Evan Palmieri Critical Book Analysis of Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle Nest by Stephen E. Ambrose Copyright Date: 1992. Band of Brothers was written by Stephen E. Ambrose. Ambrose was a history professor at the University of New Orleans and also wrote many books, most of which are about American history. The topic of Band of Brothers is how Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division made their way through Europe, taking down the Axis forces. Ambrose’s purpose for writing this book was to tell the stories of the heroes of Easy Company, so that the world would never forget what they did for their country. I chose this book because someone suggested it and …show more content…
Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle Nest is about Easy Company and how they were one of the best units in military history. The book starts at Camp Toccoa where the men must volunteer to be a part of this new parachute regiment that has extreme training where only the best make it. Easy Company’s first assignment was on D-Day. They were assigned to take out artillery emplacements at Brecourt Manor that were making it impossible for allied tanks to move inland. They were able to take out the artillery which allowed the allies to keep moving inland further into France. After D-Day, Easy Company kept getting assigned the hardest missions. They had to take the town of Carentan which was crucial to invading further, they then were part of one the biggest military failures in Operation MARKET-GARDEN, then they withstood the siege of Bastogne where there were very low temperatures and not enough food, ammo, or cold weather gear for anyone. And finally in 1945, Easy Company reached “Hitler’s Eagle Nest” in Berchtesgaden. This …show more content…
I feel that Ambrose did a great job with conveying his thesis, because by the end of the book, I thought that Easy Company could do anything. For example, when Winters led a group of 12 men to take out artillery at Brecourt Manor against a defensive force of 50 elite German paratroopers. With Winters’s leadership ability, he was able to make every correct call, and this is what led to them beating the German force and destroying the guns. Another example that shows Ambrose’s thesis that Easy Company could do things others couldn’t is with this quote regarding the Battle of Carentan; “Captain Sobel had seen to it that Easy Company had spent months of training at night. Forced night marches cross-country, through woods, night compass problems, every conceivable problem of troop movement and control of troops at night. The men were completely at ease working at night,. the ones who could not handle the night were regimental staff officers.” (92). I don’t think that Ambrose showed any bias in his writing. He pointed out when Easy Company was the best, and he would also tell of when Easy Company would fail. One example of Easy Company failing was after the failure of Operation Market Garden. The “Easy Company” was as good as any company in the AEF. Despite this, in the first ten days in Holland, it took a hell of a lick. It failed to
The award-winning novel by Stephen Ambrose, Band of Brothers: Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest, discusses one of the greatest examples of mission command in the form of 1st Lieutenant Richard Winters and his role in the Brecourt Manor Assault. This battle is a textbook example of how to fight against a superior enemy force that outnumbered the unit by four times as much. Facing overwhelming odds with just 16 paratroopers against over 60 German Soldiers, 1LT Winters nevertheless prevails and succeeds in achieving his objective while minimizing casualties to just three Soldiers lost. Looking back further into the American Revolution, the Battle of Bunker Hill on the American side is one of the earliest examples of Mission Command under the command of COL William Prescott.
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Throughout the battle, you see numerous Army Values and Warrior Ethos being used. “I will never leave a fallen comrade”, was the etho used the most, to reach the separated platoon. The battle also shows that not all tactical orders are effective, but as a leader you must never second guess yourself.
The next four years were spent traveling the states fighting in some of the most well known battles of the Civil War . Ambrose Bierce’s experience during the Civil War where he faced the dangers of nature and man influenced his writing.
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Ambrose has shown his great admiration for his country, reflecting upon his views for America and writing what he has done to help benefit this country, such as his D-day Museum. He visibly shows his patriotism and his fascination for military history as he recounts stories of World War 2 and the War of 1812 and speaks highly of countries achievements of helping rebuild Europe after the war and gaining independence for colonies held by Japan during the war. He uses imagery, contrasting ideas, and quotes from other historians or Americans to back up his messages he tries to convey to his readers. His background also influenced him very heavily in his writing as well and was what encouraged him to keep on writing to the very end.
This magnificent novel is a definite must read for military men because Bahr effectively combines the interesting history of the Battle of Franklin with the psychological affects of battle. Though the novel inherits some natural flaws, the pros outweigh the cons. This short read becomes very satisfying as the story progresses. Also, Bahr shatters the concept of the Confederates being hicks and cruel slave owners, but that they are actual people too, who experience war just the same as someone form the Union.
Among his best sellers are D-Day, Citizen Soldiers, Band of Brothers, Undaunted Courage and Nothing like it in the World. He was also a consultant for Steven Spielberg’s movie Saving Private Ryan. He is a retired Professor of History. Ambrose is now the director of the Eisenhower Center in New Orleans and is the founder of the National D-Day Museum. He is also a contributing editor of the Quarterly Journal of Military History.
In The Red Badge of Courage, Henry Fleming was drawn to enlist by his boyhood dreams. His highly romanticized notion of war was eclectic, borrowing from various classical and medieval sources. Nevertheless, his exalted, almost deified, conception of the life of a soldier at rest and in combat began to deflate before the even the ink had dried on his enlistment signature. Soon the army ceased to possess any personal characteristics Henry had once envisioned, becoming an unthinking, dispas...
Paul Baumer is a 19-year-old volunteer to the German army during World War I. He and his classmates charge fresh out of high school into military service, hounded by the nationalist ranting of a feverish schoolmaster, Kantorek. Though not all of them want to enlist, they do so in order to save face. Their first stop is boot camp, where life is still laughter and games. “Where are all the medals?” asks one. “Just wait a month and I’ll have them,” comes the boisterous response. This is their last vestige of boyhood.
Though the book is a novel, it gives the reader insights into the realities of war. In this genre, the author is free to develop the characters in a way that brings the reader into the life of Paul Baumer and his comrades. The novel frees the author from recounting only cold, sterile facts. This approach allows the reader to experience what might have been irrelevant facts if presented in a textbook. This book is written from a perspective foreign to most Americans.