Author: Maik Kopleck Length: 63 pages This addition to the PastFinder series of guidebooks gives us the story of the private retreats of Hitler and his cronies in the Obersalzburg area. We get the story of how Martin Bormann muscled out many of the residents of this sleepy resort town so Hitler, Bormann and Albert Speer could get their homes away from home built. We get many descriptions and photos of the Berghof and the forbidden zone and the SS barracks, Bormann's house, and Speer's. The author talks about how the Berghof was blown up in the early 50's and how Bormann and Speer's houses were used by the U.S. Army for leave facilities. We also get to see the house Heinrich Himmler kept for his mistress. There is a chapter on the British saturation raid on the Obersalzburg in April of '45, and the fear the Allies has of this area being the "Alpine Fortress" that would be the Nazi last stand, which turned out to be false. We also see the Berchtesgaden area, with it's mountain troop barracks and the plans made for the transformation of the area in the event of German victory. The book finishes with Salzburg itself and the plans for new district headquarters for the Nazi party and the military district, which would have overshadowed the Festung that overlooks the city. This is another great guide in the series, which makes me think of my trip in Europe in '88. This would have been great to have then, and it looks like the perfect guide for a trip now.
