Band of Brothers' Eagle's Nest - Then & Now

In the 3rd instalment of my Eagle's Nest series, we look at the 101st Airborne Division at Obersalzberg and how they took possession of Hitler's tea house. This is a then-and-now video presentation.

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Credits: US National Archives; Library of Congress; BEGAFILM; Mark Sissons; Played N Faved; No Copyright Creator - Sounds

[John-jlde]

My dad, an original member of the 101st Airborne, was at the Eagles Nest when the 101st took control of it back in the day. He sent his sister a postcard from there that I still have. He jumped into Normandy on D Day and into Holland during Market Garden, where he was wounded, and was in Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. In 1960 while dad was stationed in France, we as a family, visited Bastogne and he was in uniform as a Major with his screaming eagle patch and showed us the house he was staying in during the battle when he was a first LT. The family was still living there and remembered him fondly. He retired from the Army after 32 years of service in 1972 after being the Adjutant General of the 82nd Airborne. He is in the Infantry Hall of Fame and was highly decorated for his service and also by the French and Belgian governments

[MatijaCG]

Mark posing in historical locations in his intros always goes hard

[scottnokes]

Hard to believe that nearly 80 years has passed since these events. It is a reminder that history is an important teacher. Thank you, Dr. Felton, for your tireless efforts as a historian.

[panda.om]

Darrel Shifty Powers was my neighbor growing up and he used to come to our school to talk about his service.

[jerryjeromehawkins]

There was a gentleman in our town growing up... he had a picture of himself standing in Hitler's bathtub at the Eagles nest... it was thumbtacked to the wall in his workshop. He was great friends with my father. Unfortunately, he has long since passed.
Thank you Dr Felton! 👍🏾

[VonDilling]

Well what are the odds? I am currently watching Band of Brothers as this was uploaded.

I had the good fortune to visit the Eagles Nest on a beautiful summer day. It was such a strange mix of beauty and splendor as well as the sobering realization that so much evil was planned and enacted right where I was standing.

After an hour or so of our visit there were massive thunderclouds that rolled in under us. I'll never forget that day.

Great video as always Dr Felton!

[curtgomes]

Thank you Dr. Felton. In 2004 I had the honor of accompanying some members of the Band of Brothers to Eagle's Nest. It was a most memorable trip. We were guests of honor there. One of the other soldiers, from the 5th Armored Division, Marlin 'Red' Bingaman, had actually taken photos there in 1945. He had them with him and we were amazed at how the building and grounds had remained virtually the same. It was an amazing experience and trip back into history as the veterans related their experiences. Literally the trip of a lifetime!

While in Berchtesgaden I was able to explore on my own. I crossed the main street into the adjacent cemetery. There were hundreds of graves of WWII German soldiers. What was so fascinating was that most grave markers had photos of those interred there. The Germans put as many as four men in the same grave marked with photos and personal information. I saw some that actually had multiple brothers buried in the same graves.

In your modern day video you show a nearby kiosk where tourists can purchase memorabilia. There I bought the last English language DVD showing the history of Eagle's Nest. It contains video of the amazing construction undertaken in the 1930s and so much more. A truly amazing depiction of the history from the beginning to WWII.

The veterans are gone now but it was wonderful to have know them and listen to their recollections. They were truly The Greatest

[Reziac]

Fascinating, I hope we see more of these then-and-now presentations. Really pulls history into the present.

[Hoth]

When Mark Felton posts a new video, you just watch, learn & enjoy. Thank you!

[vanroeling]

I visited the Eagles Nest October 2023 - thanks for the walk down memory lane! The views there are amazing and breathtaking!

[astronautindisguise]

I can’t think of a more deserving a reward for the 101st either, especially for those who had been there since Normandy and witnessed so much.

Happy Easter Dr. Felton!

[JM]

Mark, you are the go to source for all things WWII. I'm headed to Patreon to show my appreciation and encourage others to do the same. All the best

[samshepperrd]

About 15 years ago I had a neighbor who was a WWII veteran who said he was one of the paratroopers who occupied the Eagle's Nest. He said they drove around in Hitler's Mercedes and tested the bulletproofedneaa of it's windows with their Garand rifles. He also said he landed so hard in one of his parachute drops that he permanently lost an inch of body height. He was a cool dude.

[davidtuttle]

Mark, thank you for sharing this on Easter.

[wayneantoniazzi]

A "Screaming Eagle's Nest" indeed!
Thanks for posting Doctor Felton, and Happy Easter to you!

[DeltaV]

My favourite TV show, covered by my favourite historian. 👍🏻

[christopherchilders]

If I could’ve had Dr. Felton for a history instructor and I would have been a career student

[stovetopicus]

I love that photo at the end. Those men are iconic here in the States now. Thanks again Mark.

[Petonimies]

I had the opportunity to visit the Eagle’s Nest in 2007. I had just seen the final episodes of ‘Band of Brothers’. When I got home, I compared my photographs inside the building to views in the series. It took me quite some time to note any details that did not add up. I think the lighting fixtures on the walls betrayed the otherwise brilliant studio work in the series.


Kudos for everybody involved in the making of ‘Band of Brothers’!

[bigsarge]

Always cool to see my unit's history!
I served in OIF 07-09 with B Co. 1/502, 2nd BCT, 101st Airborne Div (AA).