Camp Toccoa, Band of Brothers and Easy Company

Camp Toccoa is the birthplace of the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions in 1943. This video visits the original site of this WWII Paratrooper training camp near the town of Toccoa in Stephens County Georgia. Camp Toccoa and Mt. Currahee were made famous when featured in the HBO movie Band of Brothers. This is where "Easy" Company underwent training before going to Europe and participating in the 06 June 1944 D-Day invasion of Normandy. The camp is now gone, but I did my best to show you where the camp was and what it now looks like.

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[drillsgtvee]

Thanks for posting this video, & showing how Camp Toccoa looks today. As an Army Airborne Soldier & longtime military historian, I have visited this site at length, & have stood in awe of the history that was forged & made here.

And while little remains of the original camp, I am grateful that most of it is being reclaimed by nature, and not by man, or development. This is a fitting end, for such a significant, & historic place. We honor those men who became Soldiers here, at Toccoa. CURRAHEE

[nbkc21d]

@drillsgtvee I thank you for your comments. I had not thought about the reclaiming of the area by nature in this manner. Very poetic. During my exploration of the area I discovered a brick that made up one of the building foundations and a lump of coal. According to the people in Toccoa, coal was used heat the camp. Anyway, I brought them home and I think about the camp anytime I lay eyes on them. Thanks for watching!

[drillsgtvee]

@nbkc21d Thx for the reply. Great finds at the site, and nice small pieces of the camp's history!

Now, where did you find the maps and period aerial photos of the camp, that were used in your video?

Do you have any digital copies of them, and if so, could i get one from you? They are great references, and would be nice to blow up and frame, if possible. Thx for your assistance.

[nbkc21d]

@drillsgtvee The aerial maps came from two sources. The present day aerial came from Google Earth. The vintage aerial of the site came from the USGS. I ordered it from their archives several years back. It was taken in 1947 and nicely shows the camp before if began the fade away. The other photographs of the camp buildings, camp entrance, etc...came from several websites. The only image that I actually possess a hard copy of is the 1947 aerial photo.

[WolfE1114555]

its a shame to see camp Toccoa dissappearing,but atleast it will still be there underneath the forest thats slow taken it back,instead of built on top of so theres nothing 2 see, thanks 4 the vid its been added 2 my favorites

[nbkc21d]

@WolfE1114555 I felt the same way when we drove down to Georgia and found little of Camp Toccoa. The Stephens County Historical Sociery does a nice job of commerating the camp and even has an old stable that was brought over from Aldbourne England. The stable was used by the 101st as quarters during their stay in England.

[drillsgtvee]

@nbkc21d

Great to hear that you found a few artifacts here. As very little remains of the camp & it's activity, I'm sure these items evoke special meaning, in knowing that they are small, but interactive, pieces of American military history.

I've visited the camp 3 times in the past 7 months, & have a very strong connection to it. As a Soldier & historian, I can directly relate to the training & activity that occured there, & can envision the bustle of Army camp life, 70 years ago! Best, V

[nbkc21d]

@kibbsmycat23 I couldn't agree more! There are few traces of the camp.