Hitler's Alpine Retreat

by James Wilson

The Nazis had no equals at ferociously exploiting new methods of reaching the general population with their political message. The humble postcard became in the 1930's a powerful tool for winning the hearts and minds of the German people. In this unique book James Wilson demonstrates, using 270 original German postcards from his personal collection, how Hitler's obsession with the beautiful and normally peaceful Bavarian mountain area of Berchtesgadener Land was used to project a powerful but totally misleading image of this most evil regime. Haus Wachenfeld, the simple Alpine cottage purchased by Hitler in 1933, evolved to become the Berghof, the Southern headquarters of the Third Reich, and second only to Berlin in terms of importance.

Genres: War, Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Hamish Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives a visual guided tour through Obersalzberg region, Hitler's alpine home known as ‘The Berghof,’ and the political centre of Munich. It also gives some good background on those in Hitler's inner circle and their families. The immense vision of the Nazis is visible in the buildings they constructed and the locations they chose to build them. The book is filled with many propaganda postcards and you can clearly see how the Nazis wanted the world to perceive them. But as they say, the brighter the picture, the darker the negative…

[Kellye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky little book

Ok, I'm a nerd. Officially. Because this is a book about postcards from the Obersaltzberg area that Hitler favored. It's a very niche read, but I thought it was really fascinating. If you're interested in this kind of info, it's a good read.

[Lyman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful

I found this book very informative and a source of further research on the subject of the Nazi period, especially the history on the area.