Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest (Thorndike Press Large Print American History Series)
Chronic Pain / Books / Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest (Thorndike Press Large Print American History Series)
From D-Day to victory in World War II with the men of Easy Company: Utah Beach, Market-Garden, the Bulge, and on to Hitler's Eagle's Nest in Berchtesgaden. They came together, citizen soldiers, in the summer of 1942, drawn to Airborne by the $50 monthly bonus and a desire to be better than the other guy. And at its peak -- in Holland and the Ardennes -- Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army, was as good a rifle company as any in the world. From the rigorous training in Georgia in 1942 to the disbanding in 1945, esteemed WWII historian Stephen Ambrose tells the story of this remarkable company. In combat, the reward for a job well done is the next tough assignment, and as they advanced through Europe, the men of Easy kept getting the tough assignments, from parachuting into France early D-Day morning to capturing Hitler's Barvarian outpost. "Band of Brothers" is a story of the men who fought, of the martinet they hated who trained them well, and of the captain they loved who led them. E Company was a company of men who went hungry, froze, and died for each other, a company that took 150 percent casualties, a company where the Purple Heart was not a medal -- it was a badge of office.
The men of E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne, volunteered for this elite fighting force because they wanted to be the best in the army--and avoid fighting alongside unmotivated, out-of-shape draftees. The price they paid for that desire was long, arduous, and sometimes sadistic training, followed by some of the most horrific battles of World War II. Actor Cotter Smith--a veteran of numerous TV movies and Broadway plays--spins Stephen Ambrose's tale with almost laconic ease. Anecdote by anecdote, he lets the power of the story build. By the time the company has gotten through D-day and seized Hitler's Eagle's Nest in Bavaria, we feel we know as much about the men and their missions as we do about our own brothers. (Running time: 5 hours, 4 cassettes) --Lou Schuler
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
The Standard!:
Ambrose is the master historian. He made history interesting again. He does it by telling the stories of regular people -- not armies, not generals, not national leaders, but rather, the common GI Joe. He did all veterans a great service in his writing. He will be missed. Don't think you know this book just because you've watched the HBO series a dozen times -- you must read the book.
A disappointment from a talented author:
In this book, Ambrose crafts a narrative out of recollected war stories of a company of American paratroopers. It's surprisingly unemotional for a war story, largely because the participants aren't characterized very well. The company commander, Dick Winters, and a few others come alive in this story. Unfortunately, most of the men get about the same treatment as the enlisted man in StarTrek episodes who is doomed to die on the planet. When death occurs, it's more matter-of-fact than it should be.more info
MUST READ - Excellent depiction of Special U.S. Warriors:
Biggest Brother: The Life Of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Led The Band of Brothers Band of Brothers is a fantastic and real account of Easy Company, 101st Airbourne called into every crucial battle Against Germany in WW-II...never rested enough, no winter clothers, not enough food to eat, they endured the unendurable especially holding the line during the "Battle of the Buldge".
Better than the HBO Series of the "Band of Brothers" both are enjoyable although the book is much more accurate/see... more info
Review: Band of Brothers - Simply Excellent:
Stephen Ambrose's Band of Brothers has been much praised and I want to add my praise to that chorus. It is the story of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, from their training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia to the capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest in Bavaria. They were at the tip-of-the-spear in numerous key engagements of the European Theater of Operations - Normandy, Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge, and beyond. By the end of the... more info
Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest (Thorndike Press Large Print American History Series)
