Wolfs Lair

[jwburchell]

Partial view of remains of Goering's bunker:

[jwburchell]

Inside view from the bottom looking up one of the access ladders to the top for soldiers manning the flak gun emplacement:

[jwburchell]

Another view of a collapsed bunker wall:

[jwburchell]

A ventilation chimney for the circulation of fresh air into the bunker:

[jwburchell]

A monument on the site commemorating the loss of lives of Polish sappers (4) who died removing some 54,000 mines from the area:

[Santi]

Ive also always wondered about what happened to the wolfs lair, good to know is still there.
Awesome pics, makes me want to go there!
Thanks!

[PZIV]

I know a veteran who used to be on guard duty around the Wolf's layer. He said it was always so swampy and annoying with the musquitos!

[IanC]

Hi John,

Thanks for the amazing photo's and for the advice on getting there. From the photo's alone it appears that the effort you took getting there paid off!

I didn't know about the Polish sappers dying clearing the mines or the plaque to von Stauffenberg so thanks again for that information.

One last point, above the doorways in some of the photo's there are signs, are these warning you not to enter?

Cheers

Ian

[Nico C]

I know a veteran who used to be on guard duty around the Wolf's layer. He said it was always so swampy and annoying with the musquitos!

I read the same about the musquitos and the heath in Traudl Junges book "Bis zum letzten Stunde" (Until the final hour).

Would a nice place to visit indeed. Didn't know it still existed.
Thanks for the pics.
Now we have an idea how it looks these days.

Best,

[jwburchell]

Yes, Ian, in my opinion, it was well worth the time, effort and expense of going there. If I remember correctly there were signs indicating danger and that one should not enter the ruins or climb on the walls. My guide, however, let me do what I wanted as it was late in the day and we were the only ones there - so it is a bit at your own risk, I guess, as long as one is not doing any harm.

I had read about the prevalence of mosquitos before going there and they certainly are present in abundance - more or less depending upon the time of day and humidity, I guess. My guide had a sense of humour when I mentioned it, responding that they were "German mosquitos"!

[GEBIRGS-JAGER]

Thanks John for posting.Where else did you go? Brian

[jwburchell]

Hi Brian - on that trip I also went to Berlin; Kiel and Laboe where I visited the Marine Ehrenmal and the U-995; Munster to visit the Deutsches Panzermuseum; Wewelsburg Castle of Himmler-SS renown/infamy; and in The Netherlands to Amsterdam where I visited the Dutch Resistance Museum; Osterbeek where I visited the Airborne Museum "Hartenstein"; and Wageningen (Hotel de Wereld) where the German surrender to the Canadians took place in May, 1945.

On a previous trip I did mostly southern Germany visiting, amongst other places, Nurnberg and the Reichsparteitag Museum (fantastic!) and surrounding area; also Munich.

I am now planning/researching my European trip to more sites and places in 2008!