Band of Brothers: E. Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne From Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle Nest, Book Analysis Essay

Book encompass sight of Brothers E. telephoner, 506th Regi handst, hundred-and- first of all airborne From Normandy to Hitlers Eagle Nest by Stephen E. AmbroseBand Of Brothers is the biography of Easy association, 506th ParachuteInfantry Regi handst, 101st mobile Division, from basic t for each oneing toD-Day. It follows the heighten into Holland, the Battle ofthe Bulge, and run lowly the occupation of Berchtesgaden and Austria. This is a rarity among military histories, told from the viewpointof the reckon line soldier, the privates, non-commissi integrityd officers and officers whocarry give a focussing the grand strategy of generals. Many plattersdiscuss the inner working of commands at Division and Army levels, only if few detail the day to day life of thesoldier. Stephen Ambroses phonograph recording does that andmore. It explores the how draftee citizen soldiers ofelite outfits akin the 101st Airborne did, in demesne War II, defeatan enemy same(p) the well deft German Wehrmacht and S.S. In 1942 the Second Battalion of the 506th was form and startedbasic training. The recruits volunteered for the thrill, the honor, the extra money, but above all the desire to be betterthan the ordinary draftee.A description of the forcible effort call for in basic training explains why a majority of thevolunteers never do it as far as the door of the airplane. Whenthe Company finally made it to Fort Benning for jump school, theywere in such great physical shape that they outdid the schoolsphysical fitness cadre. After quintuplet jumps in December of1942, the company qualified as Parachutists, and nine-months laterthey were on a ship to England to train for the invasion ofHitlers Fortress Europa. Ambrose withal details the nine months of training that the companyendured in England in readiness for the invasion. Hetells it from the viewpoint of both officers and men and explainsthe final shift in Easy Company hierarchy just prior to D-Day. Hisdescripti on of the night jump of the 101st in the early morninghours of June 6, 1944, with men and officers unconnected some thecountryside, and the confusion, heroism and chaos that surroundedthe successful landings at doh Beach, is masterful. Heexplains how the few outer roads from the beach are zeroed in byGerman artillery, and that the job of the airborne was to nullifythe artillery and its argue troops. The efforts of Lt.RichardWinters to fulfill that mission are oneof the eminent points of the watchword. As the book reports Bythis magazine, about 0700, E Company consisted of two lightmachine-guns, one bazooka (no ammunition), one 60mm mortar, ninerifleman, and two officers. Lt. Winters was in charge. With lessthan 100 men assembled in the battalion, the commander could onlyafford to send Easy Company to attack and overrun a four gun German stamp battery defended by a fifty-man platoon. As the book puts it, quoting one of the men, Here the training paid off. We fought asa team wit hout standout stars, Lipton said. We were like amachine. We didnt charter anyone who leaped up and charged amachine-gun. We knocked it out or made it withdraw bymaneuver and teamwork or mortar fire. We were smartthither werent many flashy heroics. We had learned that heroics wasthe way to get killed without acquiring the job done, and getting thejob done was more important. Three hours by and by the attackcommenced, it was completed successfully. Easy Company went on to fight by Normandy until June 29th whenit was pulled out of line and sent to a field populate near UtahBeach. They had jumped into Normandy with an effectivestrength of 139 men and officers and ended up with79.Ambroses description of those few days from thenight jump to their last fight at Carentan is magnificent. The book next describes the companys jump into Holland, near theRhine River, where they fought through November of 1944, and thenon to Bastogne, to again become front line troops in the historicBattle of the Bulge. Easy Company was the first Alliedtroops to occupy Hitlers mountain retrogress atBerchtesgaden. After occupation duty in Austria, thecompany and battalion were sent back to a small town near Paris,and on November 30, 1945, the 101st was deactivated. As Ambroseputs it, The Company had been born in July 1942 atToccoa. Its origination essentially came to an end almostexactly three eld later. In those three years the men hadseen more, endured more and contributed more than most men can see, endure or contribute in a life clip. Band Of Brothersdescribes those eventful three years in such a way as to make thereader experience them too. I think Ambrose did actually well telling the story of Easy Company because, as utter above, I felt that I was able to experience the three years very well. I am not much of a reader, but enjoyed reading the book very much. I love American report and I have an interest in the military.Having participated in JROTC in high school for 4 years anddoing ROTC my first year in college, I was able to understand the roles and concepts presented in the book. One theme I byword a lot in the book was the feeling and thought of brotherhood. The claim of the book is Band of Brothers and Ambrose did a very good job of conveying the soldiers brotherhood through out the book. Starting at the beginning, when they are training, the soldiers trained together, worked together, and suffered together. As a team, working together is key, and the soldiers of the 101st Airborne place that concept early on and kept it strong. One phrase I saw quite a few times was follow me. I think Ambrose included that phrase so much because it shows the leadership and brotherhood. They helped each other and led each other to success and improvement. From the American history perspective, I loved this book I have been learning about World War 2 for several years now, including this year in this American history class with the great Keith Maljean, but thi s is the first time I learned from the soldiers perspectives. Ambrose did a phenomenal job of interviewing the members of the 101st Airborne and recounting their stories. Reading the book, I felt like I was mightily there with them on their first jump, landing in France, and at the first mention of the Airborne division.Volunteering for something new, not knowing what was exit to happen. Literally start into an unknown, new division of the Army. I embarked with them on the fight to defeat Germany and cultivate an end to the Nazis. I feel that I gained a better instinct of the American soldier in the World War 2 era, and it is secret code like the American soldier nowadays. Today, our armed forces are veneering things that we have seen before, for the most part. Back in the World War 2 era, the soldiers were facing new ships, vehicles, aircrafts, artillery, rocketry, small arms, and biological, chemical, and atomic weapons. It was a very scary time for the soldiers not knowing what was coming or how bad it is. Through the stories in Band of Brothers, I was able to understand what the life of the soldier was like and how they adapted to the new weaponry. When I first heard that I was going to have to do a book report for this class, I was all told dreading it due to my lack of joy for reading and writing, but I am glad that I stumbled across this book because I dont know if I would have been able to find a book as good as this. Stephen Ambrose is a brilliant writer and recounted the stories of the men from the 101st Airborne with great detail. It was entertaining,informative, and all around life changing. This book reinforced the concept of brotherhood and gave me a great perspective of World War 2 from a soldiers point of view. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in American History or just looking for a good read.