About me and what I offer
Hello my name is Stephen Whitehorn. I am a full time World War two historian. I am currently based in the South of England – Battle of Britain research is a major part of my work and I also record all the Third Reich sites in the Munich area. I have lived in Southern Germany for a number of years and know this area when it comes to ´´on the ground WW2 sites´´ and their history like the back of my hand.
Southern Germany is almost like a second home to me. I offer a tour service to small groups of like minded people who are interested in WW2 and want to see these historic sites on the ground and be taken around by someone who has a depth of knowledge. As well as taking my fellow visitors to the more obvious places, I also take them to more tucked away places of interest off the beaten track – that they would not see on more “general´´ mass market tours.
So if you have a real interest in this period of history and want an in-depth on the ground tour with someone who also has a passion for the subject and on the ground local knowledge…get in touch
Steve Whitehorn
Third Reich Munich – I day tour
Munich was known as ´Hauptstadt der Bewegung´ -Capital of the Movement. The interesting thing about Munich as opposed to Berlin is that a high percentage of the buildings connected with this period survived the extensive allied bombing. So there is a huge amount to still see
On this tour you will see where the Nazi party was formed. Also to be seen are the two best surviving examples of Third Reich architecture in Germany, including the Führer Bau, Hitler´s Offices, where the Munich agreement was signed. Hitler´s flats are still in existence, his favourite restaurant, the key parade grounds and so on – there are even a few surviving swastikas and eagles tucked away if you know where to look.
This is a fascinating tour with a huge amount to see. Please note this tour involves a lot of walking – we also use some public transport (which is excellent in Munich – clean – efficient and on time!)
A meal in Hitler’s Italian restaurant is worth doing, I often arrange for people to stay in the hotel that stands on the site of where the beer hall putch started or the hotel where the SS was formed in the basement and we often go for beer in the beer hall where the Nazi party was launched from (if you like beer that is). This place is steeped in WW2 history and I try to include snippets of it within our social time. Alternatively if you want to go back to your hotel room and lie down – no problem.
I have a personal photographic archive of every known Third Reich site in the Munich area, so if you have a specific more obscure place you would like to visit, then no problem – I will probably know where it is.
Dachau Memorial Tour – I day tour
I have been an official Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial tour guide for a number of years and I will give you a detailed objective tour of the site. Dachau was the only camp open for the whole duration of the Third Reich and was the training center for many of the people that were to become infamous in the following years, such as Rudolf Hoss. A broad range of different aspects of camp life are discussed during its different periods of operation right through to the liberation in April 1945.
Thousands of people met their end here often in a barbaric way. The relevance of memorial today to future generations is a very important subject, as well as its relevance to the survivors there families and the GIs who have a personal connection to the place.
Come and pay your respects
Berchtesgaden Obersalzberg Eagles Nest Tour – I day tour
Visit Hitler’s mountain retreat, where the Nazi-leadership lived and was Hitler’s second seat of government.
Berchtesgaden, The Obersalzberg and the Eagles Nest are often confused as one. They are in fact three separate areas which I will show you in detail
The area mid way up the mountain is known as the Obersalzberg. This is where Hitler and many of the top Nazis lived. Access to parts of the bunker complex under the mountain is also possible.
Located at the top of the mountain is the Eagles Nest, a tea house constructed as a 50th birthday present for Hitler. The bus journey up the mountain is breathtaking, you finally reach the tea house by walking into the centre of the mountain and taking a brass lined elevator through the centre to the top. This folly is really worth seeing and as an engineering feat never fails to impress.
This tour is sometimes conducted in conjunction with David Harper, the leading expert on the Obersalzberg-Eagles Nest. David was initially employed by the US military to conduct tours of the mountain and has continued guiding and writing about this subject over the years since. I play it by ear sometimes I do it all myself – often I get you on to David’s tour of the main spots and then when he is finished I then take my group off and show them the more tucked away things that the other visitors don’t see. Where Hitler finished writing Mein Kampf in the woods, the walk to the tea house, more bunkers etc
This tour involves Train and Bus travel. Due to snow and rock falls this tour is only available from May through to October.
As mentioned all tours are tailored for small groups that have a specific interest in this period of history.
My style is informal and friendly, you are my guests, so in the evening I will show you around the local beer halls and restaurants if you so wish.
Please note – These tours do involve plenty of walking that is often the only way to actually see many of the places that are more tucked away.
