William ‘Wild Bill’ Guarnere, a Second World War veteran whose exploits were immortalised in the TV miniseries Band of Brothers has died aged 90 from a ruptured aneurysm. He was part of the Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division and fought in some of the war’s fiercest battles from 1941 until its end.
In June 1944, the Easy Company were forced to trek in full gear to Utah Beach on the coastline of Normandy and proceeded to knock out German soldiers and cannons at Brecourt Manor that were firing on allied forces. Guarnere lost a leg while trying to help a wounded solider during the Battle of the Bulge. His commendations included the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts.
Band of Brothers was produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg and upon its release in 2001, became the most expensive miniseries ever produced, with a cost of $12.5 million per episode.
It is believed that there are only three original members of the Band of Brothers remaining.