I love the contrast between Winter’s compassion, Welch’s cynicism, and Spiers’s cold detachment. Everyone had to figure out a way to cope with the horror they faced every day.
As the first to see your reaction and not see this comment it seems it falls to me to tell you that the post script on this episode is one of the very very small number of historical mistakes on this show. Albert Blithe did in fact survive his wounds. He was discharged from hospital in 1945 and did not return to the European theatre, though he did go on to serve in the Korean war. He survived his service there too but unfortunately died in 1967. Still too early, but not as a result of his bullet wound in Normandy. Glad you're enjoying the series. Here's to all of those who sacrificed for the freedom of the world.
If no one has already said, Blithe actually survived. He was transferred to a different unit and served in Korea and died in the 60's. He didn't really keep up with Easy company so everyone just kind of assumed he died.
From what I've read, this is an instance where Stephen Ambrose in his research and interviews with Easy Co. vets, ended up getting the particulars wrong in the case of Blithe. Nothing is perfect but the arc of his character across the episode is still compelling.
I read somewhere that 2 members of Easy (not gonna say who because of spoilers) attended the funeral of an Albert Blithe from the 101st in 1948 and they assumed he was their Albert Blithe
It's odd that the producers won't add even a footnote to newer releases to correct some of the known inaccuracies, given the effort, e. g., Spielberg went to using CGI to eliminate guns from later prints of 'ET'. It would alter the the poignancy of the final moments of the episode, but unlike 'Saving Private Ryan', this story isn't a fabrication by intent.
As much as I love this show, this isn’t the only thing they got really wrong. Not going into spoilers, but pay close attention to the date at the beginning of episode 9 and the big announcement they make at the end of it.
12:50 LT. Meehan was the guy who was supposed to be leading easy company but died in ep2 in the plane that filled with fire which is why winters was in charge
I'm a big fan of show-them-don't-tell-them filmmaking (though there are obviously times it's better to just tell them) and the last shot with Malarkey getting the dead/wounded soldiers' laundry is a fantastic example of how to do it right.
It would be great if not for the fact that almost nobody else who watches this seems to get it. And even these guys didn't pick up on the fact that Lt. Meehan and "Sergeant" (actually, First Sergeant) Evans went down on one of the planes before they even got a chance to jump. (It was the one plane at the beginning of Episode 2 where the guys inside were consumed by a fireball before it crashed straight into the ground.) I got that because I'm ex-US Army and the organization is, if not exactly the same, very similar. I'm also a lifelong student of the US Army of this period. But I can see how someone not familiar with these things might miss a lot of these details. I wish makers had been a little more thorough in explaining these things for the uninitiated.
@@Guitcad1 To be fair to them Meehan and Evans are both very minor characters with little screentime. They're still trying to figure out who everyone is at this point so it's not surprising that they wouldn't recognize the names. The scenes in the airplane are also very dark so it's possible that they wouldn't see the faces well even if they would have recognized them.
The scene from 6:20 where Ed Tipper gets badly wounded by the explosion and Joe Liebgott rushes to comfort him is my favorite in the whole show. It's one of those rare quiet moments that allows the action to fade into the background and focuses on the brotherhood between these two men. Heartbreaking to watch Ed in so much pain, and Joe having to switch quickly from looking stunned to forcing the other men to snap out of it and help.
There are actually stories from Ancient greece of men being struck blind in the middle of battle. No injuries, they just couldn't see anymore. If I remember correctly, the most famous is an Athenian during the battle of Marathon.
I definitely thought the Tipper and Liebgott scene was the most emotional. The reveal of how badly Tipper is injured and how he just collapses in Joe's arms is heartbreaking.
My grandpa was in 2nd armored. Although he was only a young pup by the time he was of age to clear basic and he actually got to France. We were already knocking on Germany's door. All 2nd did during his service was to race up from the ports in France up past to following the battle going on in Germany and providing follow up support, finally racing up the Rhine. 2nd Armor during my grandfather's time only had a single battle were they were the primary force on point and it was quite a cleanup too. Bigger and better armed force to an extremally quick surrender before ending up doing mostly post war stuff, although I don't believe he was involved really. My other grandpa had the decorated and quite active career since he was Polish. Spent several year to that point fighting in Poland, Greece, then getting evacuated to/volunteering to fight with the British in North Africa to get up through Italy.
Good point about Blithe representing the audience. Movies and TV really delude people that just anyone can be a combat soldier. Most people can't be soldiers, and most soldiers can't be combat soldiers. And further, most combat soldiers couldn't be paratroopers. Easy company was elite. Blithe was elite before he ever jumped, and even he cracked for a while.
I mean you say that most people can't be soldiers, but yet there have been wars where massive portions of the male populace had to be conscripted for the war effort
@@cassu6 I think he means that most people are not well suited to being effective soldiers. Anyone can be given a rifle and told to go fight and die, but not many are going to be good and effective at it. Just meat for the grinder. And i would agree with him on that one.
Once again, I feel the need to point out it's real life people. They reacted how they reacted and having a stoic "character" play up the emotions would be disingenuous and not what actually happened. When discussing people not emoting and storylines and such, please remember those real live men who actually lived through this may have relatives who might be watching you bash their actual family member.
@@DeltaAssaultGaming i liked the pacific more, mainly because we read the book helmet for my pillow in military college before either of the shows came out, but the continuous story line of BoB makes it a better show to watch back to back episodes
@@DeltaAssaultGaming Why people always compare everything, Pacific was a different battlefield against different enemy and the show also went for something different.
The Pacific was awesome. They are both great. I read band of brothers, with the old breed, and helmet for my pillow before the series' they are both great film interpretations.
This show always left me gutted. Superb story, characters, plot, and direction. Are you watching the interviews with the veterans of Easy Company? They made it all too real. Fantastic choice.
True courage is overcoming your fear. I was listening to an interview with Blithe’s son the other day and he was really happy with the way his Dad was portrayed in BoB. Blithe was scared, but he overcame it and went on to become true soldier. Unfortunately for Blithe he couldn’t handle what he experienced in WW2 and Korea and his son said he drank himself to death. He was a few months from the end of his service when he died. So tragic.
You can tell by the smocks and the brimless helmets that the troops they are fighting in the bocage fight are German paratroopers. So it's their direct equivalent they were up against, some of whom had Edelweiss flower souvenirs.
I'm not sure if it's been said but the death of Blithe was inaccurate, he didn't die in 1948. He actually survived and volunteered for the Korean War and died in 1967 from a perforated ulcer.
The theme of this episode deals with how the reality of combat is settling in after the initial battles on D-Day. Each character that is highlighted in this episode, particularly Blithe, is coming to grips with full time, long term, exposure to the harshness and bloodiness of actual combat and battle. Each one has to come to grips with this new state of existence and push themselves through. For Welsh, it's a game metaphor, for Speier it is accepting the potential of death, for Winters it is commitment to his men and keeping them alive. Blithe is the everyman, seeing the situation and thinking what the fuck am I doing here?
FYI: that bespectacled 'non-elite' soldier at the end asking Blithe if he was okay he spent probably many more days and weeks out on the frontline than any of the members of 'Easy' Company did. Because paratroopers were elite and only called into action for big, decisive operations. Meanwhile, the regular soldiers were at the front nearly all of the time. Nothing much happening, just some artillery fire, sniper attacks. Lose a few comrades every day, nothing big.
Your comments about fear and courage reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from ASoIAF book series: “Bran thought about it. 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave,' his father told him.”
Blithe actually had a distinguished career. Being decorated for actions in WW2, and, Korea. He died on the operating table in a hospital in Germany, from a perforated ulcer, in 1967. He was a Master Sergeant at the time of his death.
So many will be saying this but just in case you missed it, Blithe actually survived and lived for decades after the end of the war. In the Blu-ray version I think they mention it at some point too, but it’s easy to Google and find out when he did actually die. Very sad they got that detail wrong, not only for Blithe but his family, too. I’m glad you’re reacting to this show with the sombreness that it deserves. It’s not just a tv show, this all happened. My grandfather drove a flail tank up Sword beach on D-Day, I think this show and the Pacific should be shown to all generations. We cannot forget what happened and why.
HEY GUYS - you need to check out some classic WW2 films: KELLY'S HEROS - THE DIRTY DOZEN - THE BIG RED ONE - CROSS OF IRON - THE YOUNG LIONS - GERMANY YEAR ZERO (beyond good) - THE EAGLE HAS LANDED - WHERE EAGLES DARE - HORNET'S NEST - A BRIDGE TOO FAR - PATTON - THE GREAT ESCAPE
You’re not going to see many artistic liberties taken the when it comes to characterization just for the sake of character development or in an attempt to make the series feel more traditionally cinematic (like Tom Hank’s emotional outburst in Saving Private Ryan). This series is based off of real people and the producers wanted the show to reflect that realism.
Quite a few of the actors in this series are from the United Kingdom (Damien Lewis / Winters = Welsh, Michael Fassbender / Sgt. Christenson = Irish, Mark Warren / Blithe = British, Shane Taylor / Doc Roe = British). Kinda makes me wonder how easy it is for a Brit to acquire an American accent. . . . 🙂 7:55 Blithe was affected by "hysterical blindness," which is one of the ways PTSD manifests. 12:48 I always wondered about classical English money - shillings and ha'pennies and all that. . . . 13:45 The average full-strength company numbers 200 - 220 men, depending on the kind of unit it is (infantry, engineers, etc.). As a saying goes: "Courage is the mastery of fear, not its absence."
Most of the actors are British/Irish (it was filmed in the UK). Pvt Janovec (Tom Hardy), Lt Harry Welsh, Pvt Liebgott, Sgt Martin, Sgt Evans, Sgt Grant, Pvt Miller (James Mcovoy), etc, etc. I suspect giving some of them thick Southern drawls (like Blithe) actually makes it easier, because it's supposed to sound exaggerated.
I loved this book. It was soooooo good. Stephen E Ambrose really brought these men to life. And it was a fast read. Took me two days. When I found out there was a series in the works, I was giddy. The mini series didn’t disappoint. What I loved about the book and wished they had detailed more in series is how close these brave hero’s were. They knew what the other guy sounded like as he slept. What they sounded like when they were eating, their mannerisms, their actions. They knew each other as they new their own brothers. They became a family, a Band Of Brothers. I too, loved The Pacific, but, Band Of Brothers IMO is slightly better. Well, gentlemen…lots of great story left, so enjoy! Bastogne and Breaking Point are my personal favorite episodes.
Thank you guys for bringing light to life with your reactions. Exorcist and hellraiser hooked me, shows like this make me come back. Points will destroy you. And this is better than the pacific obvs x
Marc Warren who was Albert Blithe has been in many British Tv shows the last 25yrs, I'll leave it to the American viewers to comment if his accent fooled them.
A majority of the actors in this series are British/Irish. (Blithe, Winters, Liebgott, Doc Roe, 'Babe' Heffron, Sgt Grant, Sgt Martin, Sgt Evans, Christianson, Harry Welsh, Pvt Miller, Pvt Janovec, Shifty Powers (kinda), Hubler, Penkala, Lt Dike, etc, etc) So, there's a lot of foolin' going on!
I wonder if they realize these pre-episode interviews are the actual surviving members of Easy Company? And they will not really know who these old veterans are until the final episode?
You guys realize that none of the soldiers in this show are really "characters," right? They are all playing real people... many of whom are in the interviews at the beginning.
New Sub here guys! I really enjoyed your reaction.. BTW Ive watched The Pacific but never watched the second time around so honestly I became more attached to Band Of Brothers because I dont even know how many times ive rewatched it. I dont know maybe because I got more attach to the BOB characters and to the way each characters band are build up throughout the series and so I was really glad you guys reacted to this amazing war mini series! Looking forward to more!
Saw an interview with Winters when he was an old man he said Blith survived and also fought in the Korean war and won many medals for bravery then so he made up for it later in his military career. Winters also said the episode was not fair to the man and was not true that he died.
Please be careful with spoilers! For the sake of the reactors, when commenting, don't give away who survived and who didn't. It's sufficient to just give the facts about Blithe.
What makes Dick Winters an interesting character is that he was raised as a Mennonite, which is a pacifist sect akin to the Amish. His stoicism might have been part of his upbringing that remained, but he must have been really conflicted with his sense of duty to his country & fellow soldiers.
Man, you guys have some... interesting commenters. Hope the negativity isn't getting to you guys too much. Great reaction from a great channel, keep doing your thing gentlemen.
The really cool thing about this series is that it was made with no big stars at the time. All the people who are now famous either got started or got big in this. I think that shows a commitment to the casting to get everything right. The single biggest star in the cast at the time was David Schwimmer (Sobel).
Please you guys, can you make the episodes a little longer? Whittling down an hour's worth of story to 12-13 minutes is agonizing! Also, you really should include the commentary from the vets that introduces each episode - it really adds a lot. Other than that, really enjoy your reactions!
I've watched maybe a dozen different reactors do this series. 18:54 is pretty short for an episode of this length. Other reactors are able to do much longer ones, which basically includes more shots and provides more opportunities to see them react, so it can be done.
Definitely not! you can see our reactions to them in our full length on Patreon, but it’s mainly us in silence because we listen carefully to those parts
Why would you leave out the opening interviews with the actual men depicted in this series? Unlike Saving Private Ryan this is a true story (and the fact that real life participants were interviewed years later should make clear to you that several characters did indeed survive the war).
If you get the chance, check out Kilo Two Bravo A true story about British soldiers, a perfect score on rotten tomatoes, and I am biased - I trained a few of the guys from the actual event
you guys have the best reactions on yt. thank you for the great and entertaining content. would love to see y’all react to “the wire”. it’s the best tv show i’ve ever watched. nothing comes close tbh
5:15 Can someone with military training explain to my why they do things like charge down the open road when there's tall grass on either side of said road? Seems like volunteering to bottleneck your own soldiers.
Hit'em hard and hit'em fast before they can bring up reinforcements. Crawling slowly through the grass would allow them to pick off your men methodically, one by one. Also, when they started up the road, they did not know there was a German machine gun position in the house. If one knows about an enemy machine gun position, it is best to attack it with mortars, tanks or artillery instead of a frontal assault. But a lot of the time you don't find out about them until you have already committed to a course of action.
@@jamesdarnell8568 Boy, I never could've been a private. I couldn't have stopped myself saying 'of course they have an mg42 or something that can cover a long street and all they way out of town, why wouldn't they?' Anyway I still think it would've been better to assume that was the case. Picking them off one by one? At least they would have had to aim. And no, I wouldn't have had them crawl. I should probably find out exactly how the attack went down irl.
@@VivianDarkbloom1 Note that in Episode 2, they attacked the guns at Brecourt Manor, accomplished their task, and then retreated. They left the machine gun nests for the tank and mortar crews to take care of.
I guess it's like the military training from the revolutionary and civil wars, where the soldiers just line up in front of each other and both sides fire upon one another. How smart was that tactic back then?
I love the contrast between Winter’s compassion, Welch’s cynicism, and Spiers’s cold detachment. Everyone had to figure out a way to cope with the horror they faced every day.
As the first to see your reaction and not see this comment it seems it falls to me to tell you that the post script on this episode is one of the very very small number of historical mistakes on this show. Albert Blithe did in fact survive his wounds. He was discharged from hospital in 1945 and did not return to the European theatre, though he did go on to serve in the Korean war. He survived his service there too but unfortunately died in 1967. Still too early, but not as a result of his bullet wound in Normandy. Glad you're enjoying the series. Here's to all of those who sacrificed for the freedom of the world.
Someone had to say it, someone always does, it wasn't going to me this time.
Alright here we are episode 3 BRING ON THE ALBERT BLITHE COMMENTS LET'S SEE EM
Did you know that Blithe didn’t actually die but served in Korea?
🤣🤣🤣 I’m going to guess about half of the comments are going to be about that by the end of the day lol.
@@JoeMama410 lmao
@@JoeMama410 WHAT?! HOLY SHIT I NEVER KNEW!!!😂😂😂😂
It's a right of passage for reaction channels lol
That look on Malarkey's face when the laundry woman mentions the leftover laundry. The actor who portrayed him, Scott Grimes, just killed it.
If no one has already said, Blithe actually survived. He was transferred to a different unit and served in Korea and died in the 60's. He didn't really keep up with Easy company so everyone just kind of assumed he died.
From what I've read, this is an instance where Stephen Ambrose in his research and interviews with Easy Co. vets, ended up getting the particulars wrong in the case of Blithe. Nothing is perfect but the arc of his character across the episode is still compelling.
I read somewhere that 2 members of Easy (not gonna say who because of spoilers) attended the funeral of an Albert Blithe from the 101st in 1948 and they assumed he was their Albert Blithe
@@FranciscoOyola94 That would make sense.
It's odd that the producers won't add even a footnote to newer releases to correct some of the known inaccuracies, given the effort, e. g., Spielberg went to using CGI to eliminate guns from later prints of 'ET'. It would alter the the poignancy of the final moments of the episode, but unlike 'Saving Private Ryan', this story isn't a fabrication by intent.
As much as I love this show, this isn’t the only thing they got really wrong. Not going into spoilers, but pay close attention to the date at the beginning of episode 9 and the big announcement they make at the end of it.
It always amazes me how many reactors never seem to figure out why those men didn't come back to pick up their laundry. I'm glad you did.
12:50 LT. Meehan was the guy who was supposed to be leading easy company but died in ep2 in the plane that filled with fire which is why winters was in charge
"No jump tonight" in Episode One.
...and Sgt. Evans was Simon Pegg who I believe also died on that plane.
I'm a big fan of show-them-don't-tell-them filmmaking (though there are obviously times it's better to just tell them) and the last shot with Malarkey getting the dead/wounded soldiers' laundry is a fantastic example of how to do it right.
Yes, it was a great way to illustrate the loss.
It would be great if not for the fact that almost nobody else who watches this seems to get it.
And even these guys didn't pick up on the fact that Lt. Meehan and "Sergeant" (actually, First Sergeant) Evans went down on one of the planes before they even got a chance to jump. (It was the one plane at the beginning of Episode 2 where the guys inside were consumed by a fireball before it crashed straight into the ground.)
I got that because I'm ex-US Army and the organization is, if not exactly the same, very similar. I'm also a lifelong student of the US Army of this period. But I can see how someone not familiar with these things might miss a lot of these details. I wish makers had been a little more thorough in explaining these things for the uninitiated.
@@Guitcad1 To be fair to them Meehan and Evans are both very minor characters with little screentime. They're still trying to figure out who everyone is at this point so it's not surprising that they wouldn't recognize the names. The scenes in the airplane are also very dark so it's possible that they wouldn't see the faces well even if they would have recognized them.
The scene from 6:20 where Ed Tipper gets badly wounded by the explosion and Joe Liebgott rushes to comfort him is my favorite in the whole show. It's one of those rare quiet moments that allows the action to fade into the background and focuses on the brotherhood between these two men. Heartbreaking to watch Ed in so much pain, and Joe having to switch quickly from looking stunned to forcing the other men to snap out of it and help.
There are actually stories from Ancient greece of men being struck blind in the middle of battle. No injuries, they just couldn't see anymore. If I remember correctly, the most famous is an Athenian during the battle of Marathon.
I definitely thought the Tipper and Liebgott scene was the most emotional. The reveal of how badly Tipper is injured and how he just collapses in Joe's arms is heartbreaking.
My grandpa was in 2nd armored. Although he was only a young pup by the time he was of age to clear basic and he actually got to France. We were already knocking on Germany's door. All 2nd did during his service was to race up from the ports in France up past to following the battle going on in Germany and providing follow up support, finally racing up the Rhine. 2nd Armor during my grandfather's time only had a single battle were they were the primary force on point and it was quite a cleanup too. Bigger and better armed force to an extremally quick surrender before ending up doing mostly post war stuff, although I don't believe he was involved really. My other grandpa had the decorated and quite active career since he was Polish. Spent several year to that point fighting in Poland, Greece, then getting evacuated to/volunteering to fight with the British in North Africa to get up through Italy.
Good point about Blithe representing the audience. Movies and TV really delude people that just anyone can be a combat soldier. Most people can't be soldiers, and most soldiers can't be combat soldiers. And further, most combat soldiers couldn't be paratroopers. Easy company was elite. Blithe was elite before he ever jumped, and even he cracked for a while.
I mean you say that most people can't be soldiers, but yet there have been wars where massive portions of the male populace had to be conscripted for the war effort
@@cassu6 I think he means that most people are not well suited to being effective soldiers. Anyone can be given a rifle and told to go fight and die, but not many are going to be good and effective at it. Just meat for the grinder. And i would agree with him on that one.
@@cassu6 The effort, yes. Mostly to do logistical work. "In the rear, with the gear."
Once again, I feel the need to point out it's real life people. They reacted how they reacted and having a stoic "character" play up the emotions would be disingenuous and not what actually happened. When discussing people not emoting and storylines and such, please remember those real live men who actually lived through this may have relatives who might be watching you bash their actual family member.
Watching both this and the Pacific concurrently does a disservice to both, at least for a first time viewing.
The Pacific sucks compared to BoB
I would agree, there would be a constant comparison which would overshadow the strengths of each series.
@@DeltaAssaultGaming i liked the pacific more, mainly because we read the book helmet for my pillow in military college before either of the shows came out, but the continuous story line of BoB makes it a better show to watch back to back episodes
@@DeltaAssaultGaming Why people always compare everything, Pacific was a different battlefield against different enemy and the show also went for something different.
The Pacific was awesome. They are both great. I read band of brothers, with the old breed, and helmet for my pillow before the series' they are both great film interpretations.
This show always left me gutted. Superb story, characters, plot, and direction. Are you watching the interviews with the veterans of Easy Company? They made it all too real. Fantastic choice.
spoiler alert
True courage is overcoming your fear. I was listening to an interview with Blithe’s son the other day and he was really happy with the way his Dad was portrayed in BoB. Blithe was scared, but he overcame it and went on to become true soldier. Unfortunately for Blithe he couldn’t handle what he experienced in WW2 and Korea and his son said he drank himself to death. He was a few months from the end of his service when he died. So tragic.
16:09 Speaking of TWD, have you recognised Abraham in this show yet😂
Did they ever recognize Moriarty in the 2nd episode? I couldn't tell, but I was impressed they recognized Michael Fassbender right away.
@@Cookieboy70 That's cause he's a Brit.
Favorite Line: "Well hello 2nd Armored." --Lewis Nixon
Once they get to bastogne the show just hits another level
You can tell by the smocks and the brimless helmets that the troops they are fighting in the bocage fight are German paratroopers. So it's their direct equivalent they were up against, some of whom had Edelweiss flower souvenirs.
It's 'Carentan' guys.
It only gets better guys. Each episode is more special and epic then the last. And all based on true events and people.
I'm not sure if it's been said but the death of Blithe was inaccurate, he didn't die in 1948. He actually survived and volunteered for the Korean War and died in 1967 from a perforated ulcer.
The theme of this episode deals with how the reality of combat is settling in after the initial battles on D-Day. Each character that is highlighted in this episode, particularly Blithe, is coming to grips with full time, long term, exposure to the harshness and bloodiness of actual combat and battle. Each one has to come to grips with this new state of existence and push themselves through. For Welsh, it's a game metaphor, for Speier it is accepting the potential of death, for Winters it is commitment to his men and keeping them alive. Blithe is the everyman, seeing the situation and thinking what the fuck am I doing here?
FYI: that bespectacled 'non-elite' soldier at the end asking Blithe if he was okay
he spent probably many more days and weeks out on the frontline than any of the members of 'Easy' Company did.
Because paratroopers were elite and only called into action for big, decisive operations.
Meanwhile, the regular soldiers were at the front nearly all of the time.
Nothing much happening, just some artillery fire, sniper attacks.
Lose a few comrades every day, nothing big.
Your comments about fear and courage reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from ASoIAF book series:
“Bran thought about it. 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?'
'That is the only time a man can be brave,' his father told him.”
I remember the Rick Grime’s line too! “We are The Walking Dead”. That was pretty much exactly the same!
Blithe actually had a distinguished career. Being decorated for actions in WW2, and, Korea. He died on the operating table in a hospital in Germany, from a perforated ulcer, in 1967. He was a Master Sergeant at the time of his death.
So many will be saying this but just in case you missed it, Blithe actually survived and lived for decades after the end of the war. In the Blu-ray version I think they mention it at some point too, but it’s easy to Google and find out when he did actually die. Very sad they got that detail wrong, not only for Blithe but his family, too.
I’m glad you’re reacting to this show with the sombreness that it deserves. It’s not just a tv show, this all happened. My grandfather drove a flail tank up Sword beach on D-Day, I think this show and the Pacific should be shown to all generations. We cannot forget what happened and why.
I'll paraphrase Game of Thrones, "Only someone who is afraid can ever truly be brave."
Believe it or not tipper actually survived his wounds from that mortar in the building. He lived a long life!
The best part of this episode was when the Sherman's came in and everyone just got a burst of energy to just keep fighting.
HEY GUYS - you need to check out some classic WW2 films: KELLY'S HEROS - THE DIRTY DOZEN - THE BIG RED ONE - CROSS OF IRON - THE YOUNG LIONS - GERMANY YEAR ZERO (beyond good) - THE EAGLE HAS LANDED - WHERE EAGLES DARE - HORNET'S NEST - A BRIDGE TOO FAR - PATTON - THE GREAT ESCAPE
Marc Warren is a phenomenal actor. Think I first saw him in Life on Mars he nailed this episode
You’re not going to see many artistic liberties taken the when it comes to characterization just for the sake of character development or in an attempt to make the series feel more traditionally cinematic (like Tom Hank’s emotional outburst in Saving Private Ryan). This series is based off of real people and the producers wanted the show to reflect that realism.
it might not seem like it but these are the lightweight episodes. Man, I love this series so much, watch it every year
Quite a few of the actors in this series are from the United Kingdom (Damien Lewis / Winters = Welsh, Michael Fassbender / Sgt. Christenson = Irish, Mark Warren / Blithe = British, Shane Taylor / Doc Roe = British). Kinda makes me wonder how easy it is for a Brit to acquire an American accent. . . . 🙂
7:55 Blithe was affected by "hysterical blindness," which is one of the ways PTSD manifests.
12:48 I always wondered about classical English money - shillings and ha'pennies and all that. . . .
13:45 The average full-strength company numbers 200 - 220 men, depending on the kind of unit it is (infantry, engineers, etc.).
As a saying goes: "Courage is the mastery of fear, not its absence."
Most of the actors are British/Irish (it was filmed in the UK).
Pvt Janovec (Tom Hardy), Lt Harry Welsh, Pvt Liebgott, Sgt Martin, Sgt Evans, Sgt Grant, Pvt Miller (James Mcovoy), etc, etc.
I suspect giving some of them thick Southern drawls (like Blithe) actually makes it easier, because it's supposed to sound exaggerated.
I loved this book. It was soooooo good. Stephen E Ambrose really brought these men to life. And it was a fast read. Took me two days. When I found out there was a series in the works, I was giddy. The mini series didn’t disappoint. What I loved about the book and wished they had detailed more in series is how close these brave hero’s were. They knew what the other guy sounded like as he slept. What they sounded like when they were eating, their mannerisms, their actions. They knew each other as they new their own brothers. They became a family, a Band Of Brothers. I too, loved The Pacific, but, Band Of Brothers IMO is slightly better. Well, gentlemen…lots of great story left, so enjoy! Bastogne and Breaking Point are my personal favorite episodes.
A shame that ambrose takes embellishment to a whole new level. A great book but wildly inaccurate.
Thank you guys for bringing light to life with your reactions. Exorcist and hellraiser hooked me, shows like this make me come back. Points will destroy you. And this is better than the pacific obvs x
Have you given up on FIREFLY?
The 2nd SS Panzer actually put up a stiff fight around Carentan delaying the Allied breakout.
Marc Warren who was Albert Blithe has been in many British Tv shows the last 25yrs, I'll leave it to the American viewers to comment if his accent fooled them.
I had no idea he was British, so it fooled me.
A majority of the actors in this series are British/Irish.
(Blithe, Winters, Liebgott, Doc Roe, 'Babe' Heffron, Sgt Grant, Sgt Martin, Sgt Evans, Christianson, Harry Welsh, Pvt Miller, Pvt Janovec, Shifty Powers (kinda), Hubler, Penkala, Lt Dike, etc, etc)
So, there's a lot of foolin' going on!
Albert Blithe did survive the war but died at hospital stateside after the war, which was not mantioned in the episode
3:02 Ohh boy! Are they gonna be surprised!
Tipper said he didn't even feel any pain in his leg or at all at first as he walked out of the building after being hit
The true meaning of..."A Money Shot" 05:43
there is an interview with Winters where he says blithe fought in Korea and won a bronze star...
Episode 4 illustrates why you should never get attached to a single soldier...
Keep in mind that you said "I'm not prepared to get attached to another character" when you watch the pre-episode interviews on the next one.
I wonder if they realize these pre-episode interviews are the actual surviving members of Easy Company? And they will not really know who these old veterans are until the final episode?
You guys realize that none of the soldiers in this show are really "characters," right? They are all playing real people... many of whom are in the interviews at the beginning.
Blithe notification squad ASSEMBLE!
man , wait til' they get to Bastogne
Quick question. Are you going to finish Firefly?
Get ready boys it only gets better. In my opinion its the best TV Show ever made. You are in for quite a ride
Sorry to be off topic, but what happened to Firefly? Hope you haven’t given up on the series. You only had a few episodes left and then Serenity.
Very few views?
Speirs with the home truth, leave who are behind if you want to function in that environment.
New Sub here guys! I really enjoyed your reaction.. BTW Ive watched The Pacific but never watched the second time around so honestly I became more attached to Band Of Brothers because I dont even know how many times ive rewatched it. I dont know maybe because I got more attach to the BOB characters and to the way each characters band are build up throughout the series and so I was really glad you guys reacted to this amazing war mini series! Looking forward to more!
It is the BEST of all time for a reason.
The thing saying blithe died in 48 was an error that's never been fixed
This was the most expensive television program that had ever been produced at that point. Having a total budget of $125 million for the ten episodes.
look up Albert Blythe's history-he died in 1967
Saw an interview with Winters when he was an old man he said Blith survived and also fought in the Korean war and won many medals for bravery then so he made up for it later in his military career. Winters also said the episode was not fair to the man and was not true that he died.
Please be careful with spoilers! For the sake of the reactors, when commenting, don't give away who survived and who didn't. It's sufficient to just give the facts about Blithe.
What makes Dick Winters an interesting character is that he was raised as a Mennonite, which is a pacifist sect akin to the Amish. His stoicism might have been part of his upbringing that remained, but he must have been really conflicted with his sense of duty to his country & fellow soldiers.
Man, you guys have some... interesting commenters. Hope the negativity isn't getting to you guys too much. Great reaction from a great channel, keep doing your thing gentlemen.
3:15
You'll get that by the 5th Episode ;) Enjoy!
Guys, have you ever seen This Is Spinal Tap?
Lol @ “caratan”. It’s right next to you guys ffs.
The video is STILL REVERSED. Look at the signage in Carentan. It is backwards.
Copyright issues ☹️
@@CinemaRules I understand. Sorry to be the cranky old man.
The really cool thing about this series is that it was made with no big stars at the time. All the people who are now famous either got started or got big in this. I think that shows a commitment to the casting to get everything right. The single biggest star in the cast at the time was David Schwimmer (Sobel).
Please you guys, can you make the episodes a little longer? Whittling down an hour's worth of story to 12-13 minutes is agonizing! Also, you really should include the commentary from the vets that introduces each episode - it really adds a lot. Other than that, really enjoy your reactions!
What sound set up to you lads have in there?
The series just gets better. Wait for Bastogne.
I've watched maybe a dozen different reactors do this series. 18:54 is pretty short for an episode of this length. Other reactors are able to do much longer ones, which basically includes more shots and provides more opportunities to see them react, so it can be done.
Soo… when are you making The Pacific?
Gentlemen, please....its CARENTAN
ty for this vid.
Nooo the Band of Brothers brothers is far better than the Pacific.....fact
well this show is up there with the best so you dont have to worry about its level :D
Brad Pitts Fury tanks save the day!
Hope you're not skipping the intro with the interviews
Definitely not! you can see our reactions to them in our full length on Patreon, but it’s mainly us in silence because we listen carefully to those parts
Its Been like 2-3months since the last Bond...smh
Btw, love your reaction!
The end is wrong. Blithe lived and went on to fight in the Korean War.
you should do a reaction of Schindler's list after band of brothers.
Why would you leave out the opening interviews with the actual men depicted in this series? Unlike Saving Private Ryan this is a true story (and the fact that real life participants were interviewed years later should make clear to you that several characters did indeed survive the war).
Please react to the MOVIE "FURY" with Brad Pitt
If you get the chance, check out
Kilo Two Bravo
A true story about British soldiers, a perfect score on rotten tomatoes, and I am biased - I trained a few of the guys from the actual event
*Carentan
Their 1 historical cock up was that blythe lived until like 2008 or something according to history buffs ruclips.net/video/uxv3s7xTYHU/видео.html
Actually History Buffs says Blythe died in 1967
*Caratan?*
5:09
Haha.. growing tired of winters. As if.
It might be good tv but that woman at the end is so damn clueless, I really don't believe it.
you guys have the best reactions on yt. thank you for the great and entertaining content. would love to see y’all react to “the wire”. it’s the best tv show i’ve ever watched. nothing comes close tbh
Didn’t care for it at all
*Carentan*
5:15 Can someone with military training explain to my why they do things like charge down the open road when there's tall grass on either side of said road? Seems like volunteering to bottleneck your own soldiers.
Hit'em hard and hit'em fast before they can bring up reinforcements. Crawling slowly through the grass would allow them to pick off your men methodically, one by one. Also, when they started up the road, they did not know there was a German machine gun position in the house. If one knows about an enemy machine gun position, it is best to attack it with mortars, tanks or artillery instead of a frontal assault. But a lot of the time you don't find out about them until you have already committed to a course of action.
@@jamesdarnell8568 Boy, I never could've been a private. I couldn't have stopped myself saying 'of course they have an mg42 or something that can cover a long street and all they way out of town, why wouldn't they?'
Anyway I still think it would've been better to assume that was the case.
Picking them off one by one? At least they would have had to aim. And no, I wouldn't have had them crawl.
I should probably find out exactly how the attack went down irl.
@@VivianDarkbloom1 Note that in Episode 2, they attacked the guns at Brecourt Manor, accomplished their task, and then retreated. They left the machine gun nests for the tank and mortar crews to take care of.
Also, the paratroopers were trained to an insanely high level compared to regular infantry (which made up a large portion of the U.S. Army).
I guess it's like the military training from the revolutionary and civil wars, where the soldiers just line up in front of each other and both sides fire upon one another. How smart was that tactic back then?
Funny you call them “characters” when they were real people
@doom perfectly correct to you, but not up someone who was in the military.
@doom “lol”. Did you really “laugh out loud”, really? I won’t argue with you, you have a great day
Damien Lewis who plays "Winters" is great in the Series "Homeland" and also " Billions" please consider for reactions to these series
what a brilliant series that is. Wouldn't be made now IMO.
Obligatory Blithe Did Not Die in 1948 comment here