So… Band of Brothers is now on Netflix and I started rewatching the series whenever I can find the time.
I just realized Band of Brothers’ biggest factual error has a connection with Taiwan.
The third episode focused on Albert Blithe of E company, who was so shocked by the ordeals of their jump that he was incapable of fighting for most of the episode, even to the point of losing his eyesight due to “hysterical blindness”. After Winters’ warm words Blithe’s eyesight returned, but he was still unable to fight throughout the night while they were being shelled in their foxholes. After some encouragement the next day he was finally able to make his first kill. Despite gaining his courage back and soon volunteered for a scout mission, he was hit by a sniper in his right shoulder, very close to his neck. The episode ends by sayings Blithe never recovered and passed away in 1948.
The problem is Blithe lived. Despite missing out on the rest of WW2, he recovered, volunteered again for the Korean War, jump into a division of PVA with the 187th, and still lived. He was awarded a total of 3 Purple Hearts, 3 Brown Stars, and one Silver Star by the end of his military career.
After Korean War ended, Blithe was sent to Taiwan to work for MAAG, probably instructed airbornes. In Taiwan he received Taiwan’s master jump wings for having completed over 100 jumps in Taiwan.
Blithe felt ill in Bastogne and later died in a hospital in Germany. Not during WW2, but in 1967 when he went there for an event commemorating the Battle of the Bulge. He was admitted with a diagnosis of a perforated ulcer. He died in the intensive care unit on December 17 after surgery, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full honors.
The books and the series got it wrong because Guarnere and another guy thought he died in 1948 and claimed they attended his funeral.