Million Dollar Hangover: Victory Celebration at Berchtesgaden, Hitler Eagles Nest- Natl. WWII Mus.

- Soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division at the Berghof, May 4, 1945. (Courtesy The National Archives).
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- 'Million Dollar Hangover: Victory Celebration at Berchtesgaden.' - Allied troops race to Berchtesgaden for a chance to drink from the biggest liquor cabinet in Europe. - The National World War II Museum, New Orleans, May 9, 2020.

On the morning of May 4, 1945, the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division moved out to take a new objective, the Bavarian mountain town of Berchtesgaden. Nestled in the Alps, the quaint little town had been the playground of the Nazi elite. Situated in the mountains above Berchtesgaden was Obersalzberg, a mountainside retreat where Hitler and top-level henchmen such as Martin Bormann, Albert Speer, and Herman Goering had homes. Rising roughly 3,000 feet above Hitler’s Berghof home was the Eagle’s Nest. The entire area was chock-full of Nazi plunder; gold, jewelry, cash, luxury cars, artwork, and the highest quality liquor and wine in the world.

The Allied Command feared the Germans were planning a “last stand” in the town. To Gen. Eisenhower, it was imperative that Allied Forces secure the Berchtesgaden area before Nazi resistance could organize. To the average GI, Berchtesgaden was simply the juiciest looting opportunity in all of Europe. The 101st wasn’t the only Allied division ordered to take the town, Gen. LeClerc’s French 2nd Armored Division had orders as well, and was advancing alongside the 101st. Operating in nearby Salzburg, Austria was the US 3rd Infantry Division. Acting on their own initiative, and without orders from SHAEF, the 7th Infantry Regiment from the 3rd ID was also making a dash for Berchtesgaden. The race was on.



- The Kehlsteinhaus (the Eagle's Nest) is a Nazi-constructed building erected atop the summit of the Kehlstein, a rocky outcrop that rises above Obersalzberg near the town of Berchtesgaden, in southeastern Germany. It was used exclusively by members of the Nazi Party for government & social meetings. It was visited on 14 documented instances by Adolf Hitler.. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kehlsteinhaus



- U.S. soldiers toast the capture of Berchtesgaden, 1945.

The 7th Infantry Regiment of the US 3rd Infantry Division got there first at about 1600 on the afternoon of May 4. They took Berchtesgaden without firing a shot. While the 7th Regiment fanned out through town, a platoon advanced up the mountain to Obersalzberg. When they arrived at the Berghof, Hitler’s home, they discovered the entire area was heavily damaged by a bombing raid conducted by the RAF on April 25. Even though the buildings in the area were largely destroyed, the men discovered well stocked pantries, still intact, that contained enormous amounts of liquor, wines, cheese, and canned foods. The 3rd ID men popped a few corks and drank in the ruins of the Berghof before heading back down to Berchtesgaden.

The French 2nd Armored Division arrived a little later that afternoon. Early the next morning, the French made the trek all the way up to the Eagle’s Nest, which was untouched by Allied bombing, and made the most fantastic discovery of all: a wine cellar that contained an estimated half million bottles of the finest wine, champagne, and cognac imaginable. Amongst the cache were thousands of bottles of Chateau Lafite Rothschild, one of the most expensive wines in the world. In 2020, buying a bottle of late vintage Chateau Lafite Rothschild would set you back about $1000...

- Read More, https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/victory-in-europe-celebration-berchtesgaden

- Berchtesgaden, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berchtesgaden

- Victory in Europe Day/VE Day, Tuesday, May 8, 1945, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_in_Europe_Day



- Winston Churchill waving to the crowds from Whitehall on 8 May celebrating the end of the war, showing the V of Victory.



- Captain Lewis Nixon, 2nd Battalion, 506th PIR on the morning of May 8, 1945 (Courtesy US Army Signal).