WW2-Poland-2015

Destruction of Wolf's Lair
In October 1944 Red Army troops reached the eastern border of East Prussia. Therefore, on 20 November 1944 the
main headquarters were moved to Zossen near Berlin. Two days later the decree to destroy Wolf's Lair was issued and
it was executed during the night on 24/ 25 January 1945 . Huge concrete blocks were flying in the air at a distance of
20-30 meters. As witnesses stated, as a result of the explosions ice cracked on the nearby lake Siercze. It is estimated
that around eight tonnes of TNT were used to destroy one bunker.
On January 27 1945, Red Army troops took over Wolf's Lair without a single shot.
The securing of the minefields lasted until 1955. More than 54 thousand landmines were discovered and secured. It
was necessary to secure 72 hectares of forest and over 52 hectares of land altogether. The Polish population settling
after the war near Ketrzyn, used construction materials – which had often not been used during the construction of
Wolf's Lair - for their own economic purposes. From here they exported brick, reinforced steel, panelling, pieces of
stone, copper and aluminum pipes and masking grid.
Assassination attempt 20.07.1944
Stauffenberg along with his adjutant Werner von Haeftenem appeared in Wolf's Lair in the morning of July 20. Their
plane from Berlin landed near headquarters at about 10.15. Stauffenberg announced that he wished to refresh himself
and change his shirt. John von Freyend made his room available to him. Haeften came together with Stauffenberg to
the designated area to help and prepare explosives.
Each explosive (made in England) had a single chemical starter working with a 10-minute delay. Getting detonators
working turned out to be quite complex and lengthy. "It was necessary to first press copper scales which consisted of
glass ampoules with acid. Acid had to destroy the wires in a specified time, tensioning spiral feathers with starter pins.
It had to be done very carefully in order not to press the tensioning wires. Then checking whether the detonators were
still tight was done through a hole and then the fuse was removed and the starter inserted."
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