Featured Article Summary #112

The bombing of Obersalzberg was carried out by the Royal Air Force’s Bomber Command on 25 April 1945 during the final days of World War II in Europe. The targets were buildings and bunker facilities in Obersalzberg, a Bavarian site built for Adolf Hitler and other top Nazi leaders. Although many structures were destroyed, Hitler’s residence and the bunker network were only slightly damaged, and two Allied bombers were lost, killing four airmen. Historians suggest several reasons for the raid, including helping Allied ground forces and showing Britain’s heavy bombers were effective, as well as trying to convince Germans the war was over. The British used 359 heavy bombers in two waves to hit bunkers they feared would be used to create an “Alpine Fortress,” but the nearby town of Berchtesgaden was not damaged and Hitler was in Berlin when it happened. Despite being widely reported and celebrated at the time, the raid is not well remembered today because the idea of the Alpine Fortress was largely untrue. During Nazi rule, a resort complex at Obersalzberg near Berchtesgaden was built for Adolf Hitler and the Nazi elite, and the Berghof became a symbol of his leadership. Hitler regularly visited and used the area as a key command base in World War II, with extensive bunkers, tunnels, anti-aircraft defenses, and camouflage built to protect it from air raids. The Allies considered attacking or assassinating Hitler there but repeatedly chose not to, worrying about strong defenses, likely survival, and the value of keeping him in charge. Ultimately, only a limited fighter-bomber attack occurred in February 1945, and by April the Allies shifted to more targeted bombing and support for ground operations as they gained air superiority. In April 1945, SHAEF worried that senior German officials and Waffen-SS units would gather at Berchtesgaden to keep fighting from an “Alpine Fortress,” though the Germans had prepared few alpine defenses until late in the war. Only Hermann Göring was a major government figure at Obersalzberg when the attack happened, as most others had fled or been sent away; Göring was under house arrest on Hitler’s orders. The air raid was approved in April 1945 to help support the U.S. Army’s advance toward Munich and Berchtesgaden. Although the U.S. Army objected, citing that rubble might help Germans defend the site, historians give additional reasons: to show Bomber Command could carry out precise bombing and to break Nazi morale by destroying Hitler’s main residence, the Berghof, along with related buildings such as the Kehlsteinhaus. On 25 April, bomber crews were briefed early in the morning and flew from bases in the UK to attack Obersalzberg. The main force included 359 Avro Lancasters, guided by 16 Mosquito bombers using the Oboe navigation system, with fighter escorts protecting the raid. Approaching over German-controlled land, the bombers faced little fighter opposition, though some targets and guidance were difficult due to mist, mountains, and anti-aircraft fire. The first bombs fell between 9:51 and 10:11 am, beginning with RAF No. 617 Squadron dropping the large Tallboy bombs, followed by a second wave later. Despite good accuracy and damage to key sites such as the Waffen-SS barracks and some high-profile residences, the Kehlsteinhaus and Berchof were less affected than hoped and the bunker system was largely not destroyed. Two Lancasters were shot down and others were damaged, while about 31 people were killed at Obersalzberg; at nearby towns attacked for transport links, more than 300 civilians were also killed. Obersalzberg was left abandoned after the raid. The SS destroyed the Berghof on Hitler’s orders, the US Army took the area on 4 May, and Göring was captured on 9 May; afterward American and French soldiers looted the site, spreading Nazi memorabilia worldwide and blunting the raid’s aim of discrediting the regime. Bomber Command’s Obersalzberg attack was among its final missions, after which aircraft were used for roles such as repatriating prisoners of war and dropping food in Europe. Although the bombing drew major media attention at the time, it is largely forgotten today; after the war, the US retained control for a time, but later the buildings were destroyed to prevent neo-Nazi visits, and a museum and informational markers were created to document the Nazi-era history.