Set in 1942 at the height of the second world war, Band of brothers is a biographical book that narrates the story of E company, 506th regiment, 101st airborne division of the United states army. The 101st airborne division’s E company more affectionately known as Easy company was a special unit setup by the U.S army during world war two to operate as a parachute unit that would be deployed for special tactical missions. The story starts at Camp Toccoa in july, 1942 when the unit was first set up and where the first men to join the company went through one of the most gruelling training camps the army had seen. The unit had six months to train before they were ready for battle, but for most men who volunteered to join the company, they would rather train here with the best, to become the best than join the army as regular enlisted soldiers. Alot of them were between the ages of 18 and 22, few of them had been in combat before. But after what could only be described as an overwhelming amount of training under their Captain Sobel, who their was a consensus about among the men. They hated him, the men of easy company graduated and were sent into battle for the first time on the december of 1942. Their first mission was a drop over Normandy, france to clear a path for other armed forces that were to arrive alittle later. The mission was successful, and the men got their first taste of battle as a unit. From normandy the men of easy were deployed to bastogne, brecourt manor and finally germany. They were also involved in a drop over Japan at the end of the war but by this time the war in europe was over and most off the men had either been discharged, were injured or dead. Easy company was instrumental in the victory of the american campaign in europe. Major Winters was the longest serving commander of the unit and showed exemplary courage during the war not unlike the rest of his men, replacements and all.
Genre: Non-fiction
Category: Military history.
My reading speed has slowed down abit during the past month or two, but I did have alot of fun reading this book even though it took me alot longer than usual to get through the book which is not relatively large with 336 pages. The author Stephen E. Ambrose is an expert at military history and it is evident in the way the story is worded and how it unfolds. The account Stephen has given is very well researched and put together in a sequential manner. The details are very well researched and the descriptions are vivid. The characters are not only accurately depicted but also interesting and complex. It was an extremely exciting book to read and I will definitely reread this one soon. The end is obviously fore shadowed seeing as it’s based on real life events, but the way it is narrated gives the reader a feeling of anticipation and complicit triumph when the war ends. I did feel a bit nostalgic when the book ended, like I had formed a connection with the unit just by reading their story of comradory and commitment to their fellow soldiers. The style of writing feels appropriate for the story with accounts being quoted constantly from the writings of the soldiers themselves.
My recommendation: I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys action, or stories based on real life events. It may also be a surprise delight for fans of bromance books. This book is an amazing read and gives alot of insight into what army life was like during world war 2.
Star rating: 4.5/5
Aesthetic Ian 