Band of Brothers
This landmark miniseries based on Stephen E. Ambrose's best-seller, and executive produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, recounts the remarkable achievements of an elite team of U.S. paratroopers during World War II.
- Metascore87
- 2001-2001
- 1 season
- HBO
- Action & Adventure, Drama, Documentary
- TV-MA
This landmark miniseries based on Stephen E. Ambrose's best-seller, and executive produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, recounts the remarkable achievements of an elite team of U.S. paratroopers during World War II.
Season 1 Episode Guide
10 Episodes 2001
Episode 1
Currahee
Sun, Sep 9, 2001 70 mins
In 1942, men from across the USA are in Camp Toccoa, Georgia to undergo paratrooper training. For the men of 'E' Easy Company the training is particularly difficult as a result of their demanding commander, Captain Herbert Sobel. He drives them incessantly to excel, canceling their weekend passes on a whim. His favorite chore is to have the men undertake a run up a hill known as Currahee. While the men are fit and ready for battle, thanks to Sobel, he has unfortunately shown himself to be a weak tactical commander. Once in England, and knowing they will soon be invading the Continent, the sergeants stage a rebellion. Sobel's excesses come to an end when Lt. Dick Winters requests a court martial rather than accept punishment for one of Sobel's lame charges.
Episode 2
Day of Days
Sun, Sep 9, 2001 49 mins
In the very early hours of the D-Day invasion, Easy Company along with thousands of other Allied paratroopers land behind enemy lines in Normandy. In the chaos of the jump however, they are spread far and wide with many landing far from their expected drop zone. Lt. Winters assembles the few men they can find and slowly make their way to their rendezvous point. As the men straggle in, they also must adjust such as when Malarkey meets a German soldier who grew up in Oregon. Easy's Company commander is still missing so Winters is left in charge and is ordered to take out a German artillery bunker that is wreaking havoc with the troops landing on the beach. They do so with great efficiency and are rewarded with several Bronze and Silver Stars and the Distinguished Service Cross for Winters.
Episode 3
Carentan
Sun, Sep 16, 2001 62 mins
Easy Company's next objective is to take the town of Carenten where they engage in street to street fighting with a doggedly determined enemy. The fighting is hard and there are many casualties. Having pushed the Germans out, Easy Company now has to hold the position and soon face a counter-attack from German forces, including artillery and tanks. For Pvt. Albert Blythe, the pressure and stress pushes him to the breaking point. He even suffers from hysterical blindness but soon recovers with a few words of encouragement from Winters. After 36 days in battle, Easy Company is finally relieved and get to return to their base in England.
Episode 4
Replacements
Sun, Sep 23, 2001 57 mins
Easy Company's stay in England is far too short when they are ordered to participate in operation Market Garden. This major engagement is to thrust north into the Netherlands seizing the bridges along the way with a view to giving the Allies a clear route into Germany. The men of Easy Company are told that they will be leaving for good and they parachute into near Eindhoven, where they get a huge welcome from the war-weary population. With significant losses in Normandy invasion, Easy also has to welcome new recruits who, in the eyes of the now veteran combat soldiers who have survived, as much a liability as a benefit. The battle is not easy with the Germans putting up fierce resistance. The situation is particularly dire for Sgt. Bull Randleman who is separated from the rest of the Company and is forced to hide out in a local barn overnight as the Germans move in. The battle was not a success and did not shorten the war as had been hoped.
Episode 5
Crossroads
Sun, Sep 30, 2001 53 mins
Captain Winters leads Easy Company in an attack on what they thought was a machine gun nest but turns out to 2 Companies of German SS who also have artillery support. The attack is successful in that they virtually wipe out the enemy but they do suffer many casualties. He soon finds himself promoted as the 2nd Battalion's Executive Officer and while he has concern about leaving Easy Company, he knows they are in good hands with Lt. Moose Heyliger. In the aftermath of the disastrous Operation Market Garden, Easy Company is assigned to assist a large group of British paras who are trapped behind enemy lines. Later, with Christmas approaching, the men suddenly find all passes canceled and they are quickly moved to Bastogne to help defend the city from the German offensive. The company is now led by Lt. Norman Dike, for whom the men have little respect.
Episode 6
Bastogne
Sun, Oct 7, 2001 64 mins
It's a cold, harsh Christmas 1944 for the men of Easy Company as they try to hold the line around Bastogne against attacking German forces. They have no winter clothing, limited rations and little ammunition. For Eugene Roe, one of the medics, the problem is getting basic medical supplies. He's been scrounging what he can, but it simply isn't enough. He's managed to get supplies from a Belgian nurse in Bastogne, Renée, but as the casualties mount, he finds himself lacking even the most basic supplies. The men of Easy Company are left on their own much of the time as the Company commander, Lt. Dike, spends most of his in his foxhole.
Episode 7
The Breaking Point
Sun, Oct 14, 2001 69 mins
Easy Company is still in the Ardennes forest but the Germans are in retreat. The men are cold and living in foxholes knowing that they will likely be ordered to try and take the town. The Germans have been pushed back to the town of Foy but they are well positioned and have heavy artillery. Their artillery barrages take a heavy toll and several of the veterans of Easy Company are severely wounded including Bill Guarnere and Joe Toye. Those injuries have a particularly heavy impact on their good friend, Lt. Buck Compton. When the attack does come, Easy Company is led by the ineffectual Lt. Dike who makes several tactical errors leading to unnecessary casualties. Capt. Winters, who is observing the battle would like nothing better than to rush into battle to lead his old Company but cannot. In the end, he orders Lt. Speirs to take command of the attack.
Episode 8
The Last Patrol
Sun, Oct 21, 2001 56 mins
It's February 1945 and a depleted Easy Company is now in Haguenau, France, on the Rhine just across from Germany. Pvt. David Webster, who was injured during Operation Market Garden, returns to the Company but finds that his absence from the fighting in Bastogne has alienated the others and he is treated as an outsider. The Company also has a new junior officer, Lt. Henry Jones, a West Point graduate who has yet to get any battlefield experience. The war is clearly coming to an end and the men are starting to think they might just survive. When Colonel Sink orders a raid across the river to take prisoners for interrogation, the men are less than keen to take part but follow orders. No one believes it's worth it when one of the men dies from the wounds he receives. When Colonel Sink orders another raid the next night, Captain Winters has his own unique way of dealing with the situation.
Episode 9
Why We Fight
Sun, Oct 28, 2001 55 mins
The men of Easy Company are now in Germany, aware that the Germans are surrendering by the thousands and that the war is winding down. With more time to reflect, some of the men are wondering if it was all worth it and begin to question whether the sacrifices they and their absent colleagues have made were worth it. That question is answered when they come across a concentration camp and they see first hand the atrocities committed by the Nazis. Captain Nixon has returned from a jump behind enemy lines that did not go well and resulted in many deaths. He's drinking heavily and has been demoted from Regimental to Battalion intelligence officer. Soon after Hiltler's death, they are ordered to Bertchesgarden, the Nazi leader's mountain-top retreat.
Episode 10
Points
Sun, Nov 4, 2001 59 mins
It's May 1945 and Easy Company finds itself the first Allied troops to enter Berchtesgarden, Hitler's Bavarian retreat. They find the village virtually empty with only a few people working in the hotel. They're there only a short time when they get the news they've been waiting for: the German army surrenders and the war in Europe is over. For those with enough service, it means a trip home while the rest continue to train for an eventual transfer to the war in the Pacific. For others still, tragedy still awaits. The men of the 101st all have varied futures ahead of them. The bonds of brotherhood shaped in battle will remain with them for their lifetimes and beyond.
