Hitler's Secret Headquarters: The Fuhrer's Wartime Bases from the Invasion of France to the Berlin Bunker [Hardcover]

Franz W. Seidler (Author), Dider Ziegert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2006

This is the first and most comprehensive record of all Hitler's bunkers and command centres v including those built and used, those under construction, and those that never got past planning v throughout World War II. Between 1939 and 1945 almost twenty Fnhrerhaupt-Quartier were completed. At the end of the war numerous projects were being built and countless other suitable sites were being investigated. While observing the crushing early campaigns in Poland and Yugoslavia from special µFnhrer-trains', Hitler made the decision that for the invasion of France, his foray into the Soviet Union and the defence of the Atlantic coastline against Allied counter-attacks, he needed solid, impenetrable headquarters. To that end 20,000 workers were employed in the construction of a string of concrete bunkers that stretched from the middle of France deep into the Ukraine. Throughout the course of the war the bunkers allowed Hitler to evade successfully Allied detection and afforded him an extraordinary level of personal protection. Franz W. Seidler and Dieter Zeigert have pieced together the history of Hitler's secret headquarters thanks to the diaries of Siegfried Schmelcher, head of the construction project, and Leo Muller, site supervisor, both of whom had unparalleled knowledge of a process that involved the movemmennt of over a quarter of a million cubic metres of concrete. Their records include 158 illustrations, documents and diagrams, as well as detailed structural and material references, cutaway plans, safety instructions and codenames. This unique book is about an extraordinary and previously undocumented aspect of World War II.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Greenhill Books; First edition (January 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1853676225
• ISBN-13: 978-1853676222
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,368,758 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hitler Must Have Really Loved Concrete, February 22, 2005

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hitler's Secret Headquarters: The Fuhrer's Wartime Bases from the Invasion of France to the Berlin Bunker (Hardcover)

Sub-Title: the Fuhrer's Wartime Bases, from the Invasion of France to the Berlin Bunker

When you look at the photographs and descriptions of the headquarters building Hitler had built you can't help but contrast it with the lack of bunkers by the western leaders. Hitler must have really loved concrete (a quarter of a million cubic meters), and he certainly wanted a lot of alternative locations. He had some twenty headquarters actually built and more in the planning stages. All in all, some 20,000 workers were employed full time for years to provide him with these bunkers, many of which he never even visited let alone used them as working headquarters.

Churchill had a secret wartime headquarters, he needed something to get away from the bombs of the Blitz. I don't believe Roosevelt even had a bomb shelter.

This is a classic book. The authors had access to the reports of the two heads of the construction projects that have previously been unavailable. It fills an interesting niche in the history of the Nazi regime.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Mundane and repeatative - basic information, September 19, 2010

By 

Iain Williams "Iain D. Williams" (Hobart, Tasmania Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hitler's Secret Headquarters: The Fuhrer's Wartime Bases from the Invasion of France to the Berlin Bunker (Hardcover)

The book is written from a historical perspective with no personal accounts. The author has recited Hitler's growth to power and various travel arrangements and agendas with a view to including information to the various wartime headquarters used by Hitler. This is probably the only way to write an account of this subject, otherwise there is little information to write about other than engineering specifications and production numbers.

The chapters are interesting but after a few pages read like Hitler's travel log. Each chapter is more or less the same with different schedules, areas, places - and headquarters. After a while you see the author's pattern of writing and begin to skim read the paragraphs looking for information actually about the headquarters and not the routes travelled and reasons for travelling the routes. I found the text interesting to flick through, but unless your 100% into facts and figures of this era, or are interested in Hitler's travel routes, you will find the book boring and mundane. It could have been improved upon by reciting personal accounts from the period, rather than just relying upon history to tell the story.

There was a good historical perspective of Fritz Tolt organization (one chapter), that was responsible for the supplying the manpower and supplies for the construction of the various headquarters.
The photograph section I think could have been done better. 75% of the less than 30 images I had seen before in other books. There were only few pictures of the actual headquarters, but several of Hitler and his personnel walking, driving and standing about.

The book is supposed to be about the various headquarters used by Hitler. As such, you would think this would include several photographs of each headquarters and perhaps a map indicating where they can be found.
I would rate the book 6/10 (mainly based on overall basic information and information regarding the Fritz Told Construction Service.

If you can find a inexpensive copy (mine cost $10.00) buy it. But, save you dollars if it's more expensive .

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars So-So..., August 5, 2009

By 

James E. Falls (Goldsboro, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hitler's Secret Headquarters: the Fuhrer's Wartime Bases from the Invasion of France to the Berlin Bunker (Hardcover)

Not enough diagrams/drawings.Text reads like captions.Photos of poor quality.Use for reference ONLY if your a real Hitler buff...