Goodreads Reviews: Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends

 

Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends: Two WWII Paratroopers from the Original Band of Brothers Tell Their Story by William Guarnere

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Of all the books I've read about Easy Company, this biography (well biographies) is my absolute favorite. Sergeant William "Bill" Guarnere and Edward "Babe" Heffron were both from the culturally diverse streets of South Philly. Both were as different as night and day. Bill was a tall, handsome free spirit of Italian descent. Babe was a small, pale, Catholic boy from an Irish family. In spite of their differences, their upbringings were similar. Growing up in the Great Depression, they were poor and learned how to work hard at a young age. They played in the streets with the other kids, hung out on the neighborhood corners and laundromats and were devoted to their families.

Even though they lived only a couple streets away from each other, they never met. Not until the war. After Peal Harbor, Bill immediately signed up for the 101st Airborne where he was sent to serve in Easy Company. He trained under Sobel in Georgia, sailed to England, parachuted over the beaches in Normandy and was promoted to 2nd Platoon Sargeant.

Babe joined Easy Company several months later and was put into Bill's platoon. Babe made his first jump in Holland during the disastrous Operation Market-Garden. Because of their similar upbringings, Bill and Babe became friends; a somewhat unusual occurrence seeing as Bill outranked Babe and men usually socialized within their own respective ranks.

Bill and Babe both take turns telling their own stories. Bill's from Georgia to Bastogne where he was sent home after he lost his leg. Babe from North Carolina to Austria. Shortly after the war, they met up again in the streets of Philly and remained lifelong friends. Bill was primarily responsible for putting together the Easy Company reunions and was a primary source for Stephan Ambrose's book, Band of Brothers.

Everything about this book was enjoyable. I loved hearing Bill and Babe's stories of growing up in Philly, their time in Easy Company, experiences in the war and their eventual homecomings. As compared to most men who returned from war, both Bill and Babe readjusted to civilian life very well. They eventually had families of their own, but lived within a few blocks from one another in South Philly. The war would always be a part of them and in spite of the loss and bloodshed they witnessed, they were thankful to return home and be able to tell their stories.