Wolf's Lair

Wolf's Lair
Wolfsschanze
Part of Führerhauptquartiere
Gierłoż Forest, Kętrzyn County, present-day Poland
Hitler's reinforced bunker at the Wolfsschanze.
Coordinates	54°04′49″N 21°29′39″E / 54.0804°N 21.4941°E / 54.0804; 21.4941Coordinates: 54°04′49″N 21°29′39″E / 54.0804°N 21.4941°E / 54.0804; 21.4941
Type	Blast-resistant camouflaged concrete bunkers
Site information
Owner	Polish Government
Controlled by	Wilcze Gniazdo
Open to the public	Yes
Condition	Destroyed (in ruins)
Site history
Built	1941 (1941) (completed on 21 June 1941)
Built by	Hochtief AG Organisation Todt
In use	3½ years
Materials	2 m (6 ft 7 in) steel-reinforced concrete
Fate	Partially demolished by retreating German forces 24–25 January 1945
Events	20 July Plot
Garrison information
Past commanders	SS-Gruppenführer Johann Rattenhuber
Garrison	Reichssicherheitsdienst Führerbegleitbrigade
Occupants	Adolf Hitler Government of Nazi Germany Oberkommando der Wehrmacht

Wolf's Lair (German: Wolfsschanze; Polish: Wilczy Szaniec) was Adolf Hitler's first Eastern Front military headquarters in World War II. The complex, which would become one of several Führerhauptquartiere (Führer Headquarters) in various parts of eastern Europe, was built for the start of Operation Barbarossa – the invasion of the Soviet Union – in 1941. It was constructed by Organisation Todt.

The top secret, high security site was in the Masurian woods about 8 km (5.0 mi) east of the small East Prussian town of Rastenburg (now Kętrzyn, Poland). Three security zones surrounded the central complex where the Führer's bunker was located. These were guarded by personnel from the SS Reichssicherheitsdienst and the Wehrmacht's armoured Führerbegleitbrigade. Despite the security, the most notable assassination attempt against Hitler was made at the Wolf's Lair on 20 July 1944.

Hitler first arrived at the headquarters on 23 June 1941. In total, he spent more than 800 days at the Wolfsschanze during a 3½-year period until his final departure on 20 November 1944. In the summer of 1944, work began to enlarge and reinforce many of the Wolf's Lair original buildings. However, the work was never completed because of the rapid advance of the Red Army during the Baltic Offensive in autumn 1944. On 25 January 1945, the complex was blown up and abandoned 48 hours before the arrival of Soviet forces.

Wolfsschanze is derived from "Wolf", a self-adopted nickname of Hitler. He began using the nickname in the early 1930s and it was often how he was addressed by those in his intimate circle. "Wolf" was used in several titles of Hitler's headquarters throughout occupied Europe, such as Wolfsschlucht I and II in Belgium and Werwolf in Ukraine.