Ahira's Hangar

I've been catching bits of this on the History Channel lately. Tonight I was lucky enough to catch the entire first part, showing the men going through their training up until they on their way to being dropped behind enemy lines in occupied France as part of D-Day.

This miniseries, originally shown on HBO, and produced by Hanks and Spielberg, is simply amazing. It tells the story of an American group of paratroppers in World War II.

The acting and production values are simply first class all the way.

Has anyone else caught bits of it or been lucky enough to see the whole thing? ******************************************************

Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
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I was so impressed with the episode that I saw that I ordered the whole set from Amazon when it was on sale a couple of weeks back.

It finally arrived in the mail yesterday afternoon, and I managed to watch the first four (of ten) episodes.

I am even more firmly convinced now that it is the finest thing made for television that i have ever seen.

The mini-series is about "Easy Company", a group of paratroopers who fought in WW2. They parachuted in behind enemy lines to open things up for the regular army units to invade. The company took something like 150% casualties over the course of the war.

The first four episodes dealt with their training in the American south, with their actions in Normandy on D-Day where they jumped in behind the Nazi defenses of the beaches, subsequent battles in Normandy, and the last with them parachuting into Nazi occupied Netherlands. There is graphic violence and some swearing, both very realistic under the circumstances (battle scenes).

Each episode begins with snippets of interviews with the men who actually served in Easy Company.

I cannot stress enough the high quality of this production. Think a ten hour long movie with very high production values, all based upon the letters, diaries, and memories of the men who served, along with official historical sources. ******************************************************

Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
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I finished up watching this series this week.

Again, I cannot express how well done this is.

Lots of graphic violence and a lot of swearing, though, so if you are sensitive to either, you might not feel fully comfortable. I know my husband had to cover his face during some scenes of peopel being killed or wounded in battle, and being treated by medics.

In one episode the men find and liberate a concentration camp in Germany, and that is also very disturbing.

The bonus disc, with a documentary of interviews of the actual men who served in Easy Company is also very moving, and well worth watching. ******************************************************

Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
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I just wanted to say that sometimes the History Channel will run a Band of Brothers marathon on holidays and at other special times.

They did so on New Year's Day this year...you know how good it is when Calibaby chose to rewatch several episodes of BoB rather than the football games.

So if you are interested in watching this wonderful miniseries, keep an eye on the History Channel, and you might be able to catch it in its entirety. <i></i>