It was really hard for us to find the right words after watching this incredible episode. Hopefully our respect and gratitude comes across. Thank you for suggesting this important series to us. 💕
You guys should check out Requiem for a Soldier by Katherine Jenkins bc it's the theme to this amazing series and it makes the series more impactful due the lyrics to the song. 😊👍
Liebgott's words to the prisoners are "It's just for a short time. It's for your own good." And you can see what it's costing him to tell them this. Heartbreaking.
For some the "short time" lasted until 1947 as many were relabled as "Displaced Persons" and had to stay in camps, including a second version of Bergen-Belsen, until they could be returned to their home countries. The last emigrated to the newly created Israel.
and in many cases, like Terezin, it was a lure. There was no end other than death. The difference is at Terezin you got paraded around in front of the red cross and played tennis before they shoved you in oubliettes or shot you against a wall.
The Allied forces quickly found out that giving out food ... would KILL the victims. Their bodies couldn't handle solid foods. A thin soup was best (thin, but still lavish compared to the soup they'd had when the Germans were in charge). I'm 71. When I was a kid I remember there were still problems with sorting out civilian Germans from the military and co-conspirators. It's thought that only 1/5th of all guilty Germans ever faced any punishment. Maybe less. The civilians knew. They knew. They knew.
If you were wondering how they filmed those camp scenes, the camp was constructed and patients from cancer wards were cast as inmates. The actors from ‘Easy’ showed up but were kept away from the ‘camp’ set. The actors’ looks of horror and shock weren’t entirely acting.
The actors were not given advanced copies of the script to learn their lines. The Producers wanted their expressions of shock and dismay to be authentic. They certainly accomplished that.
Lip was made an officer: “First Sergeant Lipton - Your honorable discharge as an enlisted man and your battlefield commission to Second Lieutenant...” was the quote from last episode where you heard "honorable discharge"
@@crossfire1453 Still, it's an understandable thing for civilians and people who aren't from military families to question. This is one of the few pieces of media that actually shows this scenario with that contextual dialogue, but from people I know, they thought any discharge just meant from service overall. Hell, I'm an army brat and I didn't know that 'til I was at least a mid to late teenager. 😅
Yep. In the book, they point out that his commission was actually effective the day after his discharge as an enlisted man. So he was technically a civilian during “the last patrol.”
If you look into the behind the scenes, the director of the episode was hesitant to use the patients as extras as he was worried they would pass out from the exhaustion of the scenes, but the camp extras were very proud to be part of the show, displaying the cruelty of the third reich, according to the director not one passed out or ruined a scene. That combined with the actors of the soldiers being purposefully left in the dark about the scenes until the day of made a genuine experience that few can recreate.
i guess thats one way of preserving memory of yourself if you get to be an actor for a historical movie or show. I wouldnt mind being remembered as an actor of a famous show even if i played Concentration camp victim. You could even argue that they did this to show people what facism can lead to so all of it will never happen again.
I am not a WWII veteran, but I am a 71 year old veteran of the U.S. Army. As a tribute I have watched Band of Brothers at least once a year, every year, for the last 20 years or so. Over the years, no matter how many times I've watched this episode, I literally break down crying every time I do watch it.
Donald Burgett’s book Beyond The Rhine describes their entering this camp and what he saw there. He also describes the civilians coming back from the camp to see it for the first time. Two teenage German girls are talking and laughing. Colonel Sink has them stopped and sent back and locked in the camp for the night. His jump boots and uniform are at the Michigan Heroes museum in Frankenmuth, Michigan.
I knew someone that her husband liberated one of the camps and she always said her husband couldn't get the scent of death out off his mind. This series still holds true after it came out 20 plus years ago. Glad you guys found.
This was the episode that did it for me. The whole time when I watched I was wondering if they will brush past it knowing that easy was there. I was so happy that they did the right thing and went there. Very well done episode, guts me every time.
My late father served in a medical company that followed the 506th. He helped feed & treat several concentration camps prisoners! He said it was a mess, stacks of uncinerated bodies, experimental stations & body parts. My dad had nightmares the rest of his life.
From one Army brat to another, please thank your father for his service. These men who fought at that time helped to turn the tide of world peace and freedom. I don't care what people's political affiliations are, we can't deny that they were the greatest generation to ever live. My father served, and my brother currently serves. I am grateful for my freedoms and for my opportunities afforded me because of the sacrifices made during that time, and the ones continued to be made currently. 🫡
Agreed, schools should teach the good and bad parts of history to ensure we never get the monsters that cause these atrocities, they currently try to protect kids from the hard lessons that really need to be taught.
@@DakkaDakka12 Exactly. It shocks me how bad the education is now. It enrages me when young adults don't know. Even when I went to school, it wasn't really in the curriculum to teach this. I luckily had teachers that went out of their way to teach us the details, read Maus (comic novel based on the true story of a Jewish survivor), and show us footage. The images were horrifying, much worse than what is depicted in BoB. These people were walking skeletons.
Nixon was assigned to jump with the 17th Airborne in "Operation Varsity" (as a consultant and obvserver), which was the largest single day airborne operation of the entire war. When they mention Nixon the only person getting 3 separate jump medals, it is a true statement (as far as I know). Operation Varsity was where my Dad crossed the Rhine in a glider in combat. It took place around Wesel, Germany. Thanks to Belgian war re-enactors I've been back to Wesel three times, and twice with my Dad, to see where he landed in the glider. Thank you for helping keep this history alive. It needs to be told so that people do not forget what the Greatest Generation did for us.
A true statement for the 101st yes, some boys from the 82nd had 4 stars from operations Husky (Sicily) Avalanche (Salerno), Overlord (Normandy) and Market Garden (Holland).
There is one exception from the 101st Airborne, Jake "McNasty" McNiece. He would drop for Overlord and Market Garden before going to pathfinder school. After pathfinder school he would drop into Bastogne in order to organize resupply of trapped forces. Later on, he would drop into Germany in order to help organize the resupply of one of Patton's tank forces that had gotten seperated from allied supply lines.
When I was stationed in Germany I went to Dachau (Concentration Camp), it was blue sky with wind and birds chirping until you stepped through the gates and into the camp. There was no breeze, no birds, nothing but weird silence and stale air. It was a chilling experience.
I have posted this before but it fits to put it here. As a US Navy Hospital Corpsman. My first duty station was Naval Hospital Bethesda in Maryland. I worked Ward 7 West internal medicine. One patient I cared for was a soon to be retired US Navy Captain who had presented to us with end stage throat cancer. He was having difficulty breathing and required a tracheostomy (breathing tube) be placed. Unfortunately they discovered while putting it in the cancer had progressed further than hoped. As a result he lost his voicebox entirely. He could no longer speak. As you would expect this severely depressed him. I walked in and said Good Morning Sir! Being some 40 years younger and an enlisted man, my raising demanded, and military protocl REQUIRED I address him as Sir. He angrily waved at me & wrote on a pad "Don't call me Sir" "I don't deserve it!" At that point I became a little bit Salty. I reminded him of military protocol, Navy Policy and told him my 80 y/o Grandma would come down here and kick my a$$ if I called him anything but SIR. Then I grabbed his arm and pointed at the "Tattoo" a 7 digit serial number burned into his arm by butchers and told him THAT DAMN NUMBER MEANS NO ONE CALLS YOU ANYTHING BUT SIR! EVER! You've paid the price already. You see on admission we do a head to toe assessment and yes I noticed it then. I also noticed his wife also had one. They were the only ones of their families to survive the war. He from Auschwitz and She was from Bergen Belson. They met after the war, made their way to the US and to thank his new country served nearly 40 years in the Navy. Shortly after this incident, he was fully promoted to Rear Admiral then officially retired. I was a side boy at the ceremony. Why we fight indeed.
Thank you for this great story, and I'm very glad that you said what you said to him. My grandfather was part of one of the units to help liberate Bergen-Belsen, so I'm also very happy to hear about that woman meeting that man after the war and the fact that they were able to find happiness together.
And to think that there are people today who deny this ever happened as well as those who would like to see a repeat. It's hard to watch but it has to be done to honor the memories of those who were butchered. To forget them would be the ultimate and final indignity and to forget that the evil that caused this is still with us would be the final insult.
“Get it all on record now - get the films - get the witnesses - because somewhere down the track of history some bastard will get up and say that this never happened.” Dwight D. Eisenhower 1945
Hitler told Himmler that it was not enough for the Jews simply to die; they must die in agony. What was the best way to prolong their agony? Himmler turned the problem over to his advisers, who concluded that a slow, agonizing death could be brought about by placing Jewish prisoners in freight cars in which the floors were coated with...quicklime...which produced excruciating burns. The advisers estimated that it would take four days for the prisoners to die, and for that whole time the freight cars could be left standing on some forgotten siding.... Finally it was decided that the freight cars should be used in addition to the extermination camps. ----Robert Payne, The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler By genocide, the murder of hostages, reprisal raids, forced labor, "euthanasia," starvation, exposure, medical experiments, and terror bombing, and in the concentration and death camps, the Nazis murdered from 15,003,000 to 31,595,000 people, most likely 20,946,000 men, women, handicapped, aged, sick, prisoners of war, forced laborers, camp inmates, critics, homosexuals, Jews, Slavs, Serbs, Germans, Czechs, Italians, Poles, French, Ukrainians, and many others. Among them 1,000,000 were children under eighteen years of age.1 And none of these monstrous figures even include civilian and military combat or war-deaths. hawaii edu / powerkills Nazis Specifically 6,000,000 Jews. When the war was clearly lost, Hitler still prioritized trains, trucks, staff, everything needed to keep the concentration camps running.
In order for Lipton to be promoted to Lieutenant (which is an officer rank) he had to be discharged as an enlisted solider and then commissioned into an officer.
@@redtide1497 Well you can't be "non-commissioned" and "commissioned" at the same time. Legally you have to be commissioned to give Lawful orders to NCO's (Sargeants) with more time in grade (years of official service) and higher rank.
Field Promotions happened a lot in WW2. It wasn't uncommon. Especially for an enlisted man to be an officer. You wouldn't see this promotion today. You also wouldn't see Lipton today, stop being a First Sergeant to become a Lt. They function very differently. Lt.'s while are the leaders... they are not who soldiers listened to. Our 1st and 2nd Lt's... didn't offer much to any area they were attached to. But the First Sergeant or Top... would be, as he's the connection between the Captain and the Enlisted.
Omar Bradley went the same path and took it all the way up to the rank of 5-star General and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Korean War.
Just a quick note here at the scene in 11:06 the French soldier executing German prisoner is played by Tom Hanks 😮. I think hes one of the producer of the series.
The modern left is burning books and censoring speech of people they disagree with. That's what all of this cancel culture nonsense is. They're separating people by race in the name of diversity equality and inclusion. Which is basically choosing people by their race instead of their ability which is racism. A lot of the young people today don't realize how close they are to becoming just like the Nazis. All they need to go over the edge is just a little push. Look at the antifa - blm riots that went on all summer and fall of 2020. Those ignorant punks weren't much different than the Nazi brown shirts that were rioting and attacking people in the streets of Germany in the 1930's. They started rioting in the streets of Germany but they ended with a war of annihilation and the mass murder of millions of people. And because of the propaganda fed to them by their media and education system they did it believing their cause was just and they were doing the right thing. If we're not careful we will head down a similar path. The "tolerant left" is now threatening and attacking Jewish students on college campuses. They'll say they're anti Nazis but they'll be doing almost the exact same things the nazis did only under a different name.
2024 American (Trumpers): “These books make children gay and should be banned from libraries.” The burning begins when (if?) the Cheeto Chief gets re-elected.
@@BlindingGlow The Nazis? Well, pretty much anything written by Jewish authors….. a few authors whose names sounded Jewish. Some copies of Einstein’s work. I’d imagine every copy of the Communist Manifesto they could lay their hands on. Now, I’m not sure what the policy was on Torahs. I mean, it’s the Jewish Bible but it’s still the Bible. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen footage of Torah scrolls being burnt, I’d assume during Kristallnacht. Now, it’s documented that the Nazis burned numerous works of modern art paintings from the Louvre. A painting’s not a book but works by Klimt and other modern artists were burned. The works they liked, they stole. Now, books and scientific papers can be recovered and other paintings can be done but it seems rather arbitrary to fault the Nazis for burning books, which they were quite happy to rather thoroughly document and held those images up as examples of desired behavior for the rest of the nation. You’d agree that the Nazis did or planned to burn everything they’d ever held to oncoming armies. You’re familiar with Hitler’s ‘Nero Directive,’ issued late in the war instructing all Wehrmacht and Civil authorities to do all they could to ensure the Allies advanced over a terrain in which no two bricks were cemented together. In other words, “Don’t stop with books….. burn EVERYTHING!” So, I guess, ultimately, the answer to your question is, “All of them.”
As time has passed even since the 1990s, based on more studies and accounts given by more elderly Germans before they died, it is more accepted that many of the Germans living by the camps knew what went on there. They may not have known the specific procedures, but knew that lots of people were sent there to be murdered and cremated.
That camp itself didn’t have have crematoria. It was a sub camp of Dachau, which was a concentration camp (actually the first one, established shortly after the Nazis came to power in 1933). The camps that had gas chambers and crematoria were the extermination camps like Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka, Sobibor, etc.
Donald Burgett’s book Beyond The Rhine describes their entering this camp and what he saw there. He also describes the civilians coming back from the camp to see it for the first time. Two teenage German girls are talking and laughing. Colonel Sink has them stopped and sent back and locked in the camp for the night. His jump boots and uniform are at the Michigan Heroes museum in Frankenmuth, Michigan.
My maternal grandmother was Austrian--her Jewish family were all extremely patriotic. They were educated, cultured, and contributed more than their share. She spoke 5 languages, but her home language was German. Her uncle was a highly decorated officer in WWI. None of any of that mattered when they were all murdered in 1942 and thrown into a mass grave. (She was already living in New York by then). Basically 1/4 of my relatives disappeared.
You say that a lot of Germans didn't know, but I have to say, labor camps like this one (and to be clear, this was 'just' a labor camp, it wasn't an extermination camp) dotted Germany. As Webb said "You never smelled the stench?". Germans knew. They might have averted their eyes, but they knew. And to the German nations credit, since then they've made sure that they'll never forget it.
Like the americans in Abu Graib knew but did nothing, i am in no way whatsoever accepting it, but it is unfortunately human nature...and has been seen to different degrees in every war fought for the last 5000 years......just as the destruction and plunder is "natural".... humans are a horrible species....
@@joemckim1183 First they came for the Communists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Communist Then they came for the Socialists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Socialist Then they came for the trade unionists And I did not speak out Because I was not a trade unionist Then they came for the Jews And I did not speak out Because I was not a Jew Then they came for me And there was no one left To speak out for me - Martin Niemöller
When Gen. Eisenhower saw one of those camps, he ordered every camera crew, reporter, and war correspondent to visit and record everything because, he said, " In 50 years, some SOB will say this never happened".
My uncle died fighting in WW2 in Europe, my father was wounded in Korea, my great uncle died fighting in WWI, and my cousin was wounded in Vietnam. One of my best friends was a Brit who moved to the US after the war. Mike served in a British tank company during WW2 and saw action from Africa, through Normandy, and liberated the the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Mike never talked about his service with the exception of sharing the liberation of Bergen-Belsen - he said he talked about it as it was important that people know the truth and that it should never be forgotten. I miss Mike, my father, and all those men. The sad truth is that governments murdered more than a 100 million of their own citizens in the twentieth century. And it has not stopped, it continues to this day in Africa, the middle east, and China. It gives me some hope that there are young people such as yourselves who care enough to watch, share, and honor the history of these men. God Bless.
The song when sung is called Requiem for a Soldier by Katherine Jenkins I recommend anyone who loves Band of Brothers to check it out bc it makes this series more impactful just by the lyrics
Imagine seeing all of the horrors of War that these people have witnessed...Then being speechless seeing this. "Why We Fight" is a nod to the epic Frank Capra WW2 series that was being shown during the War back home. I really believe Spielberg intentionally has the Nazi woman in the vivid red coat as a direct reference and connection to the little Jewish girl in Schindler's List. I don't think there are coincidences in his films...The actors weren't even allowed to see the set until the day of shooting, they wanted to get a genuine reaction from them. While the prisoners were some actual cancer patients who wanted to be a part of this. What shocks me is how surprised most people are reacting to this, having no idea what they were about to see...I think we get so immersed in the characters and immediacy we lose track of the big picture and tragedy. Never forget.
I'm sure it's been suggested but please watch the doc. "We Stand Together Alone" when you're finished with the serials. It is comprised of the interviews with the men and a little more history of the Co.
Often, soldiers sent to war end up questioning all the reasons for why they and their brothers-in-arms fight, bleed, and die far from home, as Web expressed when Easy Company's convoy was going past the marching column of surrendered Nazi troops. Seeing the camps in person would have brought a whole new perspective, as if experiences like Market Garden and Bastogne weren't horrific enough already. I imagine it would not lessen the pain or trauma of having experienced the war up to that point, but it would alter your perception of the purpose of that trauma forever. That savagery is what those men were fighting to stop, even if they didn't know it for a long while.
My great-grandparents lived through brutal hardships or poverty and hunger after WW I and voted for the guy who promised them easy solutions. They believed him when he put the blame on minorities and the opposing political parties. Before long, a veritable cult of personality developed around their leader and his word became law, when he dismantled the separation of power in the government. That's how all this became possible. People should learn from that history and check if maybe their own country shows similar signs, BEFORE it is too late.
As a combat vet and talking to other vets someone will say ( we know what others don't ) now you know. It's almost over . Hang in there and God bless you both.
Regarding Lipton’s “discharge”… remember, at the end of Episode 7, Speirs said he was going to promoted to 2nd Lieutenant via a battlefield commission. The proper procedure for that to happen is first the enlisted soldier in question (Lipton in this case) must be formally discharged as an enlisted man. Then, and only then, can he be formally sworn in as a commissioned officer. That’s why Lipton was “discharged”. It was merely to clear the way for him to be sworn in as a Lieutenant.
@@MetalDetroit Hate to break it to you but no, I'm not. Not going to get into a giant discussion here on the intricacies because these girls don't deserve it on their react channel but I'll say this and then I'm done: MAGA: Right wing, Authoritarian, Ethno Nationalist, Theocratic: Bad Zionist Israel: Right wing, Authoritarian, Ethno Nationalist, Theocratic: Good, somehow? Something isn't adding up here, or maybe it is. All those political donations and endless guilt tripping. Get rid of MAGA and get rid of Zionism and this world looks drastically different and infinitely better. Not perfect but a damn good start. Both nations are being polluted by madmen. Both factions are an evil separate from the nation they're a part of. Have a great evening. No more responses from me on this subject.
Great comment and it's why shows like BoB are so critical and should be watched. The standard playbook for those that crave power is to demonise some other group and lay the blame for all life's troubles on them. Nothing galvanises a group quicker than a perceived injustice and an enemy to blame it on. You can see this same pattern played out throughout history, from well before WW2 through to the modern day. Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Afghanistan and most horrifyingly, in a lot of Western politics throughout the world where politicians are more about acquiring power to impose their will rather than those that are looking to improve the lives of the citizens they are meant to represent. When considering the leaders you choose to follow in life, look for those that seek to build consensus and make improvements, not those that simply seek to blame others and cloak themselves in personal glory. Ahem, enough proselytizing from me. Excellent reaction from Haylo and Kiss, thanks for enduring this and giving it the attention and respect it deserves.
I'm sure you've heard about the female SS guards that were assigned to the Nazi concentration camps? Perhaps the most infamous of them in my opinion was Irma Grese, 'The Hyena of Auschwitz'. She earned that nickname due to the high pitched laughter she exerted, whenever she set her pet guard dog loose upon the prisoners to satiate her warped sense of amusement. Irma wasn't considered academically gifted (but her savagery made up for her lack of intellect), plus she joined the Nazi Party mainly to spite her father. She was captured along with the rest of her SchutzStaffel comrades at the Bergen Belsen concentration camp by British troops. She was subsequently sentenced to death by hanging along with her compatriots. Apparently her last words to her executioner were... "Get on with it."
I’ve seen a documentary that centers on a small photo album made by camp guards. The show placed them in conjunction with a photo or two of the sidings. They were able to determine that a collection of smiling, lederhosened and drindled men and women having a lazy picnic on a beautiful, sunny day in as taken, from memory, within two days of the siding photos. Obviously driving home the dual realities of the guards, inmates and victims. I think all the guards were identified and there were some real beauts in that bunch, so far as mindless cruelty went.
The hardest episode for sure. Thanks for embarking on this adventure! The finale wraps everything up very nicely (and you have to watch the documentary at the end as well!) :)
highly recommend the movie "Conspiracy", also an HBO movie from around 2001. It's a dramatization of the Nazi planning conference at Wansee in 1942. "a horror movie masquerading as a business meeting."
Lipton was "discharged" as an enlisted man and then "recharged" as a lieutenant. It's just a formality as part of the process of getting promoted into an officer from an NCO's (non-comissioned officer) position.
@@-Knife- I thought Serbian, but there is a lot of similarity so you may be correct. My mother was Czech & she could understand Serbian, Polish, Croatian, etc. The various languages are sometimes more like dialects.
@@-Knife- LM Reactions watched this series. They're two Serbian girls. When they saw that part they both broke down and said "he's speaking our language"
@@Knight-Bishop Yeah, I didn't know until their reaction either. I'm not at all familiar with any Eastern European languages so I assumed it was Polish too.
A really dark chapter on our german history! My grandfather served in the german "Wehrmacht". Till his dead, there was no chance to talk to him about the concentration camps. He told us, that he didn´t know about these camps. Like every german. In my childhood, i believed him. But nowerdays, i think almost every german soldier knew what happened to all those people. And the evil is on the rise again :(
18:38 As sad as it is to say but that is misconception. Tons of Germans knew what was going on, especially those sun east Germany. Now they most likely didn’t know about the true scale of everything and all what was going on at the camps. But they absolutely knew about the camps and what was definitely going on in them.
Congrats, you are the first reactor I've seen to figure out that lady is the one that warned them. She was married to a high ranking officer who lived near that camp, like the commandant would.
Not necessarily. The camps were run by the SS. The officer in the photograph, who had been killed (black ribbon on the frame) was wearing a Wehrmacht (regular German army) uniform. As to whether the towns people knew, most of them probably knew there was some kind of camp out there, but also knew to stay away from it for their own safety. It's dangerous to know too much in totalitarian regimes. Others who delivered supplies, dated camp guards, etc, probably knew more.
Exactly. My take on that interaction is that when they first meet, she looks on Nixon with an air of superiority, pride, and judgement while Nixon is at a low point of ransacking her home for alcohol. When they next meet, Nixon is now literally standing above her, looking down on her in judgment. She can't meet his stare for long and is the first to look away in shame. I think it is a pretty powerful moment.
At 19:31 when he’s telling the prisoners that they must remain in the camp, part of it was, “this is for only a short time”, you can see that they don’t believe that part one bit. 😢
You all are as precious as precious gets. Your respect is wonderful. So many young people don’t realize how horrific this experience was - more than 60 million - say that again - more than 60 million people died in WW2. Mostly civilians. Thank you for these reactions.
What we see in the episode is in fact just one small labor-concetration camp. The numbers tattooed on the hands mean they were in the Auschwitz system. People often don't know that Auschwitz had dozens of sub-camps in which the prisoners were "exterminated through labor", simply dying from the horrible conditions. The camps were spread throughout modern day Poland and Eastern Germany. The reason Easy company found the prisoners in a camp in Western Germany is that as the war was nearing its end, more and more prisoners were deported Westward, most of them being forced to walk 100s of miles without food and appropriate clothing in the freezing Winter of 1944/45. Many died along the way. These people experienced something much worse than hell. My grandfather served in the Red Army, they also liberated smaller camps. He never spoke about it, probably also because he was Jewish. He was just unable to open up about this, though he mentioned other events from the war. Babe Heffron said: “If anyone ever tells you the Holocaust didn't happen, or that it wasn't as bad as they say, no, it was worse than they say. What we saw, what these Germans did, it was worse than you can possibly imagine.” Btw, with regard to the surrender of the Germans: Webster's "trash talk" (that turned into a very poignant expression of feelings) was based on the fact the US and British armies were highly mechanized, while the Germans mostly walked and used horses. Many German soldiers said that when they saw the amount of cars, trucks and vans the Allies had, without limitations on using fuel, they realized the war was lost. My grandfather was a transportation officer, and since the Soviets used American trucks supplied through Lend-Lease, he got to know a lot about Ford and Studebaker. He thought those were great vehicles.
I question about the car thing because that implies that Germany the most mechanised people at the time the inventors of the CAR did not have cars. In ww1 all sides expected horses to happen. In ww2 people had learned yet horses was important to everyone at that time still. Also on the lend lease thing. Nazi Germany got things with the lend lease. Usa spent on both sides of the war at the start.
@@richardstephens5570 You do not understand much of the history about that at the time. Remember Henry Ford got a medal from the big guy himself. But also try to explain why Germany paid money to usa for lend-lease if they never was a part of it. But I am sure you are German and can site the propper place where that information is right? Depends on what you mean with mechanized they used a crap load of other things if you only talk about tanks sure
Here in Germany there's an Art project "Stolpersteine" (which translates to stumbling blocks / rocks). Little metal plates on the ground in front of buildings on the sidewalks where people lived that have been deported and killed. On the plates are the dates (birthday - where to they have been deported and killed - and if known the death date) of the persons. One plate per person. Even in my small hometown is a Stoplerstein. He has been killed in a sanatorium. My guess is that he was "mentally limited" (sorry for my bad englich in this case). [Edit] A link to a Wikipedia entry: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stolperstein
The execution of the German prisoners were by soldiers wearing French helmets. The French had a particular hatred of the Germans. The photograph of the German officer had a black ribbon on the upper left of the frame, meaning he was dead.
There is a documentary I watched called "Night will Fall," it has official footage taken by British cameramen with those that discovered these camps for the first time. It is incredibly harrowing but was so important for me to watch as a young man. This episode is incredibly powerful and I think did an excellent job in portraying the despair felt by all in those moments. The documentary I mentioned is highly recommended to watch, it won't be pleasant but it's something I deem as a necessary truth.
I come from Germany and my grandmother was born in 1932. Before she died, I asked her about the Holocaust. Everyone knew roughly what was happening. But not to that extent.
my grand grand parents knew they were taken away, for prison or even work camps. no one of the day to day citizens knew that work campos were in fact killing camps. people that lived around there knew
@@havtor007They definitely did know the camps (at least some of them) existed. There was even a saying about staying dumb (not questioning things) so they didn’t get sent to Dachau.
@@terminallumbago6465 The thing you need to realize is this they knew about them as Work Camps Aka Prisons. They did NOT know about the killing that was happening the massive amount of torture all those important parts they did not know about.
During my R&R from deployment to Bosnia, a few of us went to see Europe and visited a few WW2 sites, we also saw a few of the camps. The one thing I'll always remember is the guide telling us to listen, and all we heard was silence. He said that even after nearly 70 years no birds, squirrels, or any mammalian life comes into the camp. The smell the death is ever present. That really stuck with me, that even though the war is long over, and nature has take over the surrounding locations, animals still will not enter. And even though we weren't told this at the other camps we visited, they all had the same silence.
When they started finding the camps, Gen Eisenhower ordered documentation/pictures/film be made of this, because he knew decades later some people would be denying this even happened. You were exactly right when you said 'This is why we fight' - it's important to stand up to evil like this. Thanks for your very honest reaction to this episode, the most difficult of the series.
It's doubtful that the townspeople didn't know about the camp. It was within walking distance of the town. And it' highly unlikely the townspeople didn't know what was going on there.
of course they knew. the ppl around those camps, train stations they all knew. still they all were told all the time germany is winning and the ss stationed in those towns were killing anyone who stood up
The people of that town definitely knew what was going on in those camps and even knew of their existence along with their purpose too. The town was only denying just to protect themselves from allied troops wrath rather than acknowledge what they knew. There are still some that deny that these atrocities occurred and say that it all Allied lies
@@ryanlow6901 "Most Germans still deny that these atrocities occurred and say that it all Allied lies" wtf is this blatant lie? germans are beeing teached this atrocious crimes against humanity from a young age. all german schools visit concentration camps and nothing is denied. are you out of your mind??? you will get prison time in germany denying these crimes or even for the nazi salute. stop lying
Some things to note: 4:03 Spiers is looting silverware (made from real silver) from German houses as they move through Germany. Technically a war crime today, but soldiers from all sides were looting during the war. 11:01 Those were French soldiers executing German soldiers. Americans generally showed mercy to German soldiers, but the countries that had been occupied by the Nazis (France. Poland, Netherlands) were out for revenge. 12:25 This is a Nazi officer's house. It is heavily implied that the wife that you see here is the one that warned the Nazi soldiers at the concentration camp about the Americans. 15:20 The man is begging them to help his father, he claims that he is still breathing/alive (it's Serbian language)
A lot can be said about this episode, but let me just say this. Don’t let anyone fool you, the Germans knew what was happening. Jews and others were rounded up and put on trains to go to camps for over a decade by then and none ever returned. The only difference between prior to 1942 and after is that they were originally sent to the camps to be slave labor (and some experimented on), then in 1942 the death camps were opened in Poland in the east, including Auschwitz II, aka Birkenau.
I just found your channel and I love it. I'm 55 years old and it makes me feel so proud to see young people who still has and shows respect. Tyvm I'm looking forward to more of your takes. Are you guys going to do The Pacific? It's like part 2 of band of brothers. It's the war with Japan after pearl harbor
@@winstonmarlowe5254 yea I'm lolling at people who think Nazis are the pinnacle of genocide (they never were) and just conveniently forgot about every other evil government in history.
The extras who acted has the prisoners where actual Cancer Patients getting or awaiting treatment. When making the concentration camp scene, behind the scenes people asked many of the actors if they want to see a memorial in order to get ready for it, all of them said no because they wanted to see the concentration camp with virgin eyes like the real E Company did over 80 years ago. The shock and awe from the actors are raw and real. I cry every time when I reach to Episode 9 because has someone who has a degree in history, we can never forget the atrocistes of the Holocaust. Many people of today especially the young who are forgetting that the Jewish people have lost so much because of one man and many of his followers did to them. That is why Mossad was created in Israel "Central Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations," because when Nazi Germany was losing many high level Nazis escaped to other countries especially to Buenos Aires, Argentina. When Mossad agents get information on a Nazi escapee they go and get them, send them back to Israel, put them on trial, and finally hanged. Mossad even today are still looking for any Nazis from WWII, even though many are old men and women, Mossad still will hang them for murdering their people.
When we talk about what the ordinary Germans did or didn't know about the Holocaust, one thing we rarely hear mentioned is tha fact that the Nazis had been making anti-Semitism a cornerstone of their whole political program for well over ten years, back to at least the early 1930s. So even if they didn't all specifically know about the mass death camps, they'd have had to be living under a rock for that long not to know that their government, which remember was voted into office at one point, was built on really intense hatred for Jews. So it can't have come as much of a surprise even to most ordinary Germans.
36% voted them, 64% did not. After they became one of the strongest parties in the parlament, they systematicaly took out the other parties. The Situation in the Weimar Republic was not comparable with anything we know today - it was a political civil war. To just say "the germans voted them" is a complete simplification. Also anti-semitism was everywhere in western society, all over europe and north america - jews were a hated minority since the dark ages.
@@SovermanandVioboy These are valid clarifications. But I think it's still true that there's culpability of a kind still there, even for Germans who didn't know about the camps. Not an equal or total culpability, but a connection that couldn't he dismissed by simply saying, "We didn't know." And the same can be said of the rest of the Western world really, since as you point out, anti-Semitism was everywhere.
Your reactions and empathy are endearing! I had a number of uncles in the European Theater, but my grandfather was in the 5th Marine division and ended up in the South Pacific theater alone. He went to join the Army with his brothers so they could all stay togeter. Unfortunately the Marine recruter walked out if his office and said, "I need 3 Marines, you you and you, come with me!" And my grandfather was a Marine! After you've finished this series take some time to heal, then I recommend you watch The Pacific. While i don't think it is as good overall (from a critical stand point) as BoB it's still an amazing look at what was happening on the other side of the world. Fighting in the Pacific Theater was very different from the European Theater. Don't get me wrong it's all Hell, but the fighting style and landscape of the Japanese front was wildly different and firced them to use very different tactics and weapons. Truly worth the watch. Can't wait to see your reaction to eppisode 10, it really is the perfect ending to the series.
When they're asking the prisoner about the camp, the look on Lt Spears' face is just incredible. He's a man of action, and he has no idea what to do to in this situation. Earlier in the series, he said he just assumes he's dead already, which allows him to function in the face of danger. Well he never counted on experiencing THIS. Just an amazing performance.
(In the opening monolog from the easy company guy, when the soldier was saying the germans and he might have been good friends) i served in the us army from 2004-2012. My best friend was a german immigrate who joind the us army around the same time. We were roommates, partied together, deployed together, litterally my best friend. Long story short. His grandfather was on omaha beach on d-day, and so was my great uncle. Obviously on opposite sides. But 65 years later their relatives were best friends. Its crazy
That doesn't mean they are going to kill innocent children and people of Gaza. What happened to them then was absolutely devastating. But what they are doing now they are no different from the Nazis
I really love the interaction scene with Perconte and O'Keefe. As a Vet myself I think it does a great job showing both sides of the argument without saying either man is right or wrong. O'Keefe wants to do his duty, he wants to do what he trained and suffered for, and most of all wants to feel like and know he contributed to the war and Allied victory. I saw a bit of action but nothing like what the guys before me did in the earlier years of the war so I understand his feelings. Surrounded by all these guys that endured and fought through the worst of it; Normandy, Holland, The Ardennes. It's very easy to feel like you didn't do anything at all if you weren't in the big stuff. But I also get where Perconte comes from. He *has* seen the worst of it. Seen his friends and comrades shot and mangled by explosions, endured hardships of awful weather and minimal food. Hell he's been shot too. To him someone openly wanting to experience that probably seems naive and stupid at best and outright offensive at worst. It's a short scene but I absolutely love it.
I went to one of those camps. It is oddly soundless, no birds, bugs, nothing. Not even the wind makes a sound in the trees. It is perfect stillness, very eerie, the coworker with me noticed it before I did.
Anger the right reaction. And most of the German populace (and soldiers) knew what was going on to a rather significant degree. They may never have witnessed the camps themselves, or personally witnessed any atrocities, but they'd been going along with the program for 12 years by the time this episode takes place, and everybody knew of someone who was sent away "to work" and never returned. They were ignorant of what was happening in the same way that most people today would claim to be ignorant of how beef or chicken are "made". We might not have ever spent time in a slaughterhouse, or butchering meat, or clearing out dead fowl from a factory farm, but we still know where the finished product comes from. It's easy to turn a blind eye to things that make us uncomfortable and pretend that it simply isn't happening. Doesn't hurt that it's easier to claim that you weren't involved or complicit in these crimes if you can claim that you had no idea it was happening.
as a German I have to say, there where almost nobody that "didn't knew" what Hitler and his Regime did with Jews. They knew! Sadly till this day there are people who, say this didn't happen.
You said it best when you said”I love these guys”. They gave up prime years of their lives to make the world a better place to live in. For you. For me. I am overwhelmed by your feelings of empathy and compassion.
I have watched dozens of reactions to this series and specifically this episode. This series, along with the Pacific and Saving Private Ryan, formulate some of my favourite media ever produced (I highly recommend the two of you watch/react to the latter if you haven't already). Hands down the most genuine, authentic and unfabricated reaction I have witnessed.
This episode si of the utmost importance to remind me of what humans are capable. This needs to be remembered and used to help us to keep from ever allowing this to happen agian.
Think about this for a moment, what they showed on this mini-series, is what was ALLOWED to be ehown on telivision in the year 2000, I think that it was probably MUCH MUCH worse than was allowed to be shown on T.V. I do know that when General Dwight Eisenhower was notified of the camps, he went to see for himself, and ordered that all reporters, media and investigators be rushed to every site, he gave instructions that as many pictures as possible to be taken, accounts from the survivors be written down, and film footage, was to be recorded, he was quoted as saying, "Get EVERYONE in here, tkae pictures, record film, document it all completely, because if we don't, someday in the future, there will be some bastard that will say that this never happened." sad to say, we are seeing the first of those people today.
I love the fact a new generation is watching this series for the first time thanks to Netflix. It’s important to remember these things actually happened so we never forget. Thank you for watching and reviewing this amazing series
The camp was Kaufering IV, a sub camp of Dachau. It was liberated the day before Easy arrived, so a bit of artistic licence. Either way, probably the most important episode of the entire series. I visited Belsen camp when I was a soldier in Germany, a strange place.
Hi, i am german and the only kinda way i am proud of my country is, that we're very aware of our past. We learn about these terrible things in school and how to prevent something like this to ever happen again. There's a great video about this topic by the YT Channel "Feli from Germany" with the titel "Do Germans Talk About World War II? What Do They Teach About the Holocaust? | Feli from Germany".
“Get it all on record now - get the films - get the witnesses -because somewhere down the road of history some bastard will get up and say that this never happened.” - Dwight D. Eisenhower
As a 67 year old former firefighter paramedic who has seen a lot of death and destruction over the last 45 years, I can't watch this episode without crying and I've seen it many times. It was so powerfully made.
My brother just retired from the army as a 1st Sargent. He did 5 tours 4 of which he saw combat. I'm proud as hell of him and so glad he came home all 5 deployments. 1st SGT Moon, thanks for your service.
When y'all said you have the tissues and said you will cry in this episode, I thought, poor girls have no idea yet. Such a powerful and moving episode.
My Uncle Jimmy was one of those "Hail fellow, well met" types who never had an unkind word for eveyone. We kids were always welcome to come to his house and have dinner, or lunch, or just ice cream. He was always willing to play board games, and was constantly telling jokes. He carried around pepperments (the ones with the red and white swirl) to hand out to the kids, and he never showed any hate for anyone. Unless it was German. He hated Germans. I never knew why unil after his death, when my Aunt Doris, Jimmy's wife, told me he's been a part of the liberation of a concentration camp. She said that, unknown to all of his, h carried nightmares about what he saw in that camp for the rest of his life after the war.
Perconte's salute always gets me in this episode--you're not supposed to salute civilians (with a few exceptions), but here he does it, because at the moment he feels it's all he can offer that man.
I am almost 66. One of my grade school teachers and an HS history teacher were WW2 Vets. The history teacher was in Iwo Jima and Okinawa and was in reserve if a landing was required. 4 of my mother's 7 brothers served in Europe one part of the D-day landings. I know what a “thousand-yard stare” is. The first time I saw one was in the early 70s at a Memorial Day event and several combat vets were talking. There is a scene in one of the episodes where Easy is on trucks driving on the German autobahn with German troops in the median marching in the opposite direction. Find it and you will find the average WW2 vet's attitude about "why they fight" by listening to Webster's rant!
My Grandad's unit was one of those that discovered the Bergen-Belsen camp, this episode made me realize why he never spoke about the war or what he did, the only thing he told me as a kid full of questions was that he took part in the D-Day landings, but now I know he saw the very worst humanity had to offer and I dread to think what memories he had.
I am glad you like the opening music intro theme for Band of Brothers, because so do I. It really has a way of touching your soul. It was composed by the legendary Michael Kamen, who scored movies such as Highlander, the first X-men movie and many others. Unfortunately we cannot give him a raise since he passed away in 2003 from a heart attack at the age of 55. Obviously a great loss to us all.
Forgot to add that it's immensely interesting and gratifying to observe your Generations' honest reactions to the events of the War as told in "Band of Brothers." I understand how horrifying and fascinating it is for you to watch this stuff. But I also commend you both for giving a great film series like this your time and attention. You're so right, It IS important to know and understand History from any and every part of the world at any point in recorded Civilization. As Merlin the Magician said in the film, "Excalibur" (another FABULOUS film you guys should see), "Remember it always. For it is the doom of men that they forget." Merlin was speaking of King Arthur's great victories that led to the creation of the Round Table; a place for ALL men of good will to gather and retell stories of great deeds. Truly, place the 1981 film, "Excalibur" on your list. It's a VERY beautiful film I guarantee you'll both love and your audience will love too!
As more and more camps were liberated it became impossible to deny what had been happening. Eisenhower, to his credit, ordered as much film, photos and documents as possible be produced so that future generations could not deny it. He personally visited camps and brought the press corps he normally worked with to make sure there was documentation.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
It was really hard for us to find the right words after watching this incredible episode. Hopefully our respect and gratitude comes across. Thank you for suggesting this important series to us. 💕
Loved your reactions, you guys need to watch “the pacific” which focuses on the other front of the war against the Japanese
Thank you both, I feel like part 10 finishes the series perfectly very much looking forward to seeing it.
You're watching it and learning, that's what matters
You guys should check out Requiem for a Soldier by Katherine Jenkins bc it's the theme to this amazing series and it makes the series more impactful due the lyrics to the song.
😊👍
Thats a tough one
Liebgott's words to the prisoners are "It's just for a short time. It's for your own good." And you can see what it's costing him to tell them this. Heartbreaking.
For some the "short time" lasted until 1947 as many were relabled as "Displaced Persons" and had to stay in camps, including a second version of Bergen-Belsen, until they could be returned to their home countries. The last emigrated to the newly created Israel.
and in many cases, like Terezin, it was a lure. There was no end other than death. The difference is at Terezin you got paraded around in front of the red cross and played tennis before they shoved you in oubliettes or shot you against a wall.
The Allied forces quickly found out that giving out food ... would KILL the victims. Their bodies couldn't handle solid foods. A thin soup was best (thin, but still lavish compared to the soup they'd had when the Germans were in charge).
I'm 71. When I was a kid I remember there were still problems with sorting out civilian Germans from the military and co-conspirators. It's thought that only 1/5th of all guilty Germans ever faced any punishment. Maybe less. The civilians knew. They knew. They knew.
thats the bit that gets me every time
If you were wondering how they filmed those camp scenes, the camp was constructed and patients from cancer wards were cast as inmates.
The actors from ‘Easy’ showed up but were kept away from the ‘camp’ set.
The actors’ looks of horror and shock weren’t entirely acting.
The actors were not given advanced copies of the script to learn their lines. The Producers wanted their expressions of shock and dismay to be authentic. They certainly accomplished that.
I also read that as much as the actors had fun and games on the sets during filming, that all stopped for this episode, out of respect.
Lip was made an officer: “First Sergeant Lipton - Your honorable discharge as an enlisted man and your battlefield commission to Second Lieutenant...” was the quote from last episode where you heard "honorable discharge"
yep, when you go from enlisted to commissioned officer you got to be discharged first. a paper formality.
@@crossfire1453 Still, it's an understandable thing for civilians and people who aren't from military families to question. This is one of the few pieces of media that actually shows this scenario with that contextual dialogue, but from people I know, they thought any discharge just meant from service overall. Hell, I'm an army brat and I didn't know that 'til I was at least a mid to late teenager. 😅
@@crossfire1453 The army floats along on a vast sea of paperwork. :)
@@Knight-BishopYeah, people seem to struggle with the split between the enlisted men (and women) and officers.
Yep. In the book, they point out that his commission was actually effective the day after his discharge as an enlisted man. So he was technically a civilian during “the last patrol.”
A lot of the concentration camp victims were portrayed by cancer patients, many of whom did not live to see the release of the episode.
I was wondering how...Jesus. Bless their hearts.
If you look into the behind the scenes, the director of the episode was hesitant to use the patients as extras as he was worried they would pass out from the exhaustion of the scenes, but the camp extras were very proud to be part of the show, displaying the cruelty of the third reich, according to the director not one passed out or ruined a scene. That combined with the actors of the soldiers being purposefully left in the dark about the scenes until the day of made a genuine experience that few can recreate.
i guess thats one way of preserving memory of yourself if you get to be an actor for a historical movie or show. I wouldnt mind being remembered as an actor of a famous show even if i played Concentration camp victim. You could even argue that they did this to show people what facism can lead to so all of it will never happen again.
@@karabenomarThe cancer patients lying down inside the barracks could not get out of the bed. That’s why they they were shown laying down.
I am not a WWII veteran, but I am a 71 year old veteran of the U.S. Army. As a tribute I have watched Band of Brothers at least once a year, every year, for the last 20 years or so. Over the years, no matter how many times I've watched this episode, I literally break down crying every time I do watch it.
Yes! And thank you for your service.
That train car door opens and I'm done. Every time. Human beings treated like refuse to be disposed of. Maddening.
Donald Burgett’s book Beyond The Rhine describes their entering this camp and what he saw there. He also describes the civilians coming back from the camp to see it for the first time. Two teenage German girls are talking and laughing. Colonel Sink has them stopped and sent back and locked in the camp for the night.
His jump boots and uniform are at the Michigan Heroes museum in Frankenmuth, Michigan.
I'm 20 years younger and never served. But Liebgott having to give them the bad news and breaking down just makes the tears start every time.
This is probably one of the most hard hitting episodes of TV ever produced.
I knew someone that her husband liberated one of the camps and she always said her husband couldn't get the scent of death out off his mind. This series still holds true after it came out 20 plus years ago. Glad you guys found.
This episode is a masterpiece, no sugar-coat, a punch in the guts as it should be.
This was the episode that did it for me. The whole time when I watched I was wondering if they will brush past it knowing that easy was there. I was so happy that they did the right thing and went there. Very well done episode, guts me every time.
No, it was sugar-coated.
My late father served in a medical company that followed the 506th. He helped feed & treat several concentration camps prisoners! He said it was a mess, stacks of uncinerated bodies, experimental stations & body parts. My dad had nightmares the rest of his life.
Bless his memory.
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From one Army brat to another, please thank your father for his service. These men who fought at that time helped to turn the tide of world peace and freedom. I don't care what people's political affiliations are, we can't deny that they were the greatest generation to ever live. My father served, and my brother currently serves. I am grateful for my freedoms and for my opportunities afforded me because of the sacrifices made during that time, and the ones continued to be made currently. 🫡
This is the hardest episode, but also the most important I think.
EVERY school student should have to watch this - and maybe then they'll have second thoughtsc about calling Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists "heroes'.
@brucelamberton8819 while I was in school they took us to the Holocaust museum in Washington DC. While I was in the Army our 1SG took us there too.
Agreed, schools should teach the good and bad parts of history to ensure we never get the monsters that cause these atrocities, they currently try to protect kids from the hard lessons that really need to be taught.
My Uncle Bill Lorenz was killed in Germany, 22 days before the surrender.
Please say his name out loud.
My Grandparents never really recovered.
@@DakkaDakka12 Exactly. It shocks me how bad the education is now. It enrages me when young adults don't know. Even when I went to school, it wasn't really in the curriculum to teach this. I luckily had teachers that went out of their way to teach us the details, read Maus (comic novel based on the true story of a Jewish survivor), and show us footage. The images were horrifying, much worse than what is depicted in BoB. These people were walking skeletons.
Nixon was assigned to jump with the 17th Airborne in "Operation Varsity" (as a consultant and obvserver), which was the largest single day airborne operation of the entire war. When they mention Nixon the only person getting 3 separate jump medals, it is a true statement (as far as I know). Operation Varsity was where my Dad crossed the Rhine in a glider in combat. It took place around Wesel, Germany. Thanks to Belgian war re-enactors I've been back to Wesel three times, and twice with my Dad, to see where he landed in the glider. Thank you for helping keep this history alive. It needs to be told so that people do not forget what the Greatest Generation did for us.
A true statement for the 101st yes, some boys from the 82nd had 4 stars from operations Husky (Sicily) Avalanche (Salerno), Overlord (Normandy) and Market Garden (Holland).
There is one exception from the 101st Airborne, Jake "McNasty" McNiece. He would drop for Overlord and Market Garden before going to pathfinder school. After pathfinder school he would drop into Bastogne in order to organize resupply of trapped forces. Later on, he would drop into Germany in order to help organize the resupply of one of Patton's tank forces that had gotten seperated from allied supply lines.
When I was stationed in Germany I went to Dachau (Concentration Camp), it was blue sky with wind and birds chirping until you stepped through the gates and into the camp. There was no breeze, no birds, nothing but weird silence and stale air. It was a chilling experience.
Yeah I went too this summer. Eerie, it was beautiful weather. Must’ve been back there too but wee always see it in black and white
Yep visited there myself back in 2003. Same thing then. Only thing I can compare it to is when you go out to the USS Arizona Memorial. Utter silence.
I had the same experience when I visited the camp in 2000. It's like all life has been scared away from that part of the world.
Even the Earth understands the atrocities that went on there, and keeps everything as still as possible in reverence to the those lost in the camps
@@JasonARosewhat atrocity
I have posted this before but it fits to put it here.
As a US Navy Hospital Corpsman. My first duty station was Naval Hospital Bethesda in Maryland. I worked Ward 7 West internal medicine. One patient I cared for was a soon to be retired US Navy Captain who had presented to us with end stage throat cancer. He was having difficulty breathing and required a tracheostomy (breathing tube) be placed. Unfortunately they discovered while putting it in the cancer had progressed further than hoped. As a result he lost his voicebox entirely. He could no longer speak. As you would expect this severely depressed him. I walked in and said Good Morning Sir! Being some 40 years younger and an enlisted man, my raising demanded, and military protocl REQUIRED I address him as Sir. He angrily waved at me & wrote on a pad "Don't call me Sir" "I don't deserve it!" At that point I became a little bit Salty. I reminded him of military protocol, Navy Policy and told him my 80 y/o Grandma would come down here and kick my a$$ if I called him anything but SIR. Then I grabbed his arm and pointed at the "Tattoo" a 7 digit serial number burned into his arm by butchers and told him THAT DAMN NUMBER MEANS NO ONE CALLS YOU ANYTHING BUT SIR! EVER! You've paid the price already.
You see on admission we do a head to toe assessment and yes I noticed it then. I also noticed his wife also had one. They were the only ones of their families to survive the war. He from Auschwitz and She was from Bergen Belson. They met after the war, made their way to the US and to thank his new country served nearly 40 years in the Navy. Shortly after this incident, he was fully promoted to Rear Admiral then officially retired. I was a side boy at the ceremony.
Why we fight indeed.
Many thanks for telling the story of that man and his wife!
Thank you for this great story, and I'm very glad that you said what you said to him. My grandfather was part of one of the units to help liberate Bergen-Belsen, so I'm also very happy to hear about that woman meeting that man after the war and the fact that they were able to find happiness together.
And to think that there are people today who deny this ever happened as well as those who would like to see a repeat. It's hard to watch but it has to be done to honor the memories of those who were butchered. To forget them would be the ultimate and final indignity and to forget that the evil that caused this is still with us would be the final insult.
Exactly. How anybody can stand with those in the world who spout anti semitism…even in the US. It’s sickening.
“Get it all on record now - get the films - get the witnesses - because somewhere down the track of history some bastard will get up and say that this never happened.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower 1945
The human race never learns... and never will.
And in fact there are people who have attempted to carry out a repeat, on Oct 7.
Hitler told Himmler that it was not enough for the Jews simply to die; they must die in agony. What was the best way to prolong their agony? Himmler turned the problem over to his advisers, who concluded that a slow, agonizing death could be brought about by placing Jewish prisoners in freight cars in which the floors were coated with...quicklime...which produced excruciating burns. The advisers estimated that it would take four days for the prisoners to die, and for that whole time the freight cars could be left standing on some forgotten siding.... Finally it was decided that the freight cars should be used in addition to the extermination camps.
----Robert Payne, The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler
By genocide, the murder of hostages, reprisal raids, forced labor, "euthanasia," starvation, exposure, medical experiments, and terror bombing, and in the concentration and death camps, the Nazis murdered from 15,003,000 to 31,595,000 people, most likely 20,946,000 men, women, handicapped, aged, sick, prisoners of war, forced laborers, camp inmates, critics, homosexuals, Jews, Slavs, Serbs, Germans, Czechs, Italians, Poles, French, Ukrainians, and many others. Among them 1,000,000 were children under eighteen years of age.1 And none of these monstrous figures even include civilian and military combat or war-deaths.
hawaii edu / powerkills Nazis
Specifically 6,000,000 Jews.
When the war was clearly lost, Hitler still prioritized trains, trucks, staff, everything needed to keep the concentration camps running.
In order for Lipton to be promoted to Lieutenant (which is an officer rank) he had to be discharged as an enlisted solider and then commissioned into an officer.
So instead of a promotion, he got fired and rehired into a new position, kinda?
@@redtide1497
Well you can't be "non-commissioned" and "commissioned" at the same time.
Legally you have to be commissioned to give Lawful orders to NCO's (Sargeants) with more time in grade (years of official service) and higher rank.
Field Promotions happened a lot in WW2. It wasn't uncommon. Especially for an enlisted man to be an officer.
You wouldn't see this promotion today. You also wouldn't see Lipton today, stop being a First Sergeant to become a Lt. They function very differently. Lt.'s while are the leaders... they are not who soldiers listened to. Our 1st and 2nd Lt's... didn't offer much to any area they were attached to. But the First Sergeant or Top... would be, as he's the connection between the Captain and the Enlisted.
Omar Bradley went the same path and took it all the way up to the rank of 5-star General and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Korean War.
Just a quick note here at the scene in 11:06 the French soldier executing German prisoner is played by Tom Hanks 😮. I think hes one of the producer of the series.
"Those who burn books will in the end burn people" - Heinrich Heine (1797-1856) Great reaction ladies to a very demanding episode.
The modern left is burning books and censoring speech of people they disagree with. That's what all of this cancel culture nonsense is. They're separating people by race in the name of diversity equality and inclusion. Which is basically choosing people by their race instead of their ability which is racism. A lot of the young people today don't realize how close they are to becoming just like the Nazis. All they need to go over the edge is just a little push. Look at the antifa - blm riots that went on all summer and fall of 2020. Those ignorant punks weren't much different than the Nazi brown shirts that were rioting and attacking people in the streets of Germany in the 1930's. They started rioting in the streets of Germany but they ended with a war of annihilation and the mass murder of millions of people. And because of the propaganda fed to them by their media and education system they did it believing their cause was just and they were doing the right thing. If we're not careful we will head down a similar path. The "tolerant left" is now threatening and attacking Jewish students on college campuses. They'll say they're anti Nazis but they'll be doing almost the exact same things the nazis did only under a different name.
“Those that can make others believe absurdities can make others commit atrocities.” Voltaire
2024 American (Trumpers): “These books make children gay and should be banned from libraries.”
The burning begins when (if?) the Cheeto Chief gets re-elected.
What books were they burning again?
@@BlindingGlow The Nazis? Well, pretty much anything written by Jewish authors….. a few authors whose names sounded Jewish. Some copies of Einstein’s work. I’d imagine every copy of the Communist Manifesto they could lay their hands on.
Now, I’m not sure what the policy was on Torahs. I mean, it’s the Jewish Bible but it’s still the Bible. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen footage of Torah scrolls being burnt, I’d assume during Kristallnacht.
Now, it’s documented that the Nazis burned numerous works of modern art paintings from the Louvre. A painting’s not a book but works by Klimt and other modern artists were burned. The works they liked, they stole.
Now, books and scientific papers can be recovered and other paintings can be done but it seems rather arbitrary to fault the Nazis for burning books, which they were quite happy to rather thoroughly document and held those images up as examples of desired behavior for the rest of the nation.
You’d agree that the Nazis did or planned to burn everything they’d ever held to oncoming armies.
You’re familiar with Hitler’s ‘Nero Directive,’ issued late in the war instructing all Wehrmacht and Civil authorities to do all they could to ensure the Allies advanced over a terrain in which no two bricks were cemented together. In other words, “Don’t stop with books….. burn EVERYTHING!”
So, I guess, ultimately, the answer to your question is, “All of them.”
As time has passed even since the 1990s, based on more studies and accounts given by more elderly Germans before they died, it is more accepted that many of the Germans living by the camps knew what went on there. They may not have known the specific procedures, but knew that lots of people were sent there to be murdered and cremated.
That camp itself didn’t have have crematoria. It was a sub camp of Dachau, which was a concentration camp (actually the first one, established shortly after the Nazis came to power in 1933). The camps that had gas chambers and crematoria were the extermination camps like Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka, Sobibor, etc.
Not murdered
You both have done a wonderful job reacting with your hearts and respect. That is a tough episode. Thank you for sharing your reaction.
Donald Burgett’s book Beyond The Rhine describes their entering this camp and what he saw there. He also describes the civilians coming back from the camp to see it for the first time. Two teenage German girls are talking and laughing. Colonel Sink has them stopped and sent back and locked in the camp for the night.
His jump boots and uniform are at the Michigan Heroes museum in Frankenmuth, Michigan.
They song they were singing is "Blood Upon the Risers" it's still sung by paratroopers today, you can find a lot of versions of it on RUclips.
My maternal grandmother was Austrian--her Jewish family were all extremely patriotic. They were educated, cultured, and contributed more than their share. She spoke 5 languages, but her home language was German. Her uncle was a highly decorated officer in WWI. None of any of that mattered when they were all murdered in 1942 and thrown into a mass grave. (She was already living in New York by then). Basically 1/4 of my relatives disappeared.
❤❤❤❤❤✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡ Long live the jewish people
And i'm very sorry for you lost
It breaks my heart 💔
My they rest in peace, and their deaths never be forgotten. Shalom.
Doubt they were murdered
You say that a lot of Germans didn't know, but I have to say, labor camps like this one (and to be clear, this was 'just' a labor camp, it wasn't an extermination camp) dotted Germany. As Webb said "You never smelled the stench?". Germans knew. They might have averted their eyes, but they knew. And to the German nations credit, since then they've made sure that they'll never forget it.
Viele haben auch geschwiegen, aus Angst, selber dort zu landen. GottseiDank wurden die NAZIS, die SS besiegt
To be fair to the people if you spoke up against these type of camps you could've ended up in one of them yourself.
Like the americans in Abu Graib knew but did nothing, i am in no way whatsoever accepting it, but it is unfortunately human nature...and has been seen to different degrees in every war fought for the last 5000 years......just as the destruction and plunder is "natural".... humans are a horrible species....
@@joemckim1183 No you would not.... germans were not put in camps with the jews... they were sent to penal battallions on the eastern front.....
@@joemckim1183
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
- Martin Niemöller
When Gen. Eisenhower saw one of those camps, he ordered every camera crew, reporter, and war correspondent to visit and record everything because, he said, " In 50 years, some SOB will say this never happened".
"The Short Life of Sophie Scholl" a movie about her & the White Rose group of Germans that opposed the Nazis. In German but a worthy watch
Most definitely.
Anything about Dietrich Bonhoeffer too. Lutheran Pastor.
My uncle died fighting in WW2 in Europe, my father was wounded in Korea, my great uncle died fighting in WWI, and my cousin was wounded in Vietnam. One of my best friends was a Brit who moved to the US after the war. Mike served in a British tank company during WW2 and saw action from Africa, through Normandy, and liberated the the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Mike never talked about his service with the exception of sharing the liberation of Bergen-Belsen - he said he talked about it as it was important that people know the truth and that it should never be forgotten. I miss Mike, my father, and all those men. The sad truth is that governments murdered more than a 100 million of their own citizens in the twentieth century. And it has not stopped, it continues to this day in Africa, the middle east, and China. It gives me some hope that there are young people such as yourselves who care enough to watch, share, and honor the history of these men. God Bless.
Demons walk among us in Africa, Mexico (cartels), Russia, China, and Palestine/Israel and in the forgotten corners of the world.
The composer is Michael Kamen, who also did Highlander, Die Hard, and Robin Hood: PoT, Sadly he died in 2003, 2 years after BoB at the age of 55
Also James Bond Licence To Kill (1989)
And he also did the string arrangement for Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb.
The music was done by composer Michael Kamen, who sadly passed away in 2003.
The song when sung is called Requiem for a Soldier by Katherine Jenkins
I recommend anyone who loves Band of Brothers to check it out bc it makes this series more impactful just by the lyrics
Imagine seeing all of the horrors of War that these people have witnessed...Then being speechless seeing this. "Why We Fight" is a nod to the epic Frank Capra WW2 series that was being shown during the War back home. I really believe Spielberg intentionally has the Nazi woman in the vivid red coat as a direct reference and connection to the little Jewish girl in Schindler's List. I don't think there are coincidences in his films...The actors weren't even allowed to see the set until the day of shooting, they wanted to get a genuine reaction from them. While the prisoners were some actual cancer patients who wanted to be a part of this. What shocks me is how surprised most people are reacting to this, having no idea what they were about to see...I think we get so immersed in the characters and immediacy we lose track of the big picture and tragedy. Never forget.
The cancer patients really performed above and beyond reacting the way the real survivors of the SHOAH would have.
Tom Hanks Alert 11:00 🚨
I'm sure it's been suggested but please watch the doc. "We Stand Together Alone" when you're finished with the serials. It is comprised of the interviews with the men and a little more history of the Co.
Often, soldiers sent to war end up questioning all the reasons for why they and their brothers-in-arms fight, bleed, and die far from home, as Web expressed when Easy Company's convoy was going past the marching column of surrendered Nazi troops. Seeing the camps in person would have brought a whole new perspective, as if experiences like Market Garden and Bastogne weren't horrific enough already. I imagine it would not lessen the pain or trauma of having experienced the war up to that point, but it would alter your perception of the purpose of that trauma forever. That savagery is what those men were fighting to stop, even if they didn't know it for a long while.
My great-grandparents lived through brutal hardships or poverty and hunger after WW I and voted for the guy who promised them easy solutions. They believed him when he put the blame on minorities and the opposing political parties. Before long, a veritable cult of personality developed around their leader and his word became law, when he dismantled the separation of power in the government. That's how all this became possible. People should learn from that history and check if maybe their own country shows similar signs, BEFORE it is too late.
I have watched Band of Brothers more than 20 times and this breaks me every single time
As a combat vet and talking to other vets someone will say ( we know what others don't ) now you know.
It's almost over . Hang in there and God bless you both.
Regarding Lipton’s “discharge”… remember, at the end of Episode 7, Speirs said he was going to promoted to 2nd Lieutenant via a battlefield commission. The proper procedure for that to happen is first the enlisted soldier in question (Lipton in this case) must be formally discharged as an enlisted man. Then, and only then, can he be formally sworn in as a commissioned officer. That’s why Lipton was “discharged”. It was merely to clear the way for him to be sworn in as a Lieutenant.
Without getting too off topic this episode is very relevant in the current moment.
Incredible reaction from you too, felt it hard.
"How were the Germans convinced to do this?"
Me: vaguely waves at CPAC and MAGA
@@17thknight I was thinking more of Gaza but yeah, that too. Hand in hand off the deep end they go.
@@Phantomgreen29. You’re insane.
@@MetalDetroit Hate to break it to you but no, I'm not. Not going to get into a giant discussion here on the intricacies because these girls don't deserve it on their react channel but I'll say this and then I'm done:
MAGA: Right wing, Authoritarian, Ethno Nationalist, Theocratic: Bad
Zionist Israel: Right wing, Authoritarian, Ethno Nationalist, Theocratic: Good, somehow?
Something isn't adding up here, or maybe it is. All those political donations and endless guilt tripping. Get rid of MAGA and get rid of Zionism and this world looks drastically different and infinitely better. Not perfect but a damn good start.
Both nations are being polluted by madmen. Both factions are an evil separate from the nation they're a part of.
Have a great evening. No more responses from me on this subject.
Great comment and it's why shows like BoB are so critical and should be watched. The standard playbook for those that crave power is to demonise some other group and lay the blame for all life's troubles on them. Nothing galvanises a group quicker than a perceived injustice and an enemy to blame it on.
You can see this same pattern played out throughout history, from well before WW2 through to the modern day. Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Afghanistan and most horrifyingly, in a lot of Western politics throughout the world where politicians are more about acquiring power to impose their will rather than those that are looking to improve the lives of the citizens they are meant to represent.
When considering the leaders you choose to follow in life, look for those that seek to build consensus and make improvements, not those that simply seek to blame others and cloak themselves in personal glory.
Ahem, enough proselytizing from me. Excellent reaction from Haylo and Kiss, thanks for enduring this and giving it the attention and respect it deserves.
I'm sure you've heard about the female SS guards that were assigned to the Nazi concentration camps? Perhaps the most infamous of them in my opinion was Irma Grese, 'The Hyena of Auschwitz'. She earned that nickname due to the high pitched laughter she exerted, whenever she set her pet guard dog loose upon the prisoners to satiate her warped sense of amusement. Irma wasn't considered academically gifted (but her savagery made up for her lack of intellect), plus she joined the Nazi Party mainly to spite her father.
She was captured along with the rest of her SchutzStaffel comrades at the Bergen Belsen concentration camp by British troops. She was subsequently sentenced to death by hanging along with her compatriots. Apparently her last words to her executioner were... "Get on with it."
I hope the last thing she heard was him saying "Gladly"
The executioner was Albert Pierrepoint; he was far too professional to say that. But he may have thought it.
I’ve seen a documentary that centers on a small photo album made by camp guards. The show placed them in conjunction with a photo or two of the sidings.
They were able to determine that a collection of smiling, lederhosened and drindled men and women having a lazy picnic on a beautiful, sunny day in as taken, from memory, within two days of the siding photos.
Obviously driving home the dual realities of the guards, inmates and victims.
I think all the guards were identified and there were some real beauts in that bunch, so far as mindless cruelty went.
And to put things in perspective for you two, when Irma was executed she was 22. Dick Winters, at this point, was 26.
@brown9402 Irma wasn't academically gifted either, plus her father despised her for affiliating herself with the Nazi Party.
The hardest episode for sure. Thanks for embarking on this adventure! The finale wraps everything up very nicely (and you have to watch the documentary at the end as well!) :)
I can so relate to you two. I also get so emotional about this series, and the quality of it still stands to this day ♥
highly recommend the movie "Conspiracy", also an HBO movie from around 2001. It's a dramatization of the Nazi planning conference at Wansee in 1942. "a horror movie masquerading as a business meeting."
The first half dwells on Nixon feeling sorry for himself - then they find the camp and everything is put into perspective.
Lipton was "discharged" as an enlisted man and then "recharged" as a lieutenant. It's just a formality as part of the process of getting promoted into an officer from an NCO's (non-comissioned officer) position.
I think the word is "commissioned", not "recharged".
At 15:22 the guy is saying (in Serbian) 'He is still alive - please help him'
Wasn't that in Polish?
@@-Knife- I thought Serbian, but there is a lot of similarity so you may be correct. My mother was Czech & she could understand Serbian, Polish, Croatian, etc. The various languages are sometimes more like dialects.
@@-Knife- LM Reactions watched this series. They're two Serbian girls. When they saw that part they both broke down and said "he's speaking our language"
@@davebcf1231 Was just going to mention LM; I'd had no idea before seeing their reaction..
@@Knight-Bishop Yeah, I didn't know until their reaction either. I'm not at all familiar with any Eastern European languages so I assumed it was Polish too.
A really dark chapter on our german history!
My grandfather served in the german "Wehrmacht". Till his dead, there was no chance to talk to him about the concentration camps. He told us, that he didn´t know about these camps. Like every german.
In my childhood, i believed him. But nowerdays, i think almost every german soldier knew what happened to all those people.
And the evil is on the rise again :(
18:38 As sad as it is to say but that is misconception. Tons of Germans knew what was going on, especially those sun east Germany. Now they most likely didn’t know about the true scale of everything and all what was going on at the camps. But they absolutely knew about the camps and what was definitely going on in them.
Congrats, you are the first reactor I've seen to figure out that lady is the one that warned them. She was married to a high ranking officer who lived near that camp, like the commandant would.
Not necessarily. The camps were run by the SS. The officer in the photograph, who had been killed (black ribbon on the frame) was wearing a Wehrmacht (regular German army) uniform. As to whether the towns people knew, most of them probably knew there was some kind of camp out there, but also knew to stay away from it for their own safety. It's dangerous to know too much in totalitarian regimes. Others who delivered supplies, dated camp guards, etc, probably knew more.
The black ribbon on his picture frame means he had died, most likely in combat, which would have been elsewhere.
Exactly. My take on that interaction is that when they first meet, she looks on Nixon with an air of superiority, pride, and judgement while Nixon is at a low point of ransacking her home for alcohol. When they next meet, Nixon is now literally standing above her, looking down on her in judgment. She can't meet his stare for long and is the first to look away in shame. I think it is a pretty powerful moment.
@@fredkruse9444If I had to guess, probably on the Eastern Front just due to the sheer number of soldiers Germany had there.
At 19:31 when he’s telling the prisoners that they must remain in the camp, part of it was, “this is for only a short time”, you can see that they don’t believe that part one bit. 😢
You all are as precious as precious gets. Your respect is wonderful. So many young people don’t realize how horrific this experience was - more than 60 million - say that again - more than 60 million people died in WW2. Mostly civilians. Thank you for these reactions.
What we see in the episode is in fact just one small labor-concetration camp. The numbers tattooed on the hands mean they were in the Auschwitz system. People often don't know that Auschwitz had dozens of sub-camps in which the prisoners were "exterminated through labor", simply dying from the horrible conditions. The camps were spread throughout modern day Poland and Eastern Germany. The reason Easy company found the prisoners in a camp in Western Germany is that as the war was nearing its end, more and more prisoners were deported Westward, most of them being forced to walk 100s of miles without food and appropriate clothing in the freezing Winter of 1944/45. Many died along the way. These people experienced something much worse than hell. My grandfather served in the Red Army, they also liberated smaller camps. He never spoke about it, probably also because he was Jewish. He was just unable to open up about this, though he mentioned other events from the war. Babe Heffron said: “If anyone ever tells you the Holocaust didn't happen, or that it wasn't as bad as they say, no, it was worse than they say. What we saw, what these Germans did, it was worse than you can possibly imagine.”
Btw, with regard to the surrender of the Germans: Webster's "trash talk" (that turned into a very poignant expression of feelings) was based on the fact the US and British armies were highly mechanized, while the Germans mostly walked and used horses. Many German soldiers said that when they saw the amount of cars, trucks and vans the Allies had, without limitations on using fuel, they realized the war was lost. My grandfather was a transportation officer, and since the Soviets used American trucks supplied through Lend-Lease, he got to know a lot about Ford and Studebaker. He thought those were great vehicles.
I question about the car thing because that implies that Germany the most mechanised people at the time the inventors of the CAR did not have cars.
In ww1 all sides expected horses to happen.
In ww2 people had learned yet horses was important to everyone at that time still.
Also on the lend lease thing.
Nazi Germany got things with the lend lease.
Usa spent on both sides of the war at the start.
@@richardstephens5570 You do not understand much of the history about that at the time.
Remember Henry Ford got a medal from the big guy himself.
But also try to explain why Germany paid money to usa for lend-lease if they never was a part of it.
But I am sure you are German and can site the propper place where that information is right?
Depends on what you mean with mechanized they used a crap load of other things if you only talk about tanks sure
Here in Germany there's an Art project "Stolpersteine" (which translates to stumbling blocks / rocks).
Little metal plates on the ground in front of buildings on the sidewalks where people lived that have been deported and killed.
On the plates are the dates (birthday - where to they have been deported and killed - and if known the death date) of the persons.
One plate per person.
Even in my small hometown is a Stoplerstein.
He has been killed in a sanatorium.
My guess is that he was "mentally limited" (sorry for my bad englich in this case).
[Edit]
A link to a Wikipedia entry:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stolperstein
The execution of the German prisoners were by soldiers wearing French helmets. The French had a particular hatred of the Germans.
The photograph of the German officer had a black ribbon on the upper left of the frame, meaning he was dead.
If you look closely,the French soldier who fired the shot was Tom Hanks.
@@jeffbeaver4419 I went to that scene and paused it. Damn, if it ain't so. It was Tom Hanks.
Don't worry, enough of us still hate the french for their hatred lol
There is a documentary I watched called "Night will Fall," it has official footage taken by British cameramen with those that discovered these camps for the first time. It is incredibly harrowing but was so important for me to watch as a young man. This episode is incredibly powerful and I think did an excellent job in portraying the despair felt by all in those moments. The documentary I mentioned is highly recommended to watch, it won't be pleasant but it's something I deem as a necessary truth.
I come from Germany and my grandmother was born in 1932. Before she died, I asked her about the Holocaust. Everyone knew roughly what was happening. But not to that extent.
my grand grand parents knew they were taken away, for prison or even work camps. no one of the day to day citizens knew that work campos were in fact killing camps. people that lived around there knew
Yeah I highly question that they knew about the killing.
After the war sure while it was happening very unlikely for many reasons.
@@havtor007They definitely did know the camps (at least some of them) existed. There was even a saying about staying dumb (not questioning things) so they didn’t get sent to Dachau.
@@terminallumbago6465 The thing you need to realize is this they knew about them as Work Camps Aka Prisons.
They did NOT know about the killing that was happening the massive amount of torture all those important parts they did not know about.
@@havtor007 Right. Especially since the extermination camps were further east in Poland.
During my R&R from deployment to Bosnia, a few of us went to see Europe and visited a few WW2 sites, we also saw a few of the camps. The one thing I'll always remember is the guide telling us to listen, and all we heard was silence. He said that even after nearly 70 years no birds, squirrels, or any mammalian life comes into the camp. The smell the death is ever present. That really stuck with me, that even though the war is long over, and nature has take over the surrounding locations, animals still will not enter. And even though we weren't told this at the other camps we visited, they all had the same silence.
When they started finding the camps, Gen Eisenhower ordered documentation/pictures/film be made of this, because he knew decades later some people would be denying this even happened. You were exactly right when you said 'This is why we fight' - it's important to stand up to evil like this. Thanks for your very honest reaction to this episode, the most difficult of the series.
No, it’s because they needed weapons for information warfare
At 2:10 You say “Be prepared to cry.” I’m thinking, “with this episode, you don’t know how right you are!”
It's doubtful that the townspeople didn't know about the camp. It was within walking distance of the town. And it' highly unlikely the townspeople didn't know what was going on there.
of course they knew. the ppl around those camps, train stations they all knew. still they all were told all the time germany is winning and the ss stationed in those towns were killing anyone who stood up
The people of that town definitely knew what was going on in those camps and even knew of their existence along with their purpose too. The town was only denying just to protect themselves from allied troops wrath rather than acknowledge what they knew. There are still some that deny that these atrocities occurred and say that it all Allied lies
@@ryanlow6901also the wrath of the stationed ss
@@ryanlow6901 "Most Germans still deny that these atrocities occurred and say that it all Allied lies" wtf is this blatant lie? germans are beeing teached this atrocious crimes against humanity from a young age. all german schools visit concentration camps and nothing is denied. are you out of your mind??? you will get prison time in germany denying these crimes or even for the nazi salute. stop lying
@@Ant1ev0 True 👍
Some things to note:
4:03 Spiers is looting silverware (made from real silver) from German houses as they move through Germany. Technically a war crime today, but soldiers from all sides were looting during the war.
11:01 Those were French soldiers executing German soldiers. Americans generally showed mercy to German soldiers, but the countries that had been occupied by the Nazis (France. Poland, Netherlands) were out for revenge.
12:25 This is a Nazi officer's house. It is heavily implied that the wife that you see here is the one that warned the Nazi soldiers at the concentration camp about the Americans.
15:20 The man is begging them to help his father, he claims that he is still breathing/alive (it's Serbian language)
A lot can be said about this episode, but let me just say this. Don’t let anyone fool you, the Germans knew what was happening. Jews and others were rounded up and put on trains to go to camps for over a decade by then and none ever returned. The only difference between prior to 1942 and after is that they were originally sent to the camps to be slave labor (and some experimented on), then in 1942 the death camps were opened in Poland in the east, including Auschwitz II, aka Birkenau.
I just found your channel and I love it. I'm 55 years old and it makes me feel so proud to see young people who still has and shows respect. Tyvm I'm looking forward to more of your takes. Are you guys going to do The Pacific? It's like part 2 of band of brothers. It's the war with Japan after pearl harbor
Anyone who thinks this cant happen again isnt paying attention.
It literally happened in communist Russia after the war lol
@HaloDude557 "lol" 🤨
@@winstonmarlowe5254 yea I'm lolling at people who think Nazis are the pinnacle of genocide (they never were) and just conveniently forgot about every other evil government in history.
The extras who acted has the prisoners where actual Cancer Patients getting or awaiting treatment. When making the concentration camp scene, behind the scenes people asked many of the actors if they want to see a memorial in order to get ready for it, all of them said no because they wanted to see the concentration camp with virgin eyes like the real E Company did over 80 years ago. The shock and awe from the actors are raw and real. I cry every time when I reach to Episode 9 because has someone who has a degree in history, we can never forget the atrocistes of the Holocaust.
Many people of today especially the young who are forgetting that the Jewish people have lost so much because of one man and many of his followers did to them. That is why Mossad was created in Israel "Central Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations," because when Nazi Germany was losing many high level Nazis escaped to other countries especially to Buenos Aires, Argentina. When Mossad agents get information on a Nazi escapee they go and get them, send them back to Israel, put them on trial, and finally hanged. Mossad even today are still looking for any Nazis from WWII, even though many are old men and women, Mossad still will hang them for murdering their people.
Babe Heffron said that the depiction in BoB wasn't accurate - in reality it was 1000 times worse.
@@alanholck9845 Thank You for the information
When we talk about what the ordinary Germans did or didn't know about the Holocaust, one thing we rarely hear mentioned is tha fact that the Nazis had been making anti-Semitism a cornerstone of their whole political program for well over ten years, back to at least the early 1930s. So even if they didn't all specifically know about the mass death camps, they'd have had to be living under a rock for that long not to know that their government, which remember was voted into office at one point, was built on really intense hatred for Jews. So it can't have come as much of a surprise even to most ordinary Germans.
36% voted them, 64% did not. After they became one of the strongest parties in the parlament, they systematicaly took out the other parties. The Situation in the Weimar Republic was not comparable with anything we know today - it was a political civil war. To just say "the germans voted them" is a complete simplification. Also anti-semitism was everywhere in western society, all over europe and north america - jews were a hated minority since the dark ages.
@@SovermanandVioboy These are valid clarifications. But I think it's still true that there's culpability of a kind still there, even for Germans who didn't know about the camps. Not an equal or total culpability, but a connection that couldn't he dismissed by simply saying, "We didn't know." And the same can be said of the rest of the Western world really, since as you point out, anti-Semitism was everywhere.
Your reactions and empathy are endearing! I had a number of uncles in the European Theater, but my grandfather was in the 5th Marine division and ended up in the South Pacific theater alone. He went to join the Army with his brothers so they could all stay togeter. Unfortunately the Marine recruter walked out if his office and said, "I need 3 Marines, you you and you, come with me!" And my grandfather was a Marine! After you've finished this series take some time to heal, then I recommend you watch The Pacific. While i don't think it is as good overall (from a critical stand point) as BoB it's still an amazing look at what was happening on the other side of the world. Fighting in the Pacific Theater was very different from the European Theater. Don't get me wrong it's all Hell, but the fighting style and landscape of the Japanese front was wildly different and firced them to use very different tactics and weapons. Truly worth the watch. Can't wait to see your reaction to eppisode 10, it really is the perfect ending to the series.
Ten years ago, I had no idea about how that could happen. Today, not so much
When they're asking the prisoner about the camp, the look on Lt Spears' face is just incredible. He's a man of action, and he has no idea what to do to in this situation. Earlier in the series, he said he just assumes he's dead already, which allows him to function in the face of danger. Well he never counted on experiencing THIS. Just an amazing performance.
This is the most important episode in tv history!!
(In the opening monolog from the easy company guy, when the soldier was saying the germans and he might have been good friends) i served in the us army from 2004-2012. My best friend was a german immigrate who joind the us army around the same time. We were roommates, partied together, deployed together, litterally my best friend. Long story short. His grandfather was on omaha beach on d-day, and so was my great uncle. Obviously on opposite sides. But 65 years later their relatives were best friends. Its crazy
Friendships and alliances are rarely as rock-solid as we might wish - but in the fullness of time, thankfully, that goes for enmities as well. 😉
And people wonder why Israel is so hard core about defense.
That doesn't mean they are going to kill innocent children and people of Gaza. What happened to them then was absolutely devastating. But what they are doing now they are no different from the Nazis
I really love the interaction scene with Perconte and O'Keefe. As a Vet myself I think it does a great job showing both sides of the argument without saying either man is right or wrong. O'Keefe wants to do his duty, he wants to do what he trained and suffered for, and most of all wants to feel like and know he contributed to the war and Allied victory. I saw a bit of action but nothing like what the guys before me did in the earlier years of the war so I understand his feelings. Surrounded by all these guys that endured and fought through the worst of it; Normandy, Holland, The Ardennes. It's very easy to feel like you didn't do anything at all if you weren't in the big stuff.
But I also get where Perconte comes from. He *has* seen the worst of it. Seen his friends and comrades shot and mangled by explosions, endured hardships of awful weather and minimal food. Hell he's been shot too. To him someone openly wanting to experience that probably seems naive and stupid at best and outright offensive at worst. It's a short scene but I absolutely love it.
I went to one of those camps. It is oddly soundless, no birds, bugs, nothing. Not even the wind makes a sound in the trees. It is perfect stillness, very eerie, the coworker with me noticed it before I did.
Anger the right reaction. And most of the German populace (and soldiers) knew what was going on to a rather significant degree. They may never have witnessed the camps themselves, or personally witnessed any atrocities, but they'd been going along with the program for 12 years by the time this episode takes place, and everybody knew of someone who was sent away "to work" and never returned. They were ignorant of what was happening in the same way that most people today would claim to be ignorant of how beef or chicken are "made". We might not have ever spent time in a slaughterhouse, or butchering meat, or clearing out dead fowl from a factory farm, but we still know where the finished product comes from. It's easy to turn a blind eye to things that make us uncomfortable and pretend that it simply isn't happening. Doesn't hurt that it's easier to claim that you weren't involved or complicit in these crimes if you can claim that you had no idea it was happening.
as a German I have to say, there where almost nobody that "didn't knew" what Hitler and his Regime did with Jews. They knew! Sadly till this day there are people who, say this didn't happen.
You said it best when you said”I love these guys”. They gave up prime years of their lives to make the world a better place to live in. For you. For me. I am overwhelmed by your feelings of empathy and compassion.
I have watched dozens of reactions to this series and specifically this episode. This series, along with the Pacific and Saving Private Ryan, formulate some of my favourite media ever produced (I highly recommend the two of you watch/react to the latter if you haven't already). Hands down the most genuine, authentic and unfabricated reaction I have witnessed.
The cast of soldiers were as shocked as you.
They had not seen the set or cast in the camp until filming.
This episode si of the utmost importance to remind me of what humans are capable. This needs to be remembered and used to help us to keep from ever allowing this to happen agian.
Think about this for a moment, what they showed on this mini-series, is what was ALLOWED to be ehown on telivision in the year 2000, I think that it was probably MUCH MUCH worse than was allowed to be shown on T.V. I do know that when General Dwight Eisenhower was notified of the camps, he went to see for himself, and ordered that all reporters, media and investigators be rushed to every site, he gave instructions that as many pictures as possible to be taken, accounts from the survivors be written down, and film footage, was to be recorded, he was quoted as saying, "Get EVERYONE in here, tkae pictures, record film, document it all completely, because if we don't, someday in the future, there will be some bastard that will say that this never happened." sad to say, we are seeing the first of those people today.
I love the fact a new generation is watching this series for the first time thanks to Netflix. It’s important to remember these things actually happened so we never forget. Thank you for watching and reviewing this amazing series
The camp was Kaufering IV, a sub camp of Dachau. It was liberated the day before Easy arrived, so a bit of artistic licence. Either way, probably the most important episode of the entire series. I visited Belsen camp when I was a soldier in Germany, a strange place.
Hi, i am german and the only kinda way i am proud of my country is, that we're very aware of our past. We learn about these terrible things in school and how to prevent something like this to ever happen again. There's a great video about this topic by the YT Channel "Feli from Germany" with the titel "Do Germans Talk About World War II? What Do They Teach About the Holocaust? | Feli from Germany".
“Get it all on record now - get the films - get the witnesses -because somewhere down the road of history some bastard will get up and say that this never happened.” - Dwight D. Eisenhower
As a 67 year old former firefighter paramedic who has seen a lot of death and destruction over the last 45 years, I can't watch this episode without crying and I've seen it many times. It was so powerfully made.
My brother just retired from the army as a 1st Sargent. He did 5 tours 4 of which he saw combat. I'm proud as hell of him and so glad he came home all 5 deployments. 1st SGT Moon, thanks for your service.
this is tough to watch but what a reward waits for you in the last episode
I hope you react to the unofficial 11 episode "We stand alone". Documentary of Easy Company.
When y'all said you have the tissues and said you will cry in this episode, I thought, poor girls have no idea yet. Such a powerful and moving episode.
My Uncle Jimmy was one of those "Hail fellow, well met" types who never had an unkind word for eveyone. We kids were always welcome to come to his house and have dinner, or lunch, or just ice cream. He was always willing to play board games, and was constantly telling jokes. He carried around pepperments (the ones with the red and white swirl) to hand out to the kids, and he never showed any hate for anyone.
Unless it was German. He hated Germans.
I never knew why unil after his death, when my Aunt Doris, Jimmy's wife, told me he's been a part of the liberation of a concentration camp. She said that, unknown to all of his, h carried nightmares about what he saw in that camp for the rest of his life after the war.
Perconte's salute always gets me in this episode--you're not supposed to salute civilians (with a few exceptions), but here he does it, because at the moment he feels it's all he can offer that man.
I am almost 66. One of my grade school teachers and an HS history teacher were WW2 Vets. The history teacher was in Iwo Jima and Okinawa and was in reserve if a landing was required. 4 of my mother's 7 brothers served in Europe one part of the D-day landings. I know what a “thousand-yard stare” is. The first time I saw one was in the early 70s at a Memorial Day event and several combat vets were talking. There is a scene in one of the episodes where Easy is on trucks driving on the German autobahn with German troops in the median marching in the opposite direction. Find it and you will find the average WW2 vet's attitude about "why they fight" by listening to Webster's rant!
My Grandad's unit was one of those that discovered the Bergen-Belsen camp, this episode made me realize why he never spoke about the war or what he did, the only thing he told me as a kid full of questions was that he took part in the D-Day landings, but now I know he saw the very worst humanity had to offer and I dread to think what memories he had.
The thing no war movie can ever portray is the smell of war…..
I am glad you like the opening music intro theme for Band of Brothers, because so do I. It really has a way of touching your soul. It was composed by the legendary Michael Kamen, who scored movies such as Highlander, the first X-men movie and many others. Unfortunately we cannot give him a raise since he passed away in 2003 from a heart attack at the age of 55. Obviously a great loss to us all.
I love your empathy! We all need to know history!
This is why we fight! They are called greatest generation for a reason. Let’s not forget them.
I just love these men!!!!
Oooh, chillllls.
I'm in the older generation and to hear a youngen say that brought tears to my eyes!!
Forgot to add that it's immensely interesting and gratifying to observe your Generations' honest reactions to the events of the War as told in "Band of Brothers." I understand how horrifying and fascinating it is for you to watch this stuff. But I also commend you both for giving a great film series like this your time and attention. You're so right, It IS important to know and understand History from any and every part of the world at any point in recorded Civilization.
As Merlin the Magician said in the film, "Excalibur" (another FABULOUS film you guys should see), "Remember it always. For it is the doom of men that they forget." Merlin was speaking of King Arthur's great victories that led to the creation of the Round Table; a place for ALL men of good will to gather and retell stories of great deeds. Truly, place the 1981 film, "Excalibur" on your list. It's a VERY beautiful film I guarantee you'll both love and your audience will love too!
Whelp, they are in for an emotional ride....
You can see Nixons face expression when he sees the camp how he realizes his problems are nothing against theirs😢
As more and more camps were liberated it became impossible to deny what had been happening. Eisenhower, to his credit, ordered as much film, photos and documents as possible be produced so that future generations could not deny it. He personally visited camps and brought the press corps he normally worked with to make sure there was documentation.