Status
Available
Call number
Publication
New York : Berkley Caliber, 2006.
Description
They were called Easy Company, but their mission was never easy. Immortalized as the Band of Brothers, they suffered 150% casualties while liberating Europe, an unparalleled record of bravery under fire. Dick Winters was their commander, and this is his story based on his wartime diary. Only Winters was present from the activation of Easy Company until the war's end. On D-Day, Dick Winters parachuted into France and assumed leadership of the company when their commander was killed. He led them through the Battle of the Bulge and into Germany, where they liberated an S.S. death camp from the horrors of the Holocaust and captured Berchtesgaden, Hitler's alpine retreat. After briefly serving during the Korean War, Winters was a highly successful businessman.--From publisher description.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member LadyTheresaC
If you enjoyed Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose, then you will want to also read this one. It is Major Dick Winter's personal story and he adds some inside stories from the men of the 506th regiment.
LibraryThing member jenspeaks
If you're a fan of Ban of Brothers, then you will enjoy reading Dick Winters' own account of his WWII experiences. Not much new information in the book from Ambrose's account of Easy Company, but his insights are fascinating.
LibraryThing member funkyplaid
I have nothing but admiration for the soldiers around the world who put their lives on the line in the name of their government's orders. It's their job, what they get paid for, and theirs is perhaps the most dangerous of all occupations. To this, I'd add that WWII veterans receive my special
Perhaps because I've been such a proponent of this idea, or maybe just because I'm such a passionate student of military history, or maybe even due to the fact that I've heard the story of Easy Company so many times, I found myself noticeably bored with the telling of the tale from the man who was in charge of that band of brothers. Yes, this is the fourth time I've been recounted the story from that angle of the war. Yes, Winters was an amazing leader, one of the last surviving members of the unit, and, for all purposes, the most astute archivist of Easy Company's social history. He deserves to be able to tell his story again, as he was there for all of it and is still sharp and thoughtful. But Winters and his contributing writer, Col. Cole Kingseed, are extremely poor at recounting it in a way that would remove the need for HBO's series or Ambrose's sober tone. What we get is a rambling, non-inspiring tour de force through Easy Company's time in the States, in the ETO, and beyond, all the while being continuously pushed and pulled between Winters' vacillations of humility and utter self-capability.
It's not that I have any problems with this absolutely prodigal combat leader telling his story in print. I just have a hard time getting past his pedestrian journalism. Even considering that this is a war memoir, I could not stop telling myself that it might have been better served with a series of extensive audio or video interviews. Of particular note and annoyance throughout the book is Winters' phantom modesty. For a man coming out of the woodwork in 1992 (via Ambrose's unit history) to be so humble and focused on the heroism of the men under his command was an inspiration and a lesson to us all about leadership. In desiring to convey a sense of that leadership in his book, however, Winters may have been instructed poorly by his publishers. We are indeed celebrating his life and his accomplishments, but to spend entire paragraphs describing how Winters, himself, was just doing his job, alternating between paragraphs of Winters telling us in detail about all the accolades showered upon him by the men under his command, his superior officers, and his legions of fans, feels a little disingenuous - or, at the least, conflicted. And if it happened once, it would be forgivable. But this formula is repeated over and over throughout the book, back and forth, from "just getting the job done" to telling us again and again how humble he really is. In effect, it felt very much like Winters did not really want to write the things he did about himself. Which leads me to ask why he did.
Beyond Band of Brothers is simply a case of one man telling his own story in his own words, when other renditions of his own words would have and have already sufficed. This account should not have been an auto-biography, but then again, there are already so many biographies out there about Dick Winters and the inconceivable trials over which he and his men triumphed. Don't let this review stop you from lauding this amazing commander, because his should be celebrated. Just be sure that he has contributed to the historical timeline and to our modern awareness of WWII in much better ways than this book conveys.
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respect because of the nature of the time in which they fought. America was a different country then, with different ways of doing things, and a different sense of what the word "patriotism" meant. They say that it was the last "good war", if any could be attributed that way. And we're losing these men fast. Dick Winters, one of the most famous and most capable commanders of possibly the most famous combat unit in WWII, is perhaps the most exemplary of these men. As the leader of Easy Company, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne, he led an amazing group of men through an amazing time, and the unit's accolades have been dutifully expressed in a variety of sources: Stephen Ambrose's book, Band of Brothers, HBO's mini-series of the same name, and a number of memoirs from men who actually fought in the unit. These sources go some way in telling the story of these soldiers, the war, and their sacrifice. The telling needed to be done, because we should all know what happened during those unimaginably important years. Perhaps because I've been such a proponent of this idea, or maybe just because I'm such a passionate student of military history, or maybe even due to the fact that I've heard the story of Easy Company so many times, I found myself noticeably bored with the telling of the tale from the man who was in charge of that band of brothers. Yes, this is the fourth time I've been recounted the story from that angle of the war. Yes, Winters was an amazing leader, one of the last surviving members of the unit, and, for all purposes, the most astute archivist of Easy Company's social history. He deserves to be able to tell his story again, as he was there for all of it and is still sharp and thoughtful. But Winters and his contributing writer, Col. Cole Kingseed, are extremely poor at recounting it in a way that would remove the need for HBO's series or Ambrose's sober tone. What we get is a rambling, non-inspiring tour de force through Easy Company's time in the States, in the ETO, and beyond, all the while being continuously pushed and pulled between Winters' vacillations of humility and utter self-capability.
It's not that I have any problems with this absolutely prodigal combat leader telling his story in print. I just have a hard time getting past his pedestrian journalism. Even considering that this is a war memoir, I could not stop telling myself that it might have been better served with a series of extensive audio or video interviews. Of particular note and annoyance throughout the book is Winters' phantom modesty. For a man coming out of the woodwork in 1992 (via Ambrose's unit history) to be so humble and focused on the heroism of the men under his command was an inspiration and a lesson to us all about leadership. In desiring to convey a sense of that leadership in his book, however, Winters may have been instructed poorly by his publishers. We are indeed celebrating his life and his accomplishments, but to spend entire paragraphs describing how Winters, himself, was just doing his job, alternating between paragraphs of Winters telling us in detail about all the accolades showered upon him by the men under his command, his superior officers, and his legions of fans, feels a little disingenuous - or, at the least, conflicted. And if it happened once, it would be forgivable. But this formula is repeated over and over throughout the book, back and forth, from "just getting the job done" to telling us again and again how humble he really is. In effect, it felt very much like Winters did not really want to write the things he did about himself. Which leads me to ask why he did.
Beyond Band of Brothers is simply a case of one man telling his own story in his own words, when other renditions of his own words would have and have already sufficed. This account should not have been an auto-biography, but then again, there are already so many biographies out there about Dick Winters and the inconceivable trials over which he and his men triumphed. Don't let this review stop you from lauding this amazing commander, because his should be celebrated. Just be sure that he has contributed to the historical timeline and to our modern awareness of WWII in much better ways than this book conveys.
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LibraryThing member Antbe
Beyond the Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose is a biography of Dick Winters war life. Winters was a Major in Easy Company of the 101st Airborne Division. The book takes you from Winters at Curahee to fighting in major battles like on D-Day. It is based on the miniseries “Band of Brothers”.
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thought the book and miniseries matched up well with the miniseries having a few embellishments here and there. The book took a while to get into though. It went over every detail which was interesting at times but also boring. Overall id recommend this book to any history buff. Show Less
LibraryThing member Stbalbach
Band of Brothers was about an entire company, jumping from one individual's story to another. The film version was criticized for lacking main characters. The memoir by Dick Winters takes a different approach, retelling Winter's story from a singular perspective. It's the better book, more
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authentic. The last few chapters are introspective about leadership and being a good person. Show Less
LibraryThing member cwflatt
recommended reading for leaders
LibraryThing member br14yich
in this book, the war was taking place in europe and japan. this was WWII. dick winters is the protagonist in this book. he has signed up as a third regiment parachute soldier.he and his fellow companions and brotheren embark a war that will change their lives forever.
the book was very boring and
the book was very boring and
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didnt have anything to do with the war until the middle of the book, Show Less
LibraryThing member mahsdad
Listened to this audiobook from the library, using Hoopla.
I had always liked the Band of Brothers story, both in book form by Stephen Ambrose and the Tom Hanks mini-series. Its the story of Easy company; part of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. In Band of Brothers,
This book is Winter's memoir of that time, and when it came across my audiobook search, I snapped it up. I love to hear and read stories of WWII and this one was no exception. It details Winter's military career from the start of the war thru to the Japanese occupation and into his later life. It provides lots of insight and additional anecdotes that gave me a greater appreciation for the exploits of Easy Company. Recommend.
8/10
S: 4/9/15 F: 4/15/15 (7 Days)
I had always liked the Band of Brothers story, both in book form by Stephen Ambrose and the Tom Hanks mini-series. Its the story of Easy company; part of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. In Band of Brothers,
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there isn't any real main character, other than the company itself. Dick Winters did, however, emerge as an important person (in my mind), not only as the ultimate commander of the company but as an interesting personality.This book is Winter's memoir of that time, and when it came across my audiobook search, I snapped it up. I love to hear and read stories of WWII and this one was no exception. It details Winter's military career from the start of the war thru to the Japanese occupation and into his later life. It provides lots of insight and additional anecdotes that gave me a greater appreciation for the exploits of Easy Company. Recommend.
8/10
S: 4/9/15 F: 4/15/15 (7 Days)
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LibraryThing member Renzomalo
A must read for all WWII history buffs. In "Beyond Band of Brothers" Major Dick Winters fills in some of the missing gaps that either Larry Alexander's "Biggest Brother" or Stephen Ambrose’s "Band of Brothers" either glossed over or omitted. However, in the effort, Winters’ narrative becomes a
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little repetitive while retelling incidents long since covered in great detail, but yet, he manages to add some interesting detail in the process. And it is the voice of the man himself that, for no other reason, demonstrates the strength of character, the brutal honesty and innate drive that made him and the 506 P.I.R the exceptional fighting force they were. And thank God for that. Four stars from this admirer of the Major and the 506. Currahee! Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original publication date
2006-02
Physical description
405 p.; 24 inches
ISBN
0425208133 / 9780425208137