Daniel Eckstein

Daniel Eckstein
Country of Origin	Germany
Date of Birth	1916
Date of Death	1961, Bienville District, New Orleans, American Territories
Age	45
Height	6'4"
Weight	191 lbs
Sex	Male
Nationality	German
Occupation	SS-Brigadeführer (SS-Brigadier General)
Fate	Deceased (Assassinated by B.J.)
Relative(s)	Wilhelmina Eckstein (wife/widow) Unnamed Son Unnamed Three Daughters
Appearance(s)	Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

"Blazkowicz. Let me tell to you about this Übercommander. His real name is Daniel Eckstein. But everyone knows him as the butcher of Boston. A real mass murderer. Sadistic son-of a bitch. Find his ass, and deliver some justice for the people of Boston. Grace out."

―Grace to B.J. on Daniel Eckstein

Brigadeführer Daniel Eckstein, also known as "The Butcher of Boston" is a minor antagonist and enemy in Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus.

Biography

Before 1961

Eckstein first rose to significance within the Nazi party sometime in the early 1940s. In 1952, during the Nazi conquest of the United States, he took part in an assault on "Tennessee Station" wherein he was acclaimed for heroism. He was responsible for the capture, torture and execution of eighteen resistance leaders during an initiative known as Operation Strange Seas and commanded at least one other operation which led to the deaths of eleven resistance fighters and the capture of sixteen more. While the events in Boston which earned him such a grim title are never expounded upon, the mere mention of them after the fact made even hardened Nazi soldiers uncomfortable.

Assassination

"Blazkowicz. I have never been so proud to be part of the resistance. Perhaps the people of Boston can finally rest in peace."

―Grace to B.J. upon Eckstein's death

By July 1961 Eckstein had become one of the extremely influential Übercommanders within the American territories; it was at this time that he was deployed in the former New Orleans ghetto, leading an operation to search for any notable intelligence and recover the bodies of soldiers killed by resistance fighters during the purge of the city and subsequent detonation of a nuclear warhead by the Kreisau Circle. This assignment would be his last; while issuing orders to troops on Bienville street he was killed by William J. Blazkowicz.

Personality and relationships

Eckstein recieves notably more character development than most of the Übercommanders, though much of it is indirect. A conversation between two soldiers at the beginning of the side mission featuring him reveals that between his unnerving gaze and his reputation he manages to scare even his own troops. He values efficiency and calm demeanour from the troops under his command, especially when working in a hazardous environment such as the irradiated ghetto.

A note found in the sewers beneath the ghetto suggests that Eckstein is greatly conflicted at the time of his assassination - the death of his lover has left him isolated, sudden bouts of guilt have surfaced over his actions in Boston and his faith in the Nazi philosophy has been shaken by the revelation of the truth behind the Reich's technological triumphs.

While Grace has no love for any Nazi she seems to hold especial contempt for Eckstein specifically, describing his death as the proudest moment of her tenure in the resistance. It is unknown whether this implies some personal history between the two or if Grace was just more generally aware of Eckstein's past and found his actions exceptionally repulsive.