VE-Day: A Blue-Sky Ending
May 8, 1945. Berchtesgaden, Germany. The war in Europe was over.
Captain Dick Winters stood beneath a clear sky, reading the official communiqué: “German Army Group G in this sector has surrendered… No firing on Germans unless fired upon.” Just like that, the guns fell silent. The fighting was done. The men of Easy Company, who had stormed beaches, forests, and frozen fields, now found themselves in the heart of Hitler’s mountain retreat—alive, victorious, and for the first time in a long while, unsure what to do next.
There were no parades, no formal gatherings. Just a slow-burning realization: we made it.
For some, it came with a bottle of champagne. For others, with laughter, mischief, or the stunned quiet of disbelief. One moment, Sergeant Mercier dressed in a captured German officer’s uniform—monocle and all—and was mock-interrogated by Speirs. Without looking up, the captain gave the order: “Take him out and shoot him.” A beat passed before Mercier broke character: “Sir, it’s me.” Even Speirs, usually all steel and discipline, spent the day on his balcony tossing empty bottles into the yard and taking potshots at them with his .45.
Across town, French troops fired machine guns into the sky, shouting “La guerre est finie!” while American paratroopers handed out cigarettes and ducked the shrapnel of celebration.
But beneath the revelry was something quieter. A tired relief. A kind of numbness. Winters called it “a tired sense of relief,” not joy. Shifty Powers woke up hungover, in his underwear, clutching an empty bottle. “I appeared to be about the best functioning man in the outfit,” he remembered. They had earned this celebration—but they were also carrying the weight of everyone who didn’t make it.
Today, Berchtesgaden is peaceful. The mountain views are as stunning as they were then. But it’s not the scenery that stays with you—it’s the strange mix of exhaustion, survival, and joy that marked the end of one of the most brutal conflicts in human history.
Further Reading
The reflections in this post come from Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose, Beyond Band of Brothers by Dick Winters, Shifty’s War by Marcus Brotherton, and Fierce Valor by Jared Frederick and Erik Dorr.
If you're planning to visit Berchtesgaden—or follow Easy Company’s journey across Europe—the Band of Brothers Travel Guide offers detailed advice and context to help you experience these places for yourself. It’s not just about seeing the sites. It’s about walking the ground where these moments happened.
Photos: Thank you to the U.S. Army Signal Corps, James Skeffington, and Unsplash photographers.
