In 2001, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg oversaw the production of HBO’s Band of Brothers, a fantastic chronicle of everyday men caught up in the events of World War II, from their cohesion as a unit to the end of World War II. Based on the non-fiction book by acclaimed historian Stephen E. Ambrose, the text and the series follow the formation of Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne.

The series and the book follow their training all the way through the war to the taking of Hitler’s Eagle Nest. The ten-episode series debuted on 9 September, 2001, with the first two episodes airing back to back.

Currahee, the series opener, was written by Erik Jendresen and Hanks. It follows the training of the 101st, pushed by a relentless leader, Sobel (David Schwimmer) – watch for Simon Pegg as his aide. It does cause the men to bond, and you can already see the forges of brotherhood that would carry them through the war being formed.

The cast is exemplary: Damian Lewis as Dick Winters, Ron Livingston as Lewis Nixon, Michael Cudlitz as Bull, Rick Gomez as George Luz, Stephen Graham as Ranney, Dexter Fletcher as Martin, Donnie Wahlberg as Lipton, Neal McDonough as Buck Compton, and so many more. And each actor was determined to do right by the actual person they were portraying, many of whom actually appear in the opening and book-ending of episodes.

Authenticity was the keyword of the series; they wanted to convey exactly how it felt to be with these men in the fight.

It’s brilliantly crafted, well-shot, fantastically acted and intent on getting the story, the era and the equipment right. It shows what these men went through, what they sacrificed, and how and why they did it.

This series is arguably the best television mini-series ever made, and it launched fantastically with Currahee, and it has the threat of D-Day hanging over the entire episode.

Day of Days followed on the heels of Currahee. It aired the same night and featured a script by John Orloff.

It’s D-Day, and the narrative follows Easy Company as they fly the English Channel and make their parachute drops in France, but the sticks are scattered, and the squads work to reach rally points, even as they fight behind enemy lines in an attempt to support the landings on the beaches.

We get a different look at D-Day, not the horrific beach assaults, but the terrifying night time jumps amid enemy fire, and close quarter actions, as Easy Company and others attempt to get to tthe Assembly Area for the continued push across the European continent.

The episode, and the series, is a stunning recreation.

Winters is able to prove himself a strong leader, and one who is focused on his men, and his mission in equal parts. He also leads a textbook attack on a gunnery emplacement.

It also shows some of the terrible things that are happening on both sides of the war. Someting Malarky (Scott Grimes) in the form of Meehan (Jason O’Mara) and his treatment of captured German soldiers.

The autthenticity of the series makes this a brutal but brilliant wach. It’s nothing less than a brilliant recreation of one of the most momentous moments in history. The series is nothing short of jawdropping, the combat situations are visceral, and the character work is phenomenal. It’s probably been a decade since I’ve watched the show, and it hits just as hard now as it did the first time I saw it back in 2001.