Tannenberg
Germany
Tannenberg is located in Germany
Tannenberg
Tannenberg
Tannenberg location on a map of pre-1945 Germany
Coordinates48°29′44″N 8°15′49″E / 48.49556°N 8.26361°E / 48.49556; 8.26361
TypeCommand and control
Site history
Built1939 (1939)
Built byOrganization Todt
In use1940 (1940)
Fateabandoned / demolished

Führerhauptquartier Tannenberg (also known as "Installation T") was a Führer Headquarters built in 1939 for use as a military command and control facility by Adolf Hitler. It was located near Freudenstadt and Hitler stayed there for a week in 1940 while inspecting the fortresses that formed the Maginot Line.

History

Tannenberg was constructed on Kniebis Mountain in the heart of the Black Forest on the grounds of an existing installation of Germany's western air defense zone near Freudenstadt.[1] Built by the Organization Todt in the winter of 1939–1940, it has been described as a prototype for the Wolf's Lair.[2][3][4] The site's designation, "Tannenberg", was from the Battle of Tannenberg during World War I.[4]

The ruins of Tannenberg pictured in 2012

Hitler stayed at the Führerhauptquartier Tannenberg from 28 June to 5 July 1940, following the Fall of France, using it as a base from which to tour the fortresses of the Maginot Line.[5] This is the only time it was known to have been used by Hitler.[4]

Most of the buildings were demolished during the German withdrawal from the Western Front in 1945.[4] One building, which remained standing, was subsequently used to store fertilizer and other supplies by foresters.[4]

As of 2015, the location of Tannenberg sits within the Black Forest National Park.[4]

Design and layout

Tannenberg consisted of two concrete bunkers, one used as Hitler's private quarters and a second as a communications facility.[1] The site also included a number of wood-frame structures, including a mess hall, barracks, guest quarters, a conference center, and a guard house.[1] The perimeter of the complex was ringed with barbed wire.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Short, Neil (2013). The Führer's Headquarters: Hitler's command bunkers 1939–45. Bloomsbury. p. 23. ISBN 978-1849083027.
  2. ↑ Johnson, Aaron (1999). Hitler's military headquarters: organization, structures, security, and personnel. Bender. p. 131. ISBN 9780912138800.
  3. ↑ Felton, Mark (2014). Guarding Hitler: The Secret World of the Fuhrer. Pen and Sword. p. 232. ISBN 978-1473838383.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Frank, Hans Goerg (28 September 2015). "Fundament eines Führerbunkers von Adolf Hitler im Nationalpark Schwarzwald". Südwest Presse (in German). Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  5. ↑ Baxter, Ian (2009). Wolf's Lair: Inside Hitler's East Prussian HQ. History Press Ltd. p. 19. ISBN 978-0750950794.
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