The Wolf's Lair

Among the great Polish horrors is the Wolf's Lair, near Gierlosz, named by Hitler himself for his eastern HQ hidden in the depths of another wood. He spent a remarkable 800 days there directing the campaign against the Russians and organising the fate of unwanted subjects in his empire. The site was constructed by slave labour, heavily camouflaged to protect its existence, and later on reinforced massively to withstand possible aerial attack. Being a secret installation, it was of course necessary to execute the labourers who knew about the facility's existence. The location was also heavily mined, as several of the Polish troops clearing the site found after the war when they lost their lives.

The lair was the site of the best of the attempts on Hitler's life when Stauffenberg's bomb nearly killed him. This was recently portrayed in a Hollywood movie starring, if I recall correctly, Brad Pitt as the ill-fated Stauffenberg. One of the memorials is to him, as shown in the picture.

The site was extensively damaged by the scorched earth policy of the retreating Germans during 1944. In short, they blew it up with hig explosives leaving a trail of twisted concrete, which remains to this day. The images include Hitler's own bunker and the typing pool!

AS