Band of Brothers is a 2001 ten-part television World War II mini-series based on the book of the same title written by historian and biographer Stephen Ambrose. It's title came from the famous 'Crispin Crispian' speech which Henry V gave in Shakespeare's play just before the battle of Agincourt in which he stated '. . .we few, we happy few, we band of brothers . . .'
It was executive produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks after their successful collaboration on the Academy Award-winning World War II film Saving Private Ryan (1998). The episodes first aired in 2001 on HBO and is still run frequently on various TV networks around the world.This is the story of "E" Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division from their initial training starting in 1942 to the end of World War II. They parachuted behind enemy lines in the early hours of D-Day in support of the landings at Utah beach, participated in the liberation of Carentan and again parachuted into action during Operation Market Garden. They also liberated a concentration camp and were the first to enter Hitler's mountain retreat in Berchtesgarten.
A fascinating tale of comradeship that is, in the end, a tale of ordinary men who did extraordinary things.
Cast includes: Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, Matthew Settle, Donnie Wahlberg and Tom Hardy.
Link :
Part 1 "Curahee"
Part 2 "Day of Days"
Part 3 "Carentan"
Part 4 "Replacements"
Part 5 "Crossroads"
Part 6 "Bastogne"
Part 7 "The Breaking Point"
Part 8 "The Last Patrol"
Part 9 "Why We Fight"
Part 10 "Points"
Band of Brothers's Weapons Review
Handgun
M1911
The
M1911 is a
single-action,
semi-automatic, magazine-fed, recoil-operated
handgun chambered for the
.45 ACP cartridge,
[1] which served as the standard-issue
side arm for the
United States armed forces from 1911 to 1985. It was widely used in
World War I,
World War II, the
Korean War, and the
Vietnam War. The M1911 is still carried by some U.S. forces. Its formal designation as of 1940 was
Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911 for the original Model of 1911 or
Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911A1 for the M1911A1, adopted in 1924. The designation changed to
Pistol, Caliber .45, Automatic, M1911A1 in the Vietnam era.
[1]
In total, the United States procured around 2.7 million M1911 and
M1911A1 pistols in military contracts during its service life. The M1911
was replaced by the
M9 pistol
as the standard U.S. sidearm in the early 1990s, but due to its
popularity among users, it has not been completely phased out. Modern
M1911 variants are still in use by some units within the
U.S. Navy and
U.S. Marine Corps.
[4]
Riffles
M1 Garand
The
M1 Garand (officially designated as
United States Rifle, Caliber .30, M1 and later it was just called
Rifle, Caliber .30, M1, and also abbreviated as
US Rifle, Cal. .30, M1) is chambered for the
.30-06 Springfield rifle cartridge. It was the first
semi-automatic rifle to be generally issued to the
infantry of any nation.
[4] Called "the greatest battle implement ever devised" by General
George S. Patton,
[5] the Garand officially replaced the
bolt-action M1903 Springfield as the standard
service rifle of the
United States Armed Forces in 1936 and was subsequently replaced by the
selective fire M14
in 1957. However, the M1 continued to be used in large numbers until
1963 and to a lesser degree until 1966. Like its predecessor, the M1
originated from the
Springfield Armory.
The M1 "is an air-cooled, gas-operated, clip-fed, and semiautomatic
shoulder weapon. This means that the air cools the barrel; that the
power to cock the rifle and chamber the succeeding round comes from the
expanding gas of the round fired previously; that it is loaded by
inserting a metal clip (containing a maximum of eight rounds) into the
receiver; and that the rifle fires one round each time the trigger is
pulled ".
[6] After the eight rounds have been shot the clip automatically ejects causing a "ping" noise to occur.
M1 carbine
The
M1 carbine (formally the
United States Carbine, Caliber .30, M1) is a lightweight, easy to use
semi-automatic carbine that became a standard firearm for the
U.S. military during
World War II, the
Korean War and the
Vietnam War,
and was produced in several variants. It was widely used by U.S. and
foreign military, paramilitary and police forces, and has also been a
popular civilian firearm.
M1903 Springfield
It was officially adopted as a United States military bolt-action rifle on June 19, 1903, and saw service in
World War I. It was officially replaced as the standard infantry rifle by the faster-firing,
semi-automatic 8 round
M1 Garand, starting in 1937. However, the M1903 Springfield remained in service as a standard issue infantry rifle during
World War II, since the U.S. entered the war without sufficient M1 rifles to arm all troops. It also remained in service as a
sniper rifle during World War II, the
Korean War and even in the early stages of the
Vietnam War. It remains popular as a civilian firearm, historical collector's piece and as a military drill rifle.
Thompson submachine gun
The
Thompson is an American
submachine gun, invented by
John T. Thompson in 1919, that became infamous during the
Prohibition era. It was a common sight in the media of the time, being used by both law enforcement officers and criminals.
[6]
The Thompson was also known informally as: the "Tommy Gun", "Trench
Broom", "Trench Sweeper", "Chicago Typewriter", "Chicago Piano",
"Chicago Style", "Chicago Organ Grinder", and "The Chopper".
[7][8][9][10]
The Thompson was favored by soldiers, criminals, police and civilians alike for its ergonomics, compactness, large
.45 ACP cartridge, reliability, and high volume of
automatic fire. It has since gained popularity among civilian collectors for its historical significance.
M1919 Browning machine gun
Many M1919s were rechambered for the new
7.62×51 mm NATO round and served into the 1990s, as well as up to the present day in some countries. The
United States Navy
also converted many to 7.62 mm NATO, and designated them Mk 21 Mod 0;
they were commonly used on river craft in the 1960s and 1970s in
Vietnam.
M7 grenade launcher
The
M7 grenade launcher, formally
Rifle Grenade Launcher, M7 was a
22 mm rifle grenade launcher attachment for the
M1 Garand rifle which saw widespread use throughout
World War II and the
Korean War.
The M7 was a tube-shaped device, with one end slotting over the barrel
of the rifle, the other end holding the grenade in place.
Blank cartridges
were loaded into the rifle prior to firing. When fired, the expanding
gases generated by the cartridges propelled the grenade forward with
considerable force. The M7 could fire grenades up to 350 metres (375
yards), compared the maximum of 30 metres (35 yards) achieved by hand
grenades.
Fragmentation, anti-armour and
smoke grenades were available for the M7.
Mk 2 grenade
The Mk 2 defensive hand grenade (sometimes written Mk II) is a fragmentation hand grenade used by the U.S. armed forces during World War II and in later conflicts including the Vietnam War. The Mk II was standardized in 1920 replacing the Mk I of 1917. It was phased out gradually, the U.S. Navy being the last users. It was replaced by the M26-series and later M61 and M67 grenades. On 2 April 1945 the Mk II and Mk IIA1 were redesignated the Mk 2 and Mk 2A1.
M18 Recoilles
The
M18 recoilless rifle was a 57 mm shoulder fired anti-tank
recoilless rifle used by the
U.S. Army in
World War II and the
Korean War. Recoilless rifles are capable of firing
artillery-type shells at reduced velocities comparable to those of standard cannon, but with greater accuracy than
anti-tank weapons that used unguided rockets, and almost entirely without
recoil. The M18 was a
breech-loaded, single-shot, man-portable, crew-served weapon. It could be used in both anti-tank and
anti-personnel roles. The weapon could be both shoulder fired or stabilised using a
monopod. The most stable firing position was from the tripod developed for the water-cooled Browning
M1917 machine gun.
[1]
Bazooka
Bazooka is the common name for a man-portable recoilless rocket antitank weapon, widely fielded by the
US Army. Also referred to as the "Stovepipe", the innovative bazooka was amongst the first-generation of
rocket propelled anti-tank weapons used in
infantry combat. Featuring a
solid rocket motor for propulsion, it allowed for
high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warheads to be delivered against
armored vehicles,
machine gun nests, and fortified
bunkers at ranges beyond that of a standard thrown
grenade or
mine. The Bazooka also fired a
HESH
round, effective against buildings and tank armour. The
universally-applied nickname arose from the M1 variant's vague
resemblance to the musical instrument called a "
bazooka" invented and popularized by 1930s U.S. comedian
Bob Burns.
M2 60 mm mortar
The U.S. M2 60 mm mortar was developed from the heavier 81 mm M1 Mortar to provide a lighter-weight alternative to company-level fire support.[1] The M2 attempted to bridge the gap between the 81 mm mortar and the hand grenade. Normally employed by the weapons platoon of a U.S. infantry company, the M2 is of the usual mortar pattern of the day.[1][2] It consists of a smoothbore metal tube on a rectangular baseplate, supported by a simple bipod with the elevation and traverse mechanisms. The firing pin was fixed in the base cap of the tube, and the bomb was fired automatically when it dropped down the barrel.
Though classed as a light mortar, the M2 had considerable range
compared to the 50 mm and 60 mm mortars of most other nations, and its
fixed-firing pin design allowed a high rate of fire by trained crews.[1]