FAQ for
"Band of Brothers" (2001) More at IMDbPro »

No. The story ends with the war ending. However, there is a follow-up mini-series currently in production detailing the accounts of, and titled The Pacific from the same people that brought you 'Band of Brothers'.

Because only movies and not TV series are eliglible for the "best movie list" and 'Band of Brothers' was a made for HBO mini-series.

Please note that BoB is a dramatized version of what happened. While some scenes are very close to what actually happened, other scenes have been dramatized to work better in the series format. For more information, read Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose, "Biggest Brother" (a Dick Winters biography) by Larry Alexander, Parachute Infantry by David Kenyon Webster and brothers in battle best of Friends by William Guarnere and Edward "Babe" Heffron.

Check http://www.west-point.org/greimanj/west_point/songs/bloodontherisers.htm

The real Ranney survived the war. He can be spotted in ep. 5, where he takes part in the Oct. 5 combat action which foils a planned attack on Col. Sink's regimental HQ by two SS companies.

"S" is used to designate staff at the battalion or regimental level. At division level or higher a "G" is used. "S-1" is the designation for an Administrative Staff officer. "S-2" is used for Intelligence officers. "S-3" is used for Operations officers. Nixon was the battalion then regimental S-2, then later he was demoted to battalion S-3 because of his drinking habit. "S-4" is used for Supply officers. Captain Sobel held this position from Holland to the end of the war.

The 101st Airborne Division was made up from four regiments, an attached glider infantry battalion, three artillery battalions, an AAA/AT battalion, and an engineer battalion, plus support units. The paper strength was 12,335 men and officers in 1943.

501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 327th Glider Infantry Regiment

Each regiment consisted of three battalions, each battalion containing three companies. 1st Battalion had Able, Baker and Charlie companies, plus a headquarters (HQ) company, 2nd Battalion had Dog, Easy, and Fox, plus Battalion HQ companies, and 3rd Battalion had George, How and Item, plus HQ companies. Each company consisted of three platoons and a headquarters section. Each platoon consisted of three 12-man rifle squads and a six-man mortar team squad. Each squad had a .30 machinegun, and the mortar team a 60 mm mortar. A company totalled 132 men and 8 officers.

1/401st Glider Infantry (an attached battalion), 321st Glider FA Battalion (75mm field artillery), 907th Glider FA Battalion (105mm field artillery), 377th Parachute FA Battalion (75mm field artillery), 81st Airborne AAA/AT Battalion (antiaircraft artillery/antitank)

326th Airborne Engineer Battalion, 101st Signal Company, 326th Airborne Medical Company, 426th Airborne Quartermaster Company

It's an Indian word, which translates as "stand[s] alone," and is the name of the mountain paratroopers at Camp Toccoa would routinely run. Currahee Mountain is so named because it stands alone in otherwise level countryside. Another version is a phonetic translation of coraje courage in Spanish.

He plays Sgt Evans, Sobel's right hand man. Evans is killed in a plane crash on D-Day. He can be seen prominently in the first episode: Curahee.

They were there to acquaint the US soldiers with the look of German uniforms. Most of the 101st AB troopers hadn't been in combat, and few had seen a German soldier. To be able to properly identify an enemy reduces the risk of hesitation (which can kill you), and also reduces the risk of friendly fire.

Also, there were Brits in German uniforms that were going to parachute in to penetrate the enemy ranks, gather intelligence, and generally cause havoc.

According to Richard Winters, he did do it, even if it didnt happen at the time and place shown in the series. It was portrayed that way because the scriptwriters didn't really know. Later, the true story emerged. From page 160 in "Biggest Brother" by Larry Alexander, a biography on Richard Winters: "He [Winters] knew the tough officer [Speirs] had executed six German POWs on D-Day, and on D-plus 2 he had shot one of his own sergeants through the forehead for twice refusing a direct order under fire." Speirs' actions can be seen in a wider context, where it was sanctioned that prisoners weren't to be taken.

From "Parachute Infantry" by David Kenyon Webster (on D-Day in HQ Company, 2d Battalion, 506 PIR, 101st Airborne), page 21: "Above all, kill 'em! We can't be dragging a lot of prisoners around with us at night." (Said by a captain during a briefing prior to the mission.)

From "Band of Brothers" by Stephen Ambrose, page 73: "[General] Taylor told Malarkey's platoon to fight with knives until daylight, "and don't take any prisoners."

Malarkey met an American-German in Normandy, but his ultimate fate isn't known. At least he wasn't among those gunned down by Speirs.

British actor Jonie Broom.

It is portrayed almost exactly as it happened, except for the time it took and as noted at the end of the episode, right before the closing credits, is still studied today at West Point as an example of small-unit tactics against a numerically superior enemy force.

Quakers are members of the Religious Society of Friends, a Christian sect. They believe in individual communion with God. Drinking is not strictly prohibited in Quaker tradition, but the use of alcohol is discouraged. Some modern Quakers are teetotal and some are not.

The Quakers also believe that violence is wrong and many conscientious objectors, advocates of non-violence and anti-war activists are Quakers. Quakers have been imprisoned for refusing to serve in military activities.

I would add that many Quakers served as stretcher bearers, ambulance drivers and similar roles in both world wars, armed only with a Red Cross armband and the strength of their convictions. Their courage was often held in considerable respect by the soldiers.

No, he died in 1967 while stationed in Germany. He was still in the Army, and had fought in the Korean War. One of the veterans thought Blithe died in 1948, but when the series aired in the US, his family corrected that mistake.

The German units holding Carentan were ordered to retreat; it appears that they just fought a delaying action. One has to remember that while one side might have a tactical advantage locally, other units on the flanks might fare worse, calling for a retreat. The Waffen-SS troops were cocky despite the warnings from the Fallschirmjäger commander, so they were surprised by the stiff resistance. The 17th SS-Panzergrenadier Division "Götz von Berlichingen" was formed in 1943, and wasn't one of the top formations in the Waffen-SS. American soldiers described their tendency to ignore cover and charge into the open, just as in the scenes in the "Carentan" episode. Check http://www.eagle19.freeserve.co.uk/normandy.htm for more info on the FJ in Normandy, as well as some comments on the 17th SS-PzGr-Div.

A bit of artistic license on the part of the scriptwriters. The tradition of wearing a live flower on the German uniform in combat is unheard of, although German mountain rangers (Gebirgsjäger) did display a metal Edelweiss badge on their cap and an Edelweiss patch on the right sleeve. The significance of the Edelweiss in Band of Brothers is purely symbolic: Blithe "has seen the elephant," and takes the flower as if saying, "I survived, you didn't."

Captain Nixon was correct in describing Edelweiss, however. The plant grows at high altitude in the Alpine regions of Europe. From the German edel (noble) and weiss (white), Edelweiss symbolizes strength and determination in German folklore, as one would have to climb the Alps to retrieve it.

Yes. As the Dutch were considered allies, the British central command was considerate. That arguably cost lives in some cases, notably here, which may have been the intention of the writers.

The main reason was that the main route of advance was along a single highway, where German counterattacks were effective in delaying the British advance. Coupled with communications problems, faulty planning, and poor use of intelligence reports from the Dutch resistance, and an unexpectedly dogged German defense, the operation became the recipe for disaster. Ultimately, it was the Germans who suffered most, as their success in stemming the advance helped prolong the war, leading to even more killed.

For more information read "A Bridge Too Far" by Cornelius Ryan

He has a small cameo in episode 5, as a British paratrooper officer during the celebrations that follow operation Pegasus. And he is hard to spot, but as long as it remains available, you will be able to see a picture here: http://www.eeggs.com/items/37980.html

Well, they did For the full story, check http://www.worldwar2history.info/Band-of-Brothers/company.html The two W-SS companies may have been part of the 10th SS-Panzer Division "Frundsberg" (which operated in the area), and appears to have been composed at least in part of "Volksdeutsche" of German-Polish origin. As with most German units in the later part of the war, combat losses and forced training had lowered the quality and effectiveness of the Waffen-SS. Critics, usually long on indignation but short on substance, find it unrealistic that a platoon could knock out two "elite" companies. Well, then it might be of interest that the Germans scored similar successes against US units. In short, a platoon-sized group of German paratroopers led by a sergeant took on a US infantry battalion, ending up with taking 265 prisoners. Read about it here: http://www.historynet.com/us-armys-90th-infantry-division-the-tough-hombres-battle-in-normandy.htm

Renée Lemaire was a local girl who helped out in the 10th Armored's aid station. She was killed in a German bomb raid on Christmas Eve, 1944. As the aid station didn't serve the 101st Airborne, it is highly unlikely that they met in real life. The episode is a tribute to the soldiers and civilians who had to patch up those injured in the fighting.

To mark that the soldier has received a shot of morphine (administered with so-called "syrettes"). A more formal way was to stick the needle of the syrette in the uniform lapel, and bend it. If any doses had been administered, the doctors at the field hospital were able to see how much, and avoid overdosing the patient, a point that Roe brings up in the Crossroads episode when Moose Heiliger is shot.

In the "Bastogne" episode, the scene was about to be the biggest battle scene in the series, but was trimmed down in order to not lose the focus on Doc Roe. In real life, the attack was (obviously) repulsed, the Germans losing 38 dead.

It wasn't uncommon that ground troops were subjected to "friendly fire", especially when the battle line was close to the enemy. US P-47 "Thunderbolt" pilots were infamous for dropping bombs on and shooting at their own troops by mistake, and the 9th Air Force became known as "the American Luftwaffe". In their defense, it could be said that it could be very hard to properly ID troops when flying low and fast over a dense forest, but then one can always object that "if you cannot ID the target, don't shoot"...

No, he survived. The dead soldier usually mistaken for Dike is a private, Webb, who was shot by a sniper. Dike was relieved of command and kicked upwards, becoming an aide of General Taylor on the divisional staff.

A common misunderstanding about Dike's fate at Foy comes from the scene when Perconte (on Bull's back) asks Lipton "Is it true about Dike?" and then says "Thank God for small mercies". Perconte was most likely asking about the truthfulness of Dike being relieved of command during the attack.

Because it was just a delaying battle for their part, much like the action in Carentan in episode 3.

An M3 Grease Gun submachine-gun.

He got drunk and started a brawl, attacking an officer ("Hank Jones," the West Pointer who Graduated on D-day).

Yes. That part is made up; in reality, Webster manned a machinegun on the bank of the river. It seems like the rather hostile reception he gets on returning to Easy company is something that the scriptwriters invented, as there's no mention of it in his own book. Webster had been wounded in Holland during the Crossroads episode, however, he took his time returning to his unit, unlike other members like Guarnere and Joe Toye, who would leave the hospital early and against medical advice. Because Webster stayed at the hospital and missed the battle at Bastogne, his fellow soldiers were highly resentful of him. The episode is about his attempts to win back their favor through his diplomacy and small good deeds.

He died in 1947, aged 23, from injuries sustained in a car accident while serving with the US Army in Germany.

Ludwig van Beethoven: String quartet Op 131, 6th movement

Well, there was quite a bit of "fraternizing" while the hostilities were winding down, and the scene shows something that was real for many young soldiers, plus it has a comical slant, as well as showing Janovec as full of life, making his death in the next episode more tragic.

They were French. The incident is mentioned by Webster, who wrote that the Germans were probably no more than in their mid-teens.

She is an allegory to the German people, nothing more.

No. The collar tabs aren't those of a Generalfeldmarschall (the rank Rommel held), but (probably) a colonel. Besides, Landsberg is situated far from where the Rommels lived.

A whisky brand. More information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VAT_69

The scene would have been much less effective with sub-titles. Also when someone is angry or in a state of emotion, they tend to speak in their native language.

The series implies that, but in reality, other US soldiers had entered the place a couple of days earlier. Read the full story here: http://www.historynet.com/magazines/world_war_2/3034246.html

Winters, however believes that Easy was there first, and backs his claim up by the fact that all the "loot" that Easy found was intact and untouched. Winters has said that if other soldiers were there first the liquor collection, the automobiles, the silverware, photo album and the like would have already been pilfered.

No, it was an anomyous SS-Brigadeführer (Major-General) in the Leibstandarte.

Hitler committed suicide in his Berlin bunker while the Russians were taking control of the city. An excellent film was made about Hitler's last days alive called Downfall, Der Untergang in German.

An officer, General Gustav Kastner-Kirdorf, was found dead by his own hand in a bed, but he didn't belong to the SS. ----------

28 Oct '07 - History shows that Hitler died in Berlin on 30 April 1945 in Berlin at the Fuhrerbunker. Given the level of authenticity the show gives us, it is inconceivable that they would want us to think it was Hitler that was found at the Eagle's Nest.

The Adolf Hitler cuff title was not worn as a "name tag", and regardless, Adolf Hitler was never seen to be wearing a name tag of any kind. It is worn by members of the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, a division of the Waffen SS originally formed in 1923 to serve as Hitler's body guards. By WWII it had expanded into a full division and fought in many battles.

The dead SS-Brigadeführer in the scene is of rank comparable to a division commander, and as no SS general was found dead at the Eagle's Nest, the whole thing is just a bit of artistic license.

Since Kastner-Kirdorf was a fairly high ranking officer in the Luftwaffe - Chief of the Office for Execution and Clemency Affairs of the Luftwaffe (from 15 Apr 1943 until his suicide on 04 May 1945) holding the rank of General der Flieger (General of the Fliers, comparable to an RAF Air Marshal or a US Lieutenant General), and also given that the officer is never identified in the episode, the inclusion of the "Adolf Hitler" cuff title on the uniform is probably meant to indicate that the officer they found was just a member of Hitler's staff.

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Some German officers were allowed to keep their sidearms, in order to better control other prisoners of war in the camps. No doubt Winters had to deal with other German officers, and perhaps that scene reflects that (plus the respect the Americans felt for some of their former foes).

The episode is slightly altered - Webster wasn't there, for starters. Speirs gave orders to Sgt John Lynch, Liebgott, Skinny Sisk and a private named Donald Moone to find the German and execute him. Liebgott interrogated him for 30 minutes, and said that they had got the right guy. They put him in a truck, drove to a ravine where Liebgott shot him twice with a pistol. The German started to run, and Moone was ordered to shoot him. He refused, so Skinny Sisk shot him instead. This is what happened in reality.

After being brutally beaten, Spiers was going to shoot the replacement, but then decided against it and had the men turned him over to the MP's. It's likely he would have been executed. Grant survived, and died in the 1980's.

The Austrian scenes were shot in Switzerland(!).

The Giessbach Hotel in Brienz, Switzerland (http://www.giessbach.ch) thereby stands in for the hotel in Zell am See, Austria. Shooting took place in September 2000 and Damian Lewis must be a tough guy since the lake water is darn cold, not only in fall but year round, as the water comes straight down from the mountains.

The baseball game at the very end and the speech by the German Officer were shot at the Swiss Air Force Base in Interlaken. All other Austria scenes were shot in the Interlaken area and around the two lakes (Brienzer See and Thuner See) in Switzerland.

Moreover, the German scenes were also shot in Switzerland. Unterseen, a quarter of Interlaken, Switzerland, thereby stands in for Berchtesgaden, Germany, and the Grimselpass, Switzerland, for Hitler's Eagle's Nest in the Berchtesgaden area, Germany (the Nest itself was computer generated).

(Amendment - *some* of the scenes were shot in Zell-Am-See in Austria) [I don't think this is true. What scenes are you thinking of?]

Another FAQ, very detailed: http://www.younghistorians.com/faq/ More on the 101st AB by the foremost expert on the division, including a critical look at BoB: http://www.101airborneww2.com/index.html The David Kenyon Webster website: http://davidkenyonwebster.com/ "Wild Bill" Guarnere's website: http://www.wildbillguarnere.com/ The official BoB website: http://www.hbo.com/band/landing/currahee.html The Saving Private Ryan Online Encyclopedia: http://www.sproe.com/

A few I can recommend: Winters, Dick and Kingseed, Cole: "Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters", Alexander, Larry: "Biggest Brother" (a Dick Winters biography), Ambrose, Stephen: "Band of Brothers", "Citizen Soldiers", Burgett, Don: "Currahee!", "The Road To Arnhem", "Seven Roads To Hell", "Beyond the Rhine", Hastings, Max: "Overlord", "Armageddon", Ryan, Cornelius: "The Longest Day", "A Bridge Too Far", von Luck, Hans: "Panzer Commander", Webster, David Kenyon: "Parachute Infantry", Wilson, George: "If You Survive" Brothers in battle freinds in war. William Guarnere and Willam "Babe" Heffron

"The Longest Day" (D-Day), "Saving Private Ryan" (D-Day+), "A Bridge Too Far" (Holland), "Battleground" (Ardennes), "Patton" (Bastogne)

Well, it is a series, but in order to get a better viewing experience, one can view the episodes so that they become more like a suite of four movies. Suite 1 = "Currahee", "Day of Days" and "Carentan" for the action in Normandy; Suite 2 = "Replacements" and "Crossroads" for Operation Market-Garden; Suite 3 = "Bastogne" and "The Breaking Point" for the Ardennes offensive; Suite 4 = "The Last Patrol", "Why We Fight" and "Points" for Germany and the end of the war.

Click on the link below for an online collection of 39 articles about the series available at www.Damian-Lewis.com:

http://www.damian-lewis.com/press/category/band-of-brothers/

Click on the link below to read "Acting Tough" Damian Lewis's (Richard Winters) Band of Brothers boot camp diary originally published in the Daily Mail on October 6, 2001:

http://www.damian-lewis.com/press/band-of-brothers/011006-daily-mail-acting-tough/

Dachau was a Nazi German concentration camp, and the first one opened in Germany, located on the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory near the medieval town of Dachau, about 16 km (10 miles) northwest of Munich in southern Germany.

Landsberg and Buchloe were satellite work camps build around Dachau in Bavaria, Germany. These work camps forced the prisoners to dig and work in tunnel systems that were used to manufacture weapons after the Allies had air superiority. There were a lot of concentrations camps around Landsberg, not just one.

From what I have read, this is the biggest dramatic license the shows take from history. Apparently, Easy company did not liberate any concentration camp, but did see Dachau after it had been liberated. That being said, it is easy to see why the show's creators would want to portray it the way they did.

It is hard, even after several times watching the series, to tell some characters apart. Go to http://www.hbo.com/band/landing/currahee.html, click on "The Series" in the lower left corner, and a menu with all the characters in that episode will show. Place the mouse pointer on a name, and a small pic will appear. Change episodes by clicking "Select a different part" at the top.

Cpl. Gordon was shot through the arm in The Breaking Point episode. Doc Roe and Lipton get him to the Aid Station and that is the last we see of him. The next time Doc Roe returns to the aid station it has been bombed and it is implied that everyone inside was killed. Whether or not Smokey was inside at the time is unknown, though he never appears in the series again. He did, however, survive the war and sadly passed away on April 19, 1997. Details can be found here http://www.101airborneww2.com/bandofbrothers2.html.