After spending almost a year fighting across France, Holland, and Germany, during World War II, one hard-bitten unit of Army paratroopers celebrated the end of the war in the most fitting way possible: By taking in some incredible alpine views while guzzling down one of the largest collections of alcohol in the world – and one owned by Hitler himself, mere days after the dictator’s death.
Anyone who has seen HBO’s Band of Brothers knows that Easy Company and the rest of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment ended the war occupying Berchtesgaden, home of Adolf Hitler’s “Eagle’s Nest” mountain villa. The town was also a de-facto second headquarters for the Nazi government. As Allied forces approached Berchtesgaden, each unit nearby vied for the opportunity to be the first to seize the town, and the prestige that would come with being the first to occupy Hitler’s Nazi getaway in the mountains. However, the story behind that operation, like many stories from war, is a bit more complicated than the narrative we get on screen.
