Niland brothers
The Niland Brothers were four brothers from the United States who served in the US armed forces during World War II . Their story formed the basis for Steven Spielberg's film Saving Private Ryan .
The four brothers were:
- Edward Niland: United States Army Air Forces bomber pilot
- Frederick "Fritz" Niland: 501st Paratrooper Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division
- Preston Niland: 22nd US Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division (killed June 7, 1944 near Utah Beach during the Normandy invasion )
- Robert Niland: 505th Paratrooper Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division (killed on June 6, 1944 in Neuville-au-Plain during the invasion of Normandy)
History of the Niland Brothers
Edward Niland, pilot of a bomber of the type B-25 "Mitchell" was - after it from a mission on May 16, 1944, the Pacific theater in Burma had not returned - missing and was due to the circumstances in its application than fallen . When Preston and Robert Niland fell within 24 hours during the Allied invasion of France , the supposedly only surviving brother, Frederick Niland, was sent back to the United States on the basis of the Sole Survivor Policy to to finish his military service there in safety . Later, after returning to the United States, the family learned that Edward was alive and in a Japanese prisoner of war camp from which he was liberated by British forces.
Preston and Robert Niland were buried side by side in the US military cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer .
Grave Cross by Preston T. Niland
Grave cross by Robert J. Niland
Cinematic adaptation Saving Private Ryan
The history of the Niland brothers or that of the supposedly sole survivor Frederick served film director Steven Spielberg (possibly linked to the history of the Sullivan Brothers ) as inspiration for his war movie "Saving Private Ryan," which the English title, Saving Private Ryan on, deutsch The rescue of the soldier Ryan is.