Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends

by Guarnere, William; Heffron, Edward; Post, Robyn

• ISBN13: 9780425224366
• ISBN10: 0425224368
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-10-07
• Publisher: Berkley Trade

Summary

Tom Hanks introduces the remarkable”(Publishers Weekly) story of two inseparable friends and soldiers portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. William Wild Bill” Guarnere and Edward Babe” Heffron were among the first paratroopers of the U.S. Army—members of an elite unit of the 101st Airborne Division called Easy Company. The crack unit was called upon for every high-risk operation of the war, including D-Day, Operation Market Garden in Holland, the Battle of the Bulge, and the capture of Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest in Berchtesgaden. Both men fought side by side—until Guarnere lost his leg in the Battle of the Bulge and was sent home. Heffron went on to liberate concentration camps and take Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest hideout. United by their experience, they reconnected at the war’s end and have been best friends ever since. Their story is a tribute to the lasting bond forged between comrades in arms—and to all those who fought for freedom.

Author Biography

William -ôWild Bill-ö Guarnere and Edward -ôBabe-ö Heffron were both portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.

Robyn Post has been a professional journalist for 13 years and profiled the two men for Philadelphia Magazine.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Preface	p. xiii
Introduction	p. xix
Groomed for War on the Streets of South Philly	p. 1
Earning Those Coveted Jump Wings	p. 15
D-day: Wild Bill's Revenge	p. 58
England: Garrison Duty and Piccadilly Lilies	p. 83
Holland: Parades, Grenades, and Hell's Highway	p. 103
Mourmelon-le-Grand: R & R Interrupted	p. 149
Bastogne: Code Word for Hell	p. 156
Germany: Now I Know Why We're Here	p. 199
Back Home in South Philly	p. 217
Back to the Places We Fought	p. 250
"Babe, Meet Babe": Band of Brothers Goes to Hollywood	p. 262
Epilogue	p. 275
Acknowledgments	p. 285
Index	p. 287
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