Band of Brothers is the 2001 HBO World War II miniseries produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. Based on the best-selling book by the late historian Stephen Ambrose, the 10-part miniseries followed the men of "Easy" Company of the 101st Airborne Division from their basic training, through D-Day and up until the capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest.
The following weapons can be seen in the miniseries Band of Brothers:
The M1911A1 was the standard sidearm of American Forces during WWII. Issued to officers, NCOs and those in positions where a rifle or carbine was not desirable, the pistol quickly became a favored item among Allied troops because of its stopping power. The M1911A1 is seen in various episodes of Band of Brothers, most notably in "Points", where it was seen being used by Capt. Ronald Spiers (Matthew Settle) threatening both the doctor and the drunk American soldier who shot Chuck Grant. Capt. Herbert M. Sobel (David Schwimmer) can be seen running with one in "Currahee". Joe Leibgott (Ross McCall) shoots a German officer in "Points" with a M1911. David Webster (Eion Bailey) threatens a baker with one in "Why We Fight."
Floyd "Tab" Talbert (Matthew Leitch) is given a Colt New Service revolver as a gift on June 4th 1944 during the episode "Currahee", he is seen armed with it in the episode "Carentan".
Also known as the "Tommy gun" the M1A1 Thompson was the standard issue Sub Machine Gun for US Forces in WWII. As such, many of Easy Company's officers and NCOs are shown carrying the Thompson as their standard weapon. Notable figures include Ronald Speirs (Matthew Settle), Harry Welsh (Rick Warden), Lynn "Buck" Compton (Neal McDonough), William "Wild Bill" Guarnere (Frank John Hughes), and Johnny Martin (Dexter Fletcher).
The M3A1 "Grease Gun" was the cheap, inexpensive replacement for the Thompson Sub Machine Gun; It is only shown in the hands of Roy Cobb (Craig Heaney) and Sgt. Lipton (Donnie Wahlberg).
Standard issue rifle of the US military during WWII, many of Easy Company's paratroopers are shown carrying the M1 Garand as their standard weapon. Most notable are Lieutenant (Later Captain/Major) Richard "Dick" Winters (Damian Lewis), Shifty Powers (Peter Youngblood Hills) and Joseph Liebgott (Ross McCall). The Garand can be seen with and without a bayonet.
The M1 Carbine is carried by 2nd Lt. Henry Jones (Colin Hanks) in the episode "The Last Patrol". It is also seen carried by several US soldiers fighting in Okinawa in newsreel footage.
Originally issued to non-combat personnel or those who needed a compact weapon, the M1 Carbine was never meant to be a front-line weapon, never the less it was ideal for Airborne troops for its small frame and its compactness. The paratrooper version of the M1 has the distinct collapsable buttstock and handgrip. The M1A1 Paratrooper Carbine is shown extensively throughout the series most notably in the hands of Donald Malarkey (Scott Grimes), Carwood Lipton (Donnie Wahlberg), Warren "Skip" Muck (Richard Speight, Jr.), Lt. Norman Dike, George Luz (Rick Gomez), and Capt. Lewis Nixon (Ron Livingston).
Shown briefly being carried over the shoulder of a French sentry in Episode 3 "Carentan".
Error creating thumbnail: File missingLee-Enfield No.4 Mk.I - .303 British. This was the main battle rifle of British and Commonwealth forces during World War II, however, it was supplemented heavily with the older Lee Enfield No.1 MK.III. In service between 1941–Present.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLee-Enfield carried by a sentry in "Carentan."Error creating thumbnail: File missingA French soldier holds the Enfield rifle as a German prisoners are executed in "Why We Fight".
Machine Guns
Browning Automatic Rifle
The Browning Automatic Rifle, or "B.A.R" was the standard Squad Automatic Weapon for U.S. rifle squads in WWII. It is shown twice in the series being primarily by Cpl. Heron in the episodes "Crossroads" and "The Breaking Point".
The Browning M1919A4 .30 caliber machine gun is shown extensively in the hands of Easy company being used in both the defensive and offensive roles. The primary M1919A4 machine gun team of Easy Company in the series consisted of Smokey Gordon and Alton More. The 1919A4 is also shown being mounted on jeeps.
The Browning M2HB heavy machine gun can be seen throughout the series. The weapon is usually mounted on either M4 Sherman tanks (as seen in "Carentan") or on the M8 Greyhound Armored Car as in "Why We Fight". Also making a prominent appearance, especially in "The Last Patrol" is the M51 Quad Mount which, though designed primarily for anti-aircraft use, had a devastating effect on ground targets and was available in either the towed or vehicle mounted versions (designated the M16 Quad Mount).
The M91 Bazooka was the standard anti-tank rocket for the US military during WWII, excellent against bunkers and buildings though its effectiveness against the more heavily armored German tanks is debatable. General Eisenhower remarked that the atom bomb, jeep, C-47 Sky Train and the Bazooka were the four weapons that won the war. The bazooka was copied by the Germans as the "Panzerschreck" launcher from a M1 Bazooka captured in North Africa. Generally operated by a two man crew (one gunner, one loader) crews quickly figured out that they needed to hit the side, rear or belly armor of armored vehicles, as shown in the episode "Carentan" (the episode also shows how the bazooka rounds would simply deflect off the heavy frontal armor). The bazooka makes notable appearances in the series being used by Charles E. "Chuck" Grant (Nolan Hemmings) in the episode "Replacements" taking out a German machine gun and by Harry Welsh (Rick Warden) in the episode "Carentan" disabling a German StuG III assault gun.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingM7 rifle grenade launcherError creating thumbnail: File missingPvt. Cleveland Petty (Adam James) gets ready to launch another rifle grenade with the M7 launcher in "Carentan".Error creating thumbnail: File missingLt. Compton (Neal McDonough) directs Cpl. Schmidt to fire the rifle grenade.Error creating thumbnail: File missingJohnny Martin (Dexter Fletcher) prepares to launch a rifle grenade in the episode "The Last Patrol". One thing to note is that the way he fires the weapon would have made him very sore. Rifle grenades use blanks that are compressed powder loads so firing like that would hurt, the military at that time taught soldiers to plant the butt of the rifle in the ground and use a special ladder sight attached to the front of the barrel to sight with. Also, you never actually see him load a blank round so we must assume he was wandering around in enemy territory with a blank chambered.
Mk II Hand Grenade
The Mk II Hand Grenade is used by several paratroopers in the film. Lt. Harry Welsh (Rick Warden) is seen using one to take out an MG42 team during the battle of Carentan. Paratroopers are seen piling Mk II Hand Grenades onto a enemy-made rockslide in an attempt to blow a hole in the roadblock.
A main battle rifle for the German forces is the Karabiner 98k. In addition to the German forces, Lt. Winters is seen using it in "Day of Days". A german sniper is also seen using a scoped Kar98k in the episode 'The Breaking Point'.
A Standard side arm of German Forces during WWII. It was a prized and coveted souvenir because of its elegant design. Malarkey is seen hunting around for one in "Day of Days". Corporal Hoobler (Peter McCabe) kills a German Officer who has one, and then, later in the episode, it discharges in his pocket, which makes a fatal wound by hitting his femoral artery. It is later given to Sergeant Malarkey (Scott Grimes), who wanted one to bring home to his little brother. The real gun Hoobler found is a Belgain .32 and was not given to Malarkey. The Walther P38 was the standard issue during WWII, the Luger was just left over from WWI and was still used by some Germans as a sidearm.
In the documentary "We Stand Alone Together", the real Maj. Winters displays the Walther PP series pistol he received from a surrendering German officer. Winters discovered the gun had never been fired once, and to this day it remains in his possession, still unused. *This is actually untrue since all Walther pistols like the PP and P38 were test fired at the factory for quality control reasons.*
During the siege of Bastogne, German forces are seen using the Sturmgewehr 44. A StG 44 is also seen (Anachronistically) on a German-weapon familiarization wall early on in the series.
In the mini-series, the MG42 is seen multiple times, being fired from window openings in towns, and in stand-offs with the German armoured vehicles in the advance into France. Most notably, the mini-series did not fail to demonstrate or imply the demoralizing effect of the gun on U.S. troops, and this is a notable achievement for the film-makers, who added this realistic view, which before, had never been seen in such vivid detail in any previous war-film, barring of course, documentaries with actual war-time footage.
