On one of Winters' interview about the shooting of the young SS soldier, he said: "I came up directly across from him, eyeball to eyeball. And he was just as shocked as could be. I leveled off at him. And the thing I can never forget was he smiled. And as he smiled, I shot him." Still gives me goosebumps. Richard Winters, man. Gotta love and respect the guy. Truly a one of a kind man. A true soldier and leader.
Frederick T. “Moose” Heyliger survived his wounds, returned to the states, got a degree in Ornamental Horticulture, and lived the rest of his days in and around Concord, Massachusetts. This is probably my favorite episode. The writing, acting and editing are all brilliantly done.
This shows just what a great tactician Dick Winters was. He fully understood that "speed, surprise, and, violence of action", properly applied, can overcome superior numbers.
I dont agree with that. Winters is a good Leader and tactician. But he himself said that the success of this battle was just luck. They we're forced to cross the open field and the german unit didnt have a guard to watch over the hill. Winters said, that he probably shot the german, who was supposed to be this guard, but the german was resting like the rest of his unit. If one German would have seen the run across the field, then the Battle would have been the other way.
@@Hunwutzzzz I think that's just him being naturally humble. I was an Infantry Sergeant, deployed twice to Iraq, and fought forest fires in California. I've led troops, and followed good and bad leaders. Luck is when a leader messes up and no one dies, skill is when the leader gets you out of the mess. Winters recognized they were in a bad position, and attacked. Ultimately I think one of the most important aspects of what makes a good leader is the confidence your men have in you.
To be frank, for this specific battle Easy got VERY lucky, that German SS boy he killed at the start of the slaughter, he was meant to be a guard, but he didn't do his job properly, had he payed more attention in that moment he would have spotted Winters and his men, and it would have been their turn to be slaughtered.
@@michaelstach5744 correct. I didn’t even read the comment to be fair. I thought he was saying he had something. The way he said it was saying his last name was winter. Not winters. But you are correct
Bastogne is going to hurt them. As a kid I was listening to the fathers talk at a big family picnic. They had all been in the military. Several told stories. But over time I could tell they deferred to my father and to another man married into the family. No one asked my dad for stories, they just said they knew how bad he’d had as a Marine in the Pacific. Dad shrugged and stared into his beer. The other man only said that his time in Bastogne still made him shiver in winter and had caused him to lose his fear of hell.
Doc Rowe griping the officers out is very well done. Gets me every time. The responsibility he feels they should have over each other is heart felt imo.
In his memoirs, Dick Winters said that what haunted him most was the kid in uniform that he shot. He had to do it, and then he had to live with it. Really enjoying your reactions guys.
Since no one has mentioned it, I just wanted to point out how bittersweet the interaction is between Winters and the French boy. Winters is staring at the French boy, having flashbacks to the German kid that smiled at him, not realizing he was the enemy. And then you have the French boy, who smiles at Winters because he likely sees the American soldiers as heroes. He even salutes Winters, and tries to emulate his posture when as he stands next to him. Two boys, similar age, just on opposite sides of the line. A single imaginary line, which was a death sentence to one boy, and a saving grace to another.
13:30 Fun fact: There were some prisoners that understood English when Winters ordered Liebgott to escort them back to Battalion C.P. They were all relieved when Winters took away Liebgott's ammo. They were all actually terrified of being killed.
6:15 you have to remember that central plumbing is a relatively new invention. In the poorer and more rual parts of Europe and America people still used chamber pots and outhouses. So instead of getting your boots on and walking all the way out to the outhouse, people would just piss in a large cup or pot and toss it out in the morning.
So the guy that was killed, Dukeman, was played by Mark Lawrence, who recently went to the actual crossroads, and Dukemans grave, with the folks from the We Happy Few 506 podcast, run by Matthew Leitch, who played Talbert. The video is on RUclips somewhere. It was very emotional for him. He also talked about it at the WW2 museum symposiums this past summer in New Orleans. Another great example of the actors living the scenes of the real guys and how it impacts their lives.
Before I start watching this episode I must say that this is one on my favorite channels. This is also an episode that I think is so underrated and Winters in my opinion should have received something. You have a unique view of the Band of Brothers based on where you are historically, from a European perspective. This I truly appreciate.
Funny you mention binging. When I found out you guys were starting this show, I watched the entire thing in one day. And I don't regret it at all, you feel as though you've gone on a journey with these men.
4:02 I really wish people reacted to the Newsroom. That show is so good. 34:13 Winters was already a Captain. He just got promoted to executive officer of Second Battalion 506 PIR. So he was the commanding officer for Easy Company and now he's second in command of a Battalion which means he's in charge of 3 companies, Dog, Easy and Fox.
Major Winters was young, he started out as enlisted, then when the war broke out and because he had military experience he went into officer training school. Once an officer he read every tactical training book and leadership book he could find, when everyone was out drinking he was preparing himself to lead men into war. He was a quiet and reserved man, the family he stayed with in England had a son that was killed by the Nazi’s, he went to church with them and remained very close and became like another son to them. He wrote to that family regularly and stayed in contact even after the war. After the war france made a bronze statue of major winters for his role in taking out those guns on D-day.
When you ladies are done with Band of Brothers you will have to check out its companion series, The Pacific. Rami Malek plays a major character, and it's the series that launched his career. Same producers and great writers. Be forewarned, though - the war in the Pacific against the Japanese was even more brutal and emotionally taxing than the war in Europe. You are doing a great job with this! Congratulations!
@@RemyCT63 I didn't think so, but then I saw Popcorn in Bed watched both series and she never even swears, so I retconned my assessment for these two ladies.
I just realized this episode title "Crossroads" has a double meaning. I've always thought this meant the crossroads where Winter led the charge. But it's also talking about Bastogne.
It is also the crossroads where Lt. Winters transitions from a fighting company commander to a senior officer helping to run a battalion and no longer an "in the line of fire" leader.
The next 3 episode follow a different soldier every time, so it gives you some nice insight into their situation and how they dealt with what happened to them and the company. It just keeps getting better and better from here. Also, fun fact, Jimmy Fallon was so nervous during his scenes that he wasn't able to properly drive the stick shift jeep, he needed people to push the jeep to pretend he was driving it.
The next 2 episodes are maybe the best but most emotionally exhausting (as they show easy companies small but crucial part in the largest battle in US military history). But it does get easier. Not smooth sailing but there is light at the end of the tunnel
Winters is/was one of a kind, but also, he wasn't. In the US we refer to those who were of age during WWII as The Greatest Generation, and they experienced both the Great Depression and WWII. The crucible of that period created many people who demonstrated incredible bravery, dedication, and sacrifice.
What happened to Winters on that day is one of the strangest moments in human history. He was superhuman for a minute. It was two full batallions of SS right there! You can learn more about it when the episodes are over, in the documentary where the mini interviews at the start are taken from: WE STAND ALONE TOGETHER. Actually, this is what Currahee means in Cherokee, the native language of the region. I want to thank you girls. Welcome to the family of the Band of Brothers' Grandchildren! Your insights are not only great by themselves, but the fact that you are a new generation taking the flame warm my heart. I'm the son of a man who was liberated by these men... we even met one of the lads from D Day. From Paris with love!
I read that the smoke being used was faked and they charged together. winters was just so in-shape & driven he just outpaced everyone else. standing alone and unleashing 2 full clips of ammo, a true badass.
As I understood it concept-wise, Winters decided to run up ahead of the other soldiers so that in the event that he got spotted and shot, all his men would still have the narrow chance of being able to retreat. but that didn't happen, the young German sentry boy got caught flat-footed and got shot instead, followed by the whole two German companies that were caught sleeping out in the open field. What is great about this whole scene is how it dramatically builds up to a climax.
Found yall today. Can't stop watching. Thank you for honoring my grandfather and the rest of the company and veterans by watching this. It means a lot to me.
@@luketimewalker truly a different generation. My grandfather was the trigger half of the energy team. I actually have a lot of documentation on him and cut outs from the war. I’m thankful that he could be a small part of the effort to free your family, and so many others from an iron clutch of terror. I appreciate you for commenting on my post, my friend. Our families will forever be in twined in the time of history. Thank you
@@Blueqoose I am blessed with having met one of them, Lloyd, a construction worker from Montana, he was only 22 when he stormed Utah beach. Aptly named the Tough Hombres. Did you publish those findings about your grandfather? Godspeed!
All these men were so young then especially for their ranks. They were all in their early 20s when the war began, and were all officers and leaders within a year. It was difficult enough being a 20 year old Specialist in Iraq in 2004, I couldn't imagine being a First Sergeant at 21 or 22 like Lipton. Most people spend 20 years in the Army to get to that rank.
@@dobridjordjeMaybe 6-8 feet. This series of interview excerpts is worth watching. This is the one about the crossroads assault. ruclips.net/video/hnF6z9yyGo4/видео.html
The guy that brought them ammo in the jeep is a real guy as well. Lieutenant George Rice. He made several dangerous ammo runs to help supply the soldiers in Bastonge
Band of brothers is a wonderful show. Glad you two picked it. Saw your reacting to H x H now too. Sub is best viewing experience. Don’t forget the movies too and OVA’s!
Your observation in episode 2 was absolutely right. When the one Easy soldier climbed a tree, you observed you didn’t think that was a good idea. In the book, the soldier said that was both the first and last time he ever climbed a tree in combat. The Army classifies two sorts of protection for soldiers in combat: cover and concealment. Cover is like a foxhole or behind a wall or some such. It provides physical protection from bullets, artillery fragments, etc. Concealment is, basically, just hiding; tree branches, bushes, diving into a haystack, whatever. It’ll hide you but not protect you. Soldiers are taught to almost always favor cover.
It's said that commanding a company is probably the best duty for an officer. You're still out there with your men, who you know almost all and fighting with them. Winters getting moved up to battalion took him away from his company, who he had been with since the beginning. You can see that he is now separated from them when he's listening to them celebrating with the rescued British paratroopers and wishing he could still be with them.
Ladies, sometimes the difficult things are the most rewarding. This is an excellent show; it truly brings home the gravitas of this war and the sacrifice and cost of war in general. It will continue to be tough, the coming episodes are heavy work, but I genuinely appreciate rewatching this fantastic show with you and through your eyes and commentary.
On your question, “How do you stay quiet?” It’s a skill you have to develop. Combat troops learn to tape down everything that rattles on what you wear. You learn to make sure there’s nothing on your uniform that reflects light. The image you may have seen in movies of large bodies of men up and running toward the enemy is usually wrong. You learn, as an infantryman, to love the ground. You want to get as close down to it or inside of it for safety. In this particular episode, Winters was left with three basic bad options. According to the book, Easy was in line with other Companies but in a very exposed position. If he pulled back, the Companies on his left and right would be exposed and in danger. The position they were in was exposed, so staying put was no good. That left only one option but a very dangerous one. He had to advance across open ground. He did the most responsible thing, from a leadership perspective; he led the attack himself.
The objective of using sign language is not only to be silent, so that the enemy doesn't hear you, but also to have effective communication. In a combat situation even you can't hear each other speak, so better to choose sign language. Also, they can't always chose from situation to situation when to speak or when to use sign language. But there certainly is a method to that, because many times they are also screaming.
This episode feels like the filmmakers flexing their talent for storytelling. The skirmish being told through a series of filtered flashbacks in Winters recollection post battle is brilliant bit of writing when most would have told that in a traditionally linear way. The episode acts as a breather before the onslaught of Bastogne yet the anticipation keeps building towards the end. Also highlighting how odd war can be IE still have to do paperwork in the middle of the largest war in human history. And Its really incredible how much character building they can cram into an hour long episode as well. Theres really no wasted scenes or frames in this show, which beside the authenticity and respect they show the people theyre portraying, its something I really appreciate about Band of Brothers. The writing is a masterclass in pacing and efficient use of running time.
The soldiers retreating through Bastogne in this episode had fought for the previous 10 weeks in the disastrous Battle of the Hurtgen Forest, the greatest loss of any US army group during WWII. These men had only just been shifted to a 'quiet' sector to recover when they were suddenly attacked by German armoured Panzer Lehr Division and two infantry Divisions and forced back through Bastogne to establish defence lines 10km to the south west. They were mauled in their new defensive positions. The 101st Airborne arrived in Bastogne on 19th December 1944 to a really dangerous situation, with no tanks or anti-tank artillery of their own, but with reinforcements newly arrived in Bastogne, including the 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion, that travelled at the top speed its tank destroyers could make to Bastogne and reinforced the 101st, blocking the German attack, preventing the Germans reaching critical fuel depots and spoiling their advance. The next five days were hellish in freezing cold and with dwindling supplies, as described in this episode.
Interesting facts about Lewis Nixon. He didnt fire a single bullet during the war. Well, he was intel officer afterall. He didnt really go to the front line. But i can say he was close enough to the front line that his helmet caught one bullet once in netherlands (ep4). Yet, i think he is the only person from easy company that held 3 jump wings (he jumped with other division, but its not being showed in this series. But only being told). And i think, he got divorced during the war T_T So please ladies, dont be such harsh to your men TT_TT
Ladies, really enjoying your reaction to this classic series. As tough as the first five episodes were for you, the next four do not get easier....at all. However, each one is must see viewing as they are important pieces of the story. Trying to be helpful but not giving too much away. Hang in there both of you. Your lives will be forever changed after viewing this epic masterpiece .
They said it was a full company, when Winters started firing on them. Then after the rest of the men with Winters arrived, another whole company came over the hill to reinforce the Axis position. A company is between 100 and 250 men. Winters had just a platoon with him, which is between 16 and 50 men. If we're conservative with the estimates, it was a 1:100 ratio when Winters lead the way, then when everyone's reinforcements arrived it was still no better than a 1:4 ratio of Allied to Axis. The artillery the Allied platoon called in to hit the Axis helped a lot, though. But having the high ground firing into basically an empty field with very little cover, and having the element of surprise counted for a lot. It's a good example of good leadership vs. bad leadership. The Axis had the numbers, but posted no sentries, their position wasn't really that defensible, and they let a smaller force sneak up on them and destroy them.
You both are very sensitive and appreciate the humanity of the men. That is key to understanding the horrors that envelope those men in that circumstance.
Not surprising Damian Lewis (who is acting as Lt Winters) got a tough role. Two years prior to Band of Brothers he played Lt Neil Loughrey in the BBC award drama Warriors or Peacekeepers...
I met Dick Winters around a decade ago. We were doing a reenactment of the Battle Of The Bulge in Fort Indiantown Gap, PA. (near Dick Winter's farm)I was portraying a German Staff officer and we had a "French" cafe in a building for German reenactors. I was sitting alone at a table because of my rank, and Winters asked if he could join me (all veterans had full access to everywhere) I agreed. He said "I thought I'd have to brush up on my German seeing you--but I heard you speaking and you're an American. Was your father or grandfather a German soldier?" No, I said, my dad was a navigational instructor in Texas, and my grandfather a doughboy in the Argonne forest in WW1. Winters said "I've been following you in action in the spectator battle this afternoon---you are a helluva good staff officer; wherever you went, the men maneuvered and quickly went into action---I said "I was just delivering orders from the Chief of Staff" No, Winters said, "you were like a lightning rod". I shook his hand and sincerely thanked him---for everything he did. But I always say if someone wonders how I can portray a German officer, "hey Dick Winters thought I was good at it"
The scene where he shot the kid never happened that way. In fact what happened in real life was even more tense. He went over the ridge and saw the German/Dutchman (not sure, since it was the Dutch SS. Could have been either) He throw his grenade. He pulled the pin but he forgot to remove the safety tape around it (soldiers often put tape around their grenades to prevent them from going off in case the pin got snagged on something.) as a result, it didn’t go off. The German then threw his grenade. He forgot to actually arm the thing, so his didn’t go off. Winters then shot him.
Richard Winters personal mementos from the war are on display at Gettysburg PA. He is buried not far from there in a church graveyard on a hill, next to his wife.
Jimmy's character gave the 101st a fighting chance. He made multiple runs with his jeep and his men drove trucks as they delivered ammo, food, blankets and other supplies to the men. When the Germans got close Rice made his men stop making runs while he continued on alone. He made two final runs after the Germans had surrounded the 101st position. After he'd completed the 8th or 9th run (it is debated how many he made) his CO ordered him to stop. Many say he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, but there is no record of this in the archives. There are however numerous 101st related twitter pages and websites that say he was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor.
All the men grew up thru the Great Depression. An era when most worked before they were teens & far more had families by 21 than went to college. They grew up, like their parents, far, far quicker than today.
This episode was directed by Tom Hanks btw. The interviews at the beginning are taken from a documentary called "We Stand Alone Together" and it's so good, that I consider it the last and the best episode of Band of Brothers, and a must watch!
Winter's flashback to shooting and probably killing that very young German soldier hits me harder than pretty much any scene in this whole series. Just sums up the whole idea that war is usually just a bunch of young men dying because old men (and now women too) couldn't figure out a resolution.
This episode delves into the mind. At the beginning is what happened. The kid made a movement of “do it” and Winters shot. Through the episode he keeps thinking back to that moment and the kid goes from ruthless to innocent and scared. Winters talked about how he never forgot the expression of the kids face. He was smiling after being surprised. In the show it depicts the smile turning to fear. In reality Winters said the smile stayed the whole time even as he was shot. Bringing context to the situation, the SS were the ones responsible for the most horrific acts committed by Germany. Winters is alone facing two entire companies of SS. That smile wasn’t of innocence. That smile was “You can kill me but you’ll be dead soon after.” However that kid didn’t know God was on Winters side.
If you watch this not as the horror of war but watching a group of ordinary men do extraordinary things to protect the man to their left and their right and ensure their own survival in doing so. It really embodies the Band of Brothers speech in Shakespeare's "Richard IV"
LOL! No, Nixon did NOT take a shower. For the same reason he pissed in a pitcher: There was no indoor plumbing. Though he probably did wash off in a basin of water.
There's a great podcast called Dead Eyes that has its roots in this episode. It's like Serial except the mystery is "Why did Tom Hanks fire me off of Band of Brothers?" He was going to play Winters' orderly.
Rewatching with reactors so many times makes me realize this show did so much in 12 episodes. I wish it was 24 episodes going through more perspectives, combat engagements and putting more time and scale in the larger battles like Carentan and Foy. The Budget and producers wouldn't allow it though.
Ladies, When "camping" or sleeping in a temporary spot, and a bathroom --if there is one---is far away, it is not uncommon to urinate in a bottle in the middle of the night rather than fully waking and walking all the way to an actual bathroom. The key being that you HAVE to remember not to drink from that bottle! Or pitcher in this case.
11:23 this shows why the US soldier had a much bigger advantage in WWII when it came to the infantry rifle. German soldiers have bolt action rifles, something that you have to manually operated to for it to fire again. Winters and many men in Easy Co. have the M1 Garand, a semi automatic rifle that holds eight rounds and can be fired without any manual manipulation of the gun. At the real crossroads, Winters emptied two clips from his M1 whilst fully exposed.
The moment Winters shot that boy on the dike was a memory he wouldn't forget. Eric Jendresen was the first person to be added to the Band of Brothers project and spoke to Winters daily and gained a great friendship with him while writing the Band of Brothers "bible". He said that the memory is shooting that young boy haunted him to that day and caused him to become overcome with emotion, which he rarely did. Was and still is an amazing man and figure to look up to in life.
You asked how could a 24-year old lead the way Winters did? When he was in college he worked on power lines with a World War I veteran before the war started. Winters told the WWI vet that he would join the Army but just do the bare minimum. The vet admonished him for that attitude and said that Winters should give his best for his nation and for the men he serves with. That conversation stuck with him and drove him.
As Winters and the German kid stare each other in the eyes Winters is realizing that this is just a kid and he has to kill him. The kid realizes that he is about to die. Clint Eastwood had a line in the movie "Unforgiven" that goes something like; "It's a hell of a thing killing a man. You take away all he's got and everything he's ever going to have." I think of that line everytime I see this scene. So, so sad. Some soldiers do become desensitized to death and killing. It's not until the battles in war end that new battles begin.
Winters was 27-28 at this point in the war and the one of the oldest in the company. The Average age of easy company was 22-23, Often with hollywood production on war movies actors tend to be alot older than the characters they are portraying. For example Colonel Sink in this looks around 50-55 but in reality was only in his early to mid 30s which was the standard age of that rank really in ww2. The actor who played him though is a real former veteran turn actor which is why they casted him.
Also attrition of the Paratroopers were really high specially in the 101st. So field promotions like Winters were very common, when he ended up in the battle of the Bulge of he was only Captain (because there was not time to be promoted to major) among Lieutenant colonels and Majors who ran all the other Battalions planning battles and logistics. (Nixon is in intelligence so that is different)
Military has maximum organization and hierarchy. Fortunately, in my time we had PCs and computer servers. But years before in college we used punched paper tape, magnetic tape and IBM cards ... and typewriters ;-0 The good old days ;-)
The reason the German Machine gun was firing was to guide the Germans troop to their objective in the dark. What they don't show is that the attack continue on with Winters commanding two companies Easy, and Fox. They drove the Germans back to the River but the Germans had good cover and their artillery as getting active so Winter pulled back to the dike. Winters had shown that he could handle a battalion size attack.
When the 101st airborne was assigned the task to defend Bastogne, no one had any idea that was the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge, the largest battle in WW II for the US Army. The Germans surrounded Bastogne and laid siege to it, the 101st Airborne held out until General Patton's troops broke the siege and started to push the Germans back towards Germany which was the last offensive of WW II for the Germans
So in that battle, Winters ran out ahead of his men. In reality (per the official reports), he went at the same time they did, but he did actually make it to the top of the hill so far before his men that he actually unloaded two whole clips into the Germans before his men caught up with him.
12:14 I hope they understand at this point - either someone already explaining it or by this comment - Winters is not just making a phone call. What he's doing is fire coordinates for their artillery batteries to hit. He is trying to call for the batteries to hit their targets with maximum effect. Someone could probably correct or elaborate further in this, cause I can only speak to terms of what I see and know to an extent
We have seen some of the physical effects of war. In this episode we start to see the psychological effects. The organization goes something like this: An Army is made up of Divisions (101st), the Division is made up of Regiments (506th), the Regiment is made up of Battalions (2nd), the Battalion is made up of Companies (E / Easy), then platoons, squads, individual soldiers. This differs for countries and times. The leader of each level would have a rank appropriate to the job. Winters is moving from Company to Battalion. Eventually this will give him a promotion. Hitler had enough resources for one last push. He chose to make it in the west to divide the British and American armies. He should have made it in the East to keep the Soviets away for a while.
Hello ladies from California, USA, I just want to say again I am enjoying watching your reactions to this all time great war series BOB, I also would agree with the majority of the peoples replies that the next two episodes are my favorites, each episode focuses on one character, it isn’t gonna be easy to watch but you will see the bonds between the soldiers get closer.
I don't understand when people really have a hard time binging this series, maybe because I like movie/series about WW2 and this series is the best version of it. I can binging it in one day. And maybe even have a hard time to stopping after just 1 episode.
I'm sure someone already said it. But yes, thats Jimmy Falon. He's playing his own relative. Pretty cool to do such a thing, apparently the man was awarded a medal for his actions here. He made several supply run, some under fire. To get as many supplies to the troops as he could.
Before watching this miniseries, I knew about the major battles of the war, but not that much about what individual units fought where. So I had no idea the 506th were at Bastogne. Once I realized where Easy Company was about to go, at the end of this episode, my blood ran cold. It's about to get real serious.
Your own particular personalities and preferences adds a unique perspective to this series, and on war itself. It's important -- even though it's tough to watch, it's important. That we each recognize these men and all of the Ally Forces for their profound impact on human history, and for what they had to go through to save the world and get home to their families (imagine all of the 'soldiers coming home' videos there would be if they had cell phones?).
Dick Winters WAS a phenomenal leader, but one of the greatest strengths of the US military is that there are not only great leaders, but the lower ranked soldiers would take over leadership positions if their officers were killed or injured. The squads and companies would go on and continue fighting very effectively. One of the huge problems that the Russians have in Ukraine right now is that if they officers are killed or injured, then their lower ranks are leaderless and become totally ineffective because they have never been taught to step forward and take the initiative. They have lived their lives essentially being told what to do, and that is ingrained in them.
Your insights into human behavior under extreme duress is impressive. I imagine that your understanding comes from the deep well of empathy that you both appear to possess. Thank you for this series.
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On one of Winters' interview about the shooting of the young SS soldier, he said:
"I came up directly across from him, eyeball to eyeball. And he was just as shocked as could be. I leveled off at him. And the thing I can never forget was he smiled. And as he smiled, I shot him."
Still gives me goosebumps. Richard Winters, man. Gotta love and respect the guy. Truly a one of a kind man. A true soldier and leader.
Frederick T. “Moose” Heyliger survived his wounds, returned to the states, got a degree in Ornamental Horticulture, and lived the rest of his days in and around Concord, Massachusetts.
This is probably my favorite episode. The writing, acting and editing are all brilliantly done.
Tom Hanks directed this episode
@@alanmacificationhate Tom hanks.
@@quickdrawtlaw751 That says so much more about you than it does about Hanks.
@@quickdrawtlaw751 damn, that's really cool
We see Moose talking in one of the episodes. Maybe the last episode. Long-faced guy. :)
This shows just what a great tactician Dick Winters was. He fully understood that "speed, surprise, and, violence of action", properly applied, can overcome superior numbers.
The medic is probably the ONLY enlisted man who could get away with talking to a couple of officers like that.
@@ExUSSailor and he knew it already. He's seen some shit this many days in.
I dont agree with that. Winters is a good Leader and tactician. But he himself said that the success of this battle was just luck. They we're forced to cross the open field and the german unit didnt have a guard to watch over the hill. Winters said, that he probably shot the german, who was supposed to be this guard, but the german was resting like the rest of his unit. If one German would have seen the run across the field, then the Battle would have been the other way.
@@Hunwutzzzz I think that's just him being naturally humble. I was an Infantry Sergeant, deployed twice to Iraq, and fought forest fires in California. I've led troops, and followed good and bad leaders. Luck is when a leader messes up and no one dies, skill is when the leader gets you out of the mess. Winters recognized they were in a bad position, and attacked. Ultimately I think one of the most important aspects of what makes a good leader is the confidence your men have in you.
To be frank, for this specific battle Easy got VERY lucky, that German SS boy he killed at the start of the slaughter, he was meant to be a guard, but he didn't do his job properly, had he payed more attention in that moment he would have spotted Winters and his men, and it would have been their turn to be slaughtered.
I love how Winters waits for Compton to stand up before he leaves the movie room to make sure he's okay.
Winters’
@@Boringunguyno, onepcwhiz is correct. The ‘s or s’ would be used for a possessive like Winters’ coat, Jones’ hat.
@@michaelstach5744 correct. I didn’t even read the comment to be fair. I thought he was saying he had something. The way he said it was saying his last name was winter. Not winters. But you are correct
@@Boringunguy don't worry about it, David Winter.
@@rudy_4ier David winters’
Bastogne is going to hurt them. As a kid I was listening to the fathers talk at a big family picnic. They had all been in the military. Several told stories. But over time I could tell they deferred to my father and to another man married into the family. No one asked my dad for stories, they just said they knew how bad he’d had as a Marine in the Pacific. Dad shrugged and stared into his beer. The other man only said that his time in Bastogne still made him shiver in winter and had caused him to lose his fear of hell.
Bastogne was the hardest part of the show to watch.
Grateful for their service. They liberated my country, France, and the world.
Bastogne episode is why I became a medic!
@@sharp5854 that's badass
Doc Rowe griping the officers out is very well done. Gets me every time. The responsibility he feels they should have over each other is heart felt imo.
In his memoirs, Dick Winters said that what haunted him most was the kid in uniform that he shot. He had to do it, and then he had to live with it. Really enjoying your reactions guys.
Since no one has mentioned it, I just wanted to point out how bittersweet the interaction is between Winters and the French boy. Winters is staring at the French boy, having flashbacks to the German kid that smiled at him, not realizing he was the enemy. And then you have the French boy, who smiles at Winters because he likely sees the American soldiers as heroes. He even salutes Winters, and tries to emulate his posture when as he stands next to him. Two boys, similar age, just on opposite sides of the line. A single imaginary line, which was a death sentence to one boy, and a saving grace to another.
13:30 Fun fact: There were some prisoners that understood English when Winters ordered Liebgott to escort them back to Battalion C.P.
They were all relieved when Winters took away Liebgott's ammo. They were all actually terrified of being killed.
6:15 you have to remember that central plumbing is a relatively new invention. In the poorer and more rual parts of Europe and America people still used chamber pots and outhouses. So instead of getting your boots on and walking all the way out to the outhouse, people would just piss in a large cup or pot and toss it out in the morning.
Hes probably a bit too lazy to get out of bed also.
@@russellward4624 Wouldn’t say lazy. If the urge to go came up in the middle of the night then he was probably still half-asleep.
@@Manolo0528 He was definitely at least a bit drunk too, which is probably the leading cause of this phenomenon in the modern era.
My father told me that his great grandparent that died in the 60's never had indoor plumbing, just a water pump and outhouse.
We truckers do the same thing today haha
Milena, if you’re talking about the guy who played Abraham as being your favorite, that’s Michael Cudlitz and he played Denver “Bull” Randleman.
it's cute how they've picked out their favorite guys :3
So the guy that was killed, Dukeman, was played by Mark Lawrence, who recently went to the actual crossroads, and Dukemans grave, with the folks from the We Happy Few 506 podcast, run by Matthew Leitch, who played Talbert. The video is on RUclips somewhere. It was very emotional for him. He also talked about it at the WW2 museum symposiums this past summer in New Orleans. Another great example of the actors living the scenes of the real guys and how it impacts their lives.
thanks for the heads-up!
Before I start watching this episode I must say that this is one on my favorite channels. This is also an episode that I think is so underrated and Winters in my opinion should have received something.
You have a unique view of the Band of Brothers based on where you are historically, from a European perspective. This I truly appreciate.
You of course have to watch the after episode, "Why we Stand Together".
Funny you mention binging. When I found out you guys were starting this show, I watched the entire thing in one day. And I don't regret it at all, you feel as though you've gone on a journey with these men.
You've never seen it before?
@@holstfly1 it was my first time watching it, yeah
Next up the Pacific
@@mjg5883noooooo 💀not for these two, Atleast have them take a few weeks or months mental break before and after watching it
@@mjg5883 Oof, IDK if BOB is hard for them to watch then The Pacific will be way too much.
4:02 I really wish people reacted to the Newsroom. That show is so good.
34:13 Winters was already a Captain. He just got promoted to executive officer of Second Battalion 506 PIR. So he was the commanding officer for Easy Company and now he's second in command of a Battalion which means he's in charge of 3 companies, Dog, Easy and Fox.
FYI - Winters is not making a phone call. He's using his two-way radio to communicate with friendly artillery. He calling in artillery on the enemy.
Nah, he was calling in a pizza.
He was calling in the nuke after that fat streak.
Major Winters was young, he started out as enlisted, then when the war broke out and because he had military experience he went into officer training school. Once an officer he read every tactical training book and leadership book he could find, when everyone was out drinking he was preparing himself to lead men into war. He was a quiet and reserved man, the family he stayed with in England had a son that was killed by the Nazi’s, he went to church with them and remained very close and became like another son to them. He wrote to that family regularly and stayed in contact even after the war. After the war france made a bronze statue of major winters for his role in taking out those guns on D-day.
When you ladies are done with Band of Brothers you will have to check out its companion series, The Pacific. Rami Malek plays a major character, and it's the series that launched his career. Same producers and great writers. Be forewarned, though - the war in the Pacific against the Japanese was even more brutal and emotionally taxing than the war in Europe. You are doing a great job with this! Congratulations!
There is no way they will be able to stomach the violent combat of The Pacific.. They can barely get through Band of Brothers.
@@RemyCT63 I didn't think so, but then I saw Popcorn in Bed watched both series and she never even swears, so I retconned my assessment for these two ladies.
@@RemyCT63 They predictably didn't.
I just realized this episode title "Crossroads" has a double meaning. I've always thought this meant the crossroads where Winter led the charge. But it's also talking about Bastogne.
It is also the crossroads where Lt. Winters transitions from a fighting company commander to a senior officer helping to run a battalion and no longer an "in the line of fire" leader.
@@cartmantke damn I never thought of that, well spotted!
And also where Winters shoot and kill an enemy soldier for the last time.🤔
@@kimleechristensen2679 OH WOW I never realized that!!!!!!!!!
The next 3 episode follow a different soldier every time, so it gives you some nice insight into their situation and how they dealt with what happened to them and the company. It just keeps getting better and better from here. Also, fun fact, Jimmy Fallon was so nervous during his scenes that he wasn't able to properly drive the stick shift jeep, he needed people to push the jeep to pretend he was driving it.
Fallon didn’t know how to drive stick. 🤨
The next 2 episodes are maybe the best but most emotionally exhausting (as they show easy companies small but crucial part in the largest battle in US military history). But it does get easier. Not smooth sailing but there is light at the end of the tunnel
Winters is/was one of a kind, but also, he wasn't. In the US we refer to those who were of age during WWII as The Greatest Generation, and they experienced both the Great Depression and WWII. The crucible of that period created many people who demonstrated incredible bravery, dedication, and sacrifice.
I like how you both really break down every detail of the episodes. I’m so happy your watching this series, great job ladies 😊
To hell with Jimmy Fallon. You missed the line. "You are going to be surrounded." "We are paratroopers; we are supposed to be surrounded."
What happened to Winters on that day is one of the strangest moments in human history. He was superhuman for a minute. It was two full batallions of SS right there! You can learn more about it when the episodes are over, in the documentary where the mini interviews at the start are taken from: WE STAND ALONE TOGETHER. Actually, this is what Currahee means in Cherokee, the native language of the region.
I want to thank you girls. Welcome to the family of the Band of Brothers' Grandchildren!
Your insights are not only great by themselves, but the fact that you are a new generation taking the flame warm my heart. I'm the son of a man who was liberated by these men... we even met one of the lads from D Day.
From Paris with love!
I read that the smoke being used was faked and they charged together. winters was just so in-shape & driven he just outpaced everyone else. standing alone and unleashing 2 full clips of ammo, a true badass.
As I understood it concept-wise, Winters decided to run up ahead of the other soldiers so that in the event that he got spotted and shot, all his men would still have the narrow chance of being able to retreat. but that didn't happen, the young German sentry boy got caught flat-footed and got shot instead, followed by the whole two German companies that were caught sleeping out in the open field. What is great about this whole scene is how it dramatically builds up to a climax.
22:36 Jimmy Fallon ^^
Doc Roe being a badass! 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼
Found yall today. Can't stop watching. Thank you for honoring my grandfather and the rest of the company and veterans by watching this. It means a lot to me.
Grateful for their service. They liberated my country, France, and the world.
@@luketimewalker truly a different generation. My grandfather was the trigger half of the energy team. I actually have a lot of documentation on him and cut outs from the war. I’m thankful that he could be a small part of the effort to free your family, and so many others from an iron clutch of terror. I appreciate you for commenting on my post, my friend. Our families will forever be in twined in the time of history. Thank you
Mg team* 3rd platoon*
@@Blueqoose I am blessed with having met one of them, Lloyd, a construction worker from Montana, he was only 22 when he stormed Utah beach. Aptly named the Tough Hombres.
Did you publish those findings about your grandfather?
Godspeed!
"We are paratroopers lieutenant, we are supposed to be surrounded" so badass
All these men were so young then especially for their ranks. They were all in their early 20s when the war began, and were all officers and leaders within a year. It was difficult enough being a 20 year old Specialist in Iraq in 2004, I couldn't imagine being a First Sergeant at 21 or 22 like Lipton. Most people spend 20 years in the Army to get to that rank.
Winters and the German soldier were actually only 2-3 feet apart when they came face to face and the kid smiled at him.
Really? That close? In the Series it's like 80-90 feet of distance
@@dobridjordjeMaybe 6-8 feet. This series of interview excerpts is worth watching. This is the one about the crossroads assault. ruclips.net/video/hnF6z9yyGo4/видео.html
@@dobridjordje Looks like about 10-20 feet to me.
The guy that brought them ammo in the jeep is a real guy as well. Lieutenant George Rice. He made several dangerous ammo runs to help supply the soldiers in Bastonge
Band of brothers is a wonderful show. Glad you two picked it. Saw your reacting to H x H now too. Sub is best viewing experience. Don’t forget the movies too and OVA’s!
I can't wait to see them react to THE episode. They think it's soul crushing now.
Why we fight. Heartbreaking.
Your observation in episode 2 was absolutely right. When the one Easy soldier climbed a tree, you observed you didn’t think that was a good idea. In the book, the soldier said that was both the first and last time he ever climbed a tree in combat. The Army classifies two sorts of protection for soldiers in combat: cover and concealment. Cover is like a foxhole or behind a wall or some such. It provides physical protection from bullets, artillery fragments, etc. Concealment is, basically, just hiding; tree branches, bushes, diving into a haystack, whatever. It’ll hide you but not protect you. Soldiers are taught to almost always favor cover.
Damien Lewis is brilliant this episode. His acting is subtle, but he says so much with it.
Actually Fallon is not related to George Rice BUT he did grow up with the Rice family as his neighbors.
It's said that commanding a company is probably the best duty for an officer. You're still out there with your men, who you know almost all and fighting with them. Winters getting moved up to battalion took him away from his company, who he had been with since the beginning. You can see that he is now separated from them when he's listening to them celebrating with the rescued British paratroopers and wishing he could still be with them.
Ladies, sometimes the difficult things are the most rewarding. This is an excellent show; it truly brings home the gravitas of this war and the sacrifice and cost of war in general. It will continue to be tough, the coming episodes are heavy work, but I genuinely appreciate rewatching this fantastic show with you and through your eyes and commentary.
On your question, “How do you stay quiet?” It’s a skill you have to develop. Combat troops learn to tape down everything that rattles on what you wear. You learn to make sure there’s nothing on your uniform that reflects light. The image you may have seen in movies of large bodies of men up and running toward the enemy is usually wrong. You learn, as an infantryman, to love the ground. You want to get as close down to it or inside of it for safety. In this particular episode, Winters was left with three basic bad options. According to the book, Easy was in line with other Companies but in a very exposed position. If he pulled back, the Companies on his left and right would be exposed and in danger. The position they were in was exposed, so staying put was no good. That left only one option but a very dangerous one. He had to advance across open ground. He did the most responsible thing, from a leadership perspective; he led the attack himself.
I'm very excited for the next episode of Band of Brothers. Easily one of the best episodes of any war drama.
The objective of using sign language is not only to be silent, so that the enemy doesn't hear you, but also to have effective communication. In a combat situation even you can't hear each other speak, so better to choose sign language. Also, they can't always chose from situation to situation when to speak or when to use sign language. But there certainly is a method to that, because many times they are also screaming.
This episode feels like the filmmakers flexing their talent for storytelling. The skirmish being told through a series of filtered flashbacks in Winters recollection post battle is brilliant bit of writing when most would have told that in a traditionally linear way. The episode acts as a breather before the onslaught of Bastogne yet the anticipation keeps building towards the end. Also highlighting how odd war can be IE still have to do paperwork in the middle of the largest war in human history. And Its really incredible how much character building they can cram into an hour long episode as well. Theres really no wasted scenes or frames in this show, which beside the authenticity and respect they show the people theyre portraying, its something I really appreciate about Band of Brothers. The writing is a masterclass in pacing and efficient use of running time.
Jimmy Fallon was playing his real life great uncle in that scene (who is considered a hero for his action in Belgium/Bastogne).
Urban legend. No connection.
The soldiers retreating through Bastogne in this episode had fought for the previous 10 weeks in the disastrous Battle of the Hurtgen Forest, the greatest loss of any US army group during WWII. These men had only just been shifted to a 'quiet' sector to recover when they were suddenly attacked by German armoured Panzer Lehr Division and two infantry Divisions and forced back through Bastogne to establish defence lines 10km to the south west. They were mauled in their new defensive positions.
The 101st Airborne arrived in Bastogne on 19th December 1944 to a really dangerous situation, with no tanks or anti-tank artillery of their own, but with reinforcements newly arrived in Bastogne, including the 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion, that travelled at the top speed its tank destroyers could make to Bastogne and reinforced the 101st, blocking the German attack, preventing the Germans reaching critical fuel depots and spoiling their advance.
The next five days were hellish in freezing cold and with dwindling supplies, as described in this episode.
3 of the next 4 episodes are the roughest. Especially 7 & 9!
Winters was 26 until around episode 8. Then he turned 27
Interesting facts about Lewis Nixon.
He didnt fire a single bullet during the war.
Well, he was intel officer afterall. He didnt really go to the front line.
But i can say he was close enough to the front line that his helmet caught one bullet once in netherlands (ep4).
Yet, i think he is the only person from easy company that held 3 jump wings (he jumped with other division, but its not being showed in this series. But only being told).
And i think, he got divorced during the war T_T
So please ladies, dont be such harsh to your men TT_TT
Ladies, really enjoying your reaction to this classic series. As tough as the first five episodes were for you, the next four do not get easier....at all. However, each one is must see viewing as they are important pieces of the story. Trying to be helpful but not giving too much away. Hang in there both of you. Your lives will be forever changed after viewing this epic masterpiece .
They said it was a full company, when Winters started firing on them. Then after the rest of the men with Winters arrived, another whole company came over the hill to reinforce the Axis position. A company is between 100 and 250 men. Winters had just a platoon with him, which is between 16 and 50 men. If we're conservative with the estimates, it was a 1:100 ratio when Winters lead the way, then when everyone's reinforcements arrived it was still no better than a 1:4 ratio of Allied to Axis. The artillery the Allied platoon called in to hit the Axis helped a lot, though. But having the high ground firing into basically an empty field with very little cover, and having the element of surprise counted for a lot. It's a good example of good leadership vs. bad leadership. The Axis had the numbers, but posted no sentries, their position wasn't really that defensible, and they let a smaller force sneak up on them and destroy them.
You both are very sensitive and appreciate the humanity of the men. That is key to understanding the horrors that envelope those men in that circumstance.
@12:15 He wasn't making a phone call. He was directing artillery onto the Germans.
He was ordering Chinese take out.
Not surprising Damian Lewis (who is acting as Lt Winters) got a tough role. Two years prior to Band of Brothers he played Lt Neil Loughrey in the BBC award drama Warriors or Peacekeepers...
I met Dick Winters around a decade ago. We were doing a reenactment of the Battle Of The Bulge in Fort Indiantown Gap, PA. (near Dick Winter's farm)I was portraying a German Staff officer and we had a "French" cafe in a building for German reenactors. I was sitting alone at a table because of my rank, and Winters asked if he could join me (all veterans had full access to everywhere) I agreed. He said "I thought I'd have to brush up on my German seeing you--but I heard you speaking and you're an American. Was your father or grandfather a German soldier?" No, I said, my dad was a navigational instructor in Texas, and my grandfather a doughboy in the Argonne forest in WW1. Winters said "I've been following you in action in the spectator battle this afternoon---you are a helluva good staff officer; wherever you went, the men maneuvered and quickly went into action---I said "I was just delivering orders from the Chief of Staff" No, Winters said, "you were like a lightning rod". I shook his hand and sincerely thanked him---for everything he did. But I always say if someone wonders how I can portray a German officer, "hey Dick Winters thought I was good at it"
Personally, my top 3 guys are Joe Toye, Bill Guarnere and George Luz
You're going to want to bring a _lot_ of tissues for the rest of the series.
The scene where he shot the kid never happened that way. In fact what happened in real life was even more tense. He went over the ridge and saw the German/Dutchman (not sure, since it was the Dutch SS. Could have been either) He throw his grenade. He pulled the pin but he forgot to remove the safety tape around it (soldiers often put tape around their grenades to prevent them from going off in case the pin got snagged on something.) as a result, it didn’t go off. The German then threw his grenade. He forgot to actually arm the thing, so his didn’t go off. Winters then shot him.
Richard Winters personal mementos from the war are on display at Gettysburg PA. He is buried not far from there in a church graveyard on a hill, next to his wife.
Dick Winters said if he had to pick only one man to go into combat with it was Floyd "Tab" Talbert.
Jimmy's character gave the 101st a fighting chance. He made multiple runs with his jeep and his men drove trucks as they delivered ammo, food, blankets and other supplies to the men. When the Germans got close Rice made his men stop making runs while he continued on alone. He made two final runs after the Germans had surrounded the 101st position. After he'd completed the 8th or 9th run (it is debated how many he made) his CO ordered him to stop.
Many say he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, but there is no record of this in the archives. There are however numerous 101st related twitter pages and websites that say he was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor.
All the men grew up thru the Great Depression. An era when most worked before they were teens & far more had families by 21 than went to college.
They grew up, like their parents, far, far quicker than today.
I hope you watch we stand alone together the documentary where EZ Men tell the story. It is the real ending to the best War Mini Series of All Time.
This episode was directed by Tom Hanks btw.
The interviews at the beginning are taken from a documentary called "We Stand Alone Together" and it's so good, that I consider it the last and the best episode of Band of Brothers, and a must watch!
Winter's flashback to shooting and probably killing that very young German soldier hits me harder than pretty much any scene in this whole series. Just sums up the whole idea that war is usually just a bunch of young men dying because old men (and now women too) couldn't figure out a resolution.
This episode delves into the mind. At the beginning is what happened. The kid made a movement of “do it” and Winters shot. Through the episode he keeps thinking back to that moment and the kid goes from ruthless to innocent and scared. Winters talked about how he never forgot the expression of the kids face. He was smiling after being surprised. In the show it depicts the smile turning to fear. In reality Winters said the smile stayed the whole time even as he was shot. Bringing context to the situation, the SS were the ones responsible for the most horrific acts committed by Germany. Winters is alone facing two entire companies of SS. That smile wasn’t of innocence. That smile was “You can kill me but you’ll be dead soon after.” However that kid didn’t know God was on Winters side.
If you watch this not as the horror of war but watching a group of ordinary men do extraordinary things to protect the man to their left and their right and ensure their own survival in doing so. It really embodies the Band of Brothers speech in Shakespeare's "Richard IV"
There is a "Eleventh" episode. "We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company ". THAT is a "must" watch at the end.
LOL! No, Nixon did NOT take a shower. For the same reason he pissed in a pitcher: There was no indoor plumbing. Though he probably did wash off in a basin of water.
There's a great podcast called Dead Eyes that has its roots in this episode. It's like Serial except the mystery is "Why did Tom Hanks fire me off of Band of Brothers?" He was going to play Winters' orderly.
Whose name is Zelinsky!
Rewatching with reactors so many times makes me realize this show did so much in 12 episodes. I wish it was 24 episodes going through more perspectives, combat engagements and putting more time and scale in the larger battles like Carentan and Foy. The Budget and producers wouldn't allow it though.
You girls need to watch "The Pacific", made by the same people. It's brutal.
Honestly, not sure they should.
lol they won’t be able to handle The Pacific. It’s just so dark compared to the western front that easy company fought in.
Ladies, When "camping" or sleeping in a temporary spot, and a bathroom --if there is one---is far away, it is not uncommon to urinate in a bottle in the middle of the night rather than fully waking and walking all the way to an actual bathroom. The key being that you HAVE to remember not to drink from that bottle! Or pitcher in this case.
11:23 this shows why the US soldier had a much bigger advantage in WWII when it came to the infantry rifle. German soldiers have bolt action rifles, something that you have to manually operated to for it to fire again. Winters and many men in Easy Co. have the M1 Garand, a semi automatic rifle that holds eight rounds and can be fired without any manual manipulation of the gun. At the real crossroads, Winters emptied two clips from his M1 whilst fully exposed.
The moment Winters shot that boy on the dike was a memory he wouldn't forget. Eric Jendresen was the first person to be added to the Band of Brothers project and spoke to Winters daily and gained a great friendship with him while writing the Band of Brothers "bible". He said that the memory is shooting that young boy haunted him to that day and caused him to become overcome with emotion, which he rarely did. Was and still is an amazing man and figure to look up to in life.
You asked how could a 24-year old lead the way Winters did? When he was in college he worked on power lines with a World War I veteran before the war started. Winters told the WWI vet that he would join the Army but just do the bare minimum. The vet admonished him for that attitude and said that Winters should give his best for his nation and for the men he serves with. That conversation stuck with him and drove him.
Enjoying the reaction ladies.....you are thoughtful and well spoken.....
My grandpa fought in north Africa Italy and France. My uncle was in the 101st airborne and fought in bastogne
As Winters and the German kid stare each other in the eyes Winters is realizing that this is just a kid and he has to kill him. The kid realizes that he is about to die.
Clint Eastwood had a line in the movie "Unforgiven" that goes something like; "It's a hell of a thing killing a man. You take away all he's got and everything he's ever going to have." I think of that line everytime I see this scene. So, so sad. Some soldiers do become desensitized to death and killing. It's not until the battles in war end that new battles begin.
Clint sort of repeats that in Gran Torino, in fact.
Winters was 27-28 at this point in the war and the one of the oldest in the company. The Average age of easy company was 22-23, Often with hollywood production on war movies actors tend to be alot older than the characters they are portraying.
For example Colonel Sink in this looks around 50-55 but in reality was only in his early to mid 30s which was the standard age of that rank really in ww2. The actor who played him though is a real former veteran turn actor which is why they casted him.
Also attrition of the Paratroopers were really high specially in the 101st. So field promotions like Winters were very common, when he ended up in the battle of the Bulge of he was only Captain (because there was not time to be promoted to major) among Lieutenant colonels and Majors who ran all the other Battalions planning battles and logistics. (Nixon is in intelligence so that is different)
"Nobody died"
Dukeman: "Am I a joke to you?"
Military has maximum organization and hierarchy. Fortunately, in my time we had PCs and computer servers. But years before in college we used punched paper tape, magnetic tape and IBM cards ... and typewriters ;-0 The good old days ;-)
Major Winters was 26 when he jumped into Normandy with the 101st. I can't even begin to imagine that.
The reason the German Machine gun was firing was to guide the Germans troop to their objective in the dark.
What they don't show is that the attack continue on with Winters commanding two companies Easy, and Fox. They drove the Germans back to the River but the Germans had good cover and their artillery as getting active so Winter pulled back to the dike. Winters had shown that he could handle a battalion size attack.
When the 101st airborne was assigned the task to defend Bastogne, no one had any idea that was the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge, the largest battle in WW II for the US Army. The Germans surrounded Bastogne and laid siege to it, the 101st Airborne held out until General Patton's troops broke the siege and started to push the Germans back towards Germany which was the last offensive of WW II for the Germans
So in that battle, Winters ran out ahead of his men. In reality (per the official reports), he went at the same time they did, but he did actually make it to the top of the hill so far before his men that he actually unloaded two whole clips into the Germans before his men caught up with him.
also because the damn smoke grenade had a malfunction and started out late. But yes his account of it is nothing short of mind-boggling.
I’ve seen quite a few reactors watching BOB and there’s one thing thing in common they all share. All the women watching love Winters!! Haha
All the guys do as well. xD
12:14 I hope they understand at this point - either someone already explaining it or by this comment - Winters is not just making a phone call. What he's doing is fire coordinates for their artillery batteries to hit. He is trying to call for the batteries to hit their targets with maximum effect.
Someone could probably correct or elaborate further in this, cause I can only speak to terms of what I see and know to an extent
We have seen some of the physical effects of war. In this episode we start to see the psychological effects.
The organization goes something like this: An Army is made up of Divisions (101st), the Division is made up of Regiments (506th), the Regiment is made up of Battalions (2nd), the Battalion is made up of Companies (E / Easy), then platoons, squads, individual soldiers. This differs for countries and times. The leader of each level would have a rank appropriate to the job. Winters is moving from Company to Battalion. Eventually this will give him a promotion.
Hitler had enough resources for one last push. He chose to make it in the west to divide the British and American armies. He should have made it in the East to keep the Soviets away for a while.
Hello ladies from California, USA, I just want to say again I am enjoying watching your reactions to this all time great war series BOB, I also would agree with the majority of the peoples replies that the next two episodes are my favorites, each episode focuses on one character, it isn’t gonna be easy to watch but you will see the bonds between the soldiers get closer.
I don't understand when people really have a hard time binging this series, maybe because I like movie/series about WW2 and this series is the best version of it. I can binging it in one day. And maybe even have a hard time to stopping after just 1 episode.
Dude, at risk of being sexist, the reactors that have a hard time are women from Europe.
@@williamberry9013 Hothouse flowers.
I have a deep respect for the sacrifice these men made... their courage is an example for any man
"their paratroopers lieutenant, they're supposed to be surrounded"😞🥃
I'm sure someone already said it. But yes, thats Jimmy Falon. He's playing his own relative. Pretty cool to do such a thing, apparently the man was awarded a medal for his actions here. He made several supply run, some under fire. To get as many supplies to the troops as he could.
He's playing a real person, George C Rice, but he wasn't related to him
Before watching this miniseries, I knew about the major battles of the war, but not that much about what individual units fought where. So I had no idea the 506th were at Bastogne. Once I realized where Easy Company was about to go, at the end of this episode, my blood ran cold. It's about to get real serious.
"We are grateful that, at the threatened nightfall, the blood of our fathers ran strong." - _William F Buckley_
Your own particular personalities and preferences adds a unique perspective to this series, and on war itself. It's important -- even though it's tough to watch, it's important. That we each recognize these men and all of the Ally Forces for their profound impact on human history, and for what they had to go through to save the world and get home to their families (imagine all of the 'soldiers coming home' videos there would be if they had cell phones?).
Dick Winters WAS a phenomenal leader, but one of the greatest strengths of the US military is that there are not only great leaders, but the lower ranked soldiers would take over leadership positions if their officers were killed or injured. The squads and companies would go on and continue fighting very effectively. One of the huge problems that the Russians have in Ukraine right now is that if they officers are killed or injured, then their lower ranks are leaderless and become totally ineffective because they have never been taught to step forward and take the initiative. They have lived their lives essentially being told what to do, and that is ingrained in them.
lol If you had to recover after 3 & 4, you need a month to rehab from ep 6
Your insights into human behavior under extreme duress is impressive. I imagine that your understanding comes from the deep well of empathy that you both appear to possess. Thank you for this series.