BAND OF BROTHERS: CARENTAN {EPISODE 3} (TV)

Summary

Part three in this ten-part miniseries based on the experiences of Easy Company, the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, United States Army 101st Airborne Division, during World War II, and featuring commentary from Easy Company veterans preceding each episode. This episode begins on June 8, 1944 in Normandy as the men of Easy Company regroup after D-Day. Some lost men come upon Pvt. Albert Blithe, staring off into the sky mindlessly before joining their ranks. Eventually, more of the Easy Company troopers meets up, admiring the German "souvenirs" each was able to grab. Then, Easy Company heads toward Carentan, France, the only place where the Utah and Omaha Allied armor can link up and head inland. En route, the men pass areas still ablaze from the previous day's battle. Nixon and Winters wonder why it's taking them so long to traverse the area. Meanwhile, Blithe is sent to locate F Company. After finding them, Blithe meets back up with Nixon and Winters and discovers a fallen German bearing an edelweiss, "the mark of a true soldier." Then, on "D-Day plus 6," Easy Company arrives in Carentan. Winters gives instructions and the troops move out to try and take over the town. During the firefight, many men on both sides suffer injuries if not death, but eventually the American side prevails. However, Lipton is hit in the crotch and a small piece of shrapnel hits Winters's leg. Also, Blithe suddenly can't see, appearing to be suffering from hysterical blindness. Winters speaks with Blithe, trying to offer him encouragement and promising that the men will soon be safe back in England. Soon enough, Blithe has regained his vision. After the successful battle, Easy Company dines on stale German food as they prepare to move out yet again. The men discuss whether the rumor is true that Ronald Speirs killed a group of German prisoners in cold blood. Then, Easy Company moves out through the rain toward high ground, planning to set up a defensive position. However, they run into a surprise German attack. The lengthy firefight runs well into the night and the Germans are later heard singing in their trench. In the American trench, Harry Welsh converses with Blithe about his hysterical blindness, offering some words of advice about handling "the game." Winters then meets with Welsh to address the strategy for defeating the Germans and preventing them from recapturing the area. Elsewhere, Private Smith is roused from sleep by Talbert, who is accidentally struck by Smith's bayonet. That night, Blithe struggles to doze off and goes out to investigate a wailing noise. Along the way he runs into Speirs, who speculates that Blithe hid on D-Day because he still had hope for surviving. The next day, on the outskirts of Carentan, the firefight continues, with Easy Company entrenched in a foxhole as tank warfare begins. Blithe, mustering up some courage after his numerous talks with fellow soldiers, stands up in the foxhole firing at the Germans, finally killing one. Ultimately, the American Shermans arrive and help win the fight. Afterward, a stunned Blithe tries to locate the corpse of the German he plugged, then takes the edelweiss from the dead man's uniform. On "D-Day plus 25," Nixon and Winters seek volunteers to go into a farmhouse and Blithe is the only one to courageously speak up. As lead scout on the mission, Blithe takes a small group of men down a path through the woods. On the way, Blithe gets shot in the neck by an unseen sniper, then is hospitalized. Meanwhile, the rest of Easy Company returns to England for some rest and relaxation. The fun is short-lived as the men soon learn from Lipton that they are headed back to France. Before leaving, however, Malarkey picks up some dry-cleaning and is forced to confront all the death his company has endured, evidenced via the bundles that remain unclaimed. He ends up taking the package belonging to the missing Meehan while leaving Blithe's on the shelf. Later, graphics reveal that Blithe never recovered from his injuries and died four years later.

This selection from the Alan Gerry Cable Collection has been made available by the Gerry Foundation, Inc.

Details

• NETWORK: HBO
• DATE: September 16, 2001 Sunday 9:00 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 1:05:20
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: T:67748
• GENRE: Drama, historical
• SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, historical; World War II; World War, 1939-1945 - Campaigns - France - Normandy; United States Army
• SERIES RUN: HBO - TV series, 2001
• COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

• Tom Hanks … Executive Producer
• Steven Spielberg … Executive Producer
• Gary Goetzman … Co-Executive Producer
• Tony To … Co-Executive Producer
• Stephen E. Ambrose … Co-Executive Producer, Based on the book by
• Erik Jendresen … Supervising Producer
• Erik Bork … Supervising Producer
• Mary Richards … Producer
• Gene Kelly … Co-Producer
• Billy Fox … Co-Producer
• Ivan Schwarz … Co-Producer
• Bruce Everett … Co-Producer
• Terri DePaolo … Associate Producer
• Claire McGrane … Digital Lab Producer
• James Brett … Music Co-Producer
• Michael Price … Music Co-Producer
• Tim Field … VFX Producer
• Catherine Duncan … VFX Producer
• Mikael Salomon … Director
• E. Max Frye … Writer
• Michael Kamen … Music by
• Nicholas Aaron … Cast, Robert E. (Popeye) Wynn
• Doug Allen … Cast, Alton M. More
• Philip Barrantini … Cast, Wayne A. (Skinny) Sisk
• Ben Caplan … Cast, Walter S. (Smokey) Gordon, Jr.
• Doug Cockle … Cast, Father John Maloney
• Michael Cudlitz … Cast, Denver (Bull) Randleman
• Freddie Joe Farnsworth … Cast, Trooper on a Horse
• Dexter Fletcher … Cast , John W. Martin
• Ezra Goddens … Cast, Robert van Klinken
• Rick Gomez … Cast, George Luz
• Scott Grimes … Cast, Donald G. Malarkey
• Nigel Hoyle … Cast, Leo D. Boyle
• Mark Huberman … Cast, Lester Hashey
• Frank John Hughes … Cast, William J. Guarnere
• Adam James … Cast, Cleveland O. Petty
• Diana Kent … Cast, Mrs. Lamb
• Robin Laing … Cast, Edward J. (Babe) Heffron
• Mark Lawrence … Cast, William H. Dukeman, Jr.
• Matthew Leitch … Cast, Floyd M. (Tab) Talbert
• Damian Lewis … Cast, Richard D. Winters
• Ron Livingston … Cast, Lewis Nixon
• Richard Lynson … Cast, Officer in Hospital
• James Madio … Cast, Frank J. Perconte
• Tim Matthews … Cast, Alex M. Penkala, Jr.
• Peter McCabe … Cast, Donald B. Hoobler
• Ross McCall … Cast, Joseph D. Liebgott
• Neal McDonough … Cast, Lynn D. (Buck) Compton
• Phil McKee … Cast, Major Robert L. Strayer
• Rene L. Moreno … Cast, Ramirez, Joseph
• Paul Murphy … Cast, Young G.I.
• Iain Robertson … Cast, George Smith
• Scott Rognlein … Cast, Trooper - F Company
• Bart Ruspoli … Cast, Edward J. Tipper
• Matthew Settle … Cast, Ronald C. Speirs
• Douglas Spain … Cast, Antonio C. Garcia
• Richard Speight … Cast, Warren H. (Skip) Muck
• Shane Taylor … Cast, Eugene G. Roe
• Donnie Wahlberg … Cast, C. Carwood Lipton
• Stephen Walters … Cast, John McCrath
• Rick Warden … Cast, Harry F. Welsh
• Marc Warren … Cast, Albert Blithe
• Youngblood Hills, Peter … Cast, Darrell C. (Shifty) Powers