Veteran, historian celebrate partnership

SANDPOINT - Don Zahn and Mark Bando share quite a few similarities, not least of which is their birthday.

Both born on Oct. 15, Zahn and Bando spent their 91st and 62nd birthday together reminiscing over their 20-year correspondence. Bando, a World War II historian, first contacted Zahn in the early '90s to ask about his experiences in the 101st Airborne. Since then, the two have developed a warm friendship, aptly symbolized by Zahn's birthday gift of a bathtub stopper to Bando.

Although the stopper appears to be any ordinary plug, its simplicity is deceiving. In fact, Zahn claimed the stopper as a souvenir from the home of its previous owner - Adolf Hitler.

"I imagined Hitler hanging his (backside) over that bathtub plug and figured I'd better take it," Zahn said. "I'm a bit of a collector, so I just reached in and grabbed it."

In May 1945, around the same time the Soviets were occupying Berlin, Zahn oversaw a platoon guarding the Berghof, a Bavarian mansion located near the town of Berchtesgaden. Of all the residences Hitler occupied during World War II, he spent the most time at the Berghof. Zahn, a first lieutenant by the end of the war, grabbed the plug as a memento from the man responsible for his wartime experiences in the first place.

Those experiences began early morning June 6, 1944, with the D-Day parachute landings in Normandy and carried Zahn all the way to Hitler's own home. Through it all, he lost friends, saved lives, brushed against death and ultimately earned national recognition for his service.

Based on that history, the veteran has been an invaluable source of information for Bando in his documentation of training, combat and recreational life of soldiers in the 101st Airborne.

"At one point, I brought two or three videotapes to record our conversation, and he said, 'Oh, I can't talk that much,'" Bando said. "He was still talking by the time all the tapes were filled."

And a good thing, too - of the seven books Bando has written, six are about the 101st Airborne. Zahn's experiences, along with interviews from 1,022 other veterans of the 101st, have allowed Bando to compile the trials and tribulations of the Screaming Eagles into a comprehensive set of histories.

However, Zahn wasn't always so talkative. Like many other World War II veterans, he wasn't initially interested in reliving the sadness and horrors associated with his wartime memories. Eventually, Bando won him over with his commitment to accuracy and thorough research.

"I'll talk to this guy because he gets it right," Zahn said.

Zahn's interviews were one element that helped Bando make sense of the chaotic D-Day jumps on June 6, 1944. Bad weather and German resistance scattered the paratroopers, who were forced to improvise and form impromptu military units to accomplish objectives.

Along with a small group of paratroopers from Co. H of the 506th regiment, 101st Airborne, Zahn played an important role in one of the mission goals: the capture of two small bridges over the Douve River. He was the first to volunteer as a scout and the first to cross the bridge, but George Montillo, a sergeant from Zahn's company, would be the first to earn credit for the operation. The military awarded Montillo its second highest valor award: the Distinguished Service Cross.

Zahn finally received a Distinguished Service Cross of his own after tireless advocacy by his company commander Cpt. Robert Harwick. He received the honor at Berchtesgaden on May 9, 1945, the same week he took Hitler's bathtub plug.

However, that isn't Zahn's proudest wartime moment.

Zahn said that before boarding the planes to jump on D-day, paratroopers received verbal orders to take no prisoners for three days after the invasion. Within that timeframe, skirmishes along the Douve River and surrenders after the fighting yielded 25 disarmed German soldiers. Zahn and his comrades discussed the best course of action. However, Charles Shettle, a captain from 3rd Battalion S-3, had the final word as the ranking officer, according to Bando.

"Well, we have orders not to keep any prisoners," he told the men. "Zahn, take these guys and get rid of them."

The thought of killing prisoners immediately repulsed Zahn. After some quick thinking, he spotted his friend Whitey Hoffman, a soldier fluent in German, and told Shettle they could extract valuable intelligence from the soldiers. Zahn's idea swayed Shettle.

Zahn and Hoffman guided their prisoners to a barn over about a mile of pastureland under intermittent mortar fire from across the river. After reaching the barn, Zahn and Hoffman ordered them inside. Initially, the prisoners were angry until Hoffman explained their lives were on the line. That reality secured their cooperation.

That moment, a story of human kindness and dignity set against the inhumanity of war, was Zahn's finest hour.

"I'm really proud of the fact that I managed to save that many lives," he said.