Summary
Band Of Brothersis a WW2 historical television series, originally released on HBO, that tells the story of Easy Company, the 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, of the U.S. Army. The 10-part series was created on the foundation of heavy research and the accounts of real-life survivors of Easy Company.Band of Brotherscomes with some harsh realitiesand is also based on the bookBeyond Band of Brothers, written by Stephen Ambrose.
Some notable names who are among the creators of the series include Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, who previously worked together on the classic military filmSaving Private Ryan, which is a similar experience in its themes and emotional journey it takes the audience on. This series is praised for its accuracy and research, but in some areas,it is criticized by experts for the creative libertiesit took in place of facts to create a more compelling story for viewers.
Band Of Brothers: Where To Spot Tom Hanks' Cameo
Band of Brothers' executive producer Tom Hanks has a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo as a British soldier in the episode that he directed.
10Finding And Liberating A Concentration Camp
Innacurate: Easy Company Did Not Find It, And The Victims Were Killed.
The first, and not very forgivable inaccuracy that the show has, is the depiction of Easy Company coming across a concentration camp. The group is surprised about its existence as they come across such a place, but this is not accurate. Easy Company never came across a concentration camp, but this scene was inspired by the actual group that did, which is the Screaming Eagle unit alongside the 12th Armored Division, who arrived at it first.
Not only did a different unit witness this camp, but they also did not liberate the victims. In fact, they were already gone. When the SS heard of the U.S. Army approaching, they led most of the 3,600+ prisoners on a death march to Dachau and then proceeded to burn the barracks to prevent further liberation. Although the scene was partly based on a real concentration camp, it is inaccurate in many ways.
9Don’t Fire Unless Necessary, To Avoid Property Damage
Inaccurate: This Was Never An Order For Soldiers.
A scene inBand of Brothersdepicts an Easy Company soldier telling a British tank commander that a target German tank is directly behind a house, and they will have to fire at the house to hit the target. This is followed by the British Tank Commander refusing to do so, stating that his orders prohibit him from unnecessary destruction of property. British tank commanders, just like any U.S. ones,would never worry about the destruction of propertyto achieve their goals.
The portrayal of the British commander just seems to be stereotypically written by American writers as less extreme and destructive than a U.S. soldier, and more proper or polite, as often written. In reality, that house would not have been a worry of any British soldier in World War II. If it were just the American soldier making the decision on his own, he likely would not have asked permission and very aggressively take down anything in his way, which is another stereotype in writing like this.
8The Character Of Major Richard Winters
Accurate: Winters Was A Real Soldier From Easy Company.
The character of Major Richard Winters, played by Damien Lewis,is a real-life soldier who was a part of the Easy Company team.Winters is also the main character of the series. He was consulted for both the book and the series to be as accurate to the facts of the events in WW2 as possible as he experienced them, as well as how it felt to actually be there, so this could be reflected to the audience.
Major Winters was the recepient of two Purple Heart medals.
Winters, in his earlier years before the war, had just completed his business degree until the draft prompted him to take the one-year enlistment rather than three, feeling that war was inevitable. When the war ended, and he had accomplished so much during this time, he made the decision to stay in the military or leave until he was called for service again at the start of the Korean War in 1951. He was able to resign before the start, however, and settled down on a peaceful farm with his family in Pennsylvania.
7Winter Was “Born to Fight”
Major Richard Winters was not initially interested in joining the United States Army during WWll. He was originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He earned his degree in Economics from Franklin and Marshall College shortly before the war. When a draft was in order at the beginning of WWll, he was not interested in joining but felt he didn’t have a choice, choosing to join it then instead of being drafted for longer and later on.
Winters went on to be successful and considered a hero after the war in his later life and after, books andthis series were made with him as a reference, providing context for them.Steven Spielbergeven invited him to the 54th Emmy Awards to represent the men of Easy Company, which the show is based off of. His life and legacy were honored in his late life by many people who found his story inspiring.
6Depiction Of Tank Warfare
Accurate: Every Detail Was Taken Into Consideration.
Band of Brothershas been praised by critics and WWll historians for its historical accuracy down to the smallest details, one of these specifically being in its depictions of tank warfare at the time. For example, in one particular scene, the German army did not actually have any tanks. While casual viewers may not think twice about such a detail, this is actually a true fact. Germany during WWll had a problem, which was that their industry had not yet caught up with others like the U.S. or Russia. Instead, they carry assault guns and tank destroyers.
Another example is how the Germans started to fall back because of the specific weapons the American infantry were carrying in the show. They are shown to be equipped with things such as bazookas and anti-tank rocket launchers. The opposing response for them was to abandon the battle, which they did and was accurate as well.
5Easy Company Was First To Storm Berchtesgaden
Inaccurate: The First Was The U.S. 3rd Infantry Division.
In theBand of Brothersseries, the writers depict the requisition of Berchtesgaden, Germany, as being carried out by Easy Company. While this is a true story and an event that occurred, the Easy Company did not invade Berchtesgaden.It was actually the 7th Infantry, called The Cottonbalers that carried this out alongside the 3rd Infantry Division.
The series, time-to-time, will make decisions to change certain elements of history like this, which is a controversial topic, but they do in fact have a reason. Writers will often slightly change some elements of a story to include impressive histories and events in a movie or show like this one. They still want to tell this important piece of history, even though the group that the show focuses on wasn’t actually involved. At the same time, they are not telling the story accurately and giving the correct credits to the actual infantries that were successful in carrying it out.
4Depiction of D-Day
Accurate: Heavy Research Made This Perfectly Accurate.
TheBand of Brotherscreators' depiction of D-Dayis said to be overall very accurate and close to what the actual day looked, sounded, and felt like. D-Day, or the Normandy Landings, is the largest seaborne invasion in history. To make this scene as accurate as possible,the castunderwent very similar tactical trainingto those men who fought that day also had to go through.
Another thing that aided in the accuracy of the scene is the sound design. The creators of the series went to great lengths to ensure they captured this event in a way that would show audiences what it felt like. One way they did this is byrecording actual World War II weapons used that day for the gunshots in the show.This realistic soundscape is yet another layer of detail that proves its accuracy.
3Albert Blithe’s Death
Inaccurate: Blithe Survived The War.
Another big thing the series got wrong is the death of Albert Blithe, played by Marc Warren. While plenty of these inaccuracies seem like they can be justified in some ways, this one, maybe not so much. Albert Blithe was a real person in the U.S. Army in the Easy Company group.And he did, in fact, survive the war completely.In the show, he is said to have never recovered from wounds he received in Normandy, passing in 1948, which is not at all true.
It is understandable that the writers of the series were attempting to show and represent the soldiers that tragically did not survive the war and the brutal things that came with it, but Blithe fought hard to make it out alive, and did. He actually passed away in 1967 due to alcoholism, which unfortunately led to kidney failure and surgery complications.
2Leaving a Soldier Behind
Inaccurate: Soldiers Would Not Be Left Behind.
Another inaccurate detail from a scene inBand of Brothersis the scene where a soldier is ordered to be left behind during the war. In the U.S. Army, a soldier would not be ordered to leave another behind, as one was in this show. While this creates a strong emotional response for audiences, showing how brutal war can be, it could be argued that saving a soldier and not leaving him behind would be emotional as well as much more accurate.
Band of Brothers' writers often have great justification and lots of consideration that goes into a change that could be historical, but it seems this could be an unnecessary one that could’ve been told differently.
1The Date of Hitler’s Death: April 11th, 1945
Innacurate: Hitler Did Not Die Until April 30th, 1945.
Probably the most odd inaccuracy in the series was a pretty simple one that seemed to be overlooked, which is the date of Hitler’s death. This is shown in episode nine of the series, in which the title card reveals the date of Hitler’s death as being on April 11th, 1945. The German soldiers begin clearing the town as the Easy Company group reflects on what they’d experienced previously in the war. At the end of the episode, Captain Lewis Nixon says that Hitler took his own life. Yet,the date Hitler actually died was not until April 30th, 1945.
Although there are a number of inaccuracies in this 10-part series, we can try to remember and recognize that there are in pretty much every period or military film or television show. There should be a huge appreciation for the great efforts put into makingBand of Brotherswhat it was by paying attention to the smallest of details to tell the truest story they can to honor the soldiers that actually went through it.
Band of Brothers
Cast
Band of Brothers is a 2001 HBO miniseries chronicling Easy Company’s experiences from paratrooper training to World War II’s end. It portrays their participation in pivotal battles such as D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge, based on Stephen E. Ambrose’s book and first-hand accounts from surviving members.
