Location: At the end of Rue de la Biette (outside the village) is a soccerfield. Behind it is the bunker.
Today: Still there
The bunker Hitler really visited in 1940 is on the end of the Rue de la Biette. What Hitler did here in WW1 is unknown, but he knew the area very well.
(picture: the Hitlerpages, 2007)
Location: Unknown
Today: Could very well still be there
There are two so called ‘Hitlerbunkers in the area of Fromelles/Aubers, but it’s not clear what the exact Hitlerbunker was during World War 1. It’s not proven that Hitler was stationed at one of these bunkers, but there were a lot of bunkers in this area and Hitler knew the area very well. The pictures below show Hitler in front of a WW 1 bunker. It doesn’t look like it’s the bunkers that are know as the Hitlerbunker.
Crossing Fromelles (5)
Location: Crossing of the roads D141 and D22
The group left the cars at a crossing in Fromelles.
Hitler and his men in Fromelles (picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
the guards in front of the house. (pictures: Russell, 2006)
Location: Rue Faidherbe 966
Today: Still there
Another building where Hitler was stationed in 1916 was a butchery on Rue Faidherbe 966. During the Second World War the butchery was guarded and there was a sign that said: ‘In diesem Quartier lag 1916 unser Fuehrer Adolf Hitler als Soldat des Bayr. JNF. RGT. List’. The sign is broken, but it is on display at the museum of Fromelles.
Location: Rue de Faidherbe
Today: Still there. It serves as the town hall (mairie)
Hitler’s motorcade drove to Fournes en Weppes first. Hitler was stationed here in WW1. There are different pictures made here of Hitler accompanied by fellow soldiers. Most of them are made in the garden of the regiment building.
(picture: Russell, 2006)
(picture: Russell, 2006)
(picture: Mit Hitler im Westen, 1940)
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
(picture: Russell, 2006)
(picture: Kershaw, 1998)
FOURNES EN WEPPES (FRANCE)
Loocation: Road between Fromelles and Aubers (D141), just a few steps from the road
Today: Still there
On the road between Fromelles and Aubers are a lot of bunkers. One of them is the so called Hitlerbunker, the bunker where Hitler was said to have been stationed in 1915. It was a German bunker in WW1, but there is no prove that this is a bunker Hitler used to stay at. There are also no pictures of Hitler visiting the bunker in 1940, but this doesn’t mean he couldn’t have known the bunker.
but there’s no proof Hitler was here in WW1.
(picture: the Hitlerpages, 2007)
Hitler visited the Champagne and Vlaanderen on June 25 and 26 together with Max Amann and Ernst Schmied, old friends from the First World War.
1. Lille Airport 1b. Noyelles-
3. Butchery, Fournes en Weppes 3b. Route between Fournes and Fromelles
4. Farm, Fromelles 5. Crossing, Fromelles
6. Hitlerbunker, Fromelles 6b. End of Rue de la Biethe, Fromelles 7. The ‘wrong’ Hitlerbunker, Fromelles 8. English WW1 cemetery, Aubers
9. La Bassee 10. Béthune 11. Cassel 12. Cappelle la Grande 13. Dunkerque 14. Bergues 15. D916A 16. Rattekot 17. Rexpoëde 18. Roesbrugge
19. Poperinge 20. Messines 21. Gros Caillou
HISTORICAL HITLER SITES
Lille Airport (1)
Location: D145
Today: Airport Lille-
In the morning of June 26 Hitler and his men went to Lille by plane for a trip through southwest Belgium and the northern parts of France.
LILLE (FRANCE)
NOYELLES-
Route through Noyelles-
Exact route: Unknown
On the way to Fournes en Weppes Hitler and his company drove through Noyelles-
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
(picture: the Hitler Pages, 2009)
Location: Southern edge of Fromelles, on the D22, last farm on the left
Today: Still there
The next stop was Fromelles. Hitler was stationed in a farm on the edge of Fromelles in WW1.
FROMELLES (FRANCE)
(picture: the Hitler Pages, 2009)
ROUTE TO FROMELLES (FRANCE)
Route from Fournes en Weppes to Fromelles (3b)
Route: D141A
Today: Still there
On their way to Fromelles the cars took the D141A.
The road to Fromelles in 1940
(left picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
and the same location years later
(right picture: After the Battle Magazine)
Location where the cars where parked (6b)
Location: End of the Rue de la Biette
Today: Still there
There’s a picture of Linge cleaning Hitler’s shoes when they return from the bunker in the fields behind the Rue de la Biette.
Hitler returns to his car and has his boots cleaned.
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
English WW1 cemetery
Location: Route d’Herlies (between the Rue de Valmonchy and the Chemin de la Croix Rouge)
Today: Still there
It looks like Hitler visited this cemetery when he came through Aubers.
Aubers was taken by the British army on October 17, 1914. The village was recaptured by the Germans within a few days. In early October 1918 Aubers fell into British hands again. This time for good. The cemetery was made after the Armistice.
(pictures: the Hitlerpages, 2009)
AUBERS (FRANCE)
LA BASSEE (FRANCE)
Channel bridge (9)
Location: Route de Lens-
Today: There is a new bridge.
The next location on the route that was on the Heinrich Hoffmann pictures was the channel in La Bassee. After The Battle Magazine found back this location and the ones that follow.
The channel on the southside of La Bassee was pictured from the bridge.
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
BETHUNE (FRANCE)
Route past Bethune (10)
Exact route: Probably the D941
The cars that were headed for Dunkerque probably took the road that is now called the D941 towards Bethune.
CASSEL (FRANCE)
Route through or past Cassel (11)
Exact route: Uknown
The cars went past Cassel to get to the D916, along the channel to Dunkerque.
Hitler’s motorcade in Cappelle la Grande, on the D916
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
CAPPELLE LA GRANDE (FRANCE)
Route through Cappelle la Grande (12)
Exact route: D 916 along the channel, in front of a (former) butchery
Today: Still there
The cars went past through Cappelle la Grande on the D916 to get to Dunkerque.
DUNKERQUE (FRANCE)
Dunkerque (13)
Location: Unknown
Looking at the history of the place during the German invasion it’s not so strange that Hitler wanted to see Dunkerque. What he did there and where he went, is unknown.
On the D916A in Rattekot, between Bergues and Rexpoëde
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
ROUTE THROUGH BERGUES (FRANCE) -
Route through Bergues (14), on the D916A (15) to Rattekot (16)
Exact route: Not sure. ‘Rattekot’ is probably on the crossing of Rue Rattekot,and the D916A
Today: Must have changed over the years
After the Battle Magazine located one of the Hoffmann pictures at Rattekot.
Rexpoëde (western edge)
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
REXPOËDE (FRANCE)
Location of a Hoffmann picture (17)
Exact location: Not sure. Somewhere on the western edge of the village.
Today: Unknown
After the Battle Magazine located one of the Hoffmann pictures at Rattekot.
Roesbrugge
(picture: Heinrich Hoffmann, 1940)
ROESBRUGGE (BELGIUM)
Location of a Hoffmann picture (18)
Exact location: Not sure
Today: Unknown
After the Battle Magazine located one of the Hoffmann pictures at Roesbrugge. The magazine says the cars were still on the way to Dunkerque, while looking at the map shows that it’s more likely they were already driving back east towards Poperinge.
In the book Korrektur einer Biografie of Joachimsthaler I found this picture. It
was made in front of the same café, with the same sign advertising Bieres Motte-
POPERINGE -
Route through Poperinge (19) and Messines (20)
Exact route: Unknown
On the way back to Lille Airport the cars passed Poperinge and Messines.
Lille Airport (1)
Location: D145
Today: Airport Lille-
At the end of the day Hitler and his men returned to Lille Airport to fly back to Le Gros Caillou (France) (21), the airfield near FHQ Wolfsschlucht 1 (Belgium).
LILLE (FRANCE)
