Band Of Brothers Just Might Be the Most Historically Accurate War Series Ever

Summary

• Now on Apple TV+, Masters of the Air is the first Spielberg and Hanks series not to involve WWII veterans.
• Band of Brothers, on the other hand, was released in 2001 and is still celebrated for its historical accuracy as told by those who experienced the events themselves.
• Although the show has some inaccuracies, Band of Brothers perfectly captures the experiences of people who lived through the European theater of WWII.

Now period drama fans and World War II history buffs can enjoy a new series executive produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg on Apple TV+. We're talking about Masters of the Air, the new war drama from the creators of Band of Brothers and The Pacific, both of which have been praised by critics and audiences alike for their poignant stories and fidelity to the historical sources from which the series is adapted.

Unfortunately, the timing of the new series makes it different from other previous projects: there are fewer and fewer surviving witnesses to the events that took place 80 years ago.

As such, Band of Brothers, released in 2001, has special value because actual members of 'Easy' Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division were able to assess the credibility of the show. Of course, the HBO series had its own set of historical inaccuracies, but as one of the Band of Brothers cast members reported, virtually all of the members of E Company were enthusiastic about the series at the time of its release.

Band of Brothers Actor on the Show's Historical Accuracy

Actor Michael Cudlitz, who played the role of Denver 'Bull' Randleman on the show, recently spoke out about the matter in a conversation with the American Veterans Center.

'I had not met anyone who didn't love it, who didn't think it was incredibly accurate, who didn't think it captured exactly what was going on in the company,' he shared. 'I always say "most" because I'm sure that there's someone out there that wasn't happy with it. I'm sure there was someone who felt underrepresented. I'm sure there was someone who felt that there was something that they did that we attributed to someone else.'

But while such misrepresentations or factual alterations may indeed have taken place, the actor said that despite some artistic liberties (Band of Brothers is an adaptation of Stephen E. Ambrose's book of the same name), veterans of the European theater of WWII have noted that the series does an excellent job of conveying that experience.

'We heard from the men, the vast majority, who felt incredibly positive about the project and who felt that the project did represent exactly what happened. From a representation standpoint, I feel confident saying we represented the men well and we feel, based on what we hear from them, we feel like we nailed it.'

However, No Adaptation Can Be 100% Accurate

Of course, this is not to say that Band of Brothers should be taken as a true account or history textbook. There are enough factual errors in the show, including the day of Hitler's suicide, which happened much later in reality, the fate of Albert Blithe, who is said to have died of wounds in 1948 (but actually lived until 1968), or the anachronistic use of military vehicles.

However, one should not forget that BoB is an artistic dramatization of events, not a documentary. It is a story about the bond between people who did not have the privilege of caring about race, religion, or economic status; it is a story about a true brotherhood formed in the midst of the horrors of war. And we are sure that after watching it, the real veterans were very happy to see the next generations remembering these events and trying to tell them as authentically as possible.

Band of Brothers is available on Netflix and Prime. In the meantime, follow the story of Masters of the Air on Apple TV+, with the next episode airing February 16.

Source: American Veterans Center.