In the Wolfsschanze there are still some dilapidated and overgrown homes that belonged to the top of the Nazi party. The sad ruins attract thousands of tourists every year. On the plot, surrounded by lakes, heathland and forests, Hitler followed the battle against the Soviet Union from relatively close range, often with high-ranking Nazi leaders in his wake. Hermann Göring, Alfred Jodl and Martin Bormann, among others, had a house near Hitler’s bunker. They were among the Führer’s confidants.
Hermann Göring, a Luftwaffe veteran of the First World War, quickly gained power after Hitler took power. He led the German air force and was appointed Reich Marshal in 1940. A title that Hitler created especially for him.
When he heard at the end of the war that Hitler was planning to throw in the towel, he put himself forward as Germany’s new leader. Much to the anger of Hitler, who promptly expelled him from the party as a traitor at the bitter end of the war.
During the Nuremberg trials, where many Nazi leaders were tried, Göring was sentenced to death. But he committed suicide in 1946, the day before he was to be hanged.
Reichsmarshall Hermann Göring . — © BELGAIMAGE
The Wolfsschanze, a complex of about 200 buildings, was put into use in June 1941, shortly after the invasion of the Soviet Union. The complex remained in use until January 1945, when the Red Army stood at the gates. The plot was located in the south of what was then East Prussia, which is now Polish territory. The group of archaeologists regularly conducts research into Nazi remains in the area. Göring’s former home was seen as ‘well searched.’
Wooden floor
Until one of the archaeologists discovered an old wooden floor, which was unknown to the team. After excavating about four inches beneath the floor, the team suddenly came across a skull. The leader of the investigation, Oktavian Bartoszewski, says he is in shock. The archaeologists then informed the police and were given permission to continue their search.
Ultimately, they found five bodies: three adults, a teenager and a baby. The bodies were naked, without clothing or jewelry. It is striking that all bodies are missing feet and hands. The archaeologists do not know whether the limbs were chopped off or whether the fine bones simply decayed.
The ruins of the Wolfsschanze are visited by tourists every year. © ROEL DIJKSTRA-VLAARDINGEN
The Polish authorities are faced with a mystery: how do these bodies get here? In any case, it would not be a relatively recent crime. According to the archaeologists, the bodies may have been left there during construction and Göring may have known that.
But according to Bartoszewski it is also plausible that the bodies were only left there shortly after the Second World War or that they are victims of a murder that the Nazis had nothing to do with. Polish authorities have said that the investigation is still ongoing and that there are no results yet on the identity of the bodies found.
(The Telegraph)