I built a bunker for Hitler

At the beginning of WWII Bedřich Zavadil worked in the aircraft factory Letov. He was born in 1922 and thus was selected – as all young Czechs born this year – to go for forced labour to Germany. He was saved twice from going by his manager who requested him on his workplace. For the third time, however, Bedřich Zavadil was given an ultimatum. “The State Police threatened that if I failed to arrive for the medical check and conscription, I will have to pay a fine of CZK 100,000 and will be taken by the police to the Labour Office. I arrived and the doctor made a check, I even did not take off my coat. In short, my papers were ready and I went.“

His destination was Margival, France, around 100km south of Paris. Hitler had one of many command posts built here, the so-called Führerhauptquartier, hidden in a concrete bunker. Bedřich Zavadil worked on the construction. “We didn’t care what we were building. Only later did we find that this was to be Hitler’s chief quarters. It was a large valley, we commuted from Soissons about 14km by train, every day. We worked twelve-hour shifts, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Night shifts were also for 7 hours. There were no Saturdays and Sundays off.” 

The labourers got twenty francs, which was one German mark. The remaining money were sent by the authorities home. When the construction in Margival was finished, he was transferred near Paris, where he worked on the construction of Hitler’s villa.