Band of Brothers
Band of Brothers is an acclaimed 10-part (600 mins runtime)
television miniseries about
World War II, co-produced by
Steven Spielberg and
Tom Hanks. Much of the action of the mini-series centers on the exploits of
Easy Company of the
506th Parachute Infantry Regiment,
U.S. 101st Airborne Division and one of its early
platoon leaders, Lt.
Richard Winters (later Major Winters). It is based on a book of the same name written by historian and biographer
Stephen Ambrose.
The events portrayed in the mini-series are generally historically accurate and are based on Ambrose's research and recorded interviews with Easy Company veterans. All of the characters portrayed in the mini-series are based on actual members of Easy Company; some of them can be seen in prerecorded interviews as a prelude to each episode. (Their identities, however, are not revealed until the close of the finale.) The mini-series first aired in 2001 on
HBO and still runs frequently on different channels.
The series was nominated for 19
Emmy Awards, and won six, including prizes for "Outstanding Mini-Series", "Outstanding Casting for a Mini-Series, Movie or a Special", and "Outstanding Directing for a Mini-Series, Movie or a Dramatic Special". It also won a
Golden Globe for "Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television", an
American Film Institute award, and was selected for a
Peabody Award for "... relying on both history and memory to create a new tribute to those who fought to preserve liberty." It also won a
2003 Writers Guild Award (Television, Adapted Long Form) for Episode Six (Bastogne).
Currahee
Directed by
Phil Alden Robinson â€" Easy Company undergoes
paratrooper training at
Camp Toccoa,
Georgia. The major characters are introduced, particularly Lt.
Dick Winters and Lt.
Lewis Nixon. The episode focuses largely on the men's reaction to Capt.
Herbert Sobel, the egocentric and harsh original commander of Easy Company. However, Sobel's leadership during training exercises leaves the men uneasy about following him into battle. The
NCOs, in an act of
mutiny, say they no longer wish to serve in Easy Company. As a result the regimental commander, Col.
Robert Sink, removes Sobel as company commander and replaces him with Lt. Thomas Meehan. At the end of the episode, the company is shipped to
England and prepares to drop into Europe as a part of the
Operation Overlord D-Day invasion.
Day of Days
Directed by
Richard Loncraine â€"
D-Day arrives and Easy Company participates in the
Battle of Normandy, including the
Brécourt Manor Assault. With the loss of Lt. Meehan, Lt. Winters assumes command of the company during the assault. The episode ends with Winters and Nixon looking on at the bombardment of their next objective, Carentan. This episode is shown mainly from the perspective of Lt. Winters and shows his attempt to reach his assigned target after being dropped several miles off course.
Carentan
Directed by
Mikael Salomon â€" The third episode begins with Easy Company taking the French town of
Carentan. Easy Company then moves east of the town to form a line of defense. After a counterattack is repelled, the company is moved off the front lines, and returns to England. This episode is shown from the perspectives of Pvt.
Albert Blithe, who struggles with fear and feelings of letting his compatriots down, and Lt. Welsh, who becomes one of the most valuable leaders of the company. The episode ends with Pvt.
Donald Malarkey picking up his laundry from one of the local women, who inquires about laundry not yet picked up by some of his comrades â€" men who will never return to England, let alone pick up their laundry.
Replacements
Directed by
David Nutter â€" Back in England, Easy Company gets "green" (I.E. inexperienced) replacements; Winters, now a captain, leads the company as it is air-dropped into the
Netherlands in support of
Operation Market Garden. The episode is shown mainly from the perspective of the new men, as well as the perspective of Sgt.
"Bull" Randleman who goes
missing in action and finds shelter in a barn surrounded by German forces before making it back to Easy Company in the morning.
Crossroads
Directed by
Tom Hanks â€" Still in the Netherlands, Easy Company takes on a German offensive, told in flashback from the perspective of Winters, now battalion XO (Executive Officer). Easy Company is taken over by Lt. Heyliger, who is shot by a sentry after returning from a successful mission to rescue an English regiment. Winters takes 48 hours in Paris. Lt. Dike is given command of Easy Company as they are deployed to Bastogne. The director and producer Tom Hanks makes an uncredited appearance in the group of rescued British soldiers.
Jimmy Fallon appears as 2nd Lt. George Rice.
Bastogne
Directed by
David Leland â€" Easy Company is holed up near the Belgian town of
Bastogne during the
Battle of the Bulge. This episode is shown from the perspective of Tech. 5
Eugene Roe, one of Easy Company's two medics.
The Breaking Point
Directed by
David Frankel â€" Illustrates the stress felt by the men during the fighting in and around the town of
Foy,
Belgium. This episode is shown from the perspective of 1st Sgt.
Carwood Lipton. Capt.
Ronald Speirs becomes Easy's new CO (commanding officer) when Lt. Dike breaks down during the assault on Foy.
The Last Patrol
Directed by
Tony To â€" Easy Company pushes on to the town of
Haguenau. This episode is shown from the perspective of
David Webster and a replacement lieutenant (played by
Colin Hanks, son of the executive producer,
Tom Hanks). Winters is promoted to Major, Lipton is commissioned a 2nd Lt.
Why We Fight
Directed by
David Frankel â€" Easy Company crosses into
Germany and discovers a
Nazi concentration camp near
Landsberg. The title of the episode also is based on the title of
several war propaganda films.
Points
Directed by
Mikael Salomon â€" Easy Company captures
Hitler's
Eagle's Nest and contemplates a possible redeployment in the
Pacific Theater. The war ends, and the men of Easy Company return home. This episode is shown from the perspective of Major Winters.
We Stand Alone Together
The companion documentary to
Band of Brothers, featuring detailed interviews with the real members of Easy Company. Directed by
Mark Cowen.
*The end of episode three states that Albert Blithe never recovered from the wounds he received in Normandy, and that he died in 1948. However, Albert Blithe did not die until 1967, after having two children, working for
Westinghouse Electric, serving in the
Korean War and achieving the rank of
Master Sergeant. He was buried in
Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. [
1]
*In preparation for
Operation Market Garden, Sergeant "Bull" Randleman tells a new soldier to "drop your reserve chute â€" you won't need it â€" we'll be jumping low." This is incorrect for Market Garden, but had been correct for Normandy: on D-Day most troops jumped at 600 feet or less (200 m) â€" barely enough for the main chute to deploy. "The Market-Garden drop was a high drop, with average exits from 1,200 to 1,500 feet."[
2]
*At the beginning of Episode 9 it is stated that the date is
April 11 1945 and shows a scene with the company stationed in Thalem, Germany. At the end of the episode it finishes off the scene with Captain Nixon announcing the death of
Adolf Hitler. Hitler did not die until the
April 30 1945. Also, the episode frames this after the company left Landsberg. The company was present at Landsberg from
April 25 until
April 30, and orders given in that same scene to advance on
Berchtesgaden were not received until
May 3. [
3] (
Disputed below)
*Due to the miniseries only casting a limited portion of the Easy Company roster, certain roles had to be changed from their historical counterparts. For example, in the last patrol at Hagenau, the book cites Sergeant Mercier as the leading
NCO with 2LT Jones as ranking officer. As Mercier was not cast in the miniseries, the position was filled by Sergeant Martin (
Dexter Fletcher).
*The series states that Easy Company was the first unit into Berchtesgaden and the Eagle's Nest, capturing the town and surrounding area without incident. In fact, elements of the US 7th Infantry Regiment arrived a day earlier, and captured the town after minor skirmishes. [
4]
This series can be considered as a by-product of the
Steven Spielberg film
Saving Private Ryan.
Steven Spielberg and
Tom Hanks agreed to produce the series, with
HBO as a partner. The film crew started immediately after finishing
Saving Private Ryan, already on location. The series was filmed at Hatfield, the same place where most of
Saving Private Ryan was filmed. The
BBC, while officially credited as a co-producer, essentially only pre-purchased the series, albeit for a considerable price.
A new miniseries from the creators of Band of Brothers named the "The Pacific War" began production in 2005.
The title for the series and the book on which it is based comes from a speech delivered by
Henry V of England before the
Battle of Agincourt in
William Shakespeare's
Henry V; Act IV, Scene 3:
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,From this day to the ending of the world,But we in it shall be remember'd;We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;For he to-day that sheds his blood with meShall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,This day shall gentle his condition:And gentlemen in England now a-bed Shall think themselves accursed they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaksThat fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.(
King Henry, V.iii)
The expression was also used by the
British Admiral Horatio Nelson to refer to his council of Captains (aboard his
flagship), whom he encouraged beyond common practice in his day to be assertive and take initiative.
For most of the main characters, actors who resembled their real-life counterparts were cast if possible.
*
Damian Lewis as Maj.
Richard Winters (
1918-), born in
Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
*
Ron Livingston as Capt.
Lewis Nixon (
1918-
1996)
*
Matthew Settle as Capt.
Ronald Speirs (
1920-), born in
Edinburgh,
Scotland,
U.K.*
David Schwimmer as Capt.
Herbert Sobel (
1912-
1987)
*
Rick Warden as 1st Lt.
Harry Welsh (
1918-
1995), from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.
*
Neal McDonough as 1st Lt.
Lynn "Buck" Compton (
1921-)
*
Donnie Wahlberg as 2nd Lt.
C. Carwood Lipton (
1920-
2001), born in
Huntington, West Virginia*
Ross McCall as Cpl. Joseph Liebgott, (
1915â€"
1992),
San Francisco taxi driver*
Frank John Hughes as SSgt.
William "Wild Bill" Guarnere. (
1920-), born in
South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
*
Scott Grimes as TSgt.
Donald Malarkey (
1921-), born in Astoria, Oregon.
*
Rick Gomez as TSgt.
George Luz (
1921â€"
1998), born in
Rhode Island*
Simon Pegg as 1st Sgt.
William Evans*
Eion Bailey as Pfc.
David Kenyon Webster (
1922-
1961), born in New York.
*
James Madio as TSgt.
Frank Perconte (
1917-), born in
Joliet, Illinois,
Chicago postman*
Kirk Acevedo as SSgt.
Joseph Toye (
1919â€"
1995)
*
Michael Cudlitz as Sgt.
Denver "Bull" Randleman, (
1920–
June 26,
2003), born and raised in
Rector, Arkansas.
*
Richard Speight Jr. as Sgt.
Warren "Skip" Muck*
Dexter Fletcher as SSgt. John Martin, born in
Columbus,
Ohio,
railroad construction worker
1922â€"
2005*
Shane Taylor as Cpl.
Eugene Roe (Doc) (medic), (
1921–
1998), native of
Bayou Chene,
Louisiana*
Peter McCabe as Cpl.
Donald Hoobler*
Robin Laing as Pvt. Edward "Babe" Heffron (
1923-)
*
Matthew Leitch as SSgt/1st Sgt. Floyd "Tab" Talbert, native of
Kokomo,
Indiana (1923â€"1982)
*
Marc Warren as Pvt. Albert Blithe (1923â€"1967)
*
Peter Youngblood Hills as SSgt. Darrel "Shifty" Powers (1923- )
*
Mark Huberman as Pvt. Lester "Leo" Hashey (1925â€"2002)
*
Dale Dye as Col.
Robert F. Sink *
Nicholas Aaron as Pvt. Robert "Popeye" Wynn, native of
South Hill,
Virginia (1921â€"2000)
*
Tim Matthews as Cpl. Alex Penkala
*
Michael Fassbender as Sgt. Burton P. "Pat" Christenson (1922â€"1999)
*
Doug Allen as Pvt. Alton Moore (1920â€"1958)
*
Nolan Hemmings as Sgt. Charles E. "Chuck" Grant (1915â€"1985)
*
Matt Hickey as Pvt. Patrick O'Keefe (1926â€"2003)
*
James McAvoy as Pvt. James Miller
*
George Calil as Cpl. James H. "Mo" Alley, Jr., native of
Mount Ida, Arkansas. (1922- )
*
Tom Hardy as Pvt. John A. Janovec
*
Kieran O'Brien as Pvt. Allen Vest (1925â€"2001)
*
Douglas Spain as Cpl. Antonio C. Garcia (1925â€"2005)
*
Rene L. Moreno as Cpl. Joseph Ramirez
*
Jamie Bamber as 2nd Lt. Jack E. Foley (1922- )
*
Philip Barrantini as Pvt. Wayne A. "Skinny" Sisk (1922â€"1999)
*
Craig Heaney as Pvt. Roy Cobb
*
Rocky Marshall as Pvt. Earl "One Lung" McClung (1923- )
*
Jason O'Mara as 1st LT Thomas Meehan III
*
Peter O'Meara as 1st LT
Norman Dike*
Colin Hanks as 2nd LT Henry Jones (died, 1947 following a Jeep accident in Europe)
Saving Private Ryan*
Military unit for information about typical military organizational and command structure.
*
Easy Company for information about the real men who served in the Company
*
Official Curahee Memorial site*
HBO Band of Brothers â€" official site*
CMOH Website for Maj. Richard D. Winters*
New Band of Brothers Series: The Pacific War*
Band of Brothers F.A.Q.*
WildBillGuarnere.com: Official site of William 'Wild Bill' Guarnere*
Website for medic Eugene Roe and the Men and the series*
Mark Bando's Band of Brothers pages (Bando is one of the premier historians of WWII paratroopers)
*
Band Of Brothers and Thomas Meehan background*
Band Of Brothers Band Of Brothers French website
*
Band Of Brothers at
WOWOW INC.
