AMERICAN soldiers will be going into action in a $120 million TV series tonight -- wearing clothing from a Bolton army surplus store.

Overlord Militaria in Tonge Moor Road has supplied a range of US-issue army clothing and weapons for Steven Spielberg's epic Second World War series, Band of Brothers.

Spielberg's film company, Dreamworks, contacted store owner Pete Lomax wanting to buy original military merchandise for the cast, which includes Friends star David Schwimmer.

Dreamworks staff were commissioned to track down Second World War goods from across the country, and the Bolton store did not disappoint.

They sold 120 pairs of American Second World War leggings, a range of original steel helmets and officer's side caps, bayonets, machetes, silver identification bracelets, tunics and military badges.

Dreamworks' chiefs even bought the store's range of American 48-star national flags.

Mr Lomax said: "We got a phone call asking for machetes and general war memorabilia. The studio executive then got the train up the next day and couldn't believe how much stock we had.

"We were told that the main people later on in the episodes would be wearing the silver ID bracelets. It could be David Schwimmer -- who knows?"

Costing around $120 million (£85 million) to make, Band of Brothers, which has been co-written by Hollywood actor Tom Hanks, starts tonight on BBC2. It was filmed in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, where Oscar-winner Saving Private Ryan was shot. Band of Brothers has also been co-commissioned by the BBC.

The 10-part true life series, based on the novel by US historian Stephen Ambrose, chronicles the story of Easy Company, the 506th Regiment of the US Army 101st Airborne Division during the Second World War.

David Schwimmer plays Lieutenant Herbert Sobel, a fearsome leader criticised for his tactics.

Successful

The story, billed as more accurate than Spielberg's Oscar-winning film Saving Private Ryan, follows the division's rise to become one of the most successful US paratroop units of all time.

Mr Lomax was also invited to Hatfield to see the set and has seen the first three episodes. He said: "We delivered another load of merchandise to the set and I can honestly say I don't think there has been another war movie that has gone into so much detail.

"To see our stock being used in such a fantastic production made me feel very proud."

For a review of Stephen Ambrose's novel, Band of Brothers, see tomorrow's Bolton Evening News book page.