Brothers in Battle

Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends
By William Guarnere
Berkley Caliber, 2007. 296 pgs. Nonfiction

William Guarnere and Edward (Babe) Heffron were two of the World War II paratroopers with 101st Airborne (Easy Company) who parachuted into France on D-Day. Easy Company later parachuted into Holland for Operation Market Garden and were surrounded by the Germans but held out during the Battle of the Bulge. Lifelong friends, the two men were interviewed by Stephen Ambrose for “Band of Brothers” and were advisers on the set of the film based on the book. “Brothers in Battle” presents first- hand accounts from these two men as they were interviewed by Robyn Post.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, these two men would never call themselves heroes; but their tenacious courage in battle, along with others of the 101st Airborne, has earned them the title nonetheless. Members of the 101st Airborne remained close after the war through annual reunions and visits to the countries where they fought. This made them the perfect group to be interviewed by Ambrose about World War II, resulting in the book and film. The audio presentation of their stories, read by Dick Hill, is engaging, genuine, and moving and I highly recommend it.

SH