BAND OF BROTHERS REACTION | PART 5 (Crossroads)
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 25 дек 2021
- First time watching BAND OF BROTHERS in a SHOW reaction.
SEE FULL REACTION HERE:
/ diegesischad
Arianna's Instagram:
/ _aerii44
Band of Brothers is an acclaimed 10-part television miniseries (first aired in 2001) about World War II, co-produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. Much of the action of the mini-series centers on the exploits of Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, U.S. 101st Airborne Division and one of its early platoon leaders, Richard Winters. It is based on the book of the same name written by historian and biographer Stephen Ambrose.
#BANDOFBROTHERS #React #Reaction 
Развлечения
In the actual firefight at the crossroads, Winters didn't get ahead because of the smoke grenade, they started at the same time, Winters was just so physically fit he sprinted ahead of all of them, in his letters back home, he wrote how that was the fastest he thinks he ever ran.
Best line of the episode: “We’re paratroopers, Lieutenant…we’re supposed to be surrounded.”
If there was ever any doubt that Winters was a Giga-Chad, that line destroyed the last remains of it.
I love this episode. My grandfather was in the British 1st Airborne Division and had to swim the Lower Rhine at night after their defence perimeter at Oosterbeek was finally crushed by two SS Panzer Divisions. It was supposed to be an organised withdrawal but not enough boats were sent to carry everyone. My grandfather linked up with Polish paratroopers on the south bank of the Rhine and was evacuated safely. Unfortunately I never met him, he died in a car crash before I was born but I am very proud of him.
My own Grandfather was in the same division.
I didn’t get to meet him as he died before I born as well. But I have all his kit.
Makes me so proud.
Polish soldiers were there? Do you have any link or references I can look up? You made me very curious :D
@@rafapopawski2559 the Polish Airborne was supposed to be dropped at Arnhem but their drop was cancelled because the British were overrun
Be proud. Bless him! From France
@@rafapopawski2559 I'm sorry, I don't have any Polish specific references, but in very broad strokes the Polish Independent Parachute Brigade under Major General Stanislaw Sosabowski (who was played by the actor Gene Hackman in the movie "A Bridge too Far,") was droppped south of the Rhine as part of Operation Market Garden. Their original objective was to secure the southern end of Arnhem Bridge, but there were not enough aircraft available for them to be transported at the same time as the British landings. They were split up and most were not dropped until September 21st, by which time it was already clear that original plan was not going to work. They fought like lions and suffered heavy casualties. Three times they attempted to cross the Rhine in rubber dinghies to come to the support of the 1st Airborne, into the teeth of German resistance. Over 200 Polish soldiers actually made it to the north bank and fought alongside 1st Airborne for the remainder of the battle. Wikipedia has a little more detail.
During production of episode 6, Tom Hanks, who directed this episode, discovered Jimmy Fallon couldn't drive a manual transmission and kept stalling the Jeep. Tom gathered a group of extras to push the Jeep in neutral into frame then added Jeep noises in post.
Tom Hanks also makes a "blink and you'll miss it" cameo as one of the British paratroopers that was rescued.
When talking of artillery, it happened a lot of calling it in on top of their position.
When Audie Murphy was in the engagement that got him the Medal of Honor, he called in an artillery strike as the Germans were closing on his position. At one point the officer at the other end asked, "How close is the enemy?"
Audie's response, "Stay on the line and I will let you talk to them!"
It wasn’t really that common to call in artillery on your position as movies present it, that’s why Audie got the Medal of Honor because it is sone of those extremely rare situations of self sacrifice. What they did was like the guy said “danger close” which is about as close to your lines as you can safely fire so the enemy can’t move up and overwhelm you. Kind of creating a wall of explosions that nobody can cross to keep ahold of your defensive line. Plus with Audie he was the last man in his position, if you have more people it is always better to keep fighting as long as possible and hope to make the attackers pull back, since if you kill your defenders the next enemy wave which is waiting to move up will then be holding the defensive line and your guys need to take it back from them. It’s like doing the enemy’s job for them by calling in artillery on your position unless they have already completely overrun you and have the defensive position.
But seriously kudos to you for knowing about Audie Murphy, the guy was a badass of the highest order.
@@rottytherottski522 danger close is 600 meters and below
Calling and artillery to a a position is literally like saying okay I want this thousand-m grid Square destroyed everything in that 1,000 M Ridge Square will be destroyed you don't call it in danger close you call it in because you're dead
This operation, like most of them, was condensed for the show. Easy pursued the SS troops to an area of “the island” that had some factory buildings where the SS rallied and returned fire.
Upon regrouping, many E Co. men found themselves exhausted. Burt Christenson (Michael Fassbender) realized why. He had gone through 56 clips in his M1, totaling 456 rounds.
I feel like this episode showcases Damian Lewis’ acting beautifully. His reluctance to be promoted (in spite of not being given a choice), the nascent stages of ptsd, the sadness that he’s no longer directly commanding Easy, and the final scene where he’s watching the men he’s closest with march into probable annihilation. It’s a subtle, masterful performance showing Winters’ loneliness and attachment to his men.
beautifully said
There is an actual video for the cross roads explaining in great detail what took place. It's actually much more impressive and such a great leader.
The officer that told Albert Blithe 'it's just a game Blithe, we're just moving the ball forward one yard at a time', that was Lt. Harry Welsh. He'll be back around soon. From watching some interviews with Winters, he said the way he remembered it, at the Crossroads, they all took off running at the same time, he was just faster and got there before anyone else did. According to Dick, when he went to Paris, he actually did a lot of the typical tourist stuff most people would do and really enjoyed being there. They didn't show that aspect of his trip to Paris at all. He did say that he never forgot that German soldiers face that he shot, and that he smiled at Dick right before he shot him.
Hello fellow Stewart
@@jacobstewart3428 Lmaoo
that is heartbreaking
That part about the German solider I noticed it this time round how he didn't even seem to register that Winters was an enemy.
It's been a long time since I read the book, but as I recall, Winters threw a grenade up onto the road, but forgot to arm it somehow. He waited for it to explode and finally jumped up to find a soldier basically in a fetal position due to the grenade. Winters then shot him without much hesitation.
British Paratroopers (maroon berret) often wore berets instead of helmets, especially at night as it was easier to distinguish a friendly silhouette from a hostile one in the dark. They did the same in the falklands conflict.
Winters and his men actually chased the retreating SS companies back to the Ferry where they crossed. There they faced overwhelming enemy fire and were forced to retreat. Majority of the 22 wounded during the battle actually happened during this retreat. Winters and his men denied 2 full sized SS companies of any ground or counter flanking abilities, pretty amazing for 22 wounded and 1 dead. Winters would recall this battle as his toughest.
This explains a lot! The way they made it appear like the SS went straight into full retreat, followed by 22 wounded was very confusing. Thank you for the tidbit!!
@@AoRArchAngel fucken oath i always wondered that also
Soldiers back then were trained to use the morphine syrettes as they were part of the standard aid kit. One syrette (one dose) was generally safe. Two doses in a short period could kill someone. They were trained to pin the spent Syrettes on the wounded soldier's collar (with the time if possible) so that the medics would know not to dose him again.
That's actually where a helpful mantra we use as medics today comes from. While the methods aren't the same was WWII, we're reminded to monitor and mark any and all dosages [syrettes back then] used on a wounded patient in the field by repeating, "One to make them see Jesus, two to make them go to him." It's just a warning against how easy it is to overdose a patient.
That's also why they would write with blood on wounded soldiers
Morphine also lowers blood pressure so if the patient has already lost a lot of blood pushing the blood pressure down further is usually fatal.
I was good friends with the Late William T Wingett (Bill) who served in Easy Company and trained under Sobel. Dukeman was one of his closest friends. In his personal scrap book, there are pictures of him and Dukeman. Mark Laurence the man who played Dukeman reached out to me regarding my friendship with Bill. He’s an amazing man. In Bills room, he had a picture of him at the Cemetery visiting Dukemans grave. I am very honored to have known Bill and I know that they are all together in Valhalla sharing a pitcher of beer and yelling “Currahee!”
In the scene where Moose is shot by the sentry, it's not usual that a captain (Winters) and a lieutenant (Harry Welsh) would allow themselves to be upbraided by a corporal ("Doc" Roe) but they realized that the medic was right and they had screwed up by not remembering how much morphine they had given Moose, besides, they were all Taccoa men to whom the officers felt closer to. An example of this is that Winters often calls them by their first names, something he probably wouldn't do with a replacement.
If you are interested in learning more about some of the actions shown in the show the RUclips channel "The Operations Room" has excellent videos explaining the Brecourt Manor assault, the attack on Carentan, and the Crossroads battle.
You mentioned the clerical work...
My grandfather was a star athlete in high school. During football season, players got to skip their last class of the day to go practice. His last class was Typing. He thought if might come in handy one day, so he'd take his sister's typewriter into the attic, and taught himself typing.
He and a friend enlisted in the Army during WWII. They figured they were going to get drafted, anyway. One of the things he did was train Rangers. When his unit was set to ship off to Europe, one of the officers came to him and asked "Your high school transcript says you took typing?" Having never took a day of that typing class, he responded "Yes, sir, I did."
When the unit shipped off to Europe, they needed to leave some men behind to do clerical work. My grandfather ended up never leaving the US while in the Army during WWII.
Winters talked about the charge and when he started firing at the germans, after the event, and he said he felt like everybody (both his men and the germans) except him were moving and shooting in slow motion, and only himself moved in normal speed.
ruclips.net/video/hnF6z9yyGo4/видео.html
what ???
DRAW UPON HOLY MIGHT
Thank God you didn't get distracted by Fallon and caught the "We are supposed to ve surrounded" line
Good episode on PTSD for sure. Also good to see the power of the Medic to talk down to his superiors when they eff up.
Everybody's gotta listen to Doc.
Exactly
That wasn't an airstrike, though. Winters called an artillery barrage on the Germans, who in turned called a barrage of their own.
Love your reactions!
Yup it's WW2, you couldn't just call an airstrike back then. It was artillery.
Yup, and the scariest thing with an artillery strike is you have to call them in with the precise correct coordinates because it would be really easy to be off by a small margin and end up shelling your own position.
I corrected myself like 30 seconds later in the episode
If you'd finished the video before coming to type this comment, you'd have noticed he corrected himself. Cheers!
@@Diegesis My bad.
@18:12: the irony at this point of the episode was that it was subtlety implied Buck was experiencing a very similar moment of PTSD to what Winters did on that train in France-- which is why Winters responded to Buck’s reply and reaction like he did.
"Were paratroopers Lieutenant, were supposed to be surrounded".
22:16 Winters disappearing into the pack of nameless soldiers is an amazing shot
Imagine being lauded as a hero in the memoirs of some of the most legendary members of one of the most legendary combat units in the history of the US military only to be immortalized in a role played by jimmy fallon.
Lol
Fallon was distantly related to the character he played.
@@repeter did he laugh at his own jokes too?
@@johnrodgers8457 no idea
Bastogne would be their finest hour in the 101st Airborne. Every time I watch them march toward Bastogne it gives me chills and deep, undying respect.
I just love Arianna! At 6:46 she said “Sh*t.” Then she corrected herself and said “Poop, I mean.”
Always looking forward to your reactions on this incredible series with these men we came to Love
There’s another RUclips channel called The Operations Room that expands on some of the these Easy Company battles… it’s really cool to see it fully explained.
I'm not that interested in the battle tactics. Here for the filmmaking.
@@Diegesis well, alright. Lol. Thought you’d find it interesting. Sorry
@@justintreadway100 np :)
I helped treat a column who where ambushed in Afghanistan. The Taliban had closed too close to be attacked by an air strike. A flight of F-16's ignored the R O E and attacked anyways and saved dozens. The flight commander came to the medical facility afterwards. After I told him his actions saved them all, he literally collapsed with emotion.
Brace yourselves, the next 2 episodes are BRUTAL
I was intrigued by this bit so i will leave this here if anyone else was too :)
Value of $6,000 from 1944 to 2022
$6,000 in 1944 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $94,755.00 today, an increase of $88,755.00 over 78 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 3.60% per year between 1944 and today, producing a cumulative price increase of 1,479.25%.
they would of had one hell of a time in Paris, if they had gone.
Yes, it was a flashback episode. The whole thing started with a four man patrol stumbling on that machine gun nest that was firing down the road at another American position. They come back with that wounded guy and tell Winters. Winters, being the leader that he is, takes part of the 1st platoon out to see what's going on. They shoot those Germans and fall back to a ditch in the field. He calls Lt. Peacock and orders the rest of the 1st platoon and also 2nd platoon to get out there for support. They're in that ditch with that dike on their right. They can't see over the dike and the Germans can work their way down the other side and out flank them. The only move is to attack forward, which is what all of that running and shooting was. They called in their own artillery, then the Germans started responding with their artillery. It turns out that they had stumbled into two German SS companies that were assembling for a counterattack down that road that the German machine gun was shooting at the night before. Actually the attack had already started, that's when Major Horton was killed at the battalion CP and that's why Sink asked him to take over the battalion as the exec. Sink kind of gave him the cold shoulder because he was organizing a mission with Easy Company which Winters is no longer a part of. He has become more of a behind the lines administrator as the battalion exec. It has been said that the best duty for an officer is to command a company on the line and Sink took Easy company away from Winters. Story over.
I just realized for the first time it's also a crossroads between sunny days and the stupidest winter
Yeah, it was rough. My dad was with the 101st back in Bastong. He was (and I don't exactly when), shot in the head and left for dead or missing untill a lieutenant wandered by and saw some steam coming out from a snowbank. He was sent back to Tennassee at the VA in Knoxville. Where they put a steal plate in his head. But because there was nothing to do back home for him, he went back into the Army at the same rank. A sergeant. My dad never did talk about it at all to us untill the early 70s. And then it wasn't much.
Tom Hanks, who co-produced the series, directed this episode. He uses a broken timeline which is next-level storytelling. Also, he's an extra in the scene where the British troops are celebrating with Easy.
This summer I visited the Netherlands, where my aunt and her family live. My mom had asked me if I wanted to do anything in particular, and I said I wanted to visit a war museum. On the way to the museum, I begged my mom to make a stop at the crossroads, which apparently was in a village called Heteren (we almost didn't find it at first because the roads were quite narrow). Anyway, the crossroads were different than I expected (perhaps the area was cleared out before filming or things were built there years later?).
There is a small monument dedicated to Dukeman with a plaque written in both Dutch and English. I took several photos and my cousin read out the Dutch segment of the plaque to my uncle _(mind you, they both speak English just as well as I can but ofc Dutch is their native tongue)_ which I think he understood better. After that, my uncle drove us to a nearby cemetery (edit: found it, it's called Mierlo War Cemetery) for British troops, and there were a few graves for 18-20 yr olds, which I think was hard for my mom and aunt to stomach... anyway, I'd like to thank the veterans for their service and their sacrifices they've made for freedom and justice o7
If you notice the scene where winters shoots the young German soldier you’ll notice the German soldier smiling at winters before going to a more blank expression. This is to show that his young age and likely lack of experience in combat means his first reaction to seeing someone is to smile at them as you would if you pass someone on the street.
Its the smile disappearing as he realizes the reality of the situation. He likely thought it was a fellow German soldier, and then realization hit. Hits hard
he smiles because he thinks he is saved from the war, by being taken prisoner, but then he sees the look in Winters eyes and his rifle pointed at him, then he realizes it's an attack and that he will be the first to die.
@@dubfez_9256 Uh...no.
It seemed to me with his face and hand gestures he was like 'Oh, well you got me, so I get taken prisoner now?' as he wasn't doing anything hostile, he had no weapon in hand, he was smiling. Then it dawned on him that he couldn't be taken prisoner with 2 SS companies feet away... and that a battle had to be starting... and he wasn't going to be okay.
That was not an air strike. Those didn't really exist in WWII. It was an indirect fire artillery. And yes it was danger close, they called it on their own position plus a few degrees
Make sure she has some tissues for the coming episodes. Especially "The Breaking Point", that is a rough episode!
Nah, 'why we fight', shes gonna be a puddle of tears by the end 😢
@@firebladenut agreed, but it starts with the breaking point
This is one of the few none tear jerkers but this is the last one. There are no more breaks, it is total war until the end.
And “Why We Fight”. That’s probably the most difficult to watch.
1. It’s WW2, you don’t call in air support from an infantry company radio.That capability does not show up in the US Army for decades after WW2. He is calling in artillery, giving firing reference point data to the Artillery fire direction center, listing target location (which would have been preregistered as it is a road junction), giving target type (troops in the open), number of rounds and type of round and fusing (HE quick is high explosive with instant impact fusing) and target terrain (troops in the open means the target has no cover.
2. Broken Arrow is a code phrase that means there is an issue (accident with, loss of, capture of, etc.) with a nuclear weapon, so….. in 1944 Netherlands, no Broken Arrow…..
You guys should read “Beyond Band of Brothers” by Major Dick Winters. To me it was like talking to your grandfather about his time just before the 2nd World War, all throughout the war and just after. He received so many questions from people that he could never answer all of them so he decided to do this book to try to answer some of the many questions.
I second this. It’s a fantastic book. Winters goes into so much interesting things that were omitted from the show.
Dick Winters was the backbone of Easy Company and later of the whole 2nd Battalion. What happens in the next episode is well worth your time to study. After the invasion of Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge at Bastogne was probably the most significant action of the war in Europe and Easy Company, along with the rest of the 2nd Battalion and the 506th PIR played a significant role in both. I’m not spoiling anything here because this doesn’t enter into this story, but another aspect is that George Patton performed the greatest logistical feat in military history by disengaging the entire 3rd Army from battle, in winter, and marching them and all their equipment over 100 miles to re-engage in battle with a different enemy army in just a couple of days in order to relieve the 101st at Bastogne. Magnificent in both the micro and macro perspectives.
My grandfather's unit help part of a line during the battle of the bulge. He received his winter coat in august of 1945 when he returned it to the United States. Happily my grandmother and aunt had knitted him Extra socks, gloves and a scarfs and mailed them in fall '44. He still told stories of pissing on hands to prevent chapped skin and on his rifle action before setting out.
In case your wondering, the battle they are about to fight is so famous they named it. This is the "Battle of the Bulge." One of the most important and famous battles of the entire war. My wife and I both had uncles that fought in this battle. It was called this because when Hitler counter attacked he formed a huge bulge in the Allies lines. Without giving anything away. The Allies where pushing hard towards Germany. So Hitler organized a counter attack with basically everything he had left. Which was a lot. So much so he actually overwhelmed the Allied forces in one spot. The Bulge. At one point the 101st were basically completely surrounded by Germans. Baston is the town that was in the center of the Bulge.
It wasn't air support, it was artillery. And the term "Broken Arrow" doesn't refer to proximity of air strikes, it was a code word used in Vietnam meaning a unit was at risk of being over run and it rerouted all air craft in that area operation to the callers location and they would stack aircraft every 1,000 feet and they would fly holding patterns and take turns doing bombing and strafing runs as they were called in by whoever was directing airstrikes. The more you know lol. I love you guys though! Keep making the vids!
The morphine syrrettes issued in WWII were about the size of single-use super glue tubes (We WWII reenactors use the super glue tubes te replicate them) After being dosed, the medic would either pin the used syrrette to the patient's clothing or write an "M" in blood on the forehead to give the triage station a heads-up that he has already been administered morphine. 2-3 doses in a short timespan was lethal, so Doc Roe had a right to chew out Winters and Welsh.
Keep an eye on "Doc". Next episode, you'll see how fiercely protective soldiers can be of their "Doc" (Medic, Corpsman, Pararescueman, etc.), and how much respect they command from the rest of the soldiers. Hell, Roe, rightfully chewed out Welsh and Winters for almost OD'ing Moose on Morphine. They just kept their mouths shut and took it, even as superior officers in rank.
Aside from the first episode, the rest of the series from the next episode on is what makes this series so good IMO
Tom Hanks pulled a cameo in the barn scene with Easy Company and British troops after the rescue. He is in the back left during the shot that showed everyone in the barn
My grandmother’s brother I call uncle Ernie was part of the easy company of the 101st airborne Screamin eagles he fought at the battle of bulge at the end of this episode he was awarded the bronze star and a Purple Heart Retired out of the army 30 years later.
Thank you for not doing what most reactors do and spend the last 3 minutes of the episode talking about Jimmy Fallon.
Some of the terms such as Broken Arrow have changed over time. In the Vietnam war Broken Arrow would call all available air support to drop artillery on your location. In the 80s Broken Arrow was a term for a nuclear munition being lost. For reference in regards to “strikes” a reference to “Fire for effect” indicates artillery. Usually support is set in each branch so Army would be calling for Army artillery, Air Force Air Combat Controllers would call in Air Support/Air Strikes etc
Just to clarify some terms used in this episode
1) Danger close is the term for direction of fire missions against targets within 600 meters of friendly positions, it is generally not something you do and it will need to get approved by higher command, Winters did not call in a danger close mission as the distances shown in the show doesn't reflect the distances that occurred in real life. The shelling they took immediately after were German artillery fire, but again in real life this didn't happen as concurrent as depicted in the show
2) Broken arrow means any accident involving nuclear weapons that does not create the risk of war, it has though been used in by captain Hal Moore in the La Drang valley of Vietnam to direct all available aerial fire support to the given area because of the risk of an American unit being overrun, it is however unclear if this was a local term for this specific area of battle or time, or indeed Vietnam as a whole. In any other context though it refers to the former
I first watched Band of Brothers by renting from my local library, which meant I ended up watching all the episodes out of order. This was my first episode!
I love the pre-emptive Fallon thumbnail. For all of the "Yes, that was Jimmy Fallon" comments 👀
Jimmie Fallon is playing Lt. George C. Rice. Second Lt. George C. Rice, 10th Armored Division, knew that the 101st was going to be short on supplies and would likely end up surrounded, so he made eight supply runs to bring them ammunition, food, blankets, anything that could be useful, all while the Germans were closing in. His eighth and last run was actually made after the Germans had encircled the 101st, meaning he could have been captured at any time. He only stopped because his own commanding officer ordered him to do so.
That first guy talking about leadership is Winters. There is a fantastic interview with him that can be found on RUclips talking about his experiences in WW2.
When Winters called for artillery, it was a pre-sighted box, he just calls in the code for that area.
In this episode, Easy Coy, as part of the British 30 Corp, has fallen back to a place called " The Island ". It was a strategic spot both sides wanted. Easy Coy had actually spoiled the German attack.
Captain Winters didn't take off first and that's why he was alone when he got to the top of the hill and shot that singular German Soldier. He was literally in so much better shape than any of the other men that by the time he reached the hill, he was all alone. He was fuckin' Captain America.
No one in the allied army thought the Germans still had the strength and manpower to launch a winter offensive. American taking completely by surprise
The support he was calling in was predesignated artillery fire zones. When he called reenforce phase line yellow, he’s calling in the spot he wants artillery striking in front of. Those are the initial blasts of 105 and 155 howitzer rounds. However immediately after, the Germans initiate what’s called counter-battery fire, in other words responding to an artillery attack by launching your own attack on either the enemy position where any observers are, or attempting to attack the actual artillery guns themselves to try to silence them. Easy company got caught in the German counter-battery fire in their position.
My grandfather was part of the battle for Arnhem. In Germany he accidentally killed a Young German kid with the jeep he was driving. It seriously messed him up and swore he'd never drive a car again. He died in 1985, and had kept his word.
I love your question at the end about what this next battle will entail - a big loss or a hard fought victory?
What is being set up is the famous “battle of the bulge”. The show condenses it immensely, so you can follow winters and easy company, but make no mistake, this was a MASSIVE battle in American and world history involving hundreds of thousands of men in one battle. Hitler sent in approximately 1 million German soldiers as a last ditch offensive effort to push back and prevent us from entering Germany. It was during this time the guys in Easy company were enjoying some relaxation, when everything was called off after discovering Hitlers massive surprise offensive. 610,000 Americans were sent there (Belgium) practically overnight to hold their ground and prevent the Germans push. What happens next is nothing short of incredible, and a shining example of why we honor our WWII veterans.
Easy Company rescued the British 1st Airborne Division, and most of those guys wore helmets in combat, but when they found themselves in a though spot, they'll switch to their red beret as a sign of "time to be brave and get out of this situation" to boost morale. As an American I'm not sure how putting on a funny hat increases morale, but it seemed to work for those Brits. To them putting on your red beret was like Rambo putting on his red headband. Also explains why the Germans nicknamed them the "Red Devils" during the Africa campaign. It was probably so hot that most of them wore a beret instead of a helmet. Sometimes American troops would go without helmets during special operations because the metal chin straps would make noise. We see this in Easy Company toward the end of the series.
I'm taking this comment out of another reaction video because they explained it quite well:
Jimmy Fallon's cameo at the end of the episode is more important than most people ever realize. He's playing Second Lieutenant George C. Rice of the 10th Armored Division, a man who is a true blue big nuts war hero.
Knowing that Bastogne was going to be surrounded, and knowing that the 101st was going to be really short on ammunition, Rice made nine separate trips in a jeep that was towing a trailer back and forth from a nearby supply depot to Bastogne in order to bring what ammo he could to the troops digging in against the German advance. He did this on his own volition. His last trip was technically made after the Germans had surrounded the town, and the only reason he didn't make a tenth trip was because he was specifically ordered by his CO to stand down.
Rice was nominated for a Medal of Honor for his actions, but it was downgraded to the Distinguished Service Cross, the next highest award.
I absolutely love this channel, thank you so much for your reactions.
The real report of Crossroads is even more wild than fiction. Winters and the young SS Scout actually exchanged grenades, neither of which went off, Winters accidentally left the duct tape on the pin release so his grenade didn't arm, the Scouts Potato Masher landed near Winters but for whatever reason, didn't detonate. He emptied his clip into the unsuspecting SS, reloaded and emptied another before the rest of Easy (hung up on Barbed Wire) caught up to him. They then chased the SS by overlapping MG cover and Squad fire tactics all the way to the Ferry Crossing where German MG emplacements across the river finally stopped Easy's advance.
"Next episode is going to be nuts" is kind of a funny line - those who know know
This episode really illustrates Dick Winters' character. Others have said that if anyone but Dick Winters had written the reports on Brecourt or Crossroads, Winters might very well have been nominated for a Medal of Honor for one or both actions. Winters was a true leader, which I once read defined:
A leader gives credit and takes blame. A poser takes credit and gives blame.
Interesting fact about Jimmy Fallons scene, he had no clue how to drive a Jeep.
so they had to keep it in neutral and push it in. 🤣
From the show, "But we got seven in one blow." (here at 5:57). I just realized that he's making a reference to the Brothers Grimm fairy tale "The Brave Little Tailor" which was made into a Mickey Mouse short film in 1938 to which these guys would have been familiar. Great writing!
"Looks like you're gonna be surrounded."
Winters: "We're paratroopers, Lieutenant. We're supposed to be surrounded."
They called in artillery on the SS. For indirect fire (mortars, arty, naval gunfire) you can establish pre-designated targets. It's extremely common to plan a target on your closest defensive line to act as a shield in case of attack called Final Protective Fire (FPF) which is most likely what the SS did. It's also really common to set up pre-designated targets on the enemy's most likely retreat and reinforcement routes to try and cut off the forces you're attack, which is what Winters most likely did.
For his promotion, Winters got made into the Battalion XO, which is the Executive Officer. It's a bit misleading because most people think CEO when in reality they're more like the Battalion Commander's executive assistant - hence all the paperwork he was getting bombarded with
You have to understand the history of WW II and the context of what was happening at the end of this episode to appreciate it. The Germans attacked thru Belgium on December 16, 1944 in what became known as the Battle of the Bulge, Bastogne was a crossroads town the Germans needed in order to advance their offensive, the 101st Airborne which included Easy Company was sent to Bastogne to deny the German advance. The 101st Airborne held out and the Germans were never able to take Bastogne which helped stall their offensive, on December 26, 1944 General George Patton's Army broke thru to Bastogne and relieved the 101st Airborne, for 10 days the 101st Airborne was surrounded but hung on. The Battle of the Bulge was the largest Battle in US Army History. Between German and Allied Soldiers over 1,000,000 men faced off in the Battle of the Bulge.
"Fire for effect!" Gives me chills.
Tudor period is also my specialty too 🤗🤗. Don't know many people who I can have conversations with about the Tudor period. I visited Hampton Court in 2019 when I went to London for first time and just being there and immersing myself in the history was amazing.
I'm burning through these like I burned through the series. Looking forward to part 6.
I think this is the episode and event that made Winters a Captain. Winters definitely deserves it.
Reports have it that at 8:00, Winters had exposed himself so far ahead of his men that he expended 3.5 clips before his guys joined him. About 28 rounds. My guess is, since they didn't know how many men were over that embankment, he ran ahead to see without risking his guys and so they would hear the volume of fire returned to Winters and therefore allowing a few seconds to know what they were in for.
My second favorite episode behind episode 9. You guys are doing great work. Always look forward to your videos
The Battle of the Buldge always stuck out in this series to me. It was very haunting and an almost no hope left type vibe I got.
The typewriter scene is the write up for citations. The records are why they use info to train troops in the future remember the gun position
8:40 Winters called in artillery support, and the Germans responded in kind a few minutes later. Combined ops (where a ground-based controller can call in air strikes) was experimental at this time.
Winters always downplayed his actions, and highlighted the actions of his men, in his combat reports.
The scene at the end shows Easy (and the 10st Division) being deployed at Bastogne, which was a vital town, with seven roads leading in and out of it. If the Germans get it, they could easily attack and spread out throughout western Belgium, possibly retaking all the territory the Allies had gained by then.
The German attack took the Allies entirely by surprise, so units which were supposedly withdrawn for R&R (such as Easy) were pitchforked in without enough ammunition or even with winter clothing - which would make the VERY cold winter of that year (temperatures reached -28 Celsius / -18 Fahrenheit) literally chilling.
Statistically speaking, the higher an officer's rank, the better his chances of surviving the war, so it wouldn't be much of a spoiler (particularly given the intro) to know that Winters survived. And yes, his men respected him even to the end. When Winters read the initial script for Band of Brothers, he objected to all the swearing in it. Tom Hanks attempted to defend the script as it was, but Winters then rebutted him point by point, adding that, unless the swearing was really cut back, he would pull Easy Company's support from the project. Needless to say, Tom Hanks gave way, and this showed how much pull Winters still had with Easy Company vets, even after all those decades.
Winters looking sharp in Paris with his pants bloused into his jump boots! The British Airborne did wear helmets most of the time, the red berets are just more cinematic 😁. This show gets even better as it goes on... you guys are going to lose your minds by the end!!!!
The Pvt who shot Lt Moose Heyliger, he was never court-martialed but he was transferred out of the 506th PIR and into a logistics regiment back in France and England where he served for the rest of the war. Those shots were his first, last and only ones.
Also, Malarkey winning $3600, in today's money it would be around $10,000. He managed to send the money home before deploying to Belgium.
Such great reactions and discussion. Can't wait until you post the next one.
Fun Fact: In the scene with Jimmy Fallon driving the jeep with munition. Jimmy was afraid he was going to hit someone with the jeep, so they had a couple guys hiding behind the jeep pushing while he steered. The more you know!
The Germans were spooked by their run in with the patrol where Pvt Alley was wounded which is why they were shooting down the road.
Context: ruclips.net/video/5uz_K-1eyS4/видео.html (spoilers, obviously)
You two really submerge yourself in these videos. Great job!
You guys should react to The Operation Room's video on the Crossroads action. It shows how good of a leader Winters really was.
PS: It doesn't have any spoilers so you should be good to watch it without it spoiling a future episode
I'm not really interested in the tactical stuff. Just interested in the filmmaking.
@@Diegesis Ah, cool. That video shows how badass and cool under pressure Winters really was. Love your reaction!
@@Diegesis Crossroads was all about tactics that they were taught and utilized to neutralize the SS battalion. Don't know why this popped up in my feed as you are not a gunthot/guntuber. Phishing for subs🤣
8:42 Take to account that's not even air support, it's artillery fire. No direct line of sight, a lot of variables like terrain and weather, math done by hand on a whim, so you need to really trust the skill of the artillery men.
About the helmets, they did wear them all the time. They just didn’t in the miniseries so we as the audience could tell who the soldiers actually were.
The name of the LT you guys couldn’t remember who talked about “it’s just a game of football…we’re just moving the ball one yard at a time” is Harry Welsh. Just an FYI.
Get ready. It’s going to start getting tough!But you will love this series and these guys stories so much more
Hearing “broken arrow” you guys should give we where soldiers a go at somepoint if you haven’t already. Great movie 🍿
When I say that ending and the words came up they basically were heading to their deaths with the lack of everything. But they march on and they didn't abandon hope. But they were scared shitless.
Plus from this area they are heading into the famous Battle of the Bulge and that was a one of the hardest fought battles in the WW2 and for the US itself.
Also yes that was Jimmy Fallon before he became a talk show host.
When they yell out churrahee. Tom hanks plays one of the red wings. You can spot him. Lol
That's not an air strike, that's good ol King of Battle Artillery!
I was always confused about how Dukeman died, but they expound on it in the book.
There was a German soldier in a culvert that fired a rifle grenade at him. Just in case anyone is curious.
They're heading in to The Battle of the Bulge, the last major German offensive of the War. American casualties were very high, including many thousands of men captured by the enemy. Bastogne had to be held at all costs. They were short of ammunition and everything else. The enormously powerful American air forces were grounded, due to bad weather. They lacked winter clothing, in the midst of the coldest winter in living memory. But they held on and inflicted tremendous losses on the Germans.
Not sure where I read this, but there is a quote that may be connected to the 101st, or the Red Devils (British Army's Paratroops) but it goes something like, "They had us completely surrounded. God help them." The character that Jimmy Fallon apparently made nine ammunition runs, and had to be ordered not to make a tenth because the Germans had nearly completed their encirclement of Bastogne. Crossroads is a perfect title for this episode; not only because of the Crossroads; all combatants were holding or trying to take, but that period was immediately after Arnhem and plans for attacking Germany were having to be completely redone. kerk
Although Market Garden was a failure, Germany was hurting badly from manpower shortages at this point in the war. Old men and young teens were being conscripted to try and fill in the gaps, even in "elite" units like the SS. The soldier Winters shot at the beginning of the engagement was likely fifteen, possibly younger. The balance of these recruits would actually be sent east, where they would eventually be brutally stomped by the Red Army as it advanced inexorably towards Berlin.
You call danger close when calling in a fire mission when it’s within 600 meters of friendly forces, “broken arrow” is declared when there’s an accident with nuclear weapons
That's not the only use of the term broken arrow
Episodes 6-7 and 9 are going to hurt. Make sure you bring your tissues.
Also, I might recommend “The Pacific” which is a Spielberg-Hanks series made after BoB that covers the 1st Marine Divisions fights during WW2 in the Pacific Theater. It really encapsulates the differences between The fights that occur between Europe and the Pacific theater. It also spares no details for the viewer and is much darker than BoB IMO.