Herbert Sobel was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1912. When he was of age, he attended the Culver Military Academy and later graduated from the University of Illinois. Sobel worked as a clothing salesman prior to onset of World War II. According to a Jewage article, once World War II came to America, he soon volunteered to join the Army.
As first lieutenant, Sobel took command of Easy Company, which “ha[d] the finest performance record in the entire second battalion,” said Col. Sink in the HBO miniseries “Band of Brothers.” He soon earned a promotion to captain.
In the HBO miniseries, and in the book by Stephen Ambrose, Sobel is painted as extremely strict, ordering training that was often excessive and rigorous, though nothing he wasn’t unwilling to do himself. “If they went on a brutal hike without sleep, Sobel led them,” the Dayton Jewish Observer wrote. But he also lost command of Easy Company in Britain before the Normandy invasion, although it is confirmed that he “did jump with the 101st in the early morning hours of June 6th and fought many of the same battles as did Easy Company, earning, like Shames, a bronze star in the process.” He was also presented with a combat infantry badge.
When it comes to Easy Company’s training, the phrase “everything happens for a reason” comes into play. After the war, some of the men of Easy Company “did acknowledge that Sobel’s training and input contributed to its later success.”
After World War II, Sobel worked stateside in a civilian accounting firm. The Korean War began in 1950, which led to his return to active duty. When he finally retired from the Army, he had earned the rank of lieutenant colonel.
In the 1960s, he sustained a self-inflicted injury that left him blind. Sobel spent the next 17 years in a VA-assisted living facility. He died in 1987.
We honor his service.
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It’s my belief that Sobel was what is called today a “toxic leader”. Many men did not respond to his kind of leadership. As a leader and officer you must be consistent, fair, knowledgeable and give example. This is my opinion solely.