Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters by Dick Winters, Cole C. Kingseed (With)

For those that liked the series, you must read this book. Also great for any WWII european theaterby zukracer

Reader Rating:
See Detailed Ratings

November 08, 2008: I have always been interested in the WWII european theater history, so the Band of Brothers series on HBO peaked my interest. The series did a great job of telling the story of the men that made up the 506 Easy Company. I found myself wanting more and waiting anxiously for the next episode to be released. At the conclusion of the 10th episode, I thought I had a good understanding of what the men went through. I almost did, until I read this book.

I found this book, almost by accident and could not put it down after I started reading it. The book is well written and tells the full story of the "Band of Brothers". The book actually adds a great deal of detail that was left out of the series. Dick Winters' stories keep pace with the series but offer insight that could not be imparted on the viewer through the television. There are pieces that were skipped or left out of the series that still allowed the series to be successful, however after reading this book and then reflecting on the series, almost every "chapter" of the series flowed much better.

This book will be a great read for anyone interested in this part of history. It will make for a fantastic read for anyone that was a fan of the series and wants to know more about the men, their story and how they became known as the "Band of Brothers".

I Also Recommend: Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends, Call of Duty.

A Great Memoir and a Book on Leadership All in Oneby Anonymous

Reader Rating:
See Detailed Ratings

April 13, 2008: Major Winters has written not only a fabulous memoir of his role as company commander of Easy Company and later a Battalion Commander of 506th PIR, but he has also woven into it his very personal story as well as a wonderful manual for leadership that every man in a leadership position should follow. Like Stephen Ambrose's original book, Band of Brothers, Winters takes us through his entire experience with Easy Company and the 506th PIR from the start of training at Toccoa to the end of the war. Many of the stories Winters tells are the same, but here we get the insights into an outstanding commander's mind--why he makes the decisions he does and what he bases them on. Winters gives us insights into the individual exploits and abilities of the company's most outstanding men and also into the leadership at the company, battalion, and regiment levels. We get the same gritty stories of combat and heroic deeds that made the original Band of Brothers book and TV miniseries so compelling, but now we also get inside the mind of the commander and learn the psychology and the strategy that really makes a combat team, or any team, work successfully under extreme stress. Winters closes the book with an update on the men at the time of writing, including some very moving personal letters. The last chapter is a brief exposition of leadership, closing with a one-page, 10-point summary of what makes a good leader under the heading, 'Leadership at the Point of the Bayonet.' The memoir is outstanding in every way, but this capstone chapter on leadership is of inestimable value. As I closed the book, I felt some of the same admiration for Dick Winters that his men must have felt. The world yearns for men of character and leadership, and when you've read his personal account, you'll recognize that this is the very personal inside story of a man's man--how he thinks, what he feels, and what makes him and his team so successful. Major Winters is clearly a gentleman and a leader of the finest caliber whose team achieved what they did because he was able to recognize and bring out the best in his men, and they in turn brought out the best in him and in each other. Do not miss this book. It may not have quite the polish of Ambrose's book, but it's more personal, more touching, and it's one of the best books about the war and combat leadership you will ever read.