In Band of Brothers Albert Blithe is said to have never recovered from his wounds, dying in 1948. He actually lived for another two decades.

Summary

• Band of Brothers incorrectly states that Albert Blithe died of his war wounds in 1948, but in reality, he died of kidney failure and complications during surgery in 1967.
• The mistake originated from Stephen A. Ambrose's nonfiction book, which the series is based on, and was never corrected.
• Blithe went on to serve in the Korean War and died while serving in Germany, attributed to his alcoholism, but his son wants him remembered as a brave soldier who fought for his country.

The Band of Brothers Albert Blithe death is a memorable part of the episode "Carentan" which focuses on the perspective of the Easy Company paratrooper, but the series makes an erroneous claim about his fate. After Blithe is shot in the neck toward the end of the episode, Band of Brothers' ending text states that he never recovered from his wounds and died in 1948 – but that date is actually off by about two decades. Even more surprisingly, the historical mistake in the Band of Brother Albert Blithe death originates from Stephen A. Ambrose's nonfiction book of the same name, upon which the series is based.

Ambrose interviewed veterans of Easy Company like Bill Guarnere and Edward "Babe" Heffron, put together the story of Albert Blithe from their accounts. Some of Blithe's story in "Carentan" is accurate; he really did experience an episode of hysterical blindness. However, Blithe's fatal demise is depicted inaccurately, with Band of Brothers unintentionally omitting the truth about the cause and date of his death. Guarnere and Heffron were both certain that they had attended Blithe's funeral in 1948, which may have been either a mistake on their part or a mix-up with another Albert Blithe. Blithe's family didn't realize the mistake until Band of Brothers aired on HBO, at which point his son worked to set the record straight.

How Albert Blithe Died In Band Of Brothers

The Band of Brothers Albert Blithe death plays out in the third episode of the miniseries "Carentan." While the show is a massive ensemble that largely focuses on the Band of Brothers cast as a whole, this specific episode largely puts Blithe in the spotlight as a soldier in Easy Company who struggles with the fear of being in combat. The episode begins with Blithe standing alone in a field where he is found by other members of Easy Company. Though Blithe claims he got lost after the drop of D-Day, he later admits he didn't try to find his company right away.

Blithe then tries to make himself a part of the company, but during a battle, he buries his head and cries out in fear. Following another firefight, Blithe suddenly loses his vision. After talking to Winters who assures Blithe they'll transport him back to England, Blithe's sight returns. He finds more courage in battle, taking part in a fight in which he kills a German soldier. However, after volunteering for a patrol, Blithe is shot through the neck. He is later seen in a hospital bed where the on-screen text reveals he died of his wounds in the years that followed.

Albert Blithe Died Of Kidney Failure & Complications In 1967

In real life, Albert Blithe died of kidney failure and complications during surgery, not from his wounds in World War II. Additionally, Blithe didn't die for another 19 years after the Band of Brothers episode. Blithe's son recalled in Marcus Brotherton's book, A Company of Heroes, that he "got some pretty nasty emails from people who couldn't believe that Stephen Ambrose and HBO had actually made a mistake." After a great deal of effort and providing an extensive record of documents and photos that proved Blithe had indeed lived beyond 1948, "all the people who needed to be convinced were convinced." However, the mistake was never corrected in the Band of Brothers book or miniseries.

What Really Happened To Albert Blithe After Surviving World War II

Albert Blithe went on to serve in active combat in the Korean War and eventually died while serving with the 8th Infantry Division in West Germany. After attending an event in Bastogne, Belgium, commemorating Easy Company's time spent holding the line during World War II, Blithe fell ill and was diagnosed with a perforated ulcer. He was given emergency surgery, but following complications and kidney failure, he died on December 17, 1967 at the age of 44. Gordon Blithe had no doubt about the cause of his father's early passing: "He drank himself to death."

According to his son, Albert Blithe was a "chronic alcoholic" who drank every day. Gordon's mother told him on several occasions, "You just don't know how badly the war messed up your dad's mind." Though Gordon was candid about his father's problems and his struggles towards the end of his life – after Band of Brothers' events – he closed his interview on a positive note:

"I want people to remember my father this way: he was a true American paratrooper who put his life on the line for this country and thousands of other people in this world. He fought for people he didn't even know. I'm proud of him, so proud. That's how I want people to remember Albert Blithe."