Bunker Archaeology - Operation Nightingale

Going underground. Many talk about it. Some do it. But differently than expected: "Urban explorations" take you to unknown places, remnants of human history. A gigantic empire of concrete awaits its discovery by the bunker archaeologists, whom we accompany from SPARTANAT today. We invite you to "Operation Nachtigall":

Phase 1 – The Entry

We turned around the last curve and finally reached our destination. I had been waiting for this moment for a long time and now the time had come. We arrived at our meeting point a bit earlier than expected. We didn't get out of the car yet and observed the surroundings for a bit. It was a small road in a residential area and we had the feeling that people here would know exactly where we were heading if they saw us in full gear. So we decided to stay covered in the car until the rest of the team arrived. Minutes passed and the tension grew. I just wanted to get started, I kept thinking to myself.

Suddenly, I saw in the rearview mirror two headlights driving straight towards us. We're all here. Quickly out of the car, shouldering our backpacks, and off we went. We didn't want to waste any time and attract as little attention as possible, so we disappeared into the darkness after a few seconds. We had just enough light from the moon to barely see where we were stepping. We kept our lamps completely off, because the risk of being discovered here before even reaching the site was too great. We continued along the narrow dirt road and in the horizon, we already saw the dense forest. Suddenly, we heard a vehicle behind us. It didn't sound like a small city car, but more like a jeep. We ran for cover and threw ourselves into the drainage ditch right next to the field. A few seconds later, we already saw headlights shining along the dirt road. We looked at each other and signaled that absolute silence was necessary now. The headlights came closer, eventually, the jeep drove just a few meters past us. We breathed a sigh of relief, but still waited a bit. We suspected that it was the hunter – at least this would be confirmed shortly afterwards.

After this brief scare, we continued quickly, as we still had a considerable hike ahead of us. After some time through the dense forest, several fallen trees blocked the path, but this would be the least obstacle in tonight's adventure. We later climbed over a fence and finally reached the actual site. We had marked possible entry points on the map in advance, so we could only hope that one of them contained a loophole. The first entrance was blocked by a huge gate, but it didn't look too bad. We found a spot where we could squeeze through. However, we didn't think about our equipment at first. Our backpacks were sometimes wider than us, and before unpacking everything and passing it through one by one, we wanted to check out an alternative entrance. So we kept going, uphill and then downhill again. The backpack became heavier and heavier, but we didn't want to risk aborting the mission due to lack of equipment, so we brought everything we could possibly imagine. After fighting our way through dense bushes for several hundred meters and the terrain being very hilly, we arrived at our penultimate possible entrance. The first look seemed promising. It was an old ventilation shaft and shining a light inside, we couldn't see the end. Two people with walkie-talkies went down, while the rest stayed above ground. A short time later, there was a thunderous crash with a very intense echo. It was the hunter. Probably the hunter who had driven past us at the edge of the field earlier. We immediately radioed down to check if everything was okay and what it looked like down there. We were informed that we could come down with the equipment and the shaft was passable all the way down. Just as we were about to go, the next shot rang out. He couldn't have been very far away, it echoed loudly around us. As long as he wasn't shooting at us, he could keep shooting, I thought to myself. We descended the ladders gradually and with each shot, we moved further down. In a short time, there were six shots in total. I couldn't help but wonder if the guy had been drinking a bit too much while waiting alone in his hunting blind at night. After descending about 40m and being in the core of the facility, I didn't care about the hunter anymore, after all, there were tons of reinforced concrete and earth between us and his shotgun. We were in, and the impression of the first few meters was simply gigantic. It was something completely different from the last operation. The plan was clear. On to the basecamp!

Phase 2 – The Basecamp

Now we were in the facility and had successfully completed the entry. We quickly got a brief overview and determined our location on the map. It was an incredible feeling and we let the dimensions sink in for a moment. It wasn't a typical maze-like bunker but rather resembled an expanded mine. Given the immense size of this location, it was easy to get lost, so we had collected some map material and plans beforehand. We wanted to set up our basecamp right in the center, where the bunker section was located. So we walked along endless giant corridors that were so long you couldn't see the end. There were branching paths where it went left and right into nothingness. After walking along a corridor for several minutes, we looked at our A4-sized map and realized that we had only progressed about 1-2cm according to the plan. It was only now that we truly understood how damn huge it was. We kept walking until suddenly, out of nowhere, we found the entrance to the bunker. We went from room to room, passing technical control rooms, switchgear, ventilation systems, and offices. In the rear part, we discovered old sleeping quarters where the beds were still intact. This would have been perfect for the basecamp, but unfortunately, many were completely rotting, covered in mold, and partially burnt. It quickly became clear that the original plan to stay here overnight wouldn't work. We continued our search for another room. Eventually, we came to a fork that led us upstairs to a ventilation machinery room. It was perfect in terms of location and condition. It also had enough space for sleeping mats, sleeping bags, and a small corner where we could prepare our food later. I must mention that we are not gourmet chefs and we prefer to fill our backpacks with climbing equipment and cameras rather than mango sorbet and dry ice. So later that night, we snacked on frog legs. We unpacked our large backpacks and only took the essentials for the big tour. Since we had several kilometers of walking within the facility ahead of us and there would be narrow passages, we hid most of the equipment in the basecamp. A final little snack before the big tour. We all looked at the map carefully once more and roughly planned our tour. We quickly realized that in just one night, we wouldn't be able to see everything, so we decided on a big round with individual side trips. I put on my hydration pack and couldn't help but grin. Now the actual fun we had been looking forward to for weeks was about to begin. The feeling of discovering and experiencing something truly special was just amazing. The dimensions that were impressing us were incomparable to anything else. I highly doubt that we will visit a comparable facility anytime soon. But one thing is clear, there are plenty of adventures and challenges waiting for us. In that regard, there is only one thing to say. - Don't dream your life, live your dream. -

Phase 3 – Welcome Home

After struggling through the kilometers-long corridors for hours, over piles of rubble, through narrow holes, and under huge boulders, it was time to replenish the depleted strength. Anyone who has been in the military surely knows the saying "No food, no fight". and we were already looking forward to our very special 5-star menu. We followed the last corridors back into the facility and reached the bunker section. I could almost hear the raviolis calling through the narrow shafts. They wanted to finally bathe. Bathe in a hearty soup of tomato and meat. Hunger seemed to put me in some kind of hallucination, and I saw inwardly dancing raviolis that jumped laughing into my mouth. Finally, we made it. All backpacks were still there, and everyone unpacked their feast. We had everything from MREs to canned ravioli and bean stew. The little gas stoves started hissing, and pots and pans were bubbling and simmering everywhere. One can't imagine what an amazing feeling it is to enjoy a warm meal after such hardships. You can really feel the body being filled with strength and vitality. After discussing the facility and our tour for a while, we started brainstorming new crazy actions we could take. It escalated pretty quickly, but it's definitely not boring. It was already past 5 am, and I didn't drag all the overnight gear here for nothing. We knew the night would be very short, but a little sleep is better than none at all. Our stomachs were completely full, so it was the perfect time to climb into our sleeping bags. While the others were still sipping on their soups, I made myself comfortable in my sleeping bag. Finally lying down and relaxing my legs. A little overnight camp in a ventilation room of a bunker has its very own charm. After just two minutes, I drifted off and sank into a dream about upcoming operations. These are the moments that you remember for years and will probably never forget. A great experience and incredible impressions with a perfect team. Thank you!

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Special THX to FlecktarnRabe