Though I knew the story well, I eagerly looked for to each new episode to see how well it tracked with the book and how well the actors and director portrayed it. These representatives of 'The Greatest Generation' did themselves and this nation proud. The interviews with the actual veterans, interspersed throughout the series, added authenticity, verified what the series was showing.

The truths of combat are stranger than fiction. The plot is real, and as such is neither macho nor macabre-it just is presented as it really happened. Replacements are regarded warily at first, but then managed to blend in with the veterans if they showed they were worthy of joining this band of brothers. They cared for each other as fighting men do (confirmed by my own experience in the infantry in Vietnam), but at the same time they had to carry on with the mission regardless of loss. All of the characters were developed enough that you cared about each of them as individuals, and felt the loss of each of them through the attrition during the brutal fighting in the Northern European Theater. It was clearly tough for him, particularly when he had to order attacks on heavily defended objectives, without being to lead his former command directly. Winters had to mature along with his increasing command responsibilites, had to learn to turn over his initial company-level responsibilities to others as he was promoted to battalion commander. The acting, mostly by previously unheralded actors, was superb-particularly that of Damien Lewis (Capt.Winters). I feel that this series represents that collective experience in the finest, most forthright manner possible and pays tribute to them all. The experience of these men of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne, was mirrored throughout the many divisions of Army and Marine ground troops in WWII.

I have read virtually all of Ambrose's WWII books, and this mini-series faithfully follows one of his best.

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