This was mindblowing and heartbreaking at the same time...we were not ready for this Watch up to our Episode 6 Reaction EARLY & UNCUT over on Patreon! www.patreon.com/spartanandpudgey
captured enemy soldiers are not "hostages" pudgy, they are considered prisoners of war, or just prisoners. A hostage is when you take an innocent bystander with the use of violence or threat of violence to protect yourself or your agenda. In war the real hostages are the innocent civilians who are being occupied by a belligerent force and exposed to the collateral damage of war. Also, be careful trying to make any moral equivalence between german soldiers and American soldiers, there was no moral equivalence, if you study WW2, you learn about their soldiers being absolute evil animals either committing war crimes themselves or accessories to war crimes. The vast majority of soldiers also knew of the evils committed by the nazi regime across occupied Europe and history teaches us that human responsibility is an INDIVIDUAL choice. By not rebelling and aiding in the german war effort they are all guilty to a certain extent for the mass atrocities committed all over Europe and elsewhere.
You look like you might have a Mediterranean background and calling yourself Spartan that might mean Greece, but I think that could also be Maltese and possibly named after Hamrun Spartans football club like myself - (SpartanWomble) named after Hamrun and AFC Wimbledon. :-)
Spartan.... You and pudgey come to America.... Us at the office are taking you parachuting.... Pudgey can film. Vlog... Parachute, college football game with 100,000 fans. We will set you guys up
I'm sure you have been told this series is 99 percent factual. Or the men of Easy Company refused to do it. And. After this episode, this series is gonna get very real. So hang in till the end. It's well worth it. Good reaction. Well done.
14:32 the crazy thing is that Malarkey and the American German soldier were actually working across the street from eachother in the same town. But the script writers didn't think anyone would believe it, so they changed it to 'a 100 miles apart'
In another reaction, it was said that it was a real shame that the German/American soldier was killed. He was a traitor, in enemy uniform, caught fighting against the country of his birth. I'd feel more pity for the actual Germans.
@@johannesvalterdivizzini1523 Was he actually killed? The Speirs execution of prisoners happened much earlier, while still dark, if I'm not mistaken. The way they depict it in the show is kind of crazy, like he's doing it just because he's a psycho.
"Flash" and "Thunder" were used as sign/countersign because there's no "th" sound in German so if Germans tried to say "thunder" it would sound more like "dunder".
Something you have to remember is that the airborne units have a very finite amount of resources. They dont have the manpower or supplies to take their objectives and babysit POWs.
Doesn't make it any less of a war crime. Imagine if the other way around. The same excuse was made during the Battle of the Bulge when American troops who were captured were massacred.
Especially when we're trained far better than leg Infantry. It's a waste of resources to have Airborne doing anything but kicking ass, taking names and letting God sort them out.
The Airborne units were ordered not to take prisoners on D-Day. Due to situations like this. 90% of the unit unaccounted for, men out of battle guarding POW's, that is why Spiers did what he did. Spiers by the way was still alive at the point this was filmed and was asked by Winters if he objected to that scene being filmed. He told Winters he did not.
Those interview clips of the actual men from the 101st absolutely gut me. It's heartwrenching watching these incredibly strong men try to choke back their feelings.
@@Whiskey0880that is wildly ridiculous theory about the production of the documentary, when people probably just didn't want to bring back awful memories they are probably trying to suppress already instesd of trudging them up on camera.
@@Whiskey0880 So according to you (and whoever you heard it from) all those actual vets are just acting when recalling those events. And you believed that? Ill try to be as respectful and above the line as I can and just say that I don't believe you or your source. I would love to know where you got this information from.
No, they faced horrible odds. Watching the men on the boats that survived talk about D-Day will show the emotion. It was very few even willing to attempt it in everything I've watched.
If you jump a minute too early, you miss the drop zone by 2 km. Coming down in the wrong place-- the ocean, the beach, farther behind German lines --could be bad.
Several members of Easy company, while really disliking Sobel and not trusting his leadership and soldier skill, did give him credit for the intense physical training and exceptional physical standard he set for Easy company, and they said that's one reason they were able to face such hard circumstances during the war and still survive. So there's that I guess.
He was probably quite good for them as far as the physical training and discipline, but actual tactical leadership in battle is an entirely different quality. It's like expecting the physical trainer for Hollywood actors to then be a good film director - two entirely different skill sets.
Sobel actually did quite well on D-Day, despite his seeming inability to lead men in a combat situation. He made the jump, assembled a couple of men, and led them to destroy a German MG nest. He even earned himself medals. I understand the series is based on the book, which in turn is based on the account of the men of Easy, but they seriously overdid it with Sobel's incompetence.
The portrayal of Sobel is one of those things, that should set off alarm bells for anyone who watches this series. It should tell you to read up on Stephen Ambrose, and the criticisms he faced over the stuff he wrote. That said, BoB is probably one of my favorite TV series ever, but, we need to temper that by understanding EXACTLY what it is we are watching. We are not watching a show about history as it happened. We are watching a show, from the point of view (very NARROW) point of view, or a small group of soldiers within Easy Company. Sobel was almost certainly a victim of anti-Semitism in BoB. The fact is pretty simple, and this is it. Anti-Semitism wasn't the exception in 1940s America, it was the rule. You will note that the most outspoken critics of Sobel. The fact Sobel went on to have success during the war should tell people everything they need to know. Was Sobel as good as Winters turned out to be? Probably not. Did the NCOs who revolted know Winters was going to be a good commander? Absolutely not. What they knew is they didn't like Sobel, I wonder what could be a contributing factor to that. Hmmmm. United States of America in the 1930s-40s and before. Part of the country was de-facto apartheid. Anti-Semitism was the default position for most Americans, if you were legitimately NOT anti-Semitic to some degree, you were the exception.
6:55 This was the aircraft of Lt. Meehan, the CO of Easy Company. (He'll be mentioned as missing one or two more times in the next episode or so, so just in case you didn't catch it.) 18:45 Buck Compton's hand signals showed: 1 - 4 - 2 - 2 - 5 - fist - pin pull - point. This stands for: "1 MG42, 25 meters, grenades thrown in that direction." That said, these hand signals are an anachronism, as such sophisticated hand signals were only used in the US army only during around the time of the Vietnam War.
the German soldier and Malarkey were actually closer together. This is an actual quote. From "Easy Company Soldier - The Legendary Battles of a Sergeant from World War II's 'Band of Brothers'". “Where the hell are you guys from, Brooklyn?” asked some wise guy in our company. “No, Portland, Oregon,” said a German master sergeant, just off my shoulder. What? I couldn’t believe it-that the guy not only spoke perfect English, but said he was from Portland (not Eugene, as the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers showed him saying, for reasons beyond me). “No kidding, Portland?” I said eagerly. “I’m from Astoria.” The company walked on. I hung back, amazed at this coincidence. “I worked in Portland until 1938,” he said, “and came home when Hitler called all loyal Germans to return to the fatherland.” “So where’d you work in Portland?” I asked. “Schmitz Steel Company.” “You gotta be kidding,” I said. “The owners of that company were friends of my family. And I worked for Monarch Forge and Machine Works right across the street.” By now, a few of my fellow soldiers passing by were giving me the eye. “Well now, what do you think about that decision now to return to your homeland?” I asked, scanning his POW pals around him. “I think I made a big mistake,” he said. “Malark, let’s go,” yelled Guarnere, peeved that I was fraternizing with the enemy. I nodded at the soldier. “You take care,” I said, and walked on. I’d only been at war a few hours, and already I was learning stuff I hadn’t been taught in training. Namely, that the guy trying to kill you-and that you’re trying to kill-could be somebody who once worked in an American defense plant, across the street from where you later worked. Strange thing, war. The creators of the show changed the details because they didnt think the audience would believe the truth. Also, you guys keep comparing this to Saving Private Ryan; This was made by the same people 3 years later, so it will be very similar in style.
I'm also from Oregon so this episode hits hard, especially since 100% of my ancestors are German and they help run the big Okyoberfest in Oregon. But my family served for the US. My great uncle was shot in France during this campaign, for example.
"They could be your next door neighbor." Actually, they were. Malarkey and the German-American POW lived on the same block. The producers thought viewers wouldn't buy it, so they changed the situation to 2 different cities near each other. And yes, Speirs did shoot the captured Germans. That was common practice the first couple days, since the paratroopers had no way to secure POWs until the beach head was established. This was condoned, if not actually ordered, by senior officers. There is a video interview with Dick Winters, in which he spells out the truth of what happened.
Band of brothers is my favorite war production and Winters is my favorite character, closely followed by Spears. (Lol I look forward to seeing the reaction to spears in later episodes).
Congratulations on starting what many people, myself included, think is one of if not the finest mini series ever made. I will warn you episodes 6 7 and especially 9 will be very hard. Good luck.
You can't just "jump whenever". Everyone has a specific mission at an identified place. That requires a specific, identified drop zone. That being said...... No plan survives first contact. Adapt, improvise, overcome.
The Heim ins Reich (meaning Back home to the Reich) was issued in 1938 so 6 years before the events we are watching. In real life Malarkey and the POW actually worked right across the street from each other. “Where the hell are you guys from, Brooklyn?” asked some wise guy in our company. “No, Portland, Oregon,” said a German master sergeant, just off my shoulder. What? I couldn’t believe it-that the guy not only spoke perfect English, but said he was from Portland. “No kidding, Portland?” I said eagerly. “I’m from Astoria.” The company walked on. I hung back, amazed at this coincidence. “I worked in Portland until 1938,” he said, “and came home when Hitler called all loyal Germans to return to the fatherland.” “So where’d you work in Portland?” I asked. “Schmitz Steel Company.” “You gotta be kidding,” I said. “The owners of that company were friends of my family. And I worked for Monarch Forge and Machine Works right across the street.” By now, a few of my fellow soldiers passing by were giving me the eye. “Well now, what do you think about that decision now to return to your homeland?” I asked, scanning his POW pals around him. “I think I made a big mistake,” he said. “Malark, let’s go,” yelled Guarnere, peeved that I was fraternizing with the enemy. I nodded at the soldier. “You take care,” I said, and walked on.
It's really heartwrenching watching the actual easy company members talk in those interviews and then we see basically movie screen of what they told and the historical events
These young men were a special breed hardly seen today. My heart is so full thankful to be an American. What a beautiful wife you have be thankful stay together. God Bless the both of you!!!
7:14 yes. planes were in fact running into dropping paratroopers. When Winters' plane is coming up on the clouds with flashes of light from anti-aircraft fire, it cuts to a view from behind the pilots and into their cockpit. One radio message that you can hear them receiving from another plane is "We have a paratrooper on the wing" The leg back, if I'm not mistaken, was a British invention. In the previous episode, Joe Toye broke down how much weight and equipment he was carrying, and that was a major concern since all that added weight increased your chances of injury upon landing. The general idea was most of your heavy shit was packed into that bag, and when you jump out, you're supposed to be holding it in a bear hug. Then once your parachute deployed, you lower the bag using the string its attached to. So the bag will hit the ground first and then you. But as you saw, the bag was introduced very late and many of the soldiers weren't informed on the proper use of it. So what I'm guessing happened is that they threw the bag out the plane first, and then jumped right after it. But like many of the veterans said, the blast from the plane propeller snapped the rope that attached them to the bag, and bye-bye equipment
Easy Company doesn't mean it was easy :) They use words for companies to avoid confusion with similar-sounding letters. "A"ble, "B"aker, "D"og, "E"asy...etc.
I know the cinematography is very similar to Saving Private Ryan due to the same director and producer, and it is a great film… just keep in mind that SPR is fiction and BOB is based on actual events, stories and the actual men of the 101st and E company.
Last year I read a book about Ronald Spiers (the Dog Company commander who shot the smoking prisoners) and by all accounts that man was born to be a soldier. He had a life that rivals a movie action hero.
While Easy Company was clearing St Marie Dumont and surrounding areas, Captain Miller (fiction) in Saving Private Ryan is hitting the beach east of Utah (Omaha beach). The guns easy company took out saved thousands of lives in Utah beach, as they were firing direct artillery on the boys landing there.
People lied about their age to join the military at this time. Some were as young as 16. Almost every able body men in America joined and fought at that time. Most people my age grandfather's fought in WW2 both of mine did.
@@ladyhotep5189 America got soft. The United States used to be the most powerful nation in the world, now internationally its a Joke, has been for over a decade. I remember my Grandfather telling us stories of when the American Army liberated his town during this war, he later immigrated here and we all grew up respecting the country. I'm glad he didn't live to see it in this state.
My dad's great-uncle joined at the age of 13. He was found out and sent home. He reenlisted in a different branch, was subsequently found out and sent home. Finally, he joined another branch. He was 16 by this time. He was caught, but he was allowed to remain. He was shot and walked with a limp and cane for the rest of his life.
My son and I took a 2 week Band of Brothers trip in July through the Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours. Great trip. We hit all of the key locations....Aldbourne,Normandy,Saint Mere Eglise,Carentan,Brecourt Manor,Holland,Bastogne,Eagles Nest and others. George Luz,Jr(son of Easy member George Luz)was our tour guide. I highly recommend the trip.
One thing I learned in really dangerous situations that is depicted well here is: Never EVER panic..then people start to die..and unfortunately you will only know if you can handle it, if you are under fire or in a life threatening situation...otherwise you wont because you cant simulate real life. So having a commanding officer who is ice cold and rational is exactely what will save your life
The thing about waiting for the light is that, if they jump too soon, they'll be totally out of position for their objectives they're supposed to attack. One of the copilot's jobs was to help with navigation, which included looking out for landmarks and other signs of where they needed to drop their troopers. When that copilot was killed, the Pilot of Winter's aircraft panicked a bit and decided it was better just to get them out of there now, rather than risking all of them if the plane went down. The result is them jumping early (wrong place), way too fast (the high speed ripping leg bags off and scattering the unit further apart), and too low (not giving them enough time to slow down on the drop, so they're hitting the ground HARD). It's genuinely a miracle more men weren't lost that night, and is a testament to how elite US and British Paratroopers were in the 2nd World War.
Not only was the age to be drafted - 18 - younger than the age to buy liquor in some states - 21- but guys younger than 18 wanted to enlist. My Dad enlisted right after high school and would not turn 18 for another 4 months but was accepted.
The 82nd airborne (US Army's only remaining airborne division) does an mock invasion jump in North Carolina. I talked to some people who have been there for it and they said it is really wild. You're just standing there when you start to hear the planes. Before you know it, the sky is covered in planes and parachutes. It is an overwhelming experience to have a division of soldiers falling from the sky.
@@xboxman1710 they maintain their airborne tab because of their history, but they are no longer an airborne division. They primarily focus on air assault (helicopter) operations now. Easy mistake to make.
My dad volunteered in August 1940 and was in the Army Air Corps a year and a half before the Pearl Harbor attack brought the US into the war. He served until the end of the war and was recalled for active duty for the Korean War (so 8 years). He was a senior navigational instructor, and trained Lord knows how many fliers and aircrew how to locate their targets and get back alive. Many of the guys he trained never did make it home. He hardly ever spoke about it, but I know it weighed on his conscience.
The commander of the 101st gave orders to take no prisoners in the first 24 hours. Quakers were an English religious sect that embraced brotherly love and rejected violence. Many Quakers emigrated to the Pennsylvania Colony during the colonial era.
26:53 - younger people are easier to train as their bodies and minds are still growing and can adapt to adverse situations A HELL OF A LOT better than an older generation. Your body doesn't stop "growing" until about 24/25 years old. If anything drinking and drugs should be for those that are over 25 years old in a perfect world.
As a US Army vet (enlisted and later commissioned) I can tell you during initial training (Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training) the trainers are strict. However, they are professionals. Their actions aren't motivated by personal ego or peeves as was the case with Sobel. Superficially Sobel may have appeared to be a good trainer but he was in fact entirely unfit as a leader and a trainer. His treatment of Winters was unforgiveable. I should note, I have no idea if the real world Sobel behaved so poorly.
Yes the writer of the book that this was based on went almost solely off of these men's, by that point, 40-50 year old memories and didn't do a lot of fact checking so some things aren't 100% factual, like a later death that was a mistake.
@@LudusAurea He isn't a renowned WW2 historian. He isn't even a historian. He is widely recognized as a falsifier of history and he is considered at best, someone who wrote about anecdotes, when he wasn't making them up. He made up parts of the Biography he wrote on Eisenhower. Straight up lied. The criticisms he faced over Band of Brothers, is that as a kid growing up, he idolized WW2 vets. Hero worship is a good way to put it. When he wrote BoB, he uncritically took everything they said as true. The problem here is, he interviewed a clique within Easy. These guys had their experience, and their opinions, and they were talking to him like 4 decades after the war. Many of their opinions, were NOT shared by other veterans of Easy Company. Sobel is a good example, so was Shames, and Dike. I'll use Dike as an example. The guys who he interviewed had extremely low opinions of Dike. They hated him. He was an outsider. They didn't know who he was, or what he did prior to joining Easy. When he froze up on the attack on Foy, he was in, seriously wounded. At least one surviving member of Easy remarked on this fact, that Dikehad been critically wounded on the attack. The prevailing feeling on Dike among the BoB clique, was that Dike was incompetent at best, a coward at worst. Meanwhile, their very own Buck Compton who was suffering from PTSD got a pass from the same clique, because he was a member of that clique. They saw what happened to him, and when Buck noped out of the rest of the war, they gave him a pass. Dike , was ALSO suffering from PTSD. He had served with distinction on D-Day, as well at Market Garden, winning medals, rallying men, doing heroic shit. By the time he got to Bastogne and Easy, he was broken. The BoB clique didn't know his history. They hated him. The show shows him as useless, because Ambrose heard some dudes he worshipped say he was useless, so that's how they portrayed him. His military record says otherwise, and had Ambrose been an ACTUAL historian, he would have found a way to get access to them. Had he done that, he would have discovered Dike had served with distinction prior to Bastogne. He would have discovered he was wounded at Bastogne. This would set off alarm bells for any ACTUAL historian, because you have a clique of guys who knew the guy for a month or so, speaking badly of him, and then he has a military record that showed he served with distinction. At which point, a REAL historian would report what the Easy Clique said, but also temper it with a note from his military service, in which he was cited for bravery, a purple heart from Bastogne (foy attack), and won 2 Bronze Stars.
I had many family members that served during WWII, including my father in the Pacific. One of my uncles served in the 747th tank battalion, they landed on Omaha Beach, Normandy, D-Day +1. Thanks for your thoughts on this episode.
In the last scene, Nixon was giving Winters crap about a cat. That’s because Winters was using (unsuccessfully) a P38 can opener. It’s a little chunk of metal with a swing out part that has an edge. You can work it around the top of a tin can-especially a cat food tin. I carried one on my keychain for 40 years. A buddy of mine in the Marines gave it to me. Used it a bunch of times, too.
So, the leg bag - it was a british paratrooper innovation, for carrying light things, a supplementary bag. Nobody told the US paratroopers how to use it and not to overstock it, so naturally it got loaded down and naturally, when they hit the air from jumping, the bag just tore off.
@11:55 Guarnere read the letter about his brother being killed in Italy right before the jump. That's why he opened fire early, before Winters gave the command. Nevermind, you remembered. 😁
That last statement by Winters resonated with me. My grandpa who was a veteran and an officer at both WW2 and the Korean War (so, he was at war from 18 years old) did exactly that. After the Korean War, he got a post at the military academy and became a professor, refusing command posts at troubled areas that would have resulted in promotions so he could live his life with his family in peace. So, I can understand Winters’ sentiments. 😢
So about leg bags, they were given to airborne last minute and due to this they couldn’t properly train with them and they weren’t told how to use them property. So with the leg bag you were supposed to hold on it till after you jumped and it was only supposed to weight 8-10 pounds, but the problem is they overloaded them and dropped right at the jump
Thx both, My Grandfather was a British medic during D-Day WW2, he lost his 2 brothers during the war, My Mother said he was not the same man after coming back from serving. thx again for the review, keep them coming, Kind Regards Chris. ( SE UK)
The organization of a WW2 US Airborne Division was three Parachute Infantry Regiments (PIR, in this case, the 506th), each composed of three battalions, each made up of three companies (1st: Able-Baker-Charlie; 2nd: Dog-Easy-Fox; 3rd: George-Item-Hotel). Thus Easy Company was 2nd Battalion, 506th PIR
An edited version of this miniseries aired on the History Channel back in the early 2000s; this episode was actually the first one I ever watched. I had never heard of the show but loved the History Channel and tuned in one day to this incredible episode. It still hits powerfully all these years later!
A very fond memory of mine is that when I was a child, my father often talked about this "Great landing" in Normandy and even if I was passionate about history, WWII didn't really interest me, so I didn't think much of it. Until at around 12 in 2002, I watched the first episode of this series and saw the last scene with all the planes and ships and it clicked in my mind. Next thing, I was calling him, saying "I get it now", and we spoke about it for an hour. Btw, I've been to Normandy since and took a little night walk in the countryside to have a little "lost airborne soldier's" experience and I have to say, even 80 years later, the hedgerows and sunken paths makes it extremely dark. There was proper moonlight and yet, often, I couldn't even see my own hand... must have been pretty terrifying being lost in this maze filled with german death traps.
The way the camera work in the trenches was stunning is even more impressive when you realize how it had to be shot: running backwards in those trenches while carrying a 50 plus pound camera at waist height. Crazy stuff.
18:45 - theres been alot of talk about this because those hand signals used were more Vietnam era vs WWII era. But what hes signaling (according to what i looked up years ago) is "1-4-2 (one MG-42) 2-5 (25 meters) closed fist and grenade mimic (throw grenade). Ive always seen it was "1-4-2-2-5-0 grenades" and never knew where the zero came into play but that is chalked up to either being a mistake by the actor or just meaning "grenade" instead of "0". Never found a real definite answer on this
These guys were dropped behind the beaches to disrupt the Germans and make it easier for the soldiers to land on the beaches in Saving Private Ryan. The German guns that Easy Company destroyed were firing on the beaches. Their destruction of the guns doubtless saved lives there.
Additionally, the airborne was tasked with protecting the flanks of the sea landing forces. The 82nd and 101st Airborne divisions protected the flanks of the landings at Utah Beach and the British 6th Airborne at the other end of the invasion zone protecting the flank of the British at Sword Beach. Another task of the U.S. airborne was to join the two beaches of Utah and Omaha.
Thank you for learning about Real History & supporting the Free Worlds Armed Forces , Remember Freedom has a Cost , Its not free , Hand Salute from a Old U.S. Vietnam Veteran , Remember its not about the War , Its about the Warrior , Good advice from a Disabled USMC Lt.
Malarkey and the German American soldier actually used to work accross the street from each other. The producers thought that the audience would think it contrived, so they changed it to 100 miles.
One of the few issues some of the veterans had with the series (I won’t specify who to avoid spoilers) was that Winters and Hall seemed lost. They studied maps, aerial photographs and sand tables before the jump. They would have been able to orient themselves by what they saw as they descended. The original plan was to rally the guys from each plane on the ground by having the guys who jumped first march in the same direction the plane was moving, and the last to jump march away from the direction the plane was moving so they would meet in the middle and advance on their objective from there. Some of the planned drop zones turned out to have been pre-sighted for artillery and surrounded by machine gunners, so the chaos in the skies may have saved a lot of lives.
26:48 many of the young men from this time who volunteered to be the first to fight, were teenagers. Many had their parents sign them up before 18. More than a few lied about their age to go fight, and were younger than 18. Different time. Different men.
This show is filled with little details of the actual unit and what happened. One of my favorites that I’ll always remember, is the scene at 19:01 when Buck’s Thompson doesn’t fire. The firing pin broke upon landing in Normandy, which he was unaware of, thus not firing there. Throughout the entire sequence of taking those guns, he is seen messing with it trying to figure it out, while ordering others to provide covering fire. Happens so fast and without knowing that, most would not pick up on him messing with it. Whenever I watch this episode, its something I always notice and wonder what other little details they have throughout the series
The German prisoner that Malarkey talks to actually worked across the street from him in Oregon. The writers didn’t think people would think it was believable to viewers, so they changed him to leaving in a different city.
Great reaction, once again! Just wanted to point out - when Buck Compton drops the grenade a 2nd time, he's actually pushed from behind by another soldier running past behind him. Not much room in that trench. ;)
In one of the several books by and about E Company men (might have been BoB, but I don't recall 100%), Lipton said one of the dumbest things he ever did was to go up in the tree - and he never would have done it if he had had more experience.
The plan was to drop the paratroopers in specific areas, but, due to the chaos and damage done by the anti-aircraft fire, the jumps did not happen at the precise coordinates that they were supposed to in most cases!! As we saw in Winters' plane, as soon as the co-pilot was shot and killed the pilot turned on the green light!! Probably prematurely so that's why they would drop and miss their zones!! If you remember from Saving Private Ryan with the one soldier that knew Ryan said they missed their drop zone by 20 miles!! So it was chaos and definitely took some time to get their bearings and to start to pull together and start the push inland!! As others have stated what you are watching comes from the memoirs of these surviving soldiers that we see interviewed at the beginning of each episode!! It's difficult to watch these men, 50 years after the fact, still choking up remembering the experiences that they went through!!😢 So glad that you are watching it and hopefully someday you will show it to your children because I believe everyone should see this series and see what this generation of heroes did to preserve our freedoms!!! They truly were the GREATEST GENERATION!!!❤
14:10 - a lot of people (even here in the US) have forgotten that there was a substantial political movement here in the late '30s that supported the fascist cause. They considered much of Roosevelt's policies aimed at recovering from the Great Depression as 'communism'. My grandmother (before she passed) told me that when the US allied with the Soviet Union during WW2, she had a neighbor that spoke loud & long about how we were 'fighting for the wrong side'. Seems that history's more complicated than our schoolbooks would have us believe.
My favorite detail in the Brecourt manor assault: after the second grenade blast, Toye's Thompson submachine gun doesn't have a stock, implying that the stock was splintered by the grenade and probably took most of the blast. You can see him holding it out in front of him when the German soldier tries to surrender and gets a face full of brass knuckles.
The reason behind this action of executing the POWs is rooted in the chaotic and brutal nature of war. During the Normandy landings on D-Day, there were orders from higher command, such as General Maxwell Taylor, instructing paratroopers to "take no prisoners". This was because handling prisoners could hinder their mission and potentially compromise their safety. Simple, you got no friendly controlled facilities. You drop in enemy territory behind their frontlines. You have men scattered across the battlefield. You got no armor, air, or fire support. No supplies from their allies because they haven’t setup a proper base of operations to gain a foothold on enemy territory. Airborne troops are meant to harass, raid, destroy, secure/defend objectives - mostly using basically hit-and-run tactics. But until the Western Allied forces have established a foothold in Europe & secure communication lines, they can’t take prisoners.
and as the german spearheads, in the battle of the buldge, did something similar, it was a big warcrime, with trials and everything. where is difference? a warcrime is a warcrime. There are no excuses. at least if you take the Geneva convention serious.
@@kapfe1933 Yes, killing prisoners of war is considered a war crime under the Geneva Conventions. These international treaties set the standards for humanitarian treatment in war, including the protection of prisoners of war, who must be treated humanely and not subjected to violence or reprisals. The scene in Band of Brothers highlights the harsh realities and moral complexities of war, but it doesn’t justify such actions. The ambiguity around Captain Speirs’ actions serves to illustrate the rumors and fear that can arise in wartime, rather than condoning the act itself. But then again, we’re talking abt time sensitive mission objectives. Every second wasted could mean other fellow soldiers getting killed. Paratroopers come in with limited provisions & manpower especially in this episode. For example, attacking small towns may require at least +30 men. But there are POWS you have. So how many are you left with especially if you have a large number of prisoners to keep watch? That would mean half the men have to guard & now you lack the numbers & firepower to take to a small town in which you were supposed to have it secured within the deadline. POWS, as time goes by, can try to fight back or escape or secretly send messages to compromise the Allied position(s). Getting your fellow servicemen killed including more who will eventually by allowing them to give intel to their enemy. As well as ruining possible plans that your CO would make & not knowing the enemy would be prepared cuz of that one small detail. Especially, again, no controlled facility to put the prisoners in where it’s more secured & not so easy for prisoners to escape or attack. After all, Victory & defeat are determined by the smallest detail. And war is never fair. Everyone did dirty even before WWII. Can’t expect +2000 years that every nation hasn’t done dirty in war. Just cuz you changed your gov’t, country, citizenship, etc. doesn’t excuse people back then with their extreme measures or prejudice. Ever wondered what you guys did way back to POWS? Before Geneva Convention. As you said, warcrime is a warcrime. So what does make your country or mine any different than them?
From what I understand, Spiers did not execute them as portrayed but as he and a couple of men were making their way to the assembly area they encountered Germans who tried to surrender and they shot them. Still controversial but he did not offer cigarettes and then shoot a group of 20. From what I have read, it was about 6 or 7 total
@@kapfe1933the Geneva Convention was updated in 1949. The US was not a signatory of the original convention in 1864. So the Geneva Convention does not apply to Spiers.
The plane Lt Meehan was on wasn’t confirmed found until the 1950s. His remains were returned in 1952. The site of the wreck now has a memorial to the paratroopers.
God bless the American, British, Canadian and Aussies who died fighting for this, and all the other great countries who joined us, May we always be united, and never forget that incredible generation of men and women.
The MG42 was a standard German machine gun. Buck's 1-4-2-2-5 to Bill and Malarkey told them there was one MG42 twenty-five yards the other side of the hedge and to throw their grenades with enough force to go 25 yards.
This was very different from Saving Private Ryan in that Band of Brothers was about actual events and people and places on that took place on D-Day. It really makes on enormous difference.
I’ve seen multiple comments over the years complaining that the guys shooting from the tree was unrealistic, Hollywood BS, but apparently it did actually happen. Lipton (who was one of the guys in the trees) explained that he was just so full of adrenaline and the heady rush of being in his first real combat situation that he didn’t think twice about it, but that he never would have done anything like that at any point after that first day.
Excellent reaction, & thank you for the respect you show concerning these men. Many forget that they're not simply a character but real men, who had real experiences which formed the basis in Stephen Abrose's book. I appreciate you including the veterans interviews at the intro, that really sets the tone. These men of that Greatest Generation are my heroes.
I am so grateful you two are watching and enjoying this experience. I watch this with my wife every Christmas, and it still makes us tear up each and every time. Hang tight, it will get worse, but the appreciation only increases in value. Fun Fact about this episode (which was also shown in Saving Private Ryan) The Airborne Infantry were ordered to take no captives. This was due to the fact that Airborne had no facilities or assembly areas to house, contain, or control POW's. Although this order was disregarded by several troops and POW's were obtained and transported to the beaches (which were few) the action of war crimes to execute POW's were not enforced. It is hard to see and hear that even Allied forces were not above war atrocities, but it is the truth of war. Hopefully Humankind will one day learn from all of War's hellish atrocities to one another, and we can grow together to overcome the evil of wartime.
The actor who played Malarkey actually slipped when he was running from the battlefield looking for a luger and wasn't scripted. They kept it in the episode.
Don't know whether it's been mentioned already but Damien Lewis who plays winters was married to the late Helen Mcrory who played Polly in peaky blinders.
The thing about "you could have jumped at anytime"... "Why aren't they letting them jump?" The whole point was not to jump anywhere. It was to jump in the RIGHT place (or close enough) so that your team can do it's missions. The green light was to let the troops know "You are now in the right place, go now." More than that, it was also to say that the pilots had brought the plane to a safe speed and altitude for jumping. On the night this was a real problem. Some pilots panicked while dodging AA guns and told their men to go while flying too fast. There were also stories of other hitting the green light while flying too low, and the troops hit the ground before their parachutes even opened.
This was their first time in combat. In interviews from Ambrose's book from which the series is based, most of them said they took chances they would never again take. Like Lipton climbing the tree for a firing position. And Malarkey going after a Luger in the open. They learned how to better guard their lives.
The comment about "not being old enough to buy a beer" - it used to be, after Prohibition, in the 1920's, restored in early 1930's -yet, between each State in the USA, laws were different. Some areas now today, do not sell alcohol on Sunday, or after certain hours. During the 1960's, the age was often 18 years. There used to be lower-alcohol beer. In the 1980's, when I was going to start college, in my native Ohio, the alcohol age was raised to 21 years, from 18 (Conservative 'values' to stop drunk driving, when Regan was President)....so, many obtained "Fake ID/license) to drink beer or wine in college. It's like by 18 years, you can get married, enlist in the military, drive a car, vote in politics - and you can't drink -waffle and Bull'****! There have been some legal efforts to change this difference. I am 55 years years, now - your perspective is different.
There is a video by the channel The Operations Rooms called "Easy Company Assaults the Guns at Brecourt Manor on D-Day" that explains in detail on a map how this specific fight was planned and where everyone moved. It's really good for anyone who's interested how these things work.
This is my favorites episode to watch reactors watch. The reactors have NO IDEA what they are in for. The looks on their faces during the drop, the brutality that is war being seen for the first time, to the "handy cam" used at Brecourt Manor adding to their anxiety. It's when it dawns on them that they're seeing something they have never experienced before.
This was mindblowing and heartbreaking at the same time...we were not ready for this
Watch up to our Episode 6 Reaction EARLY & UNCUT over on Patreon! www.patreon.com/spartanandpudgey
captured enemy soldiers are not "hostages" pudgy, they are considered prisoners of war, or just prisoners. A hostage is when you take an innocent bystander with the use of violence or threat of violence to protect yourself or your agenda. In war the real hostages are the innocent civilians who are being occupied by a belligerent force and exposed to the collateral damage of war.
Also, be careful trying to make any moral equivalence between german soldiers and American soldiers, there was no moral equivalence, if you study WW2, you learn about their soldiers being absolute evil animals either committing war crimes themselves or accessories to war crimes. The vast majority of soldiers also knew of the evils committed by the nazi regime across occupied Europe and history teaches us that human responsibility is an INDIVIDUAL choice. By not rebelling and aiding in the german war effort they are all guilty to a certain extent for the mass atrocities committed all over Europe and elsewhere.
Professor mgceonegal died
Maggy smith.
You look like you might have a Mediterranean background and calling yourself Spartan that might mean Greece, but I think that could also be Maltese and possibly named after Hamrun Spartans football club like myself - (SpartanWomble) named after Hamrun and AFC Wimbledon. :-)
Spartan.... You and pudgey come to America.... Us at the office are taking you parachuting.... Pudgey can film. Vlog... Parachute, college football game with 100,000 fans. We will set you guys up
I'm sure you have been told this series is 99 percent factual. Or the men of Easy Company refused to do it.
And.
After this episode, this series is gonna get very real. So hang in till the end. It's well worth it.
Good reaction. Well done.
14:32 the crazy thing is that Malarkey and the American German soldier were actually working across the street from eachother in the same town. But the script writers didn't think anyone would believe it, so they changed it to 'a 100 miles apart'
Being from Oregon, hearing them talking about Eugene and Astoria felt so immersive and hooked me into that scene.
@@yusergname Yeah, I'm from Tacoma, but my family used to go down to Seaside in the summers for a number of years.
In another reaction, it was said that it was a real shame that the German/American soldier was killed. He was a traitor, in enemy uniform, caught fighting against the country of his birth. I'd feel more pity for the actual Germans.
what are the chances?? so crazy
@@johannesvalterdivizzini1523 Was he actually killed? The Speirs execution of prisoners happened much earlier, while still dark, if I'm not mistaken. The way they depict it in the show is kind of crazy, like he's doing it just because he's a psycho.
"Flash" and "Thunder" were used as sign/countersign because there's no "th" sound in German so if Germans tried to say "thunder" it would sound more like "dunder".
NEIN! I zink not! You simple young americaner!
More like Tsunder
Something you have to remember is that the airborne units have a very finite amount of resources. They dont have the manpower or supplies to take their objectives and babysit POWs.
They are behind enemy lines and surrounded. POWs would hinder them and be a potential threat.
Doesn't make it any less of a war crime.
Imagine if the other way around. The same excuse was made during the Battle of the Bulge when American troops who were captured were massacred.
Especially when we're trained far better than leg Infantry. It's a waste of resources to have Airborne doing anything but kicking ass, taking names and letting God sort them out.
The Airborne units were ordered not to take prisoners on D-Day. Due to situations like this. 90% of the unit unaccounted for, men out of battle guarding POW's, that is why Spiers did what he did. Spiers by the way was still alive at the point this was filmed and was asked by Winters if he objected to that scene being filmed. He told Winters he did not.
@@Jon.A.Scholt It's not really a warcrime if other powers didn't play by the same rules, which they didn't.
Those interview clips of the actual men from the 101st absolutely gut me. It's heartwrenching watching these incredibly strong men try to choke back their feelings.
I've also heard that the vets were giving scripts, and if they didn't play ball they'd be excluded from the project.
@@Whiskey0880that is wildly ridiculous theory about the production of the documentary, when people probably just didn't want to bring back awful memories they are probably trying to suppress already instesd of trudging them up on camera.
@@Whiskey0880 Heard from where? Provide proof.
@@Whiskey0880 So according to you (and whoever you heard it from) all those actual vets are just acting when recalling those events. And you believed that? Ill try to be as respectful and above the line as I can and just say that I don't believe you or your source. I would love to know where you got this information from.
No, they faced horrible odds. Watching the men on the boats that survived talk about D-Day will show the emotion. It was very few even willing to attempt it in everything I've watched.
If you jump a minute too early, you miss the drop zone by 2 km. Coming down in the wrong place-- the ocean, the beach, farther behind German lines --could be bad.
Oof. Landing 2 km from shore in the sea with all that gear on sounds like a nightmare. I think their total jump gear weight is over 30kg?
Several members of Easy company, while really disliking Sobel and not trusting his leadership and soldier skill, did give him credit for the intense physical training and exceptional physical standard he set for Easy company, and they said that's one reason they were able to face such hard circumstances during the war and still survive. So there's that I guess.
He was probably quite good for them as far as the physical training and discipline, but actual tactical leadership in battle is an entirely different quality. It's like expecting the physical trainer for Hollywood actors to then be a good film director - two entirely different skill sets.
Sobel actually did quite well on D-Day, despite his seeming inability to lead men in a combat situation. He made the jump, assembled a couple of men, and led them to destroy a German MG nest. He even earned himself medals. I understand the series is based on the book, which in turn is based on the account of the men of Easy, but they seriously overdid it with Sobel's incompetence.
The portrayal of Sobel is one of those things, that should set off alarm bells for anyone who watches this series. It should tell you to read up on Stephen Ambrose, and the criticisms he faced over the stuff he wrote.
That said, BoB is probably one of my favorite TV series ever, but, we need to temper that by understanding EXACTLY what it is we are watching.
We are not watching a show about history as it happened. We are watching a show, from the point of view (very NARROW) point of view, or a small group of soldiers within Easy Company.
Sobel was almost certainly a victim of anti-Semitism in BoB. The fact is pretty simple, and this is it. Anti-Semitism wasn't the exception in 1940s America, it was the rule. You will note that the most outspoken critics of Sobel. The fact Sobel went on to have success during the war should tell people everything they need to know.
Was Sobel as good as Winters turned out to be? Probably not. Did the NCOs who revolted know Winters was going to be a good commander? Absolutely not. What they knew is they didn't like Sobel, I wonder what could be a contributing factor to that. Hmmmm. United States of America in the 1930s-40s and before. Part of the country was de-facto apartheid. Anti-Semitism was the default position for most Americans, if you were legitimately NOT anti-Semitic to some degree, you were the exception.
For sure, why he was transferred to run a school
If Sobel would have jumped with Easy he would have been killed since that leadership plane was hit and crashed.
To me, Band of Brothers is the best TV series ever made.
All smart people know it. It sure is.
Yep. Been watching it every year since 2001. Nothing's topped it so far.
I don't even look at this like it's a TV series.. Just feels like a long movie.
6:55 This was the aircraft of Lt. Meehan, the CO of Easy Company. (He'll be mentioned as missing one or two more times in the next episode or so, so just in case you didn't catch it.)
18:45 Buck Compton's hand signals showed: 1 - 4 - 2 - 2 - 5 - fist - pin pull - point. This stands for: "1 MG42, 25 meters, grenades thrown in that direction." That said, these hand signals are an anachronism, as such sophisticated hand signals were only used in the US army only during around the time of the Vietnam War.
the German soldier and Malarkey were actually closer together. This is an actual quote.
From "Easy Company Soldier - The Legendary Battles of a Sergeant from World War II's 'Band of Brothers'".
“Where the hell are you guys from, Brooklyn?” asked some wise guy in our company.
“No, Portland, Oregon,” said a German master sergeant, just off my shoulder.
What? I couldn’t believe it-that the guy not only spoke perfect English, but said he was from Portland (not Eugene, as the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers showed him saying, for reasons beyond me).
“No kidding, Portland?” I said eagerly. “I’m from Astoria.”
The company walked on. I hung back, amazed at this coincidence.
“I worked in Portland until 1938,” he said, “and came home when Hitler called all loyal Germans to return to the fatherland.”
“So where’d you work in Portland?” I asked.
“Schmitz Steel Company.”
“You gotta be kidding,” I said. “The owners of that company were friends of my family. And I worked for Monarch Forge and Machine Works right across the street.”
By now, a few of my fellow soldiers passing by were giving me the eye.
“Well now, what do you think about that decision now to return to your homeland?” I asked, scanning his POW pals around him.
“I think I made a big mistake,” he said.
“Malark, let’s go,” yelled Guarnere, peeved that I was fraternizing with the enemy.
I nodded at the soldier. “You take care,” I said, and walked on.
I’d only been at war a few hours, and already I was learning stuff I hadn’t been taught in training. Namely, that the guy trying to kill you-and that you’re trying to kill-could be somebody who once worked in an American defense plant, across the street from where you later worked. Strange thing, war.
The creators of the show changed the details because they didnt think the audience would believe the truth.
Also, you guys keep comparing this to Saving Private Ryan; This was made by the same people 3 years later, so it will be very similar in style.
All these years later, did anybody manage to ID the German from Oregon and did he survive the war?
@5:46 "No plan survives contact with the enemy".
"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face"
@@mattybob12310 I was waiting for someone to add that quote!
@@mattybob12310 It's mouth.
Good morning, coffee and breakfast with my favorite reactors watching my favorite war story. Good start for a Friday
I'm also from Oregon so this episode hits hard, especially since 100% of my ancestors are German and they help run the big Okyoberfest in Oregon. But my family served for the US. My great uncle was shot in France during this campaign, for example.
"They could be your next door neighbor."
Actually, they were. Malarkey and the German-American POW lived on the same block. The producers thought viewers wouldn't buy it, so they changed the situation to 2 different cities near each other.
And yes, Speirs did shoot the captured Germans. That was common practice the first couple days, since the paratroopers had no way to secure POWs until the beach head was established. This was condoned, if not actually ordered, by senior officers. There is a video interview with Dick Winters, in which he spells out the truth of what happened.
Band of brothers is my favorite war production and
Winters is my favorite character, closely followed by
Spears. (Lol I look forward to seeing the reaction to spears in later episodes).
I can't choose only one, too many great men. Lipton, Malarkey, Buck, Roe, etc...
Congratulations on starting what many people, myself included, think is one of if not the finest mini series ever made. I will warn you episodes 6 7 and especially 9 will be very hard. Good luck.
Just incase you guys don't know, the vets at the start are the people in the show. It's all real. ❤
You can't just "jump whenever". Everyone has a specific mission at an identified place. That requires a specific, identified drop zone. That being said...... No plan survives first contact. Adapt, improvise, overcome.
Now you guys understand when they were talking about "all those airborne misdrops all over Normandy" in Saving Private Ryan
i doubt they understand LOL
gotta watch The Pacific after you finish this!!
The Heim ins Reich (meaning Back home to the Reich) was issued in 1938 so 6 years before the events we are watching. In real life Malarkey and the POW actually worked right across the street from each other.
“Where the hell are you guys from, Brooklyn?” asked some wise guy in our company.
“No, Portland, Oregon,” said a German master sergeant, just off my shoulder. What? I couldn’t believe it-that the guy not only spoke perfect English, but said he was from Portland.
“No kidding, Portland?” I said eagerly. “I’m from Astoria.” The company walked on. I hung back, amazed at this coincidence. “I worked in Portland until 1938,” he said, “and came home when Hitler called all loyal Germans to return to the fatherland.” “So where’d you work in Portland?” I asked. “Schmitz Steel Company.” “You gotta be kidding,” I said. “The owners of that company were friends of my family. And I worked for Monarch Forge and Machine Works right across the street.” By now, a few of my fellow soldiers passing by were giving me the eye.
“Well now, what do you think about that decision now to return to your homeland?” I asked, scanning his POW pals around him. “I think I made a big mistake,” he said. “Malark, let’s go,” yelled Guarnere, peeved that I was fraternizing with the enemy. I nodded at the soldier. “You take care,” I said, and walked on.
It's really heartwrenching watching the actual easy company members talk in those interviews and then we see basically movie screen of what they told and the historical events
It's always impressive how assertive, confident and calm Winters is, just "There's your job, go!" and gets on with it.
These young men were a special breed hardly seen today. My heart is so full thankful to be an American. What a beautiful wife you have be thankful stay together. God Bless the both of you!!!
Grandfather flew B17s during WW2 and later served during the Korean War. Wasnt that long ago.
7:14 yes. planes were in fact running into dropping paratroopers. When Winters' plane is coming up on the clouds with flashes of light from anti-aircraft fire, it cuts to a view from behind the pilots and into their cockpit. One radio message that you can hear them receiving from another plane is "We have a paratrooper on the wing"
The leg back, if I'm not mistaken, was a British invention. In the previous episode, Joe Toye broke down how much weight and equipment he was carrying, and that was a major concern since all that added weight increased your chances of injury upon landing. The general idea was most of your heavy shit was packed into that bag, and when you jump out, you're supposed to be holding it in a bear hug. Then once your parachute deployed, you lower the bag using the string its attached to. So the bag will hit the ground first and then you.
But as you saw, the bag was introduced very late and many of the soldiers weren't informed on the proper use of it. So what I'm guessing happened is that they threw the bag out the plane first, and then jumped right after it. But like many of the veterans said, the blast from the plane propeller snapped the rope that attached them to the bag, and bye-bye equipment
Easy Company doesn't mean it was easy :) They use words for companies to avoid confusion with similar-sounding letters. "A"ble, "B"aker, "D"og, "E"asy...etc.
Today they'd be "Echo" Company with the modern NATO Phonetic Alphabet.
I know the cinematography is very similar to Saving Private Ryan due to the same director and producer, and it is a great film… just keep in mind that SPR is fiction and BOB is based on actual events, stories and the actual men of the 101st and E company.
Last year I read a book about Ronald Spiers (the Dog Company commander who shot the smoking prisoners) and by all accounts that man was born to be a soldier. He had a life that rivals a movie action hero.
While Easy Company was clearing St Marie Dumont and surrounding areas, Captain Miller (fiction) in Saving Private Ryan is hitting the beach east of Utah (Omaha beach).
The guns easy company took out saved thousands of lives in Utah beach, as they were firing direct artillery on the boys landing there.
People lied about their age to join the military at this time. Some were as young as 16. Almost every able body men in America joined and fought at that time.
Most people my age grandfather's fought in WW2 both of mine did.
Yeah I just commented that alot of Americans have lost that level of patriotism.
My father joined at 17.
@@ladyhotep5189 America got soft. The United States used to be the most powerful nation in the world, now internationally its a Joke, has been for over a decade. I remember my Grandfather telling us stories of when the American Army liberated his town during this war, he later immigrated here and we all grew up respecting the country. I'm glad he didn't live to see it in this state.
My dad's great-uncle joined at the age of 13. He was found out and sent home. He reenlisted in a different branch, was subsequently found out and sent home. Finally, he joined another branch. He was 16 by this time. He was caught, but he was allowed to remain. He was shot and walked with a limp and cane for the rest of his life.
Yes, a different time. My grandfather was between 14-15 when he joined up for WWI. He was a submariner.
My son and I took a 2 week Band of Brothers trip in July through the Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours. Great trip. We hit all of the key locations....Aldbourne,Normandy,Saint Mere Eglise,Carentan,Brecourt Manor,Holland,Bastogne,Eagles Nest and others. George Luz,Jr(son of Easy member George Luz)was our tour guide. I highly recommend the trip.
One thing I learned in really dangerous situations that is depicted well here is: Never EVER panic..then people start to die..and unfortunately you will only know if you can handle it, if you are under fire or in a life threatening situation...otherwise you wont because you cant simulate real life. So having a commanding officer who is ice cold and rational is exactely what will save your life
That’s why I try not to judge how soldiers react under fire, in films like this, because I don’t know if I would have done any better.
The thing about waiting for the light is that, if they jump too soon, they'll be totally out of position for their objectives they're supposed to attack.
One of the copilot's jobs was to help with navigation, which included looking out for landmarks and other signs of where they needed to drop their troopers. When that copilot was killed, the Pilot of Winter's aircraft panicked a bit and decided it was better just to get them out of there now, rather than risking all of them if the plane went down. The result is them jumping early (wrong place), way too fast (the high speed ripping leg bags off and scattering the unit further apart), and too low (not giving them enough time to slow down on the drop, so they're hitting the ground HARD). It's genuinely a miracle more men weren't lost that night, and is a testament to how elite US and British Paratroopers were in the 2nd World War.
Not only was the age to be drafted - 18 - younger than the age to buy liquor in some states - 21- but guys younger than 18 wanted to enlist. My Dad enlisted right after high school and would not turn 18 for another 4 months but was accepted.
The 82nd airborne (US Army's only remaining airborne division) does an mock invasion jump in North Carolina. I talked to some people who have been there for it and they said it is really wild. You're just standing there when you start to hear the planes. Before you know it, the sky is covered in planes and parachutes. It is an overwhelming experience to have a division of soldiers falling from the sky.
The 101st Airborne is still around too.
@@xboxman1710 they maintain their airborne tab because of their history, but they are no longer an airborne division. They primarily focus on air assault (helicopter) operations now. Easy mistake to make.
The 11th Airborne is active in Alaska.
God I love this series so much.
Every couple years I go back and watch it or see reactions of it and it never fails to pull the heartstrings.
Checked your channel multiple times a day for the last week expecting this! Woohoo
My dad volunteered in August 1940 and was in the Army Air Corps a year and a half before the Pearl Harbor attack brought the US into the war. He served until the end of the war and was recalled for active duty for the Korean War (so 8 years). He was a senior navigational instructor, and trained Lord knows how many fliers and aircrew how to locate their targets and get back alive. Many of the guys he trained never did make it home. He hardly ever spoke about it, but I know it weighed on his conscience.
The commander of the 101st gave orders to take no prisoners in the first 24 hours. Quakers were an English religious sect that embraced brotherly love and rejected violence. Many Quakers emigrated to the Pennsylvania Colony during the colonial era.
26:53 - younger people are easier to train as their bodies and minds are still growing and can adapt to adverse situations A HELL OF A LOT better than an older generation. Your body doesn't stop "growing" until about 24/25 years old. If anything drinking and drugs should be for those that are over 25 years old in a perfect world.
Compton didn’t drop the grenade. A soldier running behind him accidentally hit him in the back just as he was throwing it.
Spartan saying this episode was a masterpiece. We’ll get ready because the whole series is a masterpiece. I hope you enjoy the next 8 episodes.❤
Hand signals: 1, 42, 25, fist, pull, point
Translation: One MG42, 25 yards away, throw grenades that way.
If you notice when Lt Compton dropped the grenade, someone bumped him from behind.
Dick Winters is played by a British Actor using an American Accent.
A number of the Easy actors were British using American accents.
As a US Army vet (enlisted and later commissioned) I can tell you during initial training (Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training) the trainers are strict. However, they are professionals. Their actions aren't motivated by personal ego or peeves as was the case with Sobel. Superficially Sobel may have appeared to be a good trainer but he was in fact entirely unfit as a leader and a trainer. His treatment of Winters was unforgiveable. I should note, I have no idea if the real world Sobel behaved so poorly.
Yes the writer of the book that this was based on went almost solely off of these men's, by that point, 40-50 year old memories and didn't do a lot of fact checking so some things aren't 100% factual, like a later death that was a mistake.
Thank you for your service.
You can’t say that lol there are absolute cases of unprofessionalism
@@ronweber1402you mean renowned WW2 historian Stephen Ambrose who absolutely researched the hell out of it yea sure ok.
@@LudusAurea He isn't a renowned WW2 historian. He isn't even a historian. He is widely recognized as a falsifier of history and he is considered at best, someone who wrote about anecdotes, when he wasn't making them up.
He made up parts of the Biography he wrote on Eisenhower. Straight up lied.
The criticisms he faced over Band of Brothers, is that as a kid growing up, he idolized WW2 vets. Hero worship is a good way to put it. When he wrote BoB, he uncritically took everything they said as true.
The problem here is, he interviewed a clique within Easy. These guys had their experience, and their opinions, and they were talking to him like 4 decades after the war. Many of their opinions, were NOT shared by other veterans of Easy Company.
Sobel is a good example, so was Shames, and Dike. I'll use Dike as an example. The guys who he interviewed had extremely low opinions of Dike. They hated him. He was an outsider. They didn't know who he was, or what he did prior to joining Easy. When he froze up on the attack on Foy, he was in, seriously wounded. At least one surviving member of Easy remarked on this fact, that Dikehad been critically wounded on the attack.
The prevailing feeling on Dike among the BoB clique, was that Dike was incompetent at best, a coward at worst. Meanwhile, their very own Buck Compton who was suffering from PTSD got a pass from the same clique, because he was a member of that clique. They saw what happened to him, and when Buck noped out of the rest of the war, they gave him a pass. Dike , was ALSO suffering from PTSD. He had served with distinction on D-Day, as well at Market Garden, winning medals, rallying men, doing heroic shit. By the time he got to Bastogne and Easy, he was broken. The BoB clique didn't know his history. They hated him. The show shows him as useless, because Ambrose heard some dudes he worshipped say he was useless, so that's how they portrayed him. His military record says otherwise, and had Ambrose been an ACTUAL historian, he would have found a way to get access to them.
Had he done that, he would have discovered Dike had served with distinction prior to Bastogne. He would have discovered he was wounded at Bastogne. This would set off alarm bells for any ACTUAL historian, because you have a clique of guys who knew the guy for a month or so, speaking badly of him, and then he has a military record that showed he served with distinction.
At which point, a REAL historian would report what the Easy Clique said, but also temper it with a note from his military service, in which he was cited for bravery, a purple heart from Bastogne (foy attack), and won 2 Bronze Stars.
I had many family members that served during WWII, including my father in the Pacific.
One of my uncles served in the 747th tank battalion, they landed on Omaha Beach, Normandy, D-Day +1.
Thanks for your thoughts on this episode.
In the last scene, Nixon was giving Winters crap about a cat. That’s because Winters was using (unsuccessfully) a P38 can opener. It’s a little chunk of metal with a swing out part that has an edge. You can work it around the top of a tin can-especially a cat food tin. I carried one on my keychain for 40 years. A buddy of mine in the Marines gave it to me. Used it a bunch of times, too.
So, the leg bag - it was a british paratrooper innovation, for carrying light things, a supplementary bag.
Nobody told the US paratroopers how to use it and not to overstock it, so naturally it got loaded down and naturally, when they hit the air from jumping, the bag just tore off.
@11:55 Guarnere read the letter about his brother being killed in Italy right before the jump. That's why he opened fire early, before Winters gave the command. Nevermind, you remembered. 😁
That last statement by Winters resonated with me. My grandpa who was a veteran and an officer at both WW2 and the Korean War (so, he was at war from 18 years old) did exactly that. After the Korean War, he got a post at the military academy and became a professor, refusing command posts at troubled areas that would have resulted in promotions so he could live his life with his family in peace. So, I can understand Winters’ sentiments. 😢
So about leg bags, they were given to airborne last minute and due to this they couldn’t properly train with them and they weren’t told how to use them property. So with the leg bag you were supposed to hold on it till after you jumped and it was only supposed to weight 8-10 pounds, but the problem is they overloaded them and dropped right at the jump
Thx both, My Grandfather was a British medic during D-Day WW2, he lost his 2 brothers during the war, My Mother said he was not the same man after coming back from serving.
thx again for the review, keep them coming,
Kind Regards Chris. ( SE UK)
25:50 as in “this is the first time you acted without my command… and it will be the last” What a leader!!
The organization of a WW2 US Airborne Division was three Parachute Infantry Regiments (PIR, in this case, the 506th), each composed of three battalions, each made up of three companies (1st: Able-Baker-Charlie; 2nd: Dog-Easy-Fox; 3rd: George-Item-Hotel). Thus Easy Company was 2nd Battalion, 506th PIR
I think you guys are going to love Band of Brothers, it only gets better
An edited version of this miniseries aired on the History Channel back in the early 2000s; this episode was actually the first one I ever watched. I had never heard of the show but loved the History Channel and tuned in one day to this incredible episode. It still hits powerfully all these years later!
A very fond memory of mine is that when I was a child, my father often talked about this "Great landing" in Normandy and even if I was passionate about history, WWII didn't really interest me, so I didn't think much of it. Until at around 12 in 2002, I watched the first episode of this series and saw the last scene with all the planes and ships and it clicked in my mind. Next thing, I was calling him, saying "I get it now", and we spoke about it for an hour.
Btw, I've been to Normandy since and took a little night walk in the countryside to have a little "lost airborne soldier's" experience and I have to say, even 80 years later, the hedgerows and sunken paths makes it extremely dark. There was proper moonlight and yet, often, I couldn't even see my own hand... must have been pretty terrifying being lost in this maze filled with german death traps.
The episodes get even better. One of the best aspects of this series is that there are no weak episodes.
1-4-2-2-5-fist-point with 3 fingers- is....'There is 1 MG42 machine gun 25 ft away, throw 3 grenades in that direction"
80 years later and the emotions come back to these veterans like it happened yesterday
The way the camera work in the trenches was stunning is even more impressive when you realize how it had to be shot: running backwards in those trenches while carrying a 50 plus pound camera at waist height. Crazy stuff.
18:45 - theres been alot of talk about this because those hand signals used were more Vietnam era vs WWII era. But what hes signaling (according to what i looked up years ago) is "1-4-2 (one MG-42) 2-5 (25 meters) closed fist and grenade mimic (throw grenade). Ive always seen it was "1-4-2-2-5-0 grenades" and never knew where the zero came into play but that is chalked up to either being a mistake by the actor or just meaning "grenade" instead of "0". Never found a real definite answer on this
These guys were dropped behind the beaches to disrupt the Germans and make it easier for the soldiers to land on the beaches in Saving Private Ryan. The German guns that Easy Company destroyed were firing on the beaches. Their destruction of the guns doubtless saved lives there.
Additionally, the airborne was tasked with protecting the flanks of the sea landing forces. The 82nd and 101st Airborne divisions protected the flanks of the landings at Utah Beach and the British 6th Airborne at the other end of the invasion zone protecting the flank of the British at Sword Beach. Another task of the U.S. airborne was to join the two beaches of Utah and Omaha.
Thank you for learning about Real History & supporting the Free Worlds Armed Forces , Remember Freedom has a Cost , Its not free , Hand Salute from a Old U.S. Vietnam Veteran , Remember its not about the War , Its about the Warrior , Good advice from a Disabled USMC Lt.
Holy crap seeing their room light up from watching this in the beginning was crazy
You are entering a very complicated relationship with Ronald Speirs. Just remember he is on our side.
Malarkey and the German American soldier actually used to work accross the street from each other. The producers thought that the audience would think it contrived, so they changed it to 100 miles.
One of the few issues some of the veterans had with the series (I won’t specify who to avoid spoilers) was that Winters and Hall seemed lost.
They studied maps, aerial photographs and sand tables before the jump. They would have been able to orient themselves by what they saw as they descended. The original plan was to rally the guys from each plane on the ground by having the guys who jumped first march in the same direction the plane was moving, and the last to jump march away from the direction the plane was moving so they would meet in the middle and advance on their objective from there.
Some of the planned drop zones turned out to have been pre-sighted for artillery and surrounded by machine gunners, so the chaos in the skies may have saved a lot of lives.
For me, each episode is special in its own right. Brilliantly done, never to be reproduced. ♥
26:48 many of the young men from this time who volunteered to be the first to fight, were teenagers. Many had their parents sign them up before 18. More than a few lied about their age to go fight, and were younger than 18. Different time. Different men.
Like 40% of the army were draftees to be fair. Airborne units of course were volunteers as far as I know l.
This show is filled with little details of the actual unit and what happened. One of my favorites that I’ll always remember, is the scene at 19:01 when Buck’s Thompson doesn’t fire. The firing pin broke upon landing in Normandy, which he was unaware of, thus not firing there. Throughout the entire sequence of taking those guns, he is seen messing with it trying to figure it out, while ordering others to provide covering fire. Happens so fast and without knowing that, most would not pick up on him messing with it. Whenever I watch this episode, its something I always notice and wonder what other little details they have throughout the series
I'm from Oregon and have some German ancestry, so the scene with the German from Oregon hits close to home.
The German prisoner that Malarkey talks to actually worked across the street from him in Oregon. The writers didn’t think people would think it was believable to viewers, so they changed him to leaving in a different city.
Great reaction, once again! Just wanted to point out - when Buck Compton drops the grenade a 2nd time, he's actually pushed from behind by another soldier running past behind him. Not much room in that trench. ;)
In one of the several books by and about E Company men (might have been BoB, but I don't recall 100%), Lipton said one of the dumbest things he ever did was to go up in the tree - and he never would have done it if he had had more experience.
I had read the same account by Lipton.
also Meehan's plane was the one that caught on fire at the beginning of the episode
The plan was to drop the paratroopers in specific areas, but, due to the chaos and damage done by the anti-aircraft fire, the jumps did not happen at the precise coordinates that they were supposed to in most cases!! As we saw in Winters' plane, as soon as the co-pilot was shot and killed the pilot turned on the green light!! Probably prematurely so that's why they would drop and miss their zones!!
If you remember from Saving Private Ryan with the one soldier that knew Ryan said they missed their drop zone by 20 miles!!
So it was chaos and definitely took some time to get their bearings and to start to pull together and start the push inland!!
As others have stated what you are watching comes from the memoirs of these surviving soldiers that we see interviewed at the beginning of each episode!! It's difficult to watch these men, 50 years after the fact, still choking up remembering the experiences that they went through!!😢
So glad that you are watching it and hopefully someday you will show it to your children because I believe everyone should see this series and see what this generation of heroes did to preserve our freedoms!!!
They truly were the GREATEST GENERATION!!!❤
14:10 - a lot of people (even here in the US) have forgotten that there was a substantial political movement here in the late '30s that supported the fascist cause. They considered much of Roosevelt's policies aimed at recovering from the Great Depression as 'communism'. My grandmother (before she passed) told me that when the US allied with the Soviet Union during WW2, she had a neighbor that spoke loud & long about how we were 'fighting for the wrong side'. Seems that history's more complicated than our schoolbooks would have us believe.
Or people are more deluded than we thought possible..
My favorite detail in the Brecourt manor assault: after the second grenade blast, Toye's Thompson submachine gun doesn't have a stock, implying that the stock was splintered by the grenade and probably took most of the blast. You can see him holding it out in front of him when the German soldier tries to surrender and gets a face full of brass knuckles.
9 episodes left, but also the documentary "We Stand Lone Together," which was excellent.
The reason behind this action of executing the POWs is rooted in the chaotic and brutal nature of war. During the Normandy landings on D-Day, there were orders from higher command, such as General Maxwell Taylor, instructing paratroopers to "take no prisoners". This was because handling prisoners could hinder their mission and potentially compromise their safety. Simple, you got no friendly controlled facilities.
You drop in enemy territory behind their frontlines. You have men scattered across the battlefield. You got no armor, air, or fire support. No supplies from their allies because they haven’t setup a proper base of operations to gain a foothold on enemy territory. Airborne troops are meant to harass, raid, destroy, secure/defend objectives - mostly using basically hit-and-run tactics. But until the Western Allied forces have established a foothold in Europe & secure communication lines, they can’t take prisoners.
and as the german spearheads, in the battle of the buldge, did something similar, it was a big warcrime, with trials and everything. where is difference? a warcrime is a warcrime. There are no excuses. at least if you take the Geneva convention serious.
@@kapfe1933easy to say while sitting in your nice warm house, isn’t it?
@@kapfe1933 Yes, killing prisoners of war is considered a war crime under the Geneva Conventions. These international treaties set the standards for humanitarian treatment in war, including the protection of prisoners of war, who must be treated humanely and not subjected to violence or reprisals.
The scene in Band of Brothers highlights the harsh realities and moral complexities of war, but it doesn’t justify such actions. The ambiguity around Captain Speirs’ actions serves to illustrate the rumors and fear that can arise in wartime, rather than condoning the act itself.
But then again, we’re talking abt time sensitive mission objectives. Every second wasted could mean other fellow soldiers getting killed. Paratroopers come in with limited provisions & manpower especially in this episode.
For example, attacking small towns may require at least +30 men. But there are POWS you have. So how many are you left with especially if you have a large number of prisoners to keep watch? That would mean half the men have to guard & now you lack the numbers & firepower to take to a small town in which you were supposed to have it secured within the deadline.
POWS, as time goes by, can try to fight back or escape or secretly send messages to compromise the Allied position(s). Getting your fellow servicemen killed including more who will eventually by allowing them to give intel to their enemy.
As well as ruining possible plans that your CO would make & not knowing the enemy would be prepared cuz of that one small detail.
Especially, again, no controlled facility to put the prisoners in where it’s more secured & not so easy for prisoners to escape or attack.
After all, Victory & defeat are determined by the smallest detail. And war is never fair. Everyone did dirty even before WWII. Can’t expect +2000 years that every nation hasn’t done dirty in war.
Just cuz you changed your gov’t, country, citizenship, etc. doesn’t excuse people back then with their extreme measures or prejudice. Ever wondered what you guys did way back to POWS? Before Geneva Convention.
As you said, warcrime is a warcrime. So what does make your country or mine any different than them?
From what I understand, Spiers did not execute them as portrayed but as he and a couple of men were making their way to the assembly area they encountered Germans who tried to surrender and they shot them. Still controversial but he did not offer cigarettes and then shoot a group of 20. From what I have read, it was about 6 or 7 total
@@kapfe1933the Geneva Convention was updated in 1949. The US was not a signatory of the original convention in 1864. So the Geneva Convention does not apply to Spiers.
The plane Lt Meehan was on wasn’t confirmed found until the 1950s. His remains were returned in 1952. The site of the wreck now has a memorial to the paratroopers.
It's worth giving this a rewatch when your done. You'll pick things up you missed, especially since there's so many characters.
God bless the American, British, Canadian and Aussies who died fighting for this, and all the other great countries who joined us, May we always be united, and never forget that incredible generation of men and women.
The MG42 was a standard German machine gun. Buck's 1-4-2-2-5 to Bill and Malarkey told them there was one MG42 twenty-five yards the other side of the hedge and to throw their grenades with enough force to go 25 yards.
22:15 That's why they are known as the greatest generation. They were a different breed.
This was very different from Saving Private Ryan in that Band of Brothers was about actual events and people and places on that took place on D-Day. It really makes on enormous difference.
I’ve seen multiple comments over the years complaining that the guys shooting from the tree was unrealistic, Hollywood BS, but apparently it did actually happen. Lipton (who was one of the guys in the trees) explained that he was just so full of adrenaline and the heady rush of being in his first real combat situation that he didn’t think twice about it, but that he never would have done anything like that at any point after that first day.
Excellent reaction, & thank you for the respect you show concerning these men. Many forget that they're not simply a character but real men, who had real experiences which formed the basis in Stephen Abrose's book. I appreciate you including the veterans interviews at the intro, that really sets the tone. These men of that Greatest Generation are my heroes.
I am so grateful you two are watching and enjoying this experience. I watch this with my wife every Christmas, and it still makes us tear up each and every time. Hang tight, it will get worse, but the appreciation only increases in value. Fun Fact about this episode (which was also shown in Saving Private Ryan) The Airborne Infantry were ordered to take no captives. This was due to the fact that Airborne had no facilities or assembly areas to house, contain, or control POW's. Although this order was disregarded by several troops and POW's were obtained and transported to the beaches (which were few) the action of war crimes to execute POW's were not enforced. It is hard to see and hear that even Allied forces were not above war atrocities, but it is the truth of war. Hopefully Humankind will one day learn from all of War's hellish atrocities to one another, and we can grow together to overcome the evil of wartime.
The actor who played Malarkey actually slipped when he was running from the battlefield looking for a luger and wasn't scripted. They kept it in the episode.
Don't know whether it's been mentioned already but Damien Lewis who plays winters was married to the late Helen Mcrory who played Polly in peaky blinders.
The thing about "you could have jumped at anytime"... "Why aren't they letting them jump?"
The whole point was not to jump anywhere. It was to jump in the RIGHT place (or close enough) so that your team can do it's missions. The green light was to let the troops know "You are now in the right place, go now."
More than that, it was also to say that the pilots had brought the plane to a safe speed and altitude for jumping. On the night this was a real problem. Some pilots panicked while dodging AA guns and told their men to go while flying too fast.
There were also stories of other hitting the green light while flying too low, and the troops hit the ground before their parachutes even opened.
This was their first time in combat. In interviews from Ambrose's book from which the series is based, most of them said they took chances they would never again take. Like Lipton climbing the tree for a firing position. And Malarkey going after a Luger in the open. They learned how to better guard their lives.
Pudgey is right about the parachutes they were using. They didn't have that much control, the ability to steer a parachut came later.
The comment about "not being old enough to buy a beer" - it used to be, after Prohibition, in the 1920's, restored in early 1930's -yet, between each State in the USA, laws were different. Some areas now today, do not sell alcohol on Sunday, or after certain hours. During the 1960's, the age was often 18 years. There used to be lower-alcohol beer. In the 1980's, when I was going to start college, in my native Ohio, the alcohol age was raised to 21 years, from 18 (Conservative 'values' to stop drunk driving, when Regan was President)....so, many obtained "Fake ID/license) to drink beer or wine in college. It's like by 18 years, you can get married, enlist in the military, drive a car, vote in politics - and you can't drink -waffle and Bull'****! There have been some legal efforts to change this difference. I am 55 years years, now - your perspective is different.
There is a video by the channel The Operations Rooms called "Easy Company Assaults the Guns at Brecourt Manor on D-Day" that explains in detail on a map how this specific fight was planned and where everyone moved. It's really good for anyone who's interested how these things work.
This is my favorites episode to watch reactors watch. The reactors have NO IDEA what they are in for. The looks on their faces during the drop, the brutality that is war being seen for the first time, to the "handy cam" used at Brecourt Manor adding to their anxiety. It's when it dawns on them that they're seeing something they have never experienced before.