Band of brothers : E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne : from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's nest

On the bloody battlefields of World War II Europe, Easy Company, 506th Airborne Division, U.S. Army, got the toughest missions. As good a rifle company as any in the world, Easy was always in the thick of the fight -- from parachuting into France under a hellish crossfire early D-Day morning, to the final capture of Hitler's supposedly impregnable Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden. New York Times bestselling author Stephen E. Ambrose tells of the men in this brave unit who fought, went hungry, froze, and died for their country, and for one another -- taking 150 percent casualties and earning Purple Hearts as combat pay. Drawing on interviews with survivors as well as the soldiers' journals and letters, Ambrose chronicles the gripping true stories of these American heroes. As good a rifle company as any, Easy Company, 506th Airborne Division, US Army, kept getting tough assignments--responsible for everything from parachuting into France early DDay morning to the capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden. In "Band of Brothers," Ambrose tells of the men in this brave unit who fought, went hungry, froze & died, a company that took 150% casualties & considered the Purple Heart a badge of office. Drawing on hours of interviews with survivors as well as the soldiers' journals & letters, Stephen Ambrose recounts the stories, often in the men's own words, of these American heroes. Foreword "We wanted those wings"; Camp Toccoa, 7-12/42 "Stand up & hook up"; Benning, Mackall, Bragg, Shanks, 12/42-9/43 "Duties of the latrine orderly"; Aldbourne, 9/43-3/44 "Look out, Hitler! Here we come!"; Slapton Sands, Uppottery, 4/1-6/5/44 "Follow me"; Normandy, 6/6/44 "Move out!"; Carentan, 6/7-7/12/44 Healing wounds & scrubbed missions; Aldbourne, 7/13-9/16/44 "Hell's highway"; Holland, 9/17-10/1/44 Island; Holland, 10/2-11/25/44 Resting, recovering & refitting: Mourmelon-le-Grand, 11/26-12/18/44 "They got us surrounded-the poor bastards"; Bastogne, 12/19-31/44 Breaking point; Bastogne, 1/1-13/45 Attack; Noville, 1/14-17/45 Patrol: Haguenau, 1/18-2/23/45 "Best feeling in the world": Mourmelon, 2/25-4/2/45 Getting to know the enemy: Germany, 4/2-30/45 Drinking Hitler's champagne; Berchtesgaden, 5/1-8/45 Soldier's dream life; Austria, 5/8-7/31/45 Postwar careers; 1945-91 Acknowledgments & Sources Index "As good a rifle company as any in the world, Easy Company, 506th Airborne Division, U.S. Army, kept getting the tough assignments responsible for everything from parachuting into France early D-Day morning to the capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden. Ambrose tells of the men in this brave unit who fought, went hungry, froze, and died, a company that took 150 percent casualties and considered the Purple Heart a badge of office"--Back cover THE MEN OF EASY COMPANY, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army, came from different backgrounds, different parts of the country. Through soldiers' journals and letters, describes Easy Company's contributions to the campaigns in western Europe and recounts their stories of survival. Follows the 101st Airbone as it drops into Normandy on D-Day and fights its way through Europe to the end of World War II.