Band of Brothers : E Company, 506th
Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest by Stephen Ambrose
A
Personal History Reviewer: surgeonsmate from Campbell, ACT
Australia
As you would expect from the title, this
book is focused on the stories of the individuals who made up this "band
of brothers". Stephen Ambrose based his account on personal interviews and
diaries and letters written at the time, occasionally moving back to a
larger view when he quotes from an official history or other text.
This is the story of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506 Parachute
Infantry Regiment, 101 Airborne Division. A famous group in a famous unit,
fighting from Normandy in the early hours of D-Day, through Holland in the
spectacular failure of Operation Market-Garden and Belgium in a gallant
stand at Bastogne in the Battle of the Bulge, all the way to Hitler's
"Eagle's Nest" in the Austrian mountains, where the victors had a
well-deserved feast of wine, women and song.
This is an incredible story, told mainly in the words of those who
were there, and you can feel the fear, exhilaration, killing fury, bitter
cold and biting hunger along the way. But ost of all you can feel the
camaraderie of soldiers thrown together in a remote training camp in 1942,
who trained and fought as a band of brothers and now, sixty years on,
still maintain their closest friendships with each other.
In another sense it is a story of an amazing soldier - Second
Lieutenant Winters, one of the founding officers of Easy Company, who
ended up a Major commanding the battalion. He led his troops with coolness
and courage, intelligence and humanity. He gained more than respect, he
gained the love of these warriors, and he earnt it through common sense
decisions in training and in combat. His decisions saved the lives of his
men and cost the enemy dearly, and his small unit actions are still cited
as textbook examples.
This book is chockablock full of infantry minor actions. Advance,
assault, defense, withdrawal, patrolling and raiding - all told from
multiple viewpoints in stark detail - the war in microcosm as seen by
airborne infantrymen.
There are maps and pictures, an index and an epilogue describing
the postwar careers of the men of Easy. This book stands alone as totally
engrossing war story, but is also an essential companion to the
magnificent HBO miniseries.
As a brutally, touchingly honest story of men at war, I cannot
recommend this book too highly. It is an instant classic.
D Day: June 6, 1944: The Climactic
Battle of World War II by Stephen E. Ambrose
A Little Biased? Reviewer: A reader from Sydney, NSW Australia
I loved this book. I have rarely read such
an informative and 'on the beach' account of the d-day landings. There are
a huge number of personal accounts and experiences of people who were
actually there. Its actually very interesting to note how many small
details the film Saving private Ryan apparently took from this book (e.g.
Cross of David on the back of a Rangers tunic, Brooklyn, NY.)
However after reading most of Stephen E. Ambrose's work an
overriding theme occurs. According to Ambrose, the second world war was
entirely won by the American nation. Despite several years of war before
the US became involved, Ambrose consistently portraits all non-American
allied forces as bumbling fools. I really feel that Ambrose is an amazing
historian who really needs to let go his bias and accept that no single
nation was capable of winning the war.
All up one of the best accounts of D-Day I've ever read but please
Stephen, relax, America was essential in winning the war, but they didn't
do it alone, and the rest of the world survived several years before the
US got involved. What can I say, There's no US in team.
A
Personal History
A Little Biased?