We engaged a local guide in Normandy a few years ago, and took a small bus tour (6 adults, 2 bored kids)of the area where
the Easy Company members landed and fought. We walked much of the ground that they fought over, which was
quite interesting, as it is actually very different terrain and conditions than that shown in the mini-series in many
cases, although the building in Carentan where the one guy had hysterical blindness looks pretty much exactly like
the one in the movie. Where they captured the three artillery pieces was a quite different setup, all that terrain is
unchanged.
And then a couple days later we went to Bastogne, and found Boise Jacques (Jack's Woods) and walked into it. Amazingly,
it looked VERY much like the movie set, and you could still see the slowly filling in foxholes that Easy Company dug, and
the OP on the edge of the woods looking over the fields towards the village of sFoy was still there, the log overhead cover
collapsed. Amazing that they found a movie site which was almost exactly like the real thing. This is where
Bill Guarnier (sp) lost his leg, and were Spiers ran across the fields to take over company command during the
attack on Foy. Spiers then ran through the German lines, through Foy, to the Americans on the other side, got
them organized and headed in, then ran back through the German in the town to (now) his company (Easy) on the
other side of Foy to lead them in taking the village. Spiers was a vicious killer, but unbelievably brave and a good
combat soldier and leader. They said Shifty Powers "never missed a shot" with his Garand.
An amazing group of men, but there were also many other groups who were probably just about as amazing, and who
never got the publicity that the Easy Company men got.
RIP Easy Company, Well Done!