Band Of Brothers

Rating:
Summary: REAL
Review: Do yourself a favor and read this book before watching the series. This book will make you swell with pride thinking about the gift of freedom that they gave us.

Rating:
Summary: Errors, Exaggerations & Vicious Slander
Review: For readers without much background in history in general or the military in particular, Band of Brothers will probably seem like a heroic saga of male-bonding in combat. However, for those readers with knowledge of the subject, this poorly-researched book offers little more than the standard episode of the old TV series COMBAT! Author Stephen Ambrose, who favors oral history over meticulous research, used his interviews with selected Second World War veterans from E Company, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne as the basis for recounting the tales of an airborne company in combat in 1944-1945. Most of the book focuses on Richard Winters, who commanded the company in Normandy and Holland. Private David Webster, a cynical self-proclaimed intellectual also wrote a book of his experiences in E Company, from which Ambrose has borrowed liberally [...]. Interviews with other members in the unit fill in gaps, but Winters and Webster are two of the primary protagonists in the story. Unfortunately from the viewpoint of historical accuracy, the book is hopelessly riddled with errors, exaggerations and vicious slander.

First, let me address the errors, which are mostly due to lack of research on the author's part. Ambrose claims that the troop transport to England "carried 5,000 men from the 506th" and how it was a cramped voyage. Yet Shelby Stanton's authoritative US Army Order of Battle in World War Two, states that the 506th had only 2,029 men. Ambrose has his usual problems with nomenclature and names; Germans used 81mm not "80mm" mortars. A British officer rescued by E Company is identified as "Colonel O. Dobey," when it was actually LTC David Dobie. The German officer who surrendered to the unit at Berchtesgaden in 1945 is described as the 35 year-old "General Theodor Tolsdorf, commander of LXXXII Corps," when it was actually a 36 year-old Colonel Tolsdorf who commanded the 340th VG Division. At Berchtesgaden, Winters supposedly finds a German Major General "Kastner" who committed suicide, but there is no record of such an officer in the Wehrmacht or SS. Nor does Ambrose do much better with unit identifications and he claims that in the Battle of the Bulge, the 101st Airborne Division, "had won its head-to-head battles with a dozen crack German armored and infantry divisions." Actually, the Germans only committed elements of five divisions to the Bastogne fighting and they were hardly crack troops. Ambrose's statement also ignores the fact that the 101st was fighting with considerable help from the US 9th and 10th Armored Divisions in Bastogne. Finally, readers may be shocked to learn that the US 3rd Infantry Division actually beat the 506th PIR in the race to Berchtesgaden by several hours. Readers should check Clay Blair's well-researched Ridgeway's Paratroopers. These errors may seem minor to some, but they demonstrate a lack of research that means the whole narrative is suspect.

When it comes to exaggeration, Ambrose pulls out the stops. All enemy tanks are referred to as "Tigers," but only 5.3% of the German tanks in Normandy in June 1944 were Tigers. All enemy troops are referred to as "elite," such as SS or paratroops, even though German records indicate that the 506th mostly fought ordinary Wehrmacht units. According to Winters, E Company was always better than the other companies in the 506th and Ambrose vouches that, "there was no better light infantry company in the Army." How about the Rangers at Point du Hoc? Since Ambrose makes no effort to compare E Company with any other similar unit (e.g. did it kill more Germans than other units?), this assertion is asinine. It gets worse. Ambrose asserts that Winters "is contemptuous of exaggeration," but the following account of E Company in Normandy flatly exposes this as a lie: "So was Winters [outstanding]. He made one right decision after another …he personally killed more Germans and took more risks than anyone else." So Winters killed more Germans than the company machine-gunners? He took more risks than the men on point? Interestingly, Winters was never wounded.

The worst aspect of the book is the vicious slander campaign, which is pure Winters. Winters attacks his superiors, starting with MGN Taylor, Commander of the 101st, then COL Sink who was commander of the 506th PIR, then LTC Strayer his battalion commander and CPT Sobel, the first commander of E Company. Taylor, who was one of the best US Army generals of the 20th Century and later Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Kennedy, is viciously attacked for being on "Christmas Vacation" during the Battle of the Bulge and for ordering an attack that "had the flavor of an ego trip." Winters tells Ambrose that "I don't want to be fair," about Taylor. Ergo, he doesn't want to be honest. Sink, who commanded the 506th for the entire war is derided as "Bourbon Bob." LTC Strayer is virtually omitted from this account, even though he commanded from Normandy to VE Day. Ambrose misleads the reader when he states that Winters became the battalion commander on 8 March 1945 - in fact the switch was only temporary and Strayer returned. Winters reserves special hatred for CPT Sobel, the man who trained E Company stateside and who is labeled a petty tyrant. Winters recounts a chance encounter with Sobel later in the war, when Winters outranked his former commander, and he proceeded to humiliate him in front of enlisted men from E Company. Classy. The slander campaign is also directed at other officers who succeeded Winters as commander of E Company, most of the lieutenants, staff officers, "Air Force slobs in England," (who were dying by the hundreds over Germany in burning bombers), the British, etc. It's pretty sickening after awhile. The American paratroopers of the Second World War deserve a far more accurate and honest account of their accomplishments, with just recognition of all deserving participants, than a slanted account that distorts the record.

Rating:
Summary: I met an Easy veteran, and the book did a GREAT job.
Review: Despite what the Amazon armchair critics would have you believe, this book is really a fantastic effort to document the experiences of what was an elite Army unit in World War II Europe. I read this book only a few weeks before meeting a veteran from Easy Company, Sgt. Amos "Buck" Taylor, and I came away from that meeting confident that Ambrose was, in fact right on the money, and those who argue otherwise need to talk to someone who was there for their comeuppance. Few of us can conceive of, let alone would pass, the training that went into these soldiers before they left the States for England. Described in detail, it gives you that much more appreciation for what the men really did. Taylor's memories echo strongly all I read about Tocoa and Capt. Sobel. When the unit finally deployed in support of D-Day operations, their training gave them an enormous edge. Taylor's own experiences were not unique, but it wasn't long before the whole unit accomplished their goal and waited for the next time they would be needed. A strong theme throughout the book was the bond formed among the men of Easy, which I saw much in evidence that night. Mrs. Taylor also is a part of the reunions, and still marvels at what her husband did. The unfortunate fact is that Buck has never told her a lot of things, and has blocked many out- the book and conversation Buck had with us was the first introduction she had to many of the things her husband saw in war-torn Europe. Ambrose's diligent research is accurate, well-written and truthful. Ignore what those who don't know have to say- I've heard it from one who was there- Band of Brothers is a true story, and hard to put down, much like the men of Easy so long ago.

Rating:
Summary: A Little Sermon on Stephen Ambrose and World War II
Review: I saw that this book was being made into an HBO miniseries by Hanks and Spielberg. I liked what they had done with Saving Private Ryan, so I'm sure the series will be high quality. So of course I have to read this book! I wasn't looking forward to reading it, because I expected it to be a rehash of D-Day and Citizen Soldiers. While some of the characters in this book appeared in the other two, this is a book all its own. I've heard a lot of criticisms about Ambrose: he idolizes the WWII vets, he overlooks their faults, etc. OK, he does at times, but you know what? These guys were heroes! They were volunteers, citizens soldiers who saved the world from lunatics like Hitler and his ilk! These guys stood for something because they believed in something, something bigger than themselves, something they were part of: democracy! Ambrose makes a great point: when GI's came into a city, they didn't rape, loot or pillage: they liberated! The story of E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne, is a story of one group of these men. It is one hell of a story! Ambrose is a good writer. He keeps your attention. He also gets you interested in the men he writes about; you want to know what happened to them after the war. In a sense, their story is the story of America. You identify with these guys and you care about them. After all, they could be us! This book left me with a tight feeling in the throat, which is something that damn few history books can do. And that's becuase it's about facts/dates/etc. It's about us: who we are, we've been and where we want to go. That's why I like Ambrose's books: he realizes this!

Rating:
Summary: How Easy Company Single-Handidly Won WW II
Review: I loved Undaunted Courage, but all of Ambrose's World War II books have been a disappointment to me. He loves the players too much and he lets it show.

I'm not surprised someone decided to make band of Brothers into a miniseries. To me it was every campy WW II movie I ever saw (all that was missing was Van Johnson), passed as history. It also reminds me of the miniseries "Anzacs" with Paul Hogan, which told the story of how a heretofore unknown squad of Aussies and New Zealanders won the Great War. Here's the plot of Band of Brothers - Company E of the 506th was the best trained, best equipped, best lead, best staffed, best bred, best intentioned, most skilled, most chaste, and bravest fighting force ever assembled. Everybody else in the war ... Because of this, the 506th was able to turn the tide again and again for the virtuous allies. Even in those rare cases where they are unable to save the day (like Market-Garden) it is only because the planning of the high command was so inept that success was impossible

Ambrose cites numerous references from earlier histories, but like his D-Day book he relies very heavily on the oral histories as told by survivors still living and available at the time of his research.

If you would like to read a WW II novel about an airborne regiment written by the Easy Company Public Relations man, this is your book. I suggest saving your time, rent Battleground, and call it a day. The saving grace of this book is that it is an Easy summer read (pardon the pun!) and for those of us with insatiable appetites for new WW II histories it helps fill the craving.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Miss This One...
Review: HBO will be viewing 10 episodes starting in September.Read the book first in order to establish the "Brotherhood" bond between these boys who became men.You'll find it difficult to put this book down and even more difficult to find that you have come to the last page.This is a good one,indeed!!

Rating:
Summary: Band of Brothers-- Will be an amazing miniseries....
Review: .... Historian Steven Ambrose's 'Band of Brothers' (Touchstone/Simon & Schuster) chronicles the real-life military exploits of the crack paratrooper infantry unit Easy Company, one of the most admired battalions during World War II. Mixing popular military psychology with journals, letters and extensive interviews with members of the unit, the well-written book is a fascinating glimpse at the psyche of the Easy Company soldiers, against a backdrop of some of the most important battles waged in that war. Interestingly, Ambrose's focus on the existentialist aspect of war rather than the obvious carnage that occurs reminds me most of the fiction trilogy of 'From Here to Eternity,' 'The Thin Red Line' and the under-rated 'Whistle,' written by James Jones. The methodology of extensive interviews with the members of the unit and the writings and journals of others, meanwhile, is more akin to the works of Mark Bowden (the similarly stunning war novel 'Black Hawk Down,' which itself has been translated into a piece of filmmaking, set for next March). Overall, I have found this to be among the most fascinating pieces of literature I've read this year, fiction or non-fiction. ...

Rating:
Summary: Ambrose's Take on the Greatest Generation
Review: As an author with my debut novel in its initial release, I was fascinated by Stephen Ambrose's BAND OF BROTHERS. An uncle I obviously never knew died on Utah Beach. My brother was named after him, as is my eldest son. I first read this book hoping to gain some understanding of what that long-dead relative experienced. I got much, much more. Ambrose tells the tale of this band of brothers who landed on Utah Beach and played a part in many crucial events of World War II. While he tells of these great occurrences, he also recounts some deeply personal incidents. It is a marvelously researched work. Read it as soon as you can.

Rating:
Summary: Why Time Magazine named the common GI as Man of the Century
Review: This is a great, well-researched book. This is the first Ambrose book I have read and it will not be my last. This book is about to be made into an HBO special mini-series and promises to be a big hit if it can relay the emotion felt while reading this book.

This book focuses on one company from training through the end of the war. It continually emphasizes that the training in the states is what made the elite paratrooper group so special. The book does not scrimp on more mundane parts of the war like training, waiting in England for the D-Day raid, and after surrender duties.

But clearly the most mesmerizing parts are the vicious fighting role the group played in knocking out enemy positions on D-Day. The company then goes on extended duty fighting in some of the most important battles of the war. Sometimes these battles are intense, and sometimes they are just boring and terror-filled as you dodge artillery in the cold of a foxhole for days.

An interesting part of the book to me was the role the group played in Germany after the surrender. There was much looting and unfortunately, much drinking and debauchery which led to some deaths. Ambrose correctly relayed the point system to get sent back to the states and the severe disappointment of some soldiers, as they had to continue to serve instead of immediately coming home.

After a completely enjoyable read, it was interesting to read how the company has stayed in touch, and the success and failures of the company in civilian life. I strongly encourage reading this book if you have interest in war books, books converted to movies, or books about true American heroes that made this country great.

Rating:
Summary: And You Think You Have It Bad Going To The Office Everyday!!
Review: Stephen Ambrose writes a tremendous book showing the courage and selflessness that young American men possessed during the Second World War. The book made me ashamed of all the complaining I do about my life while I have it easy compared to the men who died inland of Normandy and nearly froze to death in the forests of Bastogne. The book is an intriguing look at the family that develops among fighting men. I highly reccomend this book to anyone who wants to read about superheros.