Band Of Brothers

by Stephen E. Ambrose

Ebook, 2012

Status

Available

Call number

940.54

Genres

Publication

Simon & Schuster UK (2012), Edition: TV Tie-In, 528 pages

Description

History. Military. Nonfiction. HTML:Stephen E. Ambrose's classic New York Times bestseller and inspiration for the acclaimed HBO series about Easy Company, the ordinary men who became the World War II's most extraordinary soldiers at the frontlines of the war's most critical moments. Featuring a foreword from Tom Hanks. 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 was as good a rifle company as any in the world. From the rigorous training in Georgia in 1942 to the disbanding in 1945, Stephen E. 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. They parachuted into France early D-Day morning and knocked out a battery of four 105 mm cannon looking down Utah Beach; they parachuted into Holland during the Arnhem campaign; they were the Battered Bastards of the Bastion of Bastogne, brought in to hold the line, although surrounded, in the Battle of the Bulge; and then they spearheaded the counteroffensive. Finally, they captured Hitler's Bavarian outpost, his Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden. They were rough-and-ready guys, battered by the Depression, mistrustful and suspicious. They drank too much French wine, looted too many German cameras and watches, and fought too often with other GIs. But in training and combat they learned selflessness and found the closest brotherhood they ever knew. They discovered that in war, men who loved life would give their lives for them. This is the 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 o… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member Renzomalo

Ambrose at his best in recreating the dramatic events surrounding the 101st Airborne’s 506 PIR (parachute infantry regiment) from the Normandy landings to Hitler’s “Eagles Nest.” A story written from eyewitness accounts from those who survived to tell their story, of which there weren’t

many.
So concise and straightforward is Ambrose’s storytelling and prose that the book literally formed the chapter-by-chapter foundation of the HBO mini-series of the same name. More amazing still is my personal encounter with a few members of the 506 PIR and having them tell me that everything in the book is true as well as 85-90% of the series - unheard of in this day and age. Another must read and possession for all WWII buffs and serious students.

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LibraryThing member eleanor_eader

Having seen the series on DVD (more than once), I was interested in delving deeper with Ambrose’s book. I was not disappointed: as with the series, Band of Brothers follows Easy Company’s WWII tour from Basic Training, (running Curahee under the petty and demanding Captain Sobel) and their drop

into Normandy, through moments of incredible bravery and tactical brilliance (and moments of human and bureaucratic failing) to their eventual arrival in the German Alps.

There is a compromise between the book and the TV series: Ambrose’s book contains more information and more historical accounting; with the TV series, of course, Hanks and Spielberg had more of a license to entertain and build stories (the discrepancies were startlingly rare, a testament to the fact that the producers began their research with the book). That’s not to say that Ambrose doesn’t engage the reader in the character and individual stories of the men; indeed, given the number of men involved, the book encompasses an impressive overview of the war as seen by the men of the 101st, and Easy Company in particular.

The history of E. Company is harrowing, incomprehensible on any real level to anyone who had not been in combat; what Ambrose manages to do which is so important, is bring the war that these men experienced to the reader in an accessible, unpatronising way; he gives us not only the facts, but the reactions as relayed by the men themselves, evening a few well-placed excepts from books on the psychology of war, and post-war responses, opening up the emotional world that lay under the day-to-day bombardment and skirmishes.

To someone who could not imagine having the bravery necessary to jump out of a plane, the strength of character and resourcefulness of the majority of E. Company’s men in the face of every conceivable war-time threat of the time is humbling. The matter-of-factness with which they faced each new situation, the amazing leadership (at both ends of the scale) that they followed into battle, the humour and comradeship that got them through is inspiring.

This is a remarkable story, well told. I would recommend seeing the series as well, but although rather dryer, the book Band of Brothers is a page turner, an education and a reminder that our soldiers – today as much as then – are human beings tested beyond the edge of endurance often with only the twin incentives of remaining alive and not letting down the man beside them.

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LibraryThing member soliloquies

Fascinating account of Easy Company's endeavours during World War II. The writing style was good, although not all the quotations were referenced.

LibraryThing member SeriousGrace

If Stephen Ambrose wrote about every event in history I would read it. I wish he had written all my textbooks in high school. No matter the subject Ambrose makes it real, he makes it come alive. It isn't some dry account that drones on like Charlie Brown's teacher. He not only makes it interesting,

he makes it human. War, on the surface, is about defeating the enemy; doing whatever it takes to win each skirmish in an effort to be the final victor; to win the entire war. Human emotion, especially in the aftermath of it all, gets lost. Ambrose points out the lesser-realized aspects of war - fear, regret, sorrow, but most of all, survivor guilt. This often happens mid-war when soldiers have the opportunity to first realize with shock that they survived that grenade strike and then moments later remember those who didn't. Comrades who were standing beside them just moments ago.

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LibraryThing member DirtPriest

The book is mostly a collection of remembrances by members of Easy Company, 506th Division of the 101 Airborne. A company is a squad of three platoons of around forty men apiece with a command group to coordinate the platoons, say 140 guys. As I recall, A, B and C Companies were 1st Battalion, D, E

(Easy) and F were 2nd and G, H and I were 3rd. The book chronicles their origins at Camp Toccoa in Georgia, their march to Atlanta in response to a Japanese unit that marched 100 miles in 72 hours (the 506th thought they could top that and mostly did, Easy was the only company to have all of the members make the full march). They left Atlanta for England to train for D-Day, jumped in to Normandy, were a part of Operation Market-Garden in Holland (as in 'A Bridge Too Far' and several classic war movies about controlling the bridges over the Rhine), became the 'Battlin Bastards of Bastogne' in some very difficult fighting, maybe the toughest in Europe, then finished up as an occupation army in the South of Germany. There is also a concluding chapter that tells of the post war careers of most of the personnel. The narrative is generously seasoned with quotes from several interviews with members, many of which are personal side stories like blowing a month's pay in a few minutes of shooting craps, then borrowing someone else's pay and winning it back many times over later that evening. Some are sad, like the accidental friendly fire moments or men getting killed in action.

I thought it was a pretty good story, all told. It never gets dull or stale, carries along briskly and the reader is never left in the dark as to what is going on in the broader perspective. Not that it is a summary history of the theater, but the Easy Company's place in the battles is always made clear. And there are nice maps to help the reader in locating things. Do you know exactly where Bastogne is? I'm assuming you know it is in Belgium, but where exactly? After reading a detailed book on Waterloo with no maps or diagrams at all, this was very welcome. I can see why a mini-series was made to cover the history of Easy Company. They were major players in the biggest battles in U.S. Army history and their history is better explored through a visual media. Not that this is a poor substitute, but some things have to be seen to be believed.

After reading through some of the reviews below, maybe not every edition has the maps. (see mjmorrison1971 & cmbohn below)

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LibraryThing member wordsampersand

While Ambrose's prose is often horrible, I love the story of the men in this book.

LibraryThing member pelajus

After having seen the first part of the HBO series, I had to read this book, and once I got it, I couldn't put it down. This has got to be one of the most honest books about war that deals with the tragedy of war, but without dismissing the need to fight for what is right.

Unfortunately, the

fighting is done by Everyman. But, as Band of Brothers shows us, Everyman is capable of the heroic.

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LibraryThing member dcwillis

As a history buff, particularly World War II, it should be no surprise to find this book on my shelf. However, it was difficult for me to get started on it even after watching the fabulous mini series because it was...oh no...non-fiction!

I started the book on a road trip and I do not think that I

even got out of the car after reading the first page. I probably read this book in record time.

After seeing the mini series, or as a prerequisite to the mini series, reading this book is a MUST.

I can not think of a more inspiring group of people.

(Also, if you've read and enjoyed this book I highly recommend "Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends" by Bill Guarnere and Babe Heffron.)

So, I suppose I have learned my lesson, non-fiction is not the alternate title for boring.

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LibraryThing member 12lmonroe

This story is about the 101st airborn during WWII. It is the one of the best war books I have ever read.

LibraryThing member Sigualicious

I read this after watching the amazing miniseries on HBO. The book did not disappoint and it gave greater depth to the show.

LibraryThing member Angelic55blonde

This is a great book. Stephen E. Ambrose was a great historian who recently passed away. This is his time period and this is one of the best World War II books I have ever read. It was eventually adapted into an HBO miniseries so if you don't want to read the book, watch the miniseries because the

miniseries sticks very close to the book. The book is not that long, nor is it that dense but the reader comes to know and love the 101st Airborne Easy company. Those men were so brave and did so much for our country and that shows through this book.

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LibraryThing member coffeesucker

This book brings tears to my eyes every time I read it! Marvelous!

LibraryThing member tetchechury

Amazing. Simply amazing. The men that are written about in this book are heroes in the purest form of the word. Fantastic writing and an unbelievable amount of detail. I also highly recommend the HBO mini series that was later made off of this book.

LibraryThing member jcovington

Worth reading. I'm not a huge Stephen Ambrose fan, but I liked this book nonetheless.

LibraryThing member meegeekai

This has to be Ambroses best work. My copy has the "soon to be a miniseries..." tag on it. This was the third Ambrose book I read, right after D-Day.

LibraryThing member foof2you

This book looks at the 101st Airborne from D-Day until the war ended. The men are a tight group but as men die and are injured the group loses some of the tightness and unity in the group. Many men recieve battlefield commissions. The D-Day landing is a stunning story of what happens during the

invasion and is part of the begging of "Saving Private Ryan".

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LibraryThing member jontseng

A stirring story, but not a touch on the privations suffered by combatents on the Ostfront.

LibraryThing member Zanla

This is a great journey through the lives and sometime deaths of soldiers.

LibraryThing member carioca

This book definitely reads like a novel, though it very clearly depicts the experiences of Easy Company during WWII. The amazing story of the 147 men in the company at one time or another is rich enough as it is, but Ambrose really succeeds in drawing the reader in with his fluent prose.

Fascinating.

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LibraryThing member lilygirl

I read this book twice and plan to read it again. It is easy to become attached to the characters as they bond through various situations and pull together into a tightly knit, cohesive group. It's an amazing book because instead of viewing the war from the strategist board where men are plastic

markers to be shoved about, they become alive and suddenly their struggles to survive bring home the reality of war. There are many amazing tales told here and one cannot help but fall in love with Major Dick Winters.

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LibraryThing member ksmyth

This is a great book. Ambrose did a fabulous job working with the interviews to bring these men to life. I've read several books by Ambrose, and this is among my favorites.

LibraryThing member brainella

From beginning to end this book fascinated me. The men of Easy Company were dedicated to the job and to each other. This book starts with the training they received for a new kind of soldier -- the paratrooper. Throughout the their training and the war the men form bond that makes them a family.

You learn about the men, their background, personality, triumphs and tragedies. It's a history worth reading and knowing. These are heroes, and the story should never be forgotten.

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LibraryThing member seoulful

This single company of WWII 101st paratroopers was put into a glare of publicity by the publishing of Band of Brothers in 1992 by Stephen Ambrose. The book was followed by a TV miniseries of some acclaim as well as books published by individuals within the company, one as recently as 2008. Ambrose

met some of the men of the company during a reunion in New Orleans and immediately sensed a good book. A great deal of the success of the book was due to the character and personality of the eventual Commander of E Company, Dick Winters, who gave extensive interviews himself and drew in the other members of the company to tell their stories. The book unfolds like a novel as we follow the men in training, to England, the drop on the eve of D-Day, the Holland drop, Bastogne and the end of the war in Berchtesgaden. Having become well acquainted with the men before battle, we then see later how they face the tests which come to each. We see how men from widely divergent backgrounds form the cohesion necessary to effective battle and yet might fail with poor leadership. A very well-written book giving a wide window into the role of leadership, training, and effective battle.

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LibraryThing member 5hrdrive

What a fantastic story, as told by the men of Easy Company. I dinged it 1/2 a point because it's a little disjointed, but it's such an awe-inspiring glimpse at some true heroes. How they were able to survive in such awful circumstances, depending on each other and caring more about their unit than

they did about themselves, is truly an inspiration.

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LibraryThing member Whiskey3pa

A compelling story that is as good a small unit account as exists. It has received tremendous (well deserved) acclaim due to the mini-series. Ambrose is first rate at telling the story of the American soldier.

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