Currahee and Camp Toccoa: Where it began for the Band of Brothers

Currahee Mountain, Toccoa Georgia

Fans of the HBO Miniseries Band of Brothers know that the parachute infantry company profiled in the show—E company, or Easy Company—first came together in the North Georgia woods at hot, sticky, buggy Camp Toccoa, situated at the foot of Currahee Mountain. As Stephen Ambrose writes in his book about Easy, their first commander, Lt. Herbert Sobel, was universally disliked by his men, making them run Currahee—three miles up, three miles down—more often and more rigorously than other companies. Sobel’s men saw him as petty and tyrannical and doubted his command acumen in the field. After his platoon sergeants decided to turn in their stripes in protest—taking a tremendous risk—Sobel was reassigned. But military analysts believe the resolute determination he produced in his men—their realization they could withstand any circumstance, even an unreasonable commander—along with the demanding physical training, led to the creation of a superior fighting force. These were the Toccoa Men—signifier of a particular brand of tough that distinguished them from paratroopers who joined their ranks later in the war.

The train station, Toccoa, Georgia

Soldiers arriving in Toccoa, 1942

If you get the chance to visit Toccoa, stop first at the train station-turned-military-museum. Trains began arriving at this exact place from all parts of the country in 1942, bearing soldiers-to-be who had been summoned to service. Inside the building, you’ll see several galleries detailing the history of that part of North Georgia, followed by the gallery with displays related to Camp Toccoa. Many of the families of soldiers who trained here have donated artifacts from the war years. You’ll see their battle ribbons, uniforms, letters they wrote home, and photos taken while they were in the service and for many, images that depict the fruitful years they enjoyed after the war.

The notion of dropping soldiers out of planes behind enemy lines was a novel one for the US military and some commanders didn’t support the idea. But President Roosevelt did. By 1940, with Hitler making his move across Europe, the first paratrooper test platoon was activated. Soldiers with the 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment made the first combat jump into Algeria in late 1942.

Camp Toccoa was originally called Camp Toombs, a base for the Georgia National Guard. The US Army took it over in 1942. The commander of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, Col. Robert Sink, found Toombs an unfortunate name for a base training men headed off to war. He appealed to the Secretary of the Army and the camp was renamed Toccoa. Sink turned down two promotions to remain with the 506th throughout the war, joining them on their first combat jump into Normandy in advance of D-Day, and later jumping into The Netherlands for Operation Market Garden. Sink also commanded them in Bastogne during the Battle of Bulge.

As you tour the museum, you’ll see displays housed in wooden buildings that were actually built for horses. These buildings were disassembled, shipped from England, and reconstructed in Toccoa more than twenty years ago. Paratroopers once slept in these buildings, four to a horse stall, before they departed on D-Day and after the unit returned to England. Many artifacts were found tucked between the wooden slats—letters to and from loved ones, newspapers, and coins. After months of sleeping with dozens of loud, snoring men in military barracks, many soldiers appreciated the relative privacy the horse stalls offered—some hanging a blanket in the middle of the room to serve as a room divider.

Paratroopers slept in these horse stalls—enjoying relative quiet and privacy. The buildings were shipped from Aldbourne, England and reconstructed in Toccoa.

Letter sent to a paratrooper from Trumann, Arkansas, postmarked three weeks after D-Day. This was found within the walls of the horse stalls when they were taken apart to be shipped to Toccoa.

Don’t miss the movie at the end of the gallery, just before you enter the gift shop. It details the deep gratitude the French in Normandy continue to express to Americans for liberating their country from occupation. Their expressions of thankfulness are profound, even eighty years later.

From the museum, it’s a six-mile ride to the camp itself, where you’re greeted by an authentic-looking guard shack donated in honor of Popeye Winn, a paratrooper who was shot and wounded on D-Day but returned to his unit—against doctor’s orders—to resume the fight just months later. Crews are in the process of restoring a C-47 cargo plane on site, the plane that carried airborne troops into the skies over Europe. There’s a museum in the camp’s only original building that features uniforms and items used by the Toccoa men, and several barracks visitors can roam through.

C-47 restoration project underway

A reconstructed barracks at Toccoa, featuring bunk beds mattresses both thin and narrow.

The video below is full of interesting history of Camp Toccoa and the men who trained there. It was produced to raise funds to restore the camp and create a more expansive museum experience for visitors.

After you tour the camp, perhaps you’ll be inclined to take a run up Currahee Mountain in remembrance of the Toccoa men who gave their blood and sweat and very lives to keep the world free. It’s not far—just three miles up and three miles down. Maybe you can do it 48 minutes—the target time for the paratroopers. Or maybe just walk up into the mountain forest and pause for a moment, to thank these soldiers for the extraordinary bravery and resilience they summoned when the world needed their best.