Richard Winters

United States Army Officer

Richard Winters (21 January 1918 — 2 January 2011) was a US soldier who fought in World War II. His experience was made famous by a book and television series, Band of Brothers.[1] Winters was a member of Company E, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. He led the company after the commanding officer was killed on D-Day in Normandy.[1] Near the end of the war he led his company to capture Adolf Hitler's mountain retreat in Bavaria, Berchtesgaden. he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.[1]

After the war he worked in a plaster mill in New Jersey. In 1951 he bought a farm in Pennsylvania and established an animal feed business.

In 1990 Winters was interviewed by author Stephen Ambrose who was able to use the records that Winters and others in E Company had written for his book.[1] The title Band of Brothers, comes from a line in William Shakespeare's play, Henry V.[1]

References change

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Hevesi, Dennis (17 January 2011). "Richard Winters, 92, Leader of ' Band of Brothers' in War". The New York Times. New York. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 16 July 2011.