The Eagle's Nest

The Tea House that we called “The Eagles Nest”.

Near the end of World War II, the 101st Airborne was ordered to move into the Berchtesgaden, Germany area. Our company C-327/401 was assigned to move into Obersalszburg, Germany just above Berchtesgaden on the mountain. This meant that we were to move into the Platterhof Hotel for our living quarters. Which was situated a 100 yards up behind Hitler's Retreat. The Retreat was high up the mountain in Obersalzburg.

Our mission was to restore the area in preparation for the U.S Soldiers to visit the area before heading home. The SS prisoners were used to clean up the bombed areas and to repair the roads for the visitors to be able to drive up to the parking lot, which sat ¾ of the way up the top of the mountain near the location of the tunnel entrance. This would allow you to go up thru to the top of the mountain in either the full brass elevator or the workers steel elevator attached to the bottom of the brass elevator.

I was selected to be put in-charge of the underground tunnels because I could read the available blueprints and I was also in-charge of the necessary construction by the SS for any areas that needed to be restored. One area that really needed to be restored, was the neat little area a short distance away that had the homes set in a cull de sac for Borman, Himmler, Gobbels, and Ribbentrop. The small area of houses was damaged by the British Bombers despite the Tea House remaining unscathed.

Field Marshall Goring lived on the mountain road leading up to Hitler's Retreat Compound in Obersalzburg. After the road surface was repaired leading to the Tea House from Hitler's Retreat, I was assigned the task of telling 4 enlisted men from my company to take an Army vehicle up as far as the parking lot adjacent to the tunnel entrance to locate the elevator. Since the tunnel entrance doors were locked, we sized up the best situation for climbing up the next 300 to 500 feet of mountain climbing, to reach the Tea House for an over night stay.

As young Soldiers we climbed at the most convenient spot without any problem. As we entered the Tea House we found it in excellent shape and nothing seemed to have been disturbed. What a tremendous view we had! We looked around for any entrance to the Tunnel and at this time I can't remember seeing the door to the tunnel steps or the door to tunnel elevator.

We took this time to relax and I remember taking down a window drape to use as a blanket. I laid down on a chaise lounge in the main sitting room or living room, which had a big fireplace. It wasn't long before I fell sound asleep and I'm sure my 4 other buddies did the same thing. After what may have been a long period of sleep, I woke up from some noise nearby. It sure was dark outside and in this big family room, there was a light on; having heard this noise I awoke and my eyes finally focused in on my four buddies with their Thompson machine guns at ready. The 4 of them were walking toward the noise I was hearing.

I listened carefully and the noise sounded like footsteps coming up from the tunnel that we had feared was below us in that mountain. We were aware of the extensive tunnels under Hitler's house. At that point I heard enough and saw enough that I wasn't going to stay on that chaise lounge and be alone. I quickly got up, picked up my gun, and got in line to follow the other four toward the kitchen. I could hear those footsteps growing louder. As we ventured closer, we passed by the vestibule or little side room that was down or 3 steps from the living room level. The first guy in line went down in that small sitting room and reached to the drapes and the noise stopped.

What it turned out to be was a window open and a storm outside that was blowing the venetian blind away from the window frame, back and forth. The four of us admitted we all had goose bumps.