An SS checkpoint near the Berghof – one of several locations where the panels were most likely fixed before being removed by Bonnet.
"Our honour is loyalty" - the official motto of the SS.
Philippe Bonnet, 31e Batterie, XI/64e Régiment d'Artillerie de Division Blindée (RADB), 1919-2013.
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Men of Bonnet’s unit, the 64th artillery regiment of the 2nd Armored Division (64th RADB), at the Eagle's Nest on May 4, 1945. Here, the tricolour flag is hung in one of the windows by Captain Laurent Touyeras and his deputy, Cadet.
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A half-track from the 32nd battery of the 64th Artillery Regiment (64th RADB) of the 2nd Armored Division. While Bonnet was in the 31st battery, he would undoubtedly have had access to trucks and other vehicles like this one: the perfect place to st
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The surface of the carved stahlhelm feels noticeably smoother than other parts of the carving - possibly from years of passers-by instinctively reaching up to touch it as they walked beneath the guardhouse entrance.
Carved recesses on the back of each panel suggest they were originally designed to slot over rafter ends - most likely part of an SS guardhouse or other SS checkpoint en route to the Berghof.
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