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Analysis of Leadership Styles of Soldiers in "The Band of Brothers"

Table of contents

Series overview, army leadership styles, richard winters, norman dike, carwood lipton.

• Ambrose, S. E. (1992). Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest. Simon and Schuster.
• Black, P. (2012). Transformational leadership: How leaders can get extraordinary results from ordinary people. AMACOM.
• Bowers, C. A., Pharmer, J. A., & Salas, E. (2000). When member homogeneity is needed in work teams: A meta-analysis. Small Group Research, 31(3), 305-327.
• Ender, M. G. (2002). An introduction to military ethics: A reference handbook. ABC-CLIO.
• Lepsinger, R., & Lucia, A. D. (2009). The Art and Science of 360 Degree Feedback. John Wiley & Sons.
• Ryan, K. (2015). 10 Characteristics of Successful Leaders. [online] Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2015/04/27/10-characteristics-of-successful-leaders/?sh=20564e8d7dd4 [Accessed 21 Apr. 2023].
• Schmid, M., O'Brien, J., & Gower, K. K. (2019). The Handbook of Military Social Work. John Wiley & Sons.
• Thayer, B. A. (2010). Leadership characteristics of successful combat veterans. Military Review, 90(4), 66-73.

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5 Leadership Lessons from HBO’s Band of Brothers

Leadership lessons are everywhere. I have been slowly working through HBO’s Band of Brothers series. (My Son Matt gave me the series for Father’s Day).   I really cannot comprehend what it is like to experience standing before an enemy who is doing everything within their power to take your life. It is under those circumstances that the evidence of or lack of leadership becomes apparent.

 “There was a time when the world asked ordinary men to do extraordinary things.” – Band of Brothers

The series is a dramatic creation that follows the lives of the men who served in the 101st Airborne during WWII. These were the men who parachuted behind the enemy lines to clear the way for the allied advance in Europe. Their task was never an easy one.

One could probably write a book on the leadership examples from Band of Brothers but here are my top five Leadership Principles:

1.    Leaders need to have a relationship with those they lead.

•  Know their strengths and weaknesses.
• Learn how they perform under fire.
• Let them know that you care more about them than the job they do.

2.    You are still responsible to lead when those you follow lead poorly.  ( tweet this )

• Those who follow you depend on you.
• If the leader you follow is performing poorly, you still have the responsibility to step up and fill the void.
• Your team depends on it.

3.    When under fire, lead the way forward.

• Hesitating, stopping or looking back can destroy your momentum.
• It may be painful but keep moving forward.  ( tweet this )
• Failure to do so can be deadly.

4.    Do not allow your team to become a clique.

• As time goes by team members will leave and new ones will need to be brought in.
• Create a culture that welcomes new people.
• Set up a process and team building activities to help them fit in.

5.     Leaders have to make choices they do not like.

• Sometimes these choices have a negative effect on the leader; however, it is the right choice. Note: I am not indicating that a leader should ever do anything that compromises his or her values or principles.

Now it is your turn. I would love to hear from you.  If you have watched Band of Brothers, what would you add to the list? If you have not seen it, what other movie or TV series provides a great example of leadership.  What would be your list?

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Leadership Lessons from Band of Brothers

• June 10, 2014
• Uncategorized

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I spent this past weekend re-watching “ Band of Brothers ” the HBO mini-series about the men of “Easy Company” during World War II.  If you haven’t seen it I highly recommend it.  Besides being an intense, realistic, alternately heart-warming and heart-breaking series, it is also chock full of leadership lessons. These are just a few of my favorites. 

“He wasn’t a bad leader because he made bad decisions.  He was a bad leader because he made no decisions.”

• Leaders make decisions.   The quote above is aimed at Lt Dike who loses men in Easy Company when he won’t make the hard call, or actually any call.  He is unavailable to his men when they are looking for direction and leaves decisions up to them.  Instead of this making them feel “empowered,” they feel afraid, lack direction and worst of all, suffer many casualties.  Unpopular decisions are better than no decision.  No one wants to follow someone that is not willing to help forge the path or has no idea where they are going.  Being a leader means you have to make the call, even when  especially when, it is a tough one.   What decisions do you need to make for you or your team?
• Leaders “lead” no matter their title.   Soon after, Dike is demoted and next is one of my favorite scenes.  Sgt. Lipton tells the newly appointed Captain Spiers (a man who is legendary for his bravery and decisiveness) how glad they are to finally have a leader.  Spiers replies that from his understanding they always have had one saying; “I’ve heard they had someone that held them together, kept their spirits up, kept them focused, gave them direction; all the things a good combat leader does.”  Lipton has no idea Spiers is talking about him.  Without a “title,” or being asked, Lipton saw a need and rose up to lead his company where his commanding officer had fallen short.  This is absolutely one of my favorite parts of leadership.   You don’t have to have a title to lead! Leadership is encouraging others around you when they need it, helping others focus when they want to complain, keeping the team working as a team when they are going 8 million different directions.   Anyone on the team can do that.   Where can you be a better leader  for your team?
• Leaders lift up others.    Lipton knows that his company does not respect Dike (with good reason) but when he overhears Sgt. Luz impersonating Dike in a derogatory way, he handles it; gently.  Again, with no title or “authority.”  He first pulls Luz aside from the others, then compliments the soldier on a great impersonation, and then asks him never to do it again.  Because of the respect Lipton had earned (see above), Sgt. Luz walked away still with his self-esteem in check, understanding the right thing to do, and (even better) a smile on his face.  Lipton instinctively knew that putting down Dike would only lower the (already low) morale of the company. He also realized that handling it correctly was the key to getting the proper message across.   Does your message lift others up or tear them down?

There are so many more examples of great leadership (and bad) from “ Band of Brothers ” so stay tuned and you may hear more.

What movie or TV show do you think gives great lessons on leadership?  I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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“Band of Brothers” by Stephen Ambrose Essay

Introduction.

Different authors use various methods to pass on information to the reader. Some use fictions to convince the reader, while others prefer actual and real examples in their writing. The success of an author depends on how well he attracts the reader to the point that the reader is motivated to read the next available book that the author publishes. This paper aims to review the work of Stephen Ambrose on “E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest”.

This is an interesting book that talks about a group of young men who volunteered themselves to fight for what they believed were their rights. Young US men, who were in their early twenties came together to form a strong military group that could see them advocate for their rights (Ambrose 11). Many members of this group moved up in the army in ranks such as army sergeants, and others became Lieutenants and a few qualified to be Major Generals (13). The lives of these young men after service in the army have been given, where the author aims to educate the reader on the consequences of our actions.

The author of this book is a well-seasoned author because he can attract many readers to read his book by organizing the book into chapters that follow each other. Each chapter connects well with its preceding chapter. The book chapters are not too long to cause the reader boredom. Each chapter has been divided into subheadings that explain that particular chapter more vividly. Clearly, the organization of the book is a success.

A concerted effort has been made by the author to contrast the characters in this book. Initially, Ambrose gives many praises to the young men who volunteered themselves for the army. However, he progressively contrasts these men in terms of their abilities and character (Ambrose, 18). This is a commendable skill of writing as it gives the reader the chance to compare the character and abilities of each character to the other in relation to the decisions that they make while in the army. The reader is also given the chance to learn how the army operates; the training that army officers goes through, the environment in which the exercises are conducted, as well as the reactions of various officers to training and the war itself.

The reader is obviously fascinated by reading this book as the author explains in details the various sections that the army passed through. For example, the various stages of trainings that the army went through are described in a manner that the reader feels like being part of the training (24). The environment in which the training was conducted, the type and amount of training that the army was subjected to and the reactions of each army officer to the training is given vividly. This approach is especially useful in the event that some actors decide to act the book in a theater or a movie.

This book has been organized well to a point where the reader does not get bored reading it. The history of the army officers has been given, and this introduces the reader to the type of characters that the author describes. The environment as well as the type of training that army officers went through is explained well. In case some actors wish to act the book, then they are at an advantage as the whole scenario of training, and war is given vividly.

Ambrose, Stephen E . Band of Brothers: E Company, 506 th regiment, 101 st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest. Maine: G.K. Hall & Co. Thorndike, 2000. Print.

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IvyPanda. (2020, June 23). "Band of Brothers" by Stephen Ambrose. https://ivypanda.com/essays/band-of-brothers-by-stephen-ambrose/

""Band of Brothers" by Stephen Ambrose." IvyPanda , 23 June 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/band-of-brothers-by-stephen-ambrose/.

IvyPanda . (2020) '"Band of Brothers" by Stephen Ambrose'. 23 June.

IvyPanda . 2020. ""Band of Brothers" by Stephen Ambrose." June 23, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/band-of-brothers-by-stephen-ambrose/.

1. IvyPanda . ""Band of Brothers" by Stephen Ambrose." June 23, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/band-of-brothers-by-stephen-ambrose/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . ""Band of Brothers" by Stephen Ambrose." June 23, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/band-of-brothers-by-stephen-ambrose/.

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Leadership Lesson 1: Band of Brothers

Ian ‘Tech’ Enriquez joins the podcast to talk about the leadership lessons learned from episodes 1 and 2 of the Band of Brothers series written by Stephen Ambrose. Band of Brothers follows the true story of Easy Company of the 101st Airborne Division, from training to the end of World War 2. Learn More: Band of Brothers series  trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKRBAFlN5ww Band of Brothers information -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Band_of_Brothers_(miniseries) Motivational posters - https://www.successories.com/motivational-posters/1#listview-page-2 MA experiences - https://www.mensalliancetribe.com/experiences Support MA - https://www.mensalliancetribe.com/supportJoin MA prayer warriors - https://mailchi.mp/1b17ff12aa4d/newsletter Sponsor: Tom 'Doc' Love CFP®, CRPC®, CRPS® [email protected] Craig Heah. [email protected] ⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.themainstreetgroup.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mensalliancetribe/support

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Best Defense: The beginning of ‘Band of Brothers’ as a primer on good military leadership

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The beginning of ‘Band of Brothers’ as a primer on good military leadership

Band of brothers is a miniseries about the exploits of the soldiers of e company, 2/506 pir (parachute infantry regiment) from their initial training until the end of world war ii in europe..

By Michael Hennelly Best Defense office of miniseries affairs

Band of Brothers is a miniseries about the exploits of the soldiers of E Company, 2/506 PIR (Parachute Infantry Regiment) from their initial training until the end of World War II in Europe. I assume most of you have seen Band of Brothers If you have not — do so right now, we will wait.

The main character is an Army officer named Dick Winters, but this is not true for the first episode. The first episode (titled “Currahee”) focuses on E Company as it trains for combat and most of this training occurs under the command of Capt. Herbert Sobel. Sobel’s character displays a dizzyingly steep arc during the episode and this provides valuable insight into the concept of leadership. It is possible to have a really interesting discussion of leadership by asking two questions.

Question 1: Make the case that Sobel is an effective leader (in the first half of the episode).

We first encounter Sobel during E Company’s basic training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia while he is inspecting his soldiers. I have known officers whose expertise at inspection consisted of checking the alignment of belt buckles and the shine on the toes of boots. This is not the case with Sobel as we learn when he inspects one soldier’s weapon. Instead of saying “You have rust on your weapon” Sobel says, “Rust on butt plate hinge spring,” thus displaying an intimidating level of knowledge of the component parts of an army weapon.

Sobel displays other traits that are used today as exemplars of effective leadership. Basic training at Camp Toccoa put an enormous amount of emphasis on physical fitness. One of the banes of existence for the aspiring paratroopers was the infamous run up Currahee mountain (“3 miles up, 3 miles down!”). The regimental commander, Col. Robert Sink (portrayed by Dale Dye) intended the 506th to be an elite unit and one of his defining criteria was physical fitness. In such a demanding atmosphere, many soldiers did not measure up. More than five thousand enlisted soldiers volunteered for airborne training with the 506th and only one third made it through basic training, and officer attrition was even higher. In this light, it is interesting that every time we see E Company soldiers running up Currahee, we see Sobel running with them, easily ranging up and down the ranks, closely observing the performance of his soldiers. Today this would be characterized as role model behavior and it is considered an essential part of what leaders do.

As the soldiers in E Company finish their basic training, there is a scene where Sink recognizes Sobel’s results and tells him that Sobel has trained one of the finest units he has ever seen.

Question 2: At the end of the episode, Sobel is stripped of his command. Why?

There is a remarkable transformation during the second half of the episode that culminates in a mutiny within E Company. The basic lesson we learn from this startling series of events is that leadership is a social contract.

During basic training, the soldiers of E Company clearly don’t like their commander but he is constantly on their minds and they are constantly thinking of ways to meet his extremely high standards. This dynamic helped to make them an exemplary unit. During unit-level training in North Carolina and later in England, their dislike of Sobel abruptly changed to contempt and this transformation occurred for one simple reason. It became apparent in unit-level training that Sobel was not proficient at map reading.

Why would such a simple flaw generate such a violent reaction? Simple answer? Leadership is a social contract. At a very fundamental level, soldiers have two expectations of their unit leaders. The first is character-based and it is that their leaders should share the risk of combat. The second expectation is competency-based, and it is that their leaders should know enough to minimize the risk of combat. Being hopeless at land navigation means that Sobel will get his soldiers lost on the battlefield and will, thereby, increase their chances of being killed. This one shortcoming magnifies all of Sobel’s other flaws and eventually the NCOs (noncommissioned officers) of E Company publicly refuse to serve under his command.

What makes leadership so mysterious is that there is no generally accepted set of character traits and competencies that is expected of every leader. These attributes will vary depending on the culture of societies or the nature of organizations. So, for example, no one would expect Walmart district managers to be proficient at land navigation. They are expected to display other competencies such as the ability to inspect a fresh produce section and draw valid conclusions about the nature of the leadership in that store.

This insight into the characteristics of leaders is of more than academic interest. The increasingly common phenomenon in corporate America of hiring outsider CEOs demonstrates the value of this insight. People who are effective leaders in one organization cannot just parachute into another organization and be equally effective right away. This is so because the terms of the leadership social contract differ from organization to organization. Workers in corporate America might not expect their leaders to be proficient in land navigation, but even today West Point sends cadets during their summer training to wander around in the woods with nothing but a map and a compass.

Mike Hennelly served in the U.S. Army for 21 years, where he qualified as an army ranger and certified as an army strategist. Later, as a civilian with a Ph.D. in strategic management, he taught strategy to MBA students at two different universities and then spent seven years teaching strategy and leadership to cadets at West Point. Since retiring from West Point, he provides seminars on strategic leadership to executives of some of the world’s largest companies.

Thomas E. Ricks is a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy. Twitter:  @tomricks1

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Major Winters’ Rules of Leadership

If you’ve heard about the HBO mini-series, “Band of Brothers,” then you’ve heard about Major Winters. If you haven’t watched the miniseries, you’re truly missing out on one of the most critically acclaimed and most beloved pieces of television in recent memory. Its strong fan base has the series shown yearly, both here and overseas, especially around patriotic holidays.

It’s the story of Easy Company of the 506 th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the storied 101 st Airborne during WWII. Almost each man volunteered to join the Army, each one had to again volunteer to be a paratrooper. They agreed to endure the toughest training the Army could offer and then agreed to be dropped into combat, with a guarantee to be surrounded by the enemy. They were a special and proud breed of soldier.

Leadership When It Counts

Any organization needs leadership, and in combat, leadership can save lives, or cost them.   Notice, there’s a difference between being in a leader, and having leadership skills. We have all met the “leader” who should never have been there in the first place. Easy Company learned early on at Camp Tocooa that their company commander, Capt. Herbert Sobel, had no leadership skills. Sobel shouted at the men constantly. The smallest broken rule would result in latrine duty. Then, Lieutenant Winters was second-in-command and it was easy for the troops to juxtapose him against their almost tyrannical commander. Winters, they felt, genuinely cared about their wellbeing. He was firm but fair with Army regulations.

More importantly, as Easy Company moved to England and thus, closer to invading France on D-Day, Sobel’s dismal basic infantry skills continued to instill fear, instead of confidence. They feared that Sobel’s inability to read a map or plan an attack would only get them killed in battle. How could a leader, who lacked the basic abilities required of a basic-trained private, lead them in war?! The sergeants mutinied.   The regimental commander was finally forced to remove Sobel. Easy was finally in the hands of real leadership.

D-Day thrust Winters into the company commander job and he never missed a beat.   It was a natural role for him and his on the spot actions later became a learning lesson at West Point.   Winters never let Easy Company down and his performance in battle raised him to second-in-command over the entire battalion (about 600 men).

Easy would inherit Lt. Norman Dike during the Battle of the Bulge as its commander. It was a critical time for the Allies. Hitler’s large, surprise attack caught them completely off guard. It was the worst winter in decades and the men lacked basic winter clothes, ammunition, food and medical care, and they were completely surrounded, again. The men called Dike “Foxhole Norman” since he spent his time in his foxhole, instead of leading from the front. He was another person in a leadership position who lacked leadership. During the attack on Foy, Belgium, Dike froze in the middle of an open field, with his troops taking heavy fire. As we know, sitting on the “X” is the last thing you want to do when your are in a fire fight.

Major Winters, watching the battle fall apart, needed a quick solution. He needed a leader to save the battle and to save the lives of Easy Company. Capt. Ronald Speirs was close-by and got the order to relieve Dike and resume the charge. He did just that. The men were amazed by Speirs’ bravery and followed him to victory over the Germans. There was no doubt, Speirs was a leader and had leadership skills. He would be their commander the rest of the war.

Winters was nominated for the Medal of Honor for his actions on D-Day. It was subsequently downgraded one level to the Distinguished Service Cross. But there was little doubt that Winters was a leader and, had leadership skills. He called them, “Leadership at the point of a bayonet.”

1. Strive to be a leader of character, competence, and courage. 2. Lead from the front.Say,“Follow me!” and then lead the way. 3. Stay in top physical shape—physical stamina is the root of mental toughness. 4. Develop your team. If you know your people, are fair in setting realistic goals and expectations, and lead by example, you will develop teamwork. 5. Delegate responsibility to your subordinates and let them do their job. You can’t do a good job if you don’t have a chance to use your imagination and creativity. 6. Anticipate problems and prepare to overcome obstacles.Don’t wait until you get to the top of the ridge and then make up your mind. 7. Remain humble. Don’t worry about who receives the credit. Never let power or authority go to your head. 8. Take a moment of self-reflection. Look at yourself in the mirror every night and ask yourself if you did your best. 9. True satisfaction comes from getting the job done. The key to a successful leader is to earn respect—not because of rank or position, but because you’re a leader of character. 10. Hang Tough! Never, ever, give up.

William “Wild Bill” Guarnere had this to say of Winters: “ When he said ‘Let’s go,’ he was right in the front. He was never in the back. A leader personified. He was one hell of a guy, one of the greatest soldiers I was ever under.   He was a wonderful officer, a wonderful leader.   He had what you needed, guts and brains.”

If you are one of those few who have not watched the miniseries, I would highly recommend you do.   It’s a powerful story of ordinary civilians who became elite paratroopers.   And, in a way, they helped save the world.   Like many of us on the streets, theirs is a story of humility, courage, honor, sacrifice, duty and patriotism.   Like our fallen brothers and sisters in blue, we can never forget them.

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Currahee is the first episode of the ten-part historical miniseries Band of Brothers . The episode follows the men of Easy Company from their basic training at Camp Toccoa under the strict and near-dictatorial command of Herbert Sobel , up to the preparation for the Normandy landings in Upottery, England.

he episode focuses on the disparity between Herbert Sobel , a harsh commanding officer of Easy Company and his subordinate Richard Winters , a more popular officer among Easy Company men.

• 5 End Quote
• 7.1 Anachronisms
• 7.2 Continuity mistake
• 7.3 Crew or equipment visible
• 7.4 Factual error
• 8 References

In Toccoa, Ga., 1942, a disparate group of young men begins voluntary training to become members of one of America's newest military regiments - the paratroopers. Under the harsh leadership of Lt. Sobel (David Schwimmer), members of the newly formed Easy Co. go from green civilians to some of the Army's most elite soldiers. As training progresses, a rivalry flares between Sobel, whom the men despise, and Lt. Winters (Damian Lewis), a junior officer who's earned the respect and admiration of the company. - Band of Brothers, official website

Synopsis [ ]

The opening scene starts at Upottery Airfield on June 5, 1944, with large masses of paratroopers from Easy Company making final preparations before their long-awaited jump at Normandy, France . Their commanding officer, 1st Lieutenant Thomas Meehan III , announces that their jump would be delayed due to unfavorable weather, much to the men's dismay.

Later, while awaiting further announcements, 2nd Lieutenant Lewis Nixon and 1st Lieutenant Richard Winters chat and reminisce about their time together with Easy Company and their former commanding officer, Captain Herbert Sobel . The story flashes back two years earlier.

At Camp Toccoa, Georgia , the men of a new platoon that will specialize in parachute-landing combat, stand at attention. Their commanding officer, 1st Lieutenant Herbert Sobel (before he was promoted to captain) reviews the physical appearance of the men. He finds several minor violations which he conflates to deny individual men weekend passes. After he finds several, he cancels weekend passes for the entire company and orders them to run the trail up a nearby mountain, Currahee. The heat is a great difficulty for the men, who have to run three miles uphill and down within 50 minutes. Through the run, Lt Winters encourages the men not to give up. At the top of the hill, Winters continues to embolden the men to perform as a team.

Sobel inspects personal possessions in one barracks, finding contraband items and declaring personal items, such as letters, to be an infringement on the men's training. He also finds a can of peaches which he assumes was stolen from the mess hall. He demands that the private in question be discharged. The platoon completes a 12 mile hike with orders not to drink from their canteens. One man had secretly done so and is ordered by Sobel to repeat the march with a full canteen. Sobel then orders Lt Winters to punish six of the company, though they have not committed any violations to speak of.

Sobel is promoted to captain by his commanding officer, Col. Sink , who also promotes Winters to 1st lieutenant. Sobel commands Winters to manage the mess hall for two weeks and tells him Easy company will have a "light day" of classroom instruction the next day and for lunch the men should have a meal that will seemingly reward them for their hard work, spaghetti. The men are overjoyed, until Sobel bursts in halfway through chow, screaming his order for the platoon to run Currahee in the rain. Suffering from cramps, several of the men vomit on the trail, while Sobel chides them all, telling them not to help their comrades when they fall. The men do anyway and a cadence starts which helps their morale. Winters joins in as well, while a faint smile crosses his face, an indication that his training program is working to shape and toughen the men.

The company engages in their jump training and complete the program when they jump five times. All of them are granted their wings medals and leave for North Carolina for further combat training. While on patrol, Sobel shows incompetence of command, guiding the platoon to wrong locations. The referee announces that 95% of the platoon is wiped out. The company is sent to Brooklyn and board the Samaria; their final destination will be England where they will train further for the Allies' mass invasion of Europe .

Easy engages in extensive hand-to-hand and weapons training west of London in Aldbourne. Field training is less than successful when Sobel's incompetence again becomes apparent. Stopping at a barbed-wire fence, Sobel and his adjutant determine they're a full grid off their route. While the rest of the platoon takes cover behind a small brush grove, the men ask Sgt George Luz, an expert in impressions of famous people, to imitate Maj. Horton and order Sobel to cut through the fence and continue. Several cows escape the farm that the fence bordered and Sobel is grilled for the violation by Maj. Strayer and told that it couldn't possibly have been Horton since the major has been on leave in London.

Winters receives papers from Sobel's adjutant, claiming Winters had failed to follow orders that were altered by Sobel; Winters requests a court martial to prove his innocence. Winters had not received the orders from the runner Sobel had sent and also did not receive a phone call Sobel claimed to have placed since the family that Winters is quartered with has no telephone. While the procedure for the court martial is arranged, Winters is sent to manage the battalion mess hall, which means he won't be able to join the invasion with Easy Company. Several sergeants, agree to resign en masse in protest knowing full well they could be executed for their action. Col. Sink reprimands them all harshly, discharges one of them, Sgt. Harris , and demotes another, Sgt. Ranney, to private. The rest are simply dismissed because the invasion is pending. However, Sink takes the protest seriously and gives Sobel new orders to command another jump training facility for non-combat personnel. Winters is exonerated and will return to Easy.

Winters goes on several flights that simulate the distance and course changes for the mission. The precise location is not revealed to Winters but he speaks with Lt. Meehan and they surmise that the drop zone will be Normandy. When the drop location is finalized, the non-commissioned officers (NCOs) of Easy relay the information to the rest of the company. Everyone is told to memorize the maps and every other company plans for dispersal in Normandy.

The day before their departure, Meehan announces that the French coast is covered with fog, making it too chancy to attempt. The 101st and 82nd airborne units will be on a 24 hour standby waiting for the weather to clear. Sgt. John Martin receives a letter from his wife informing him that Bill Guarnere's brother was killed in action at Monte Cassino in Italy. John, not wanting Bill to become upset the day before the drop, tries to keep the news from Bill. Bill accidentally grabs John's coat and finds the letter. He's devastated by the news but not entirely broken by it.

On the day of the drop, all troopers receive new equipment to carry in addition to the hundreds of pounds they already have. Overloaded and looking scared, they board their plans and take off for France, flying into the night sky. Winters sits by the open hatch, contemplating the mission to come.

Gallery [ ]

End Quote [ ]

"Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force:

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven for many months.

The eyes of the world upon you."

"Good luck!

And let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking."

General Dwight D. Eisenhower

Supreme Allied Commander

• David Schwimmer, who played Captain Herbert Sobel was isolated from most of the other cast members during boot camp, to help generate a feeling of resentment among the men. Schwimmer joked that his only friend on set was Simon Pegg - who played Sobel's right hand man 1st Sergeant William Evans . [1]
• Aired two days before the 9/11 attacks. [2]
• This is the first American screen credit for Michael Fassbender, who played Private Burton Christenson . [3]
• Private Joseph Liebgott is shown shaving another soldier's head in the beginning scene. The real Joe Liebgott was a barber by trade, and he actually did reportedly help shave the men's hair into mohawks for the jump. [3]
• The film playing during the cinema scene was Mr. Lucky (1943) directed by H.C. Potter and stars Cary Grant and Laraine Day.
• During one of the Currahee runs, Private Warren Muck injures his leg and Captain Herbert Sobel orders the others not to help him. In the boot camp preparation for this, David Schwimmer, Sobel's actor, injured his own knee – and had to do the scene with the injury. [1]
• Private Frank Perconte complains about the quality of army spaghetti. Perconte's actor, James Madio played a big spaghetti lover in the sitcom USA High. [1]
• The part where 1st Lieutenant Richard Winters is reprimanding 2nd Lieutenant Lynn Compton for gambling with the men. Captain Herbert Sobel 's actor, David Schwimmer had taken the time one night to play poker with the actors when he was supposed to be segregating himself from them. [3]

Anachronisms [ ]

• 1st Lieutenant Herbert Sobel examines the "rusty bayonet" of Private Joseph Liebgott . This was 1942, the bayonet was a Model M1. This bayonet was not manufactured until after March 1943. It had a ten-inch blade. The bayonets that should have been used in 1942, were the Model 1905 or the 1905/42 both of which had 16-inch blades. After March of 1943, all the long Garand bayonets were ordered to be cut down to ten inches and became the 1905E-1 and new 10 inch bayonets (the M1 bayonet) were manufactured for the rest of the war. [4]
• In the mess hall scene, when Easy Company men are eating the "...army noodles with ketchup." You can see a vintage Coca-Cola machine in the background between the tables. The coke machine is unmistakably a Vendo 39, stand up, coin-operated vending machine, which was not manufactured until 1949. [4]
• The scene where Easy Company is receiving a lecture, there are various German weapons on the wall. One of them is an StG 44, not used in combat until 1944. Thus, it is impossible that the Americans had captured one in 1942-43. [4]
• In the scene at the end of the episode where the aircraft are taking off on June 5, 1944, as the camera pulls out to show the many aircraft rolling down the tarmac, the first aircraft shows the pilot wearing a pale green headset remarkably similar to a David Clark headset. However, the Clark company didn't start producing headsets until after the war. [5]

Continuity mistake [ ]

• The two times 1st Lieutenant Thomas Meehan III is telling Easy Company that the invasion has been postponed, his tone of voice and hand movements are different both times when they are supposed to be the same moment. [4]
• Private Burton Christenson 's machine gun switches from left to right shoulders when 1st Lieutenant Herbert Sobel confronts him about disobeying orders on a night march. [4]
• In the breakfast scene following the night march where 2nd Lieutenant Richard Winters has to pick six men and list their infractions, his mug moves about on his tray from shot to shot. [5]
• When Easy Company is eating their spaghetti lunch, we can see that outside it is raining. In the next scene while running up Currahee, the ground is dry, showing no sign of the previous rain storm. [4]
• When Captain Herbert Sobel is explaining to Major Robert Strayer why he cut the fence; Strayer is a Colonel, however, when Winters is briefing his men before going to assault the 105 he refers to him as a Major. [5]
• The door keeps changing positions in the scene where Captain Herbert Sobel is punishing 1st Lieutenant Richard Winters for failing to inspect the latrine. [5]

Crew or equipment visible [ ]

• When Private George Luz is imitating Major Oliver Horton to fool Captain Herbert Sobel , a boom mic is reflected in the wet helmets. [4]

Factual error [ ]

• Private David Webster is shown running Currahee and undergoing jump training with E Company. But Webster, while an original Toccoa man and member of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment was originally with Headquarters Company, and it was with HQ that he underwent training and jumped into Normandy; it was after the D-Day invasion (and thus not within the timeline of the episode) that he transferred to Easy, where he remained until the end of the war. [4]
• 1st Lieutenant Herbert Sobel demands that Easy Company runs up Currahee mountain in 15 minutes. They describe it as "3 miles up, 3 miles back". The company could not make it up a mountain one way in 15 minutes, they would have to average 5:00 per mile. [4]
• In the credits, Ross McCall's character's name is misspelled as "Joesph" D. Liebgott . [5]

References [ ]

• ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1245384/trivia
• ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/39axiq/til_that_hbos_iconic_band_of_brothers_premiered/
• ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Trivia/BandOfBrothersS1E1Currahee
• ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1245384/goofs/?tab=gf&ref_=tt_trv_gf
• ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 https://www.moviemistakes.com/tv3009/episode1406
• 1 Lt. Henry Jones
• 2 1st Lieutenant Norman S. Dike Jr.
• 3 Private Roy W. Cobb

Band of Brothers

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