Like so many other stories told in miniseries, no feature film could do Band of Brothers justice. The story is too complex and massive to just be told in a few hours. It may be my love of history, or just great TV, but miniseries’ like Band of Brothers pull me into the time and story like no other form of entertainment. (And, though The Pacific just ended, it doesn’t hold a candle to its predecessor.)

Band of Brothers was a ten part miniseries adapted from the book by the same title. Stephen Ambrose, a noted historian and biographer, wrote the original Band of Brothers book. The World War II mini-series was produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks and the two started discussing the series after working together on Saving Private Ryan.

The miniseries aired on HBO in 2001 and is still frequently aired on RV networks around the world.

The story is centered on the E Company or “Easy Company” of the 2^nd Battalion, 506^th Parachute Infantry Regiment assigned to the 101^st Airborne Division of the Untied States Army. The story covers everything from basic training through the end of the war, including the airborne landings in Normandy.

All the characters portrayed in the books and miniseries were based on members of the company. Some literary license was taken for the miniseries, however, Spielberg and Hanks did an immense amount of research and interviews with surviving members of E Company to make the TV drama.

The Band of Brothers miniseries starts with a training jump at Toccoa, Georgia. Major Richard Winters, played by Damian Lewis is the main character in the series. He is desperately trying to keep his men together and alive. Because the miniseries is based on real-life events, many characters are injured and killed and are sent home or to a hospital.

The miniseries has its share of big names including Donnie Wahlberg, Scott Grimes, Colin Hanks and David Schwimmer.

Band of Brothers won six of the 19 Emmy’s they were nominated for. The miniseries also won a Golden Globe and many other awards.

This story shows the friendship and camaraderie built by soldiers in extreme situations. It is men like the E Company that had a hand in changing the world.