Was Hitler really brave enough to venture out to conquered areas?
Q: Was it normal for Hitler, and indeed the other leaders of Nations, to be in such places throughout this time? I always got the (false?) impression that Hitler spent his time and directed activities mostly from Berlin and the Berghof? When away from these two places, were his trips used for strategy or more just tourist visits, seeing what he had conquered?
A Historian’s Take: “I’m not sure about other leaders but Hitler had multiple HQs across Europe during WWII, the so called Führerhauptquartiere or Führer Headquarters. I believe the total number is around 20, but not all of them were completed and used by Hitler himself. At the beginning of this era, Hitler didn’t have such a place and would often travel to and from the front in his famous Führersonderzug, a train specially fitted for him, which was curiously first named “Amerika”. As things progressed the Nazis built multiple reinforced complexes for him and other Nazi leaders, often near the front line. These varied in size, from only a couple of somewhat small buildings to larger complexes with multiple buildings that could host several Nazi leaders and their entourages. The Führerhauptquartiere were mostly made of very thick reinforced concrete, designed to resist air bombardments and artillery attacks and often hidden and camouflaged.
“There was the Wolfsschanze (Wolf’s Lair) in Poland, where the failed attempt on his life took place on July 20, 1944. The Adlerhorst (Eagle’s Nest) which he used during the Ardennes offensive. The Werwolf in Ukraine, his most Eastern Headquarter. The Wolfsschlucht II in France, where Rommel tried to convince Hitler to end their offensive. The Anlage Süd in Poland, in which Hitler and Mussolini met in 1941. There was also the Felsennest in Southwest Germany near the border with France and Belgium, used to coordinate their invasion of France and the Low Countries. Most of these were destroyed towards the end or after all, was said and done. Visits of Adolf Hitler to conquered capitals such as Warsaw and Paris were rarer and used mostly for propaganda.”