The HBO mini series Band of Brothers is viewed as among the finest warfare motion pictures ever made. Based on the book by Stephen Ambrose, the ten episodes tell the story from the men of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Regiment of the American 101st Airborne. The mini series begins with their basic training at Toccoa, Georgia prior to heading on to Britain as they prepare for a part in the D-Day Landings at Normandy.

Each episode starts off by interviewing veterans of Easy. The veterans remember their war time feelings the episode covers but at this point, the men aren’t identified. While the old soldiers aren’t identified, the episodes familiarizes you with the people from the start and the actors are well chosen making it simple to bond with them from the beginning.

Even though the action scenes are filmed fantastically, the thing that makes Band of Brothers stand above quite a few alternative war films is the fact that it reveals the individual tales so well. For example, in episode two simply prior to Easy Company are set to leap into Normandy, one of the soldiers, Bill Guarnere, learns his brother has been killed at Montecassino.

The 10 episodes convey the stories of Easy Company beginning with their basic training before heading into war in Normandy and on to the village of Carentan. Episode four sees the roll-out of replacement soldiers into Easy Company and highlights the challenges they have being accepted by veterans of Normandy as Easy take part in Operation Market Garden.

The subsequent 2 episodes include the build-up and then the action at Bastogne throughout the Battle of the Bulge. By now many of the men are at breaking point and it is the subject of episode seven. As the war in Europe nears the conclusion, there is a final patrol for Easy. The horrors of war are underlined the minute the men come across a concentration camp. The last episode sees Easy Company head into Austria where they capture the Eagle’s Nest high in the mountains at Berchtesgaden.

The series finishes with interviews with the men of Easy Company and finally identifies the men that audiences come to know throughout the 10 episodes of Band of Brothers.

This mini series presents a fascinating insight into the actions of Easy Company at some of the most famous battles of World War II including Normandy, Arnhem, Battle of the Bulge all the way through to the end of the fighting in Europe.. This article, Review from the HBO mini series Band of Brothers is released under a creative commons attribution license.