https://www.facebook.com/146958162105311/

Band of Brothers Fans, 1113 N Vernon Street, Arlington, VA (2026)

11/25/2025

Remembering Pfc Alexander M. Vittore who was born July 13, 1919, in Seminole, Pennsylvania. Al enlisted in the Army Nov, 22, 1943, and joined Easy Co as an assistant machine gunner in 2nd platoon, often being paired up with Babe Heffron. Al served with Easy through The Netherlands, Bastogne, and on to the end of the war. He passed away in 2004, at the age of 84.
It was cold in The Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 and January 1945. The average temperature for the month of the conflict was between 20 to 14F/- 6 to-10C. Many of the units on the line did not have adequate winter clothing, many in the 101st Airborne having just their summer uniforms.
Sleep was hard to come by due to regular shelling, pulling outpost duty, and having to sleep in small, cramped foxholes in the frozen earth. The men would share foxholes & sleep huddled together to try and conserve any heat available and prevent hypothermia.
I especially love Babe Heffron's story of sharing a foxhole with Al one night during the battle: "Finally I dozed off & was lying on my side and I felt this heavy object come over my leg. I thought the lumber over the foxhole we had to protect us had fallen in on me. But it was Al's leg. I punched him in the side with my elbow. I said 'Yo Al, what are you doing?' He said 'Oh Babe' and he looked at me and said 'Oh I'm all right' and he fell asleep again.
So I fall asleep again, and a few seconds later, he's got his hand inside my shirt! I gave him a shot in the belly & said 'You son of a bitch, what the hell are you doing?' He grinned and said 'Oh Babe, Babe, I was dreaming of my wife!'
I said 'Al, I can't help you. I got combat boots, jump pants, and my trench coat on, and they're not coming off....you ain't gettin' nothing here!'" 😂
What happens in the foxhole stays in the foxhole 😄
Currahee to these brave men who could still see the funny side of a situation even in the midst of the horror they were living through 🦅

11/25/2025

Pfc John Anthony Janovec was born in Chicago, Illinois, July 9, 1925. His parents, Anton and Susan, had immigrated to the U.S from Czechoslovakia.
Janovec was a talented football player in school. During World War 2, he was drafted & decided to enlist in the Army before graduating high school.
Janovec volunteered for the paratroopers and joined Easy Company, 506th PIR, as an ammo bearer and rifleman in 1st platoon after the Normandy campaign. He jumped with the unit into The Netherlands in Sep, 1944, as part of Operation Market Garden. Placed in the same squad as David Webster, the two became good friends. Web wrote of him "Janovec who was always humming or singing 'Racing with the Moon' was dour, stubborn, and sarcastic, but generally reliable...I preferred to have him nearby rather than almost anybody else in the squad"
From December, 1944, he fought through the Battle of the Bulge when the 101st Airborne Division defended the town of Bastogne, and was with the unit in France, Germany, & Austria.
On May 16, 1945, Easy Comp were stationed in Austria, around the vicinity of Zell am See. Janovec had just finished guard duty. Sgt Robert Marsh was driving them back to town when, between Saalfelden and Zell am See, their truck hit a log on the road, causing it to swerve. Janovec fell out of the truck & hit his head on the ground. Sgt Marsh drove him straight to the regimental aid station but he died from a badly fractured skull.
David Webster was devestated by his friend's death, especially as the war in Europe was over. He was given Janovec's personal effects which were on his person at the time he reached the regimental aid station, and included a parachute scarf, a Purple Heart medal, his jump wings, the E.T.O ribbon, the Combat Infantry Badge, and his wallet. Webster mailed them home to Janovec's family.
Janovec was featured in the Band of Brothers miniseries, portrayed by Tom Hardy.
Janovec was the last man of Easy Company to die while in Europe, with the last man to die in combat being Eugene Jackson in February, 1945.
Currahee, Janovec 🦅

11/24/2025

The movie Saving Private Ryan centres on the search for James Ryan, a paratrooper in Normandy who's 3 brothers have been KIA.
The real life story of the Niland brothers has been cited as one of the inspirations for the movie.
In Tonawanda, New York, in 1941, live the Niland family and their 4 sons: Edward, Preston, Robert (Bob), and Frederick (Fritz).
On March 31, Preston is drafted into the Army. Then Nov 7, Bob is drafted. He volunteers for the paratroopers and is assigned to the 505th PIR. In 1943, he heads to North Africa & Italy with the 82nd Airborne.
On Nov 27, 1941, Fritz enlists in the Army, volunteers for the paratroopers, and is assigned to the 501st PIR, 101st Airborne.
In March 1942, eldest brother Edward is drafted, joins the Air Corps as a gunner/radio operator.
All 4 brothers are in service overseas by 1944.
In May, 44, Edward's plane is shot down over Burma & he is MIA presumed dead. He is 31 yrs old.
On June 6, the 3 other brothers head to Normandy. Bob is a Technical Sgt with D Co, 505th PIR. Fritz also parachutes on DDay with the 501st PIR. Preston, now a 2 Lt, lands on Utah Beach around 06.30am with the 4th Infantry Division.
Fritz's childhood friend is fellow Tonawanda native Skip Muck of Easy Co, 506th PIR, also jumping on DDay.
Later on DDay, the 505th is fighting at Neuville-au-Plain, where Bob is killed during a German counterattack.
On June 7, Preston is killed by a sniper while his unit are attacking a German battery at Crisbecq.
A few days later, 501st chaplain Fr Francis Sampson learns that Fritz's 2 brothers have been KIA and a 3rd is MIA. He initiates paperwork to have Fritz sent to safer duty and delivers the news to Fritz of his brothers.
Fritz stays on the front line with the 501st until they head back to England and then until the end of summer, until his paperwork goes through. He wants to stay with his unit and fight, but is sent back to New York on MP duty until the end of the war.
In May, 1945, Edward is found alive in a liberated POW camp. He had parachuted out of his plane and survived the crash.
Preston and Bob are buried in Normandy. Edward and Fritz settled back in the U.S and lived until the 1980s

11/24/2025

Remembering Easy Company's Technician Fifth Grade Herman F. Collins who sadly lost his life on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
Herman Collins was born in Vermont on July 12, 1924. He grew up in Massachusetts and enlisted in the Army on September 9, 1942, in Springfield. Herman volunteered for the paratroopers and was sent to Camp Toccoa, Georgia, where he was placed in Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
On D-Day, Herman was in Stick #66 with most of the rest of the Company HQ and the company commander Lt Thomas Meehan.
Whilst flying over the Channel Islands the plane was hit by anti aircraft fire which caused problems with the steering mechanism. As the planes flew over Normandy and neared their drop zones the plane was again hit and, according to witnesses on other planes, turned on its landing lights and neared a field in what looked like an attempt to land. However an explosion caused the back of the plane to blow out, it crashed into a field, and further explosions occured. Due to the paratroopers carrying white phosphorous grenades the explosions completely decimated the plane. The pilot 1st Lt Harold Capelluto was thrown from the plane on impact, and was the only identifiable victim of the crash.
The rest of the victims were buried together and now rest in Jefferson Barracks Cemetery in Missouri.
Only a handful of items were recovered from the crash, including Herman Collins' dogtags (2nd picture) which are now housed in the DDay Experience museum in Normandy.
A memorial to the men of Plane 66 is located in Beuzeville-au-Plain near where their plane crashed.

11/24/2025

Happy Birthday to Mr Tom Hanks 🎉
He has been involved in some pretty amazing WW2 cinematic gifts through the years....Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, The Pacific...along with his work away from the camera to honor veterans.
Hanks directed the Band of Brothers episode Crossroads and made a very blink and you'll miss it cameo as one of the British paratroopers in the barn celebrating scene 🫡

11/24/2025

Dewitt "Alabama" Lowrey was born April, 1922, near Atmore, Alabama, and grew up on the family farm. After Pearl Harbour he tried to enlist in the Navy but was refused due to slight colourblindnesss. One day at the Post Office he saw a sign for the paratroopers and thought "Now that sounds exciting" he went to the recruitment officer and said "I'll join, but I don't want the regular army, I want the paratroopers, nothing else"
He needed his parents signature to join as at that time you needed to be over 21 to join the Airborne. At first his mother didn't want to sign but his father said he'd be drafted in a few months anyway amd maybe this way he could go where he chose. He enlisted in Aug 1942.
Dewitt was sent to Camp Toccoa where he was placed in 2nd platoon, E Company, 506th PIR. He said the training was hard but as he was in such good physical shape from the farm work and was a runner, he found it ok. When asked about Captain Sobel "I kinda liked him. He did what he had to do to keep all the boys in line. We had some fine officers, like him and Winters".
Dewitt made his first combat jump on D-Day. He landed in a tree and had 2 machine guns firing at him (More about his D-Day experience in the next post).
During the attack on Carentan on 12th June he was hit in the head by shrapnel. It entered his skull and left him unable to move. Doc Roe managed to stabilize him and get him to a field hospital. He was evacuated to England and then the U.S for treatment. He would suffer from post traumatic epilepsy his whole life
"Nobody really wins the war. We won the battle, but look what it cost us"
While recovering he met his wife Barbara (pic 7), they married in 1946 and had 2 children. They settled in Montgomery. Dewitt passed away July 8, 2015
Currahee 🦅

11/24/2025

Nixon: "Guts and Glory here applied for a transfer"
Welsh: "What?"
Winters: "13th Airborne are heading out for the Pacific right away. If I'm going I wanna get it over with"
Welsh to Nixon: "Are you in on this too?"
Nixon: "I can't let him go by himself. He doesn't know where it is!"

11/24/2025

Edwin "Doc" Pepping was born on the 4th of July, 1922, in California.
Ed enlisted in the Army Sep 3, 1942. Volunteering for the paratroops, he was sent to Camp Toccoa. "They asked me, 'Will you be able to out-and-out shoot somebody & take their life?' I wasn't sure that I could so I went into the medical category & saved lives"
Ed was placed in E Co, 506th PIR.
On DDay Ed was assigned to plane #66, but switched planes just before take off. Plane 66 was shot down over Normandy with no survivors.
He didn't have the best of landings himself, hitting the ground roughly, which caused his helmet to slam into the back of his neck. He suffered a concussion and, unknown to him at the time, 3 cracked vertebrae in his neck. He carried on, working at different aid stations while he made his way back to Easy, between bouts of unconsciousness.
On June 7, Ed was sent as the medic with a column of 6 tanks, with 506th 1st Battalion's CO Colonel Bill Turner, with the objective of gaining ground. Turner was hit by a sniper as he rode in the lead tank. He fell down into the tank, stopping it & halting the progress of the convoy, who were now easy targets on the road. Pepping ran out, under intense fire, jumped up on the tank, & helped pull Turner out of it so the column could start moving again. Ed was awarded the Bronze Star for his actions.
He was later wounded just as he made his way back to Easy, when the armored vehicle he was riding in was blown up. Ed was the only survivor.
Due to the effects of his injuries, he was deemed not fit for combat & was transferred out of Easy just before Market Garden.
He was assigned to the 83rd General Hospital's seriously wounded ward. With his experience of being wounded himself he was able to offer the care & encouragement the men needed.
After the war, Ed attended Woodbury Uni, and industrial design school, and worked as a draftsman for the Apollo Project.
Ed passed away in 2018, aged 96.
Currahee, Doc 🦅

11/24/2025

Pictured on set of the Bastogne episode are Shane Taylor who portrayed Doc Roe, Ben Caplan who portrayed Smokey Gordon, and Lucie Jeanne who portrayed Renée Lemaire.
I love this photo ⛑️

11/23/2025

Carl Luther "Dutchy" Fenstermaker was born February, 1923, in Weisenberg, Pennsylvania. His family was of "Pennsylvanian Dutch" heritage, a nickname for those of German (Deutsch) heritage, and he grew up fluent in German.
Carl enlisted in the Army with his two childhood friends Forrest Guth and Rod Strohl on August 8, 1942, and they all volunteered for the paratroopers. They were sent to Camp Toccoa and placed in 3rd platoon, Easy Company, 506th PIR.
While in England, where the unit were training for D-Day, Carl volunteered for the Pathfinders. The Pathfinders were specially trained paratroopers who would jump into the designated area just before the main troop, and set up the Drop Zones and beacons for the aircraft and fellow paratroopers.
On D-Day the pathfinders took off for Normandy approximately an hour before the main body of about 20,000 partaroopers. Unfortunately, while flying over the English Channel the C-47 that Carl's stick was in (along with fellow Easy Company member Red Wright) had to ditch in the ocean. They were rescued by HMS Tartar but as Carl had yelled out to the crew in German, they were all held in custody on the ship until their identities could be verified.
Carl also jumped as a Pathfinder into The Netherlands for Operation Market Garden on September 17, 1944, and into Bastogne for the resupply drop in December, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge.
Carl fought with Easy to the end of the war and was honorably discharged in January, 1946 at Fort Dix, New Jersey, holding the rank of Sergeant. He then reenlisted to serve in the military police.
After the war he married Monica in 1946 and worked as a salesman and tax collector.
Carl passed on June 30, 1988, just 2 days after his 42nd wedding anniversary, at the age of just 65.
Currahee, Dutchy 🦅

11/23/2025

Technician Fifth Grade Joseph D. Liebgott was born in 1915, in Lansing, Michigan. His parents had immigrated to the U.S 4 years previously from Austria and Joe spoke fluent German.
The family moved to California when Joe was young & he worked in the family barber salon, attending college to train as a barber. He was drafted into the Army and enlisted Sep 9, 1942. He volunteered for the paratroopers, was sent to Camp Toccoa, and placed in Easy Company, 506th PIR. The 5ft 5" and 117lb Liebgott made it through the tough training & fought with Easy from Normandy to war's end.
On DDay Liebgott took part in the Brecourt Manor assault to take out German guns firing on Utah Beach. He manned one of the 2 machine guns & was awarded the Bronze Star for his actions.
He was credited by Ed Tipper as having helped save his life in Carentan when Liebgott, Harry Welsh & Carwood Lipton carried Tip to the aid station after he had been wounded by a shell blast.
Liebgott jumped into Holland in Sep, 1944, and fought through the Battle of the Bulge. Winters made him his CP runner for a time when he saw he needed a break from the front line, and he also worked with HQ Intelligence as an interpreter due to his fluency in German.
He fought on to Germany & Austria and is credited with being involved in at least 2 missions to locate and interrogate suspected N**i officers.
After the war Liebgott went missing for 3 years after his discharge. His parents didn't know if he had survived the war or not. It is thought this absence was due to PTSD. When he returned to his old life, he married, raised a family, & worked as a barber. He never attended the reunions and didn't like to talk of his time in the war. His family only found out after he passed on June 28, 1992, when they found his jump wings and Currahee scrapbook in his belongings. They remember him as a loving father & grandfather who always had time for them. He would buy and do up old bikes for them & take them to the amusement park each week.
His fellow Easy members remember him as a great, loyal friend and soldier.
Liebgott was portrayed by Ross McCall in Band of Brothers
Currahee, Lieb 🦅

11/23/2025

Albert Blithe was born June 25, 1923, in Philadelphia, PA. He enlisted in the Army in August 1942 & volunteered for the paratroopers. He was sent to Camp Toccoa, Georgia, and placed in Easy Company, 506th PIR.
On DDay, Blithe made his first combat jump into Normandy. After the misdrops, Blithe managed to rejoin his unit for the June 12 attack on Carentan. The battle for the town had been fierce & bloody, & was the first major fighting many of the men had experienced. During the fighting he was struck down by what was then termed "hysterical blindness" and was taken back to the aid stn where the bout passed. He was given the choice by his commanding officer, Dick Winters, to stay out of the fighting. But Blithe said he would rather be with his buddies, and rejoined the battle. Even after experiencing what must have been a very terrifying ordeal, his first thought was to get back and fight alongside his friends.
Blithe was wounded by a sniper in the collar bone on June 25 while on a patrol. He received a Purple Heart medal for his birthday! This spelled the end of his time in WW2 combat.
After the war Blithe reenlisted in the Army & went on to serve with the 82nd Airborne in the Korean War, where he was awarded the Bronze and Silver Star medals.
He held the rank of Master Sergeant & qualified as a Master Parachutist (his records state he made over 600 jumps). Sadly on Dec 17, 1967, while on active duty in Germany he fell ill & died of a perforated stomach ulcer, aged just 44. Swipe to see a letter to his wife Kay (pictured) from Blithe's commanding officer.
Blithe was portrayed by Marc Warren in Band of Brothers.
The episode Carentan is shown from his point of view. At the end of the episode it is mistakenly stated he died years later of his wounds. This was in part due to some of the Easy veterans believing they had attended his funeral at that time. Blithe had attended the 1st 101st Airborne reunion after the war but then had lost touch with his fellow comrades.
Currahee 🦅

Band of Brothers Fans

11/25/2025

11/25/2025

11/24/2025

11/24/2025

11/24/2025

11/24/2025

11/24/2025

11/24/2025

11/24/2025

11/23/2025

11/23/2025

11/23/2025

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category