Chapter 578: Wolf's Lair
The car continued forward, but soon an open area appeared ahead. Camouflage nets and some deliberately preserved vegetation concealed a large number of ground facilities, such as a lawn that could park several helicopters, and a parking lot large enough to accommodate more than 30 cars.
Around the entire open area, an anti-aircraft battalion and a radar warning battalion were deployed, along with a regiment of the 0th SS Division responsible for the security of the core area. The Führer’s safety had always been a top priority for the German high command, so there were more than two divisions of troops surrounding the entire Wolf’s Lair.
The core area of the Wolf’s Lair was a semi-underground defensive complex in the center, covered with vegetation. The most important conference rooms and command areas were protected by reinforced concrete. If not for the construction schedule and the Führer’s insistence on economy, a vast underground complex would have been built. However, the entire project was greatly simplified by Akado; he did not want to waste resources on a dispensable forest villa.
In the end, for the absolute safety of Führer Akado and to ensure the security of the Reich’s high command gathered here, the German designers had designed a semi-bunker-like structure, which had reduced the cost and also strengthened some of the impact-resistant structures. And so, everyone was happy and very satisfied with this new command post.
In fact, the most terrifying thing here was that it was deployed with 300 radios and a command team of over 1,000 people. It could be said that, apart from the imperial capital of Berlin, this was the place with the highest concentration of German command personnel. So to call it the Eastern Front General Headquarters was not an exaggeration at all.
At the main entrance of the Wolf’s Lair, four SS soldiers saw Akado step out of his car, immediately raised their arms, stood at attention, and shouted the slogan “Long live the Führer.” Akado casually gestured for the soldiers to be at ease, then led Anna, Manstein, and the others into the Wolf’s Lair.
The lighting was slightly dimmer than in the bright Führer’s residence, but compared to an ordinary basement, it could be considered a very bright and luxurious configuration. Akado walked forward along the corridor, the sound of his footsteps echoing back and forth. He was followed by many, many aides. To this day, wherever Akado went, he was surrounded by a large entourage. At the very least, his advisory group and personal staff numbered as many as 20 people. These people included experts on munitions and weapons, architectural engineers, and even a Russian translator. The communication with Vlasov just now had been relayed by the translator at his side. It seemed this Russian translator was very professional.
On both sides of the corridor were various rooms: some were reception rooms, some were security rooms, and some were telegraph rooms. Because there were so many radios, the telegraph rooms were even categorized accordingly: there were radios specifically for contacting Africa, radios for commanding the Eastern Front, and some radios were used to contact the homeland. These radios were also classified by branch of service, with some for contacting the Air Force General Staff and some for contacting the Naval General Staff.
There was even a dedicated espionage agency here to counter the infiltration of enemy spies. After winning unprecedented victories with the help of spies several times, the German military’s emphasis on espionage work had also risen to an unprecedented height. Counter-espionage work was listed as a top priority and was carried out within various departments, cracking many major spy cases hidden within the Wehrmacht.
Before the war began, the German army had conducted research on password protection and had ultimately determined a four-set reserve password plan ready to be swapped out whenever necessary. As the war progressed, the passwords had been changed on a large scale twice, which had kept German communications in a very secure environment. The Allies had been unable to decipher the codes used by the German army.
Akado visited one room after another, then greeted the NCOs and officers who were already busy inside. He shook hands with these officers and soldiers amiably, and discussed the breakfast and the weather with them. Everyone who had shaken hands with Akado seemed particularly excited. At the very least, everyone who worked here was a die-hard loyalist of Akado Rudolph. If necessary, with a single order from Akado, most of these people would choose to die for the Führer without hesitation.
When the state machinery goes into full swing to build a monument to one person, the effect can often be incredible. If a country’s leader appears in the news every day, doing good deeds for the people, winning honor for the country, and by chance all the people feel the benefits and changes he has brought, then isn’t it easy for this person to ascend to a divine altar?
In another timeline, Goebbels had used this method to send Hitler to the divine altar. And in this timeline, Fanny had used the same means to shape Akado into a great national idol. Now, most Germans fanatically worshiped Akado, were willing to go to the battlefield for such a leader, willing to face death for such a leader.
And so he walked all the way into Akado’s own office. This was the core of the fortifications. There was an internal garden with a forest and a pond with a few small fish in it. This garden was the center of the entire underground complex. Only the Führer’s room had a window facing it, and the sunlight and the trees made Akado very satisfied. At the very least, he could go for a walk here when he was bored, without worrying about being disturbed by others.
“You and Brauchitsch have done a good job. I am very satisfied with this place. At least personally, I feel there is nothing wrong with spending a hot summer here,” Akado said with a smile to Manstein, who had followed him in, looking at the walls of the office.
On the wall behind Akado’s desk was a huge German national emblem of an eagle clutching a swastika. On one side wall hung two famous paintings looted from Ukraine, and on the other, a situation map of the German Eastern Front. There was no proper classified intelligence marked on it, only the actual line of control between the two sides was roughly drawn. The map and the famous paintings, plus the window and the door, constituted the simple and grand style of this office’s walls. On both sides of the office were a bedroom and a private reception room. There were really many rooms, enough for Akado to use.
Everyone knew that Anna was to live with the Führer. Perhaps the Minister of Propaganda, Fanny, who had come along, would also move in. So the Führer’s quarters had several bedrooms. The central master bedroom had a rather large soft bed. It seemed the person who had arranged this bedroom had put in a lot of effort. After visiting his own room, Akado returned to the office, sat down on the genuine sofa, and gestured for Manstein not to be formal either.
“My Führer, I hear that little Caesar is in good health. But for you to leave Berlin at this time seems not very good,” Manstein said, his business done and his mood apparently good, as he showed concern for Akado’s son.
Akado smiled and waved his hand. “Because of this little fellow, I didn’t even leave Berlin when the Eastern Front war began. Now it’s fine. He prefers to sleep in his mother’s arms. I’ve become a dispensable person, so I hurried over to fulfill the duties a Führer should.”
“My Führer, you are too modest,” Manstein said with a smile. “For someone like you to dissolve your own enterprise to help the entire German people defeat the enemy and walk towards glory, you will forever be our model.”
“Don’t think of me as too great. I have taken this position and started the war. If I fail in the end, then just think about the fate of the loser. So I must win, for me, for my child, for my women,” Akado said, glancing at Anna and continuing, “For them, and also for myself, I can only choose to compromise.”
If life could be chosen, Akado would not have chosen this path of world domination again. He would not have paid any more attention to Hitler, would not have cared about von Seeckt’s plan to strengthen the army. He would have chosen to be a rich man. Of course, he was also unwilling to have regrets. Then he would not have met Mercedes, would not have met Anna, and would not have been able to gather so many followers.
Life is just like this, full of helplessness. You can never have it all. To have power over the world looks magnificent, but sometimes you must sacrifice a lot of freedom and interests. To be as rich as a country sounds incredibly happy, but the endless business and social engagements will definitely leave you with no time for romance.
At that time, Akado had chosen to ascend to the stage of the Führer and to begin the chapter of world domination. So he could only, at Speer’s suggestion, reorganize his White Orchid Group, could only choose to compromise with the greedy Jewish merchants, could only work tirelessly and endlessly to navigate between the nobles, the military, and the financiers. This was destined from his first choice back then and could not be changed. There was only one end for quitting halfway: to be torn to pieces by both the enemy and his own side, with not even a corpse left behind.
The war had begun. Everyone had taken the position that history had assigned them. Akado could not shrink back, so he chose to continue walking, to continue walking step by step for everyone. He prayed that he could obtain the final victory, prayed that he could win the chance to withdraw and live a life of freedom in the future.
Looking at Akado’s wry smile, Manstein closed his mouth. He stood up, stood at attention, and bowed his head to Akado to show his respect and understanding. “No matter what, my Führer, I, Manstein, will always support you and be your most loyal subordinate!”
“Thank you, General. I will also do my best to lead you to win the victory in the war!” Akado walked to his side and patted his shoulder. “That’s why I came to the Wolf’s Lair, to stand here. Later, have someone send over the defensive plan for the Eastern Front… By the way, you personally, in the name of the High Command, send a telegram to Rommel and ask him how the siege of Tobruk is going. The smoother his side is, the closer we are to victory.”
“Yes, sir!” Manstein stood at attention, turned, and walked out.
Published: 2025-09-07T03:31:23.000+00:00
Last Edited: 2026-01-04T19:56:49.000+00:00
URL: https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair/posts/mtr-c578-wolfs-138319720
Advance chapters at Nightjar Reads · nightjarreads.com