Band of Brothers actors to parachute into Normandy

HBO's hit show Band of Brothers is based on the real experiences of Easy Company, a parachute rifle company

Actors from the HBO TV show Band of Brothers are planning to parachute into Normandy to honour the real life veterans portrayed in the series.

Alex Sabga-Brady, who played Cpl Frank Mellet, is producing a documentary following the group's training for the jump.

The actors are being coached in Toccoa in Georgia, USA, before they head to France in June to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

Sabga-Brady, who lives in Walsham Le Willows, Suffolk, said the thrilling mission aimed to raise money for veteran charities.

'Close the circle'

"We never jumped for real during the series but we did a lot of training," said Sabga-Brady.

"We thought it would be a nice close of the circle."

Normandy was the first location in Europe to be liberated by allied forces during World War Two, on 6 June 1944.

"Myself and quite a few of the cast members travel over to Normandy every year or so for the D-Day commemorations to work with various veterans-based charities," Sabga-Brady explained.

"It's quite an amazing place to be, especially at that time of year for the D-Day commemorations."

Sabga-Brady (right) starred in Band of Brothers as Cpl Frank Mellet

The documentary, titled The Jump: Currahee to Normandy, has already begun to follow the cast through their training.

They arrived in the US this weekend and will be trained by the All Airborne Battalion - a not-for-profit veterans organisation.

Between 2 June and 9 June they are due to take part in various anniversary events before making the jump into the Cotentin Peninsula.

'Memories alive'

A key point of the endeavour, according to Sabga-Brady, was "carrying the torch" of the veterans' legacy.

"The actual amount of Normandy veterans that are alive today is getting smaller and smaller by the week and there are no surviving members of Easy Company left," he said.

Easy Company was a parachute rifle company of the US Army, portrayed in Band of Brothers.

"We meet people who are still very much enthused about the show that was filmed nearly 25 years ago and it still means a lot to a lot people," Sabga-Brady continued.

"If we can in some way, shape or form keep these stories going and keep these memories alive then that is exactly what we tried to do and it does mean a lot to us as a cast."

Band of Brothers was a 10-part mini-series released in 2001, which recounted the experiences of Easy Company's paratroopers during World War Two.

In the show the group of men begin their training in Toccoa and run up a nearby mountain named Currahee, prompting the name of the documentary.