It was May 1945, and Hitler's reign of terror had finally come crumbling down
under the combined strength of the Allied powers.
Victory for the Allies was guaranteed, and it was time to decide who would claim the spoils of war.
For the Western powers, Berlin and the prized Reich Chancellor were trophies that they could
no longer claim as the Soviets had beaten them to it as early as April. There was now
only one other prestigious asset available for England, France, and America: the Kehlsteinhaus.
The Reich Chancellor might have been the political headquarters of the Nazi regime,
but the Kehlsteinhaus was Hitler's personal sanctuary and the site
of a possible hideout for the last members of the Nazi administration.
The alpine fort, built high in the Bavarian Alps above the quaint town of Berchtesgaden, also
functioned as a luxury resort for Hitler and high members of the Nazi party during the Third Reich.
As the remaining Allied superpowers raced against each other and within themselves
to reach the prized location before anyone else, it would be a rebel group of soldiers
who would ultimately claim the place and its surprising contents for themselves…
even as they had been explicitly forbidden from doing so.
More Than a Vacation Home
Long before becoming a political figure, Adolf Hitler often vacationed in Berchtesgaden.
He believed the place to be the quintessential representation of German culture, and as he became
Chancellor in 1933, Hitler bought a home in the area and started an extensive remodeling process.
The transformation went far beyond the reach of a simple house,
as the entire town had to be modified if the Fuhrer were to live there.
Several construction ventures began to reshape Berchtesgaden with new offices,
security and support services areas, and a post office. A new railway station with
a luxurious reception was also built especially for Hitler and his guests.
In addition, the dictator had the Berchtesgadener Hof Hotel completely refashioned,
and it would eventually house famous visitors such as Neville Chamberlain and David Lloyd George.
Hitler's complex consisted of the Berghof or Mountain Court, his personal retreat.
Then there was the Kehlsteinhaus, a diplomatic building erected on top of the summit of the
Kehlstein mountain, and finally the teahouse on the Mooslahnerkopf hill,
a cylindrical relaxation building with a beautiful view of the neighboring
mountain range where Hitler would have lunch every day during his visits.
Some historians claim that Hitler’s retreat in the mountains was the only place where
he would feel safe and have an ordinary life, so he vacationed there regularly.
Due to the significant renovations made to the town and the importance Hitler himself
gave to the area, the site became a heaven for high-ranking Nazi leaders. As time progressed,
many infamous Third Reich commanders built homes in the town, including Hermann Göring.
As the war drew to a close and Germany's defeat became unavoidable,
Joseph Goebbels employed what remained of his propaganda machine to promote
the idea that a Nazi resistance movement would prevail after the war
and that dissident German soldiers would conduct guerrilla warfare for many years to come.
Allied strategists believed that the Berchtesgadener complex would be an ideal location
from where to direct and maintain such furtive operations, and thus, the Kehlsteinhaus and the
town below it became a primary target as the European Theater of World War 2 came to an end.
By May of 1945, the Allied forces were finding low resistance
as they rolled through the German territory. They then realized that the possibility of
a surviving group of die-hard Nazis hiding in the Alpine mountains was quite unlikely,
and Berchtesgaden then changed from a strategic to a prestigious objective.
Technically, the facility at Berchtesgaden was the second seat of government outside of Berlin,
and since the capital was already in Soviet hands,
every Western unit wanted to seize it for themselves.
The location was so valuable that Major William Rosson declared: (QUOTE)
"By that time the prize of Berchtesgaden was so radiant that it was obvious that considerable
fame and renown would come to the unit that was first to reach Hitler's Eagle's Nest,"
The Cottonbalers
Known as the 'Cottonbalers,' the 7th Infantry Regiment was one of the most
successful American regiments during the war,
fighting from North Africa to Germany and providing the Allies with victory after victory.
The 7th had battled through Italy in some of the most lethal amphibious encounters during the war,
but its achievements had come at the cost of being one of the regiments
with higher casualties amidst the Allied forces.
Thus, the members of the 7th Infantry Regiment considered seizing Berchtesgaden as an appropriate
reward. It was also convenient, as the soldiers were on the move bound for Salzburg, Austria,
after the capture of Munich and the liberation of the notorious Dachau concentration camp.
However, there was one issue. Dwight Eisenhower had already conferred the honor of capturing
Berchtesgaden to two other units, the French 2nd Armored and the American 101st Airborne divisions.
For the French, the capture of Hitler's sanctuary had a major symbolic significance
as it would serve as psychological reparation for the disgraceful defeat they had suffered in 1940.
If the 101st got there first, it would be a fitting reward for what was now considered the
most famous outfit in the Army after the devastating Siege of Bastogne.
Lieutenant General John W. O'Daniel, in charge of the 7th Infantry Regiment,
had plainly asked for permission to seize Berchtesgaden, but he had been explicitly denied.
However, as minor German offensives halted the French unit and the Americans were also delayed,
O'Daniel decided that his men deserved the recognition.
Thus, on the morning of May 4, the 7th Infantry Regiment would attempt to capture the place
anyway, but also actively stop the other two units from reaching the site while they explored it.
The Capture of Berchtesgaden
The 7th Infantry Regiment had been ordered to go to Salzburg, Austria,
to defeat one of the last active Nazi units;
on its way there, it had taken control of the only two remaining bridges over the Saalach River.
Every force attempting to reach Hitler's mountain retreat would have to go through
one of those bridges. So O'Daniel ordered his unit
to work through the day and enable one of them to cross his unit's vehicles.
Once the bridge was functional, he and most of his forces made their way to Berchtesgaden,
not before telling the remaining soldiers that no one was to cross under any circumstances.
After several hours of uneventful travel through an abandoned autobahn, the 7th Infantry Regiment
finally reached the prized location. The picturesque alpine town offered no resistance
to the American troops, and close to 2,000 Nazi soldiers and officers surrendered on sight.
The leading Nazi commander in the town was Fritz Göring, the nephew of the Luftwaffe's
supreme commander. In a typical military ritual, the young Göring surrendered his
belt and gun to his American counterpart in a ceremony held in the town square.
Göring also turned all the classified documents from the Nazi Air Force
that his uncle had kept in his house, a great victory by itself.
After the military capitulation, the 7th Infantry Regiment was free to roam the town.
Still, they were ordered to limit their ransacking to not fuel Eisenhower's fury.
Then, as the soldiers were exploring the city, a small number of troops made their way up to
Hitler's home. The place was in ruins, as it had been bombed by the Royal Air Force back in April.
Valenti, a veteran medic and son of Italian immigrants who had been a coal miner before
the war, was shocked by what he saw inside Hitler's compound: (QUOTE):
"We couldn't believe what we saw. The walls were covered with shelves
and the shelves were stocked with all kinds of wines, champagnes and liqueurs. The food bins
were well stocked with a variety of canned hams, cheese and two-gallon cans containing pickles."
Back in town, the soldiers that breached Göring's home stumbled into his liquor stash,
which was as luxurious as the one in Hitler's home holding: (QUOTE) “16,000 bottles of all
kinds of liquor. We had Cordon Rouge, Cordon Bleu Champagne…and we had Johnny Walker's Red Label,
Black Label, American whiskeys. You name it, we had it. Hermann Göring was well supplied.”
Many of the soldiers were in awe at the utter extravagance and unhinged
indulgence that the Nazi leaders enjoyed in Berchtesgaden, especially as they had just
witnessed the horrifying conditions of the Dachau concentration camp.
A Diplomatic Nightmare
A few hours after arriving at the town, O'Daniel was constantly scolded via radio. As it turned
out, the French 2nd Armored division was at one of the Saalach River bridges,
and its commander was livid upon being prohibited from passing.
After delaying the inevitable for as long as he could, O'Daniel let the French pass.
At the same time, he ordered his men to leave everything as it was and prepare to depart.
The soldiers then took numerous bottles of wine and fine food from Hitler's complex
while also securing as many mementos of their achievement as they could.
By the time the French arrived, many riches still remained in the town
and up in the mountain house. O'Daniel decided that the best diplomatic option would be to let
the French claim victory and allow them to believe that they were the first to reach Hitler's home.
The French forces then took possession of the Berghof and the Kehlsteinhaus,
believing no one had been there before.
However, a few hours later, another group of American soldiers tried to go inside the Berghof
but were stopped by the French soldiers. A heated discussion ensued, and things were
quickly getting out of control. If it escalated further, a diplomatic nightmare would follow.
The American and French commanders then agreed to take joint possession of the building
and raise both the French and American flags in place of the Nazi one.
Ironically, the flag that the French brought with them was too big,
so the only one that ended waving over Hitler's sanctuary would be America’s.
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