Band Of Brothers along with bonus disc The Pacific Part One is on sale today til midnight PST for 63% off with the Blu-ray for $36.99, DVD for 29.99.

Had a certain Führer had his nasty little moustachioed way with Europe and claimed victory, establishing a power to take over the world, we would be living very differently today. Thanks to the soldiers who fought in World War II, constantly putting their own lives in danger to serve their countries, these men conquered that nasty little German bastard. These men are heroes, who were just doing their job, saving the world.

Band of Brothers is a ten-part series about the lives of a group of these war heroes. It focuses on “˜E’ (Easy) Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airbourne of the U.S. Army as they train, prepare, and take to the frontlines in France, Belgium, and Germany — where they captured Hitler’s “˜Eagle’s Nest’ retreat. The training was punishing and unrelenting, which served to make the men of easy company some of the leanest and meanest going to war.

Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks (who also has writing and directing credits on a couple of episodes) are executive producers. The director and star of one of the greatest movies about the World War II — Saving Private Ryan — keep Band of Brothers in a similar vein. The action scenes are furious and each episodes’ director keeps the danger ever present.

Part six “˜Bastogne’ and part seven “˜The Breaking Point’ are two of the most captivatingly uncomfortable hours of television I have ever seen. 101st Airbourne find themselves in the fields of Bastogne and Foy, Belgium at a snowy Christmas time. Shelter is a hole dug into the frozen ground. Thanks to bad weather they are without adequate ammunition, medicinal supplies, winter clothing, and in private Joe Toye’s case, a pair of boots. They could not even build a fire because that would draw gunfire from the German soldiers and are subjected to regular air attacks. Seeing the conditions these men had to survive in makes their achievements all the more impressive, and makes for enthralling viewing.

Each episode has a short interview with some of the surviving members of the real 101st Airbourne paratrooper division. Age may have done a disservice to their bodies, but their minds are still keen. When you have been through things such as they have, it would be impossible to forget. They re-tell those moments experienced over fifty years ago with honesty, clarity, and touching sincerity; none of them have forgotten the fallen and time has not made the memories easier to deal with.

Every actor in the cast of Band of Brothers puts in a brilliant performance. What struck me the first time I saw it was the amount of English actors involved. I don’t mean the “˜what-o, jolly old chaps’ English soldiers, but the actors playing the parts of real American soldiers. Notable faces in the ranks are Dexter Fletcher (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels), Simon Pegg (Star Trek), Tom Hardy (Inception, and one episode even features a very young looking James McAvoy (Wanted). Above all of them is Damien Lewis (The Escapist) who is the main focus of Band of Brothers. There are plenty of great performances from American actors, too. Ron Livingstone (Office Space), David Schwimmer (Friends), Frank John Hughes (24), and Donnie Wahlberg (Saw IV) are all gripping and play their roles perfectly.

Band of Brothers has a huge cast of characters. However, it never feels overwhelmed or overwhelming whilst still allowing us to find out a great deal about these men. It presents a great idea of what life was like for these men, fighting and living together through the most testing times.

Band of Brothers is available as Band of Brothers DVD and Band of Brothers Blu-ray in the US and Band of Brothers – HBO complete series DVD and Band of Brothers – HBO complete series Blu-ray in the UK.