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Obersalzberg
Air Raid Shelters (Tunnel
and Bunker Systems)
When the Allied bombing
campaign over the Third Reich
became a reality in 1943, Reichsleiter Martin Bormann was forced to order the construction
of a series of air raid shelters and command posts for the residents and military staff of
the Obersalzberg. These tunnels are often called "bunkers" today, but they are not
technically so, since they were not meant as defensive positions from which to fight (even
though their entrances were protected by machineguns), but simply as shelters in case of air
attacks. They were used successfully for this purpose during the Royal Air Force bombing
attack on 25 April 1945.
Elaborate shelter systems were
built beneath the hill behind the Berghof, with tastefully furnished rooms for Hitler and
his mistress Eva Braun; behind the Platterhof, with a shaft linking to Hitler's
bunker; and into the high
hill near Göring's house (sometimes called the Göring Hill or Adolf Hitler Hill). The
latter included Bormann's private shelter system, another private bunker for Göring and his
adjutant (which Bormann would not allow to be connected to the rest of the bunker system),
and a command and communications center for the Obersalzberg anti-aircraft defense.
Bormann had a connecting tunnel built between his own shelter and Hitler's,
running beneath the RSD headquarters at Haus Türken. There were also other less elaborate (or less finished) complexes in the periphery of the area
(SS Kaserne, SS munitions storage tunnel, Antenberg,
Hintereck/Klaushöhe,
Buchenhöhe). A further tunnel system, much deeper beneath the
Obersalzberg, was under construction in 1945 (Gutshof and
Obertal).
The bunker systems consisted of
multi-level tunnels lined with concrete and bricks, with associated power, heating, and
ventilation systems, and anti-gas protection systems. Most entrances and emergency exits
were covered by protected machinegun positions, and some of these were quite elaborate. It
would have been difficult for any enemy to fight his way into these systems,
although naturally, the defenders could not have held out indefinitely. The
anti-aircraft defense center included armored mounts for radio antennas and a
periscope at ground level, beside the top of a ventilation shaft.
It should be noted than in
addition to the traditional air raid tunnel systems, there were access
tunnels linking several of the buildings on the Obersalzberg, as well as tunnels
for ventilation, water, and sewage pipes. Most of these smaller secondary
tunnels do not appear on any published maps. Click here
and here to see some of these access tunnels beneath the SS Kaserne, and here to see an access tunnel between the Hotel
zum
Türken and the Filmarchiv building. See the Bibliography
page for information of Florian Beierl's book on the tunnel systems,
"Hitlers Berg."
Most of the underground systems
are now sealed and not accessible to the public, but a very interesting tour of some of
the system can be had at the Hotel zum Türken, and the
unfinished complex for the Platterhof and Gästehaus can be visited from the
Dokumentation Obersalzberg display near the Platterhof site.
Plan of the Central Obersalzberg Bunker System
The portions that are open to the public are marked in yellow. Other tunnel
and shelter systems existed beneath other parts of the Obersalzberg, such as the
Gutshof, Antenberg, Klaushöhe, Buchenhöhe, and
Obertal.
Several other tunnels existed in this area that are not shown on this map.
(Dokumentation Obersalzberg)
(Dokumentation Obersalzberg)
(Dokumentation Obersalzberg)
(Dokumentation Obersalzberg)
(Dokumentation Obersalzberg)
(Dokumentation Obersalzberg) (Dokumentation Obersalzberg)
Türken and Berghof Tunnels
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This stairway leads
down into the tunnel complex beneath the Hotel zum Türken, and on to the
Berghof tunnels. This tunnel system was actually merely a connecting
tunnel between Bormann's system and Hitler's system. At the bottom of the
stairways, the entrance corridors were protected by
machineguns (the corridor turns to the left just before the wall at the end).
(All photos of the Türken tunnel complex were taken and published here by
permission of Frau Ingrid Scharfenberg, Hotel zum Türken.)
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Some of the corridors were covered
by machinegun positions that had no entrances on the same level, but were reached from
corridors below. |
Bricked-up entrance to Hitler's
tunnel/bunker, in the system beneath the Hotel zum Türken (an anti-gas damper is visible above
the doorway). |
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| In the
1950s and 1960s more of the Berghof tunnel system was open to the public than
is the case today. These photos from postcards of that period show
(left) the corridor leading to the rooms for Hitler, Eva Braun, and Dr. Theo
Morell (Hitler's personal physician); (center) steps leading to areas used by
the guards. Right - inside the Berghof tunnel today. This view was
taken through the hole in the upper-left corner
of the bricked-up doorway - the
view is the same as the photo on the left. |
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| Left - a
1950s postcard view looking up the steps leading from the Berghof tunnel
to the main ground-level entrance in the concrete retaining wall behind
the Berghof. Right - a view of the bricked-up doorway at the top of this
staircase in 1976. The other side, behind the Berghof, had been buried
under fill and rubble. (right - courtesy Gerald Stephenson)
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| 1950s/1960s
postcard views taken inside Hitler's Berghof tunnel system - on the
left, a chamber that was used to store paintings and other artwork. On
the right, an unfinished corridor at the end of the Berghof tunnel
system. Visible at the end of this corridor is the bottom of a shaft
that led up to the SS Kaserne tunnel system and into the Platterhof
tunnel (click here to
see the top of this shaft today). This unfinished corridor led on to the
left, where there was another shaft that would presumably have led to a planned
deeper shelter system (see
here). |
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Most of
the tunnel systems had emergency exits that could be used in case the
primary entrance stairways were blocked after a bombing attack. These
exits were generally located at some distance from the entrances, usually
down long passageways. These photos show the two emergency
exits to the Berghof tunnel system. The exit above was the one that
reportedly had a bazooka fired into it in May 1945 (see
below) - although the exit appears to be open in this photo, it is
closed today by an iron door just a few feet inside. The other exit
(below) is
also closed by an iron door (both doors are kept locked). The actual
entrance to Hitler's tunnel system was through a doorway in the retaining
wall at the rear of the Berghof, behind the Haus Wachenfeld wing (this
doorway is buried under fill today). |
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| When the U.S. Army moved onto the
Obersalzberg on 4 May 1945, they did not know if the underground systems were
defended, so
they reportedly fired bazookas into some of the emergency exits. These photos show damage to
an interior machinegun position that may have been from a bazooka fired into the Berghof system emergency
exit corridor near the Hotel zum Türken, marked on the map above. The photo
on the left shows the blast damage on the exit side of the high
explosive shaped charge, while the photo on the right shows the view as
seen from the bazooka gunner's side, standing in the emergency exit
corridor (although the round was doubtless fired from further away, down
the tunnel, than this location; and the backblast of the bazooka leads
to questions if this really was a bazooka hit.) |
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| Three
views of the emergency exit corridor where the bazooka was supposedly fired - on
the left, looking down toward the exit from the main tunnel; in the
center, the iron door that closes the emergency exit today; on the
right, looking out the doorway (this doorway comes out at the exit seen here
and in the next photos). |
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| This
still from a 1945 U.S. Army film shows a soldier leaving this emergency
exit. The modern view shows the location of this exit in the valley
below the Hotel zum Türken. (U.S. National Archives) |
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corridor above marked MG-STAND led to the machinegun position that was
the bazooka target, and on to the
corridor leading to the emergency exit. The photo on the right (of a
different machinegun position) shows the view from the target side -
note the steps in the observation port, to stops bullets from glancing
off a smooth surface and into the port. |
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| Views
showing opposite sides of a tunnel machinegun position. On the left is
the gunner's side - the machinegun could be mounted either at the upper
left or the bottom, with a wide field of fire. The opening at the upper
right (closed with a metal plate here) was for observation and
targeting. All three openings on the target side (seen at right) had
steps to prevent enemy bullets from entering. |
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| Above left - machinery room in
the Türken tunnel system, for power generation systems; above right - corridor leading to
Bormann's tunnel system (closed off further around the corner); below left
- part of the Unterstollen, the corridor running beneath the main
corridor, for ventilation equipment, piping, and electrical cables (the connection to the similar tunnel beneath the
Berghof tunnels has been bricked up). On the right below is a
1950s/1960s postcard view showing the Unterstollen on the other
side of this brick wall. |
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| Further
views in the tunnel system beneath the Hotel zum Türken. On the left is
a corridor on the lowest level, giving access to the machinegun
positions on the level above. In the center can be seen conduits for
piping and communication cables. Ground water running through these
conduits has produced artificial "flowstone," as in a cave
system. On the right is a doorway near the entrance to the Berghof
tunnel system. The metal doors and most of the wooden door frames were
plundered after the April 1945 bombing, but some of the original wood
survives (some of the door frames in the Berghof tunnels are in
surprisingly good condition today). |
Platterhof/Gästehaus
Tunnel
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| Entrance to an unfinished shaft in the
Platterhof/Gästehaus tunnel complex, which
originally connected to the SS Tunnel System and Hitler's
Berghof bunker, some 150 feet beneath this one. In the center is a view looking into the
shaft at the top, showing where the winch
mechanism was originally mounted. The view on the right is looking down
into the shaft. This is often described as an elevator shaft, but it
apparently was used only to winch up excavation debris from tunnels
further below. However, an elevator would likely have eventually been
installed, along with a permanent staircase in this part of the shaft. The shaft originally had a wooden staircase in
it but this has mostly disintegrated since 1945. The photos below show
the wooden staircase in use in the late 1940s or early 1950s; at the
bottom (seen on the right) was the entrance to the SS Tunnel System. (Archiv
Ingrid Scharfenberg; used by permission) |
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| Left -
One of the corridors in the Platterhof complex, reached today from the
Documentation Center. Right - This staircase led up
to the original tunnel entrance in the basement of the Platterhof hotel. |
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The
staircase leading to the Platterhof hotel basement was protected by a
machinegun position. Below is an iron gun mount in its position in
the concrete wall and another gun mount lying on the floor,
showing the whole configuration. |
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Adjacent
to the foot of the stairway from the Platterhof hotel basement was an
unfinished emergency exit. The dark material on the walls was
waterproofing material. This area, when finished, would also have served
as an anti-gas lock, with an air filtration system. Below is a similar
view in 2019, during construction of the Dokumentation extension, which
will make use of this part of the unfinished exit tunnel. |
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One of the large shelter rooms in the
Platterhof tunnel system. Patients in the military hospital that had
been established in the Platterhof late in the war took shelter here
during the Royal Air Force bombing attack of 25 April 1945. |
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Some of the rooms that branch off the main
corridors were meant as offices for the Nazi Party administrative personnel housed
in the Gästehaus Hoher Göll. The room above, seen in a 1950s/60s
period postcard and today, still has a large metal
safe that has fallen to the floor. The room on the left below was a
storage room for the Nazi Party administration files, which were burned
in 1945; smoke stains can still be seen on the walls and ceiling. Below right - This UPI press photo from December 1968
shows the "recently discovered Nazi hideaway bunker beneath
Obersalzberg Mountain, near Adolf Hitler's 'Eagle's Nest' retreat." The
caption goes on to say that the commanding general
of the U.S. Army in Europe denied any plans to turn the bunker into a
"Hitler museum." The bunker was "located beneath an
armed forces recreation hotel" (Hotel General Walker / former Platterhof).
(author's
collection) |
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| This
large chamber in the Platterhof tunnel complex housed electrical
generators that powered the ventilation, heating, and lighting systems. On the left is a view
from the 1950s or 1960s, with comparison views taken in 1981 (on the tour from the Gen. Walker Hotel
(former Platterhof) and today (as
toured from the Dokumentation Obersalzberg). (author's
collection) |
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| Looking
back the other way, in the 1950s and today. (author's
collection) |
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| Graffiti
are a common sight in the tunnels today - these can be seen in large
machinery chamber in the photos above. On the left, period graffiti from the Allied
take-over of the Obersalzberg in May 1945. The crosses (La Croix de
Lorraine du DeGaulle) were the symbol
of the Free French forces (2e DB = 2e Division Blinde - 2nd French Armored
Division). The Platterhof tunnel corridors and chambers also show
markings left by the workmen, primarily to indicate electrical
installations. This marking by an Italian worker indicated that three
conduits were to be installed here, at junction 26. |
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The chamber seen on
the left, just outside the machinery chamber, contained a large tank in
the floor (behind the railing on the left) that held diesel fuel for the
generators. The chambers on the right served as kitchen and store rooms. |
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| The main
tunnel systems on the Obersalzberg had two levels - the main level where
the chambers for bomb shelters were located, and another level just
below (Unterstollen), that carried the ventilation and heating
ducts, water pipes, and electrical cables (as seen in the 1950s photo at
left). There are two places in the Platterhof tunnel today where
visitors can look down through holes in the flooring for a glimpse of
the piping in the Unterstollen. |
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Original ventilation equipment in the Platterhof complex.
The photo on the right is a different view of the ventilation room,
showing the steps at left leading down to the Unterstollen. Below are filter canisters for the air filtration system installed
by the Dräger company of Lübeck (click here
to see an original Dräger system that was installed beneath the
Berchtesgadener Hof hotel). |
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At the
other end of the tunnel system from the original entry stairway from the
Platterhof hotel is another large unfinished chamber, which would have had
another set of machinegun positions and an anti-gas lock with air
filtration systems. This end of the tunnel led out through an exit near
the Gästehaus Hoher Göll, which was used as an entrance by the
Gästehaus personnel in case of air attack. |
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Main emergency exit to the
Platterhof/Gästehaus tunnel system, as it appeared in May 1945, and in
1981, bricked up and overgrown. (above - from "Yank, The
Army Weekly," 22 June 1945; below - from "Hitler's Mountain
Retreat," U.S. Army, 1945) |
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This exit is now enclosed, part of
the Dokumentation Obersalzberg, and serves as the entrance to the Platterhof
tunnel system. On the right above, branching corridors inside this
entrance to the
Platterhof /Gästehaus tunnel system. The corridor on the right led to the
main tunnel system, while that on the left opened into an unfinished
machinegun and gas lock area (seen above). Just inside the corridor to the
right is an area (below) where the tunnel construction methods can be
seen. In most tunnels, there was a layer of cement against the rock, then
a layer of black rubber-like waterproof sheeting, then one or more layers
of brick, then a finish layer of cement over the bricks. |
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In October 2017, during construction of
an extension to the Dokumentation museum, the old emergency exit was exposed
again.
However, as of 2019 this large concrete relic was covered by the new
construction and no longer visible. (courtesy Tom Lewis)
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The emergency exit doorway as seen
from just inside, in the late 1940s or early 1950s (left) and today
(right). The view on the right shows the current (2019) entrance from the
Dokumentation - a square doorway cut into the side of the original
concrete structure. (left - author's collection; right - courtesy
Craig McGill) |
Graffiti from the "Last Bunker Tour (forever)," 24 October
1995. This was the last tour by the
American Forces Recreation Center, from
the General Walker Hotel (see the Platterhof
page).
(Photo taken on the 20th anniversary, 24 October 2015)
SS Kaserne Tunnels
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| The SS
Kaserne, adjacent to the Platterhof site, had two levels of tunnels
associated with it. The pictures here were taken in the access tunnels
that ran beneath the barracks buildings. These tunnels were torn out and
filled in 2001. Click here
to see more photos of the SS tunnels. (courtesy Ralf
Hornberger) |
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Unidentified
Tunnel near the Greenhouse and Bormann's House Site
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Tunnel exit
near the Greenhouse ruins and site of Bormann's house. Some maps indicate that this was planned to connect to Bormann's own
system or to the adjacent anti-aircraft defense complex, while others show it connecting to the
tunnel system near the Koksbunker,
for the Hintereck and Klaushöhe settlements. The tunnel may actually have
led to a cellar of the Greenhouse nearby, as it does not appear to
continue past that area. This tunnel is accessible, but usually has several inches of water in it. |
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The
tunnel goes only a few yards and then widens out. However, at the apparent bottom of a
stairway, the tunnel is blocked with earth and debris, and has apparently been so blocked
since 1945 (or perhaps since the razing of the Bormann house ruins in 1952). The iron
hooks on the wall originally held ventilation pipes. |
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These views show the water drainage system beneath
the floor (large pipe opening) and the smaller openings for the cable
conduits. |
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Concrete tower on the hill above the
greenhouse.
This is often called an observation tower, but it was actually the armored
top
of a ventilation shaft leading from the anti-aircraft defense and communications center
below. The cone-shaped items were bases for radio
antennas, and the cubical
block was for a periscope. |
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The doorway of the
circular tower was sealed up after the war. These ruins were
removed and/or buried during the construction of a hotel on the hill above,
2002-2005. However, in 2019 the front edge of the top of the concrete
tower was visible protruding from the ground downhill from the hotel. |
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| The photo
on the left, from ca. 1946, shows the top
of the circular concrete tower and the cubical
periscope block
from above (bottom of the photo) - looking out over the ruins
of the SS Kaserne, with the Platterhof and its garage beyond. On the right
is a view from about the same period, looking the opposite direction from
the SS Kaserne toward the ruins of the greenhouse, with the concrete tower
and antenna mounts on the hillside above the greenhouse ruin. (left
- photo by Ernst Baumann, author's collection; right - private collection). |
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| Some
distance
lower down on the hillside, opposite the Hotel zum Türken, is this
entrance to the system for the anti-aircraft defense and communications
center, which also connected to the Türken, Berghof, and Bormann tunnel
systems. On the left, a GI guards the entrance in May 1945. This
entrance looked much the same for many years, with only the arched
opening closed and the smaller metal door added (like the photos just below), but in recent years the original cement face was
covered over. (U.S. Army photo, National Archives Record Group
111-SC) |
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| The same tunnel entrance in
1949 (left), when
it could still be found open for touring, and in 1983 (right), after it had been
closed off but before the original concrete face was covered. (left
- Westfield Athenaeum Collection, courtesy Frank Tompkins)
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Göring's
Tunnel and Shelter
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| Field Marshall
Hermann Göring had an extensive tunnel system prepared for himself, his
family, and staff of his Adjutancy. This emergency exit
to the system is located on the lower hillside behind the
site of Göring's house and Adjutancy building. A previous shelter was
in the basement of his house (right). |
The main entrance to Göring's air-raid
shelter was beneath his house. After the house ruins were removed
in the early 1950s, this concrete bunker remained on the site until it was
removed in 2002 for construction of
the hotel currently on the site. This photo was taken in 1983. (courtesy
David Dionne)
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Hintereck
Tunnel
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| In the hillside
behind the Koksbunker
is a tunnel system for the employees and staff living in the Hintereck area, and for the
Klaushöhe housing settlement.
This entrance is near the Koksbunker; another entrance is located inside the leftmost Koksbunker coal
room (see below). |
The Hintereck tunnel
system was never completely finished. This tunnel leading in from the
entrance at left had waterproofing compound on the walls, but not the
final finish. In addition, a floor would have been laid over the water
pipe openings seen in the center here. |
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| These
photos show the unfinished state of chambers that would eventually been
machinegun nests and gas locks. In the photo on the right, the arched
doorway seen on the right was unfinished, but may have been planned to
lead to a tunnel connecting to the Vordereck/Flak
Command tunnel. Various examples of the iron staples that held
wooden supports together at the corners can be seen driven into the
walls in these photos. |
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| Further
views of the incomplete gas lock and machinegun nest areas in the
Hintereck tunnel system. |
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| There is
one large air raid shelter room of red brick, with a sealing iron bunker
door. The tunnel and this room provided shelter to numerous Obersalzberg
residents and workers during the Royal Air Force bombing attack of 25
April 1945. (The view on the right is looking from the back of the room
back toward the entry door seen on the left.) |
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Another entrance to this system is located inside the leftmost Koksbunker coal
room, seen on the left above. The view on the right shows this sealed
entrance from inside the tunnel. |
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| The tunnel
corridor on the left leads further into the system. On the right is a
view of a collapsed ceiling near the end of the accessible part of the
tunnel. The opening on the right leads to another shelter room. Just
past this cave-in area the unfinished tunnel is under water, but would
have led to the Klaushöhe housing complex, with three further entrances
on that end (these are all buried today). |
"SS Muni Stollen"
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| This unfinished tunnel system on the Obersalzberg
was being constructed by the SS contingent to store munitions and explosives.
It was originally somewhat in the shape of an inverted Y, and had two
entrances and one branch going back into the mountain. This branch was
planned to have side chambers to store the explosives. The tunnel
entrances were buried sometime after the war, but one is accessible
today. The entire system is rough rock with many rotting wooden
supports, and dangerous areas of cave-ins. Note
- I do not advise anyone to venture inside this tunnel. In September
2019 the first two wooden supports seen in the view on the left (and
possibly others) collapsed, making this entry area extremely dangerous.
The danger of further collapses without warning is obvious. |
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| Corridor
junctions inside the SS munitions tunnel, where other corridors branch
off and lead deeper into the mountain. |
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| On the
left is one of the two entrances that was filled in, and inaccessible
today from the outside. On the right is the far end of the interior
corridor. Bore holes show where work was ongoing in 1945. |
Antenberg
Tunnel
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| A tunnel
system was built into the Antenberg hill, beneath the Theaterhalle, for
protection of the workers living in the adjacent barracks area during air attack.
In contrast to the elaborate and somewhat luxurious systems of Hitler
and Bormann, this was a no-frills basic air-raid shelter. It was only
partly finished, with mostly bare rooms having only a few benches, and
the walls and floors were often wet and muddy. But it served its purpose
- during the RAF bombing attack on 25 April 1945, few if any of the
Antenberg residents were killed. These photos show the entrance corridor
(from both sides) - when completed, a machinegun position such as those in the
Berghof
tunnels would have been here. (Note - the Antenberg tunnel entrance
was sealed
in August 2011, making this system inaccessible.) |
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| Hallways
with side rooms in the Antenberg system. The stalactites, from ground
water leaching through the ceilings, are a common sight in tunnel
systems not maintained for the public. The mud lines on the walls show
how high the water can get in these tunnels. |
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| On the
left, an unfinished corridor in the Antenberg system, with its original
wooden shoring beams. The photo on the right shows how the tunnel walls
were constructed - a layer of concrete was laid against the rock, then
waterproof rubberized sheeting (the black material peeling away above
the bricks), then a layer of bricks, then an interior coat of cement. |
Obertal and Gutshof Tunnels
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| Beyond
the existing air attack shelter tunnel systems on the Obersalzberg, a further
system was planned at a level much deeper beneath the mountains. This
system was apparently meant to eventually allow vehicles to be driven
into the mountain beneath the Obersalzberg center, so residents could
escape by vehicle and emerge at some distance from the central
Obersalzberg, and the tunnels would
have been correspondingly larger. Rough tunnels exist today in the
Obertal area (shown here) and at the Gutshof, leading toward the Obersalzberg central
area. These tunnels do not join today, but they were evidently planned
to meet beneath the central Obersalzberg, possibly under the SS Kaserne. (The Gutshof tunnel system in inaccessible today, but you can see
photos below.) |
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| Several
interesting artifacts line the walls of the Obertal tunnel system.
Wooden pieces project from the walls at regular intervals - these
probably held power lines during the construction. On the right is an
original boring bit, still in its hole in the wall (this one has been
bent downward from the hole) - several such bits remain in the walls. |
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| Perhaps
the most interesting relic is the remains of a wooden cart that was used
to transport the broken rock along a railway on the floor, out to the
tunnel entrance (by 2014, this cart had been mostly demolished). On the right, a view of the only side chamber in the
Obertalstollen. The concrete foundations were mounts for an air
compressor for the pneumatic boring tools, and ventilation apparatus. |
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similar tunnel system is near the Gutshof (the entrances are buried
today). This tunnel contained side rooms, which were likely meant for
the Gutshof personnel and perhaps even the livestock, and possibly the
Albert Speer family, who lived nearby but had no tunnel system for their
house. The depth and size of this "deep system" that was under
construction, along with planned huge metal closure doors, indicate that
this system may have been intended as protection against atomic bombs.
(courtesy Ralf Hornberger and another friend of this
webpage) |
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Similar to the Obertal tunnel, there is
also a bunker for explosives
storage for the Gutshof tunnel, in the valley below the Gutshof.
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This Obersalzberg tunnel system
has not been previously publicized. It was rediscovered a few years ago,
after having been largely forgotten since the 1950s. The tunnel consists
of an uncompleted corridor in various stages of construction, with
chambers for air raid protection and possibly other purposes. The entry
(above left) consists of a sloping ramp in a U-shape, where steps would
eventually have been installed. A machinegun position may also have been
planned in this area. The first third of the corridor is finished with
concrete, the second part is brick, and the final part is bare rock. The
wooden object hanging down in the brick section (below right) was a
support for electrical cables and possibly pneumatic lines for the
air-operated boring tools. |
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Tunnels
in Berchtesgaden
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| Above
are two views of the tunnel passages of the Weinfeld Stollen in
Berchtesgaden. This tunnel system was opened to the public for the first
time since 1945, for a tour commemorating the 60th anniversary of the
end of World War II in May 2005. Below is one entrance to the lower
section of the two-tier Berghof Stollen (no relation to the Obersalzberg
Berghof). |
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Below is the entrance to the upper level of the
Berghof Stollen, which can be found off Ludwig Ganghofer Straße. The view from
above shows how the tunnel entrance goes back into the hill behind. (courtesy
Ralf Hornberger)
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| This
entrance leads to the upper level of the Nonntal Stollen (not open to
the public). |
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| This
entrance leads to the Kalvarienberg Stollen (not open to
the public). (thanks to the friend of this webpage who provided this info)
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| Splitterschutzgraben,
or trenches for protection against bomb shrapnel, were provided both in
Berchtesgaden itself and on the Obersalzberg. This example is in the
open area below the Wittelsbach palace in Berchtesgaden. On the right is
a view inside the collapsed shelter. An intact example is located on the
Obersalzberg, near the site of the workers' camp between Klaushöhe and
Buchenhöhe (Lager
Riemerfeld), and a bombed or collapsed example can be
found at the site of the workers' barracks above Buchenhöhe
(see below). |
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| These
photos show one of the Splitterschutz bunkers on the Obersalzberg, near the site of the workers' camp between Klaushöhe and
Buchenhöhe (Lager
Riemerfeld). Above are the entrances as seen from the outside, below are
interior views. At the bottom right can be seen an original anchor for
the camouflage netting in this area. (Thanks to my friend Ralf
Hornberger for showing me this site!)
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| These
photos show the ruins of one of the Splitterschutz bunkers located above
Buchenhöhe. These bunkers were destroyed after the war. |
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| In
late 1944, several extensive
tunnel systems were planned in other areas
around Berchtesgaden. These systems were part of the planned
"Alpine Fortress" of underground military installations,
which never became a reality. However, some tunnels were started. Early
in 1945 a small system to serve as a military headquarters was started
near the village of Winkl,
north of Berchtesgaden. This system is sometimes called "Lager
Zeisig," but that was probably the name of the workers camp
across the road. Two tunnel entrances exist, closed today with
concrete. The photo on the left above shows the western entrance. The
concrete object on the right is beside the path leading to the tunnel
entrance. |
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Another
projected tunnel system would have been in the mountains
surrounding the Königssee
lake. This large system was planned as a headquarters for Adolf Hitler and
the main staff of the Wehrmacht High Command. The only work completed was
test borings in the rock. |
Moll System
Guard Bunkers
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| This artifact can be found on the side of the hill near the site
of Landhaus Göring. This was a "Moll-System" concrete bunker
for two guards, manufactured by the Leonhard Moll concrete company of
Munich. There were at least thirty of these concrete shelters for the
guard force in the Obersalzberg
area - two were at the west end of the Berghof,
one across the street from the main Torhaus Berghof, another on the Göringhügl
hill, two others adjacent to Göring's
house, one at Göring's driveway, one or more possibly at Bormann's house, one on the hillside across the street from the Platterhof,
two were on the Bodnerbichl overlooking the Platterhof
complex and the Berghof area,
one at the eastern corner of the SS
Kaserne complex, three were in the Antenberg
workers' complex (two near the Theaterhalle and another among the
construction company buildings), another just behind the Kampfhäusl,
another near Speer's house and studio,
another at the entrance to the path
leading to the Berghof bunker exit nearest the main Obersalzberg road,
another on the hill behind the Berghof, possibly one between the Berghof
and the Türken, one at the Türken road gate, three at the Klaushöhe
housing complex, two more at a workers camp above Klaushöhe,
another above Buchenhöhe, another near Villa Bechstein, and another on the northern edge of the
security area, just inside the fence, near the
Mooslahnerkopf Teehaus (this last one is also intact - see photos below); while others
were located in Berchtesgaden itself. Many of those listed here still
have pieces lying around, while others can be seen in aerial photos
taken in May 1945.
These Berchtesgaden/Obersalzberg Moll Bunkers were presumably provided as shelter from
bombing attacks for the roving
guard force, or as observation posts to guard against paratrooper or
glider landings. They were often located beside paths in the woods leading
to various buildings, but also sometimes in isolated locations. Occupants
could not fight from these positions - only observe through narrow slits.
(additional photos and info courtesy
Ralf Hornberger, George Foehringer, Mike "Doc" Watson, Chrisu
Jähnl,
and David Beavan)
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| This
Moll Bunker is located on the northern edge of the Obersalzberg security area, just inside the fence, near the
path leading to the site of the Mooslahnerkopf Teehaus.
Remains of the chain-link fence that ran around the security area can
still be seen near this bunker. The thick concrete walls and top
provided protection from bomb shrapnel, but not a direct bomb hit. |
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| Above, a member of the SS guard force stands inside the fence that
ran around the perimeter of the security area. The modern photos show remains
of this fence that can be found today near the site of the Teehaus
(left) and along the Obertal road (right). (left - courtesy Ralf Hornberger) |
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| These
three 1945 photos show the Moll-System bunker that guarded
access to the Berghof along the path coming from the Gästehaus, at the
west end of the Berghof Adjutancy building, and another one at the edge
of the grass lawn in front of the Adjutancy building. The top (upside-down) and other
pieces of this latter bunker can still be found today on the slope below the
Berghof site (pieces of another Moll Bunker can be found near the tunnel
emergency exit that is downhill from this side of the Berghof site).
Remains of the camouflage netting can also be seen in the photos
above. (left above - Hotel zum Türken collection; right above
- "Yank, the Army Weekly," 22 June 1945; left below - U.S.
National Archives Film Branch)
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| The view
on the left is overlooking the site of the Kampfhäusl.
Just uphill behind the house site can be seen the top and pieces of the
sides and doors of a Moll Bunker. The Moll Bunker top on the right is on
the hillside above the road between Klaushöhe
and Buchenhöhe,
at the lower part of the Lager
Riemerfeld site. (right - courtesy Ralf Hornberger) |
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1945 photos show the ruins of Hermann Göring's house (left and below) and the
Villa Bechstein (right). Moll-System bunkers can be seen at the right
side of each photo above (the Bechstein one is missing its top). A Moll
Bunker on the back side of Göring's house can be seen in the distance
just to the left of the house in the photo on the left below, and in a
closer view on the right below. There are no
remains of these bunkers today. (below right - National World
War Two Museum) |
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A Moll Bunker that was placed near the road
gate outside the Hotel zum Türken can be seen
at the left of this 1945 U.S. soldier's photo. One of the doors (and
possibly other pieces) can be found in the weeds across the street from
the hotel today.
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The
Moll Bunker seen on the left above was photographed in an unknown location on the
Obersalzberg in 1945. Beside it is a Kugelstand, a 7-foot
spherical concrete one-man bunker designed to mount a machine gun (the
mount is not visible in this photo). The bunker would be buried in the
ground so that only the firing position was exposed. The Kugelstand
pillbox only went into production in April 1945, so period photographs
are rare. On the right is a Kugelstand bunker located at the Camping Ground near
Marktschellenberg, north of Berchtesgaden. It is not known why this
Kugelstand was in that location, although there were apparently some
light Flak gun emplacements in the area. (right - courtesy Ralf
Hornberger)
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two
Moll-System bunkers were located in Berchtesgaden itself - the one on
the left
is on the hillside above the Hotel Watzmann, while that on the right was above the
Salzbergwerk (salt mine). It guarded the lower end of a walking trail
leading up to the Obersalzberg. This trail was popular in the early-mid
1930s with hikers who wanted to see Hitler's Berghof - it was even
published on period tourism maps. When the Obersalzberg area was closed
to public access, a guard was apparently posted here. (Note -
the Moll
Bunker on the right was removed in early 2005 and broken up, by the Salzbergwerk
mining company.) |
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This 1945 photo shows a "Moll-System" shelter in place. This particular example was installed as a guard
position outside the gate to the SS barracks at the Dachau concentration
camp. In this
photo, management has been taken over by the U.S. 42nd Infantry Division. (U.S.
Army Signal Corps photo)
On the right is the
L.MOLL logo of the Leonhard Moll company, found on the door of one of the Obersalzberg
Moll Bunkers. Below is a period design plan for the Moll Bunker, dated 2
September 1942. Note that this plan shows the bunker was to be set in a
concrete base, and each bunker had two wooden seats for the guards (these
seats are normally missing in extant bunkers found today). |
Click here
to visit a page with photos of various Moll Bunkers still in existence around
Munich and other Bavarian cities - scroll down to
"Splitterschutzzellen."
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My guide book to
Third Reich sites in the Berchtesgaden and Obersalzberg area has been
published by Fonthill Media.
"Hitler's
Berchtesgaden" is available at Amazon and other retailers (the Kindle
version is also available from Amazon). |
Guided Tours
For personal guided tours in
English of Third Reich sites in Berchtesgaden and on the Obersalzberg (and other
local sites) from a certified and accredited local tour guide, contact:
Tom Lewis
+49-(0)1602-641-800
atobersalzberg@sky.com
For further information, including Internet links, check
the Bibliography page.
Continue to other Obersalzberg sites - Hitler's
Berghof, Bormann's and Göring's houses, Platterhof, Gästehaus and Kampfhäusl,
Hotel zum Türken,
Kehlsteinhaus, SS barracks, Gutshof and Teehaus,
SS guard houses, miscellaneous buildings, other miscellaneous
area buildings.
Return to the Third Reich in Ruins homepage
BEGAFILM
- Historic Films About Berechtesgaden and the Obersalzberg
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