Tunnels,
Bunkers and old
buildings of the
Third Reich
Tunnels,
Bunkers and old
buildings of the
Third Reich
Before we begin, we want to thank Member TUNNEL JEFF deeply and sincerely
for taking the time to escort a small group of interested people to these many
fantastic places.
And yes - we will soon return, maybe you will be with us.
We begin in the Austrian town of Linz and this beautiful cemetery.
and along a wall of the
cemetery, we find this grave.
It is the grave of Adolf Hitler's parents.
Starvation Camp
Who hasn't heard of the infamous "Eisenhower Starvation Camps"?
We visited Lager X.
These memorial signs pretty much tell it all. If you don't read German,
upper left is:
"Camp cemetery for the American war prisoner camp X"
The photo above left shows that this veteran died in early June 1945.
Almost all the graves in this memorial cemetery show that the veteran died in
early June. They apparently lived about a month after the surrender before
they starved to death.
The group then headed for Braunau, another beautiful Austrian town,
Member SCOTLAND STEVE looks back to make sure the rest of the group are
following. This historic building is now - a lesbian recreation center.
Don't ask...............
We see by the grillwork over this door, this building was renovated by Martin
Bormann in the early days of the Reich. Notice his initials "M B"
in the grillwork.
The group heads down this passageway. Above the door is the very apartment
where Adolf Hitler was born on 20 April 1889.
Perhaps 100 meters walk from Hitler's birthplace is a beautiful old church with
a very special grotto.
First, a look inside this beautiful church then outside for the entrance to the
grotto.
They remember their fallen sons from both World Wars.
Beautiful memorials and remembrances to their fallen sons......
We depart this historic area of Austria - for another historic area of Bavaria
in Germany.
Königsee - the
King's Lake
This is the incredibly beautiful area of the Königsee - the King's Lake. It is easy
to see why the Kings loved this area but of course, there were a lot less
souvenir stands back then. Adolf Hitler liked the beauty of this area as
well.
Above left is the hotel that was formerly the headquarters of Field Marshall
Kesselring.
It is indeed, beautiful and it is easy to understand why anyone would fall in
love with its beauty. And why do we have a photo of the hotel that was
Kesselring's Headquarters? Well, aside from the charm and beauty of the
place, Sharkhunters will return to this area and we plan to make this hotel our
Sharkhunters Headquarters for that "Patrol" as well!
Many centuries ago - some say eight centuries in the past - there was a shifting
in the earth's crust in this area and a section of the Königsee was separated
from the main body and was lifted a few hundred feet higher to form the Obersee.
Our travelers set out on the short walk to another breathtakingly beautiful
area. We have put many scenic overviews on this page because the beauty of
the place is just indescribable, and a picture is worth a thousand words.
We don't know what HARRY is trying to say here, but we'll humor him and
put in the photo - right next to this shot of a rushing mountain stream the
group crossed on the way to Obersee.
We have always said that in this area, it is impossible to get a bad meal, a bad
beer and impossible to take a bad photo. Group leader TUNNEL JEFF (back to
the camera) watches to make sure his group is moving up the path.
It just doesn't get any more beautiful than this....................
This is said to be the favorite rock of Adolf Hitler to have his photo taken, so
each of the group had to wade out to this rock for their own photo. No,
HARRY's pants are not two colors - he went a different way and was in water
above his knees.....but take a moment to look at the sheer beauty of the area.
Look closely and see how clear the water is.
And of course, after this walk we must have refreshments, so we stop at this
little Alpine chalet for food and drink.
The people in this area are very religious and such icons/altars are to be found
everywhere. No, that is not Martin Bormann; it is just Tony, one of our
group. He looks exactly like Bormann and he is always getting long looks
when he is in Germany.
REMEMBER - there will be a Sharkhunters "Patrol" to this
area summer of 2009. Let us know by email, letter or telephone if you want
to receive information about this brand new "Patrol" which will be
in June 2009.
Berchtesgaden and the Obersalzberg
In Berchtesgaden - the entire mountain known as the Obersalzberg was a Reich Security Zone and to
even cross this river at the base of the mountain required passing this former
SS guard shack which still stands at the river's edge.
Looking at this guard post from across the river we see how the openings for
machine guns covered every possible approach even if anyone would be foolhardy
enough to attempt crossing this fast running and icy cold river.
Can't tell what's in the photo upper left? We have circled it in the photo
upper right. It appears to be one of the tank barriers on the mountain
side of the guard post so that if any armor got across the river, they would
stall here.
This is what the tank barriers look like close up. We'll be here during
our "Patrol" in June 2009 - will you?
Göring's Treasure Train Tunnel
As the fronts were collapsing and the Wehrmacht was being pushed back in every
direction, Hermann Göring loaded all sorts of art treasures aboard his private
train and parked it in this tunnel to protect it from Allied air raids.
Okay, it doesn't look like much of a treasure train tunnel now that the rails
have been removed and paved over, and the city of
Berchtesgaden is using it for storage of trucks and maintenance gear but in
Aril and May of 1945, Hermann's train was right here.
It's dark in here - but the history shines through it all. On the outside
of the tunnel is the date cornerstone, even though the eagle and the Swastika
have been removed the date is here and we will see it ourselves in 2009.
At the
cemetery
There are a few graves of interest here in the local cemetery. SCOTLAND
STEVE
is bringing flowers. The grave of Dietrich Eckart is clearly visible in
the front of the cemetery. He was the founder of the NSDAP and some say,
was Hitler's mentor.
Above left - STEVE places flowers and a vigil lamp at the grave of Eckart and
above right, on the grave of Dr. Hans Lammers.
A giant step back into history............
This is not a haunted house.........well, it probably is haunted - haunted by
the ghosts and spirits of the hundreds of Luftwaffe pilots and their girlfriends who stayed
here.......and played here.
It is abandoned and overgrown now, but walking through the hallways, up the
stairs, in the ballroom - if you have any imagination at all, you will hear the
pilots telling of their combat and hear the frauleins giggling in anticipation
of a fun night with their heroes. Maybe in the evening, a dance band is
playing for the revelers. Can you see it................
This staircase is well worn - but by whom? What fighter pilot's
boots have walked these stairs? Let your imagination work.
Who stayed in room 34 and 35? Who
shaved and washed up at these sinks? Is your imagination up to it?
What pilot wrote home to his sweetheart from this desk? The
main electric fuse board is still here.
A view from one of the balconies. This is a
huge hotel - soon to be rubble - very sad indeed.
Who swam in this pool? What officers hung their clothes in these very
lockers?
More lockers at the pool - and even the sign for the toilet is still there.
This hotel will not exist much longer. Sharkhunters will be here in 2009 -
will you?
Dietrich Eckart Klinik
The
Dietrich Eckart Klinik, like so many other buildings from the time of the Reich,
is abandoned and crumbling.
........a locked door and an abandoned hallway of this hospital - neither used any longer.
A Tragedy of the war....
Wars are filled with tragedies, but some are not necessary. In the
closing moments of the war, a group of twelve French soldiers wearing German
uniforms (part of the Charlemagne Division) were captured by a larger group of
French soldiers wearing American uniforms who demanded to know why their
countrymen were wearing German uniforms. The men in the German uniforms
asked the same of their countrymen in the American uniforms. Under direct
orders, we are told, from French General leClerk, the twelve men of the
Charlemagne Division were to be executed.
They were taken to the edge of a ravine and told to turn around- to face away
from the firing squad made up of fellow Frenchmen. They refused to turn
their backs on the executioners and said that if their countrymen were going to
shoot them, then they would have to look them straight in the face.
Impressive and brave, but they were shot nonetheless.
Upper left - This unofficial marker is all that is left to show where this took
place. Someone removed the official marker that stood here for years.
Upper right - after the twelve men were shot dead, their bodies were just dumped
into this ravine.
Upper left - Tony and Priscilla remove some weeds from the memorial site area.
Upper right - the bodies lay in the ravine for three days until a group of
American soldiers discovered them. The Americans removed the bodies and
took them to the nearest town where they were buried in that cemetery.
Today the cross wrapped with the French Colors stands as a tiny reminder of the
twelve men who looked their executioners straight in the eyes. There is a
French helmet atop the cross and on the wall is a bronze plaque with a short
description of this event with the names of four of the men - the other eight
are unknown.
the Other
Chancellery
Yes, there was another Chancellery for the Reich, and here it is. The
emblem has been 'modernized'.
The arrow points to Hitler's personal office.
Keeping close to the boss, Jodl had his house just across the
parking lot from this Chancellery.
The former Chancellery building is privately owned and is an apartment building.
Jodl's former house is also privately owned.
See these historic sites for yourself. There will be a small Sharkhunters
group going here in June. Let us know at Sharkhunters HQ if you would like
to accompany us and we will send the specifics.
Gebirgsjägerkaserne
The kaserne of the Gebirgsjäger of
World War II is being used today by the Gebirgsjäger of the Bundswehr. We
will tour this facility in June 2009 - will YOU be with us?
A quiet gasthaus frequented by..........
This was a favorite place for Dietrich Eckart for dinner and his beer,
and this is the corner in a side room where he would sit; and it is rumored that
he met many times in this very room with Adolf Hitler.
This is
a beautiful old German restaurant with great food - and excellent beer.
There is live folk music in the evening - and Sharkhunters will be there in June
2009. Join us!
Okay - we came to see bunkers, so
let's go!
This fishpond and bench are located where the foundation of the house of Hermann
Göring once stood.
We put on our walking shoes and head down this nearly forgotten stairway and
along this old path.
WHOA!
What have we here? What is the story of this red door?
This is one of the doors into the personal bunker and tunnel system of Hermann
Göring. During the war years there was a small house, a fake, hiding this entrance
so from the air, it did not appear to be a worthy target. You will stand
right here!
As we continue along this long forgotten path, we pass more breathtakingly
beautiful panoramas and your camera will get a great workout. The waterway
was built by the Reich and still prevents erosion even today.
And now it gets interesting - REALLY
interesting!
What is so interesting about this hole - look again - it is a VERY BIG
hole!
Look closely at the upper right proto - that is JEFF going into the
hole - actually the entrance to a large tunnel.
Did we say a large tunnel? Take a look. Lower left - we shoot back
toward the entrance.
Will you be going down this tunnel with us? You can if you like.
A miner's headlamp comes in handy toward the end of this 800 meter long tunnel.
Further along the trail, JEFF brings us to other remains of the Reich.
JEFF (back to the camera) checks his map for the next location.
Look carefully (lower left) and you will see this building through the trees.
This building is all that is left of a worker's camp.
No, this was NOT a slave labor camp. The workers in this camp and
so many other camps like this one, housed highly trained stone cutters, miners and tunnel
experts who lived here and earned a good wage for their labors.
We said that we would pass many locations of incredible beauty, and this area is
no exception. This is the golf course (in summer) and the ski area (in
winter) that was once the Gutsof, the farm that was set up by Martin Bormann to
grow all the crops, raise all the animals etc. that would provide food for
everyone living here during the war years.
Re-Making of History
Some months ago we reported that the Government was working hard to demolish all
traces of the war years and we ran photos of the Gutsof, the farm mentioned
above on this page. When HARRY was there in 2007, the compound was
pretty much the way it was during the times of the Reich. No more.
Lower left - once the Skytop Lodge stood here, today it is a putting green.
Time marches on.....as does remanufactured history.
Above right - more of the beauty of this area.
Now, without much explanation, we let JEFF lead us through a great many
ruins. Let your imagination work overtime here.
JEFF goes where angels fear to tread................
Is your imagination going full speed yet? Has your mind taken you back
almost seven decades to imagine who was here, what they were doing in their
daily duties, how they watched the sun burn off the early morning dew from the
grass on the mountains, had their cup of coffee and their first cigarette before
their sergeant rousted the troops to morning formation?
The Theaterhall
Amongst all the buildings that made up this high security complex at the top of
the Obersalzberg was a theaterhall. During a very heavy snowfall the
winter of 1943, the snow was so high and deep on the roof that the tresses could not
handle the tremendous load and the roof collapsed. The theaterhall was
rebuilt but after the end of the war, Müncheners asked the occupying American
forces if they could take the wood from the theaterhall to rebuild a bombed out
church in Münich. They took the wood,
leaving this:
(Thanks to BUD DANA for information about the theaterhall and the church)
Don't just imagine it - BE HERE in 2009! Let us know if you are
interested and we will send the details. Sharkhunters are going back in
June 2009. If you think you might like to be part of this "Bunker
Patrol" just let us know and we will send the information to you.
Again - many thanks to TUNNEL JEFF for taking the time to show us around
these incredible ruins of the Reich and to SCOTLAND STEVE for his insights to
this history as well.
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