Fortress Europe-The Final Victory

Join SUU’s Community on the Go “Fortress Europe” travel program as we once again follow in the footsteps of history by tracing the Allied advance through Austria and Germany and the conclusion of WWII in Europe. From historic Salzburg to Berchtesgaden nestled deep into stunning Austrian Alps, we will complete the storied service of the 101st Airborne - 506th P.I.R., Easy Company “Band of Brothers” and the capture of Eagle’s Nest, Hitler’s mountaintop fortress.

Then on to Munich, the capital of Bavaria and location of Adolph Hitler’s first concentration camp, the infamous Dachau, which would serve as a model for all later concentration camps and as a “school of violence” for the SS men under whose command it stood until it was liberated by American troops in 1945.

We will next travel to Nuremberg, a city that for centuries was considered the undeclared capital of the Holy Roman Empire and the preferred residence of most German kings. It was here the Nazi Party saw the perfect stage for their fanatical party rallies, and after WWII, was chosen as the site of the war crimes tribunal, now known as the Nuremberg Trials. While in Nuremburg, we will visit the infamous Nazi propaganda stadium location and other WWII related locations.

For a special treat, the group will take a day trip from Nuremburg and travel to Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber, Germany's best-preserved walled town. During the Middle Ages, when Berlin and Munich were just wide spots in the road, Rothenburg was Germany’s second-largest city.

Returning to Nuremburg, we will board a high-speed train for an exhilarating ride and transfer to Potsdam where the Allies chose Schloss Cecilienhof to host the Potsdam Conference of 1945. It was in this location, Stalin, Truman and Churchill (and later his successor Clement Attlee) hammered out Europe’s post-war fate and unfortunately laid the foundation for the Cold War.

Our intrepid group of travelers will complete this once-in-a-lifetime trip with an in-depth tour of Berlin and walk along remnants of the Berlin Wall, visit Checkpoint Charlie, marvel at Brandenburg Gate and stroll along Unter Den Linden, Berlin's most famous Boulevard. We will then conclude our Berlin tour as we contemplate the site of Hitler’s Bunker followed by a visit to Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer – Berlin Wall Monument at Bernauer Strasse, and the Wall Documentation Center (Dokumentationszentrum Berliner Mauer).