Last week our company staged the estate of a passionate aviation enthusiast. Plenty of memorabilia was found throughout the mansion-like home that even had a movie theater. My favorite was a framed art print of a P-51 Mustang flying over Hitler’s Alpine retreat, signed by veterans from the war. What made it even more special was that four of the veterans were from Easy Company of Band of Brothers fame!
This post is part of an ongoing series called ‘Workplace discoveries’, which documents interesting Second World War related artifacts that I discover at work. My regular job is to manage an estate sale company. Artifacts documented in this series are not necessarily in my possession, and may been saved by the homeowner or sold to another customer. Any item I do buy has first been made available to the general public.
‘Alpine Eagles’ by John D. Shaw
A P-51 Mustang zooms past Hitler’s famed Eagle’s Nest, his private retreat near Berchtesgaden, Germany, in the Alpine Mountains. American troops are in the background touring the retreat, weapons still in hand. These are the men of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), 101st Airborne Division, immortalized on the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. The war will in Europe will wage for several more weeks but for now, the soldiers are sightseeing. They have fought hard since their baptism by fire at Normandy in June 1944.
The art print in our company’s possession was titled ‘Alpine Eagles’, drawn by aviation and military artist John D. Shaw. It is an artist’s proof, numbered thirty-two of one hundred, hand signed by Mr. Shaw himself. In addition, there are eleven other signatures from veterans of the war. Several of the signers served in the 325th Fighter Group, nicknamed the Checkertails, which the P-51 in the artwork belongs to.
Four signatures are from veterans of Easy Company who had actually been at the Eagle’s Nest as depicted in the artwork. Easy Company ended the war in Berchtesgaden and assumed occupation duties in the area, enjoying what comforts that Hitler’s retreat had to offer.
Growing up as a child in the early 2000s the Band of Brothers series was very important to me. The show helped to feed the history bug in me. Around the same time, I also began to play games in the Medal of Honor and Call of Duty franchises. I also had my grandmother who survived the Nazi Occupation of Poland to ask questions. How was it like? Were you ever scared? Needless to say, nostalgia hit me after discovering the signed print. All but one veteran of Easy Company is alive today, Brad Freeman, who is also one of the signers.
Veterans of Easy Company, 506th PIR
Albert ‘Al’ Mampre (1922-2019), was the last living medic attached to Easy Company. Al missed the Normandy Invasion because of a hospitalization but made the jump for Operation Market Garden.
Bradford ‘Brad’ Freeman (b. 1924), is the last surviving member of Easy Company. Wounded by shrapnel during the Battle of the Bulge, Brad convalesced for three months and rejoined his unit in Germany for occupation duty.
Edward ‘Babe’ Heffron (1923-2013), joined Easy Company after Normandy and jumped into Holland. Babe helped to liberate Kaufering concentration camp.
Earl McClung (1923-2013), born and raised on Coleville Indian Reservation in Washington state, Earl served with Easy company all throughout the war and was one of its best shooters.