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Beyond Band of Brothers
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Amazing
Review date: 2007-12-12 Rating: 10 out of 10
It is so amazing of what not only Major Winters has done but the whole Battalion. I've read Stephen E Ambrose's Band of Brothers and have also got the DVD. Whether I'm watching the DVD or reading the book, if feels as though I'm there.
As Dick Winters says, if it wasn't for Captain Sobel being so nasty the lads wouldn't have bonded as well as they did.
Dick Winters is an inspiration.
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Reviews
A leader of the common man, in his own words
Review date: 2007-08-29 Rating: 8 out of 10
You may recall the book by Stephen Ambrose, BAND OF BROTHERS, a unit history of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment from its inception in July 1942 to occupation duty in Austria after the Nazi surrender. Much of the story focused on Richard "Dick" Winters, who rose from Easy Company's 2nd Platoon leader to 2nd Battalion commander over the course of the war. Winter's character was played by Damian Lewis in the BAND OF BROTHERS TV miniseries produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg for HBO, arguably the best small screen miniseries ever created.
BEYOND BAND OF BROTHERS (BBB) is the war memoirs of Dick Winters, written with a certain Colonel Cole Kingseed, the nature of whose contribution to the whole goes unexplained in the narrative. But, no matter, really.
BBB essentially follows, and ostensibly embellishes with insider knowledge, the history of Easy Company as outlined in the original book: training at Toccoa, GA and in southern England, the D-Day parachute drop into France, the slog through Holland, the Battle of the Bulge, the discovery of the Buchloe concentration camp, the capture of Berchtesgaden, and the post-surrender occupation duty in Kaprun, Austria.
Even with Kingseed's help, Winters is no Stephen Ambrose. His narrative, aided by a reasonably illustrative photographic section, is business-like and competent but not inspired. A glaring omission is the lack of battlefield maps, which would have been especially helpful for the D-Day, Holland, and Bastogne campaigns. And Winter's makes repeated reference to a mysterious "friend" back in the States, DeEtta Almon, with whom he carries on a sporadic and sometimes awkward correspondence. Is this the "Ethel" he married after returning home? Did I miss something?
BBB is obviously the author's farewell tribute to his comrades-in-arms. As such, he can be forgiven the last couple of chapters which drip with nostalgia. If not now, when? And Winters and his men certainly deserve the written memory.
I served in the Navy for nearly eleven years. I can recall only one superior whom I would've followed to hell and back. (Mike P. at Florida's Blood Center, are you taking note?) Such a leader is rare in military and civilian life. Dick Winters comes across as such. Because of that, I'm awarding BEYOND BAND OF BROTHERS 4 stars and a salute to its author. Honor is due.
GREAT
Review date: 2007-08-13 Rating: 10 out of 10
If you liked the movie and liked the book this has got to be on your reading list. The stories are so much better when told by the man who was there. You wont be disappointed.
Good read but Ambrose got there first
Review date: 2006-11-16 Rating: 8 out of 10
Dick Winters tells the story of Easy Company his way. Much has, however, been already told by Stephen Ambrose in his "Band of Brothers". The book adds little to that story other than Winters giving his own account of the pressures of leadership, a little on his formative years, a few more photographs, and an update on more members of the company who have sadly passed on in the past three or four years. The book is slightly let down by what appears to be sloppy editing which give rise to a few inconsistencies. However, nothing can prevent you from having great admiration for Winters and his comrades. There must be many more stories like this waiting to be told by many other wartime servicemen.
More of the same
Review date: 2006-10-18 Rating: 6 out of 10
The story of Easy Company of the American 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment is a fascinating one. Brought to screen in Band of Brothers, this remarkable group of men saw action from D-Day, through the Bulge to being the first allied soldiers to enter Hitlers Eagles Nest. Anyone broadly interested in military history will find the story compelling.
However, Stephen Ambrose told the story in his book "Band of Brothers". HBO in association with Speilberg and Hanks brought it to the screen. Dick Winters memoires do not expand the story to any great degree and if I'm a bit cynical, I would say that its purpose is to exploit the 'franchise'.
This is on no way whatsoever a slight on Dick Winters. His conduct, bravery and leadership was and still is beyond reproach. I just feel that the story has been told.
Product Details/Specifications
Authors:
Dick Winters
Cole C. Kingseed
Recording label: Berkley Caliber
Manufacturer: Berkley Caliber
EAN: 9780425213759
Binding: Paperback
Dewey decimal number: 355
ISBN: 0425213757
Number of items: 1
Number of pages: 320
Publication date: 2008-05-06
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Unknown)
Language: English (Published)