Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters » (Large Print Edition)

Major Dick Winters took over command of Easy Company, an elite airborne unit, when its commander was killed after parachuting into France on D-Day. Winters continued to lead the outfit now immortalized as the Band of Brothers during the liberation of Europe and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

In war, great commanders lead soldiers into hell to do the impossible.

They were called Easy Company—but their mission was never easy. Immortalized as the Band of Brothers, they suffered 150 percent casualties while liberating Europe, an unparalleled record of bravery under fire. Dick Winters was their commander, “the best combat leader in World War II” to his men. This is his story, told in his own words for the first time.

On D-Day, Dick Winters parachuted into France and assumed leadership of the Band of Brothers when their commander was killed. He led them through the Battle of the Bulge, the attack on Foy—where Easy Company reached its breaking point—and into Germany, by which time each member had been wounded.

Neither a protest against war nor a glamorization of combat, this is a moving tribute to the human spirit by a man who earned the love and respect of the men of Easy Company and the adulation of new generations worldwide.

Author's Preface     9
Prologue     15
Band of Brothers     21
Beginnings     23
There Is Nothing Easy in Easy Company     44
From Benning to Shanks     78
Old Beyond My Years     100
In the Time of Achilles     143
Day of Days     145
Carentan     178
Holland     211
The Island     240
In War's Dark Crucible     265
Interlude     267
Surrounded Again     294
The Final Patrols     339
Victory     365
Finding Peace After a Lifetime of War     393
Occupation     395
Coming Home     426
Steve Ambrose Slept Here     457
Reflections     489
Leadership at the Point of a Bayonet     505