Hitler's secret trips to Ukraine
Hitler had many headquarters throughout Europe. But the most ambitious, both in size and in scope, was erected for the ambitious leader of the Nazis - it was in Ukraine.
What do we know about this today?
And the fact that Adolf liked it seems to be and live in Ukraine. Perhaps he even managed to love her? It is known for certain that Hitler visited several different cities of Ukraine at once.
And since at the beginning of the war, he apparently considered Ukraine as his fiefdom forever, then Hitler decided to acquire there a chic palace with a swimming pool, aqua entertainment and even with his own casino. Oh, this was perhaps the largest of all his European residences, where many prominent politicians of those times who sympathized with the leader of the fascists stayed. But first things first.
At first, Hitler, as they say, "did not spend the night" in Ukraine, but was there on short visits.
Let's take a short tour of all the places that Hitler personally visited in Ukraine. Of course, he traveled some of them even before his own Ukrainian monastery appeared there. But he visited other Ukrainian townships when his palace in Ukraine had already been built.
Apparently, it will not work to describe all Hitler's business trips to Ukraine at one time - there were not one and not two such visits, but many. He visited Uman, Zhitomir, Berdichev, Poltava, Kharkov, Zaporozhye, Mariupol, etc. Therefore, we will talk more about all these trips of Hitler across Ukraine in this series of several articles.
Moreover, the Fuehrer's retinue did not yawn either. His entourage did not want to lag behind their greedy leader in terms of grabbing real estate on Ukrainian lands. The fascist elite also built themselves many wonderful mansion houses in Ukraine and acquired very cozy apartments there.
Information about the real estate of the top of the Reich in Ukraine is scattered across many articles and documents. We tried to collect bit by bit what is known on this topic today.
We will definitely tell you about everything that we managed to find out about this. And we will even show you everything that has survived. And even what has not survived, we will also try to demonstrate to you. Indeed, today you can even study the lost in detail, too, thanks to historical reconstructions, documentary photographs and testimonies.
So, historians have calculated that, in general, Adolf Hitler spent on the territory of Ukraine occupied by him only in his own secret palace for 118 full days.
Is it a lot or a little?
It's almost 4 months or about 17 weeks.
In other words, during the Great Patriotic War, the bloodthirsty Hitler walked, ate, slept and rested for 2832 hours by the fireplace or in his personal casino, and also led the Eastern operation to destroy the USSR from his own palace in Ukraine?
It turns out so.
"This land is waiting for us." Hitler
Why did Hitler need Ukraine so badly?
It's simple. Here is how he himself answered this question.
“We are struggling to pull out several meters of land from the sea, we suffer, reclaiming swamps, while Ukraine has infinitely fertile land.
AND this land is waiting for us.
Ukraine can give us what Germany lacks.
This task must be accomplished despite the losses,”
- Adolf Hitler said about Ukraine.
In addition, the Fuehrer himself more than once, without guile, noted that
« for the Germans, the Ukrainian lands are like India for the British.
And there you can manage with the help of a handful of people."
Of Hitler's true statements about Ukraine, recorded by stenographers, the following have survived:
« Ukraine is just incredibly beautiful.
From the plane it seems that under you promised land.
The climate in Ukraine is much milder than ours in Munich, the soil is unusually fertile, and people - in particular men - are lazy to the point of impossibility."
“Yesterday I rode a motor boat along one of the Ukrainian rivers - the Bug. And all the nature around was very reminiscent of the Weser, where forests also grow on the banks of the river.
But, unfortunately, here they are completely overgrown with weeds and are very swampy, the land is almost completely uncultivated, and there are no livestock grazing in the meadows.
For the locals (on this fertile land, they already have everything), obviously, do not want to lift a finger unnecessarily."
“You can see people sleeping everywhere.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainians had a period of cultural flourishing - it seems, in the X-XII centuries.
But now their churches, which have cheap gilded images, are as convincing proof of their spiritual decline as museums, which - at least in the ones I have visited - exhibit collections of old-fashioned junk.
And here is how Martin Bormann looked at the prospects of Ukraine for Berlin:
“I have not seen a single person wearing glasses, very many have magnificent teeth, they are well-nourished and, obviously, maintain good health to a ripe old age.
Under the influence of the extraordinarily difficult conditions in which these people have lived for many centuries, a natural and very careful selection has taken place.
Any of us, having drunk a glass of raw water, will immediately fall ill.
And these people live in mud, among sewage, drink some kind of terrible water from their wells and rivers and do not get sick with anything."
“The growth in the number of these Russians or so-called Ukrainians in not too distant times will pose a threat to us.
We are interested in whether these Russians or so-called Ukrainians did not multiply too much:
after all we intend to ensure that one day all these previously considered Russian lands will be completely populated by the Germans ».
- such was the cynical, but honest and open confession of Martin Bormann on July 22, 1941 about Ukraine.
You will be surprised, but the united Europe of the times of the Third Reich refused to vaccinate Ukraine. Yes, it was Hitler who first of all forbade the vaccination of Ukrainians. Here's what he, in general, considered necessary to do to reduce the number of local residents there:
“As for the hygiene of the conquered population, we are not at all interested in spreading our knowledge among them and thus creating a completely undesirable base for them for a colossal population growth.
Therefore, it is necessary to prohibit carrying out any hygienic actions in these territories”.
But this was the position of the Fuhrer on the education of Ukrainians:
“In no case should the local population be granted the right to receive higher education.
If we make this mistake, we ourselves will raise those who will fight against our power.
Let them have schools, and if they want to go to them, then let them pay for it. But the maximum that should be taught them is to distinguish road signs.
Geography lessons should be reduced to making them remember: the capital of the Reich is Berlin and each of them should visit there at least once in his life.
When it comes to opening schools for the local population, we should never forget that in the eastern lands occupied by our troops should apply the same methods that the British used in their colonies ».
Let us note right away that for a long time it was somehow not accepted to tell the bitter truth about Ukraine. About the very western outskirts of the USSR, which accepted Hitler and Nazism with open arms, called him a liberator and savior, and also met the Fuhrer in embroidered shirts and with flowers.
According to the recollections of local residents of the city of Uman, published in the newspaper "Tyumensky Courier" in No. 160 of September 2, 2011 and in No. 161 of September 3, 2011, the townspeople of Uman greeted the Nazis with bread and salt:
“On August 1, German infantry began to enter the city (Uman) from the western outskirts without a single shot.
Nobody offered any resistance to them.
We, teenagers, hiding in the gardens, cautiously watched the Germans from afar, who walked openly without any fear for ourselves.
The streets of the city were completely empty that day, but in the center of the Germans were greeted with bread and salt ».
However, almost all of Europe did the same then.
But who could have guessed that Hitler would want to settle in Ukraine in a sense? Get real estate?
Honestly, ordinary Soviet citizens, like us now, were not at all aware that this wolf (and this is how the name Adolf is translated, as experts say) would entrench itself so firmly in Ukraine then?
Did the main "liberator of Ukraine" live on Ukrainian soil for 118 days and nights?
Exactly.
But at first, in 1941, he only visited Ukraine on short visits. But from the summer of 1942 to August 1943 - yes, at times he lived there. Not all 17 weeks in a row, but in periods. Short and long business trips, so to speak.
We will begin our story about exactly where he visited in Ukraine with his visit there in the summer of 1941. And that's why.
Hitler's visit to Uman on 28.08.41
In the last article “The Legend of the Battle of 150 Border Dogs with the Nazis. And Hitler's Arrival to Ukraine in 1941”, we posted several photographs documenting Hitler's arrival in the city of Uman on August 28, 1941. Let's say right away that this was not his first visit to Ukraine. And, as you already understand, it is far from the last. But since we started telling you about Uman, let's take a closer look at this particular day: where did you come from, what did you visit, whether you spent the night or not, what you ate and drank, why you came, who you were with, etc.
What do we, in fact, know for certain about this day of Hitler in the city of Uman in occupied Ukraine?
And we know from various sources (documentary photos, memoirs and memoirs, German newsreels, books, etc.) that's what.
In short.
Why Uman?
First the bike.
Because it was there that the headquarters of the commander of Army Group South, Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, recently moved.
And why did the generals choose this small regional center of the Cherkasy region?
As noted by experts, the main efforts of Rundstedt's onslaught at that time shifted to the south, to the Donbass and the Caucasus. The geographical position of Uman corresponded to this direction. A fairly developed road network, the presence of an airfield were also in favor of this city.
In all likelihood, the presence in the vicinity of Uman, in fact, of a pretty "palace" (a unique park complex with beautiful premises and landscape), which the German leadership considered worthy to settle there, also played an important role in the choice of the headquarters.
It was the former estate of Count Potocki (which he built for his third wife Sofia), with a magnificent arboretum and two lakes, waterfalls, canals, numerous grottoes and labyrinths, as well as sculptures in the classicism style. Now it is one of the most beautiful arboretums in Europe "Sofiyivka".
Tourists are told today that Hitler visited Sofiyivka several times. In addition, the famous "Pink Pavilion" is shown there to the people today as the place where Hitler allegedly received Mussolini.
But apart from tales about the headquarters of the German armies in Sofiyevka near Uman, we did not find any photographs from the Pink Pavilion of Sofiyevka with Hitler and Mussolini. And although the Ukrainians claim that the secrecy label has not yet been removed from this kind of photographic documents, let us leave legends and stories aside and consider the facts and photographic documents.
And now it's true.
From the memoirs of Hitler's personal bodyguard Hans Rattenhuber (from the interrogation protocols published in the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper).
“Upon arrival in Uman, a tent was pitched near the airfield, where Field Marshal Kluge reported to Hitler and Mussolini the situation at the front, after which we all drove out in cars to the outskirts of the city.
The trip took place over a completely empty area.
And we met only a few trucks with Italian soldiers on the way, who were very surprised to see Mussolini."
On August 28, 1941, Hitler arrived at the Uman airfield (Ukraine) on a Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor aircraft.
This time Hitler brought an Italian guest to his place in Ukraine.
Back in mid-August, Hitler invited Mussolini to visit the Eastern Front. And on August 28, the dictators flew to the Ukrainian city of Uman, where, according to some sources, by that time the German headquarters of the commander of Army Group South had moved.
During the trip to Uman, both of these dictators were accompanied by senior military and government officials, as well as Mussolini's son from his second marriage, Vittorio.
At the Uman airfield, the first persons of Germany and Italy of those years were greeted by German troops and Ukrainian women with flowers.
After a general report on the situation at the front and the battles near Uman, Hitler and Mussolini had a bite to eat right at the airfield.
For this, the tables were placed right at the airport. According to the memoirists, Hitler ate soldier's food twice that day.
"During this trip, Hitler ate two times at the airfield from the soldiers' kitchen,"
- Hitler's personal bodyguard, Hans Rattenhuber, recalled (from the interrogation protocols published in the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper).
After that, the leaders went in one car to meet fresh Italian troops arriving in Ukraine to fight the USSR. But at the appointed place, the column of Italian soldiers was not there. It turned out that their trucks got stuck in a Ukrainian abyss after a heavy rain.
Therefore, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini went to the suburbs. (There are two versions. According to the first of them, the meeting of the Italian troops took place on the road near the village of Legedzino. According to the second version - near the village of Ladyzhenka).
In the newspaper "Tyumensky Courier" in No. 160 of September 2, 2011 and in No. 161 of September 3, 2011 documents were published, which said:
"On August 28, Hitler flew to the headquarters of Army Group South near the village of Legedzino near Uman, along with the Italian dictator Mussolini."
When the meeting of the troops finally took place, the dictators saw a depressing picture: the Italian soldiers were exhausted by the long march and looked, to put it mildly, casual.
Some sources report that after that Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini flew from the Uman airfield (Ukraine) back to the Hitler’s residence (Poland).
On the way back, Mussolini sat in the cockpit. And he even allegedly asked to "steer" a little.
And from the residence of Hitler, Mussolini went by train to Rome.
By the way, Benito Mussolini had his own personal carriage. This is how its interior looked inside.
Some authors also report that the end of the visit was not quite usual at that time. At the end of Mussolini's trip to Hitler in Uman, an incident occurred.
“The parting of the dictators was accompanied by a comic episode. Hitler wanted to see his guest all the way to the border.
At Brenner, he boarded a train that was to take him back. The military band played hymns. At the last bars, as planned, the train started.
However, having driven several tens of meters uphill, he stopped and backed up: Hitler's window turned out to be opposite Mussolini. The orchestra played hymns again, and the dictators exchanged greetings again.
The train tried again and again. The sounds of hymns echoed like death knells in the ears of the heads of the protocol departments.
After seven attempts Mussolini ordered to stop the music, and the ensuing silence apparently destroyed the witchcraft: this time Hitler really left. Nobody greeted him, thinking that he would return again.
An investigation by the Italian side showed that German railroad workers were to blame for the incident, and this caused Mussolini to glee.
However, when, a few days later, Anfuso met his German colleague and hurried to ask if he had suffered much from the Fuehrer, he replied:
"What are you, the Italians were to blame."
Here is what Hitler's personal bodyguard Hans Rattenhuber told about this trip (from the interrogation reports published in the newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda):
“I have already indicated that Hitler and Mussolini each rode their own special train..
Flights to Brest and Uman also were committed in various aircraftbecause there was a special instruction from Hitler on this matter."
"The pilot for Mussolini, Hitler appointed his chief pilot, Lieutenant General Baur, and Hitler's plane was led by Colonel Doldi."
« During their car trips, Hitler and Mussolini sat in the back together … Adjutant Schaub or Schmidt usually sat next to Kempka's driver in the same car.
"I was not present during the conversations between Hitler and Mussolini, so their content is unknown to me."
Four day visit
We also managed to find references that Mussolini's visit to Hitler was by no means a one-day one.
It turned out that Mussolini came to Hitler a few days before his trip to the Ukrainian Uman.
His visit to the Fuehrer began on August 25, 1941. The Italian dictator first arrived in Rastenburg at Hitler's headquarters (today it is Poland, the city of Kętrzyn / Kętrzyn).
From there, both dictators went to Brest the next day.
Hitler really wanted to brag about the capture of a fortified Soviet fortress.
There they examined the ruins of the Brest Fortress.
There is evidence that “suddenly Mussolini drew attention to some inscription scrawled on the wall, and asked to translate these words for him from Russian:
« I'm dying but not giving up! Goodbye beloved homeland ».
This inscription shocked very much dictator. Mussolini the rest of the day was unusually silent."
And only then Hitler would take Mussolini to the Ukraine in the city of Uman.
After the trip to Uman, both flew away from there by plane.
It must be said that this four-day visit of Mussolini to Hitler and the Eastern Front was also filmed by German cameramen.
It was from those documentaries that the Germans assembled a propaganda newsreel. The purpose of this video was to convince German viewers of the imminent victory of the Wehrmacht.
However, we recall that in a couple of months, in December of the same 1941, the Nazi offensive near Moscow will be stopped by the Red Army. True, that summer, neither Hitler nor Mussolini had yet suspected this fiasco.
You can make sure that the above archival photographs from various sources were indeed taken, including during Hitler's visit to Ukraine on August 28, 1941 in the city of Uman, by watching a five-minute video (5:27).
However, these were far from all the important events from that Fuehrer's trip to Ukraine.
Uman pit
The witnesses of that trip of the Fuhrer to Uman point to another extremely significant detail of that tour.
Among other things, Hitler wanted to show Mussolini his main trophy - the captured Red Army soldiers from the Uman cauldron. The Germans then placed them in a concentration camp, which in common parlance was called the "Uman pit". It was located not far from Uman.
Some documents and testimonies were published in the newspaper "Tyumensky Courier" in No. 160-161 of September 2-3, 2011, where, in particular, it was indicated that on that day (August 28, 1941) a cortege of Hitler's and Mussolini's cars from the Uman airfield first turned to the place where thousands of Soviet prisoners of war were kept. It was a quarry of a brick factory, turned by the invaders into a transit concentration camp, which went down in history under the name "Uman Pit".
There, in the former foundation pit, where they used to extract clay for a brick factory, almost 70-80 thousand people were kept in the mud right in the open air. Although, according to the admission of the fascists themselves, no more than ten thousand prisoners could be accommodated there.
Before taking prisoners of the Red Army men who were in the Uman cauldron, the Nazis constantly bombarded them with such leaflets:
The text stated that the Germans allegedly guaranteed:
"German officers and soldiers will give … a good welcome, feed … and get a job."
"You will be well treated and fed, and you will soon return to your homeland."
Lies.
The local museum specialists have preserved the footage shot by the Germans themselves. They show better than any words what exactly this “Uman pit” was like for Soviet prisoners of war at that time.
These three plus minutes (3:41) are worth watching. To be horrified at the exact position of the captured Red Army soldiers in August 1941 near Uman.
This is exactly such a true German GULAG (this is a word-quote from a film fragment), as it was recorded by documentary filmmakers in this short video, entitled "Uman Pit" Hitler showed Mussolini on that day, August 28, 1941. Apparently, it was this impressively tragic spectacle that was the main and main goal of that very visit to the city of Uman in Ukraine, both for Adolf Hitler and for Benito Mussolini.
This should not be forgotten.
Start of construction of Hitler's palace in Ukraine
Well, where is the promised story about Hitler's palace in Ukraine?
Here we are just in time for the story about him and came close.
The fact is that, in the summer of 1941, Hitler seriously began to think about the fact that, they say, it would be time for him to acquire a secret permanent and personal residence exactly there, on the lands of Ukraine that he loved.
And at that time he was very actively looking for a place for his future chic Ukrainian nest.
His idea was truly grandiose: I wanted to build something colossal and amazing there. Something that he had never had before in Europe.
Helpful subordinates offered him various options for plots of Ukrainian land for the upcoming construction. The Fuhrer thought, found fault with the details and chose.
The goals and purpose of the construction of the Fuehrer's residence in Ukraine were carefully classified. The Nazis deliberately spread rumors that they were building supposedly rest homes for German soldiers and officers who were fighting on the Eastern Front. They even came up with a sign:
"Sanatorium".
In the next article, we will tell you and show what kind of a unique palace-sanatorium Hitler erected for himself in occupied Ukraine. And we will also continue to acquaint you with those places that are marked on the tourist routes of Ukraine today with the words:
"Here was the rescuer, Hitler."
