Chaps,

With a possible view to making a small scale vignette utilising a bunker from the massive complex at Zossen (respectively the HQs of OKH and OKW)does anyone know of any photographs other than the singleton posted on the 3rd Reich in Ruins site that shows the complex undamaged?

Nearly all other photos are taken post war when the Soviets demolished just about all. There doesn't seem to be much on the worldwide web and the Schieffer book is sparse.

Any help or guidance would be much appreciated.

Thanks in anticipation,

Brian

Interresting topic you dug out...

With a quick ckeck on the german wikipedia, I found out that Maybach I were consistet dout of several bunker houses, and looked "almost" like a normal village, while the Zeppelin communication bunker was dug in. All structures were connected with eachother:



here are some b/w pics, you have to scroll down a bit:
http://www.thirdreichruins.com/berlin3.htm

a few more:
http://reenactors.eu/archives/2619

and a lot of pics from today, but you have to sign in...
https://www.bunker-nrw.de/php/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=874

Fabian,

Many thanks; the 2 black and white photos showing the Russians in Maybach 1 (from the re-enactors' site)were very interesting, although a little blurred. It's the bunker "Houses" I'm really interested in although any pictures of say, barriers and checkpoints would also help. I have the dimensions (length and breadth) of the "Houses" but not the height although I can probably work that out from the photos of the ruins.

of course, details of the camouflage would also be useful.

I am not planning a huge diorama - if indeed it comes off at all - but just a portion of one of these massive buildings would enable me to display a couple of staff cars, and personnel in an attempt to capture the whole "atmosphere" of such a mammoth undertaking ie that of a dedicated all encompassing HQ dedicated to operations on a massive scale.

Of course, it may prove to be too difficult but I am always keen to model something different!

Thanks again.

Brian

Isn´t that what makes modelling so interresting?
No Problem, as I´m also interrested in the topic... would be cool if you you could share your build...

I´ve came across a pic quite good for getting the height of the houses:


The cammo is a quite funny thing, but not that seldom seen in Germany... schould have been hard to differenciate between a real hause and a bunker house from the air..

on the reenactors site is a pic of a door, which is a simple steel door, coverd with wood, to look liek a normal one.
I can´t really tell what they really did with the windows in Zossen, but on other facilities there was some wood for the 3D-effect, but the rest was painted on the concrete, sometimes even including curtains

same as above, (sign-up required), showing a quite simmilar house, almost on the end of the site:

https://www.bunker-nrw.de/php/viewtopic.php?t=871

Havent found a pic of the windows right now, but it should be google-able

Fabian,

Thanks again; a quick estimate works out at around 17m in height, so I've probably got enough to start building, but I might wait a little longer (I have more than enough on-going projects that need completion).

The trick will be to make it look like a camouflaged bunker pretending it is a house and not just a badly painted house!

I also tend to restrict my models to an A3 sized base as that way I can transport them in old photocopying paper boxes, so that too will impact on what I can actually build yet still portray the mass of one of the structures.

Still I'm also thinking of doing a model of part of the Wolfschanze as well so if that works then I'll have a go at a small part of Maybach.

It is a shame that there's not much more covered photographically although I suppose as a secret HQ one should expect that.

I don't think I'll start anything much before the Summer but thank you again for your help and interest.

Regards,

Brian

The most important thing for a secret HQ is that it remains secret... seems logical?
So I doubt that there are much pics of the complex still in use...

What you could do is showing a house while it´s camouflaged... some guys doing the lawn, someone painting a window, and some generals on checking the progress...

Damm, now I want to build that, too

What the whole Zossen complex really needs is something like an architect's model in say, 1:200 or something - just to do the whole thing justice, and to help people understand the scale of the thing.

I understand there is a museum nearby (would it be Wunsdorf?)- perhaps they've got some sort of model there...?

Just a thought - and a hope!