Herbert Sobel is selected as the first commanding officer of Easy Company and sets to work shaping the group. Though his tactics are described as petty and tyrannical, he is determined that his company will be the best in the regiment, and to accomplish his aim he drills his men longer, runs them faster, and trains them harder. The men of Easy Company are steadfast in accomplishing his aims, though they almost all universally hate him. Sobel is a disciplinarian who leads through fear as opposed to leading by example.

Captain Sobel is the definitive reason that Easy Company becomes such an outstanding, unflappable unit. Even though he never commands Easy Company in a single battle, the men he transforms into hardened warriors beat the Germans at almost every opportunity. Shaping these men is Captain Sobel’s true accomplishment and his greatest contribution to the events in the European theater. And though he does not receive adulation for the battlefield success accomplished by Easy Company, all the men of Easy Company solemnly believe that the reason their company achieves such excellence is due largely to Captain Sobel’s strict command. Herbert Sobel does well in the other posts he holds after his transfer from Easy Company. Even so, Captain Herbert Sobel resents the members of Easy Company for the rest of his life.