WW2-Poland-2015
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Destruction of Wolf's Lair<br />
In October 1944 Red Army troops reached the eastern border of East Prussia. Therefore, on 20 November 1944 the<br />
main headquarters were moved to Zossen near Berlin. Two days later the decree to destroy Wolf's Lair was issued and<br />
it was executed during the night on 24/ 25 January 1945 . Huge concrete blocks were flying in the air at a distance of<br />
20-30 meters. As witnesses stated, as a result of the explosions ice cracked on the nearby lake Siercze. It is estimated<br />
that around eight tonnes of TNT were used to destroy one bunker.<br />
On January 27 1945, Red Army troops took over Wolf's Lair without a single shot.<br />
The securing of the minefields lasted until 1955. More than 54 thousand landmines were discovered and secured. It<br />
was necessary to secure 72 hectares of forest and over 52 hectares of land altogether. The Polish population settling<br />
after the war near Ketrzyn, used construction materials – which had often not been used during the construction of<br />
Wolf's Lair - for their own economic purposes. From here they exported brick, reinforced steel, panelling, pieces of<br />
stone, copper and aluminum pipes and masking grid.<br />
Assassination attempt 20.07.1944<br />
Stauffenberg along with his adjutant Werner von Haeftenem appeared in Wolf's Lair in the morning of July 20. Their<br />
plane from Berlin landed near headquarters at about 10.15. Stauffenberg announced that he wished to refresh himself<br />
and change his shirt. John von Freyend made his room available to him. Haeften came together with Stauffenberg to<br />
the designated area to help and prepare explosives.<br />
Each explosive (made in England) had a single chemical starter working with a 10-minute delay. Getting detonators<br />
working turned out to be quite complex and lengthy. "It was necessary to first press copper scales which consisted of<br />
glass ampoules with acid. Acid had to destroy the wires in a specified time, tensioning spiral feathers with starter pins.<br />
It had to be done very carefully in order not to press the tensioning wires. Then checking whether the detonators were<br />
still tight was done through a hole and then the fuse was removed and the starter inserted."<br />
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