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“John Cipolla 101st Airborne May 4th 1945 Adolf Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest”
The flag visible above the Eagle’s Nest, dated May 1945. Note the paratroopers exploring the building and grounds.
Dated May 1945, showing a 9x5ft. ‘storm’ flag - matching the dimensions of the flag taken by John Cipolla of 501 PIR, 101st Airborne Division. 
Another photo of the same flag, taken around the same time
Wartime photo of Mr Cipolla
Here you can see the flagpole, with the flag already removed. Veteran in the photo is unknown. Date is probably May/June 1945.
In this photo, dated May 25 1945, the flag has clearly been taken down and removed. Photo credit: Third Reich in Ruins
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At the Eagle’s Nest, an officer chewed him out for putting his feet up on “Hitler’s desk”
Mr Cipolla is front row, far left, wearing the baseball cap
Mr Cipolla’s jump boots
John Cipolla’s wartime memoirs were published before his death in this book, written by Matt Fox. I asked Matt if he recalled seeing the flag in John’s possession: “John ended up at the Eagle's Nest at the end of the war, mostly mopping up some f
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John Cipolla, C Company 501st PIR, 101st Airborne Division
Mr Cipolla with a photograph he took from Hitler’s home
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Cipolla was known to be something of an accumulator himself – and preserved a collection of his own souvenirs and artefacts at his home in Rochester NY. It’s easy to imagine him at the Eagle’s Nest in May 1945 spying the hoisted flag and wanting to
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