Background Information
Band of Brothers was the critically acclaimed, ten- part HBO Miniseries that followed the men of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division during World War II, starting with jump training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia in 1942, to the capitulation of Germany, and the end of the war in Europe, and all the way through V-J day. For an overview of all of the episodes in the series, please visit here.
Normandy, June 6, 1944
In the early morning of June 6, 1944, the men of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne jumped into France, as part of the airborne assault during the invasion of Normandy, designated, Operation Overlord. In addition to the entire 101st "Screaming Eagles", the 82nd "All- American" Airborne, the British 6th Airborne, and 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion also parachuted over their objectives, a force totaling over 13,000 men. The 101st and 82nd jumped behind Utah Beach, with the mission to disrupt German troop movements and prevent the Germans from rushing as much infantry and armor to the fragile beach heads that they could muster, grinding the ampibious landings to a halt. See the episodes, "Day of Days" and "Carentan".
Operation Market Garden
On September 17, 1944, Easy Company again participated in a massive combat jump, this time in German- occupied Holland, with the goal of thrusting north into Holland seizing bridges along the way. It was the largest airborne assault in military history, with over 41,000 Allied paratroopers taking part in the operation. The operation, despite its early successes, was a failure, as the Allies failed to capture or hold many of its objectives, largely the result of poor planning and execution. See the episode, "Crossroads".
Battle of the Bulge
The Germans launched their last great offensive in Belgium on December 16, 1944, driving west through thinly held positions, catching the "green", inexperienced Allied troops totally unprepared. The only units that SHAEF held in reserve were the two American airborne divisions, and Eisenhower released them both to First Army. General Taylor, however, was on leave in the U.S., and General McAuliffe received temporary command of the division. American forces in the area were able to consolidate their positions, and the U.S. soldiers east of Bastogne faced determined attacks and could not advance their lines against the German onslaught. See the episode, "Bastogne" and "The Breaking Point".