Herbert M. Sobel Sr. was a commissioned officer with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute
Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division during World War II. Sobel was portrayed in
the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by David Schwimmer.
Early life and education Sobel was born in Chicago, Illinois, to a
Jewish family. He was a clothing salesman after attending military school at the Culver
Military Academy in Indiana. He graduated from the University of Illinois. Sobel volunteered
for the paratroopers soon after the outbreak of World War II and was commissioned as a
second lieutenant. Career
Promoted to first lieutenant, Sobel commanded Company E for all of their basic training
at Camp Toccoa, Georgia. He was known to be strict, earning hatred by many of his men.
However, because of the intense training he gave his men, he was credited with creating
the finest company in the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. He was promoted to the
rank of captain in recognition of his ability as a trainer.
After a period of training in the United Kingdom before the Normandy invasion, Captain Sobel
was removed from command of Easy Company. Contrary to popular belief, regimental records
show he did jump into Normandy but not with Easy Company and earned a CIB as part of Regimental
Headquarters Company. He was later transferred to command the Chilton Foliat jump school.
First Lieutenant Thomas Meehan replaced Sobel, and was one of several officers to succeed
him in that post before the war was over. Shortly before Easy Company took part in the
invasion of the Netherlands, Sobel was assigned to the 506th once again, this time replacing
Salve Matheson as the regimental S-4 officer for Operation Market Garden.
Later life and death Sobel returned to the United States after
the war, and worked as an accountant before being recalled to active duty during the Korean
War. He remained in the Army National Guard, eventually retiring at the rank of lieutenant
colonel. He later married, and had three children. In the late 1960s, Sobel shot himself in the
head with a small-caliber pistol. The bullet entered his left temple, passed behind his
eyes, and exited out the other side of his head. This severed his optic nerves and left
him blind. He was later moved to a VA assisted living facility in Waukegan, Illinois. Sobel
resided there for his last seventeen years until his death due to malnutrition on September
30, 1987. No services were held for Sobel after his death.
Legacy Sobel was controversially portrayed as inept
in the television series Band of Brothers, generating much debate. Since the series,
his son Michael has spoken out on his behalf. In various interviews, Easy Company veterans
have acknowledged the importance Sobel's training played in the company's later successes.
References
Bibliography Ambrose, Stephen E.. Band of Brothers: Easy
Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest. Simon & Schuster.
ISBN 978-0-7434-6411-6. Brotherton, Marcus. We Who Are Alive and Remain:
Untold Stories from The Band of Brothers. Berkley Caliber. ISBN 0-425-23419-3.
Brotherton, Marcus. Call of Duty: My Life Before, During and After the Band of Brothers.
Berkley Trade. p. 95. ISBN 0-425-22787-1. External links
Herbert Sobel at Find a Grave