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Skeletons with hands and feet missing are discovered buried at ‘Wolf’s Lair’ home of Hermann Goring: Horrifying find of three adults, a teenager and a baby by amateur archeologists sparks murder probe

Skeletons without hands or feet have been discovered beneath the home of Nazi war criminal Hermann Goring in the sprawling bunker complex Adolf Hitler used as a headquarters during World War II.

Part of Hitler’s inner circle who went on to be the highest-ranking Nazi official tried at Nuremberg, Reichsmarschall Goring is responsible for some of history’s most heinous crimes against humanity.

His home in northeastern Poland was considered to have been thoroughly researched, until a team of local researchers and amateur archaeologists set out to uncover a wooden floor in the concrete building.

The German-Polish excavators went to the haunting site in the hope of finding some nails or other building materials, and instead uncovered something much darker.

The remains of three adults, a teenager and a baby were exposed in the dig, each of which appeared to have been buried naked and had no hands or feet. A murder inquiry has now been launched into their gruesome deaths. 

Skeletons without hands or feet have been discovered beneath the home of Nazi war criminal Hermann Goring in the sprawling bunker complex Adolf Hitler used as a headquarters during World War II. Pictured: Archaeologists are seen working at the site of the discovery

An archaeologist holds up a skull found beneath the bunker complex

An archaeologist holds up a skull found beneath the bunker complex

Hermann Goring's house in Wolf's Lair. Former war headquarters of Adolf Hitler in Poland

Hermann Goring’s house in Wolf’s Lair. Former war headquarters of Adolf Hitler in Poland

Hermann Goring was the highest-ranking Nazi official tried for World War II war crimes in tribunals held in Nuremberg

Hermann Goring was the highest-ranking Nazi official tried for World War II war crimes in tribunals held in Nuremberg

Wolfsschanze, where Hitler's bunker was located, is situated in the northeast region of Poland

Wolfsschanze, where Hitler’s bunker was located, is situated in the northeast region of Poland

Goring (right) was part of Hitler's inner circle who went on to be the highest-ranking Nazi official tried at Nuremberg

Goring (right) was part of Hitler’s inner circle who went on to be the highest-ranking Nazi official tried at Nuremberg

Located in the Masurian woods in northern Poland, the Wolf’s Lair was used as a base for Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union

‘We were completely shocked,’ says Oktavian Bartoszewski, who has been working with the research association at the site for some years, Der Spiegel reports.

It is unclear if Goring’s residence in the building predated the deaths, with Bartoszewski claiming that the bodies may have been dumped before the house was built in 1940.

He said that workers who laid the pipes would have been unable to miss the bodies if they had been there at that point, meaning Goring himself may have known about the deaths. 

However, there are also theories that they could have been victims of a mass killing that came after the Nazi hideout was abandoned. 

It is also not known if the victims’ bodies had their hands and feet amputated or if their bones decomposed over decades.

Piotrek Banaszkiewicz from the Latebra Foundation which was involved in the discovery said: ‘During the uncovering of the first skeleton, as they moved from the ribs through the pelvis to the shinbones, another skull unexpectedly appeared, surprising them.

The Wolf's Lair: It was from this secret complex in northern Poland that Hitler orchestrated some his most terrorizing campaigns on the Eastern Front

The Wolf’s Lair: It was from this secret complex in northern Poland that Hitler orchestrated some his most terrorizing campaigns on the Eastern Front

Chilling images show the reinforced bunker overrun by foliage and moss, but its looming structure still stands in place

Chilling images show the reinforced bunker overrun by foliage and moss, but its looming structure still stands in place

The site already attracts 300,000 tourists visit every year at a fee of 15 zloty (£3.18), but organisers say that they want to draw in more visitors

The site already attracts 300,000 tourists visit every year at a fee of 15 zloty (£3.18), but organisers say that they want to draw in more visitors

‘This prompted the police to decide on conducting a series of exploratory digs to determine if more human remains were beneath the floor.’

‘Upon uncovering the second skeleton, below the shinbones, infantile remains appeared.

What is the Wolf’s Lair? 

The complex dubbed Wolf’s Lair – Wolfsschanze in German – was named as such owing to Hitler often referring to himself as ‘the Wolf’.

The site of around 200 buildings was built in 1940 in the wooded area of northeastern Poland.

It is a natural fortress – backing onto the Masurian lakes which acted as an obstacle for the Soviet army and situated within dense forest, making air attacks difficult.

Many of the buildings were destroyed in 1944, but such was the strength of parts of the bunker that they could not be demolished.

Hitler spent more than 800 days at the bolthole during the war. 

The location is perhaps best known for the assassination attempt on Hitler by a German army officer Claus von Stauffenberg in 1944.

Though three people were killed, the dictator managed to escape relatively unscathed in the 20 July plot.  

‘The sight shocked us. Initially, we thought they were animal bones, and we weren’t sure what we were dealing with until a delicate skull emerged at one point.

‘During the third exploratory dig, additional remains were uncovered. This time, we came across the remains of an adult. All of this took place at night.

‘After a moment of reflection, the phrase was uttered: ‘there is another.’ To the left of the last discovered remains, more teenage remains appeared.

‘The first set of remains was arranged unnaturally; the spine was highly curved, and the deformed skull without a visible eye socket and a displaced jaw suggests that the individual might have dealt with significant health issues during their lifetime, although this might mean the remains were displaced.

‘The jawbone of the skull had worn-down teeth, indicating an elderly person.

‘Throughout subsequent stages of uncovering human remains, the police continuously conducted documentation activities, recording what was observed and taking photographic documentation.

‘After some time, a hearse arrived to collect the remains and transport them for examination.’

He added: ‘None of the skeletons had any clothing on – the bodies were buried without clothes.

The public prosecutor’s investigation is ongoing, and its findings will be published in due course.

Located in the Masurian Woods in northern Poland, the Wolf’s Lair used to be a sprawling 618 acre complex.

It was used as Hitler’s part-time base during the years 1941-1943 and it was from here that he launched a Nazi invasion into the Soviet Union, known as Operation Barbarossa.

Reinforced bunkers on the site are now overrun by foliage and moss, but its looming structures still stands in place after their density made them difficult to rip down.

The complex dubbed Wolf's Lair - Wolfsschanze in German - was named as such owing to Hitler often referring to himself as 'the Wolf'

The complex dubbed Wolf’s Lair – Wolfsschanze in German – was named as such owing to Hitler often referring to himself as ‘the Wolf’ 

The discovery of the bones in Goring’s home is potentially the most chilling to have been made since the site was turned into a morbid tourist attraction in 1959. 

One of Hitler’s right-hand men, Goring held many positions of power and influence in the Nazi state.

He was Commander in Chief of the German Air Force, Director of the Four Year Plan in the German economy, and a key force behind the Holocaust.

It was Goring who ordered Security Police chief Reinhard Heydrich to organize and coordinate a ‘total solution’ to the ‘Jewish question’ in 1941.

He was sentenced to death at Nuremberg before taking his own life the night before he was due to be executed.

What were the Nuremberg Trials?

The Nuremberg trials were a series of military tribunals held by the Allied forces under international law and the laws of war following the Second World War.

They were notable for the prosecution of leading figures from the political, military, judicial and economic leadership of Nazi Germany. Many of these figures were responsible for war crimes including the Holocaust and systematic ethnic cleansing of non-Aryan races.

The trials were held in the city of Nuremberg, Germany, and are described as the ‘greatest trial in history’.

Held between November 20, 1945 and October 1, 1946, the Tribunal was given the task of trying 24 of the most important figures within the Third Reich.

Hermann Goering:  Reichsmarschall, Commander of the Luftwaffe 1935–45, Chief of the 4-Year Plan 1936–45, and original head of the Gestapo until 1934. 

Originally the second-highest-ranked member of the Nazi Party and Hitler’s designated successor, he fell out of favour with the Nazi leader in April 1945. He was the highest ranking Nazi official to be tried at Nuremberg. 

Goering was sentenced to hanging, but committed suicide by ingesting cyanide while waiting to be executed.

Rudolf Hess: Hitler’s Deputy Fuhrer until he flew to Scotland in 1941 in a bid to broker peace with the United Kingdom. Was sentenced to life imprisonment for war crimes. At the age of 93, Hess is said to have hanged himself. 

Dr Robert Ley: Head of DAF – the German Labour Front. Ley committed suicide on 25 October 1945, before the trial began. He was indicted but neither acquitted nor found guilty as trial did not proceed.

Albert Speer: Was sentenced to 20 years in prison for crimes against peace and humanity. Hitler’s close friend and favorite architect, he was the Minister of Armaments from 1942 until the end of the war. In this capacity, he was responsible for the use of slave labourers from the occupied territories in armaments production.

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