Hitler visited the USSR during the war

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

The Nazi leader flew to the occupied territories of the Soviet Union not only on short-term visits, but even lived here for months.

Malnava, Latvian SSR, July 1941

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Almost a month after the start of Operation Barbarossa, Adolf Hitler flew to the occupied territory of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic. Here, in the building of an agricultural school in the small village of Malnava in eastern Latvia, the headquarters of the commander of Army Group North, Field Marshal Wilhelm von Leeb, was located.

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The Fuhrer spent about 5 hours in Malnave, during which time he discussed with von Leeb the current situation and the further offensive of the German troops towards Leningrad.

“In the morning, looking out of the window of the school bedroom, I noticed a huge guard, which was standing along the hedge along the edges of the road that stretched past the house of teacher Vagulan,” - recalled a local resident Viesturs Shkidra: “The military stood every 10 steps. Going to breakfast, someone joked laughing: "Well, now Hitler will appear!" And so it was!"

Brest Fortress, Byelorussian SSR, August 1941

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On August 26, 1941, Adolf Hitler, together with Italian leader Benito Mussolini, visited the Brest Fortress bordering the Reich in western Belarus. It was here that the Wehrmacht suffered its first tangible losses, encountering unexpectedly fierce resistance from the Red Army.

The Fuhrer decided to personally understand what had happened, and at the same time to demonstrate to the Duce that the power of the German armies is capable of breaking any desperate heroism of the Russians. The two dictators were accompanied by the commander of the Luftwaffe Hermann Goering, the head of the Foreign Ministry of the Third Reich Joachim von Ribbentrop and the chief of the General Staff of the Italian Armed Forces Hugo Cavaliero.

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Despite the fact that the fortress was occupied by the enemy in the early days of the war, the resistance of the scattered Soviet units in it continued almost until the end of July. By Hitler's arrival, the entire territory had been explored dozens of times up and down in order to avoid unpleasant surprises. During the visit itself, the fortress was cordoned off by an SS battalion from Hitler's personal guard, which did not allow any German servicemen or, especially, civilians there.

It is curious that while the leadership of the Third Reich was studying evidence of the heroism of Soviet soldiers in the Brest Fortress, no one in the USSR itself had a clue about it. They learned about the exploits of the defenders of the fortress only in February 1942, when the Red Army seized the archive of the headquarters of the defeated 45th Infantry Division, which took part in its assault, near Orel.

Headquarters "Werewolf", Ukrainian SSR, 1942-1943

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Hitler did not always fly to the occupied territories of the USSR on short-term visits. For his long stay, several command posts were built here - the so-called Main Headquarters of the Fuhrer.

The Werewolf (Werewolf) headquarters, built in a forest near the city of Vinnitsa in central Ukraine, consisted of 3 reinforced concrete bunkers and 81 ground structures. In addition to the power plant, two radiotelegraph stations, a canteen for the high command, barracks, they even built a cinema, a swimming pool and a casino.

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Like all Hitler's similar bets, the Werewolf was perfectly protected by several defense rings, rows of barbed wire, pillboxes, minefields, artillery positions, anti-aircraft guns and fighters located at a nearby airfield. The partisans operating in the local forests were aware of the Werewolf's appointment, but they were powerless against such a defense.

In total, Adolf Hitler spent 138 days at his headquarters in Ukraine: from July to October 1942, in February-March and in August-September 1943. It was here that the fateful decisions were made to attack Stalingrad, the Caucasus and Kursk, which influenced the course of the Second World War.

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When the Red Army began to cross the Dnieper in September 1943, Hitler left the Werewolf. The headquarters was transferred to the commander of Army Group South, Field Marshal Erich von Manstein, who stayed there until the end of the year. In March 1944, the complex was blown up.

Headquarters "Berenhalle", RSFSR, November 1941 and March 1943

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In a much more modest size "Berenhalle" ("Bear's Lair") near Smolensk, Hitler was only twice: in November 1941 and March 13, 1943. On that March visit, one of the participants in the conspiracy against the Fuhrer, Colonel Henning von Treskov, planted a bomb on his plane, but the explosive device did not work.

Mainly "Berenhalle" was used by the command of Army Group "Center". In the fall of 1943, a month before the arrival of Soviet troops, it was abandoned, but for some reason it was not blown up. Special forces of the NKVD, who arrived there immediately after the liberation of Smolensk, flooded the bunker and concreted the entrances.

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In addition to the Werewolf and Berenhalle, another main headquarters of the Fuhrer was created on the territory of the Soviet Union - Wasserburg (Castle on the Water) not far from Pskov. Hitler never visited it, and it was used exclusively for the needs of the military command.