Skeletons missing hands and feet, as well as those of a baby, have been discovered under the house of Nazi commander Hermann Goering.
German and Polish archaeologists made the discovery while digging in Poland’s Wolf’s Den, a complex of bunkers and ruins that once served as the forestry headquarters of Adolf Hitler’s inner circle.
Under a wooden floor in Goering’s house, about 10 cm underground, the group found the remains of a human skull. Further excavation revealed five skeletons: three adults, a teenager and a baby.
All five bodies were missing their hands and feet, prompting Polish prosecutors to launch an investigation into whether they were victims of Nazi war crimes.
Excavations found no traces of clothing or jewelry, suggesting that the victims’ bodies were looted and stripped naked before being buried.
Oktavian Bartoszewski, one of the researchers, suspects that the bodies were buried after the house was built, because the remains were under pipes.
“Those who laid the pipes should have discovered the human remains,” he told Spiegel magazine. “We were completely shocked.”
Polish police said they found no evidence of a recent crime, reinforcing suspicions that the case dates back to World War II and may even personally implicate Goering, who was one of the most powerful figures of the Nazi Party and the leader of the Nazi Party. of the Luftwaffe during the war.
The Wolf’s Lair consists of around 200 buildings and was established in occupied Poland in 1940, becoming one of Hitler’s favorite hideouts.
It was also the scene of Hitler’s famous failed assassination attempt on July 20, 1944, during which he narrowly avoided being killed by a bomb planted by Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, a Nazi officer.
Over the years, amateur sleuths have unearthed all manner of relics at the site, from tableware to personal effects that may have belonged to members of the Nazi inner circle.
But Goering’s house was believed to have given up all its secrets before this week’s grisly discovery.
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