Nazi Mega Weapons

Narrator

IT WAS THE MILITARY HEART OF THE NAZI WAR MACHINE. THIS BUNKER WAS HITLER'S NERVE CENTER. A CITY OF CONCRETE AND STEEL DESIGNED TO COMMAND MILLIONS OF SOLDIERS...

YELLING IN GERMAN

Narrator

TO CONTROL A VAST EMPIRE... AND DIRECT A WORLD WAR. GERMANY AS A MILITARY MACHINE IS NOW COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY UNSTOPPABLE. A BASE ENGINEERED TO HIDE THE LEADERS OF THE THIRD REICH... WITHIN THIS MASSIVE MEGASTRUCTURE IS JUST ONE BIG NEST OF NAZIS. AND BUILT ON A SCALE TO MATCH HITLER'S LUST FOR POWER. STAGGERED. ABSOLUTELY STAGGERED. THIS IS THE STORY OF THE THIRD REICH'S CENTER OF POWER AND HITLER'S MOST SECRET HEADQUARTERS... THE WOLF'S LAIR.

SCREAMING

Narrator

THE BIGGEST CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS OF WORLD WAR II, ORDERED BY HITLER TO SECURE WORLD DOMINATION. NOW THEY SURVIVE AS DARK REMINDERS OF THE FUHRER'S FANATICAL MILITARY AMBITIONS. THESE ARE THE SECRETS OF THE NAZI MEGAWEAPONS. JULY 20, 1944... HITLER ISOLATES HIMSELF IN HIS 2 1/2 SQUARE MILE BUNKER COMPLEX... WHILE HIS GERMAN ARMIES ARE IN RETREAT. AS HIS GRIP ON EUROPE WEAKENS, HE WITHDRAWS FURTHER INTO HIS CONCRETE BASE, HIS PARANOIA GROWS.

SPEAKING GERMAN

Narrator

AND A GROUP OF GERMAN REBELS PLOT TO TURN THE BUNKERS OF THE WOLF'S LAIR AGAINST HIM.

SPEAKS GERMAN

Narrator

BATTLEFIELD ARCHAEOLOGIST DR. TONY POLLARD IS EXPLORING THE INCREDIBLE RUINS OF HITLER'S TOP SECRET HEADQUARTERS.

Tony Pollard

THIS IS A MASSIVE BUNKER. IT'S LOOMING OUT OF THE FOREST LIKE SOME SORT OF MAYAN TEMPLE.

Narrator

THE COMPLEX GREW CONTINUOUSLY BETWEEN 1940 AND 1944.

Pollard

THIS PLACE IS EXPANDED, IT'S MODIFIED, IT'S FURTHER FORTIFIED. AND HITLER WAS ABSOLUTELY PARANOID ABOUT BEING ATTACKED HERE, ESPECIALLY FROM THE AIR. AND WE GET SEVERAL PHASES OF EXTENSION WHERE MORE CONCRETE IS POURED, THE WALLS ARE MADE THICKER, THE ROOFS ARE MADE THICKER, AND WE'RE SEEING EVIDENCE FOR THAT HERE.

Narrator

THIS MAZE OF CONCRETE WAS THE FUHRER'S HOME...

Pollard

IT'S WEIRD TO THINK THAT HITLER SLEPT HERE.

Narrator

AND ENGINEERED TO AN ASTONISHING SCALE.

Pollard

IT HAS TO BE TOTALLY SELF-SUFFICIENT. THEY'RE ESSENTIALLY BUILDING A CITY IN A SWAMP.

Narrator

THE ROOTS OF THIS HEADQUARTERS LIE IN THE VERY FIRST DAYS OF THE WAR. ON SEPTEMBER 1, 1939, HITLER'S ARMIES RACE ACROSS THE POLISH BORDER. WORLD WAR II HAS BEGUN. THE GERMANS ARE COMING UP AGAINST A NATION WHICH IS NOT MILITARILY STRONG. WHAT IS PROJECTED OUT ARE IMAGES OF STUKAS DIVING ON WARSAW, OF COLUMNS OF HALF-TRACKS AND ARMORED CARS AND TANKS. THIS EARLY SUCCESS CONVINCES HITLER OF HIS OWN MILITARY GENIUS.

YELLING IN GERMAN

Narrator

HE BEGINS TO IGNORE THE ADVICE OF HIS ARMY GENERALS. PROFESSOR STEVEN REMY IS AN EXPERT ON NAZI GERMANY. HITLER DOESN'T TRUST HIS MILITARY GENERALS, HE'S AFRAID THAT THAT THEIR LOYALTY LIES WITH THE OLD GERMAN STATE THAT HE AND THE NAZIS HAVE OVERTHROWN.

SPEAKING GERMAN

Narrator

SENIOR GERMAN SOLDIERS ARE TRADITIONALLY UPPER-CLASS ARISTOCRATS-- AND MANY DESPISE THE FUHRER.

James Holland

ONE OF THE REASONS WHY A LOT OF THE SENIOR OFFICERS DON'T LIKE HITLER IS BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR HE NEVER ROSE BEYOND CORPORAL, THAT HE'S ESSENTIALLY WORKING-CLASS, AND IT'S NOTHING SHORT OF PURE SNOBBERY.

Narrator

HITLER IS BECOMING PARANOID. HE BELIEVES THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP CONTROL OF HIS GENERALS IS TO LEAD FROM THE FRONT. HE LEAVES THE SAFETY OF BERLIN FOR THE WAR ZONE IN POLAND... ON HIS SPECIALLY DESIGNED TRAIN.

Holland

HIS TRAIN IS TO A CERTAIN EXTENT THE NERVE-CENTER OF THE WAR EFFORT, BECAUSE HE'S THE FUHRER, HE'S THE COMMANDER, AND EVERYONE HAS TO COME TO HIM.

Narrator

TWO STREAMLINED LOCOMOTIVES PULL A CONVOY OF 15 CARRIAGES. ANTI-AIRCRAFT FLAK WAGONS TOP AND TAIL THE TRAIN. AT ITS HEART IS HITLER'S PRIVATE CARRIAGE, FOLLOWED BY COMMAND UNIT FOR WAR CONFERENCES. HITLER IS DETERMINED TO DIRECT THE WAR PERSONALLY. HITLER DOESN'T CARE HOW INCONVENIENT IT IS FOR EVERYBODY ELSE THAT HE WANTS TO BE ON THIS TRAIN... PEOPLE HAVE TO LEAVE THE BATTLE FRONT, TRAIPSE ACROSS COUNTRY, EITHER BY PLANE OR BY CAR, JUST SO THAT THEY CAN BE HARANGUED BY HIM.

CHEERING

Narrator

POLAND IS CONQUERED BY THE OCTOBER 6, 1939. IT'S A STUNNING VICTORY. HITLER'S NEXT TARGET IS FRANCE, AND THEN BRITAIN. BUT THE ALLIES' SOPHISTICATED PLANES AND BOMBS MAKE HIS TRAIN VULNERABLE. HITLER STILL WANTS TO BE CLOSE TO THE FRONT LINES SO HE DEMANDS A NEW KIND OF HQ. HE ORDERS A NEW BASE NEAR THE BELGIAN BORDER, CODENAMED ROCKY NEST, OR FELSENNEST IN GERMAN. ALL THAT REMAINS TODAY ARE PHOTOGRAPHS AND RUBBLE. PATRICK BURY, A FORMER BRITISH ARMY OFFICER AND EXPERT ON FORTIFICATIONS, UNCOVERS THE HIDDEN RUINS OF HITLER'S FIRST BUNKERS. HITLER'S RAPID SUCCESS IN POLAND CONVINCES HIM THAT HIS FORWARD STYLE IN LEADERSHIP IS THE DECISIVE FACTOR IN HIS VICTORY. HE'S DETERMINED THAT HIS CAMPAIGN IN FRANCE WILL FOLLOW EXACTLY THE SAME PATTERN WITH HIMSELF AT THE HEART OF THE ADVANCE. HITLER IS LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT LOCATION FOR HIS FORWARD HEADQUARTERS, AND THIS FOREST PRETTY MUCH FITS THE BILL. IT'S COVERED FROM VIEW BY ALL THE TREES. IT'S IN THE MOUNTAINS TO PROTECT IT FROM AIR ATTACK. AND ALSO IT'S CLOSE TO THE BELGIAN BORDER, AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHERE HITLER WANTS TO BE. THIS IS THE FELSENNEST. IT IS COMPLETELY OVERGROWN, UNMARKED, AND BEEN IGNORED FOR THE LAST 70 YEARS. YET BENEATH THE TREES ARE THE RUINS OF HITLER'S VERY FIRST FIXED WARTIME HEADQUARTERS. THE FUHRER IS PROTECTED BY TWO RINGS OF HIGH SECURITY SWARMING WITH CHECKPOINTS AND SOLDIERS. THE INNER RING IS THE HEART OF THE SITE. TWO BUNKERS WITH ADJACENT WOODEN HUTS ARE BUILT FOR HITLER AND HIS ENTOURAGE. SECURING THE SITE FROM ATTACK IS A CRITICAL PART OF ITS DESIGN.

Patrick Bury

TO PROVIDE DEFENSE... THERE'S LOADS OF ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUNS. THERE'S FENCES, THERE'S GUARD TOWERS, THERE'S HITLER'S PERSONAL BODYGUARD, AND ALSO THERE'S CAMOUFLAGE NETTING TO PROTECT THE WHOLE AREA FROM VIEW.

Narrator

HITLER ARRIVES AT FELSENNEST ON MAY 10, 1940. HE ORDERS THE ATTACK ON WESTERN EUROPE DURING THE JOURNEY. EARLY IN THE MORNING THE GERMAN INVASION BEGINS.

Bury

THIS BUNKER WAS HITLER'S NERVE CENTER. IT WAS FROM HERE THAT HE COMMANDED THE INVASION OF WESTERN EUROPE. THE BUNKER WAS KNOWN AS BUILDING K, AND IT CONSISTED OF 5 SMALL ROOMS NAMED "A" TO "E."

Narrator

ROOM "A" IS HITLER'S OFFICE. HIS BEDROOM IS JUST 8 FEET SQUARE. HITLER'S STAFF OCCUPY THE REMAINING ROOMS. AT 1 1/2 METERS THICK OF REINFORCED CONCRETE AND SUNK INTO THE GROUND TO GIVE IT ADDED PROTECTION, THIS IS THE ROOFTOP OF HITLER'S BUNKER. AND IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE HERE WHERE ONE OF THE DIVIDING LINES BETWEEN THE ROOMS WERE, AND THIS GIVES AN INDICATION JUST HOW SMALL EACH OF THE ROOMS IN THE BUNKER WERE. HITLER IS FEARFUL OF ATTACK. HE DEMANDS THE BUNKERS BE ENGINEERED TO SEAL HIM AGAINST THE OUTSIDE WORLD.

Bury

YOU'VE GOT 3 PIPES, WHICH WOULD HAVE PROVIDED THE VENTILATION FOR THE BUNKER. AND OBVIOUSLY BELOW GROUND YOU'RE GOING TO NEED FRESH AIR, BUT CRUCIALLY YOU ALSO NEED IN THESE BUNKERS, THEY HAVE PROTECTION FROM GAS, SEALED DOORS AND SPECIAL FILTERS TO CLEAR THE AIR IN THE EVENT OF A GAS ATTACK. AND THIS RELATES DIRECTLY TO HITLER'S OWN EXPERIENCES IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR WHEN GAS WAS A MAJOR KILLER, AND THEN THE CONCRETE TO PROTECT YOU WAS PROBABLY THE BEST THING YOU COULD HAVE IF YOU WERE FIGHTING FROM THE TRENCHES. SO ALL IN ALL, HITLER'S STAMP IS ALL OVER THIS BUNKER.

Narrator

REMAINS OF THE STATE- OF-THE-ART VENTILATION SYSTEM ARE STILL VISIBLE AT THE SITE. AND YOU CAN SEE HERE WHAT LOOKS LIKE PART OF A FILTRATION SYSTEM TO CLEAN THE AIR INSIDE THE BUNKER. NOW IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE ENTOMBED IN CONCRETE YOU'RE GOING TO NEED SOME WAY TO BREATHE, AND HITLER BASICALLY DEMANDED SOME OF THE BEST ENGINEERED BUNKERS AVAILABLE AT THE TIME. WE HAVE FORCED THE ENEMY TO WITHDRAW FROM OUR BORDERS! THE BUNKER PROTECTS THE FUHRER FROM THE WAR, BUT AT THE SAME TIME ISOLATES HIM FROM HIS GENERALS. HIS TOTAL BELIEF IN HIS OWN GENIUS GROWS... HITLER'S COMMAND STYLE MEANS THAT HE'S RELUCTANT TO DELEGATE AUTHORITY TO ANY OF HIS GENERALS. BY ENTOMBING HIMSELF IN THIS CONCRETE BUNKER, HITLER IS BASICALLY SAYING OTHER OPINIONS ARE NOT WELCOME. HITLER DELIVERS MANY OF HIS ORDERS FROM A BRIEFING HUT NEARBY.

Bury

THIS DOESN'T LOOK LIKE MUCH, BUT IN 1940 I WOULD HAVE JUST WALKED THROUGH THE DOOR INTO THE BUSTLING EPICENTER OF THE THIRD REICH'S WAR MACHINE. THESE OLD FOUNDATIONS ARE VERY HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE INSIDE THESE WALLS, HITLER BRIEFED HIS GENERALS ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE INVASION OF FRANCE. THIS BUILDING WAS BUILT JUST AWAY FROM THE TWO SMALL BUNKERS BUT IT'S INTERESTING TO SEE HOW SMALL IT IS, TOO. THIS WAS THE MAIN SITUATION BRIEFING ROOM. AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN FULL OF OTHER OFFICERS AND MAP TABLES AND RUNNERS GOING BACK AND FORTH. BUT THEY WERE ALL VERY CRAMPED, YOU KNOW, IT'S A REALLY SMALL ROOM TO BE CONDUCTING SUCH A LARGE OPERATION FROM.

Narrator

HITLER REGULARLY TAKES LONG WALKS THROUGH THE FOREST, ADMIRING THE BEAUTIFUL SCENERY, IN STARK CONTRAST TO THE VICIOUS BATTLES TAKING PLACE TO THE WEST.

Bury

THOSE IN HITLER'S INNER CIRCLE SAY THAT HIS TIME IN THE FELSENNEST IS SOME OF THE HAPPIEST THEY'VE EVER SEEN HIM. BY ALL ACCOUNTS HE'S INSPIRED BY THE WONDERFUL SURROUNDINGS. HE GOES BIRD WATCHING, HE LOVES THE CLEAN AIR IN THE FOREST, AND HE GOES FOR WALKS. IN FACT EVERY TUESDAY HE TAKES A WANDER DOWN A PATH, NOT UNLIKE THIS ONE, TO THE LOCAL VILLAGE WHERE HE WATCHES THE NEWS FROM THE FRONT ON THE NEWSREELS.

SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY

Narrator

SUCCESS FOLLOWS SUCCESS AS HITLER'S MILITARY SWEEPS PAST HIS HEADQUARTERS AND ACROSS WESTERN EUROPE. BY THE JUNE 6, 1940, THE ADVANCE HAS BEEN SO RAPID THAT FELSENNEST IS NOW FAR BEHIND THE FRONT LINES. LESS THAN 3 WEEKS LATER FRANCE SURRENDERS. HITLER IS TRIUMPHANT.

Bury

THE FRENCH CAMPAIGN IS ANOTHER ASTONISHING MILITARY VICTORY. IN HITLER'S OPINION, HIS COMMAND STYLE OF LEADING FROM THE FRONT FROM CONCRETE HEADQUARTERS HAS BEEN COMPLETELY VINDICATED. THE FELSENNEST HAS PROVED ITS WORTH.

Holland

HITLER ALWAYS SEES HIMSELF AS SOMETHING OF A MILITARY LEADER, BUT IF HE DID IN 1939, HE DOUBLY DOES SO BY JUNE 1940 WHEN FRANCE SURRENDERS. IT'S HARD TO OVER-EMPHASIZE THE ENORMITY OF THIS SUCCESS.

Narrator

HITLER HAS NOW DOUBLED THE SIZE OF HIS NAZI EMPIRE. HIS FRONT LINE OFFICERS ARE IMPRESSED BY HIS MILITARY ABILITY. ONE SUCH OFFICER IS 32-YEAR-OLD CATHOLIC ARISTOCRAT AND FATHER OF 5 CLAUS VON STAUFFENBERG.

Holland

STAUFFENBERG'S BACKGROUND IS DECIDEDLY ARISTOCRATIC, AND ON ONE LEVEL YOU WOULD HAVE THOUGHT HE WOULD BE SUSPICIOUS OF HITLER. BUT ACTUALLY HE BUYS INTO IT, AND REALLY THE REASON WHY SO MANY OF THE ARISTOCRATIC MILITARY ELITE DO KOWTOW TO HITLER IS BECAUSE HE'S BROUGHT BACK PRIDE IN BEING GERMAN.

Steve Remy

LIKE MANY GERMANS, VON STAUFFENBERG FULLY SUPPORTS THE WAR. AND HE IS IMPRESSED BY HITLER'S APPARENT MILITARY SKILL. SOLDIERS LIKE TO WIN. THE BOMBERS WILL SMOKE THEM OUT OF THE FOREST. IF WE STRIKE FAST, WE CAN CUT THIS RABBLE OFF. YOU ARE TALENTED. IT'S GOOD TO BE ON THE MOVE, HERR GENERAL. THEY ARE FIGHTING WITH COURAGE BORN OF DESPERATION.

Narrator

VON STAUFFENBERG HAS TAKEN PART IN STUNNING VICTORIES FROM EAST TO WEST, AND IS PROUD OF GERMANY'S SUCCESS.

SPEAKING GERMAN

Translator

GENTLEMEN, TO THE MOST EFFECTIVE MOBILE OPERATIONS EVER CONCEIVED. YOUR HEALTH.

SPEAKS GERMAN

Holland

IT SEEMS TO BE QUITE INCREDIBLE, AND EVERYONE THINKS THAT GERMANY AS A MILITARY MACHINE IS NOW COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY UNSTOPPABLE. WHAT THEY ALSO THINK IS THAT HITLER IS CLEARLY A GREAT WAR LEADER, AND NO ONE THINKS THAT MORE THAN HITLER HIMSELF.

Bury

HITLER EVEN DECLARES THAT THE FELSENNEST SHOULD BE PRESERVED AS A HISTORICAL MONUMENT, SO THE FUTURE GENERATIONS OF GERMANS CAN COME AND ADMIRE HIS BRILLIANCE.

Narrator

JULY 1940. HITLER HAS CONQUERED WESTERN EUROPE FROM SPECIALIZED COMMAND CENTERS. HE IS CONVINCED MASSIVE FRONT LINE BASES ARE VITAL TO HIS SUCCESS. HIS NEXT HEADQUARTERS WILL EXPAND THE CONCEPT ON A HUGE SCALE AS HE LOOKS EAST TO RUSSIA.

Remy

IN 1940, GERMANY HAS A PEACE TREATY WITH RUSSIA. BUT HITLER HAS BEEN TARGETING IT FROM THE START. HE BELIEVES THAT THE CONQUEST OF RUSSIA WILL BRING GERMANY VAST NEW TERRITORIES.

Narrator

HITLER PLANS FOR AN EPIC INVASION USING 4 MILLION SOLDIERS ALONG AN 1,800-MILE FRONT. THE ATTACK WILL BE CODENAMED BARBAROSSA. OPERATION BARBAROSSA IS A MILITARY OPERATION UNLIKE ANY THAT'S BEEN SEEN BEFORE, THE SCALE OF IT IS ABSOLUTELY ENORMOUS. THAT REQUIRES ONE HECK OF A LOT OF COORDINATION. SO HE WANTS A COMMAND HEADQUARTERS AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO THE FRONT WHILST AT THE SAME TIME STILL BEING SAFE. FOR THE IMPENDING ATTACK HITLER NEEDS A BASE AS FAR EAST AS POSSIBLE. HE CHOOSES A SITE NEAR THE CITY OF RASTENBURG, THEN IN EASTERN GERMANY. FELSENNEST IS THE TEMPLATE. THE CONCEPT IS TO BRING ALL THE BRANCHES OF THE ARMED FORCES AROUND HITLER'S HEADQUARTERS. THIS WILL EMPHASIZE HITLER'S PRE-EMINENCE AS THE CENTER OF POWER, PLANNING AND CONTROL. THE TERRAIN AROUND THE BASE MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO ATTACK. THIS SITE, CLOSE TO THE RUSSIAN BORDER, WAS THE LOCATION CHOSEN FOR HITLER'S EASTERN HEADQUARTERS. IT'S A LAND DOMINATED BY FOREST AND LAKES, BUT IT'S ALSO PEPPERED WITH SWAMPS. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A NIGHTMARE FOR ANY ARMY TO ATTACK. THE SWAMPS MAKE BUILDING UNDERGROUND BUNKERS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. IN THE FALL OF 1940, FRITZ TODT, THE HEAD OF NAZI ENGINEERING GROUP ORGANIZATION TODT, PERSONALLY TAKES CHARGE OF THE PROJECT. HE DECIDES THAT HEAVILY REINFORCED STRUCTURES ABOVE GROUND ARE THE SOLUTION. THE BUDGET IS 36 MILLION REICHSMARKS, AN INCREDIBLE $250 MILLION TODAY. BUT IT'S VITAL THAT THIS WORK IS CARRIED OUT IN SECRET, BECAUSE IF THE RUSSIANS SPOT WHAT'S GOING ON, IT WOULD BE A DISASTER. AMAZINGLY, THE CHOSEN SITE SITS DIRECTLY BENEATH THE DAILY ROUTE OF RUSSIA'S MOSCOW TO BERLIN AIRLINER. THE FOREST MEANS IT'S NEVER DISCOVERED. WORK ON THE WOLF'S LAIR BEGAN IN THE WINTER OF 1940. THE PROJECT WOULD REQUIRE UPWARDS OF 50,000 LABORERS WORKING IN INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT CONDITIONS. LOCAL PEOPLE WERE TOLD IT WAS GOING TO BE A NEW CHEMICAL PLANT. WHAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW WAS THAT THE END RESULT WOULD BE ONE OF THE NAZIS' MOST AUDACIOUS MEGASTRUCTURES. SOLDIERS PROTECT GERMAN LABORERS TO MAINTAIN SECURITY FOR THE TOP SECRET PROJECT. WHILE CONSTRUCTION IS UNDERWAY, HITLER CONTINUES TO USE HIS TRAIN, BUT HE'S PARANOID ABOUT BEING ATTACKED FROM THE AIR.

Holland

AT THE SAME TIME THAT THIS NEW FUHRER HQ BUNKER COMPLEX IS BEING BUILT, HE ALSO INSISTS ON BUILDING A SERIES OF TUNNELS IN WHICH HIS TRAIN CAN HIDE AND WHERE HE CAN BE SAFE, SO THAT HE CAN BE EVEN CLOSER TO THE FRONT.

Narrator

ONE SHELTER, IN THE OCCUPIED POLISH TOWN OF STEPINA, STILL REMAINS. IT IS CAPABLE OF WITHSTANDING ANY ASSAULT, AS TUNNEL EXPERT MACIEJ PIEKOS EXPLAINS.

Speaking foreign language

Translator

THE TRAIN HERE IN STEPINA COULD HIDE FROM ANY DANGER, FROM AIR RAID, SHELLING, OR A CHEMICAL ATTACK AS THE INTERIOR OF THIS SHELTER IS CLOSED OFF.

Narrator

IN THE SUMMER OF 1940 NEARLY 6,000 POLISH SLAVE LABORERS BEGIN CONSTRUCTION ON THE 1,300-FOOT-LONG TUNNEL.

Translator for Maciej Piekos

ABOVE US WE HAVE 3-METER THICK WALLS MADE UP OF REINFORCED CONCRETE. THE INSIDE OF THIS WALL IS FILLED WITH TONS OF ARMORED STEEL WHICH MAKES THEM ABLE TO WITHSTAND STRIKES AND EXPLOSIONS OF EVEN A HALF-TON BOMB.

Narrator

THE TUNNEL CAN BE COMPLETELY SEALED AND SUPPORT HUNDREDS OF TROOPS IN THE EVENT OF AN ATTACK. WITH A PARALLEL SIDE TUNNEL PROVIDING LIVING SPACE.

Translator for Maciej Piekos

HERE WE HAVE THE STAIRCASE AND THROUGH THESE SMALL ARMORED DOORS YOU ENTER A SERIES OF ROOMS. BEHIND THE FIRST DOOR YOU HAVE A GAS LOCK WHERE VARIOUS FILTRATION EQUIPMENT WAS PRESENT TO FILTER THE AIR. BEHIND THIS DOOR THERE IS A ROOM WHERE THE GERMAN SOLDIERS HAD THE POSSIBILITY OF HIDING AND LIVING INSIDE.

Narrator

DESPITE TAKING A YEAR TO COMPLETE, THE MASSIVE TUNNEL IS ONLY USED BY HITLER ONCE DURING THE ENTIRE WAR, FOR A MEETING WITH ITALIAN DICTATOR BENITO MUSSOLINI. BY SUMMER 1941, PREPARATIONS ARE COMPLETE FOR HITLER'S MASTERSTROKE-- THE INVASION OF RUSSIA. AND THE ULTIMATE FUHRER HQ IS READY FOR OCCUPATION. JUNE 22, GERMANY INVADES RUSSIA. TWO DAYS LATER HITLER ARRIVES AT HIS NEWEST HEADQUARTERS. HIS MILITARY CODENAME IS WOLF... SO HE NAMES IT THE WOLF'S LAIR.

Pollard

THE WOLF'S LAIR REPRESENTS A MASSIVE UPSCALE FROM THE FELSENNEST, PROBABLY 8 TIMES THE SIZE. YOU CAN SEE NATURAL DEFENSES-- TREES, SWAMPS, MARSHES, LAKES-- AND THE MAN-MADE STRUCTURES. WHAT YOU HAVE ARE 3 LAYERS OF DEFENSE.

Narrator

AN AIRSTRIP AND RAIL LINES ARE BUILT FOR THE FUHRER'S PERSONAL PLANE AND TRAIN. AND THE ENTIRE 2 1/2-SQUARE MILE SITE IS SURROUNDED BY 54,000 MINES. EXPANDING ON THE FELSENNEST PROTOTYPE, THE BASE HAS 3 CONCENTRIC RINGS OF SECURITY SURROUNDING HITLER'S COMMAND CENTER. HUNDREDS OF TROOPS FROM HITLER'S PERSONAL BODYGUARD PATROL THE FOREST DAY AND NIGHT. LOOK AT THIS. IT'S JUST A SCOOP IN THE GROUND TODAY, BUT THIS IS A FOXHOLE. DUG BY SOLDIERS PROBABLY TO ACCOMMODATE A TWO-MAN MACHINE GUN UNIT, AND I CAN SEE STRETCHING OUT IN FRONT OF ME HERE'S ANOTHER ONE ABOUT 3 METERS AWAY, EXACTLY THE SAME THING, AND AGAIN, OVER HERE, THESE WOULD OBVIOUSLY HAVE BEEN DEEPER DURING THE WAR, BUT YOU CAN STILL SEE THEM. OFFICES ARE BUILT FOR HUNDREDS OF ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF. SPEED IS OF THE ESSENCE, AS HITLER WANTS THE BASE TO BE READY FOR THE RUSSIAN INVASION. THESE FIRST STRUCTURES ARE BASIC SINGLE-STORY BRICK BUILDINGS WITH NO PROTECTIVE CONCRETE.

Pollard

HE'S RUNNING THE RIFE FROM HERE. AND THIS BUILDING IS TESTAMENT TO THAT. IT'S MASSIVE, BUT THIS IS BASICALLY A TYPING POOL. THIS IS WHERE THE STENOGRAPHERS AND TYPISTS HAD THEIR DESKS AND THEIR MACHINES BECAUSE HITLER WAS OBSESSED WITH RECORDING EVERYTHING HE DID AND SAID. WHAT I FIND INTERESTING ABOUT THIS BUILDING ALSO IS ITS STRUCTURE. IT'S MADE OF BRICK, IT'S NOT THICK CONCRETE, AND THAT TELLS US THIS IS AN EARLY BUILDING.

Narrator

RUSSIA COLLAPSES IN THE FIRST WEEKS OF THE INVASION. THE FRONT LINE MOVES FAR AWAY FROM THE WOLF'S LAIR. HITLER FEELS SECURE IN HIS NEW BASE AND SO CONFIDENT OF VICTORY THAT HE CHOOSES NOT TO ADVANCE WITH THE TROOPS. IT IS A CRITICAL ERROR. HIS DISTANCE FROM THE FRONT AND HIS GENERALS LEAVES HIM DISCONNECTED AND BEGINS TO AFFECT HIS DECISIONS. IN SEPTEMBER 1941, HE ORDERS HIS GENERALS TO STOP THEIR ADVANCE ON MOSCOW AND ATTACK OTHER RUSSIAN CITIES. THE INVASION GRINDS TO A HALT WITH MASSIVE CASUALTIES.

Remy

HITLER IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE MISTRUSTFUL AND HE INCREASINGLY DOMINATES DECISION MAKING PERSONALLY.

Narrator

DETERMINED TO WIPE OUT THE RUSSIANS, HITLER ORDERS THE KILLING OF MILLIONS OF CIVILIANS. MANY GERMAN SOLDIERS SEE THE ORDER AS IMMORAL AND DISHONORABLE. 34-YEAR-OLD CLAUS VON STAUFFENBERG, A DEVOUT CATHOLIC, IS ONE OF THEM. IN MAY 1942, TORN BETWEEN HIS LOYALTY TO GERMANY AND HIS SENSE OF HONOR, HE DECIDES THAT HITLER'S MEGALOMANIA IS THE GREATER EVIL. RESIGNATION WOULD MEAN DEATH, SO HE CHOOSES TO PLOT IN SECRET AGAINST THE FUHRER. BY THE SUMMER HITLER'S ARMIES BEGIN TO RETREAT, CHASED BY HUGE NUMBERS OF RUSSIAN FORCES. THE TRUTH IS HITLER HAS JUST BITTEN OFF MORE THAN HE CAN CHEW IN THE SOVIET UNION. HITLER'S PARANOIA INCREASES, AND HE ISOLATES HIMSELF FURTHER BY FORTIFYING THE WOLF'S LAIR. 1,500 TROOPS NOW PATROL THE AREA AND DOZENS OF ADDITIONAL BUILDINGS ARE ADDED ACROSS THE SITE.

YELLING IN GERMAN

Narrator

IN JULY 1942 AGAINST THE PROTEST OF HIS GENERALS, HE ORDERS AN ARMY TOWARDS STALINGRAD FROM THE SAFETY OF HIS BUNKER. HE BEGINS TO INTERFERE, EVER FURTHER DOWN THE CHAIN OF COMMAND, AND CIRCUMVENT THE ARMY LEADERSHIP. HITLER IS THE HEAD OF THE NAZI EMPIRE-- NONE OF HIS GENERALS DARE TO QUESTION HIM. ALL OPERATIONS REVOLVE AROUND HIM, BUT HIS BEHAVIOR IS INCREASINGLY ECCENTRIC. HITLER WAKES LATE AT 10 A.M. CONFERENCES TAKE PLACE WHEN HE CHOOSES, REGARDLESS OF THE MILITARY SITUATION. HE'D HAVE A SESSION JUST AFTER LUNCH, MAYBE FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS WHERE HE'D MEET WITH HIS SENIOR COMMANDERS AND DISCUSS THE SITUATION, AND THEN PERHAPS AN HOUR AND A HALF AND ANOTHER TWO HOURS IN THE EVENING. BUT THE REST OF THE TIME HE SEEMED TO SPEND HIS TIME RELAXING OR, SHALL WE SAY, ENTERTAINING HIS COMPANY WITH THESE LONG ORATORIES. IN STALINGRAD GERMAN FORCES FIGHT BLOODY BATTLES IN THE CITY. AT THE WOLF'S LAIR HITLER DEMANDS STAFF ATTEND DAILY AFTERNOON PARTIES AT A SPECIALLY BUILT TEA ROOM.

Pollard

OH, LOOK, THERE DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE MUCH LEFT OF THIS, BUT THAT'S THE FIRST TIME ON THIS SITE THAT I'VE SEEN CERAMIC TILES. AND THIS IS THE KNOWN LOCATION OF ONE OF THESE TEA ROOMS AND THAT WOULD CERTAINLY BE INDICATIVE OF EITHER A WASHROOM OR A KITCHEN AREA, THE SORT OF THING YOU WOULD ASSOCIATE WITH A TEA ROOM.

Narrator

300,000 TROOPS ARE GOING HUNGRY IN STALINGRAD... BUT HITLER DISMISSES REPORTS THAT INTERRUPT HIS SCHEDULE-- NO MATTER THE CONSEQUENCES. AND IT'S REALLY QUITE A THOUGHT TO IMAGINE THEM JUST SAT AROUND, SHOOTING THE BREEZE WHEN OUTSIDE OF THIS BUBBLE ALL MAYHEM IS BREAKING OUT. BY THE START OF 1943, AROUND 200 BUILDINGS SUPPORT 2,000 STAFF LIVING AND WORKING IN THE WOLF'S LAIR, ALL AT HITLER'S BECK AND CALL. HITLER IS DEVELOPING A BUNKER MENTALITY. HE CERTAINLY HAS NO CONNECTION WITH THE SUFFERING OF HIS SOLDIERS ON THE FRONT. DESPERATE TO STAY CLOSE TO THE CENTER OF POWER, THE NAZI LEADERSHIP RUSH TO BUILD THEIR OWN BUNKERS AROUND HITLER.

Pollard

HITLER'S CHIEFS OF STAFF WERE VERY KEEN TO REMAIN CLOSE TO HIM, SO JODL, KEITEL, GORING AND CO, ALL HAD THEIR OWN BUNKERS HERE AT THE WOLF'S LAIR. AND I LIKE TO IMAGINE THEM HAVING SOME KIND OF BUNKER ENVY-- MY BUNKER'S BIGGER THAN YOUR BUNKER. BUT WHAT YOU HAVE AT THE END OF THE DAY, WITHIN THIS MASSIVE MEGASTRUCTURE IS JUST ONE BIG NEST OF NAZIS.

Narrator

LUFTWAFFE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF HERMANN GORING CONSTRUCTS A 177,000 CUBIC FOOT BUNKER. INSIDE, A 36-FOOT-HIGH CONCRETE SHELL IS INSULATED BY A LAYER OF SAND DESIGNED TO ABSORB AN EXPLOSIVE BLAST. IT HAS SURVIVED IN REMARKABLE CONDITION.

Pollard

THIS IS INTERESTING. YOU SEE THERE'S A DOUBLE-SKINNED WALL HERE ON THE SIDE OF THE BUNKER, AND THAT'S TO PROVIDE ADDED PROTECTION FOR A BOMB BLAST OUTSIDE, SO THIS GAP WILL KIND OF DISSIPATE THE PRESSURE WAVE.

Narrator

ALMOST 95% OF THIS ENORMOUS STRUCTURE IS SOLID CONCRETE, LEAVING A TINY LIVING SPACE INSIDE. WOW. I'M ON THE ROOF OF GORING'S PERSONAL BUNKER, AND IT'S--IT'S CRACKED. IT LOOKS LIKE A CRASHED SPACESHIP OR SOMETHING. ON TOP OF THE BUNKER ARE TWO ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUN EMPLACEMENTS. THERE'S A CIRCULAR CONCRETE PLATFORM ON WHICH THE GUN WOULD HAVE SAT, YOU CAN SEE THE HOLES FOR THE BOLTS, THE MOUNTING BOLTS, AND IT'S IN A VERY HEAVY CONCRETE TURRET WITH LITTLE CUBBY HOLES IN THE SIDE WHICH WOULD HAVE STORED READY-TO-USE AMMUNITION. A DEFENSIVE POSITION TO PROTECT AGAINST GROUND ASSAULT FACES THE FOREST.

Pollard

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS A VERY SIMPLE FORM OF FORTIFICATION, VERY TYPICALLY GERMAN. THIS IS A TOBRUK TURRET. AND I'M VERY PLEASED TO SEE IT'S STILL GOT ITS MOUNT, BECAUSE THIS WOULD HAVE HAD A MACHINE GUN MOUNTED ON THIS RAIL AND THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN TWO MEN IN HERE, ONE OPERATING THE GUN, ONE FEEDING THE BELT OF AMMUNITION. AND THE GUN WOULD HAVE TURNED 360 DEGREES ON THIS IRON RING.

Narrator

THE GIANT BUNKERS ARE OBVIOUS EVEN WITHIN THE FOREST, SO INGENIOUS CAMOUFLAGE IS USED. WHAT THEY WOULD HAVE DONE IS TAKE CAMOUFLAGE NETS WITH ARTIFICIAL LEAVES ON THEM, STRUNG THEM OUT FROM THESE HOOPS BOTH ACROSS THE ROOF AND INTO THE TREES, MAKING THIS STRUCTURE BLEND IN TO THE NATURAL VEGETATION. FEBRUARY 1943. GERMANY IS DEFEATED AT STALINGRAD. IN JULY HITLER HASTILY ORDERS A COUNTERATTACK FROM HIS BUNKER IN THE WOLF'S LAIR. IT'S CRUSHED.

YELLING IN GERMAN

Holland

HITLER IS ENTIRELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FAILURE OF BARBAROSSA. THEY WEREN'T READY FOR IT, THEY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH MANPOWER, IT WAS A STEP TOO FAR, IT WAS ENTIRELY HIS IDEA, UM, AND IT WAS A FAILURE.

Narrator

FOR THE FIRST TIME THE WOLF IS VULNERABLE IN HIS LAIR... HITLER'S ISOLATION IN HIS BUNKER COMPLEX HAS LED TO A SERIES OF TERRIBLE MILITARY DECISIONS. GERMANY IS UNDER ASSAULT. THE FUHRER'S PARANOIA IS STOKED BY FEAR OF AIR ATTACKS. HE ORDERS A NEW, MAMMOTH BUNKER BUILT FOR HIMSELF. BY LATE 1943 HITLER'S SPENDING MORE AND MORE TIME AT THE WOLF'S LAIR, TO THE POINT WHERE IT'S THE ONLY PART OF GERMANY HE'S STILL FAMILIAR WITH. AND IT'S AT THIS TIME THAT HE INTRODUCES A NEW PHASE OF MODIFICATIONS TO THE SITE, AND THEY INCLUDE HIS OWN DESIGNS FOR HIS OWN PERSONAL SHELTER. HITLER'S ENGINEERS BEGIN BUILDING A MASSIVE STRUCTURE 200 FEET LONG AND 120 FEET WIDE. 23 FEET OF CONCRETE DIVIDED BY A LAYER OF SAND WILL SURROUND THE FUHRER ON ALL SIDES. INSIDE, HITLER'S LIVING SPACE WILL BE A TINY 9 BY 11 FEET. HIS STAFF ARE ASTONISHED BY THE SCALE OF THE BUILDING WORK. IT'S INCREDIBLE WHAT THEY ACHIEVED IN SUCH A SHORT TIME. HITLER'S PERSONAL BUNKER IS THE BIGGEST BUILDING ON THE SITE, AND LOOKING AT IT YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHY CONTEMPORARIES COMPARED IT TO AN EGYPTIAN TOMB. AND ESPECIALLY IF YOU TAKE A PEEK INSIDE, YOU CAN SEE HOW THICK THE WALLS ARE HERE. AND I THINK IT'S PROBABLY A REFLECTION OF HIS STATE OF MIND, THE WAR'S STARTING TO GO BADLY FOR GERMANY... AND HE'S BECOMING MORE AND MORE ISOLATED. AND I THINK THIS IS A KIND OF MANIFESTATION OF THAT DECLINE. ALTHOUGH ITS EXACT LAYOUT HAS NEVER BEEN FULLY VERIFIED, THE BUNKER CONTAINS A WARREN OF CORRIDORS AND SMALL ROOMS. HITLER LEFT NO SPACE WHATSOEVER FOR WINDOWS IN HIS OWN DESIGNS FOR THIS BUNKER. AND THAT WOULD HAVE MADE FOR A REALLY CLAUSTROPHOBIC SPACE, BUT ON THE UP SIDE, IT MADE IT VIRTUALLY IMPREGNABLE FOR ANY TYPE OF BOMB, AND IT SUGGESTS THAT EVEN WITHIN THE COMPLEX OF THE WOLF'S LAIR, HITLER WAS SEEKING TO ISOLATE HIMSELF. IT ALMOST SHOUTS OUT, "DON'T BOTHER ME". THIS IS ABSOLUTELY STAGGERING. I'VE FOUND A WAY INTO THE BACK OF HITLER'S AIR RAID BUNKER. AND LOOK AT IT, IT'S JUST CONCRETE, BUT IT LOOKS ALMOST GEOLOGICAL. THE AMAZING THING IS THAT THAT LEVEL DOWN THERE IS THE ACCOMMODATION LEVEL. YOU CAN SEE THE FRAGMENTS OF A ROOM THERE, BUT ALL OF THIS ABOVE ME, AND IT MUST GO UP 8 METERS OR SO, IT'S DIFFICULT DIFFICULT TO TELL, BUT INCREDIBLY HIGH ABOVE ME IS THE TOP OF THE STRUCTURE. AND ALL OF THAT IS ROOF, WITH THIS TINY LIVING SPACE BENEATH IT. AND I THINK WHAT WE MIGHT BE LOOKING AT HERE, YOU SEE YOU'VE GOT THESE GIRDERS DROPPING DOWN FROM THE ROOF. I THINK WE MIGHT HAVE A TWO-LEVEL ROOF WITH AN OPEN SPACE, A GAP, BETWEEN THE TWO SUPPORTED BY THESE GIRDERS, AND THAT WOULD PROVIDE SOME EXTRA PROTECTION IF A BOMB COMES THROUGH THE TOP. IT WOULD DISSIPATE THE SHOCKWAVE. THIS GIVES A VERY GOOD IDEA OF THE WAY THIS THING WAS MEANT TO OPERATE. BUT STAGGERED. ABSOLUTELY STAGGERED. THIS FINAL STAGE OF THE WOLF'S LAIR USES MATERIAL DESPERATELY NEEDED ELSEWHERE FOR THE WAR EFFORT INCLUDING ENOUGH CONCRETE TO BUILD THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING 3 1/2 TIMES OVER. THE MASSIVE FORTIFICATIONS ONLY HELP HITLER'S COMPLETE WITHDRAWAL FROM REALITY. I'M STILL PICKING MY WAY THROUGH THE REMAINS OF HITLER'S BUNKER COMPLEX, AND THE SCALE OF THE THING IS PHENOMENAL. AND HE DISTRUSTS PEOPLE SO MUCH THAT HE DRAWS UP A LIST OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE PERMITTED TO COME AND HAVE LUNCH WITH HIM. AND THE PICTURE IS ONE OF INCREASING PARANOIA AND ISOLATION. THAT ISOLATION FROM THE WAR HAS LED HITLER TO MAKE APPALLING MILITARY DECISIONS. VON STAUFFENBERG HAS EXPERIENCED THE RESULTS PERSONALLY, LOSING A HAND AND AN EYE IN BATTLE. HE AND A NETWORK OF SYMPATHIZERS ARE PLOTTING HITLER'S DOWNFALL.

SPEAKING GERMAN

IT'S A CHOICE BETWEEN TWO EVILS

ACTION, OR INACTION.

Holland

HE'S A SOLDIER FIRST AND FOREMOST, AND, YOU KNOW, HE HAS A SENSE OF HONOR, AND WHAT HE SEES AT THE EASTERN FRONT, THE ATROCITIES REALLY, REALLY SHOCK HIM. YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T GO AROUND MASS-MURDERING PEOPLE. THAT'S NOT PART OF THE DEAL AT ALL. AND SO HE'S EVEN MORE DETERMINED THAN EVER THAT HITLER HAS TO BE BROUGHT DOWN.

Narrator

THE WAR IS BEING LOST, AND VON STAUFFENBERG IS CONVINCED THAT GERMANY CAN ONLY BE SAVED IF HITLER IS KILLED. I SINCERELY BELIEVE GOD HAS ASSIGNED ME THIS MISSION, I WILL DEVOTE MYSELF TO IT ENTIRELY. WE MUST GATHER INFORMATION ABOUT MILITARY FORCES IN THE BERLIN AREA. HE WANTS A PEACE TREATY WITH THE ALLIES THAT LEAVES GERMANS IN CONTROL OF GERMANY, THE COUNTRY UNOCCUPIED, AND THE NAZI PARTY ERADICATED. HE NEEDS A PLAN TO OVERTHROW THE FUHRER. BUT ACCESS TO HIM IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE.

Holland

HITLER IS MASSIVELY PROTECTED, AND IT'S EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO GET A MEANS OF KILLING HIM ANYWHERE CLOSE TO HIM.

Narrator

AS THE WOLF'S LAIR GROWS, GERMANY SHRINKS IN THE FACE OF THE RUSSIAN ADVANCE. JUNE 6, 1944, D-DAY. THE AMERICANS AND BRITISH LAND IN FRANCE. IT'S A DECISIVE BLOW TO GERMANY.

Holland

ONCE AGAIN HITLER'S INTERFERENCE REALLY WORKS AGAINST THE CHANCES OF GERMANY EVER KNOCKING THE ALLIES BACK OUT INTO THE SEA. HOW IS IT POSSIBLE FOR 35,000 TANKS!

Narrator

HITLER FORBIDS HIS GENERALS FROM MAKING DECISIONS WITHOUT HIS AUTHORIZATION, SLOWING THE GERMAN RESPONSE.

Remy

GERMANY IS NOW BEING ASSAULTED FROM ALL SIDES. BUT HITLER'S MICROMANAGEMENT OF HIS FORCES LIMITS HIS GENERALS' ABILITY TO DEAL WITH THE WORSENING SITUATION.

Narrator

DEFEAT IS IMMINENT. VON STAUFFENBERG MUST FIND A WAY TO KILL HITLER BEFORE GERMANY IS CRUSHED. STAUFFENBERG'S PROBLEM IS THAT HITLER KEEPS CHANGING HIS TRAVEL PLANS AT THE LAST MINUTE AND HAS AVOIDED NUMEROUS ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS BY DOING SO. SO STAUFFENBERG NEEDS TO TARGET HIM IN A FIXED LOCATION. DESPITE ITS IMMENSE SECURITY, VON STAUFFENBERG DECIDES THAT THE WOLF'S LAIR IS THE ONLY VIABLE TARGET. HE PLANS TO TURN THE ISOLATED HEADQUARTERS AGAINST THE FUHRER. ESSENTIAL TO THE FUNCTIONING OF THE WOLF'S LAIR WAS A STATE-OF-THE-ART COMMUNICATIONS CENTER. AND THIS IS IT, IT'S ALMOST THE PENTAGON OF ITS DAY. FROM HERE HITLER COULD TALK TO ANYBODY ANYWHERE IN EUROPE INSTANTLY. ALL HE HAD TO DO WAS PICK UP A TELEPHONE. BUT THIS IS MUCH MORE THAN THE GLORIFIED TELEPHONE EXCHANGE. IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO IMAGINE NOW BUT THIS TELECOMMUNICATION CENTER WOULD HAVE BEEN A HIVE OF ACTIVITY. THERE'D HAVE BEEN TEAMS OF TELEPHONISTS AND TELEX OPERATORS WORKING IN HERE AROUND THE CLOCK 24/7, SENDING AND RECEIVING SIGNALS. THE NAZIS ADDED 9,300 MILES OF TELEPHONE LINES TO THE EXISTING EUROPEAN SYSTEM.

Pollard

THERE WERE NO LESS THAN 74 TRUNK LINES PASSING OUT FROM THE BASE INTO THE WIDER WORLD, AND USING THOSE TELEPHONES,

YOU COULD REACH ANYWHERE

CITIES, OTHER BASES, BATTLEFRONTS, EVEN TRAINS, AND IF ONE LINE WENT DOWN USING THE TRUNKING SYSTEM, YOU COULD WORK YOUR WAY AROUND AND EVENTUALLY GET TO WHERE YOU WANTED TO BE, SO YOU COULD TALK TO ANYONE ANYWHERE.

Narrator

THE WOLF'S LAIR IS THE MASTER SWITCH FOR THE WHOLE NETWORK. VON STAUFFENBERG NEEDS TO TURN IT OFF AND SILENCE THE BASE. IF COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE WOLF'S LAIR WERE SEVERED. THEN HITLER AND HIS CHIEFS OF STAFF WOULD BE TOTALLY ISOLATED FROM BERLIN AND THE REST OF THE REICH. HE PLANS FOR A CO-CONSPIRATOR TO DESTROY THIS CRITICAL COMMUNICATIONS LINK WHEN HITLER IS DEAD. BUT THERE'S ANOTHER PROBLEM. STAUFFENBERG IS EXCLUDED FROM HITLER'S INNER CIRCLE... UNTIL THE MIDDLE OF JULY, WHEN HE GETS AN EXTRAORDINARY BREAK. VON STAUFFENBERG IS PROMOTED TO A POST THAT GIVES HIM PERMISSION TO ATTEND HITLER'S CONFERENCES AT THE WOLF'S LAIR.

Bury

STAUFFENBERG NOW HAS THE ACCESS HE NEEDS. HE DECIDES TO PERSONALLY CARRY OUT THE ATTACK AND DETONATE EXPLOSIVES AT A MEETING WITH HITLER. THIS IS A MASSIVE DECISION. NO SOLIDER EXPECTS TO HAVE TO ASSASSINATE THEIR COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, LET ALONE A GERMAN OFFICER WHO'S SWORN THE OATH OF ALLEGIANCE TO HITLER.

Narrator

THE PLAN USES THE MASSIVE ENGINEERING ON THE WOLF'S LAIR AGAINST THE FUHRER. IF VON STAUFFENBERG CAN DETONATE THE BOMB INSIDE A CONCRETE BUNKER, THE EXPLOSION WILL KILL EVERYONE INSIDE. BUT VON STAUFFENBERG NEEDS A SILENT, EASILY CONCEALED TIMING FUSE, AND MOST TIMERS ARE TICKING CLOCKS. STAUFFENBERG PLANS TO USE A PENCIL DETONATOR. THIS IS A STATE-OF-THE-ART DETONATOR MADE OF BRASS AND ABOUT THIS LONG. INSIDE ONE END OF THE FUSE IS A GLASS VIAL OF ACID. WHEN THE VIAL IS BROKEN, THE ACID EATS THROUGH A WIRE HOLDING BACK A COILED SPRING. THE TYPE OF ACID DETERMINES HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE TO CORRODE THE WIRE. THE FUSE STAUFFENBERG USES IS A 30-MINUTE FUSE. AND ONCE IT'S STARTED, YOU CAN'T STOP IT. WHEN THE WIRE FINALLY BREAKS, THE SPRING LAUNCHES FORWARD AND CREATES A SPARK THAT SETS OFF THE EXPLOSIVE. STAUFFENBERG'S KEY TARGET IS HITLER, BUT HE'S DETERMINED TO KILL AS MANY PROMINENT NAZI'S AS HE CAN IN THE BUNKER. ON JULY 20, 1944, VON STAUFFENBERG IS ORDERED TO A BRIEFING AT THE WOLF'S LAIR. THIS IS HIS CHANCE. THE BOMB'S 30-MINUTE FUSE HAS BEEN ARMED. COLONEL. PLEASE. NOT THE FUHRER BUNKER? IT'S TOO HOT. PLEASE. HE'S TOLD THAT THE MEETING HAS BEEN MOVED FROM A CONCRETE BUNKER TO LIGHTWEIGHT BRICK HUT. THE WELL-VENTILATED AND THIN-WALLED BUILDING COULD LIMIT THE BOMB'S DESTRUCTIVE POWER, BUT IT'S TOO LATE TO TURN BACK NOW. HE MUST IMPROVISE AND FIND A WAY TO GET THE BOMB AS CLOSE TO HITLER AS POSSIBLE. WOULD YOU PLEASE PLACE ME CLOSE TO THE FUHRER? I HAVE TROUBLE HEARING DUE TO MY INJURIES. YES. COME IN.

SPEAKING GERMAN

Narrator

ANOTHER OFFICER UNKNOWINGLY CARRIES THE BOMB INSIDE. THE SECOND ARMY, THAT'S NO USE. THE OBJECTIVE NOW IS TO KEEP THE SOVIET TROOPS OCCUPIED SO LONG WITH FINNISH HELP... THE BOMB IS PLACED JUST 6 FEET FROM HITLER. I HAVE TOLD GENERAL MANNERHEIM THAT THE INTEREST OF THE GERMAN PEOPLE AND THE FINNISH PEOPLE ARE IDENTICAL. HERE IS COLONEL VON STAUFFENBERG, MEIN FUHRER. MEIN FUHRER. SO THE RUSSIAN POSITIONS ARE HERE, AND HERE. WE NEED TO PREVENT THE ROMANIAN OIL FIELDS FROM FALLING INTO RUSSIAN HANDS. VON STAUFFENBERG CLAIMS HE HAS TO MAKE A TELEPHONE CALL AND LEAVES THE ROOM.

SPEAKING GERMAN

Narrator

IT HAS BEEN ALMOST 30 MINUTES SINCE HE ARMED THE BOMB. THAT'S THE TRUTH NOW... AS IT CURRENTLY STANDS. WE CANNOT PREVENT IT.

SPEAKING GERMAN

Narrator

WHERE'S STAUFFENBERG? IT'S HIS TURN. VON STAUFFENBERG HAS BROUGHT THE WAR TO THE WOLF'S LAIR AND THE WOLF HIMSELF.

SCREAMS

COUGHING

Narrator

WHAT HAPPENED? IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE EXPLOSION, PANICKED NAZIS RACE TO LOCATE HITLER. VON STAUFFENBERG BLUFFS HIS WAY PAST SECURITY... HE'S CONVINCED HE HAS SUCCEEDED IN KILLING HITLER, AND HEADS TO BERLIN TO SEIZE CONTROL. 4 OFFICERS ARE DEAD. BUT HITLER IS ALIVE. THE BRIEFING ROOM'S A PRETTY LIGHTWEIGHT STRUCTURE. IT'S GOT BRICK WALLS, WINDOWS. IT'S WELL VENTILATED, VERY MUCH IN CONTRAST WITH THE HEAVY CONCRETE BUNKERS ELSEWHERE ON THE SITE. AND IT'S THAT ARCHITECTURAL DIFFERENCE WHICH FOILS THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT. FOOTAGE FILMED JUST AFTER THE EXPLOSION REVEALS THE DAMAGE.

Pollard

WHEN THE BOMB GOES OFF, THERE'S SOMEWHERE FOR THE EXPLOSION TO GO. IT BLOWS OUT THE WINDOWS, IT KNOCKS DOWN WALLS, IT DISSIPATES THE BLAST. IF THIS MEETING HAD HAPPENED IN THE HEART OF ONE OF THOSE SOLID BUNKERS AS HAD BEEN THE ORIGINAL INTENTION, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NOWHERE FOR THE BLAST TO GO. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN AMPLIFIED AS IT BOUNCED OFF THE WALLS AND BACK IN AGAIN. IF THAT HAD HAPPENED, THERE CAN HAVE BEEN NO DOUBT THAT HITLER WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. IT'S ONE OF THE GREAT IRONIES THAT THE WOLF'S LAIR SAVED HIS LIFE, BUT NOT IN THE WAY HE INTENDED.

Holland

BY THE TIME THAT VON STAUFFENBERG ARRIVES IN BERLIN HE KNOWS THAT THE-- THAT THE BOMB HAS GONE OFF, BUT IT BECOMES INCREASINGLY APPARENT THAT HITLER HASN'T ACTUALLY DIED.

Narrator

UPON SEEING HITLER ALIVE, VON STAUFFENBERG'S COLLEAGUES AT THE WOLF'S LAIR ARE TOO SCARED TO CUT COMMUNICATIONS. HITLER'S INJURIES ARE MINOR, BUT HIS NARROW ESCAPE HAS LEFT HIM ENRAGED.

Remy

FOR ALL ITS CONCRETE AND LAYERS OF SECURITY, THE WOLF'S LAIR PROVED TO BE DEFENSELESS AGAINST ONE MAN, WITH A BOMB, IN A BRIEFCASE.

Narrator

NAZI INVESTIGATORS QUICKLY REALIZE THAT VON STAUFFENBERG LEFT THE MEETING EARLY.

Holland

THOSE WHO ARE LOYAL TO HITLER START TO REALIZE WHAT IS GOING ON, THE COUP IS UNDONE VERY QUICKLY.

Narrator

HITLER'S TROOPS TRACK THE RINGLEADERS TO BERLIN'S ARMY HEADQUARTERS.

Holland

VON STAUFFENBERG AND HIS FELLOW PLOTTERS ARE DRAGGED OUT INTO THE COURTYARD FROM WHERE THEY ARE OPERATING THE PLOT AND SUMMARILY EXECUTED ON THE SPOT.

Narrator

IN THE FOLLOWING WEEKS, 600 SUSPECTED CONSPIRATORS ARE ARRESTED AND PUBLICLY TRIED BY NAZI JUDGES. AROUND 200 ARE EVENTUALLY EXECUTED. AT THE WOLF'S LAIR HITLER WATCHES THE FILMS OF THEIR DEATHS FOR HIS OWN PLEASURE. BUT HE IGNORES THE CATASTROPHIC SITUATION IN THE WAR. BY THE END OF AUGUST, THE RUSSIANS ARE LESS THAN 60 MILES FROM THE BASE.

Holland

IT'S ALL VERY WELL HAVING THE IMPREGNABLE, BOMB-PROOF FORWARD HEADQUARTERS, BUT IF THE AREA IN WHICH IT SITS IS OVERRUN, THEN IT'S NO GOOD TO ANYBODY.

Narrator

THE GREATEST FLAW OF THE WOLF'S LAIR IS THAT IT'S ONLY SAFE IF GERMANY'S ARMIES ARE VICTORIOUS.

Remy

ULTIMATELY, NO FORTRESS HOWEVER STRONG COULD PROTECT GERMANY FROM THE CATASTROPHE THAT HITLER HAD LED IT TO.

Hitler

IF THE LUFTWAFFE MANAGES TO EVEN FIND LONDON. THIS IS A DAMNED DISGRACE!

Holland

BY AUTUMN OF 1944, IF THERE HAD BEEN ANY DOUBT AT ALL IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR TO 18 MONTHS THAT GERMANY WOULD LOSE, ALL HOPE IS GONE BY THAT POINT. IT'S ONLY GOING ONE WAY, AND YET HITLER STILL INSISTS ON CLINGING ON.

Narrator

ON NOVEMBER 8, CONSTRUCTION FINISHES ON HITLER'S ENORMOUS PERSONAL BUNKER... BUT HE SPENDS ONLY 12 DAYS INSIDE IT.

SPEAKING GERMAN

Narrator

WITH THE RUSSIANS ENTERING GERMANY, THE WAR IS CLOSING IN AROUND HIM. IN NOVEMBER 1944, HITLER LEFT THE WOLF'S LAIR FOR THE LAST TIME ALONG THIS RAILWAY. IN TOTAL HE'D SPENT OVER 800 DAYS IN RESIDENCE, LONGER THAN AT ANY OTHER PLACE DURING THE WAR. THE RUSSIANS WERE HOT ON HIS HEELS, BUT THEY SIMPLY CIRCUMVENTED THE PLACE ON THEIR WAY TO BERLIN, AND IT WASN'T UNTIL JANUARY OF 1945 THAT THE GERMANS GOT ROUND TO TRYING TO DEMOLISH IT. LOCAL PEOPLE DESCRIBE HUGE CHUNKS OF CONCRETE FLYING THROUGH THE AIR AS THE CHARGES WERE BLOWN. THE WOLF'S LAIR WAS HISTORY. THE WOLF'S LAIR WAS MEANT TO BE HITLER'S IMPREGNABLE FORTRESS AND THE COMMAND CENTER FROM WHICH HE'D CONQUER THE WORLD. BUT ULTIMATELY NO BASE, HOWEVER BIG, COULD PROTECT HITLER FROM HIS OWN FLAWS, PARANOIA, AND MILITARY INCOMPETENCE. NAZI MEGA WEAPONS SEASON 2 IS AVAILABLE ON DVD. TO ORDER, VISIT shopPBS.ORG OR CALL 1-800-PLAY-PBS.