Is The Pacific based on a true story?

2010 HBO The Pacific is a WWII tale that opened to rave reviews at the time. Now on Netflix, is the action-packed mini-series based on a true story?

Following the success of Band of Brothers, producers Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks decided that they wanted to make another big-budget show set during the Second World War.

They landed on ‘The Pacific,’ which rather than being about a battalion – like Band of Brothers’ Easy Company – instead focuses on the wartime experience of three marines.

Here’s where the inspiration for the 10-part mini-series came from.

Is The Pacific based on a true story?

Yes, the Pacific is based on a true story, as the three men in question really did exist, and were part of the 1st Marine Division.

Robert Leckie was a member of the 1st Regiment. Eugene Sledge was part of the 5th Regiment. And John Basilone was in the 7th Regiment.

The show draws inspiration from books by two of those men – ‘With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa’ by Eugene Sledge, and ‘Helmet for My Pillow’ by Robert Leckie. While China Marine (also by Sledge) and Chuck Tatum’s memoir Red Blood, Black Sand were also used when pulling together stories for The Pacific.

Hugh Ambrose – son of Band of Brothers author Stephen E. Ambrose – served as a consultant on the project. While he also wrote a tie-in historical novel ‘The Pacific: Hell was an Ocean Away,’ which was published in 2010.

What is The Pacific about?

The Pacific features the attack on Pearl Harbour, the attempt to retake a lost airfield in Guadalcanal, and battles in the jungles of New Britain and on the island of Peteliu. As well as Basilone’s involvement in the Battle of Iwo Jima.

James Badge Dale plays Robert Leckie, Joseph Mazzello is Eugene Sledge, and Jon Seda plays John Basilone.

The rest of the cast includes Rami Malek, Ashton Holmes, Brendan Fletcher, Linda Cropper, Gary Sweet, William Sadler, Jon Bernthal, Annie Parisse, Martin McCann, Keith Knobbs, and Toby Leonard Moore. While producer Tom Hanks is the voice of the narrator.

The Pacific premiered on HBO on March 14, 2010. The show arrived on Netflix the same day that Band of Brothers also dropped on the streamer.

The Pacific and Band of Brothers are now streaming on Netflix – find our hub here. Click here to find out more about the show’s incredible cast, while you can head here to read our list of the 13 greatest war films.