Berchtesgaden the Obersalzberg. In order to serve as an outpost of the German "Reichskanzlei" (Imperial Chancellery), Berchtesgaden and its environs ("Stanggass") saw substantial expansion of offices, security, and support services, mainly on the Obersalzberg. Included in the town were a new railway station, with a reception area for Hitler and his guests, and an adjacent post office. The Berchtesgadener Hof Hotel, where famous visitors such as Neville Chamberlain and David Lloyd George stayed, was substantially upgraded. The "Kehlsteinhaus" (known as the "Eagle's Nest" among the Allies) atop the Kehlstein subpeak of the Hoher Goll was built as a present for Hitler's
Berchtesgaden 50th birthday in 1939. Even though a feared "national redoubt" last stand of the Nazi Regime in the Alps failed to materialize late in World War II, the Allies launched a devastating air raid on the Berchtesgaden area in the spring of 1945. Concentrated on the Obersalzberg, the April 25 bombing did little damage to the town. On May 4, forward elements of the 7th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division arrived and received the town's surrender. After the war, Obersalzberg became a military zone and most of its buildings were requisitioned by the U.S. Army. "Hotel Platterhof" was