Captain Sobel's portrayal in Band of Brothers as a cruel and petty drill instructor is accurate, but it may not capture all the nuances of his real-life counterpart. While the men of Easy Company heavily disliked Captain Sobel for his harsh treatment, many credit him with preparing them for the war and attribute their survival to his training. In real life, Captain Sobel became an accountant after the war, raised a family, and eventually became estranged from them. His actions at Currahee were defended by some soldiers who were trained by him.

David Schwimmer's character, Captain Sobel, is infamous among the men of Easy Company in HBO's Band of Brothers for his strictness and seemingly malicious nature towards the men under his command, but was his real-life counterpart as bad as the television show portrayed him? Much of the focus on Captain Herbert Sobel takes place in Band of Brothers episode 1, "Currahee,...