Brotherhood

Author: Ambrose
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: A heart-stirring, precious recollection of fighting across Europe; A magnificent spiritual history that peels back the complex humanity of war. Even in the face of the greatest cruelty, we retain our primal instincts of love, hatred, and fear, just like every soldier in Band of Brothers. Band of Brothers refers to E Company of the 101st Airborne Division, the same unit that Ryan belonged to in Saving Private Ryan, composed of some of the finest combat elite of the U.S. military in 1942. In April 1944, the U.S. sent all 6,700 paratroopers of E Company's unit to the front lines. Due to an air attack, nearly all the paratroopers failed to land at their designated locations. Thus, E Company embarked on a grueling search for their unit while engaging in battle, with casualty rates as high as 150% (as those who were wounded and replaced later were themselves injured and died again). Despite this, they surrounded Hitler's headquarters in Zitgesgarten. The youngest surviving soldier of the company, Les, shared his unforgettable experiences of the Allies in Normandy and the precious memories of his fallen comrades with Stephen Ambrose, a WWII historian who had served as the historical consultant for the film Saving Private Ryan. After conducting extensive interviews with survivors and referencing the diaries and letters of the soldiers at the time, Ambrose wrote Band of Brothers. This book provides a microscopic account of this historically renowned paratroop unit, from its formation, training, and combat operations to its eventual disbandment. It details their lives, actions, thoughts, joys, frustrations, and perseverance over nearly three years of battle. The rights to the book have been purchased by Tom Hanks for television adaptation, and it has been adapted into a highly acclaimed television miniseries directed by the renowned American war filmmaker Steven Spielberg for HBO.