The sixth installment of HBO's WWII docudrama miniseries
Band of Brothers, "Bastogne," which is shown primarily from the point of view of Easy Company's soft-spoken, dedicated medic, Eugene Roe (Shane Taylor), deals with the company's involvement in the Battle of the Bulge. Due to poor weather and heavy fog, the American forces are unable to drop supplies to the line protecting Bastogne, Belgium. With the company short on medical supplies, food, and warm clothing, Roe has his hands full. In addition to treating the wounded with limited resources, he has to keep everyone aware of the health dangers posed by the extreme weather conditions. He spends much of his time trying to find basic supplies like morphine, and reminding the men to move around and stay dry to avoid trench foot. A squad of soldiers on patrol, looking for Germans, runs into the enemy line, and Babe Heffron (Robin Laing) becomes distraught when a young soldier he was looking after is mortally wounded and has to be left behind as the squad retreats. When Roe leaves the woods where the company is stationed and goes into the town of Bastogne to try to scrounge up supplies, he meets a pretty young Belgian nurse, Renee (Lucie Jeanne), who is doing her best to treat wounded American soldiers in a makeshift triage station. Roe, being half-Cajun, speaks French, and during their brief interaction, the two develop a quiet rapport. But soon he returns to the line, and as the Germans advance and casualties mount, he becomes overwhelmed and seems on the verge of breaking down. Captain Winters (
Damian Lewis) notices Roe's shakiness, and sends him back into Bastogne for a hot meal, but when the young medic arrives in the town, he finds that it is being bombarded by the Germans. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide