Currahee

Currahee
Easy Company as they storm up Currahee.
Episode:	1
Followed by:	Day of Days
Focus:	Richard Winters & Herbert Sobel
Subject:	Training for the invasion of Europe
Aired:	September 9, 2001
Directed By:	Phil Alden Robinson
Written By:	•Stephen E. Ambrose (based on the book) •Erik Jendersen (teleplay) •Tom Hanks (teleplay)

Captain Herbert Sobel: "What does Currahee mean?"
Easy Company: "'We stand alone!'"

-Captain Herbert Sobel talking to Easy Company men while running up Currahee

Currahee is the first episode of Band of Brothers. It follows the men from basic training at Camp Toccoa under the strict command of Herbert Sobel, to the preparation in England for the invasion of Normandy during Operation Overlord.

The episode focuses on the conflict between Herbert Sobel, a harsh yet proficient commanding officer of Easy Company and his subordinate Richard Winters, another skillful officer which gained the trust of his men.

Plot

In Toccoa, Ga., 1942, a disparate group of young men begins voluntary training to become members of one of America's newest military regiments - the paratroopers. Under the harsh leadership of Lt. Sobel (David Schwimmer), members of the newly formed Easy Co. go from green civilians to some of the Army's most elite soldiers. As training progresses, a rivalry flares between Sobel, whom the men despise, and Lt. Winters (Damian Lewis), a junior officer who's earned the respect and admiration of the company.

-Band of Brothers, official website

Synopsis

The opening scene starts at Upottery Airfield in June 5, 1944 with large masses of paratroopers from Easy Company making final preparations before their long-awaited jump at Normandy, France. Their commanding officer, 1st Lieutenant Thomas Meehan III reveals that their jump would be postponed due to unfavorable weather, much to the men's dismay.

Later, while awaiting further announcements, 2nd Lieutenant Lewis Nixon and 1st Lieutenant Richard Winters chat and reminisce about their time together along with Easy Company and their former CO, Captain Herbert Sobel. The story then flashes back two years earlier.

Gallery

The real Bill Maynard during an interview

Paratroopers boarding the C47

The paratroopers watching Mr. Lucky (1943)

1st Lieutenant Herbert Sobel leading the men up Currahee

Easy Company's midnight march after running up Currahee

Easy Company under obstacle training

2nd Lieutenant Richard Winters promoted to 1st Lieutenant by Captain Herbert Sobel

Captain Herbert Sobel ordering Easy Company to run up Currahee

Easy Company being lectured at Fort Benning

Captain Herbert Sobel realizes he has done a mistake

Captain Herbert Sobel surprised after 1st Lieutenant Richard Winters' decision to choose trial by court-martial

Captain Herbert Sobel finding out he has been transferred to another regiment

2nd Lieutenant Lewis Nixon lecturing the officers of Easy Company about D-Day

1st Lieutenant Thomas Meehan III lecturing Easy Company about D-Day

C47s en route to Normandy

Add a photo to this gallery

Cast

in alphabetical order
Robert (Popeye) E. Wynn	Nicholas Aaron
Joseph D. Toye	Kirk Avecedo
Alton M. More	Doug Allen
David Kenyon Webster	Eion Bailey
Allington	Dominic Cooper
Denver (Bull) Randleman	Michael Cudlitz
Joseph P. Domingus	Marcos D' Cruze
Col. Robert F. Sink	Dale Dye
Burton B. (Pat) Christenson	Michael Fassbender
John W. Martin	Dexter Fletcher
George Luz	Rick Gomez
Wayne A. (Skinny) Sisk	Philip Barrantini
Myron Mike Ranney	Stephen Graham
James H. (Mo) Alley Jr.	George Calil
Walter S. (Smokey) Gordon Jr.	Ben Caplan
Terence C. (Salty) Harris	Luke Griffin
Donald G. Malarkey	Scott Grimes
Leadman Training	Michael Edmiston
William J. Guarnere	Frank John Hughes
Pvt. White	Tom George
Robert Van Klinken	Ezra Godden
Richard D. Winters	Damian Lewis
Old Man on Bicycle	James Greene
Lewis Nixon	Ron Livingston
Roy W. Cobb	Craig Heaney
Frank J. Perconte	James Madio
Charles E. (Chuck) Grant	Nolan Hemmings
Cleveland O. Petty	Adam James
William H. Dukeman Jr.	Mark Lawrence
Joesph D. Liebgott	Ross McCall
Floyd M. (Tab) Talbert	Matthew Leitch
Lynn D. (Buck) Compton	Neal McDonough
F Company Trooper	Laird Macintosh
Alex M. Penkala Jr.	Tim Matthews
Joseph Ramirez	Rene L. Moreno
Donald B. Hoobler	Peter McCabe
Thomas Meehan	Jason O'Mara
Maj. Robert L. Strayer	Phil McKee
Allen E. Vest	Kieran O'Brien
William S. Evans	Simon Pegg
Fake German	Harry Peacock
Herbert Sobel	David Schwimmer
Rudolph R. Dittrich	Dave Power
Warren H. (Skip) Muck	Richard Speight Jr.
Edward J. Tipper	Bart Ruspoli
Eugene G. Roe	Shane Taylor
C. Carwood Lipton	Donnie Wahlberg
Referee Training	Ben Walden
Harry F. Welsh	Rick Warden
Albert Blithe	Marc Warren
Darrell C. (Shifty) Powers	Peter Youngblood Hills

End Quote

"Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force:

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven for many months.

The eyes of the world upon you."

"Good luck!

And let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking."

General Dwight D. Eisenhower

Supreme Allied Commander

Trivia

• David Schwimmer, who played Captain Herbert Sobel was isolated from most of the other cast members during boot camp, to help generate a feeling of resentment among the men. Schwimmer joked that his only friend on set was Simon Pegg - who played Sobel's right hand man 1st Sergeant William Evans.
• Aired two days before the 9/11 attacks.
• This is the first American screen credit for Michael Fassbender, who played Private Burton Christenson.
• Private Joseph Liebgott is shown shaving another soldier's head in the beginning scene. The real Joe Liebgott was a barber by trade, and he actually did reportedly help shave the men's hair into mohawks for the jump.
• The film playing during the cinema scene was Mr. Lucky (1943) directed by H.C. Potter and stars Cary Grant and Laraine Day.
• During one of the Currahee runs, Private Warren Muck injures his leg and Captain Herbert Sobel orders the others not to help him. In the boot camp preparation for this, David Schwimmer, Sobel's actor, injured his own knee – and had to do the scene with the injury.
• Private Frank Perconte complains about the quality of army spaghetti. Perconte's actor, James Madio played a big spaghetti lover in the sitcom USA High.
• The part where 1st Lieutenant Richard Winters is reprimanding 2nd Lieutenant Lynn Compton for gambling with the men. Captain Herbert Sobel's actor, David Schwimmer had taken the time one night to play poker with the actors when he was supposed to be segregating himself from them.

Errors

Anachronisms

• 1st Lieutenant Herbert Sobel examines the "rusty bayonet" of Private Joseph Liebgott. This was 1942, the bayonet was a Model M1. This bayonet was not manufactured until after March 1943. It had a ten-inch blade. The bayonets that should have been used in 1942, were the Model 1905 or the 1905/42 both of which had 16-inch blades. After March of 1943, all the long Garand bayonets were ordered to be cut down to ten inches and became the 1905E-1 and new 10 inch bayonets (the M1 bayonet) were manufactured for the rest of the war.
• In the mess hall scene, when Easy Company men are eating the "...army noodles with ketchup." You can see a vintage Coca-Cola machine in the background between the tables. The coke machine is unmistakably a Vendo 39, stand up, coin-operated vending machine, which was not manufactured until 1949.
• The scene where Easy Company is receiving a lecture, there are various German weapons on the wall. One of them is an StG 44, not used in combat until 1944. Thus, it is impossible that the Americans had captured one in 1942-43.
• In the scene at the end of the episode where the aircraft are taking off on June 5, 1944, as the camera pulls out to show the many aircraft rolling down the tarmac, the first aircraft shows the pilot wearing a pale green headset remarkably similar to a David Clark headset. However, the Clark company didn't start producing headsets until after the war.

Continuity mistake

• The two times 1st Lieutenant Thomas Meehan III is telling Easy Company that the invasion has been postponed, his tone of voice and hand movements are different both times when they are supposed to be the same moment.
• Private Burton Christenson's machine gun switches from left to right shoulders when 1st Lieutenant Herbert Sobel confronts him about disobeying orders on a night march.
• In the breakfast scene following the night march where 2nd Lieutenant Richard Winters has to pick six men and list their infractions, his mug moves about on his tray from shot to shot.
• When Easy Company is eating their spaghetti lunch, we can see that outside it is raining. In the next scene while running up Currahee, the ground is dry, showing no sign of the previous rain storm.
• When Captain Herbert Sobel is explaining to Major Robert Strayer why he cut the fence; Strayer is a Colonel, however, when Winters is briefing his men before going to assault the 105 he refers to him as a Major.
• The door keeps changing positions in the scene where Captain Herbert Sobel is punishing 1st Lieutenant Richard Winters for failing to inspect the latrine.

Crew or equipment visible

• When Private George Luz is imitating Major Oliver Horton to fool Captain Herbert Sobel, a boom mike is reflected in the wet helmets.

Factual error

• Private David Webster is shown running Currahee and undergoing jump training with E Company. But Webster, while an original Toccoa man and member of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment was originally with Headquarters Company, and it was with HQ that he underwent training and jumped into Normandy; it was after the D-Day invasion (and thus not within the timeline of the episode) that he transferred to Easy, where he remained until the end of the war.
• 1st Lieutenant Herbert Sobel demands that Easy Company runs up Currahee mountain in 15 minutes. They describe it as "3 miles up, 3 miles back". The company could not make it up a mountain one way in 15 minutes, they would have to average 5:00 per mile.
• In the credits, Ross McCall's character's name is misspelled as "Joesph" D. Liebgott.