Nazi House

[Laurelino Braendel]

TheBerghof was Adolf Hitler's holiday home in the Obersalzberg of the Bavarian Alps near Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, Germany. Other than the Wolfsschanze ("Wolf's Lair"), his headquarters in East Prussia for the invasion of the Soviet Union, he spent more time here than anywhere else during his time as the Fhrer of Nazi Germany. It was also one of the most widely known of his headquarters,[1] which were located throughout Europe.

The Berghof was rebuilt and renamed in 1935 and was Hitler's holiday residence for ten years. It was damaged by British bombs in late April 1945, and again in early May by retreating SS troops, and it was looted after Allied troops reached the area. The Bavarian government demolished the burned shell in 1952.

A large terrace was built and featured big, colourful, resort-style canvas umbrellas. The entrance hall "was filled with a curious display of cactus plants in majolica pots."[5][6] A dining room was panelled with very costly cembra pine. Hitler's large study had a telephone switchboard room. The library contained books "on history, painting, architecture and music." A great hall was furnished with expensive Teutonic furniture, a large globe, and an expansive red marble fireplace mantel. Behind one wall was a projection booth for evening screenings of films (often, Hollywood productions, including Mickey Mouse).[7]

A sprawling picture window could be lowered into the wall to give a sweeping, open-air view of the snow-capped mountains in Hitler's native Austria.[3] The house was maintained much like a small resort hotel by several housekeepers, gardeners, cooks, and other domestic workers.

The Berghof became a centrepiece of Nazi propaganda. The Nazi-controlled German press as well as the English-language international press covered Hitler's life at home in a positive light. These stories helped to soften his image by portraying him as a man of culture, dog lover, and good neighbour.[8] Writer William George Fitz-Gerald, under the pseudonym Ignatius Phayre, published many articles about visiting Hitler at home that were fabricated from Nazi propaganda sources.[8][9][10]

Based on German propaganda sources, Fitz-Gerald, writing for the British Homes & Gardens magazine, described Hitler as "his own decorator, designer, and furnisher, as well as architect", and the chalet as "bright and airy" with "a light jade-green colour scheme"; caged Harz Roller canaries were kept in most of the rooms, which were furnished with antiques, mostly German furniture from the 18th century. Old engravings hung in the guest bedrooms, along with some of Hitler's small watercolour sketches. His personal valet Heinz Linge stated that Hitler and his longtime companion Eva Braun had two bedrooms and two bathrooms with interconnecting doors, and Hitler would end most evenings alone with her in his study drinking tea.[11]

The area became a German tourist attraction during the mid-1930s, after Hitler came to power as dictator.[15] Visitors gathered at the end of the driveway or on nearby public paths in the hope of catching a glimpse of Hitler.[16] This led to the introduction of severe restrictions on access to the area and other security measures.[3] A large contingent of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler was housed in barracks adjacent to the Berghof. Under the command of Obersturmbannfhrer Bernhard Frank, they patrolled an extensive cordoned security zone that encompassed the nearby homes of the other Nazi leaders. With the outbreak of war extensive anti-aircraft defences were also installed, including smoke-generating machines to conceal the Berghof complex from hostile aircraft.

The nearby former hotel "Trken" was turned into quarters to house the Reichssicherheitsdienst (Reich Security Service; RSD) SS security men who patrolled the grounds of the Berghof.[17] It was later occupied by the Generalmajor of the Police. (The hotel was rebuilt in 1950 and reopened as a hotel before Christmas, the Hotel zum Trken. Visitors can still explore the historic underground hallways and tunnels that had been used by the Nazis.)[18][19][20]

Whenever Hitler was in residence, members of the RSD and Fhrerbegleitkommando (Fhrer Escort Command; FBK) were present. While the RSD men patrolled the grounds, the FBK men provided close security protection for Hitler.[21] Several Wehrmacht mountain troop units were also housed nearby. Hence, the British never planned a direct attack on the compound.[22]

Guests at the Berghof included political figures, monarchs, heads of state, and diplomats along with painters, singers, and musicians. The important visitors personally greeted on the steps of the Berghof by Hitler included David Lloyd George (3 March 1936), the Aga Khan (20 October 1937), Duke and Duchess of Windsor (22 October 1937),[23] Kurt von Schuschnigg (12 February 1938), Neville Chamberlain (15 September 1938), and Benito Mussolini (19 January 1941). At the end of July 1940, Hitler summoned his military chiefs from OKW and OKH to the Berghof for the 'Berghof Conference' at which the 'Russian problem' was studied. On 11 May 1941, Karlheinz Pintsch visited the Berghof to deliver a letter from Rudolf Hess informing Hitler of his illegal flight to Scotland.

Silent colour films shot by Eva Braun survived the war and showed Hitler and his guests relaxing at the Berghof.[26] In 2006, computer lip-reading software identified several parts of their conversations. Among those identified in the films were Joseph Goebbels, Reinhard Heydrich, Heinrich Himmler, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Albert Speer, and Karl Wolff.[27]

Two guests planned to use a visit to the Berghof as an opportunity to assassinate Hitler. On 11 March 1944, Captain Eberhard von Breitenbuch arrived with a concealed pistol with the intention of shooting Hitler in the head, but guards would not allow him into the same room.[28] On 7 June 1944, Colonel Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg planned to detonate a bomb at a meeting there, but his fellow conspirators would not give him approval to do so because Himmler and Hermann Gring were also not present.

The Obersalzberg was bombed by hundreds of British RAF Lancaster heavy bombers, including aircraft from No. 617 Squadron RAF (the "Dambusters"), which attacked Obersalzberg on 25 April 1945. At least two bombs struck the Berghof and did considerable damage to the building. Retreating SS troops set fire to the villa on 4 May, four days after Hitler's suicide in Berlin. Only hours later, the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division arrived at Berchtesgaden along with the French 2nd Armoured Division. Herman Louis Finnell of the 3rd Division stated that he and Private Fungerburg were the first to enter Berghof and the secret passages below the structure. Finnell stated that the hallway below the structure had rooms on either side filled with destroyed paintings and evening gowns, as well as destroyed medical equipment and a wine cellar.[31][32] A French tank crew soon joined them, and Allied soldiers thoroughly looted and stripped the house over the next few days.[33] The American 1st Battalion of the 506th Infantry Regiment arrived on 8 May. The 3rd Battalion of the 506th came into Berchtesgaden by a different route and sustained casualties in a skirmish with the crews of two German 88mm anti-aircraft/anti-tank guns. One of the most notable artifacts taken by American soldiers was the Columbus Globe for State and Industry Leaders, known more commonly as "Hitler's Globe".

The teahouse on Mooslahnerkopf hill was unscathed in the April 1945 bombing raid, but the Bavarian government knocked it down by 1951 because of its link with Hitler. For 55 years, the ruins lay in the woods by the 13th hole of the Gutshof golf course, but these were taken away altogether during the summer of 2006. The Berghof's shell survived until 1952, when the Bavarian government demolished it with explosives on 30 April.[34] The Berghof, the houses of Gring and Bormann, the SS barracks, the Kampfhusl, and the teahouse were all destroyed. This had been part of an agreement under which the Americans handed the area back to the Bavarian authorities. There was fear that the ruins would become a neo-Nazi shrine and tourist attraction.[35]

More than 50 Obersalzberg Nazi buildings were destroyed. The Platterhof had been a nearby hostel for visitors to the area, and it was turned into the General Walker Hotel for American troops after the war. It was demolished in 2001.[36][37]

They married in 1935 at St Johannis Kirche, the local parish church. In their wedding photos he looks confident and elegant, resplendent in top hat and tails. In her voluminous white wedding dress, she looks anxious and excited. She was 18. A year later she bore her husband a daughter, called Marion. The year after she bore him a son, called Michael. The Fhrer would have been proud of her, the mother of two Aryan children before she turned 21.

My father was born in Dresden in 1942 and spent his first few years there. In 1945 my grandmother watched the destruction of Dresden from his bedroom window. Luckily, her sister lived outside the city centre. My grandma caught the last train out of Dresden, ahead of the rapacious Red Army. Her carriage was strafed by Allied fighter planes, but she made it back to Hamburg.

When my grandmother returned to Heimhuderstrasse, the police chief who lived next door had gone. Germany surrendered and the house was requisitioned by British soldiers. One of them was a dapper officer called Gerry Cook, a Fleet Street journalist back in Civvy Street. Gerry and my grandma fell in love and he brought her back to London, with her three children, to raise them as his own. My grandfather, Werner, was in a British Prisoner of War camp at the time.

"At least Rota's guest was fighting against the Russians." That's the problem. At the time the Russians were our allies so his guest was fighting against us. On one hand, it's an easy mistake for the speaker to make but, on the other hand, it's a tragic error. Especially since I've read the Poland is now talking about extraditing the old guy for war crimes.

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