Hitler's Alpine Headquarters

by James Wilson

“A photographic history of the Nazi party’s building works in Munich and in the Berchtesgaden and Obersalzberg . . . These postcards are fascinating” (HistoryOfWar.org).  Hitler’s Alpine Headquarters looks at the development of the Obersalzberg from a small, long established farming community into Hitler’s country residence and the Nazis’ southern headquarters. Introducing new images and additional text, this book is a much-expanded sequel to the author’s acclaimed Hitler’s Alpine Retreat. It explains how and why Hitler chose this area to build a home and his connection to this region.   New chapters focus on buildings and individuals of Hitler’s inner circle not covered in the earlier book. The development of the region is extensively covered by use of contemporary propaganda postcards and accompanying detailed text, allowing the reader to view the subject matter as it was presented to the masses at that time. With over 300 images and three maps, and the opportunity to compare a number of “then and now” images, the story of Hitler’s southern headquarters is brought to life through this extensive coverage.   Two seasons as an expert tour guide specializing in the history of the region during the Third Reich period allowed the author to carry out his own detailed research. There is an interview with a local man, who, as a small boy was photographed with Hitler, together with comments gathered during a recent meeting with Rochus Misch who served on Hitler’s staff.   “An interesting and captivating book. The author has given the material an excellent treatment and there are numerous period photographs which serve to show the subject in its ‘original’ state.” —Military Archive Research 

Genres: World War II, Germany

652 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 19, 2013

Reviews

[Sheldon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hitler's Alpine Headquarters mostly covers the development of the Obersalzberg, Germany, Hitler's mountain residence, but also goes into much more detail about Hitler's motivations and the games he was playing throughout his career, in particular his pre-war political career which is essential as it covers how he first discovered Obersalzberg which was later to become one of his favourite places to reside.

Throughout the book are hundreds of postcard photos which the author goes into much detail behind the scenes, to call them descriptions would be understating the work and effort James Wilson has spent with this project, he covers not only the history of the photos he includes but many of the biographies of the people and places in great detail. James mentions in the introduction that he spent time as a guide around the area covered in this book and it really shows; much of the detail could only be sourced from a lot of research.

With the amount of photos included in the book I'd highly recommend purchasing a physical copy of the book where possible, but regardless of which version you opt for I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to anyone who has even a passing interest in the war. The photo postcards in this book are fascinating and is a window to this dark period of world history.

N.B Hitler's Alpine Headquarters was previously published under the title 'Hitler's Alpine Retreat' in 2005, I haven't read that previous book but the publisher note for this states that this new edition has new chapters which "focus on buildings and individuals of Hitler's inner circle not covered in the earlier book".

ARC supplied by the publisher for a fair & honest review.

[John Purvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author James Wilson published the book “Hitler's Alpine Headquarters” in 2019. The book was first published in 2014. Mr. Wilson has published four history books.

I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this book as ‘G’. The book gives the background and evolution of Hitler's Bavarian headquarters near Obersalzberg, Germany.

The book contains hundreds of photos showing how the area developed. The book gives the history of the various buildings in the area. It also describes the homes built in the area by the Nazi inner circle.

Most of the photos are copies of postcards produced and sold during the war. There are also a few photos showing the buildings as they can exist today.

I enjoyed the 6.5 hours I spent reading this 256-page WWII history. It is a little dry and repetitive at times. I was surprised that Hitler's retreat was not more extravagant. It was a nice home for the time, but not the lavish 'palace' I thought he might have ordered. I give this book a 3.8 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

[Sandra Berryman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knowing this book was to be about Obersalzberg and that region I was interested having been to Germany and Austria several times. On the whole, I found the book to be different from other books about Hitler. Even though the author didn't want to get bogged down with political opinions I felt that there should have been a mention of the six million Jews he exterminated. Without knowing history someone who reads this would find a charismatic leader who loved children and be unaware of his horrific crimes against humanity. In today's climate there are some who deny the Holocaust. In our world now, I find similarities between that period in time and now, a Congress full of greed and political whores who are only concerned about themselves, an erosion of morals, and the rule of law. To not paint an accurate picture is to ignore history, whether the book be about his painting or his homes, etc. I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

[KDRBCK · Rating 4 out of 5]

H's AH by James Wilson, published by Pen & Sword Military was first published in 2005, an updated version in 2013 and now the paperback edition in 2020.
The book is a lesson in history, tells stories of A's inner circle the history and their fate - some I already knew, some new to me.
Detailed descriptions of locations in Berchtesgarden, Obersalzberg and other places underlined with postcards and photographs, described in detail, intriguing.
A lesson in history I enjoyed reading.
4,5 Stars.

[Annanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hitler's Alpine Headquarters by James Wilson

The book had more pictures than i expected but the author had written clear description on the history of Hitler's Bavarian headquarters near Obersalzberg, Germany.
It was like a history lesson for me and i learned more about Hitler
I will sure read ore such books. Thank you Netgalley

[julianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating and a really informative read. I highly recommend this book

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book for mostly personal reasons. My father was in WWII and at the end of the war he visited the Berghof taking lots of pictures. I enjoyed comparing those war time pictures of the largely destroyed Berghof (bombed by the Allies) that he took with the images in this book. My father also brought home about 30 German postcards of that era and this book really makes good use of the many 10s to perhaps 100s that were made pre-war and during the war. Wilson provides a very good text that goes along with them and although this is more of a picture book I did learn a number of things about Hitler and his family and friends that I did not know previously even though I have read a fair amount about the Third Reich.