Office of Tyrants: The New Reich Chancellery

New Reich Chancellery circa 1939

When one thinks about old government buildings in the context of Berlin, one almost always thinks about the Reichstag building, beautifully restored and in current use. Similarly, when one is asked to find old Nazi buildings in Berlin, it's a much tougher task. Simply put, the Allies, as well as the Germans, wanted to forget the events of World War II and Nazi rule, so many of the buildings that housed Nazi operations that weren't destroyed in the Battle of Berlin were later demolished. Under this category of demolished buildings includes the headquarters of the SS and Gestapo, now the Topagraphy of Terrors site, and the New Reich Chancellery, where Hitler's top brass had their offices, and was the cornerstone of Hitler's dream empire that was not to be.

In the years prior to the start of World War II, Hitler seemingly had pulled off a miracle: Germany had recovered from the Depression, work was abundant, and the shackles of the Versailles Treaty were finally being thrown down. In 1938, Hitler wanted to begin a new project, making Berlin the capital of a new world empire. This included an almost complete rebuild of most of the city, especially the government quarter. To do this, Hitler appointed his favorite architect Albert Speer, who had previously designed the Nuremburg rally site and the stadium used in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, to design a new Berlin, one that would supposedly 'make Paris look like just another city'.

Inside of the Chancellery

While nearly all of the elements of Berlin's rebuild were never completed due to the war, many elements were in fact completed. This culminated in the construction of the New Reich Chancellery. this was built to replace the Old Reich Chancellery, which was built during Bismarck's reign, and deemed by Hitler to be "suitable for a soap company". This new building was meant to be the tip of a new city axis, one that would go east to west, with the Brandenburg Gate in the middle. At the other end of the axis would go the Volkshalle, or People's Hall, where over 180,000 people could sit and hear Hitler speak. If that structure had been completed, it would have been the largest domed structure on the planet.

Hitler's office

The New Reich Chancellery housed many of Germany's top officials, and was lavishly furnished. Hitler's office, especially, held many fine examples of art and architecture. If one looks at how big everything is in Hitler's office, the furniture, the paintings, one could say that this was done intentionally to make any visiting diplomat feel small and insignificant compared to Hitler, although this is just a theory.

Hitler's desk as seen today

The New Chancellery served throughout the war years, although in the Battle for Berlin it was severely damaged. This was partly due to the fact that the Fuehrerbunker was located in the gardens next to the Chancellory, and also because the Soviets designated targets that would hold significant meaning to the defending Germans in order to effectively destroy them and leave nothing left for the defenders to make a rallied stand around.

After the war, the New Chancellery ended up in East Berlin, and the Soviets did not hesitate to demolish the building. However, pieces of the building were recycled to build their many memorials around Berlin, incorporating the stone into (supposedly) the Soviet War Memorial next to the Brandenburg Gate and into the memorial in Treptower Park. Today, the corner where the Chancellery once stood is occupied by an apartment building and a Chinese restaurant. until next time, take care, and thanks for reading.

P-61 Black Widow: Trailblazing Spider

In the sub genre of fancies that World War II historians, and other more casual persons, one of the more famous is the sub genre of World War II aircraft. In this sub genre are some pretty legendary names, such as the P-51 Mustang, the Me-262 jet fighter, and the Mitsubishi Zero. However, there is one plane in this category that debatably has set a precedent that has lasted for all subsequent military aviation designs. This aircraft is the Northrop P-61 Black Widow, and it has a very unique and special place in the history books.

The P-61 was conceptualized as early as 1940, over a year before the US entered the war. The US Air Officer in London, Lt. General Delos Emmons, was briefed by a representative of the RAF on their latest research in the field of RADAR, a high priority on the British military research list, as ground-based radar stations played a pivotal role in defending Britain from repeated Luftwaffe attacks. The peak of this meeting was the announcement of the development of a radar unit that could be built small enough to fit onto or into a plane and act independently of land-based stations, hence the potential for night fighter squadrons to be formed.

Indeed, the Navy began to form night fighter squadrons around 1943-44, that revolved around the Grumman F4F Wildcat, equipped with a wing-mounted radar pod. However, aircraft designers wanted to take the concept of a night fighter to the next level. Hence, the P-61 was born. In its first 'first', the Black Widow was the first plane built specifically to fight at night. The second 'first' comes from the fact that the Black Widow was the first plane to be designed specifically with radar integration in mind.

With this in mind, the first P-61s were deployed into combat in February 1944 to the European Theater, attached to the 422nd Night Fighter Squadron. Later on, the P-61 would also be shipped to the Pacific Theater. It is there that the Black Widow supposedly earned another spot in the history books. On the night of August 14/15, 1945, a Black Widow was spotted by a Japanese plane, which then crashed into the ocean while attempting evasive maneuvers. This lack of the Black Widow firing a shot in the kill means that the P-61 crew was not credited with the kill, officially that is.

P-61 at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum

After the war, the P-61 was turned into the F-15 Reporter reconnaissance plane. Under this guise, the Black Widow also served as the template for other reconnaissance planes that were developed later. The last Black Widow was officially retired in 1954. Out of the 742 planes made, only four survived to the present day. One, possibly two are located in China, where they were left when the USAF left China during the Revolution. Another is undergoing restoration in a museum in Pennsylvania. Only two are on display fully restored at the moment. The most viewed example is in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center outside Dulles Airport, while the other is in the US Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio.

When one looks back at the history of the P-61 and wonders what its legacy is in the modern world, consider that the P-61 not only inspired other dedicated night fighter aircraft, but also because it was designed specifically for radar, nearly every single military and civilian aircraft from the postwar years to the present was designed with radar in mind. Until next time, take care, and thanks for reading.

The Berlin Victory Column, WWII Survivor

At the center of an circular intersection of many streets in the Tiergarten, including the road leading to the Brandenburg Gate, there stands a pillar of stone topped by a bronze sculpture of Victoria. This is the Victory Column, commemorating the German, rather the Prussian, victories in the Unification Wars. Like many buildings in Berlin, it was subjected to various Allied bombings as well as the Soviet assault on the city at the end of World War II. However, like some other sights in Berlin, the Victory Column is a survivor.

The Victory Column was designed in 1864 to commemorate the Prussian victory over Denmark in the Danish-Prussian War. However, it was not completed and inaugurated until 1873, by which time the Prussians had defeated both Austria and France, and achieved the unification of all of Germany. This led to the change in the design of the monument to include cannons captured from each of the respective defeated nations on the first three of the four segments of sandstone.. Also, after the Franco-Prussian war, the statue of Victoria was added. Originally, the column stood in front of the Reichstag building.



Victory Column circa 1900



In 1938, Adolf Hitler and his personal architect Albert Speer made two decisions regarding the Column. The first decision was to relocate the column to its present location, 1500m from the proposed North-South axis of the New Berlin, exactly one Roman mile. The second decision was to add 7.5m to the overall height of the column, at the same time adding a golden garland ring to commemorate the end of the Battle for France. Also, Albert Speer designed the current system of four underground walkways that lead from the sidewalk under the street to the column, each sidewalk entrance covered by guardhouse-style shacks.



Bullet holes on the foundation

 It is because of the Nazis that the Column was saved. The stretch of street that the Column originally stood was devastated by Allied bombings over the course of the war. Even during the Soviet assault on the city, the Column survived relatively intact. However, even today the base of the column foundation is marked by bullet chips as well as the metal fascades that depict German military history. These sport random bullet holes in the heads of the soldiers depicted.

In the occupation years of the city, the monument was saved by the British and Americans from the French, who wished to dynamite the monument. Also, the French took the metal fascades off the monument in 1945 to prevent the Germans from being reminded of the its former glory. These were eventually returned in 1987 for the 750th anniversary of Berlin, but some sections still remain in France.

Today, the Victory Column is one of Berlin's most famous sights, located a short way from the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag, as well as the Soviet War Memorial. It also acts as a reminder of how the spirit of Germany has survived its most traumatic experience in the history of the country. Until next time, take care, and thanks for reading.

Stars and Stripes Review: April 20, 1943

In this issue of The Stars and Stripes, there's a fair amount of glory to be had at the hands of the Allies. The front page proudly states that the USAAF shot down 51 transport planes and damaged 30 more, to the loss of only nine planes. The article theorizes that these planes were carrying Axis troops out of Tunisia, which at this point in the war was the Afrika Corps' last bastion of defense. After two years of going back and forth across North Africa, the German Afrika Corps, under the command of Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, had run out of options. Only a matter of days after the release of this issue, the Axis troops in North Africa would surrender, around 250,000 soldiers taken prisoner.

This issue also has other tales of heroic victory over the Axis. There is a small article detailing a four day naval battle, in which a pack of German U-Boats were continually harassed and attacked by American coastal bombers, possibly claiming five subs destroyed. Also, there is mention of members of the US Eighth Air Force had received more Distinguished Flying Crosses and other medals, putting the total for the unit over 1700 awards.

Another interesting article in this issue may be just a morale booster, but may also be legitimate. There are rumors from refugees and escaped POWs that the Germans are growing nervous, now that North Africa has been taken, Axis troops are under a three front bombing campaign, and Europe is next. Hitler was claimed to have made a grand press tour of his Fortress Europe, the system of guns, mines, and obstacles that line the Atlantic side of Europe. Also in this story is a published German illustration of the best means by which infantry can attack a tank and avoid its line of fire.

In non-war-related news, there is mention of the Dodgers beating the Yankees 4-2, a Canadian infantryman wins the Boston AA Marathon, and the Amertex basketball team beat the US Navy construction team, the Sea Bees, 46-17. Also, interestingly enough, this early in the war, 32 US senators are opposed to the US acting as an international police force in the postwar world.

All of this wrapped up by refreshing cartoons of Li'l Abner and Blondie complete this review of the April 20, 1943 issue of the Stars and Stripes. Until next time, take care, and thanks for reading.