Band of Brothers

1
Band of Brothers

• Notes prepared by Don Schulte
• Pattonville High School

2
Shakespeare

• Band of Brothers is a line from Shakespeares
  Henry V. It is taken from the famous speech set
  immediately before the Battle of Agincourt.

3
Author

• Band of Brothers was a book written by Stephen
  E. Ambrose.
• The mini-series was produced by Stephen Spielberg
  and Tom Hanks.

4
Who?

• Band of Brothers (BOB) is the story of E Easy
  Company of the 506th of the second battalion of
  the 101st Airborne Division.

5
What?

• The Airborne are paratroopers.
• Paratroopers are elite Army troops with the best
  possible training.

6
What?

• Paratroopers receive extra pay (50/month).
• It takes five jumps to be certified and get your
  jump wings.

7
What?

• Anyone refusing to jump because theyre afraid
  would be kicked-out of the Airborne.

8
What?

• AGL Above Ground Level.
• On landing they immediately collapse the shoot so
  they wont be drug along the ground.

9
Can Men Quit?

• Yes. This is an elite group. Men can quit the
  Airborne but not the Army. They go back to the
  regular Army.

10
Currahee

• Native American term.
• We stand alone together.
• Motto of the 101st Airborne Division.

11
Companies

• Companies were labeled by letters. Code names
  were used so the names could be clearly heard in
  battle or over the radio.

12
Companies

• Rationale Companies B, C, D, E, and G all have
  a long e sound and could easily be confused by
  a listener.

13
Companies

• A Able
• B Baker
• C Charlie
• D Dog

14
Companies

• E Easy
• F Fox
• G George
• H How

15
Companies

• I Item
• J Jig
• K King
• L Love

16
Companies

• M Mike
• N Nan
• O Oboe
• P Peter

17
Companies

• Q Queen
• R Roger
• S Sugar
• T Tape
• U Uncle

18
Companies

• V Victor
• W William
• X X-Ray
• Y Yoke
• Z Zebra

19
Edelweiss

• Small white flower used as symbol of veteran
  soldier by the German Army.
• Blithe took one.

20
Tactics

• Fire Superiority is the concept of firing so
  much, so fast, that the enemy has to keep
  undercover.

21
Tactics

• Fire and Maneuver or Shoot and Scoot
• Concept is to keep fire superiority so men can
  move while enemy has their heads down.

22
Tactics

• Light Discipline
• Sound Discipline
• Terms for ordering the men to have no lights and
  make no sound.

23
Slang Words and Phrases

• P T Physical Training
• 4-F physical condition rating for someone not
  well enough to fight.

24
Slang Words and Phrases

• C O Commanding Officer of a unit
• X O Executive Officer ( 2 in command)

25
Slang Words and Phrases

• O P Observation Post out front of the line.
• Kraut, Goon or Jerry are slang for Germans.

26
Slang Words and Phrases

• Bought the Farm or Bought it refers to a
  soldier dying and his family getting his
  insurance.

27
Slang Words and Phrases

• stick 12 men dropping together. This is an
  airborne equivalent of an army squad.

28
Slang Words and Phrases

• D Plus 1 (or other number) refers to number
  of days after D-Day (June 6, 1944).

29
Shaving Heads of Women

• Method of punishing and shaming women who
  fraternized with the Germans.

30
Medic!

• Not supposed to be shot at according to the
  Geneva Conventions.
• Medics job is to move wounded to aid centers.

31
Medic Training

• Their training included advanced first aid
  including use of blood, injections, immobilizing
  broken limbs, etc.

32
Pain Management

• First aid included small stirets of morphine.
• Spent morphine stirets were stuck in chest
  clothing.

33
Fighting Infection

• Sulfa Drugs were the method of treating infection
  before antibiotics. Usually a white powder.

34
Mental Wounds

• Hysterical disabilities are known to occur.
  Often blindness (like Blythe had), deafness, loss
  of leg use, etc.

35
Wounds

• Wounded v Injured
• Important difference for many. A man is wounded
  in battle hes injured in civilian life.

36
Purple Heart

• Given to soldiers wounded by the enemy.
• Originally given to Rev. War wounded by George
  Washington.