis of the URAL-375A vehicle with an elongated frame, it is distinguished by the presence of an electric generator powered by a power take-off box, an additional 300 l fuel tank. This machine contains test and launch equipment, power supply sources, a set of aiming devices (special theodolite, aiming rod, gyrocompass, levels for verticalization of the rocket, etc.), and operator workplaces.
09. This type of bunker is marked FB75 (FB - Fertigteilbunker, that is, a bunker made from finished parts). It is a bunker built from standard concrete panels sprinkled with earth on top. Such bunkers were easy to manufacture and were used to shelter vehicles, equipment, ammunition, placement inside command facilities or communication facilities.
A container with a 9M76 missile of the 9K76 "Temp-S" complex in one of these bunkers. Very detailed and illustrated about the Temp-S complex can be read at the link.
10. The entrance to the bunker was closed with massive armored gates with a hydraulic drive.
11. I thought that this bunker was the only thing left of the former missile base...
I will give a plan of the object, taken by me from the site www.sachsenschiene.net and slightly modified for better understanding by Russian-speaking users.
On the site plan, we see the perimeter, the personnel barracks, demolished in 2002, next to it is the former guardhouse, which is now used by the forestry, and various bunkers placed around four launch sites.
1 - command bunker.
2,4,5,8 - bunkers to accommodate four launchers with test and launch machines.
3.7 - bunkers for other equipment.
6 - storage of nuclear warheads
9.10 - command bunkers of starting batteries.
We came to the object along the road from the western side, hitting the launch pad, which is in the center of the scheme. The bunker that we visited first is indicated on the plan by the number 8.
13. At the end of the concrete road, some other structure was noticeable.
14. But on the way there was a branch of the concrete road to the left, at the end of which there was another bunker.
15. We decided to examine it first.
Another archival photo from Taucherwald, taken in 1988 during the withdrawal of missile systems from Bischofswerda. The bunker in the background is different, but the concrete is the same.
16. This bunker, like the previous one, looked closed.
17. To open massive armored doors, I had to make an effort.
18. Inside, it turned out to be several times shorter than the one we examined earlier.
19. Only one military truck could fit here.
On the map, this bunker is marked with the number 3. Note that next to it is another bunker 5, in which one of the four launchers was stored.
20. This is all that remains of bunker 5. It was completely demolished and covered up. Only the concrete arch of the gate protrudes from the embankment.
21. We continue our journey along the concrete road.
22. Which leads us to another bunker.
23. There is a concrete platform in front of this bunker, which distinguishes this bunker from others we have seen before.
24. It was the image of this bunker that I saw in the book from which I learned about the existence of this place.
On the map, this bunker is marked with the number 6.
25. What really surprised me was the presence of such a sign near the gate. The attitude of the Germans to history never ceases to amaze me. What a quality board!
26. This bunker is the so-called "pump room" - the place where nuclear warheads were stored, the most important part of the base. This is the only bunker equipped with an air conditioning system that maintains the humidity and temperature required for storing nuclear bombs.
27. External armored gates here are the same as in other bunkers. They were not sealed.
28. But inside the bunker there is another partition, which was blocked by pressure gates, ensuring complete tightness of the internal space. It was here that eight warheads were stored, with a total destructive power of 4,000 kilotons, which is commensurate with 260 bombs like the one that was dropped on Hiroshima. The contents of this bunker could wipe out all of western Germany from the face of the Earth, turning it into a scorched desert.
29. For a long time I puzzled over why cinder blocks were suspended from the ceiling?
30. Look inside now, of course, there is nothing. We leave the atomic storage.
On this day, I just had a birthday, besides, this missile base and I turned out to be the same age and were born at the same time - in the spring of 1984. Symbolically. Took a vid.
On the plan, it is marked with the number 4.
32. An electric cable with a voltage of 380 volts came out of the ground next to him, judging by the inscription on the shield.
33. The inside of the shield.
34. Inside is usually empty, but such a folding table was found.
35. Well, the remains of the ventilation system.
36. This bunker, like the first one we visited, served as a garage for the launcher and test and launch vehicle.
37. On this, our walk through the territory of the former Soviet missile base came to an end. It is a pity that I did not have a map of the object with me, so three bunkers were not examined by us. But, judging by the photos on the net, only the first bunker, in which the command post was located, deserves attention.
38. Such are the secrets concealed in the bowels of the Saxon forests. As you understood from the title of the post, this was the first part of the series. In total, I have about two dozen posts planned about completely different, but one more interesting objects of the Cold War, lost in the forests of eastern Germany.
The territory of the missile base in the Taucherwald forest is not a restricted area and anyone can visit it without the slightest risk. There is not much to see there, but from a historical point of view, the object is more than interesting.
Object coordinates: 51°10"46" N, 14°14"03" E.
P.S. I created a group on Facebook where I will post collections of photos from abandoned military facilities in Europe. Who is interested in the topic - join.
The bunkers of the Second World War have long been top-secret objects, the existence of which was known to a few. But they also signed non-disclosure documents. Today, the veil of secrecy over military bunkers is ajar.
"Wolf Lair"
Wolfschanze (German: Wolfsschanze, Russian: Wolf's Lair) was Hitler's main bunker and headquarters, here was the Fuhrer's headquarters and the command complex of the German High Command.
The German leader spent over 800 days here. From this place, the attack on the Soviet Union and military operations on the Eastern Front were controlled.
The bunker "Wolf's Lair" was located in the Gerlozh forest, 8 km from Kentshin. Its construction began in the spring of 1940 and went on in three stages until the winter of 1944. 2-3 thousand workers took part in the construction. The work was carried out by the Organization Todt.
The "Wolf's Lair" was not a local bunker, but a whole system of hidden objects, in size more reminiscent of a small secret city of 250 hectares. The territory had several levels of access, it was surrounded by towers with barbed wire, minefields, machine gun and anti-aircraft positions. In order to get into the "Wolf's Lair" it was necessary to go through three security posts.
The demining of the "Wolf's Lair" by the Polish army continued almost until 1956, in total, sappers discovered about 54 thousand mines and 200 thousand ammunition.
To camouflage the object from the air, the Germans used camouflage nets and tree models, which were periodically updated in accordance with the changing landscape. To control the camouflage, the regime object was photographed from the air.
"Wolf's Lair" in 1944 served 2,000 people, from field marshals to stenographers and mechanics.
In The Fall of Berlin, British writer Anthony Beevor claims that the Fuhrer left the Wolf's Lair on November 10, 1944. Hitler went to Berlin for a throat operation, and on December 10 he moved to Adlerhorst (Eagle's Nest), another secret headquarters. In July of the same year, an unsuccessful assassination attempt was made on Hitler in the Eagle's Nest.
The evacuation of the German command from the "Wolf's Lair" was carried out at the last moment, three days before the arrival of the Red Army. On January 24, 1945, Keitel ordered the headquarters to be destroyed. However, easier said than done. The ruins of the bunker still exist.
Interestingly, although the location of the "Wolf's Lair" was known to American intelligence as early as October 1942, during the entire period of its existence, not a single attempt was made to attack Hitler's headquarters from the air.
"Werewolf"
"Werwolf" (another name "Eichenhain" ("oak grove")), a bunker located eight kilometers from Vinnitsa, was another rate of the High Command of the Third Reich. Hitler moved here the general staff and his headquarters from the "Wolf's Lair" on July 16, 1942.
"Werwolf" began to build in the autumn of 1941. The construction was supervised by the same "Organization Todt", but the bunker was built mainly by Soviet prisoners of war, who were subsequently shot. According to local historian, researcher of the history of headquarters Yaroslav Branko, the Germans involved in the construction of 4086 prisoners. On the memorial to those who died during the construction of the Werwolf, installed near the Vinnitsa-Zhytomyr highway, 14,000 people died.
The bunker operated from the spring of 1942 until the spring of 1944, when the Germans blew up the entrances to the Werwolf during their retreat. The bunker was a complex with several floors, one of which was on the surface.
On its territory there were more than 80 ground facilities and several deep concrete bunkers. The industry of Vinnytsia ensured the vital activity of the headquarters. Especially for Hitler, a vegetable garden was set up in the Werwolf area.
There was a power station, a water tower, and a small airfield nearby. The Werwolf was defended by many machine-gun and artillery crews, the air was covered by anti-aircraft guns and fighters based at the Kalinovsky airfield.
"Fuhrerbunker"
The Fuhrerbunker was a complex of underground structures located under the Reich Chancellery in Berlin. It was the last refuge of the German Fuhrer. Here he and several other Nazi leaders committed suicide. It was built in two stages, in 1936 and 1943.
The total area of the bunker was 250 square meters. There were 30 rooms for various purposes, from a conference room to Hitler's private toilet.
Hitler first visited this headquarters on November 25, 1944. After March 15, 1945, he did not leave the bunker, only once he got to the surface - on April 20 - to reward members of the Hitler Youth for knocked out Soviet tanks. At the same time, his last lifetime filming was made.
Stalin's bunker in Izmailovo
In total, some historians count up to seven so-called "Stalin's bunkers". We will talk about two that still exist today, which you can visit if you wish.
The first bunker is in Moscow. Its construction dates back to the 1930s. It was part of the state program to ensure the defense capability of the Soviet Union. The construction was personally supervised by Lavrenty Beria. Then he allegedly uttered the famous phrase: "Everything that is underground is mine!". He was assisted in his work by the head of the personal guard of Joseph Stalin, General Nikolai Vlasik.
In order to disguise the object, a cover building was needed. It was decided to build a stadium. The media announced: “In order to ensure the appropriate holding of the Spartakiad, build a central stadium of the USSR in the city of Moscow. During the construction of the stadium, proceed from the construction of visual stands for at least 120,000 numbered seats and a sufficient number of various kinds of sports facilities of auxiliary importance for educational and mass use.
On the surface, the Stalinets stadium (today Lokomotiv) was born in this way, and underground - a bunker.
Its depth is 37 meters. In case of an emergency, 600 people were provided here. Here everything was provided for life, from Stalin's office and rooms of the generals to utility rooms and food warehouses. Stalin worked here in November-December 1941.
Today, on the territory of the once-secret object, there is an exposition dedicated to the Great Patriotic War. Recreated the atmosphere of wartime. Even the Order of Victory, which was awarded to the Generalissimo, is presented.
Interestingly, the bunker is connected by a 17-kilometer underground road to the center of Moscow, by road and rail.
Stalin's bunker in Samara
Stalin's bunker in Samara was built in case of the surrender of Moscow. The reserve headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief was located here. On October 15, 1941, the State Defense Committee issued a secret decree No. 801ss "On the evacuation of the capital of the USSR, Moscow, to the city of Kuibyshev." On October 21, 1941, the State Defense Committee issued another secret decree No. 826ss "On the construction of a shelter in the city of Kuibyshev."
The bunker was built by Moscow and Kharkov metro builders, as well as miners from Donbass. From February to October 1942, 2,900 workers and about 1,000 engineers took part in the work. The design of the Moscow metro station "Airport" was taken as the basis for the construction.
Yu. S. Ostrovsky was the chief engineer of the project, M. A. Zelenin was the chief architect, I. I. Drobinin was the head of geosurveying works.
Built, of course, secretly. The land was taken out at night, the builders lived right there or in secure hostels nearby. The work was carried out in three shifts, in less than a year 25,000 cubic meters of soil were excavated, 5,000 cubic meters of concrete were poured.
The State Commission officially accepted the bunker into operation on January 6, 1943.
Today the bunker is located under the building of the modern Academy of Culture and Art. Previously, there was the Kuibyshev Regional Committee.
This bunker was built in Germany in the 60s of the 20th century.
It was supposed to become a hiding place for the ruling elite in the event of a nuclear war.
It was located near Bonn and consisted of a system of tunnels with a total length of 17 kilometers.
It took 12 years and 5 billion marks to build.
Luckily, he was never needed.
In the late 90s it was closed and dismantled. At the moment, only concrete tunnels remain from the bunker.
There is also a museum, whose workers restored several rooms.
These photos were taken when the bunker still existed. I signed them to make it clearer.
Hopper control panel - cameras, electric locks and more 
Room of the Federal Chancellor. Separate rooms were made only for the Chancellor and the President of the country.
The remaining 3,000 people had to live in rooms with bunk beds. 
Television studio for recording appeals to the people 
Bathroom. This is a deluxe room. There were two of those too. 
Meeting room 
Salon 
Dental office 
Office of an ordinary worker 
Bathroom for staff. There were five of them in the bunker. 
Vehicles for moving through the tunnels.
Bicycles could be used for short distances. 
The main door to the bunker weighing 25 tons was automatically closed in 15 seconds 
800m emergency exit tunnel 
Entrance to one of the five dining rooms. In the evenings, they could be used as cinemas. 
Steel doors inside the bunker 
Another tunnel 
Room with spare parts for equipment. 
Another tunnel 
Another 25-ton entrance door. There are four in total 
Call center in case the telephone service remains in working order 
And another steel door 
One of five kitchens 
Entrance to one of the five infirmaries for radiation victims 
Another chancellor's room 
Access to upper levels 
Bunker corridors 
Electric vehicle for fast travel 
An interpreter's office next to the meeting room.
In total, there were more than 900 offices in the bunker. 
Checkpoint at the entrance 
Security room at a depth of 100 meters. Cleaners were not allowed to go there.
For the first time this picture was discovered during the dismantling of the bunker in 1997.
It looked like the entrance to the bunker on the surface (model) 
And this is how the city looked above the bunker. Of course, it's still there to this day.
World War II left mankind with many artifacts. Until now, search engines are finding military equipment, ammunition and abandoned military installations left over from thousands of battles. Some bunkers were discovered only decades after the war.
Buried under the sand
For more than 50 years, three Nazi bunkers have been buried under a thick layer of sand on the Danish coast. Everything in them has been preserved in the form when Wehrmacht soldiers left them fifty years ago: from abandoned things to an unfinished bottle of schnapps and a pinch of tobacco in a soldier's pipe.
Located on Houvig Beach, they were discovered in 2008 only because during a storm, giant waves rolled sand and exposed cement walls and iron structures.
These three bunkers were built by the Germans as part of the construction of fortifications, called the Atlantic Wall. Most of the items in the bunkers were well preserved for 60 years, because they were in the cold and dark and were literally conserved with sand.
Danish expert on European bunkers Bent Antonisen called the opening of fully furnished bunkers "unique in Europe". No less enthusiastic about the find was Jens Andersen, an employee of the World War II museum in the Hanstholm fortress.
"It's fantastic: we found untouched rooms, they contain chairs, tables, communications equipment, household items and personal belongings of the soldiers who lived here."
Hitler's nuclear laboratory in the mountains of Austria
A network of secret tunnels where the Germans were working on developing nuclear weapons was accidentally discovered in Austria in 2014 by director Andreas Sulzer. The complex is located in close proximity to the small town of Sankt Georgen an der Gusen, not far from Linz.
B8 Bergkristall. Photo: independent.co.uk The exact location of the complex was determined after careful analysis of World War II spy reports and surveys that identified areas with high levels of radioactivity.
The facility was built using slave labor from the nearby Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp.
Me 262. Photo: historynet.com The site also housed an underground factory where the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighters were produced. After the war, Allied forces searched the facility, but could not find the entrance to the secret complex.
Sulzer needed heavy equipment to break through. True, the Austrian authorities, having learned about the excavations, banned any work on this site.
Goebbels' secret bunker
In December 1998, in Berlin, not far from the planned site of a monument to the victims of the Holocaust, an underground bunker belonging to Joseph Goebbels was accidentally discovered. The three-room shelter was located near Potsdamer Platz in the center of Berlin.
The ruin inside the Goebbels bunker, which was next to the house and connected to it by an underground passage. Photo: vocativ.com Geophysical scanning helped find the bunker. It was not possible to find any plans for the bunker in the archives, only its location near the house of the former Reich Minister of Public Education and Propaganda helped to establish the ownership of the underground structure.
The newly opened underground shelter was not connected to Hitler's bunker, where Goebbels and his family spent the last minutes of their lives. In the bunker found, most likely, a high-ranking Nazi took refuge during the bombing - raids on Berlin happened quite often.
Secrets of the "island of death"
Last year, the Russian Defense Ministry, together with the Russian Geographical Society, conducted several expeditions to the islands of Gogland and Bolshoy Tyuters, located in the central part of the Gulf of Finland. Bolshoy Tyuters, by the way, is called the "island of death."
During the war years, the Germans turned it into a real fortress: rows of barbed wire surrounded the entire island, machine-gun nests were located every 50-100 meters. Until now, minefields and many rusted weapons have been preserved on the island.
During the expedition on Bolshoy Tyuters, several bunkers were discovered, equipped by the Germans in granite rocks. What purpose they were built for is unknown.
Photo: project. moya-planeta.com On a large map of the island from the archives of the Abwehr (German military intelligence and counterintelligence agency in 1919-1944) there is an inscription that says that there are 15 underground structures on the island.
There are many versions about the purpose of the mysterious bunkers. One of them says that some of the valuables looted by the Wehrmacht were stored in them.
