The real-life men of Band of Brothers' Easy Company were already incredible, but one missing battle makes Ron Livingston's Captain Lewis Nixon even more so. Based on a true story, Band of Brothers follows the U.S. Army's 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division — more commonly referred to as Easy Company — and their service during World War II. Combining actual footage of veteran interviews with film reenactments, Band of Brothers continues to set the quality standard for television series 20 years after its release.
Joining the ranks of men like Dick Winters (Damian Lewis), T-4 Eugene "Doc" Roe (Shane Taylor), and Staff Sergeant Denver "Bull" Randleman (Michael Cudlitz) was Captain Lewis Nixon, the intelligence officer for Easy Company. Nixon was a well-educated man, having attended both Yale University and MIT. Nixon dropped into Normandy on D-Day and ran three miles to deliver integral German artillery positions, narrowly avoided death in Operation Market Garden, aided Easy Company in the occupation of Germany, and was the only man in 101st to earn 3 Combat Jump Stars on his Jump Wings. The fact that Nixon managed to survive the war is already impressive, but one surprising fact made it even more shocking — he never once shot his gun in the line of duty, something even Winters found astounding.
The fact that Nixon survived the campaigns portrayed in Band of Brothers is surely a feat, but it's the battle that was left out of Band of Brothers that highlights the incredulity of his actions. In Band of Brothers episode 9, "Why We Fight," Nixon relays his experience in Operation Varsity — a military operation meant to help the Allied powers breach the Rhine River in Germany. On March 24, 1945, Nixon was assigned to observe the 17th Airborne Division as they secured objectives north of the Rhine. Nixon's aircraft, like many others, went down after taking a direct hit. Of all the men on his aircraft, only Nixon and two others managed to get out alive.
While Operation Varsity was ultimately considered successful, the casualties were heavy. The 6th Airborne Divison, which made up half of the operation, estimated 1,400 killed, wounded, or missing in action out of the 7,220 men total. The 17th Airborne Division reported 1,300 casualties out of 9,650 men, as well as the loss of 21 of their 144 aircraft. The fight on the ground not shown in Band of Brothers was just as brutal, with the troops facing a slew of German artillery batteries and machine-gun nests. Despite the resistance from German forces, the operation managed to secure every objective it set out to secure, aiding in the Allied goal to move north of the Rhine while punching holes in the German front. The fact that Nixon was able to survive all of this is impressive enough on its own, but knowing he survived without firing a single bullet is nothing short of phenomenal.
Despite his incredible service, Nixon faced a low period after his jump in Operation Varsity. He was demoted to operations officer due to his struggle with alcoholism, and shortly after, discovered his wife was divorcing him and taking everything. The dark times wouldn't last forever, though; after returning home with the rank of captain, Nixon would work alongside his close friend, Dick Winters, in Band of Brothers' Easy Company, overcome his battle with alcoholism, and eventually marry the love of his life, Grace Umezawa, in 1956, living in peace until his death in 1995. Though every facet of the story told in Band of Brothers is incredible, Nixon's story is easily one of the most incredible of them all.