Hitler’s Wolf’s Lair plaque stolen

Die Wolfsschanze / The Wolf's Lair
Die Wolfsschanze / The Wolf's Lair

Die Wolfsschanze / The Wolf's Lair
Die Wolfsschanze / The Wolf’s Lair

A plaque commemorating one of the assassination attempts on Hitler’s life has been stolen according to Polish police.

One of Hitler’s most famous locations was that of the Wolf’s Lair in Gierloza in Poland. During the war, Hitler used the base as a headquarters from which to coordinate the war.

It was at the Wolf’s Lair that one of the most famous attempts to take Hitler’s life took place. It was in 1944 when Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg walked into the Wolf’s Lair, left a case in a room that Hitler was meeting other top Nazi officers in and promptly left waiting for his bomb in the case to detonate. It did, and it caused much damage, but it unfortunately didn’t kill Hitler.

After the war the Wolf’s Lair was retained, and Polish authorities placed a plaque on the site to commemorate von Stauffenberg’s bravery and attempt to take Hitler’s life and end the war. It is now open to tourists who want to learn about the war and what happened there.

The Wolf’s Lair included around 200 German bunkers and a military barracks. It was noticed this week that the plaque had been removed, CBS News reports.

Polish police are now investigating the theft of a metal plaque, which had been attached to a large stone and was put in place in 2004, on the 60th anniversary of the assassination attempt.

Ian Harvey

Ian Harvey is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE