'', Hitler's home near
Berchtesgaden, became part of the
Obersalzberg military complex. Other than the
Wolfsschanze in
East Prussia, Hitler spent more time at the Berghof than anywhere else during
World War II. At the beginning of
World War II there were no permanent headquarters constructed for Hitler. The German leader would visit the frontlines using either aeroplanes or his special train, the
Führersonderzug; which could be considered as the first of his field headquarters. The first permanent Führer Headquarters was the
Felsennest, used by Hitler during the
Battle of France in May 1940. Hitler spent little time in Berlin during the war, and the dwellings he most frequently used were the
Berghof and the
Wolfsschanze, spending more than 800 days at the latter. The
Führer Headquarters were especially designed to work as command facilities for the
Führer, which meant all necessary demands were taken into consideration: communications, conference rooms, safety measures, bunkers, guard facilities, etc. The
Berghof and the Obersalzberg complex were modified and extended with considerable defense facilities (bunkers, guard posts etc.). The
Wehrmachtbericht, a daily propaganda broadcast covering the war, was transmitted from the
Führer Headquarters. The
Fuhrerhauptquartiere programme used over one million cubic metres of concrete, more than half at Anlage Riese and Wolfsschlucht II. Forced labourers worked for nearly 12 million working days—two-thirds at Anlage Riese, Wolfsschlucht II, and Wolfsschanze. The
Führer Headquarters cannot be considered as strict military headquarters; the
Wehrmacht had their own, distinctly located in other places, yet often in the vicinity of the FHQs. Nevertheless, because Hitler directly controlled much of the German war effort, the FHQs more often than not became
de facto military headquarters. In reality, Nazi Germany's military command during the war generally rested upon Hitler's directives, while the rest of the military command structure, especially the
Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) (directly controlled by Hitler) was reduced to executing his decisions, as compared to most other nations' command structures, which generally had more independence in decision-making.
Terminology '' in Berlin, 1945 Every place Hitler stayed cannot be considered as a
Führer Headquarters, and he did not stay at every official FHQ. Furthermore, some sources may not refer to the
Berghof and the as official German
Führerhauptquartiere at that time in history, but both of them became
de facto Führer Headquarters; thus, they are historically often referred to as such. The
Berghof was modified in much the same way as other FHQs, and Hitler had daily conferences on military matters there in the latter part of the war. It became a
de facto Führer Headquarters during the
Battle of Berlin, and ultimately,
the last of his headquarters. ==Headquarters locations==