| Wolf's Lair | |
|---|---|
Wolfsschanze | |
| Part of Führerhauptquartiere | |
| Present-day Gierłoż, Poland | |
 Hitler's reinforced bunker at the Wolfsschanze | |
 Location within historic and present-day borders | |
  Wolf's Lair  Wolf's Lair | |
| Coordinates | 54°04′49″N 21°29′39″E / 54.0804°N 21.4941°E |
| Type | Camouflaged concrete bunkers |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Polish Government |
| Open to the public | Yes |
| Condition | Mostly destroyed |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1941 |
| Built by | Hochtief AG, Organisation Todt |
| In use | June 1941 – January 1945 |
| Materials | 2 m (6 ft 7 in) steel-reinforced concrete |
| Fate | Partially demolished by retreating German forces |
| Events | 20 July Plot |
| Garrison information | |
| Past commanders | Johann Rattenhuber |
| Garrison | |
| Occupants | |
The Wolf's Lair (German: Wolfsschanze; Polish: Wilczy Szaniec) was Adolf Hitler's first Eastern Front military headquarters in World War II.
The headquarters was located in the Masurian woods, near the village of Görlitz (now Gierłoż), about 8 kilometres (5 miles) east of the town of Rastenburg (now Kętrzyn), in present-day Poland. The central complex and the Führer's bunker were surrounded by three security zones guarded by two Schutzstaffel (SS) units: the SS-Begleitkommando des Führers, and the Reichssicherheitsdienst.
The Wehrmacht's armored Führerbegleitbrigade was held in readiness nearby but, as a part of the Heer's elite Großdeutschland Division, was used to counter-attack Red Army break-throughs in Army Group Centre's front and rescue cut-off Heer, Luftwaffe Fallschirmjager, and SS panzer troops.
The 20 July Plot, an assassination attempt against Hitler, took place at the Wolf's Lair on 20 July 1944.[1]