...I had first come across the writings of U- in the 23rd of September. The General Walker in Berchtesgaden was to be demolished in a few years, the proclamation having come from the Bavarian municipality. As with any Nazi facility, there were a host of antechambers, bomb shelters, hidden caches and were not to be treated lightly. The work was perilous at times, dangerous to be more fair, and ridden with the all consuming bit of dust that turned off the majority of twenty somethings. Those didn't even get to the dust, they allowed their own mild interest to do that for them.
There was one such room that hadn't seen the light from, by my reckoning, 1946. It was a lean-to at best, just slats of wood and beams holding off the very end of a long berm. It was only discovered when I stopped the excavation having seen the all too familiar pattern of lines that were contrasted when the berm broke apart. Shadows and light make up most of history.
The room was comprised of empty crates, once destined to hold the Model 43 Stielhandgrante, but, efficient Allied forces smartly took them away. By the looks of the room it may have been a hideaway to escape the occasional heat of the late August Alps. There was a lamp, a cot, a few tins that were rusted beyond recognition. There must have been occasional dampness in the room.
There were personal effects in the far corner of the room. Seemingly not interested to be found, as the owner simply piled up the stack of papers underneath the cot, right against the small natural stone brickwork that dotted each corner of the space. We tend to forget that the average size, even 40-something years ago, was slightly smaller than we are today. I had to hunker down the entire time, but I figured a man of about 5' 2" could easily find the space comfortable.
The papers were in a series of leather bound, loose-knot enclosures. The paper was fine and I appreciated that it was made of a good mix of CaCO3, calcium carbonate, and still had a sheen to the little light that came in through the slats above.
I packed these into a bin, along with the lamp, a pair of glasses (broken), some writing instruments and a small hardwood keepsake (octagonal). The rest couldn't stand any more damage and would become like the rest of the berm: dust.
I had to attend to some other antechambers of the General Walker (before, der Platterhof). I scanned the documents quickly for a reference. I came upon a name that was repeated through-out. The bin was marked, "23SEP--, GWH, NEE, 50.16'x8.21', berm extension antechamber, affects = "Perfecia"".
