Naman Shrestha
Based on the 1992 eponymous non-fiction book by Stephen E. Ambrose, ‘Band of Brothers‘ is a 2001 period war drama miniseries that dramatizes the tale of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army. created by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, the events the 10-part miniseries portrays are based on interviews with survivors of Easy Company, as well as soldiers’ journals and letters, while the characters are based on actual members of the Easy Company.
By taking some literary license and adapting history for dramatic effect, the narrative focuses on the experiences of the extraordinarily brave and fearless young soldiers in the war. Featuring heartfelt onscreen performances from Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, Rick Gomez, Scott Grimes, Frank John Hughes, and David Schwimmer, the war drama series features a bunch of war-torn locations across Europe as the soldiers attempt to survive the explosions and indulge in thrilling gunfight sequences. Naturally, many of you might be curious about the actual filming sites of ‘Band of Brothers.’ If you are in the same boat, we have got you covered!
Band of Brothers Filming Locations
‘Band of Brothers’ was filmed in England and Switzerland, especially in Hertfordshire, Essex, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Surrey, and Bernese Oberland. As per reports, the principal photography for the historical miniseries seemingly commenced in December 1999 and wrapped up in about eight to ten months of shooting in November 2000. Now, without further ado, let’s go back in time and traverse through all the specific locations that served as warzones in the Damian Lewis starrer!
Hertfordshire, England
The production team of ‘Band of Brothers’ utilized the locales of Hertfordshire as one of the primary production locations for lensing some of the most pivotal sequences of the show. In particular, they constructed a number of sets, including accurate replicas of European towns in Ellenbrooke Fields at Hatfield Aerodrome. The large open field was used to build sets representing 12 different towns, such as Bastogne in Belgium, Eindhoven in the Netherlands, and Carentan in France. Reportedly, the Goldings Estate in the town of Hertford also features in some scenes of the war miniseries.
In a few portions of ‘Band of Brothers,’ you can also spot the area around Ayot Greenway. It is a rail trail that extends from the small village of Ayot St. Peter to the village and civil parish of Wheathampstead in Hertfordshire. Hertfordshire is home to a number of tourist attractions, such as Cedars Park, Hatfield House, Royston Cave, and Welwyn Roman Baths, some of which you might spot in the backdrop of a few sequences. Moreover, Hertfordshire has hosted the production of numerous film and TV projects over the years. Some of the notable ones include ‘The Young Victoria,’ ‘Amazing Grace,’ ‘The Great,’ and ‘The Crown.’
Other Locations in England
For shooting purposes, the filming unit of ‘Band of Brothers’ also traveled to other locations across England. For instance, North Weald Airfield at North Weald Bassett in Essex’s Epping was used to tape several important scenes on location, including the shots depicting the take-off sequences before the D-Day Normandy landings. The Easy company’s training scenes in England during the early episodes as well as in some later episodes, were shot in the village of Hambleden in Buckinghamshire. Additional portions of the drama series were recorded in Ashdown Forest in East Sussex and Bourne Woods in Surrey.
Bernese Oberland, Switzerland
A significant portion of ‘Band of Brothers’ was also lensed in Bernese Oberland, one of Bern’s five administrative regions. Grandhotel Giessbach in Giessbach, 3855 Brienz, served as a prominent production location for the war drama miniseries. Besides that, the mountain pass of Grimsel Pass and Interlaken Airport at 3800 Matten bei Interlaken also make an appearance in the backdrop of some key sequences.
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