I know dozens of men who did the same to join back-up after 9/11, myself included. I take nothing from Mr..Blythe but only mention this so you understand there are many younger men who served with the same tenacity and dedication to our Country
@keithwilliams3935 Yes sir. I know a few myself. My comment was more about how I assumed the man dead based on the series. Obviously he has passed now but there was so much more to his story. 👍 🇺🇸
It always gets to me when repercussions of service are discussed. After all it isn't 'happily ever after '. What fighting a war does not only to civilian populations involved, but to all of the soldiers who survive from every side has a huge knock on effect. I'm left wondering what the world would be like if two generations of the majority of the worlds population hadn't gone through the 2 World Wars? Many men seemed to have a sense of duty that led them to re-enlist. They felt that they needed to use their experience to help green recruits survive. Others just lost themselves and for many reasons couldn't bare to go home, they were all changed men. Who knows what Sgt. Blithes reasons were. From what I've learned of his story I think the series did a good job of presenting him, though not fixing the mistake of his death is a black eye on Tom Hanks and Stephen Spielberg. Nobody knows how they will react in combat until they're in it. You imagine your self as the brave hero before you see, hear, feel, and do things in combat.
they could easily update the panel at the end of the episode on all future releases. It's a travesty that they didn't do this one simple act to honor a fallen hero. The pox on them.
The used his story to encompass what happened to a lot of other Men not mentioned at all. His character portrayed what many guys went through, the only hard part was they were misinformed that he died in WWII. Many of the cast were actually doing things that 2-3 other folks did as they kept the main cast limited.
Thank you so much for honoring this hero. I have been a student of WWII for more than 40 years. "Band of Brothers" was an amazing retelling of an entire company of heros. In 2004 I worked at Lowe's as a paint specialist. A friend in lumber was named Joe Lesnewski. I rented the series from a movie rental place and, as you know, the first soldier who speaks is Joe Lesnewski. I went to work the next day and mentioned this to Joe and he said, "Yeah, that's my dad"! I was blown away. Unfortunately, I never had the honor of meeting his dad. He passed away before I had the chance. I would heve loved to shake his hand and thank him for his sacrifice. Joe Sr was a mailman here in Erie, PA until he retired. That's what I find most incredible about "The Greatest Generation". They lived through literal hell and came home and continued to build the country. We will never know MEN like that again. Thank you for remembering Sergeant Blithe. (BTW; Lesnewski is pronounced Les-NEV-skee. Just thought you'd like to know)
On the contrary, every generation has men and women of this stature. They are the people that enlisted and serve with distinction. My father was h&s company 9th Marines 3rd Marine division at Bougainville and the liberation of Guam. And I served three tours in Vietnam. I don't believe my dad or I did any less with our civilian lives then others who have faithfully served in the United States armed forces
Thank you for this. The Blithe episode has always disturbed me. I understand what the producers wanted to explore with his character but they should have done it with a fictional composite rather than tarnishing a real man's reputation.
Don't blame the producers. They got the story from Ambose's book. Ambrose got the story from Guarnare and Heffron. Ambrose was a consultant for the series. The book had been out for years before the series was filmed. I'm amazed how many people blame the producers instead of the author of the book and the two guys who told the author the story.
It was an honest mistake by Guarnare and Heffron, they thought they went to his funeral that was years later and they may not even confirmed that it was Blithe to Ambrose. But we might never know.
Band of Brothers is my favorite WWII series it's crazy how Hollywood twisted a lot of the soldiers story my dad served in WWII and he left me his story on VHS
@@MJ-we9vuI agree that it is a tragedy that the information was not correct, but these were old men who were telling the story. It is inevitable that there would be mistakes. I'm glad that this video corrected the error.
This reminded me of something my dad talked about a few times. He was on a Liberty ship in the Pacific. One of the men who piloted the landing craft failed to return to the ship during the landings Iwo Jima. The ship's crew assumed he'd died. Years later he showed up at a reunion.
Reminds me of that Story of the Japanese Soldier left on an Island in the Philippines. He was told that they would come back for him and to no matter what keep fighting until they come back for him, no matter how long it took! They forgot about him left him there and 29 years after the war ended he was still on that island and killing tourists because he thought the war was still on! 🤯
@@Rsb22SemperFi There were a few different Japanese soldiers that were left behind and kept "fighting" or doing what they can until they were caught. I know of one in Guam that kept going until the 1970s and we always went looking for his hideouts whenever we went into the boonies as kids lol.
Ambrose and the producers didn't know his full story until after the show aired, so I give them some slack at the original airing. However, HBO has had 25 years and the technology to change the final plackard, but has chosen not to do so. That is shameful in my opinion, especially when you consider all the shows they have had on where "offending" content has been deleted out.
Actually there is evidence that Ambrose was informed of the error after the first publication and before the second, but CHOSE not to correct the error. I think it was the 3rd or 4th publication before it was changed. The film crews were working off the 1st publication of the book, and again Ambrose CHOSE not to inform them of the error.
The point you make about the fact that they immediately correct certain other things but did nothing to correct the account of Albert Blythe, is a good one. 100% agree.
Perhaps a Georgia accent was an easier accent to mimic for the English actor Marc Warren who portrayed Blithe. There were quite a few British actors, portraying Americans in that film (including Damian Lewis as Dick Winters) and at least one Irishman.
@@crackpot148 sure, but people from Philadelphia don’t have Southern accents, and they don’t say things like “I don’t rightly know, sir,” like the Blithe character does in Band of Brothers. It’s kind of like if a story about a Cockney had that character speaking with a Liverpool accent.
Oh, I completely agree and my explanation is just a "maybe", hence my use of "perhaps". One would have to ask those who shaped the direction of the film dialogue for a definitive answer but I suspect that even then there wouldn't be a fully acceptable explanation. At least not acceptable to an American who has a much firmer grasp of the differences between regional US accents than any non American watching the film.
Thank you for setting the record straight on this heroic man. I am in awe of the courage of these young men to jump out of an airplane and then going at the enemy while being shot at. No one knows how they will react under fire. These men have been tested in battle and demonstrated the courage to stand and fight. I'm still thankful to Steven Ambrose and the producers of that miniseries. Mistakes were made but still, here we are decades later, talking about a man who we undoubtedly would never have heard of if not for Ambrose and the other others. For that, I will always be grateful to them as imperfect as their account was.
So you alright with a huge lie being told about Master Sergeant Albert Blithe? The man could have taken his discharge after WWII and continued with his disability pension. Instead he headed to the Korean War and jumped into a combat zone. He continued his service afterwards while many of the Easy Company guys had been settled into a civilian job for over 20 years. I think it's upsetting for his family to see him portrayed in a negative light and then to shortchange his combat service in Korea. All of this because an author couldn't research the man especially after being portrayed in such a negative light in the series. He based that on a couple of old guys that had sketchy memories. That paratrooper had 2 combat jumps stars, CIB, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart. He was also a combat veteran of the 101st ABN and 187th RCT (Rakkasans). AATW!!
@@ralphalvarez5465 There is a difference between being "Alright" with a lie and recognizing that something that is flawed still has important value. The OP thanked them for making this video, complimented Blythe's courage, and was thankful for the series because it has helped many people truly realize the heroism of the men of Easy Company and all men. He was not making the light of the lie but recognizing that the series and book still has value despite the flaws it has.
This is why I love the pacific. The bulk of the show is based on Eugene Sledge's and Robert Leckie's memoirs. Not some guy collecting stories that may or may not be true.
Ambrose wasn’t a great historian. He was ok but played fast and loose with the truth and veterans accounts. On the plus side though he brought the focus back on to ww2.
Ambrose has always been controversial. He loves finding things that can't be fully verified, then finding just enough evidence to support his made up version. He's a decent enough writer but none of his work should ever be considered more than fiction. HBO really should have just changed all the character names to start with.
I think Ambrose was a careless researcher, but a good writer. If he was a bad writer then Band of Brothers would never had been made, I am thankful he got so many 1st hand accounts he did whether right or wrong. He
Hopefully if BoB has some sort of anniversary release like 25th or whatever, at very least to make correction on Blithe caption. He was definitely a bad ass.
Man! Thank you so much for this video and for telling this man's story. It completely changes my perception of his character in the series. Hanks and Spielberg should be ashamed.
The Video Creator deserves many kudos for presenting the story of a great unsung hero. May Albert Blithe rest in peace. And thank you for fighting to preserve my American freedoms.
My dad was a tail gunner in a B-17, which was shot down on a mission over Germany, and spent the rest of the war in a German prison camp. Growing up, he didn't talk much about the war until we were older. As kids, we could never have holiday fireworks because the pop and bang took him back to the war which made him very uneasy. My dad is my life hero. I have never known a better man.
When was your Dad shot down? He might have been in the same POW camp with my Dad. Stalag Luft IV in Poland. He was there from July '44 to Jan '45 when the Germans evacuated the camps and marched the POWs west.
Anytime a “veteran” says fireworks on a known holiday, set them off…they’re probably telling you a tale lol. That’s some cliche Hollywood idea of “ptsd”. Harder to verify stories from back then, many many men have lied about their service and such, for decades and decades.. Everyone I’ve known with that fireworks things, has been full of shit lol. Speaking as a combat veteran of Afghanistan. 0331.
I will save you all 15 min. Everyone heard that a guy with the same name died so they all thought he was dead but he wasn't and they never saw him again so thats what got written down in the book.
That was your takeaway from this video? Not that everything on the show was pretty much completely wrong about him or that he died more than 20 years later after having served and earned bronze and silver stars in Korea.
Another disservice was Sobel and Norman Dike (sort of, kind of). A lot of Easy members including Winters credited Sobel and his training as a main factor on how well they performed in combat. Shifty powers said he admired him. He attempted to self delete (YT rules) but only blinded himself. He would die in a VA nursing home from malnutrition and no service was held. Norman Dike on the other hand was a bigger disservice. He was awarded a bronze star during operation market garden for: "organized and led scattered groups of parachutists in the successful defense of an important road junction on the vital Einhoven (sic)-Arnhem Supply Route against superior and repeated attacks, while completely surrounded.". During the battle at Bastogne he was wounded several witnesses said, he didn't panic though Lipton claimed he had "fallen apart", but this contested. He was awarded a second bronze star at Bastogne for: action at Bastogne, in which "he personally removed from an exposed position, in full enemy view, three wounded members of his company, while under intense small arms fire" on 3 January 1945.". He would then go on to serve in Korea and achieve the rank of Lt. Colonel, I believe doing several more combat jumps during that conflict.
Ambrose based BoB very heavily on the accounts of a handful of individuals, and it is very beholden to their subjective views of other people and events. There are numerous individuals that received negative portrayals in the book and series like Cobb, Peacock, Dyke, Shames etc because certain individuals didn't like them out there was one or two anecdotes that got turned into their whole character. Similarly, others like Nixon who had a lot of negative stories got given a makeover because they were friends with the key interviewees (like Winters) and it made for a good narrative.
Winters made it clear in his own book that he did not like Sobel and he thought Sobel was a sadistic person. I think he does give Sobel credit for bringing the men together but not in a good way. Also I have read a few people did like Sobel but most definitely did not like him. I can’t remember who said it but recall reading a member of the 101st saying that the people who liked Sobel were considered kiss asses by the rest of the company. Now I admit that was the opinion of one soldier but I a lot went on to say negative things about him. Apparently he blamed the 101st for most of his later troubles in life and refused to go to any of the reunions even after being personally invited. Just stating the facts as I have read them.
@@bobbyb2222 yes I know. Winters didn't like him but gave him credit for his training as well as bringing them together in a bad way. My statement wasn't he was wholly hated or disliked, there were a few that did like him, shifty powers writing about it for instance. Most if not all the non comm's didn't like him. I didn't know/haven't read he blamed the 101st for his later life troubles considering he left the army a lieutenant Colonel, but I can see where the animosity from losing the company would cause that.
@@bobbyb2222 one of Sobel's son's went to one reunion and some of the men there explained to him that more of them would have died if his father had remained in command. The part about him being terrible at navigation and combat tactics was true.
@@bobbyb2222this reminds me of an officer I had for a long time in the fire service, he was a shitty man, a shitty husband, and an absolute manipulator, but god damn could he fight fire, and by being such a cruel leader, he build at least 3 of the best firefighters I’ve ever met, I’m glad he’s gone now, but he definitely deserves credit for training some excellent men
I don't think BoB portrayed him as a coward. The way he is shown, he had psychological issues that were completely unintentional. To borrow a term from WWI, he had shellshock.
@@KC-yu4py I think they were going for relatable. A simple human who was overwhelmed by the situation and found his way to not only function but continue on. Contrast that to the other characters in the show up to that point who were portrayed as John Wayne types who never hesitated.
To my fellow WWII Enthusiasts: By watching at least a dozen Amazing videos on the WAR & TRUTH channel, Ive learned that there were MANY Mistakes, Inaccuracies, and Outright LIES that Steven Ambrose made in his book Band of Brothers, which was then further perpetuated by Hanks and Spielberg in the series- And being that I Absolutely Loved that series So Much that I’ve watched it in it’s entirety countless times, I was Deeply Disturbed to have learned that- Especially bc those Incredibly Brave men are All of my heroes and it Infuriated me that many of them, like Albert Blithe, were either Disrespected and/or Disregarded- Anyways, Since the content of this video is something that I Truly Love and Appreciate, I Of Course Really Enjoyed it- And, Since it was So Well Done, I Of Course had to subscribe- Although, I could swear that I had already subscribed to this channel many months ago- But, Thank You So Much History vs Hollywood for your Amazing video and for Honoring Albert Blithe by telling his True Story and I look forward to watching more of your videos!
Its a shame they got his story all wrong. Kudos to this channel that got his story correct and put it out there for all to know the real truth and story. Afraid in the beginning but one of the many heroes that bravely served our country. May he rest in peace.
Comes down to simple paper work errors common when the family doesnt know much or it is simply over looked.... i commonly see missed wars on stones. Recently saw a 3 war pilots stone who was missing his ww2 service but credited him for Korea & Vietnam. Sadly this stuff is usually done by the family and they just dont know what they are doing. Other times they might have had some paper work filled out that is incomplete and still used.
This one is on Stephen Ambrose. He was a trained historian and, in the first part of his career, a good one. Among other things, he wrote the official biography of Dwight D Eisenhower. Unfortunately, later in his career, he produced a lot of material that was lacking in basic historical professionalism. Band of Brothers was one such work. A professional historian would be expected to corroborate the surviving members’ (faulty) recollection of Blithe’s fate, but he chose not to and ended up putting faulty information into the historical record (which was then parroted by “Hollywood”).
Looking at my copy of Band of Brothers, I see in the index where Albert Blithe is mentioned on two pages, 98 and 103. Page 98 is the story from Dick Winters about Blithe recovering his sight. Page 103 mentions Blithe being on point and getting a sniper's bullet in the neck, but that's it; nothing more about the severity of the wound or of the eventual outcome of Blithe's wounding. There are no other references to Albert Blithe in the book, from what I can see.
@@adamrichardson6821if you listen to the video a bit after the halfway point, it looks like you have a newer edition of the book with most of the faulty info removed. However, as the video notes, your edition still incorrectly states that he was shot in the neck- not in the clavicle.
Wow!! Talk about a SNAFU. Thank you so much for setting the record straight. Albert Blithe needs a Wikipedia page or something so that he can be understood and remembered for the hero that he was. His story should be easily accessible to all since HBO has never bothered to change anything regarding his fate/life.
🫡🇺🇲 A very great big wonderful salute to Albert Blithe for his Valiant Heroic service of one of our greatest generations and may He truly Rest in Peace!.
He served in the same regiment as Ronald Spiers….. a regiment is a very big place. And consider when Blithe was evac OUT of easy company, NEVER TO RETURN , spiers was not even in Easy company yet …. So how likely was it that Either of them would notice the other, and then make contact? NEXT POINT …. The 1973 fire destroyed the service record of 80% of soldiers discharged between 1912 and 1960 Third point…. blythe attended exactly ONE reunion, and its unknown who he spoke with at that reunion. 4 th point Heffron and Garneer attended the funeral of someone named almost exactly the same back in 1948. Its not that “no one knew” Its just that of the fraction of the company that were still alive and were interviewed the only memory was a misunderstanding
Not everything is some psycho conspiracy theory man, misunderstandings and oversights do happen quite often. What you are doing is just as disrespectful to Easy veterans as what Band of Brothers did.
@@brettkozak3479 I don't believe I was pushing any particular conspiracy. It just seems odd that he was at a reunion yet when the book was written people said he was dead. And wow, I'm being disrespectful? You should really take a breath and smell the roses.
My dad, a WWII and a good, good man got worn down by life and found comfort in Gin. He was at his very best then, loved singing & tinkling Ivory keys and was a natural leader in any Royal Canadian Legion in good work. Sure do miss that old drunk. He was a good man.
Outstanding piece or work. Great job of setting the record straight. Thank you for bringing it to light. A salute goes out from me to both the author and to Sergeant Blithe.
My wife's grandfather was an Australian artillery gunner, captured in the Fall of Singapore in 1942 and spent the rest of the war as a POW in Japan. All my wife remembers of him as she grew up was he drank a hell of a lot of alcohol. He drowned his bad memories before passing away in the late 60s.
Subbed! Thank you for setting the story straight. I had no idea about Blithe! I knew the Band of Brothers story was incorrect but I didn't know Blithe fought in Korea and continued to serve. I'm an alcoholic myself after my service . . . it is horrible.
I find it so strange they dedicated an episode to him but didn't even bother checking with the family or Army to see what happened to him. Also... you know they had military advisors attached to work on the film..... not one of them thought about checking records? The worst offense.... the offending title card is on a black screen... they can easily insert the correct text to fix the issue.
Thanks for the truth. I have read several of these books on these paratroopers, being the son of a paratrooper, my appreciation for these men is pure admiration. As my father has said about men like Blithe and others like him "they have been there and done that". 600 jumps, Master Sgt., two wars, speaks for itself. May he rest in peace, God knows he earned it.
I'm thankful for You Tube and this channel to bring to light and correct information that was thought to have been correct. To Master Sgt Blithe for his courage and dedication to the Army, his unit and the men he served with, in addition to his family. God Bless
Well done for doing the work to set this straight. In the USA there is the 'Tomb of the Unknown Soldier' In the UK we have the Cenotaph. Those who gave their live in the first two disagreements (Kudos to Autoshananigans for the term) and from either side in the many smaller disagreements since then. As such the truth must outshine the need to make money. Those who fell should be remembered and those who returned having seen so many horrors, should NEVER be left to rot!
@@jessicarowley9631 I am ashamed for not knowing that having lost so many of my forefathers in the last two wars. I thank you for bringing this to my attention.
tldr; the series is based off a book where the author completely went off interviews and did no additional research, so there are lots of inaccuracies. So glad we have people willing to do the work to get to the actual story.
I have since experienced something like hysterical blindness. I have DID Amnesia. In moments of stress my sensory system stops recording. Maybe it’s all or sometimes one or another. It is always vision. My brain turns off some systems or all but I still functioned. I just don’t have a memory of that time. Everything turned off from early May until August 12 when it began to end with recognition of a sentence. Over a period of time gradually I reconnected with reality. During the time I was dissociated I kept four children, house, my usual responsibilities. I nursed the youngest who was in his first year. No one ever said I was odd in any way. I suspect my husband noticed something because the sentence was, “your parents are coming early in the morning. I’m going to take you somewhere special for your birthday” He caused this event. Blythe was given a reprieve by Winters. His kind encouraging words were what Blythe needed, as you observed In the video.
My dad fought in the ETO. He was awarded two bronze stars for actions in combat. I was aware from his mentioning that he was hospitalized at the end of the war. It was for combat fatigue. After his death a year ago I read his hospital report of his stay. I’m just amazed that he was able not let his combat experience affect his marriage and raising a family. He was a good father. What he did suffer from was reoccurring bad dreams of combat till his death.
I cottoned on to something being amiss with Albert's story from the series. He wasn't listed in the fallen at the end credits. A really good clarification of the full story and for his everlasting honour.
There’s little inaccurate about Captain Sobel. He was a martinet who unified his command by making every individual hate his guts, and so incompetent that he was removed from command by his superior officers on the eve of battle.
@@michaelmcmeel914 There are far more than one member of the 501 who stated after the war that Sobel "made Easy company" His dicipline, demands and expectation made what Easy company became. Not being liked is irrelevant. According to some in the compoany, Winters amongst others, didnt think he was fit for combat command. That, however, didnt stop him commanding a squad of four, from destrying a machingun nest on the night of D-day after parachuting in with the 101st airborne.
@ I understand what the men said, and I understand why. Considering you continue to defend Sobel, you probably don’t. I also understand that Captain Sobel was no coward, whatever his shortcomings. But Sobel was far from the only man in the Army promoted past his ability who let his insecurities lead him to abuse his men. Make no mistake, making up infractions and issuing punishments based on those lies is not the hallmark of excellent leadership. The men who were there in 1944 refused to work for him. They removed him from command. The men who knew him and the situation best judged him and found him wanting. Who are you to demand charity now that they are all gone?
Loved the series and discovering your channel is awesome to hear more stories of these amazing heros. I have to say though you are so on the money re your comments about the service during conflict essentially only being the beginning of their sacrifice. A proper depiction of his life, be it only in a text box at the end of the episode would have added a huge amount to the episode and show generally. A man who pulled himself up by the boot straps, had an out not once but twice and overcame fear that blinded him, to go on a fight in Korea and to live, as best he could with the mental anguish. I think I've a new favourite character. Also being British we love a good balls up and the lads going to the wrong funeral adds that little bit of humour to a very dark chapter.
If making a semi-documentary style film of real people especially of such sensitive subject matter the Producers and filmmakers of such do have a responsibility to portray those involved as accurately as they possibly can.
I never saw my uncle drunk but my aunt met him in a bar where he was constantly inebriated. He was a Vietnam Veteran and POW. He crawled out of the bottle by the time he married my aunt. He was a brilliant man and taught himself a lot and got degrees in college.
Just like they did Capt. Sobel....We only have Dick Winter's word that Sobel couldn't read a map. How much of his "failures" were BECAUSE of the so called Band of brothers??? They pulled JOKE after JOKE on him, finally getting him REMOVED as their Capt.
Thank you! I have known this for quite some time and it had made me angry. Why the hell would you want to tarnish someone's name for theatrical purposes. Kind of goes against everything they're trying do by honoring these men. This should be more of an outrage than it is. Imagine how his relatives feel after seeing B.O.B.
Wow, I heard they got this detail wrong but I had no idea they were so far off the mark. The man was a career soldier! Served in 2 wars! Excellent video
While historians may not always get their trade right those who seek the truth afterward are important to those who lived that history. Thank you and thanks Albert Blithe.
Thanks for this look at Sgt. Blythe. Having seen BOB, you have a jaded view of him and this set it straight. If you live your life and your son says he is proud of the man you were then that's all one can really hope for. Godspeed Albert!
Albert Blithe's real story is so much more impressive than what is shown in the Band of Brothers miniseries. He was a career soldier and certified badass.
Thankfully Albert Blithe real story has come to light. To serve in two conflicts and be awarded for his actions. Truly shows Albert's dedication to the Paratroopers. Sad to hear how Albert died of Kidney Failure. 💪👃✨
I do not agree, if fact, that sounds like a very negative attitude. Stephen E. Ambrose wrote his book based on many interviews with veterans and often there were differences between the way different men remembered things, (what do you expect after forty or fifty years?). Ambrose could only work with the information he had. My copy of the book is a later print and at the back of the book there are corrections for many things because after the mini-series was aired, a number of people wrote to Ambrose with information he did not previously have.
@ My comments were directed at the show’s production staff. Stephen Ambrose may have started out as an objective academic but he became a known plagiarist and was notorious for producing work of questionable veracity so that he could monetize the narratives.
As a retired combat veteran this disgusts me that they defamed this great hero by not fully doing their own research by contacting the military or Albert's family. Albert is a hero and should have been treated as such. Albert you are an American hero.
His death was brought forth by a series of miscommunications. Easy believed he had died and it lasted for years. Coupled with the fact that the series was filmed in the late 1990's, the internet was not the way it is today and contacting family without knowing location was also hard, if not near impossible.
Crazy that after all he had done, he died in Germany 22 years after the war that he fought valiantly to survive in as a young man. Germany is a beautiful place and is my second home so I can appreciate the irony of his passing there.
My Grandmother has a brother who fights in Italy with de F.E.B (Brazilian Expedictionary Force - 1944/5). He returns with strange behaviour and suddenly fears, i was a child at this point (middle of 60ths), and he dies few years later.
I’ve always thought it was cool that the character who struggles so much with doing his duty and functioning as a soldier is actually based off of a dude that went on to be a career soldier and a hero. That would have been a much better outcome for the character because his arc would involve him g working through his fear and becoming an all American badass. I get that it happened because of a little mistaken identity from the veterans of Easy, but it’s really such a cool story.
Good, it shows how here say can help create an amazing series like band of brothers but research is important too to establish facts like this. Remember they gave everything the least we can do is remember them.
I am glad to learn of the 'real' story and from the book and show, had a fondness for the character. I know a lot of post war stories and such personal destructive aftermath of war as well as much better outcomes. I watch my combat veteran USMC Son like a hawk.
My dad was at Normandy. Utah beach. He was watching the German artillery walking his way when it suddenly stopped. The war messed him up. He saw a lot of his buddies killed at the Bulge. Alcohol was his escape too. He died June 6, 2007 at 4:24 pm.. I can’t help believing that he was reliving that day 63 years before.
If he received the Silver Star and the Bronze Star, why is it not annotated, on his grave marker, next to the PH (Purple Heart) ?? Yet another disservice to this man's memory.
Some men have the ability to turn a switch off in their brain and let the training take over. Emotions are left at the door while seeing, performing, and/or, ordering combatants to execute horrible tasks that are necessary to win the battle. Once out of combat, these few rare men can then turn the swich back on and not have any repercussions about what they saw or did. Unfortunately, most men don't have this mental switch and suffer from it the rest of their lives.
It would seem to be an easy fix to change the text at the end of the episode and correct the record. This is more than a typo it is dishonoring a man’s life who gave everything to the service of his country.
Wow. Not only did he not die. He waived his military disability payments to rejoin and go to Korea. Thats crazy. RIP.
I know dozens of men who did the same to join back-up after 9/11, myself included. I take nothing from Mr..Blythe but only mention this so you understand there are many younger men who served with the same tenacity and dedication to our Country
@keithwilliams3935 Yes sir. I know a few myself. My comment was more about how I assumed the man dead based on the series. Obviously he has passed now but there was so much more to his story.
👍 🇺🇸
It always gets to me when repercussions of service are discussed. After all it isn't 'happily ever after '. What fighting a war does not only to civilian populations involved, but to all of the soldiers who survive from every side has a huge knock on effect. I'm left wondering what the world would be like if two generations of the majority of the worlds population hadn't gone through the 2 World Wars?
Many men seemed to have a sense of duty that led them to re-enlist. They felt that they needed to use their experience to help green recruits survive. Others just lost themselves and for many reasons couldn't bare to go home, they were all changed men. Who knows what Sgt. Blithes reasons were.
From what I've learned of his story I think the series did a good job of presenting him, though not fixing the mistake of his death is a black eye on Tom Hanks and Stephen Spielberg. Nobody knows how they will react in combat until they're in it. You imagine your self as the brave hero before you see, hear, feel, and do things in combat.
Not having his story correct is a true disservice and shame to a hero like Albert Blithe.
they could easily update the panel at the end of the episode on all future releases. It's a travesty that they didn't do this one simple act to honor a fallen hero. The pox on them.
The used his story to encompass what happened to a lot of other Men not mentioned at all. His character portrayed what many guys went through, the only hard part was they were misinformed that he died in WWII. Many of the cast were actually doing things that 2-3 other folks did as they kept the main cast limited.
I agree with you 💯 percent!
They didn’t know till after someone saw the series
@@xmanc5687 They knew.....
Thank you so much for honoring this hero. I have been a student of WWII for more than 40 years. "Band of Brothers" was an amazing retelling of an entire company of heros. In 2004 I worked at Lowe's as a paint specialist. A friend in lumber was named Joe Lesnewski. I rented the series from a movie rental place and, as you know, the first soldier who speaks is Joe Lesnewski. I went to work the next day and mentioned this to Joe and he said, "Yeah, that's my dad"! I was blown away. Unfortunately, I never had the honor of meeting his dad. He passed away before I had the chance. I would heve loved to shake his hand and thank him for his sacrifice. Joe Sr was a mailman here in Erie, PA until he retired. That's what I find most incredible about "The Greatest Generation". They lived through literal hell and came home and continued to build the country. We will never know MEN like that again. Thank you for remembering Sergeant Blithe. (BTW; Lesnewski is pronounced
Les-NEV-skee. Just thought you'd like to know)
I'm a couple hours-ish south of you, in Butler. 😁
On the contrary, every generation has men and women of this stature. They are the people that enlisted and serve with distinction. My father was h&s company 9th Marines 3rd Marine division at Bougainville and the liberation of Guam. And I served three tours in Vietnam. I don't believe my dad or I did any less with our civilian lives then others who have faithfully served in the United States armed forces
Thank you and your father for your service. I served 24 years.
@teddonely1962 My dad did 12 ending as a 1st Lt in the army (6 USMC/6 Army) and I did 32 months with an early out for returning from overseas.
Many hundreds of thousands of Vietnam vets went through hell, but came home and built the country.
During an interview Winters said this was biggest disservice in the show and not happy about it.
The entire movie was a disservice.
@@gespenjaeger2370 Movie? What were you watching?
@ToeInMyJam if you watch the whole thing in one day then it's a movie. It's possible
@ToeInMyJam you know what he means stop being a Doyle
RIP
Albert Blithe
(1923-1967)
Thank you for this. The Blithe episode has always disturbed me. I understand what the producers wanted to explore with his character but they should have done it with a fictional composite rather than tarnishing a real man's reputation.
Don't blame the producers. They got the story from Ambose's book. Ambrose got the story from Guarnare and Heffron. Ambrose was a consultant for the series. The book had been out for years before the series was filmed. I'm amazed how many people blame the producers instead of the author of the book and the two guys who told the author the story.
It was an honest mistake by Guarnare and Heffron, they thought they went to his funeral that was years later and they may not even confirmed that it was Blithe to Ambrose. But we might never know.
Band of Brothers is my favorite WWII series it's crazy how Hollywood twisted a lot of the soldiers story my dad served in WWII and he left me his story on VHS
@@MJ-we9vuI agree that it is a tragedy that the information was not correct, but these were old men who were telling the story. It is inevitable that there would be mistakes. I'm glad that this video corrected the error.
This reminded me of something my dad talked about a few times. He was on a Liberty ship in the Pacific. One of the men who piloted the landing craft failed to return to the ship during the landings Iwo Jima. The ship's crew assumed he'd died. Years later he showed up at a reunion.
Reminds me of that Story of the Japanese Soldier left on an Island in the Philippines. He was told that they would come back for him and to no matter what keep fighting until they come back for him, no matter how long it took! They forgot about him left him there and 29 years after the war ended he was still on that island and killing tourists because he thought the war was still on! 🤯
@@Rsb22SemperFi There were a few different Japanese soldiers that were left behind and kept "fighting" or doing what they can until they were caught. I know of one in Guam that kept going until the 1970s and we always went looking for his hideouts whenever we went into the boonies as kids lol.
Bravery isn't the absence of fear, but to function in spite of it.
"We're all afraid, any man out here who isn't afraid is lying or dead", Lt. Hillbilly Jones - USMC Pelielu, WW 2.
Any man who says he's not afraid during conflict/battle is either a pathological liar or a sociopath...best to steering clear of those types
Thats courage, bravery indeed is the absence of fear
Well sad 👏
Ambrose and the producers didn't know his full story until after the show aired, so I give them some slack at the original airing. However, HBO has had 25 years and the technology to change the final plackard, but has chosen not to do so. That is shameful in my opinion, especially when you consider all the shows they have had on where "offending" content has been deleted out.
I don’t think they “chose” not to change it. It just wasn’t in their to do list, not for any nefarious reason. I doubt HBO is even aware of it.
Actually there is evidence that Ambrose was informed of the error after the first publication and before the second, but CHOSE not to correct the error. I think it was the 3rd or 4th publication before it was changed. The film crews were working off the 1st publication of the book, and again Ambrose CHOSE not to inform them of the error.
Hollywood does not like to admit their mistakes or correct them.
The point you make about the fact that they immediately correct certain other things but did nothing to correct the account of Albert Blythe, is a good one.
100% agree.
Mate, its an easy one to fact check if he could be bothered.
He was also born and raised in Philadelphia, and Band of Brothers portrayed him with a Southern accent, for some reason….
Yes,he sounded like he was fron Georgia
Perhaps a Georgia accent was an easier accent to mimic for the English actor Marc Warren who portrayed Blithe.
There were quite a few British actors, portraying Americans in that film (including Damian Lewis as Dick Winters) and at least one Irishman.
@@crackpot148 sure, but people from Philadelphia don’t have Southern accents, and they don’t say things like “I don’t rightly know, sir,” like the Blithe character does in Band of Brothers. It’s kind of like if a story about a Cockney had that character speaking with a Liverpool accent.
Oh, I completely agree and my explanation is just a "maybe", hence my use of "perhaps".
One would have to ask those who shaped the direction of the film dialogue for a definitive answer but I suspect that even then there wouldn't be a fully acceptable explanation. At least not acceptable to an American who has a much firmer grasp of the differences between regional US accents than any non American watching the film.
@ point taken, sir!!
Good video, A man will always remain immortal as long as someone remembers his name.
Thank you for setting the record straight on this heroic man.
I am in awe of the courage of these young men to jump out of an airplane and then going at the enemy while being shot at.
No one knows how they will react under fire.
These men have been tested in battle and demonstrated the courage to stand and fight.
I'm still thankful to Steven Ambrose and the producers of that miniseries.
Mistakes were made but still, here we are decades later, talking about a man who we undoubtedly would never have heard of if not for Ambrose and the other others.
For that, I will always be grateful to them as imperfect as their account was.
So you alright with a huge lie being told about Master Sergeant Albert Blithe? The man could have taken his discharge after WWII and continued with his disability pension. Instead he headed to the Korean War and jumped into a combat zone. He continued his service afterwards while many of the Easy Company guys had been settled into a civilian job for over 20 years. I think it's upsetting for his family to see him portrayed in a negative light and then to shortchange his combat service in Korea. All of this because an author couldn't research the man especially after being portrayed in such a negative light in the series. He based that on a couple of old guys that had sketchy memories. That paratrooper had 2 combat jumps stars, CIB, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart. He was also a combat veteran of the 101st ABN and 187th RCT (Rakkasans). AATW!!
@@ralphalvarez5465 There is a difference between being "Alright" with a lie and recognizing that something that is flawed still has important value. The OP thanked them for making this video, complimented Blythe's courage, and was thankful for the series because it has helped many people truly realize the heroism of the men of Easy Company and all men. He was not making the light of the lie but recognizing that the series and book still has value despite the flaws it has.
All of Ambrose's writing's need to be reviewed and verified due to the numerous inconsistencies and plagiarism of his other writings
100%
Correct. He claimed to have interviewed Eisenhower and it was a complete fabrication.
This is why I love the pacific. The bulk of the show is based on Eugene Sledge's and Robert Leckie's memoirs. Not some guy collecting stories that may or may not be true.
Ambrose wasn’t a great historian. He was ok but played fast and loose with the truth and veterans accounts.
On the plus side though he brought the focus back on to ww2.
Ambrose has always been controversial. He loves finding things that can't be fully verified, then finding just enough evidence to support his made up version.
He's a decent enough writer but none of his work should ever be considered more than fiction. HBO really should have just changed all the character names to start with.
Stephen Ambrose is a careless writer, not just in this book.
I think Ambrose was a careless researcher, but a good writer. If he was a bad writer then Band of Brothers would never had been made, I am thankful he got so many 1st hand accounts he did whether right or wrong. He
Its good that somebody got the story right for a real hero who served in both WW2 and Korea and was a veteran of both the 101st and 82nd Airborne .
Hopefully if BoB has some sort of anniversary release like 25th or whatever, at very least to make correction on Blithe caption. He was definitely a bad ass.
Man! Thank you so much for this video and for telling this man's story. It completely changes my perception of his character in the series. Hanks and Spielberg should be ashamed.
The Video Creator deserves many kudos for presenting the story of a great unsung hero. May Albert Blithe rest in peace. And thank you for fighting to preserve my American freedoms.
My dad was a tail gunner in a B-17, which was shot down on a mission over Germany, and spent the rest of the war in a German prison camp. Growing up, he didn't talk much about the war until we were older. As kids, we could never have holiday fireworks because the pop and bang took him back to the war which made him very uneasy. My dad is my life hero. I have never known a better man.
When was your Dad shot down? He might have been in the same POW camp with my Dad. Stalag Luft IV, in Poland. Dad was there from July of 44.
When was your Dad shot down? He might have been in the same POW camp with my Dad. Stalag Luft IV in Poland. He was there from July '44 to Jan '45 when the Germans evacuated the camps and marched the POWs west.
Anytime a “veteran” says fireworks on a known holiday, set them off…they’re probably telling you a tale lol. That’s some cliche Hollywood idea of “ptsd”. Harder to verify stories from back then, many many men have lied about their service and such, for decades and decades..
Everyone I’ve known with that fireworks things, has been full of shit lol.
Speaking as a combat veteran of Afghanistan. 0331.
@jimjohnson4072
My dad didn't lie about his service cuz he never talked about it. Can't lie when you keep your mouth shut about something.
I love how awesome the casting for Band of Brothers was. The actors looked just like the real life heroes. 🙂
I will save you all 15 min. Everyone heard that a guy with the same name died so they all thought he was dead but he wasn't and they never saw him again so thats what got written down in the book.
Thank you. I didn't need a line by line retelling of the screen play to hear the why.
Thanks…that’s 15 minutes I WILL get back! :-).
It also contains the rest of his military career and the effect the war had on him personally. It is worth watching.
That was your takeaway from this video? Not that everything on the show was pretty much completely wrong about him or that he died more than 20 years later after having served and earned bronze and silver stars in Korea.
@@BigBubbaRay71 I didn't watch the video.
Another disservice was Sobel and Norman Dike (sort of, kind of). A lot of Easy members including Winters credited Sobel and his training as a main factor on how well they performed in combat. Shifty powers said he admired him. He attempted to self delete (YT rules) but only blinded himself. He would die in a VA nursing home from malnutrition and no service was held. Norman Dike on the other hand was a bigger disservice. He was awarded a bronze star during operation market garden for: "organized and led scattered groups of parachutists in the successful defense of an important road junction on the vital Einhoven (sic)-Arnhem Supply Route against superior and repeated attacks, while completely surrounded.". During the battle at Bastogne he was wounded several witnesses said, he didn't panic though Lipton claimed he had "fallen apart", but this contested. He was awarded a second bronze star at Bastogne for: action at Bastogne, in which "he personally removed from an exposed position, in full enemy view, three wounded members of his company, while under intense small arms fire" on 3 January 1945.". He would then go on to serve in Korea and achieve the rank of Lt. Colonel, I believe doing several more combat jumps during that conflict.
Ambrose based BoB very heavily on the accounts of a handful of individuals, and it is very beholden to their subjective views of other people and events. There are numerous individuals that received negative portrayals in the book and series like Cobb, Peacock, Dyke, Shames etc because certain individuals didn't like them out there was one or two anecdotes that got turned into their whole character. Similarly, others like Nixon who had a lot of negative stories got given a makeover because they were friends with the key interviewees (like Winters) and it made for a good narrative.
Winters made it clear in his own book that he did not like Sobel and he thought Sobel was a sadistic person. I think he does give Sobel credit for bringing the men together but not in a good way. Also I have read a few people did like Sobel but most definitely did not like him. I can’t remember who said it but recall reading a member of the 101st saying that the people who liked Sobel were considered kiss asses by the rest of the company. Now I admit that was the opinion of one soldier but I a lot went on to say negative things about him. Apparently he blamed the 101st for most of his later troubles in life and refused to go to any of the reunions even after being personally invited. Just stating the facts as I have read them.
@@bobbyb2222 yes I know. Winters didn't like him but gave him credit for his training as well as bringing them together in a bad way. My statement wasn't he was wholly hated or disliked, there were a few that did like him, shifty powers writing about it for instance. Most if not all the non comm's didn't like him. I didn't know/haven't read he blamed the 101st for his later life troubles considering he left the army a lieutenant Colonel, but I can see where the animosity from losing the company would cause that.
@@bobbyb2222 one of Sobel's son's went to one reunion and some of the men there explained to him that more of them would have died if his father had remained in command. The part about him being terrible at navigation and combat tactics was true.
@@bobbyb2222this reminds me of an officer I had for a long time in the fire service, he was a shitty man, a shitty husband, and an absolute manipulator, but god damn could he fight fire, and by being such a cruel leader, he build at least 3 of the best firefighters I’ve ever met, I’m glad he’s gone now, but he definitely deserves credit for training some excellent men
The real Albert Blythe was not a coward either.
I don't think BoB portrayed him as a coward. The way he is shown, he had psychological issues that were completely unintentional. To borrow a term from WWI, he had shellshock.
@@fosterfuchs
Agreed. He was portrayed as a man who at first, had trouble coping with war.
I don't think he was portrayed as a coward.
How they portrayed him in the series...it made him look like the village idiot - shame on you hanks and spielberg!
@@KC-yu4py I think they were going for relatable. A simple human who was overwhelmed by the situation and found his way to not only function but continue on. Contrast that to the other characters in the show up to that point who were portrayed as John Wayne types who never hesitated.
To my fellow WWII Enthusiasts: By watching at least a dozen Amazing videos on the WAR & TRUTH channel, Ive learned that there were MANY Mistakes, Inaccuracies, and Outright LIES that Steven Ambrose made in his book Band of Brothers, which was then further perpetuated by Hanks and Spielberg in the series- And being that I Absolutely Loved that series So Much that I’ve watched it in it’s entirety countless times, I was Deeply Disturbed to have learned that- Especially bc those Incredibly Brave men are All of my heroes and it Infuriated me that many of them, like Albert Blithe, were either Disrespected and/or Disregarded- Anyways, Since the content of this video is something that I Truly Love and Appreciate, I Of Course Really Enjoyed it- And, Since it was So Well Done, I Of Course had to subscribe- Although, I could swear that I had already subscribed to this channel many months ago- But, Thank You So Much History vs Hollywood for your Amazing video and for Honoring Albert Blithe by telling his True Story and I look forward to watching more of your videos!
Its a shame they got his story all wrong. Kudos to this channel that got his story correct and put it out there for all to know the real truth and story. Afraid in the beginning but one of the many heroes that bravely served our country. May he rest in peace.
His tombstone only reflects his Purple Heart (PH) and not the Silver or Bronze Star. I wonder why that is.
The Purple Heart means more to lot of the awardees then the other higher medals.
@@kennethmaeda5698 Ironically, our sergeants all called it the enemy marksmanship badge.
Comes down to simple paper work errors common when the family doesnt know much or it is simply over looked.... i commonly see missed wars on stones. Recently saw a 3 war pilots stone who was missing his ww2 service but credited him for Korea & Vietnam. Sadly this stuff is usually done by the family and they just dont know what they are doing. Other times they might have had some paper work filled out that is incomplete and still used.
This one is on Stephen Ambrose. He was a trained historian and, in the first part of his career, a good one. Among other things, he wrote the official biography of Dwight D Eisenhower. Unfortunately, later in his career, he produced a lot of material that was lacking in basic historical professionalism. Band of Brothers was one such work. A professional historian would be expected to corroborate the surviving members’ (faulty) recollection of Blithe’s fate, but he chose not to and ended up putting faulty information into the historical record (which was then parroted by “Hollywood”).
You say “good one” but watch his talking head in World at War….the man is a cretin with stupid, uneducated points of view
Looking at my copy of Band of Brothers, I see in the index where Albert Blithe is mentioned on two pages, 98 and 103. Page 98 is the story from Dick Winters about Blithe recovering his sight. Page 103 mentions Blithe being on point and getting a sniper's bullet in the neck, but that's it; nothing more about the severity of the wound or of the eventual outcome of Blithe's wounding. There are no other references to Albert Blithe in the book, from what I can see.
@@adamrichardson6821if you listen to the video a bit after the halfway point, it looks like you have a newer edition of the book with most of the faulty info removed. However, as the video notes, your edition still incorrectly states that he was shot in the neck- not in the clavicle.
Wow!! Talk about a SNAFU. Thank you so much for setting the record straight. Albert Blithe needs a Wikipedia page or something so that he can be understood and remembered for the hero that he was. His story should be easily accessible to all since HBO has never bothered to change anything regarding his fate/life.
Great insight into MSGT Albert Blithe. His memory shall live on. RIP
2:29 the "famous photograph" is actually of men from the 502nd, not the 506th.
🫡🇺🇲 A very great big wonderful salute to Albert Blithe for his Valiant Heroic service of one of our greatest generations and may He truly Rest in Peace!.
So he served with another member of Easy Company in Korea, and he went to a Bastogne reunion....but no one knew he'd survived his WW2 injury?
He served in the same regiment as Ronald Spiers….. a regiment is a very big place. And consider when Blithe was evac OUT of easy company, NEVER TO RETURN , spiers was not even in Easy company yet …. So how likely was it that Either of them would notice the other, and then make contact?
NEXT POINT …. The 1973 fire destroyed the service record of 80% of soldiers discharged between 1912 and 1960
Third point…. blythe attended exactly ONE reunion, and its unknown who he spoke with at that reunion.
4 th point Heffron and Garneer attended the funeral of someone named almost exactly the same back in 1948.
Its not that “no one knew”
Its just that of the fraction of the company that were still alive and were interviewed the only memory was a misunderstanding
Not everything is some psycho conspiracy theory man, misunderstandings and oversights do happen quite often. What you are doing is just as disrespectful to Easy veterans as what Band of Brothers did.
@@brettkozak3479 Strange statement. What do you mean "What you are doing.." ?
@@brettkozak3479 I don't believe I was pushing any particular conspiracy. It just seems odd that he was at a reunion yet when the book was written people said he was dead. And wow, I'm being disrespectful? You should really take a breath and smell the roses.
My dad, a WWII and a good, good man got worn down by life and found comfort in Gin. He was at his very best then, loved singing & tinkling Ivory keys and was a natural leader in any Royal Canadian Legion in good work.
Sure do miss that old drunk. He was a good man.
Outstanding piece or work. Great job of setting the record straight. Thank you for bringing it to light. A salute goes out from me to both the author and to Sergeant Blithe.
My wife's grandfather was an Australian artillery gunner, captured in the Fall of Singapore in 1942 and spent the rest of the war as a POW in Japan. All my wife remembers of him as she grew up was he drank a hell of a lot of alcohol. He drowned his bad memories before passing away in the late 60s.
Not a bot here, but, honestly, thank you for this and THESE videos. Really cool
Thanks bot 😂
jk
Subbed! Thank you for setting the story straight. I had no idea about Blithe! I knew the Band of Brothers story was incorrect but I didn't know Blithe fought in Korea and continued to serve. I'm an alcoholic myself after my service . . . it is horrible.
I find it so strange they dedicated an episode to him but didn't even bother checking with the family or Army to see what happened to him.
Also... you know they had military advisors attached to work on the film..... not one of them thought about checking records?
The worst offense.... the offending title card is on a black screen... they can easily insert the correct text to fix the issue.
Thank you for setting his story straight. I appreciated getting to know his real story.
This is an awesome mini-docu ... Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for sharing this story…. It has more value than you can possibly imagine…
Thank you brother for this great video.😊
Thanks for the truth. I have read several of these books on these paratroopers, being the son of a paratrooper, my appreciation for these men is pure admiration. As my father has said about men like Blithe and others like him "they have been there and done that". 600 jumps, Master Sgt., two wars, speaks for itself. May he rest in peace, God knows he earned it.
Thank you for sharing this story. This is one more person that will remember a fellow soldier so he's not forgotten.
That Fox hole scene in part 3 with Spears hits even harder now.
I'm thankful for You Tube and this channel to bring to light and correct information that was thought to have been correct. To Master Sgt Blithe for his courage and dedication to the Army, his unit and the men he served with, in addition to his family. God Bless
Hollywood needs to fix this. Pitiful. Thank you for posting
Well done for doing the work to set this straight. In the USA there is the 'Tomb of the Unknown Soldier' In the UK we have the Cenotaph. Those who gave their live in the first two disagreements (Kudos to Autoshananigans for the term) and from either side in the many smaller disagreements since then. As such the truth must outshine the need to make money. Those who fell should be remembered and those who returned having seen so many horrors, should NEVER be left to rot!
The UK also has The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Westminster Abbey in London across Parliament Square next to the Houses of Parliament.
@@jessicarowley9631 I am ashamed for not knowing that having lost so many of my forefathers in the last two wars. I thank you for bringing this to my attention.
Good to hear a correction of the record.
tldr; the series is based off a book where the author completely went off interviews and did no additional research, so there are lots of inaccuracies. So glad we have people willing to do the work to get to the actual story.
I have since experienced something like hysterical blindness. I have DID Amnesia. In moments of stress my sensory system stops recording. Maybe it’s all or sometimes one or another. It is always vision. My brain turns off some systems or all but I still functioned. I just don’t have a memory of that time.
Everything turned off from early May until August 12 when it began to end with recognition of a sentence. Over a period of time gradually I reconnected with reality.
During the time I was dissociated I kept four children, house, my usual responsibilities. I nursed the youngest who was in his first year. No one ever said I was odd in any way. I suspect my husband noticed something because the sentence was, “your parents are coming early in the morning. I’m going to take you somewhere special for your birthday”
He caused this event.
Blythe was given a reprieve by Winters. His kind encouraging words were what Blythe needed, as you observed In the video.
Out -f'n- standing report on Blithe.👍👍🇺🇸 Thank you for such.
My dad fought in the ETO. He was awarded two bronze stars for actions in combat. I was aware from his mentioning that he was hospitalized at the end of the war. It was for combat fatigue. After his death a year ago I read his hospital report of his stay. I’m just amazed that he was able not let his combat experience affect his marriage and raising a family. He was a good father. What he did suffer from was reoccurring bad dreams of combat till his death.
I cottoned on to something being amiss with Albert's story from the series. He wasn't listed in the fallen at the end credits. A really good clarification of the full story and for his everlasting honour.
There are a number of bad inaccuracys in BoB. Captain Sobel is another wierd inaccuracy. Same with Lt Dike, i mean why do sutch a thing in a series?🤷
There’s little inaccurate about Captain Sobel. He was a martinet who unified his command by making every individual hate his guts, and so incompetent that he was removed from command by his superior officers on the eve of battle.
@@michaelmcmeel914 There are far more than one member of the 501 who stated after the war that Sobel "made Easy company" His dicipline, demands and expectation made what Easy company became. Not being liked is irrelevant. According to some in the compoany, Winters amongst others, didnt think he was fit for combat command. That, however, didnt stop him commanding a squad of four, from destrying a machingun nest on the night of D-day after parachuting in with the 101st airborne.
@ I understand what the men said, and I understand why. Considering you continue to defend Sobel, you probably don’t. I also understand that Captain Sobel was no coward, whatever his shortcomings. But Sobel was far from the only man in the Army promoted past his ability who let his insecurities lead him to abuse his men. Make no mistake, making up infractions and issuing punishments based on those lies is not the hallmark of excellent leadership.
The men who were there in 1944 refused to work for him. They removed him from command. The men who knew him and the situation best judged him and found him wanting. Who are you to demand charity now that they are all gone?
Blythe should have his own movie!
Loved the series and discovering your channel is awesome to hear more stories of these amazing heros. I have to say though you are so on the money re your comments about the service during conflict essentially only being the beginning of their sacrifice. A proper depiction of his life, be it only in a text box at the end of the episode would have added a huge amount to the episode and show generally. A man who pulled himself up by the boot straps, had an out not once but twice and overcame fear that blinded him, to go on a fight in Korea and to live, as best he could with the mental anguish. I think I've a new favourite character. Also being British we love a good balls up and the lads going to the wrong funeral adds that little bit of humour to a very dark chapter.
BEAUTIFULLY DONE. THANK YOU.
If making a semi-documentary style film of real people especially of such sensitive subject matter the Producers and filmmakers of such do have a responsibility to portray those involved as accurately as they possibly can.
I never saw my uncle drunk but my aunt met him in a bar where he was constantly inebriated. He was a Vietnam Veteran and POW. He crawled out of the bottle by the time he married my aunt. He was a brilliant man and taught himself a lot and got degrees in college.
He was considered one of the immortals he had a combat infantry badge with 2 stars we2, Korea, Vietnam. The band of fakes threw him under the bus .
Fakes? I kinda doubt that.
@robbrowning1937 if they lied about him oh yes there is and interview with Winters talking about it. What else did they lie about!
And he probably had 500 more jumps than anyone else in Easy company. He was a "Master Blaster".
Just like they did Capt. Sobel....We only have Dick Winter's word that Sobel couldn't read a map. How much of his "failures" were BECAUSE of the so called Band of brothers??? They pulled JOKE after JOKE on him, finally getting him REMOVED as their Capt.
Thank you! I have known this for quite some time and it had made me angry. Why the hell would you want to tarnish someone's name for theatrical purposes. Kind of goes against everything they're trying do by honoring these men. This should be more of an outrage than it is. Imagine how his relatives feel after seeing B.O.B.
I am glad that the real story on Blythe came out. B.o.B. portrays Blythe as almost too frightened to fight, which is not at all who the man truly was.
I visited Albert Blithe's grave at Arlington National Cemetary. He's the only enlisted man from Easy Company 506th PIR buried there.
Wow, I heard they got this detail wrong but I had no idea they were so far off the mark. The man was a career soldier! Served in 2 wars! Excellent video
But to Dick Winters he was a COWARD!
It’s a sad fact that veterans until nowadays still face the same problems when coming home
This is heartbreaking. It's a real shame AB's life was incorrectly portrayed in BoB. I'd be pretty hurt by this if I was his family.
This soldiers life would be a great movie by itself. Well done. Great Bio!
While historians may not always get their trade right those who seek the truth afterward are important to those who lived that history. Thank you and thanks Albert Blithe.
Ambrose is less of an Historian, and more of a gossip columnist.
Thank you SIR YOU ARE A HERO ,,our fathers had to deal with the horrors of war ,it wasn't there fault,,GID bless you Albert
The sacrifice of men and women of service often goes unnoticed……thank you
With draft dodger Trump calling our brave servicemen and women suckers and losers, are we surprised?
Thanks for this look at Sgt. Blythe. Having seen BOB, you have a jaded view of him and this set it straight. If you live your life and your son says he is proud of the man you were then that's all one can really hope for. Godspeed Albert!
Great video and research
Albert Blithe's real story is so much more impressive than what is shown in the Band of Brothers miniseries. He was a career soldier and certified badass.
This was my favorite episode. The actor's portrayal was so good. I was crushed by the ending. I'm glad to find out Albert Blithe lived after all.
Thankfully Albert Blithe real story has come to light. To serve in two conflicts and be awarded for his actions. Truly shows Albert's dedication to the Paratroopers. Sad to hear how Albert died of Kidney Failure. 💪👃✨
The band of brothers producers were interested in selling a narrative, they weren't interested is pursuing the truth.
I do not agree, if fact, that sounds like a very negative attitude. Stephen E. Ambrose wrote his book based on many interviews with veterans and often there were differences between the way different men remembered things, (what do you expect after forty or fifty years?). Ambrose could only work with the information he had. My copy of the book is a later print and at the back of the book there are corrections for many things because after the mini-series was aired, a number of people wrote to Ambrose with information he did not previously have.
@ My comments were directed at the show’s production staff. Stephen Ambrose may have started out as an objective academic but he became a known plagiarist and was notorious for producing work of questionable veracity so that he could monetize the narratives.
0:28 "begs the question"?
It drives me nuts too. Everyone thinks it means 'raises the question'.
As a retired combat veteran this disgusts me that they defamed this great hero by not fully doing their own research by contacting the military or Albert's family.
Albert is a hero and should have been treated as such. Albert you are an American hero.
Great video! Thank you!!
Thank you for doing this. Albert deserved the true story told even with its warts.
His death was brought forth by a series of miscommunications. Easy believed he had died and it lasted for years. Coupled with the fact that the series was filmed in the late 1990's, the internet was not the way it is today and contacting family without knowing location was also hard, if not near impossible.
Crazy that after all he had done, he died in Germany 22 years after the war that he fought valiantly to survive in as a young man. Germany is a beautiful place and is my second home so I can appreciate the irony of his passing there.
I think it was shameful they never put a disclosure at the end of the episode that they were wrong.
My Grandmother has a brother who fights in Italy with de F.E.B (Brazilian Expedictionary Force - 1944/5). He returns with strange behaviour and suddenly fears, i was a child at this point (middle of 60ths), and he dies few years later.
I’ve always thought it was cool that the character who struggles so much with doing his duty and functioning as a soldier is actually based off of a dude that went on to be a career soldier and a hero. That would have been a much better outcome for the character because his arc would involve him g working through his fear and becoming an all American badass. I get that it happened because of a little mistaken identity from the veterans of Easy, but it’s really such a cool story.
Jumping out of perfectly good airplanes takes nerve all by itself.
Good, it shows how here say can help create an amazing series like band of brothers but research is important too to establish facts like this. Remember they gave everything the least we can do is remember them.
Thankfully so much has been learned about psychological disorders and current generations of service members get help when needed.
600 jumps, those poor knees.
At least they get an actor who looked like him.
Yeah, right.
I am glad to learn of the 'real' story and from the book and show, had a fondness for the character. I know a lot of post war stories and such personal destructive aftermath of war as well as much better outcomes. I watch my combat veteran USMC Son like a hawk.
Maybe i missed it but did this video ever actually say why the show makers chnaged it?
My dad was at Normandy. Utah beach. He was watching the German artillery walking his way when it suddenly stopped. The war messed him up. He saw a lot of his buddies killed at the Bulge. Alcohol was his escape too. He died June 6, 2007 at 4:24 pm.. I can’t help believing that he was reliving that day 63 years before.
I’m right in thinking the Sobel depiction is flawed as well, too?
They RUINED the mans LIFE with what they said about him, all because he "toughened" them up.
If he received the Silver Star and the Bronze Star, why is it not annotated, on his grave marker, next to the PH (Purple Heart) ?? Yet another disservice to this man's memory.
Well, it's not as if BoB / Ambrose blighted his reputation or made him out to be a bad guy. More a sin of omission than one of commission.
Some men have the ability to turn a switch off in their brain and let the training take over. Emotions are left at the door while seeing, performing, and/or, ordering combatants to execute horrible tasks that are necessary to win the battle. Once out of combat, these few rare men can then turn the swich back on and not have any repercussions about what they saw or did. Unfortunately, most men don't have this mental switch and suffer from it the rest of their lives.
Not sure why they thought it was necessary! Perhaps you should ask the director or production crew!
There’s quite a few mistakes
It would seem to be an easy fix to change the text at the end of the episode and correct the record. This is more than a typo it is dishonoring a man’s life who gave everything to the service of his country.
Norman Dyke was such a frustrating and tragic story. Have you considered researching him?