Book and television miniseries: "Band of Brothers"

After the dedication to the American parachutists of the 1941-1945 period, the book opens with a quote by Shakespeare from the drama "Enrico V" and, precisely, from the speech with which the king haranges his men before the battle of San Crispino: "Band from brothers, from the day to the end of the world, ...". Never citation was more apt to introduce the protagonists of the essay by Stephen E. Ambrose, or the men of the Company Easy (E), of the 506 ° Paratroopers Regiment, 101 ^ airborne brigade (that of "screaming eagle", A myth of the US Army): a" band of brothers ", in fact.

In fact, before the book, I came across a lot of time (it was the 2003) in the ten-episode miniseries, broadcast by a private national broadcaster in the late evening (of course). I was immediately struck by the realism and the accuracy of the historical reconstruction of the events represented, which cover the period from the formation of the Easy Company, in the summer of 1942, until the dissolution of the department at the end of the conflict in '45. Then it amazed me, not just the epic story of the Easy but also the beauty of the images and the emotional involvement they evoked. Then, when I realized that the series was produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, everything was clearer. If you have the film "Save Private Ryan", then you have an idea of ​​what I am trying to describe to you. In this miniseries the attention to detail is obsessive: uniforms, means, materials, tactics, settings, reconstruction of events. Indeed, in the most complex scenes in which war events of a certain size have been reconstructed, real military departments have been used, reequipped as they were at the time. Also the cast it is up to the task (some actors have, after all, made a lot of luck) and, thanks to them, we can not be fond of the members, all really existed, of the "band of brothers". I was so impressed by the series that I immediately started looking for the "DVD box" of the 10 episodes that however, I managed to find only a long time later. I was looking for the box, above all, for its extra content: in-depth analysis, interviews with the veterans of the Easy and backstage of the episodes. All beautiful.

But I couldn't be satisfied. So, subsequently, I also went in search of the original book from which the miniseries was taken, written by the American historian Ambrose, well known overseas but almost unknown in Italy. Here, then, that I arrived at the original language edition of the American publishing house Simon & Schuster Paperbacks (there is also the Italian version "Banda di Fratelli", translated by S. Mancini). Reading this work, which I found to have been translated into the miniseries rather faithfully, I was able to retrace the history of these American boys who, enlisted in the American Army, volunteered for the paratroopers. Assigned to the Easy, have become men, soldiers, paratroopers and, without exaggerating, heroes. It was impressive to learn how these guys were catapulted directly from civil life into the gears of the American war machine, which first prepared them to the best and then used them to face the "monster" that has engulfed hundreds of thousands of young people like them: II ^ World War. In particular, in Europe the band of brothers of the Easy took part in the most important operations in the campaign for the liberation of the old continent from the Nazi yoke, remaining faithful to the "elite" connotation of the paratroop infantry and writing historical pages. Not only that, in some cases the deeds of the Easy they were translated into teachings that were then inserted into the technical-tactical manuals of the skydiving specialty that, at the time, were still largely to be written. This is the case, for example, of the attack on the morning of the D-day to a German battery that, from the back, was weeping the Allied soldiers on the so-called Utah Beach, in Normandy. A few hours after the night launch on France, to the Company Easy the task was entrusted to silence the German cannons from 105 mm, defended by a platoon of fifty parachutists, well entrenched and organized. However, there was a noticeable problem for the Easy: the night-time Allied launch had not been carried out according to plan and its men, like almost all those of the air-driven departments that night, were scattered for half Normandy in a great chaos. Despite this, Lieutenant Winters, at the head of only twelve armed men available (many in the launch lost all the equipment), however equipped with only two machine guns, a bazooka without ammunition and a mortar, did not lose heart. After quickly studying the situation, he organized his own, issued the orders and led them into action, putting into practice what he learned during the hard training and, with a good dose of courage, boldness, spirit of initiative and determination, he reached the goal . He performed a lightning-fast action, which took the Germans totally by surprise, so that, subsequently, this tactical act was actually reported in the manuals of the American army, as a typical example of a "coup". From that moment on, Winters became the Commander of the Company (the "owner" was first declared "missing in action" and later "killed in action" during the launch in Normandy), he led his men through an odyssey that forced them to endure hard trials, at the limit of human possibilities. The battle of Bastogne, in particular, in the book is described in the chapter entitled "breaking point", as it led many men to reach and, in some cases, to overcome their "breaking point" of war endurance and its consequences . In particular, in December 44 the men of 101 ^ and 82 ^ Division were "enjoying" the well-deserved period of recovery of operational capabilities after operations in Normandy, Holland and Belgium, convinced that they had to return to action only in the following spring , to be parachuted for the final berth in Berlin. Instead, things went very differently. Although still heavily under staff for the losses suffered in battle, still equipped with the light equipment used from the D-day and with little reserves of ammunition, the 101 ^ came the order to move overland to the Ardennes, in order to to avoid the fall of the city of Bastogne, near which the Allies were risking to suffer a terrible defeat. So, the EasyLike the rest of the Division, the 19 December 44 found itself surrounded by the Germans in the woods around the city, with equipment unsuitable for the harsh climate of the area, with few ammunitions and with scarce food supplies. Those were terrible days, when Hitler, anticipating success, launched with unprecedented violence all the forces of the Western European chessboard on Bastogne, convinced that he would conclude the blitz in a few days. However, things went very differently: American parishes heroically resisted all assaults. Cold, battered, with few ammunitions, without supplies for days due to bad weather, tested by the constant German bombardments were still there, to fight. Moreover, even the terrible effects of the bombing in the particular forest environment were not enough to bend them. The salvos of the Nazi cannons and mortars, in fact, were "shredded" in order to burst at a certain height from the ground, so that the metal splinters of the projectiles were added to the equally deadly wooden splinters of the trees, which literally came crashed half-height from the explosions. Those were terrible days but the men of the Easy they resisted huddled in their holes ready to fight back as soon as possible. And that moment, finally arrived: the fog cleared so allowing the launch of supplies and the friendly troops could get closer to Bastogne by relieving the pressure on the 101 ^. So, the men of the Easy and the 101 ^ launched into deadly counterattacks that disrupted German troops, forcing Hitler to give up his blitz permanently.

Subsequently, the campaign in Europe of Easy he went on between mixed fortunes, yet the brothers of the band distinguished themselves on every occasion in terms of value, skill, and effectiveness. Winters was promoted to the battlefield and assumed command of the 2 ° Battalion of the Regiment of the Easy, which continued to operate under the guidance of another good officer until, the 30 November 1945, while in Austria, the 101 ^ Division was placed in a square position. From Day 1, the day the Company was formed, until 1.095 Day, the day when it was dissolved, 48 its members perished, 100 were wounded, many severely and some for two or three times, while one was wounded for good 4 times. This was the blood tribute of the Easy, whose sad budget opens the last chapter of the book, which describes the lives of the veterans of the Company after the end of the war. Few began their military career, while most carried out the most disparate jobs in the four corners of the United States. But the "Band of Brothers" has continued to find itself organizing many meetings over the years and, in addition, many of its members have also attended separately. One thing is certain: more than seventy years after its dissolution, the Easy continues to exist in military history and with her the band of brothers from Normandy to Austria, has written entire pages.

Ultimately, if I could, I would recommend adopting this book in Italian military training institutes (as has happened in other countries), for the high pedagogical value and military training that, in my humble opinion, has. In particular, the figures described by the various commanders who followed each other are interesting Easy or who have had anything to do with his men anyway. For example, we read the very severe commander, hated by soldiers, but he trains them to face the most severe challenges (the soldiers themselves will re-evaluate him during the war). Then there is the Official without charisma, hesitant even in making the simplest decisions and that tends to "ambush" in the topical moments. Or there is the fearless and ruthless Commander with the enemy, on which legends circulate among the troops. Of course there is Winters, the Commander with a capital "C", very respected by his men and extremely appreciated by his superiors. The one who, under the enemy fire, standing in the middle of the street, encourages his own and pushes them (some in a physical sense) out of the bumps and assaults a machine-gun station. The one who, by chance, completely isolated from the rest of the Easy, an entire German department surprises in its sleep, and that it falcidia, without hesitating for a moment, in order not to be killed in its turn. The same Winters who, however, in other circumstances shows pity and compassion. In short, courage, discipline, spirit of initiative, hard training, camaraderie, spirit of sacrifice, charisma and example, competence, humanity, are just some of the elements that can be found both in the book and in the miniseries. Universal and eternal cornerstones of the art of war, valid as much between the hedges of Normandy of the '44, as among the boulders of Afghanistan of 2017.

One last reflection before putting it back in the "Band of Brothers" bookshop: Ambrose, which we must not forget to be a historian (therefore a man of science), states that the members of the Easy they have succeeded in life after their military service, above all thanks to some qualities of their character that have developed or strengthened under arms. In particular, he states that during the military service, the "brothers" acquired self-confidence, self-discipline, obedience and ability to cooperate with other people as part of a team and that most of them exploited these skills in their private lives with great profit. Virtually all the components of the Easy they were successful in civilian life and some achieved respectable positions in American society. It would therefore be really useful, more than ten years after the suspension of compulsory leverage in Italy, to make a serious reflection, free from prejudices and political ideologies, on the validity of the current model of our Defense, based exclusively on professionals. It would be useful to evaluate this experience from all points of view, including the social one. What are the differences, if any, between the generations passed under the arms and that of the current young Italians? Has the choice made more than ten years ago had repercussions on Italian society? Which? Can the mixed lever-professional model work?

But this is a whole other story. Better to come back with your feet on the ground: soon will be the 25 April and in Italy, for some days now, political controversy rages.

Ciro Metuarata