Stephen E. Ambrose, Band of Brothers

Band Of Brothers is a good antidote to the all the face saving analysis of Dunkirk as it lists allied success after success. With the exception of operation Market Garden - and even this is treated in a balanced way - the superiority of the allied soldiers even when well outnumbered is amply displayed.

The hardships the soldiers suffered especially during the Battle of the Bulge is described so thoroughly that one is left wondering how they managed to endure.

Stephen ambrose manages to capture the very essence of the life of a paratrooper in North West Europe in 1944 and 45. The sheer terror of battle, the atrocious living conditions and the daily fear of death are described by the ordinary soldier with the strategic situation being almost an irrelevance .

If you have ever walked past one of those old soldiers on Remembrance Day and wondered " what are all those medals for?" then this book answers that question and makes me fully aware that my generation should be down on its' knees paying homage to all those "Band Of Brothers" who fought for our freedom and not just dismissing them as some relic from the past

After watching the TV series, i thought that the book, Band of Brothers, could not do any better; how wrong i was.

the book paints an even more graphical picture of life in E-Company during 1944/45.

there are inserts from the people who were actually there and they portray it very well.

one tip: do not read it before bed unless you want to re-enact D-Day during your sleep as i did - its that realistic....