18 – 23 May 2026 (6-days / 5-nights)
Get knee deep into history where the desperate German war industry went underground to avoid Allied bombardment, burying its factories and assets in disused mines or newly-built tunnel systems, hundreds of which were under construction all over the Reich by the war’s end.
This six-day tour will visit the underground installations in central Germany, along with associated forced labor sites. Participants will visit the rapidly-expanded Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp, where the Nazis assembled the V-2 rockets and V-1 flying bombs, as well as the secret REIMAHG factory complex for the assembly of the Me-262 jet fighters, and an exclusive visit to the underground factory which made the jet engines for these aircraft. Additional sites will focus on the tens of thousands of slave laborers who were forced to work on these construction projects, including a visit to Ohrdruf, the first concentration camp liberated by US troops and an underground jet fuel refinery, where Jewish-American POWs were forced to evacuate over a dozen tunnels.
We’ll also visit one of Germany’s vast salt mines, including a visit to the room where Patton’s army famously discovered the Reichsbank’s gold reserves.
Join us for this very unique above- and underground tour that showcases the lengths the Nazis went to in order to continue war-time armament production and the horrific cost in human life that resulted.
Third Reich Underground Tour Schedule:
(Subject to Modification)
Pick-up and return point for this tour will be Frankfurt Airport (FRA). A specific meeting point will be provided later. Participants are responsible for arranging their own transportation to and from the meeting point. Participants with their own vehicles can arrange to meet us at an alternate location.
Day 1, Monday, 18 May: Pick-up at FRA at 12:00pm. Drive to hotel. Time for resting and/or sight-seeing in Weimar before dinner. Briefing at hotel followed by a welcome dinner. Overnight in Weimar, Germany.
Day 2, Tuesday, 19 May: Morning visit to the Museum Zwangsarbeit (forced labor) im Nationalsozialismus in Weimar, Germany. Afternoon visit to the Berga Concentration Camp / Schwalbe V facility, where Jewish-American POWs were forced to build an underground jet fuel refinery. Dinner and overnight in Weimar, Germany.
Day 3, Wednesday, 20 May: Mittelbau-Dora Concentration Camp walking tour, including the underground V-1 and V2 factory. Visit to the Heimkehle, a Junkers aircraft factory in a natural cave, and Ellrich (aka Mittelbau II), the largest Dora sub-camp. Overnight in Weimar, Germany.
Day 4, Thursday, 21 May: REIMAHG sites (secret Me-262 jet fighter factory) starting at the Museum in Kahla and continuing up the Walpersberg mountain. This will be the most physically-demanding walking day of the tour, including walking up the Walpersberg to the former Me-262 runway. Overnight in Kahla, Germany.
Day 5, Friday, 22 May: Kamsdorf, the secret underground jet engine factory for Me-262s in an abandoned iron mine. This will be an exclusive underground tour to parts of the factory not normally open to the public, guided with flashlights and helmets. This will be a physical day, spending several hours underground. Cultural break: After the Kamsdorf tour we will visit the 13th century Leuchtenburg Castle, which overlooks the Thuringian landscape. Overnight in Kahla, Germany.
Day 6, Saturday, 23 May: Commemoration ceremony at Ohrdruf, the first camp liberated by U.S. troops, and the Jonastal Valley, where inmates worked on a secret bunker. Afternoon tour of Merker’s salt mine, where the Reichsbank gold reserves were discovered, as portrayed in The Monuments Men. Afternoon drive back to FRA. We anticipate arriving at FRA around 7:00pm.
Participants are responsible for arranging their own accommodations before flying back to the U.S. in the morning and/or further travel plans departing that evening.
Third Reich Underground Tour Overview:
Tour Price (based on double occupancy): $2,640
Single Room Supplement: $270
Tour Price Includes*
- TWO military historian guides who understand both sides of the story and who speak multiple languages and understand European culture
- Local guides at specific sites as needed
- 3-Star accommodations, typically in European family-owned hotel / restaurants
- Transportation typically in comfortable 9-person people movers with A/C or in cars
- Almost all meals, except those specified as “on your own” in the itinerary
- Water, soda and snacks available in the van
- Cultural outings (calvados tasting, church tour, etc.) and shopping time on trips longer than a few days
- Admission fees to all sites
Tour Price Excludes*
- Transportation to and from the starting point and lodging and transportation before or after the tour’s start and end times; for example, the cost of a hotel night for participants who choose to arrive early.
- Dinner drinks
- Dinners or lunches specifically excluded in the tour brochure
- Souvenirs and gifts
*See KDIH’s 2026 Terms and Conditions for full details.
Download our Brochure and Terms and Conditions:
Download the Third Reich Underground Tour Flyer 2026 FINAL TNR12
Download the 2026 Terms and Conditions FINAL
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Email your questions to Randy Gaulke at kneedeepintohistory@gmail.com.
Join the Tour in Three Easy Steps:
- Fill out our registration form.
- Read and sign the Terms and Conditions
- Pay your $600 refundable deposit in one of four ways:
- Send your check to Knee Deep Into History LLC, 124 East Clifford St., Winchester, VA 22601 USA
- Pay via PayPal to kneedeepintohistory@gmail.com
- Pay via Zelle to…
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Thank you for joining the tour!
