Timeline
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March 10 1941
The Provisional Parachute Group -
July 1st 1941
Creation of the 502nd PIB -
July 10 1941
The Parachute School settles in Fort Benning -
August 11 1941
First overseas combat jump exercise -
August 21 1941
Creation of the 503rd PIB -
September 15 1941
Simulate war -
October 5 1941
Creation of the 504th PIB
May 5 to 8 1945
Taking of the Berghof and "V-E" Day
Between 5 and 8 May 1945, the 506th PIR of the 101st Airborne Division entered Berchtesgaden and stormed the ‘Berghof’, Adolf Hitler’s luxurious personal residence, his famous ‘eagle’s nest’.
This Bavarian town is perched in the heart of the mountains on the border between Austria and Switzerland. It is home to Adolf Hitler’s luxurious personal residence. French soldiers from General Leclerc’s 2nd Armoured Division were the first to arrive, but the complex was so vast that they let the Americans take over. The paratroopers discovered huge abandoned mansions, all of which had belonged to the highest dignitaries of the Nazi party. A network of underground passages was uncovered, and thousands of works of art, spirits, luxury vehicles, silverware and personal effects were seized.
The 101st Airborne then set up camp between Germany and Austria as the Army of Occupation. 8 May also marked the Allied victory over Germany and the end of the Second World War in Europe, known in English as ‘V-E Day’ (Victory in Europe Day).
