One of the things that came across from the Band of Brothers, both the film and the the interviews at the beginning of each episode was the fact that these people were very ordinary men who joined up on 'short' term basis. They were not professional soldiers. None of them knew what was to come.

A walk through the War Graves in places like Caen or those above the actual beaches of Normandy is a very moving experience. The sight of rows or crosses beggars the belief that the landings were a success, but it was. So many landed and many died.

The only way they could attempt to survive in these conditions was not a belief in their government but a belief and trust in their comrades. The government was not around physically during their fighting. They had to rely on each other.

It is a strange thing that when you are involved in a conflict (I was in submarines during the Falklands War) you do not question what you are doing. You do your job and work as a team, you obey orders, that is how you have a better chance of surviving. It is only after it is all over do you begin to question whether it was just or not.

During the tense moments you just get on with the job.