THE arrival of American troops in the village of Aldbourne during the Second World War is being dramatised in a new Steven Spielberg television epic.

But the village near Swindon won't actually be seen in the 10-part series The Band of Brothers because Spielberg decided to film in Oxfordshire instead.

The dramatisation tells the story of the 101st Airborne Division the Screaming Eagles and its 506 Parachute/Infantry Regiment, dubbed the Easy Company, which was stationed in Aldbourne during war.

The £10m series is being made by an American cable television company but the BBC has bought the rights to show the series later this year.

Spielberg chose the village of Hambledon near Henley-on-Thames for filming because it had less traffic than Aldbourne.

Villagers are still looking forward to watching the series, which will rekindle memories .

Military history researcher Clive Stevens, 26, who lives in Silverless Street, Marlborough, said: "Many older people in Aldbourne still recall waking up one morning and finding the village green covered in American troops."

Arriving in a quaint old Wiltshire village was also a culture shock for the American troops. In the book Band of Brothers, written by Stephen Ambrose, one soldier described waking up on the first morning.

"I thought I had passed out on a Hollywood movie set," said the GI. "All around were fairybook cottages with thatched roofs and rose vines on their sides."

Aldbourne has featured in a number of TV productions over the years, including Dr Who.