Führer Headquarters: Difference between revisions

{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Führer'' Headquarters}}
[[ImageFile:Hitler-Headquarters-Europe.png|thumb|right|400px|Map showing the locations of the ''Führer'' Headquarters throughout Europe]]

The '''''Führer'' Headquarters''' ({{lang-de|Führerhauptquartiere}}), abbreviated '''FHQ''', were a number of official headquarters used by the [[Nazism|Nazi]] leader [[Adolf Hitler]] and various other [[Nazi Germany|German]] commanders and officials throughout Europe during the [[Second World War II]].<ref name="RRGuideIntroAndPage1">Raiber, Richard, ''Guide to Hitler's Headquarters, After The Battle, No. 19'', Introduction and p. 1.</ref> The last one used, the {{Lang|de|[[Führerbunker]]}} in Berlin, where Hitler [[Death of Adolf Hitler|committed suicide]] on 30 April 1945, is the most widely known headquarter. Other notable headquarters are the ''[[Wolfsschanze]]'' ([[Wolf's Lair]]) in [[East Prussia]], where [[Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg|Claus ''Graf'' von Stauffenberg]] in league with other conspirators [[20 July Plotplot|attempted to assassinate Hitler]] on 20 July 1944, and Hitler's private home, the ''[[Berghof (Hitlerresidence)|Berghof]]'', at [[Obersalzberg]] near [[Berchtesgaden]], where he frequently met with prominent foreign and domestic officials.

At the beginning of [[World War II]] there were no permanent headquarters constructed for the ''[[Führer]]''. Hitler visited the frontlines using either airplanesaeroplanes or his special train, the ''[[Führersonderzug]]''; thus, the ''Führersonderzug'' can be considered as the first of his field headquarters. The first permanent installation which became a Führer Headquarters was the ''[[Felsennest]]'', which was used by Hitler during the [[Battle of France]] in May, 1940. Hitler actually spent very little time in Berlin during the war, and the dwellings he most frequently used were the ''[[Berghof (Hitler)|Berghof]]'' and the ''[[Wolfsschanze]]'', spending more than 800 days at the latter.

The ''Fuhrerhauptquartiere'' programme used over one million cubic metres of concrete, more than half at Anlage Riese and Wolfsschlucht II. Forced labourers worked for nearly twelve million working days; two-thirds at Anlage Riese, Wolfsschlucht II and Wolfsschanze. {{sfn|McNab|2014|pp=37, 48}}

|yes – used by Hitler during the [[Battle of the Bulge|Ardennes offensive]]; was too late for invasion of Poland, and Hitler told Speer it was ''"too luxurious ... the Führer must show Spartan simplicity''".{{sfn|McNab|2014|p=18}}

|yes;, on 28 December 1943 Hitler ordered its demolition after failure of [[Operation Citadel]]{{sfn|McNab|2014|pp=59, 60}}

|yes. builtBuilt around a railway tunnel with armoured doors to protect the [[Führersonderzug]]. The compound had six large bunkers; an OKW bunker was adjacent to the Führerbunker, also signals and guest bunkers and anti-aircraft emplacements. {{sfn|McNab|2014|pp=39–42}}

The Führersonderzug train was named ''Führersonderzug "Amerika"'' in 1940, and later ''Führersonderzug "Brandenburg"''. The train was used as a headquarters until the [[BalkanBalkans Campaigncampaign (World War II)|Balkans Campaigncampaign]]. Afterwards, the train was not used as Führer Headquarters, however Hitler continued to travel on it throughout the war between Berlin, Berchtesgaden, Munich and other headquarters.

* [[National Redoubtredoubt#Germany|National Redoubtredoubt]] (the supposed Nazi "''Alpenfestung''" ([[Alpine Fortress]]))

* Kuffner, Alexander: ''Zeitreiseführer Eifel 1933-451933–45''. Helios, Aachen 2007, {{ISBN|978-3-938208-42-7}}.

*{{cite book | last = McNab | first = Chris | title = Hitler's Fortresses: German Fortifications and Defences 1939-451939–45 | publisher = Osprey Publishing | location = Oxford; New York | year = 2014 | isbn = 978-1-78200-828-6 }}

* Ramsey, Winston G. (editor) & Posch, Tom (researcher), ''The Berlin Führerbunker: The Thirteenth Hole, [https://web.archive.org/web/20071226034902/http://www.afterthebattle.com/ab-con1.html After the Battle], No. 61, Special Edition'', Battle of Britain International Ltd, 1988, London