#79: "Band of Brothers"

"Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest"

Stephen Ambrose

For me, Ambrose is the premiere American historian of World War II. I distinctly remember borrowing a huge WWII book by Ambrose from the library when I was young, poring over the pictures, trying to make sense of the stories. The battles, the heroes and villains, the technology, the different and evocative locations, the world-changing events all tied together by a master scholar made for a defining moment in my education and life. This book follows a particular story: the path of a single paratrooper company, Easy, from its inception in 1942 to its disbanding, almost exactly 3 years later, in 1945. In that time, the men underwent training as an experimental parachute infantry company, waited for their premiere in Britain in the early part of 1944, were part of the invasion force at Normandy, participated in campaigns in the Netherlands, in Belgium at the Battle of the Bulge, and at the end of the war were part of the occupying force in the German mountains. In those 3 years, and especially in the year of active duty starting in summer 1944, the men saw war and overcame challenges that few others can boast to. They were an integral and consequential part of the final push to victory. I wonder how many other companies had stories like that of E Company, 506th Regiment, that haven't been told. I also suspect that in hearing this singular story, we gain a partial, fractional glimpse into those of others.

The book is easily read. Ambrose has a conversational style, and a historian's objectivity, carefully framing each event like a filmmaker. He focuses on the people in each moment, their relationships and actions. There is less emphasis on the larger picture; that is not the point. He presents E Company as it was, in its heroic moments as well as its mistakes. We are not meant to consider this an angelic group, but as a brotherhood that fought for each other despite its weaknesses. #whatIreadin2017