The HBO mini-series Band of Brothers is considered as one of the finest warfare motion pictures ever made. Based upon the book by Stephen Ambrose, the 10 episodes follow the story of the soldiers of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Regiment of the American 101st Airborne. Episode 1 gets under way with Easy Companies basic training at Toccoa, Georgia before being transferred to the United Kingdom while they prepare for a role on the D-Day Landings at Normandy.

 

Each episode gets under way by talking to original soldiers of Easy. They speak about their war time experience which the episode documents but at this point, the men are not revealed. Even though the men aren’t identified, the episodes introduce you to the people from the start and the actors are superbly selected making it simple to connect with them from the beginning.

 

Despite the fact that the action scenes are filmed superbly, the thing that makes Band of Brothers stand out from plenty of different war movies is the fact it reveals the private tales so perfectly. For example, in episode 2 simply prior to Easy are due to jump into Normandy, amongst the soldiers, Bill Guarnere, learns his brother was killed at Montecassino.

 

The 10 episodes tell the stories of Easy starting with their basic training prior to heading into action in Normandy and to the village of Carentan. Episode four sees the introduction of replacement soldiers into Easy Company and illustrates the issues they have being accepted by the Normandy veterans as the soldiers take part in Operation Market Garden.

 

The subsequent 2 episodes tell the story of the run up and also the fighting at Bastogne throughout the Battle of the Bulge. By now some of the men are at breaking point and this is actually the topic of episode 7. As the war nears the conclusion, there’s a final patrol for Easy. The horrors of war are highlighted when the men find a concentration camp. The final episode sees Easy head into Austria where they capture the Eagle’s Nest high in the mountains at Berchtesgaden.

 

The series concludes with interviews with the men of Easy Company and finally identifies the men that viewers have come to know all through the 10 episodes of Band of Brothers.

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