In 6 June 1944 thousands of men from the Allied forces attacked German troops in Normandy, France, as part of the military operation known as D-Day.

Many of them had prepared for the operation in the south of England, including the US Army's Easy Company, of the 101st Airborne Division. The group of men, better known now as the "Band of Brothers" after the TV series of the same name, left a lasting impression on the Wiltshire village where they were based.

Aldbourne is an idyllic village in the Wiltshire countryside, surrounded by chalk hills and full of character.

The village green, a pond and old church paint a pretty picture of English country living, but it is also where, over the course of World War Two, British and Canadian forces were based.

And then, in 1943, the Americans also arrived.

This included the now famous US paratrooper unit Easy Company - the "Band of Brothers" immortalised by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks in the 2001 television series, based on the book by Stephen E Ambrose.

Aldbourne Heritage Centre has displays about Easy Company's time in the village

Many of the officers stayed in the old Rectory or people's homes, with their headquarters at Littlecote House. Other soldiers were housed in Nissen huts on Farm Lane, and overflows in the likes of the stables at Hightown.

The village had five pubs. The Blue Boar was the officers' pub, while the others served all soldiers, including The Crown, which remains open to this day and has a discreet blue plaque on the wall.

Simon Crisp, villager and landlord of The Crown, said the pub's connection to Easy Company attracted people from far and wide - including hundreds of Americans who came on tours each year.

"For a very small village, the ties with America are quite big," he said.

"For me as a villager, and with veterans in my family, it's all about respect."

The Crown Inn Aldbourne today, many a Paratrooper pint served and Simon Crip (on the right) the Pubs owner.

For the local people in 1943, the arrival of the "yanks" was an exciting prospect.

They brought with them sweets, chewing gum and dances.

In an oral history recorded in 2006 by the Memorial Hall Trustees, Audrey Barret said: "They were all so friendly. To young people - and the boys - it was exciting. It was really an event when the Americans came."

Ms Barret remembered attending dances with them, adding: "They would come into our house and write letters and chat and laugh."

Rosemary Connor was the daughter of the local barber and spoke to the BBC a decade ago when she was 86.

She said: "We took to them fairly quickly. They could write home and tell their folks they had their hair cut by a lady barber."

The Band of Brothers Plaque outside the Crown Inn

In the village, the Easy Company prepared for the D-Day invasion.

The paratroopers flew from Upottery in Devon in the early hours of 6 June 1944, before parachuting into Normandy.

Dropped behind enemy lines, they would go on to fight numerous battles across Europe.

Evidence of their time in Aldbourne lies just beneath the grass of the village playing field, which 80 years ago was covered in Nissen huts, the crescent-shaped buildings that housed the soldiers.

For the past several years, there have been archaeological digs at the site as part of a scheme called Operation Nightingale, led by Archaeologist Richard Osgood

Veterans and serving personnel are invited to work on the digs and say they feel a connection to the people whose lives they are finding out about too.

Aldbourne Heritage centre has many authentic finds from the Digs.

Finds from the digs have included a "clicker" designed for use on D-Day itself, dog tags with men's names on and a pull for a parachute.

Metal detecting in an Aldbourne resident's back garden also uncovered a complete American World War Two canteen.

The artefacts go to Aldbourne Heritage Centre, which now has so many items it had to have an extra display case made.

Terry Gilligan founded the centre nearly 10 years ago and said Easy Company is now a huge part of the village's identity.

"We have a massive history and this is one piece of it, but it's probably now the most important piece," he said.

This is not least driven by the many visitors, especially Americans, who come to find out more about the Band of Brothers and where they trained ahead of D-Day.

"The village loves seeing visitors - they will see the coaches pull into the village," Mr Gilligan said.

Soldiers' dog tags have been found on the digs, including this one for Carl Fenstermaker, one of the original Easy company