What were Maybach I & II in WWII?

Maybach I and II were a series of above and underground bunkers built 20 kilometres south of Berlin in Wünsdorf near Zossen, Brandenburg to house the High Command of the Army (in Maybach I) and the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces (in Maybach II) during the Second World War.

Along with the military fortress complex Zossen, Maybach I and II were instrumental locations from which central planning for field operations of the Wehrmacht took place, and they provided a key connection between Berlin’s military and civilian leadership to the front lines of battle. The complex was named after the Maybach automobile engine.

Between 15 and 17 January 1945, Oberkommando des Heeres (Supreme High Command of the German Army - OKH) moved into Maybach I. The army general staff moved their quarters into Maybach II. During 1945 the site was heavily bombed by both the British and Americans, including a raid on 15 March that injured Chief of the Army General Staff Hans Krebs.

On 20th of April 1945, the Soviet 3rd Armoured Guard Army threatened the HQ near Zossen. Gen. Krebs asked Hitler for permission to leave and destroy the important items. By the time Krebs received permission, it was too late to destroy anything.

At midday on the 20th of April, 1945, the OKH evacuated to Eiche near Potsdam and OKW to Krampnitz, and the Russians arrived in the afternoon, finding the site virtually empty.

The two Maybach bunkers were largely destroyed by the Soviet Armed Forces in late 1946.