On "D" day, Dick Winters set off with the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment to parachute over German-occupied northern France. The troops landing on the beach of Utah hoped that E Company would be able to capture one of the dikes, thanks to which the attacking troops would be able to get out of the beach and advance into Normandy.
Major Dick Winters. Photo from the cover of the book "Apart from Kompania Braci".
When the company commander was killed in the downed plane, Dick Winters unexpectedly took charge of the company. Meanwhile, like many of his men, he lost all equipment during the drop and had no weapons other than a knife.
In remarkable World War II memories, Dick Winters tells stories that Stephen Ambrose omitted from the epic Band of Brothers published in 1992. Starting with a description of exhaustive training to make the 506th Regiment the best unit in the U.S. Army, "Beyond the Brothers Company" is a fascinating story about the experiences of the man who commanded Company E from the "D" day and later fought in the Battle of the Ardennes and the fighting in Germany.
Dick Winters carefully discusses leadership issues under the most difficult conditions possible (before the company reached Germany, each soldier was injured) and tells the true story of the ultimate defeat of Hitler by the Allies from the point of view of someone who really participated in these events.
Buy the memoirs of Major Dick Winters under the title "Beyond the Company of Brothers" with a discount on the Publisher's website.
Stephen Ambrose's "Band of Brothers" from 1992 and the HBO series based on it made the company of the E 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, which fought from day "D" until the end of the war, suffering losses of up to 150 percent of the manpower, became known not only lovers of military history. After the publication of the book and the premiere of the series, Winters, the company commander, began to receive numerous questions from readers who wanted to learn more about the fate of the unit.
Feeling that much of Ambrose's unused material deserved publication, he decided to share it and fulfill repeated requests in his memoirs. For those who already know the story, the major and his associate have created a wonderful narrative, telling about Winters' experiences, the battles in which he participated and the reflections that accompanied him from training, through going to the front, until the occupation. Winters was praised as an exemplary leader. In this publication, the major reveals what and how he did to deserve it. Good job for both the book and the war duty.
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