Hitler's Alpine Retreat

Adolf Hitler was completely captivated by Berchtesgaden and the surrounding area on visiting the region in 1923. In 1933 he bought Haus Wachenfeld on the nearby Obersalzberg; this resulted in the area becoming his second seat of government. This in turn led to major construction in the region, including the Berghof, SS barracks, administrative buildings, airstrip and the famous Eagles Nest amongst others. During the war a labyrinth of underground bunkers with interconnecting tunnels were constructed. The entire complex suffered near complete devastation during allied bombing in April 1945. This original book tells the story of the area and how it was transformed by Hitler and his henchmen (Goering, Goebbels and Bormann) in words and, most significantly, contemporary postcards and photographs which were used so skilfully by the Nazi propaganda machine.