@@westonbrewster8344 it’s a great place to visit isn’t it! The history and the beer gardens plus the mountains make it a really special place to visit! Did you get to see much of the history when you were there?
@@WW2Wayfinder oh absolutely we climbed Kehlstein mountain toured the obersalzberg except some of other housing complexes I’m thinking about going back
@@westonbrewster8344 fantastic! If you need any recommendations for the area let me know as there’s some great wartime stuff around the area, but some is off the beaten path so depends on travel arrangements etc for accessing them
Oh awesome! Yeah that’d be good followed your instagram page I can hit you up on some places that we went too when we were there back in April we did a barnstorming tour of Germany and Austria
We were stationed in Stuttgart for five years……. I worked for Morale Support and Recreation…….this South Carolina girl taught windsurfing to Allied family members (and also entire Boy/Girl Scout programs) in Berchtesgaden and also Lake Chiemsee always in complete wetsuits……that mountain water was cold as hell !!! Spent a lot of off-hours exploring in and around the tunnels connecting the various hotels and up top of Eagles Nest. When you showed the arches at the top, my heart stopped……. I was alone up there one bitter cold day and it started snowing…….the wind rattling the glass was too much like a death rattle and the feeling stayed with me for days…….love your channel. My grandfather had an amazing scrapbook of his years there……I need to find who has it.
It’s a beautiful part of the world isn’t it! And at complete contrast with what happened there 80 plus years ago! Glad you’ve been able to spend a good amount of time there, must have been incredible having it on your doorstep as it were!
Thank you! Still lots to learn in terms of filming and editing but it’s great fun being able to share my passion for history! Glad you’re enjoying them and I’ve got lots more to come😃 Thanks for watching!
Thank you Rick, it really is a stunning town and the surrounding mountains are beautiful, coupled with the history and beer it makes it a great place to visit!
I really enjoyed your video. It was especially fun for me because my wife and I visited the Obersalzburg and Berchtesgaden in 2012 as part of a Band of Brothers Tour. We both fell in love with Bavaria...such a beautiful area. For me, having studied WWII ever since I was in high school, it brought my studies of the area to life. There is no substitute for actually being there. There was one memorable moment for me when I turned a corner in the downtown area and saw the fountain (the one in the photo where the SA troops were gathered)...as soon as I saw it, it was instant recognition and I let out an audible "wow" which turned a few heads. I still have an actual edelweiss which I purchased in a shop there. Thanks for the tour...it was like I was right back there again.
My wife and i visited and stayed in Berchtesgaden twice over the last 15 years and loved it. We stayed at the Hotel Zum Turken on the ober saltzburg and explored the area. The hotel was wonderful and was a step back to 1930s and full of charm . Unfortunatly it is now closed . I think the owner Frau Sharfenburg must have passed away. We overlooked the Berghof area. It is a shame the Berghof was destroyed along with the tea house the Mooslanderkopf. The views from there were stunning. we will return as it was such a beautiful area of Germany . Lovely videos keep up the good work.
I was there in September 2023. I got my picture taken by many of the landmarks that you have shown on this video. I think this is one of the most beautiful villages in the world. The scenery is spectacular and it’s rich in war history. A must for a WW2 history buff.
John, I've been enjoying your Then and Now videos, and thank you for your efforts! Want to share that an older friend of mine, now deceased, was an avid collector of German military items of the WW2 period. He was originally from Atlanta Ga in the US. About 24 years ago, he was contacted by an original Easy Co veteran who was at Berchdesgarten as was portrayed in Band of Brothers. That man had one of Herman Goering's baby blue hats that he took from his chalet there as a war trophy. He sold it to my friend for $1200 US, and the friend resold it 2 years later for $40,000 US. His collection was quite impressive, and was distributed among fellow collectors after he passed away.
Pleased to hear you enjoyed it! Bertesgaden is a great place to visit and that whole region still has a lot to see from the 30’s/40’s. I’ll be doing a similar video for Munich soon too as that city is still crammed full of sites to visit - especially when you know where to look!
Your videos are EXCELLENT!!!! Thank you for posting. Very interesting and informative. I wish I saw your videos before I made the trip in 2009 because I missed a few sites...I love all things WW2.
Thank you! Berchtesgaden is a great place to visit and I hope to get back there at some point as I missed a few places I’ve since read about! Thanks for taking the time to watch.
Hope the weather improves! I was in Munich today and it was raining and there’s been snow at the Eagles Nest! Still you’ll have a great time there as it’s a wonderful spot!
Thank you! Welcome to the channel. Lots of different stuff on here and I’ll have a wide range of new content coming from Normandy in the next few weeks!
Thank you for a very interesting Tour. I am planning a trip there in 2023. Would you recommend any places to stay at for say a five day trip? Thank you and great work.
Absolutely brilliant video … my husband and I were in Berchtesgaden last week, where we stayed for the night, so had a meal and a walk around the town as we were visiting the Eagles Nest the next day. It was so interesting to hear everything you said, although we know quite a bit about WW2 we didn’t really know a lot about Berchtesgaden, so thank you.
Glad it was useful and that you had a great trip! It's a lovely town esspeically in the summer time with a cold pint of Helles!! Hope you were able to get up to the Eagles Nest and enjoy the views from there too!
I enjoy your work buddy. there are a lot of channels doing the then & now thing, but you cut to the chase in a no nonsense way that I really appreciate. Noticed your morale patch - you didn't serve by any chance? No matter, just keep doing what you do and I'll keep enjoying it!
Thank you! I’ve got another about the Eagles Nest and surrounding area specifically from Bavaria and lots of other Then and Now episodes from all over, plus more to come from my recent trip to Normandy, covering areas that have never been seen on TH-cam before!
I try where I can as nothing worse than taking your time to watch and comment then the person who runs the channel just ignoring it! Also if you ever need any suggestions for places to visit in Europe then always happy to help/advise if I can.
I served in the german mountain infantry battalion 232 in Berchtesgaden as a squad leader until 2017. I know all those places very well as Berchtesgaden became my second home. Very interesting to see those old photos. Thank you for this video!
Oh fantastic! That must have been an amazing posting. I’ve been to the Gebirgsjäger memorial just above Mittenwald when I last in the area and that’s really impressive. Got a lot of respect for you guys and the training you do, mountain warfare is something else!
@@WW2Wayfinder It certainly was. Berchtesgaden is arguably the most beautiful place that a soldier can be stationed at in germany. Climbing mountains, skiing with full gear, sleeping in snow holes. Did it all and loved it all. The only times I did not like being in the infantry was when it was cold AND rainy. It sucks the energy and motivation out of everyone.
Yes! I was one a fortunate few to see his collection. Among the many items, he had a type written letter signed in ink from Heydrich Reinhardt. It was written to a local police official in Prague from his HQ there. Also there was a personally autographed black and white photo of Hitler. The ink was smeared so it was definitely not a print. His helmet collection was amazing. Included Wehrmacht, SS, Kreigsmarine, Luftwaffe, Afrika Corp full and pith style helmets, a medic helmet, several from the Eastern front with white paint camo intact. Several had chicken wire, identical to the modern material, used to hold branches and foliage on top . Several had hand painted camo patterns, most had the soldier’s names painted inside. He had a few inert stick grenades with the screw cap and porcelain ball on the cord still intact. I wish he would have allowed me to take pictures. Was not permitted. Please keep up the good work! Amazing to see how much remains. Perhaps I may be able to come see myself in time. I have an uncle buried at the National Cemetery in Normandy. He served with the US 4th Infantry, and was mortally wounded at Utah Beach. Again, thank you for your efforts!
Oh wow, I can't even begn to imagine what it would be like to view those items up close! Shame about not being able to photograph them but I understand why some collectors would be close guarded etc, especially with items from the other side! Can I ask your Uncle's name? I'm planning to film at Utah in June and would mention him if you'd like me to?
Thank you. I’ve recently subscribed to your channel and enjoy your videos. We have previously visited many of the locations that you have covered in a number of your videos on our European motorcycle trips (Bastogne, Foy, Normandy,) We’re off again at the beginning of September 23, through Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg and Holland. We have been in Berchtesgaden before and visited the Eagles Nest, but this time we are staying in the town and will walk around the locations that you have covered in this video. Later on the trip we will visit La Gleize and the Crossroads neat Eindhoven. Keep up the great work 👍
Sounds like an amazing trip and a great time of year to visit! When you go to La Gleize, it’s worth stopping in Stavelot as well if you have time to see the town and I can highly recommend the Gasthof Neuhaus in Berchtesgaden for food! And Werfen Castle where they filmed Where Eagles Dare is close to Berchtesgaden if you have time to visit there too!
Thanks, we will take up all of those recommendations. Thank you for the reply, much appreciated. Just an additional question if you dont mind. Can you recommend a source for the "Then" pictures? I would quite like to build a collection of the places that we visit and try our own personal matching of the "Then" locations to where we are standing. Also meant to mention that we are visiting Aachen on this trip, should be very interesting too.@@WW2Wayfinder
Thanks for the two vids about Berchtesgaden and Obersalzberg. I also like to find artefacts in this area and comes four times a year. I found f.e. the small Kanzlei in Stanggass, complete with eagles and bunker that mounthed to a small train station. Hitler vistited this Kanzlei more often than in Berlin. And explore also the Eckhart Hospital and Kaserne in Strub near Berchtesgaden. Unfortunually I cannot sent pics here. I can show you more ruins and intact buildings. So I sure know you will return and make some more vids here in Berchtesgaden. Thanks 👌
Thank you for watching and glad you enjoyed the two films! I’ll definitely be back to document more in that area! The whole region is fascinating and it’s great you get to visit so often too! Places like that can never be fully understood on one or two visit!
@@nimsvisnimsvis3331 absolutely right. It needs to remain at the forefront of our minds so we ensure the world stays free of tyranny for the sake of our children. It’s not easy but has to be done!
Can't tell you how much I enjoyed this fantastic video. I'm reading a book, "On Hitler's Mountain", which is the memoir of a woman who grew up in Berchtesgaden during WW2. In your video I could actually see her father's name, Max Paul, who was killed during the war, on that wall you were at that had a list of the fallen German soldiers. She also mentions the new train station built by the Nazi's and also walking over that bridge and having to go past that guard station. You have really brought the book to life for me and for that I thank you very much. Have you made any videos concerning the 82nd Airborne? My father rode several glider missions during the war as a member of the 82nd Airborne. Thanks again.
Oh wow, that’s fantastic! I’ll have to look for a copy of that book as it sounds fascinating! If you have time I did a long one documenting the battle of La Fiere in Normandy where I take an in-depth look at the role of both the paratroopers and glider men who fought there at the causeway for 3 days. I also plan to cover more 82nd Airborne areas when I visit the Ardennes next month!
I've visited there 2 or 3 times and always take a walk in the graveyard because it is fascinating to see the sheer numbers of war dead and more importantly, many of the graves bear photographs of the deceased - lots of them mark soldiers who died in u-boats and also Russia
It’s an interesting town isn’t it, and you’re right about how the Germans remember their war dead in local cemeteries. The first time I noticed it threw me a little as I wasn’t expecting so much recognition for those who had served.
@@WW2Wayfinder Why do you think all German soldiers and sailors and airmen were Nazi's? My family got out in the 30's but many were not so fortunate. Many we not willing participants and absolutely hated what Hitler did to their beautiful country.
Great video! I was in Linz few days ago and I visited the main square where Hitler announced Anshluss from the balcony there. Also on the main street Landstrasse in Linz lived Hitlers family doctor. Will visit Berchtesgaden and Eagles Nest soon! Your videos are awesome and very educational! I have been to Normandy beaches in 2018 and met with Band of Brothers actors and checked all the museums and bunkers. Thanks!
Oh cool! I’ve not been to Linz but would really like to one day as there is some amazing footage filmed by the US there in May 1945. Hope you have a great trip to the Eagles Nest, my advice though is get the first bus up to the top as it gets so busy! Getting there for just after 7am and waiting is the best way to do it if you’re able to!!
@@WW2Wayfinder yes, there are many interesting things to see in Linz regarding Hitler. His elementary school, Landestheater where he got hooked to Wagner, etc...he lived with his parents in Leonding which is just 5km away from Linz. The house is still there and a small cemetary across the house where buried his parents. However tombstones are removed from the site for obvious reasons. Also theres a restaurant in Leonding where Hitlers father died. Thanks for the chat! You got an amazing channel!
Oh fantastic. Berchtesgaden is a beautiful town Im and if you have a chance to visit the Eagles Nest make sure you get to the bus stop at the Documentation Centre early as it’s gets busy!!!! Hope it’s a great trip and thank you for watching!
Great job...my father was in Patton's 3rd Army, 89th Division.. he took us To Germany in 1970 and 1972...we went here and where your other video was fimed..saw the tunnels and walked through some....went to Eagles Nest....I agree, should be there for reflection of history....thank you!
Excellent video. I was stationed in Würzburg 84-87 and Stuttgart 88-91. I’ve been to Berchtesgaden a couple of times. I was also in the 101st twice. I’m planning another trip to Germany and it will be one of my stops.
I have visited there three times and look forward to going back some day. A beautiful town, very quaint, slow paced and the people are very, very friendly. Our hotels were first class as well. And the food is awesome. Watching this video, makes me yearn to go back now.
Been to the Eagle's Nest on. Trafalgar Tour! Absolutely amazing place! Need to go back & explore these areas! Currently working with a family friend who's father was in 101st 506PIR and "liberated" the Eagle's Nest. He took some pictures but the quality is mixed
Oh wow, that’s so cool! Thank you for sharing! I bet there are still photos from that time still in private collections. It’s an amazing place and I was very lucky with the weather that day. My first visit in 2018 we got to the top only to stare straight into cloud!
@@WW2Wayfinder I was lucky when I visited in May 2018. The tour guide said that we had the best weather she'd seen in years. The visibility was amazing! I've recently posted a few pics of my visit on Twitter. It is quite a place. Glad I found your TH-cam channel you visit some amazing places! Love that you bring Monty along w you!
@@Matt_Rowson fantastic!!!! There’s a nice beir garten just off from the fountain I talk about that has the Hitler Youth sitting around it. I had dinner there and the food was really good! Enjoy your stay there!
Much of the movie "The Devil Takes Three" (1950) was shot in B'gaden including the ruins of the Berghof. The 508th MP Btln features rather strongly in it.
It’s on my list for 2023! I’ve been a couple of times in the past, first back in 2008 and seeing the Zepplinfeld and some of the other buildings still standing from the Nazi era are a stark reminder of what happened there!
Awesome! I got really good photos of Berchtesgaden and Nuremberg, we need more world war 2 TH-camrs explaining this stuff because not too many world war 2 people around anymore…. You should also go to Berlin and do a couple videos there
@@westonbrewster8344 fantastic! Even without the history there Berchtesgaden will always be one of my favourite places in the alps as it’s just stunning! Berlin would be good. Last time I went there was 2013 and the scars from those desperate days in April/May 45 are still easy to find. The Reichstag tour was really interesting and I highly recommend it if you get the chance!
Thanks Michael, I really appreciate it! Still got a few more episodes from the Battle of the Bulge then heading back to Normandy to film some of the lesser known spots there!
Very interesting to read my own name on that wall of the fallen sons in a video on youtube. It was my great grand father. My grandmother was 12year old in 1945, she saw this pics beeing taken.
I was born in Berchtesgaden in 47. My biological mother, Anna Marie T. Kuftner, was an interpreter for the American forces, WW 2, and she resided at 4 Markplatz. Never knew my biological father, an American Army officer. I was adopted in 53 and came to America.
Thank you! Always more happy to talk history, the diffuclt part is getting me to stop!!! Glad you've been to Berchtesgaden and seen it first hand. If you ever spot me out and about in Normandy or elsewhere please let me know!
I had to go back and look at my photos and you’re correct it is a mosaic! Unusual to see it done that way as most buildings are painted so that’s for that!
George stevens took magnificent color film of almost every major event of the war using his personal 16mm camera that was used to film the movie Gunga Din. A very fascinating one is the meeting at torgau of US and Russian troops. In that film theres a guy dressed in a tuxedo and a big top hat who is apparently drunk and staggering around and has a look of pure bliss on his face. I think he must have gotten into a medical kit and found some morphine. The camera man took special interest in him and he interacts with US GIs. Strange he would be in that condition at that time and not in uniform. Looks around 30 years old. Oh and he is carrying a huge dead rabbit. Its easy to find on TH-cam at george Stevens color film Germany.
John thanks for that! I’ve got the book that accompanied the footage but haven’t seen the film in years other than the odd section of footage etc. I need to re-watch it clearly!!! Interesting too that it was the same camera used to film Gunga Din (another classic I need to add to the watch list!)
If I find any war-time pictures in my mother's albums, would you be interested? Lovely place isn't it? My late mother visited there often during the war and was presumably very familiar with the station and probably the post office too. She was also there in 1945. I wonder if she actually saw "Goering's Art Collection"? When we went back in 1971 she renewed acquaintance with a fish restaurant, ordering her fresh swimming trout out of a similar fish tank for lunch just as she had done all those years before..
Hi sir, im a big fan of ANYTHING to do with WW2, And also a big fan of 101st, now my question is this, Was A.H actually afraid of heights or no? Cuz i have looked up some of the research on that, but its 50/50 (ie some say he was and some say he wasn't)
From everything I’ve read he was, however like anything like that I could be a stretched version of something that happened that then over time has become fact! I do know that he preferred to visit the tea house on the Mooslahnerkopf which is in my other video on the Obersalzberg and the views from there are amazing!
@@WW2Wayfinder im hoping to see and visit the locations in 2024 (as part of a leger battlefield tour) and i have visited the site of his bunker in berlin too (last year) which was spine-chillimg to say the least
@@brettgreene4341 agreed! It’s odd to stand in that car park and know what took place there! Leger are excellent so I’m sure you’ll have a great time with them!
Very pretty scenery in which to place a nice little town. I guess the population was lucky to have escaped much of the devastation that was visited upon other German localities.
Just viewed your beautiful video. After the war Berchtesgaden the surrounding area of the Obetsalzburg became a US Army run recreation area. It remained as such until the end of the cold war. There was a nine hole golf course, which became a learn to ski hill during winter. Looks like there's no trace of that time period remaining.
I can imagine it must have been a great place to spend time on R&R there if posted to Germany! I think Speirs old studio on the Oberslazberg was used by the US Army as a cottage etc for families to stay in until they left in the early 90’s I believe!
@@WW2Wayfinder There were a number of hotels and lodges at the Armed Forces Recreation Center. The Berchtesgadener Hof in town, the Sky Top Lodge by the golf course, and the General Walker near the Obersalzburg summit. Of note, you could enter the tunnel complex directly from the General Walker, and tunnel tours were offered a few times a week. I think the German tunnel tour guide got a kick out of telling the Americans that Hitler was a vegetarian. One other note, the gold plated elevator to the top of the Kehlsteinhaus has a plaque which says Otis Elevator Company, New York.
This video and part one are very interesting. Thanks for making it so interesting. I would like to visit. I would also love to have a meal in the Eagle's Nest just to put a finger up to Hitler.
When I was a kid we stayed at the Berchtesgaden Hof when it was an A Erica Forces rec centre. I was too young at the time to know it was the big hotel for Nazi Party members to stay when in town.
Really enjoyed your video. It left me feeling a bit uneasy to see it looking like a really lovely old German town but the history is still horrible and that Hitler masterminded so much of his evil plans just along the road at his Eagle's Nest retreat.
Late October 2023 the train station is a hangout of street trash kids getting drunk and loud. Saw a couple of them peeing in the interior corners of the station....place was filthly and stank.
@@WW2Wayfinder I should be more interested in the Pacific theater since I was raised for a couple of years in the Philippines- my earliest memories are of the Philippines- I think I’m a Filipino 🤣 But girls running out to kiss Liberators is a much better story, then the ugly Pacific war (it’s more like Vietnam)
@@richardmardis2492 that was a brutal fight for sure. My great uncle served with the Royal Navy on HMS Indefatigable in 1945 and he said that was rough. Can’t imagine what it was like for the Marines and Army slogging it out on the ground there!
Have you visited Berchtesgaden or is on your wish list? I hope this video helps you find some of the remaining sites that can be found there!
Yes I have back in April absolutely amazing
@@westonbrewster8344 it’s a great place to visit isn’t it!
The history and the beer gardens plus the mountains make it a really special place to visit!
Did you get to see much of the history when you were there?
@@WW2Wayfinder oh absolutely we climbed Kehlstein mountain toured the obersalzberg except some of other housing complexes I’m thinking about going back
@@westonbrewster8344 fantastic! If you need any recommendations for the area let me know as there’s some great wartime stuff around the area, but some is off the beaten path so depends on travel arrangements etc for accessing them
Oh awesome! Yeah that’d be good followed your instagram page I can hit you up on some places that we went too when we were there back in April we did a barnstorming tour of Germany and Austria
We were stationed in Stuttgart for five years……. I worked for Morale Support and Recreation…….this South Carolina girl taught windsurfing to Allied family members (and also entire Boy/Girl Scout programs) in Berchtesgaden and also Lake Chiemsee always in complete wetsuits……that mountain water was cold as hell !!! Spent a lot of off-hours exploring in and around the tunnels connecting the various hotels and up top of Eagles Nest. When you showed the arches at the top, my heart stopped……. I was alone up there one bitter cold day and it started snowing…….the wind rattling the glass was too much like a death rattle and the feeling stayed with me for days…….love your channel. My grandfather had an amazing scrapbook of his years there……I need to find who has it.
It’s a beautiful part of the world isn’t it! And at complete contrast with what happened there 80 plus years ago!
Glad you’ve been able to spend a good amount of time there, must have been incredible having it on your doorstep as it were!
Your videos are under rated m8 Nice work thanks 👍
Thank you! Still lots to learn in terms of filming and editing but it’s great fun being able to share my passion for history!
Glad you’re enjoying them and I’ve got lots more to come😃
Thanks for watching!
@@WW2Wayfinder sounds Nice m8 look forward for more 👍
Very interesting video. We visit Berchtesgaden annually & have done so for the past 10 years. Beautiful part of the world.
Thank you Rick, it really is a stunning town and the surrounding mountains are beautiful, coupled with the history and beer it makes it a great place to visit!
What a lovely town, particularly interested in the photo of Goerings art collection.
I think the 101st Airborne we’re happy to show of Göerings collection in 1945!
I really enjoyed your video. It was especially fun for me because my wife and I visited the Obersalzburg and Berchtesgaden in 2012 as part of a Band of Brothers Tour. We both fell in love with Bavaria...such a beautiful area. For me, having studied WWII ever since I was in high school, it brought my studies of the area to life. There is no substitute for actually being there. There was one memorable moment for me when I turned a corner in the downtown area and saw the fountain (the one in the photo where the SA troops were gathered)...as soon as I saw it, it was instant recognition and I let out an audible "wow" which turned a few heads. I still have an actual edelweiss which I purchased in a shop there. Thanks for the tour...it was like I was right back there again.
My wife and i visited and stayed in Berchtesgaden twice over the last 15 years and loved it. We stayed at the Hotel Zum Turken on the ober saltzburg and explored the area. The hotel was wonderful and was a step back to 1930s and full of charm . Unfortunatly it is now closed . I think the owner Frau Sharfenburg must have passed away. We overlooked the Berghof area. It is a shame the Berghof was destroyed along with the tea house the Mooslanderkopf. The views from there were stunning. we will return as it was such a beautiful area of Germany . Lovely videos keep up the good work.
I was there in September 2023. I got my picture taken by many of the landmarks that you have shown on this video. I think this is one of the most beautiful villages in the world. The scenery is spectacular and it’s rich in war history. A must for a WW2 history buff.
John, I've been enjoying your Then and Now videos, and thank you for your efforts! Want to share that an older friend of mine, now deceased, was an avid collector of German military items of the WW2 period. He was originally from Atlanta Ga in the US. About 24 years ago, he was contacted by an original Easy Co veteran who was at Berchdesgarten as was portrayed in Band of Brothers. That man had one of Herman Goering's baby blue hats that he took from his chalet there as a war trophy. He sold it to my friend for $1200 US, and the friend resold it 2 years later for $40,000 US. His collection was quite impressive, and was distributed among fellow collectors after he passed away.
Oh wow, that's incredible! Thank you for sharing that with me. Did you have the opportunity to see you late friends collection? It sounds amazing.
You have me hooked. Love your videos. Your knowledge of WW2 is amazing.
Interesting video. Love the “then and now” comparisons.
Pleased to hear you enjoyed it! Bertesgaden is a great place to visit and that whole region still has a lot to see from the 30’s/40’s.
I’ll be doing a similar video for Munich soon too as that city is still crammed full of sites to visit - especially when you know where to look!
This is awesome, so interesting to follow your footsteps and hear the stories of what took place.
I enjoy your channel. This is on my bucket list of places to visit. Thank you
Thank you! Hope you're able to get to Bavaria soon!!
Your videos are EXCELLENT!!!! Thank you for posting. Very interesting and informative. I wish I saw your videos before I made the trip in 2009 because I missed a few sites...I love all things WW2.
Thank you!
Berchtesgaden is a great place to visit and I hope to get back there at some point as I missed a few places I’ve since read about!
Thanks for taking the time to watch.
Planning to visit the town tomorrow. Watching you video and learning a lot. Thank you !
Hope the weather improves! I was in Munich today and it was raining and there’s been snow at the Eagles Nest! Still you’ll have a great time there as it’s a wonderful spot!
Really enjoyed this, I subscribed!
Thank you! Welcome to the channel. Lots of different stuff on here and I’ll have a wide range of new content coming from Normandy in the next few weeks!
Thank you for a very interesting Tour. I am planning a trip there in 2023. Would you recommend any places to stay at for say a five day trip? Thank you and great work.
If you send me an email (ww2wayfinder@gmail.com) I’ll send you some recommendations for sure!
Thanks for watching!
Absolutely brilliant video … my husband and I were in Berchtesgaden last week, where we stayed for the night, so had a meal and a walk around the town as we were visiting the Eagles Nest the next day. It was so interesting to hear everything you said, although we know quite a bit about WW2 we didn’t really know a lot about Berchtesgaden, so thank you.
Glad it was useful and that you had a great trip! It's a lovely town esspeically in the summer time with a cold pint of Helles!! Hope you were able to get up to the Eagles Nest and enjoy the views from there too!
@@WW2Wayfinder we were able to visit the Eagles Nest, it was amazing, thoroughly enjoyed everything about it
I enjoy your work buddy. there are a lot of channels doing the then & now thing, but you cut to the chase in a no nonsense way that I really appreciate. Noticed your morale patch - you didn't serve by any chance? No matter, just keep doing what you do and I'll keep enjoying it!
Thank you!
I did a bit back in the day but nothing that interesting.
Thank you for your time and research. 😊👍🏻 Nice video...would like to see more.
Thank you!
I’ve got another about the Eagles Nest and surrounding area specifically from Bavaria and lots of other Then and Now episodes from all over, plus more to come from my recent trip to Normandy, covering areas that have never been seen on TH-cam before!
@@WW2Wayfinder Thank you for that! 🙂👍🏻 Nice that you take the time to respond aswell very cool.
I try where I can as nothing worse than taking your time to watch and comment then the person who runs the channel just ignoring it!
Also if you ever need any suggestions for places to visit in Europe then always happy to help/advise if I can.
@@WW2Wayfinder Thank you.😊👍
I served in the german mountain infantry battalion 232 in Berchtesgaden as a squad leader until 2017. I know all those places very well as Berchtesgaden became my second home. Very interesting to see those old photos. Thank you for this video!
Oh fantastic! That must have been an amazing posting. I’ve been to the Gebirgsjäger memorial just above Mittenwald when I last in the area and that’s really impressive. Got a lot of respect for you guys and the training you do, mountain warfare is something else!
@@WW2Wayfinder It certainly was. Berchtesgaden is arguably the most beautiful place that a soldier can be stationed at in germany.
Climbing mountains, skiing with full gear, sleeping in snow holes. Did it all and loved it all.
The only times I did not like being in the infantry was when it was cold AND rainy. It sucks the energy and motivation out of everyone.
Yes! I was one a fortunate few to see his collection. Among the many items, he had a type written letter signed in ink from Heydrich Reinhardt. It was written to a local police official in Prague from his HQ there.
Also there was a personally autographed black and white photo of Hitler. The ink was smeared so it was definitely not a print.
His helmet collection was amazing. Included Wehrmacht, SS, Kreigsmarine, Luftwaffe, Afrika Corp full and pith style helmets, a medic helmet, several from the Eastern front with white paint camo intact. Several had chicken wire, identical to the modern material, used to hold branches and foliage on top .
Several had hand painted camo patterns, most had the soldier’s names painted inside.
He had a few inert stick grenades with the screw cap and porcelain ball on the cord still intact. I wish he would have allowed me to take pictures. Was not permitted. Please keep up the good work! Amazing to see how much remains. Perhaps I may be able to come see myself in time. I have an uncle buried at the National Cemetery in Normandy. He served with the US 4th Infantry, and was mortally wounded at Utah Beach. Again, thank you for your efforts!
Oh wow, I can't even begn to imagine what it would be like to view those items up close! Shame about not being able to photograph them but I understand why some collectors would be close guarded etc, especially with items from the other side!
Can I ask your Uncle's name? I'm planning to film at Utah in June and would mention him if you'd like me to?
@@WW2Wayfinder Sure! His name was Marvin Booth. Was 27 at the time.
Marvin was PFC with 4th Infantry. Enlisted at Camp Blanding, which is still in existence as a National Guard post in Palatka Fl.
Thank you. I’ve recently subscribed to your channel and enjoy your videos. We have previously visited many of the locations that you have covered in a number of your videos on our European motorcycle trips (Bastogne, Foy, Normandy,) We’re off again at the beginning of September 23, through Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg and Holland. We have been in Berchtesgaden before and visited the Eagles Nest, but this time we are staying in the town and will walk around the locations that you have covered in this video. Later on the trip we will visit La Gleize and the Crossroads neat Eindhoven. Keep up the great work 👍
Sounds like an amazing trip and a great time of year to visit! When you go to La Gleize, it’s worth stopping in Stavelot as well if you have time to see the town and I can highly recommend the Gasthof Neuhaus in Berchtesgaden for food!
And Werfen Castle where they filmed Where Eagles Dare is close to Berchtesgaden if you have time to visit there too!
Thanks, we will take up all of those recommendations. Thank you for the reply, much appreciated. Just an additional question if you dont mind. Can you recommend a source for the "Then" pictures? I would quite like to build a collection of the places that we visit and try our own personal matching of the "Then" locations to where we are standing. Also meant to mention that we are visiting Aachen on this trip, should be very interesting too.@@WW2Wayfinder
this is a fantastic historical then and now piece
Thank you Kev! Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for the two vids about Berchtesgaden and Obersalzberg. I also like to find artefacts in this area and comes four times a year. I found f.e. the small Kanzlei in Stanggass, complete with eagles and bunker that mounthed to a small train station. Hitler vistited this Kanzlei more often than in Berlin. And explore also the Eckhart Hospital and Kaserne in Strub near Berchtesgaden. Unfortunually I cannot sent pics here. I can show you more ruins and intact buildings. So I sure know you will return and make some more vids here in Berchtesgaden. Thanks 👌
Thank you for watching and glad you enjoyed the two films! I’ll definitely be back to document more in that area!
The whole region is fascinating and it’s great you get to visit so often too! Places like that can never be fully understood on one or two visit!
@@WW2Wayfinder You are right. It's a black history, but history that never must forgotten.
@@nimsvisnimsvis3331 absolutely right. It needs to remain at the forefront of our minds so we ensure the world stays free of tyranny for the sake of our children. It’s not easy but has to be done!
Can't tell you how much I enjoyed this fantastic video. I'm reading a book, "On Hitler's Mountain", which is the memoir of a woman
who grew up in Berchtesgaden during WW2. In your video I could actually see her father's name, Max Paul, who was killed during
the war, on that wall you were at that had a list of the fallen German soldiers. She also mentions the new train station built by the
Nazi's and also walking over that bridge and having to go past that guard station. You have really brought the book to life for me
and for that I thank you very much. Have you made any videos concerning the 82nd Airborne? My father rode several glider missions
during the war as a member of the 82nd Airborne. Thanks again.
Oh wow, that’s fantastic! I’ll have to look for a copy of that book as it sounds fascinating!
If you have time I did a long one documenting the battle of La Fiere in Normandy where I take an in-depth look at the role of both the paratroopers and glider men who fought there at the causeway for 3 days.
I also plan to cover more 82nd Airborne areas when I visit the Ardennes next month!
Thanks for the info. I will definitely check out the video on La Fiere in Normandy.@@WW2Wayfinder
Excellent work!
Thank you! It was a great morning filming in Berchtesgaden last year!
Thank you!
You're most welcome.
Great video! I was wondering where was the Führersonderzug, "Amerika" parked when Hitler visited Berchtesgaden and is this location still there today?
I can only assume it was at the station itself but not sure by any means. Defiantly one to look into though!
Thanks for watching!
I've visited there 2 or 3 times and always take a walk in the graveyard because it is fascinating to see the sheer numbers of war dead and more importantly, many of the graves bear photographs of the deceased - lots of them mark soldiers who died in u-boats and also Russia
It’s an interesting town isn’t it, and you’re right about how the Germans remember their war dead in local cemeteries. The first time I noticed it threw me a little as I wasn’t expecting so much recognition for those who had served.
@@WW2Wayfinder excellent series mate, I hope you manage to get to Colditz and the channel islands in your travels
@@WW2Wayfinder Why do you think all German soldiers and sailors and airmen were Nazi's? My family got out in the 30's but many were not so fortunate. Many we not willing participants and absolutely hated what Hitler did to their beautiful country.
Are there guides available to search out these spots when visiting?
Sadly not that I'm aware of, everything I put together is from the research I do.
Great video! I was in Linz few days ago and I visited the main square where Hitler announced Anshluss from the balcony there. Also on the main street Landstrasse in Linz lived Hitlers family doctor. Will visit Berchtesgaden and Eagles Nest soon! Your videos are awesome and very educational! I have been to Normandy beaches in 2018 and met with Band of Brothers actors and checked all the museums and bunkers. Thanks!
Oh cool! I’ve not been to Linz but would really like to one day as there is some amazing footage filmed by the US there in May 1945.
Hope you have a great trip to the Eagles Nest, my advice though is get the first bus up to the top as it gets so busy! Getting there for just after 7am and waiting is the best way to do it if you’re able to!!
@@WW2Wayfinder yes, there are many interesting things to see in Linz regarding Hitler. His elementary school, Landestheater where he got hooked to Wagner, etc...he lived with his parents in Leonding which is just 5km away from Linz. The house is still there and a small cemetary across the house where buried his parents. However tombstones are removed from the site for obvious reasons. Also theres a restaurant in Leonding where Hitlers father died. Thanks for the chat! You got an amazing channel!
The real culprits of WW2 were the Anglo-Americans.CHURCHILL and ROOSEVELT two big criminals!!!
Great video. I’m heading there for 4 days in October with my daughter. Going to take a day trip to Mauthausen.
Oh fantastic. Berchtesgaden is a beautiful town Im and if you have a chance to visit the Eagles Nest make sure you get to the bus stop at the Documentation Centre early as it’s gets busy!!!! Hope it’s a great trip and thank you for watching!
We just arrived from Berchtesgaden. I planned the visit based on our videos ... many thanks. BTW same case with our KoenigsTiger visit in La Gleize.
Hope you have a wonderful trip! I hope you’re able to make it up to the Kehlsteinhaus as well!
Great job...my father was in Patton's 3rd Army, 89th Division.. he took us To Germany in 1970 and 1972...we went here and where your other video was fimed..saw the tunnels and walked through some....went to Eagles Nest....I agree, should be there for reflection of history....thank you!
It’s a great place and must have been an incredible trip for you to go there with your Father!
Excellent video. I was stationed in Würzburg 84-87 and Stuttgart 88-91. I’ve been to Berchtesgaden a couple of times. I was also in the 101st twice. I’m planning another trip to Germany and it will be one of my stops.
Hope you're next trip there is a good one! Berchtesgaden is such a beautiful town to visit and clearly the history is fascinating.
I love these now and then photos
Thank you!
thank you sir........new subscriber
Thank you! Got lots more coming up for this year so hope you enjoy! Thanks again!
@@WW2Wayfinder indeed cant wait to see
i must say your videos are underrated. and deserve more views
@@kevgoeswandering8488 couldn’t agree more! Very good content👍
I have visited there three times and look forward to going back some day. A beautiful town, very quaint, slow paced and the people are very, very friendly. Our hotels were first class as well.
And the food is awesome. Watching this video, makes me yearn to go back now.
I hope you’re able to make it back there soon! As you say it’s a wonderful town to visit.
Been to the Eagle's Nest on. Trafalgar Tour! Absolutely amazing place! Need to go back & explore these areas! Currently working with a family friend who's father was in 101st 506PIR and "liberated" the Eagle's Nest. He took some pictures but the quality is mixed
Oh wow, that’s so cool! Thank you for sharing! I bet there are still photos from that time still in private collections.
It’s an amazing place and I was very lucky with the weather that day. My first visit in 2018 we got to the top only to stare straight into cloud!
@@WW2Wayfinder I was lucky when I visited in May 2018. The tour guide said that we had the best weather she'd seen in years. The visibility was amazing! I've recently posted a few pics of my visit on Twitter. It is quite a place. Glad I found your TH-cam channel you visit some amazing places! Love that you bring Monty along w you!
I'm on the train to Berchtesgaden now watching your video 😊
Oh wow! That’s so cool! Have a great time there and I hope the video is useful!
@@WW2Wayfinder video was very useful thanks. Sipping coffee now at Gasthof Neuhaus in town. Beautiful town.
@@Matt_Rowson fantastic!!!! There’s a nice beir garten just off from the fountain I talk about that has the Hitler Youth sitting around it. I had dinner there and the food was really good! Enjoy your stay there!
Much of the movie "The Devil Takes Three" (1950) was shot in B'gaden including the ruins of the Berghof. The 508th MP Btln features rather strongly in it.
Thank you for the info on that! Not a film I’ve heard of so will try and source a copy! Thanks again!!!
I come here evry year to Vacation its very nice nature
It’s a beautiful region isn’t it! Werfen on the other side of the border just in Austria is also a great place to visit!
@@WW2Wayfinder yes!
I have pictures from there, my father was first into town he was 101st airborne, he told of good times until the officers showed up
You should go to Nuremberg and do the rally grounds been there it’s pretty amazing but eerie like the obersalzberg
It’s on my list for 2023! I’ve been a couple of times in the past, first back in 2008 and seeing the Zepplinfeld and some of the other buildings still standing from the Nazi era are a stark reminder of what happened there!
Awesome! I got really good photos of Berchtesgaden and Nuremberg, we need more world war 2 TH-camrs explaining this stuff because not too many world war 2 people around anymore…. You should also go to Berlin and do a couple videos there
You prolly have been here but Munich has a lot of cool stuff too we also went to Dachau
@@westonbrewster8344 fantastic! Even without the history there Berchtesgaden will always be one of my favourite places in the alps as it’s just stunning!
Berlin would be good. Last time I went there was 2013 and the scars from those desperate days in April/May 45 are still easy to find. The Reichstag tour was really interesting and I highly recommend it if you get the chance!
what a beautiful spot
New subscriber. Excellent piece here. Can't wait to check out some other content!
Thanks Michael, I really appreciate it! Still got a few more episodes from the Battle of the Bulge then heading back to Normandy to film some of the lesser known spots there!
Looks like a nice place to visit
It’s a stunning town, great views of the mountains and nice places to eat etc.
Very interesting to read my own name on that wall of the fallen sons in a video on youtube. It was my great grand father.
My grandmother was 12year old in 1945, she saw this pics beeing taken.
enjoyed that
Thank you!
I was born in Berchtesgaden in 47. My biological mother, Anna Marie T. Kuftner, was an interpreter for the American forces, WW 2, and she resided at 4 Markplatz. Never knew my biological father, an American Army officer. I was adopted in 53 and came to America.
Oh wow! Thank you for sharing that.
Interesting video
Thank you. It’s a fascinating town to walk around!
I love your videos and would really like to talk history with you my wife and I have been there and loved it
Thank you! Always more happy to talk history, the diffuclt part is getting me to stop!!! Glad you've been to Berchtesgaden and seen it first hand. If you ever spot me out and about in Normandy or elsewhere please let me know!
i have been to berchtesgaden 3 times. the postamt murial is not painted. its a mosaik.
I had to go back and look at my photos and you’re correct it is a mosaic! Unusual to see it done that way as most buildings are painted so that’s for that!
George stevens took magnificent color film of almost every major event of the war using his personal 16mm camera that was used to film the movie Gunga Din. A very fascinating one is the meeting at torgau of US and Russian troops. In that film theres a guy dressed in a tuxedo and a big top hat who is apparently drunk and staggering around and has a look of pure bliss on his face. I think he must have gotten into a medical kit and found some morphine. The camera man took special interest in him and he interacts with US GIs. Strange he would be in that condition at that time and not in uniform. Looks around 30 years old. Oh and he is carrying a huge dead rabbit. Its easy to find on TH-cam at george Stevens color film Germany.
John thanks for that! I’ve got the book that accompanied the footage but haven’t seen the film in years other than the odd section of footage etc. I need to re-watch it clearly!!! Interesting too that it was the same camera used to film Gunga Din (another classic I need to add to the watch list!)
If I find any war-time pictures in my mother's albums, would you be interested? Lovely place isn't it? My late mother visited there often during the war and was presumably very familiar with the station and probably the post office too. She was also there in 1945. I wonder if she actually saw "Goering's Art Collection"? When we went back in 1971 she renewed acquaintance with a fish restaurant, ordering her fresh swimming trout out of a similar fish tank for lunch just as she had done all those years before..
Hi sir, im a big fan of ANYTHING to do with WW2, And also a big fan of 101st, now my question is this, Was A.H actually afraid of heights or no? Cuz i have looked up some of the research on that, but its 50/50 (ie some say he was and some say he wasn't)
From everything I’ve read he was, however like anything like that I could be a stretched version of something that happened that then over time has become fact! I do know that he preferred to visit the tea house on the Mooslahnerkopf which is in my other video on the Obersalzberg and the views from there are amazing!
@@WW2Wayfinder im hoping to see and visit the locations in 2024 (as part of a leger battlefield tour) and i have visited the site of his bunker in berlin too (last year) which was spine-chillimg to say the least
@@brettgreene4341 agreed! It’s odd to stand in that car park and know what took place there!
Leger are excellent so I’m sure you’ll have a great time with them!
Very pretty scenery in which to place a nice little town. I guess the population was lucky to have escaped much of the devastation that was visited upon other German localities.
The town surrendered without a shot being fired in early May when the 3rd Infantry Division reached the area!
Just viewed your beautiful video. After the war Berchtesgaden the surrounding area of the Obetsalzburg became a US Army run recreation area. It remained as such until the end of the cold war. There was a nine hole golf course, which became a learn to ski hill during winter. Looks like there's no trace of that time period remaining.
I can imagine it must have been a great place to spend time on R&R there if posted to Germany! I think Speirs old studio on the Oberslazberg was used by the US Army as a cottage etc for families to stay in until they left in the early 90’s I believe!
@@WW2Wayfinder There were a number of hotels and lodges at the Armed Forces Recreation Center. The Berchtesgadener Hof in town, the Sky Top Lodge by the golf course, and the General Walker near the Obersalzburg summit. Of note, you could enter the tunnel complex directly from the General Walker, and tunnel tours were offered a few times a week. I think the German tunnel tour guide got a kick out of telling the Americans that Hitler was a vegetarian. One other note, the gold plated elevator to the top of the Kehlsteinhaus has a plaque which says Otis Elevator Company, New York.
Beautiful place, buildings are awesome! And it’s not their fault who live there! Or what happened.
interesting
Thank you!
This is my home town. This series makes me homesick 2:15
This video and part one are very interesting. Thanks for making it so interesting. I would like to visit.
I would also love to have a meal in the Eagle's Nest just to put a finger up to Hitler.
I walked on the same walkway above berchtasgaden plus visit most of the sites you outlined 2023/2024
Thank You! That's a great informative video. However, I will only subscribe when you will pronounce the "Berchtesgaden" correctly 😊.
You need to get a hat and t-shirt that has your logo on it. Merchandising!
I wonder what Hitler would think of a Burger King in Berchtesgarden lol
Probably wouldn’t be happy as I think he was a vegetarian!
Unless they do veggie burgers?!🫣
When I was a kid we stayed at the Berchtesgaden Hof when it was an A Erica Forces rec centre. I was too young at the time to know it was the big hotel for Nazi Party members to stay when in town.
Sadly that hotel has gone now. It was the HQ for the 101st when they were in the town!
Really enjoyed your video. It left me feeling a bit uneasy to see it looking like a really lovely old German town but the history is still horrible and that Hitler masterminded so much of his evil plans just along the road at his Eagle's Nest retreat.
The history really is in stark contrast with the town and surrounding area.
Thank you for watching!
Like.
Thank you!
Planning to go in 2025
Hope you have a wonderful time there! I can recommend the Gasthof Heuhaus on Marktplatz in the town if you want good food and drink!
RIP heiliges Deutschland 🥲
Late October 2023 the train station is a hangout of street trash kids getting drunk and loud. Saw a couple of them peeing in the interior corners of the station....place was filthly and stank.
That’s so sad.
I’m a Big envious fan- thanks for all your great efforts of bringing this to us🫡
Yeah, I’m going through a lot of your catalog now- get use to me🤣
Glad to have you aboard! Normandy is the next big playlist so hope you enjoy that when I get around to editing and publishing it!
@@WW2Wayfinder
Oh yes I will👍
I’ve been to two WW2 battle fields in my life- Bataan/Corregidor at age 4; Normandy for one whole day😭
Wow, now those are places I’d love to visit! Maybe one day if I can manage it. Guadalcanal is another on the list!
@@WW2Wayfinder
I should be more interested in the Pacific theater since I was raised for a couple of years in the Philippines- my earliest memories are of the Philippines- I think I’m a Filipino 🤣
But girls running out to kiss Liberators is a much better story, then the ugly Pacific war (it’s more like Vietnam)
@@richardmardis2492 that was a brutal fight for sure. My great uncle served with the Royal Navy on HMS Indefatigable in 1945 and he said that was rough. Can’t imagine what it was like for the Marines and Army slogging it out on the ground there!