I thought Band of Brothers was a fine companion piece. Amusing story: When it was originally broadcast, my wife and I made the mistake of watching one episode with a colleague of mine and his wife. The latter is a lovely person but not always the sharpest tool in the box. Whilst we watched, and soldiers were being blown limb from limb, she commented: "That's fake, right?" To which my colleague rolled his eyes and replied with this deadpan gem: "No, they're just very, very brave, and get paid a lot of money."