Band of Brothers 2001

     This series is based on a bestselling book by Stephen E. Ambrose. It is the story of the 506^th Regiment of the 101^st Airborne Division, Easy Company during their initial training starting 1942 until the end of WWII.  They Parachuted into France behind the enemy lines in the early hours of D-Day.  They were to provide support for the landings at Utah Beach.  They liberated Caretan and had action during Operation Market Garden.  They liberated a concentration camp and then entered Hitler’s mountain retreat in Berchtesgaden. 

     This is very realistic and there are many tense moments.  There is action every minute and split second decisions made in every fight against the Germans and their supporters.  None of this was an easy job.  Sometimes they weren’t sure of their location and exactly where the enemy was encamped.  They used guns, machine guns and grenades to move forward through the lines.  Sometimes they had support from the Sherman tanks.  Every day each man didn’t know if he would live through that day.  4 ½* (I really liked this series)

70 min each episode, 10 episodes, TV movie, Action with Scott Grimes, Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, Shane Taylor, Donnie Wahlberg, Peter Youngblood Hills, Matthew Leitch, Rod Strohl, Nicholas Aaron, Philip Barantini, Michael Cudlitz, Dexter Fletcher, Ric Gomex, James Madio.

Note:  Imdb 9.5 out of 10, 98% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.9* out of 5* with 19,437 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Ashdown Forest, East Sussex, Goldings, Hertforshire, Hambleden, Buckinghamsire, Hertfordshire, England UK and Giessbach Hotel, Brienz, Kanton Bern, Switzerland.  The PT gear t-shirts worn at the beginning and end of the first episode are exact reproductions.  One of the goofs is a person with a camera is taking pictures from one of the first-floor windows as Easy Company enters Berchtesgaden.  This is the most expensive TV undertaking of 2001 costing $120 million to produce.  The US phonetic alphabet from 1941-1956 is different from the NATO alphabet.  Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog, Easy, Fox, George, How is now Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel.  It was changed to prevent misinterpretations.