History Professor Breaks Down Band of Brothers Ep. 5 "Crossroads" / Reel History
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- Reel History delves into historical films to separate fact from fiction. These engaging episodes explore, contextualize, and clarify stories related to the most famous historical movies. In contrast to the more prevalent "reaction" videos, these installments seek not only to entertain but to educate and inform.
For host Jared Frederick and video editor Andrew Collins, these Reel History episodes are a labor of love and a means of expressing passion for the past as well as cinema. Courteous viewer feedback is always welcomed. Contact information for the hosts is available on the homepage.
HBO's 2001 series Band of Brothers brought television to a whole new level. Produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, it brought cinema quality story telling and production to the small screen and has become a classic historical mini series for many.
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credit for the elevator music - www.bensound.com
as your Grandfather was in Luxembourg back then, and it is where I live, you might enjoy this little anecdote.
when our Nation was liberated, American soldiers drove through the city, being celebrated.
one unknown soldier stopped next to my grandmother who held a new-born baby (my mom).
the soldier asked what the Baby's name is and my Grandparents answered that under German occupation, they were forced to give her a German Name, so the Baby was called Margarete.
"Maggy!" the American soldier exclaimed. Which is how we call my mother to this day.
What an excellent story! Thanks for sharing.
Love it
Back in the 80's when I was in high school my history teacher told a story of how he was captured by a tank during the Battle of the Bulge.
One of my dad's favorite movies, mine as well, was/is Battleground which also about the 101st during the bulge.
Can't say enough how much I enjoy watching your videos....and the history you provide.
Battleground is one of my favorites!
Me too. People ask me about my favorite older WW2 movies and I always say Battleground, and a hard to find movie called The Victor's, with a very young George Papard and George Hamilton.
That is one of my favorites as well. Especially the B&W version which is grittier than the colorized version.
@@ericharmon7163 Another one is the 1945 movie GI Joe with Robert Mitchum and Burgess Meredith who plays Ernie Pyle in the movie. It also has the 10th Mountain Division who were on their way to the Pacific. Eisenhower called the best war movie at that time.
i want to know more about your teachers time as a POW by a tank lol
The historical context and background you provide is absolutely amazing - seeing a beloved miniseries from a different angle and in a different light!
My favorite episode is Bastogne, but the ending to crossroads is my absolute favorite scene
Congrats on hitting 500 subscribers. I'm happy to be one of them.
I've watched several reaction/reviews of this series by other content creators and what you guys bring to the table is unique.
Thanks for teaching me even more about these stories that I already found fascinating
Glad to have you with us! We hope to keep growing the channel and the quality here.
19:35 I can't see Tom Hanks in this scene, but isn't that Colin Hanks on the far left of the group facing camera? Colin Hanks, who of course plays Lt Jones, who does not appear until episode 8, "The Last Patrol," so why is he also in this scene?
Thank you for all your work, mr. Frederick. As a professional teacher and guide, I love how you unravel all the details.
Has it ever been established what SS unit Winters attacked? As far as I’ve read, the vast majority of Waffen ss grenadier units were concentrated against the British at Arnhem
The answer is obscure and complex.
The German battalion encountered by E/506th on 5 October at the 'crossroads' was a mixed ad hoc battlegroup (kampfgruppe) called Kampfgruppe 'Hansmann' under the command of SS-Sturmbannführer Otto Hansmann, an officer from XII.SS-Armeekorps. This Korps headquarters had recently transferred from the Eastern Front (I think it was in the Kurland pocket) to the Netherlands, where it took command of the Divisions Kampfgruppe von Tettau made up of training and replacement units in the Wehrmacht Befehlshaber Niederlande (WBN), the German occupation forces that had previously fought British 1st Airborne Division west of Arnhem, and the newly arrived 363.Volksgrenadier-Division mentioned by Colonel Sink (Dale Dye) in the episode.
All I can find on the constituent elements of the battlegroup is a posting on a German military web forum, but the elements are familiar from the battle of Arnhem, so their provenance makes sense to me. As posted in the forum, the gliederung (organisation) was:
Teile SS-Korps-Nachr.Abt.112
5.Kp./SS-Pz.Gren.Ers./Ausb.Btl.4
Teile der 84.ID (Art.Reg.184??)
Teile Schiffsstamm-Abt.10
Teile Fj.Ers./Ausb.Div.
Translated, this is:
Part of SS-Korps Signals Battalion 112
5th Company SS-Panzergrenadier Replacement and Training Battalion 4
Part of the 84th Infantry Division (Artillery Regiment 184??)
Part of Ships Reception Battalion 10
Part of Parachute Replacement and Training Division
If you want me to expand on any of this, I can do so - these are all familiar elements, but with complex histories, left over from the battle of Arnhem (Operation 'Market') which had ended on 26 September. The German diversionary attacks across the River Rijn, including Hansmann's, were conducted on the night of 5 October.
These diversionary attacks were coordinated with a major counter-offensive conducted further east by II.SS-Panzerkorps (10.SS-Panzer, 9.Panzer-Division, and 116.Panzer-Divisions) designed to retake the Nijmegen bridges, but they all failed and the front line remained static all through the Winter months. The 9.SS-Panzer-Division had already left for Germany by this time in a planned withdrawal to Germany for a refit that was delayed by the Airborne attack.
The XII.SS-Armeekorps and 363.Volksgrenadier-Division had been brought in to reinforce the Arnhem area and prevent any further Allied progress, and all attempts to reach the Arnhem bridge by ground forces (Operation 'Garden') were finally abandoned on 7 October, and Montgomery ordered the bridge to be bombed to deny its use by the Germans. By turning this area into a backwater, Montgomery could withdraw British units needed for a new operation through the Reichswald from Nijmegen called 'Gatwick', but the need to open Antwerp first caused this to be cancelled until the new year, when it was revived as Operation 'Veritable'.
Very good question, and I hope I've been able to shed some light. Obviously only one company and the comms detachment were actually SS, and the Heer, Kriegsmarine, and Luftwaffe were also represented, so it was a real mixed bag. Possibly the SS prisoner who claimed to be "Polish" was from XII.SS-A.K. that had been fighting in Poland, so this may have inspired an attempted ruse, or perhaps there really had been a few Poles in the SS? I have no idea.
These videos are wonderful
Like your truthful and researched videos. I was getting tired of watching WWII film reaction videos from people in their 20s.
Comments like:
During D-Day: "Where are the Soviets to help us out?"
Bazooka takes out a German halftrack: "Blew up that Humvee!"
Upham in SPR: "He is such a coward!" Grrrr..
The two main thoughts I have in reading and studying WWII are:
"The Fog of War." and
"A soldier making the ultimate sacrifice for one's country."
Thank you for your videos, try are very interesting. I feel like I'm back in the classroom at University.👍
Moose giving Winters his Jump Wings and his sidearm when he was terribly wounded is that no one trusted the doctors and medics (not their own combat medics) not to steal their stuff.
"We're supposed to be surrounded"
I think I watched Tom Hanks in an interview before where he said something like he can act in almost anything without really caring to much about the film but if he is directing then he really takes it to heart and he doesn’t find many projects to work on. Band of Brothers was a massive Labour of love for him by all accounts. You can see that in the way he is credited in creation, writing, editing...
So thankful for Hanks and Spielberg without their dedication and love for movies/ history we wouldn’t have BoB, GK, or The Pacific. The success of saving Private Ryan is the reason why we have all three of those war HBO miniseries. Thank goodness! ❤
Colonel Sink: How would you feel about a running a Battalion?
Captain Winters: Well yes, but also no......
Not a easy decision to give up Easy Company after so much time with them
I wish he would’ve declined the offer. He knows he loves easy company. He’s such a good leader I love the scene after replacement Julian gets killed on combat patrol (Bastogne) he comes and sits down next to Babe Hefron and the guys just to hangout and his presence alone makes them feel a little bit better. Small detail but it shows how much he cares about his men.
@@garyhardison9265⬆️see above comment
when you mentioned your grandfather serving in the 4thID my ears perked up. My Dad landed at Utah and was hit with shrapnel on the way to Cherbourg. After recovering in England, came back in time for the liberation of Paris, then was severely wounded in Huertgen Forest Nov 11. Turns out that artillery shell may have saved his life as he missed the Battle of the Bulge. Great job enriching this epic mini-series.
Wow. My great uncle was wounded in the Huertgen as well. That battle is one of the most interesting to me. Not many really know about it. The death factory. I hope to visit one day. I thank your grandfather. That place was a true hell.
My paternal grandfather was a tail gunner in a B-17 in the “mighty 8th”. He ended up catching pneumonia and was subsequently grounded until he healed, the next time his plane went up, while he was still recovering on the ground, the tail of his plane was shot off. My maternal grandfather could not bring himself to kill another human an was diagnosed with what I was told was “Sgt. York syndrome”, and cycled back to the states. He was state side when he learned his group , I don’t remember if it was his company or platoon, was completely wiped out on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. He felt so bad he ended out in a mental hospital for a while.
& my great uncle lost a couple toes in the battle of the bulge.
I was always afraid to ask if it was from frostbite or disease of some sort or from some sort of blast
How Major Winters could run so fast carrying a set of giant balls is beyond me. The "Crossroads"....one of the combat sites that's still mostly intact today (2021). Great video series...thanks.
I saw on an interview he said he was 2 football fields from his nearest ally, all he could think was why is everyone moving so slow?
He slung them over his shoulder
Never skipped leg day with the cast-iron onions.
Adrenaline is one hell of a drug
😂😂
In the early 2000's I sat next to a gentleman at a business lunch in his 80's. He was ww2 artillery manning coms receiving air strike coordinates from the front line. The line was cut and he went out to repair it enabling continued air strikes saving the infantry. Sometime later he learned the soldier calling in the coordinates was his brother.
I have seen this series many times but I enjoy your breakdown and have learned more about Easy Company!
Me too BoB and The Pacific once each per year. I hope he makes new Pacific breakdowns sine the old ones got taken down
I think this episode had one of the best lines of the series, when, I think Rice tells Winters, they're going to be cut off and surrounded, Winter replies, "We're paratroopers, we're supposed to be surrounded".
A bit late to comment but the message about only having 500 subscribers amazed me, I found this channel yesterday at 70k and assumed these videos would have had way more at the time they were produced, Great work.
Thanks. Never would have imagined our hobby would have had this success
12:30 As an arm-chair expert, I think that this episode also shows the advantage the M1-Garand gave to the Americans, enabling the Americans to lay down withering aimed fire in spite of their small numbers.
Patton called it the best weapon of the war.
Funny enough this gets recreated pretty well in a game called Hell Let Loose. There have been so many times myself and just a few other rifleman have been able to completely pin a larger German advance because we can rapidly engage targets with a high rate of fire. That’s a video game, I can’t imagine what it was like on the receiving end in real life.
Good point
Bolt action slow as hell perfectly showcased in the scene where Doc Roe and Babe Hefron accidentally fall into a german foxhole that had a small tarp roof on top and the german soldier missed all 3 shots cuz he had to take the time to draw the bolt back. If he had a Garand then Babe and Doc Roe would have been cut down for sure.
@@wattsnottaken1 I love the video (Lock 'n Load s1ep11) where Gunny (R. Lee Ermey) compares the USA rifles with the British rifle for WW1 and WW2. At first they compare the WW1 Springfield and the SMLE: the SMLE was clearly the better weapon. But then they compared the WW2 Garand with that same SMLE...
The difference was astounding. The Garand was more than twice as fast.
The best BOB reaction on youtube. Informative, educational and entertaining. Ive watched the series a dozen times and i learn something new everytime i watch your videos. Well done.
Thank you!
I think this episode is the real standout of the series in terms of direction. Lots of great moments, but I think the most powerful scene is Winters' ride on the metro, where as the lights flash on and off he has flashbacks of combat. Hanks really did a great job.
Didn’t Winters later say the Crossroads was the last time he fired his weapon?
Yup.
He got moved up the chain of command, so he was never really in a position to fire his weapon again
Nixon never fired a weapon throughout the war
Correct.
My grandpa served in an Infantry company in France in 1944. He went in just after D-Day. He talked with me about his experiences as I was growing up. He was involved in alot of very close fire fights. He carried an M1 Garand rifle. He told me his whole squad carried nothing but armor piercing 30-06 ammo. The Germans they did take prisoner bitched about them using that ammo. The POW's said they couldn't hide from it. My grandpa was shot in the head by a sniper one evening. He remembered a soldier walking by his foxhole to get everyone's canteens to fill them up. Then he was hit and went black. The sniper was immediately spotted and taken out with a BAR. The sniper was a French female civilian, pissed off at our guys and helping the Germans. It's not talked about too much, but some of the French civilians were not happy with all of the deaths our bombing caused to them. My grandpa did survive. He did loose a chunk of his skull. He was taken to a hospital where he was in a coma for 2 weeks. When he woke up, he asked a nurse what day it was. It was his birthday ! He finished up the war in England, guarding German POW's. He was very proud of his dress greens and showed them to me often. He told me he had a Luger he had brought home with him, but later sold it for $35 ! When he got married. My grandpa hated Germans his whole life. Anytime I was at his house and a German was on TV or someone even mentioned them, he would swear and cuss. He carried that hatred to his grave. I enlisted in the 38th Infantry when I turned 18. It was the same unit my Grandma was in. He was so proud when he seen me in my uniform, with the same red and blue "CY" patch on my shoulder that was on his dress greens. My Dad had the same patch on his uniform too. And my youngest son just finished his enlistment with our unit. But anyway, I thought I'd share this kinda unusual story. One more story, which always makes me laugh- I really got into firearms as I was growing up. So I was always asking my Grandpa questions about the different weapons used during the war. I was thinking about getting an M1 carbine for my collection. So I asked him his opinion of that little rifle. He looked at me and loudly let out "The only ones I ever seen were wrapped around trees !". Grandpa went on to Tell me everyone in his squad carried the Garand. Even the ones that could carry the carbine if they wanted to. I know some soldiers did like the M1 carbine. But he sure let me know his feelings on that subject.
I really wish they did a series about the Korean War.
I needed this video 20 years ago when I first watched this series. I've had soo many questions I've needed answering for years now. Thank you 🙏
History ,
Buck Compton went to UCLA and played catcher for the baseball team with Jackie Robinson
My recollection from the Ambrose book is that Winters looked out and didn't see any Germans observing their position. Standard U.S. army doctrine was generally that you were supposed to move forward until you made contact with the enemy. Therefore Winters felt he didn't have any choice. In hindsight Winters said it was inexcusable soldiering on the German's part that they weren't keeping an eye on their position. It would also explain why Winters was not decorated. Because theoretically he was just doing what he was supposed to do, even though it was still brave and very well executed. Again, that is just what I recall from the Ambrose book.
I implore you to watch "When Trumpets Fade" if you haven't already. Does anyone add an "S" to the end of your name?
P.S.
Winters went Super Saiyan
Were bringing on a hurtgen expert for that one!
Great job! I lived in The Netherlands for 15 years and have hit most of the historical sites from WWII, but I never looked up the crossroads. My bad.
I stumbled across this and two mins in I stopped it, came straight to the channel to watch them all. On a side note, in the scene that Tom Hanks is in, the motto shouted by the British paras was the correct motto.
Waho Mohammed
Thank you. "Crossroads" is my favorite episode as well. The focus on Winters and his tactics in the field is fascinating, and the actor has never been better. I, too, liked to see the wheels turning in his head when he realized there was only one rational choice for them. "Crossroads" is the best episode and you are the first person I've found who agrees with me.
great job I've watch the BoB series twice but after Ep. 3 of your break down I had to go buy it. it is so well done I know I will watch it again and again.
God, I’d love to sit and actually watch this series with you. I’m literally a fiend for information such as you interpose within these episodes. Combat, and all things encompassed: brotherhood, rage, love, forgiveness, physics, weaponry, battlefield strategy & tactics, an endless amalgam of topics and conversation pieces.
I suggest you review the Band of Brothers podcasts with Roger Bennett for more details about each of the episodes with at least one of the actors.
You mention the 28th division as the unit that took a beating in the Ardennes. In my fathers written recollection of this time it's the 424th regiment of the 106th division that took a beating and was ultimately surrounded. Is that a separate circumstance or is one of the recollections incorrect? He had been recovering from being shot and they sent him as a replacement to that unit.
There were many units overrun at that time. The 28th was the one that encountered easy co.
I’m surprised you didn’t mention much of Dukeman. He was an original member of easy company and had been there since Toccoa.
Hard to cover it all!
Exactly!
Our experiences in Bastogne is proof positive that history does, can, has and will repeat itself.
Our soldiers were under armed and under supplied.. they were cold and miserable living in the foxholes and the few random sheds and such they were able to use for shelter.
In 1777-1778 our soldiers experienced very similar conditions in Valley Forge.
To be fair this happens most of the time when war is waged in winter. Which is why through history, many peoples essentially had an agreement that no one wanted to fight in winter and continued fighting in the warmer months.
Like you said, the bulge front was many miles wide, battles like Parkers crossroads, Lanzerath ridge and Malmady and many other heroic men and battles took place all along the front! I was fortunate enough to get a tour of the northern bulge area with Reg Jans.. a very wonderful local historian.
Every year starting on D Day I watch through Band of Brothers and I watch your breakdown before each episode. Great series and thank you for your passion to honor the Greatest Generation!
When I was in college getting my history degree back in 2010. my professor (Army Reservist LT. Colonel who’d done a tour in Iraq) was discussing flame throwers as the critical/symbolic weapon of what combat in the Pacific was. I asked him what was the equivalent was for Europe, half expecting tanks. He said, Artillery and said watch this episode of Band of Brothers and use a stop watch from when the fire for effect order is given to when the first shell lands, that’s how good American Artillery was by fall 1944.
And later on, although we don’t see it until deep into Bastogne, why the Hurtgen Forest was such a bloody nightmare because artillery would cause massive splinters from all the trees to shred everything in its path.
Oh the Hurtgen....it may be a bit, but stay tuned to our channel. We have some serious Hurtgen content coming.
My uncle Reed was in the 4th Infantry from Utah Beach through the Bulge. Silver Star.
Great channel, great videos. I hope you will expand to other historical movies. I subscribed after seeing a few of your videos.
Jimmy Fallon ain't the first. I'm a Teamster in the film industry. Thirty years ago I recall we spent several days trying to teach an actor I won't name to ride a chopper rented from an Oakland HA. All he had to do was ride away from the curb. Eventually ropes were tied to the forks, he was pulled into the street and the sound of the shovelhead dubbed in!
I had read somewhere that the reason the German kid was getting up off the ground was he and Winters both threw grenades, the kid's exploded but missed Winters, Winters did not explode because he forgot to unwrap the tape he used as a safety hence the suprised look on the kid's face. True?
Neither grenade exploded, aside from them leaving out the grenades, the series is pretty spot on with this engagement.
@@ReelHistory Neither? Wow. What are the odds of that? Winters was just flat out blessed. Thank you.
26:53, "Paris was liberated from the allies" .... whoops lol
When the soldiers walk into the forest of Bastogne, I always see the damndest thing I ever saw. Hero’s, all.
The 82nd doesn’t get it’s justified credit either. In one engagement by the 1/508 against a SS Bn, which they decimated, General Gavin said it was the finest action of American Assault he ever saw.
22:12 We still sang that cadence when I joined in 2014.
And now we've since lost PFC Freeman, the last surviving member of Easy Company.
Tom Hanks has a cameo in the celebration by the Red Devils. He is at the back left, behind another Red Devil soldier. It is VERY BRIEF.
Does anyone know what the reason for the smoke canisters at the start of the charge?
Also, one difference between the show and the actual event is Winters men opened up with 3 machine guns before and during the charge to keep the Germans' heads down. As mentioned, Easy company charged in three columns separated by the machine gun firing lines.
Edit: Found out the smoke was just the signal to charge to ensure everyone started at once and didn't really have another purpose. Seemed like the Germans may have seen the smoke and been tipped off as to the charge but obviously that didn't happen.
This was the first episode I saw, back when it was first on basic cable on the History Channel, watching it with my dad and brothers. The memories!
Absolutely love these insights and your book. While I never met Dick Winters, I have visited his grave in Hershey and collected many autographs, photos, and a few mementos from a recent trip to Taccoa. I hope to have all made into a shadow box soon. We must remember the bravery of these men and all like them who have come when the country called.
I feel for Moose.... I forget my passwords all the time :(
Dukeman was the same man who asked Lt. Meehan a question in the D-Day briefing.
@26M45S, In the middle of WW II, _”Paris was liberated from the allies”_ ??
I don’t think that is EXACTLY correct.
_”liberated from the Axis”_ or _”liberated BY the Allies”_ would be better.
Very haunting how the German Soldier Winters had to kill was just a teenager. Just my thought
By the way Winter's hometown is Ephrata, not Lancaster. He is buried just outside his hometown as you probably know. In the book "The Biggest Brother" he talks about growing up there.
Strange but it's become one of my favorite episodes also. When I first watched the series I thought it was a bit slower than the others and didn't really grab me. But as I've re-watched the series (many times mind you) it's just fantastic as are all of the other episodes. True heroes and they weren't called the Greatest Generation for nothing!
I think the comments about the 'shame' of the broken troops is a nice bit of foreshadowing, both in the series and in Winters own words. None of them had any real idea about what they were about to walk into. Seeing them was the start of the downward slope to rock bottom.
I think this is my second favorite episode of the series, the first being episode 2. Man Winters was an amazing guy. I wish I was a miniscule fraction of the leader that guy was.
28th inf div..... Bloody Bucket.....Pennsylvania National Guard
Chosen Company 3-121 infantry “Hurtgen Bastards” is the sister company of my company Able Company 3-121 infantry “Pathfinders”.
This was the 28th? I thought it was the 106th A green unit that was ran over by the Germans. Put on what was thought a "quite" sector of the front to gain experience. Were am I wrong?
Both are right. The German offensive was on a wide front. The American Divisions and opponents were (from north to south):
99th Infantry Div
You deserve more than 500 or a thousand subs
I don't mind if you guys put ads on your video for a little help
Well thanks!
Alright I feel like after bingeing 8 videos back to back its time to sub, great work
The soke sihnal and delay always seemed wrong to me. Wintersd loojs wrecklwss like colonel "H" inthe Falklnds battle of Goose Green.
Pegasus" was cde nams of the bridgw over thw Caen Canal on D Day. The first battle, done by glider troops.
I thought it was interesting when that LT got shot on the railroad tracks. That doc Roe chewed out the Officers.
The book was written by an officer who was there. Read Winter's book. Nothing like being there.
While historically accurate, I thought the show lost something when dick winters was promoted; funny how the man himself thought he was meant for a different purpose
Thanks. It's interesting, but please stop blurring the background. I really don't want to see you, but the scene. Only your voice and picture at the intro and end. Thanks.
Can't, it'll get taken down for copyright infringement immediatly and you won't be able to see anything at all.
After watching both Band of Brothers and The Pacific, I am surprised on how little the BAR shows up or the Grease Gun. Never a scoped variant of a 1903 or an M1 Garand either(I know these were less common). We see a lot of maneuvering with the M1919 .30 Cal machine guns, but never use of a BAR as a light machine gun. Doesn't make perfect sense to me.
It’s funny. Major Dick Winters fought at Normandy, Battle of the Bulge, Bastogne, Market Garden, led the Brecourt Manor Assault and was in charge of taking Hitler’s Eagles Nest. He fought all over Germany & Holland, yet he left WWII with ONLY five medals, how is this fair? Whereas General Mark Miley (Joint Chiefs of Staff) a man who has NEVER seen combat, has a chest full of medals, from his elbow, all the way up to his shoulder blade! When I was in the Army, we called those types of medals “Been There” medals. You didn’t have to do anything special to get one of those medals, you just had to show up.
FU YT....why do many damn commercials!!!! I will never buy a product advertised on YT!!!! EVER
I don't agree with your assessment of Winters being a statue-like leader throughout the series (from 29:05). All through the series, he puts himself out there, even his admonishment of Compton for gambling with the men shows an empathic side of Winters for his men. His acknowledgment of his NCOs after the "mutiny" also shows a human side, helping them into the plane on D-Day etc. Speirs was more someone i would describe as statue-like; he enjoyed playing to the rumours, true or not, just to invigorate his man, a different outlook/style (way of leading) to what Winters took. Winters showed great care about his men, while not compromising his leader/follower role. His men respected him because he cared, not only because he was competent (The Last Patrol proves this once and for all). Anyway, just my opinion in a sea of opinions, i am sure.
What a fucking great series.
The different state of mind is called "Going into the black". It's a common term used today for us in combat training. The military definition of going into the black is "You freeze or you go Rambo". Both are not good but if you go Rambo, you most likely will die or if you are lucky you could become a Medal of Honor recipient. You are trained to never go alone. That's just the short and sweet of it.
Montgomery still had the 82/101 seving as regular infantry after his plan fell on it's ass as Sink said. Which without much tanks or artillery was disasterous. He was ass - repeatedly,doesn't show for his own disaster then leaves GIs there also. Truthfully Marshall should have given IKE and earful for letting him do it. IKE didn't publicaly blast Bernard as he didn't want to display a crack in the alliance to either the Gerries or more so to the emerging Soviet threat
Another interesting thing about that engagement as the crossroads is it perfectly illustrates how and why the M1 Garand was so effective. Being able to fire clip after clip like that would be practically impossible with a manually operated firearm, they're just too slow. When the rest of Easy came up behind him and all opened up at once you can see how the American rifle squad functioned in the second world war, and why every nation that could afford it quickly adopted their own self-loading rifles.
I think it's amazing that Winters didn't get killed. He was a true leader. He was in the front of charges.
@Ms Bliss We could use him in the USA right now. In the White House.
BTW, the Brits didn’t ‘get defeated’ so much as ‘not relieved’ at Arnhem. They were effectively massacred and the survivors fought to a standstill, before the main force, at the far side of ‘the bridge too far’ in central Arnhem, surrendered having run out of ammunition.
It was the remnants of the part of the force that had been dropped too far to the west, having been unable to break through to bolster the troops at the bridge, who were now themselves stranded on the far side of the Rhine, having themselves run out of ammunition and been unable to get resupply, who were the subject of the rescue described here.
This is such a great series. Band of Brothers is a very memorable series and your videos add an amazing amount of depth and detail. Thanks!
Thank you!
There are only 2 types of leaders, Respected or Liked and you cant have both! Respected means a little fear, Liked means less respect, if your going to comment just think about both sides first because I will tear apart your thinking.
I like your breakdown BUT you need to show longer sections of the clips!
When he did these videos, he only had a couple of hundred subscribers. RUclips can be harsh on reactors that don't have a lot of subscribers. He had to edit this way or get a strike or worse, taken down.
I mean, I have this series on DVD, Blu Ray, and can watch it anytime I want online...
This is a reaction channel, not free HBO in your local Holiday Inn...
"Jesus captain, they're SS"(starts trophy taking)
Even Winters did it. He would send cut off insignia to his "adopted" sister from the Barnes family.
@@ericharmon7163 good shit
Crazy that you guys did this video series at less than 500 subscribers. Fantastic insights.
2:22 the split second you see the tip of that long, hard BAYONET you know some one is charging the enemy! Not hard to evaluate.
I think in episode 2 when Winters pulls out his compass and gets under his jacket to read a map and declares they are XXX kilometers away from their objective. Were they really using kilometers for distance in the early 40's?
Good question, and sorry I only just saw this comment. It is my understanding that the Allies agreed to use the metric system for coordination of indirect fire and such. I imagine that the training in the use of kilometers was drilled pretty hard and was used quite frequently. Plus it just makes sense to use kilometers when fighting in a country covered in signs using that measurement.
A good example of the AMS (Army Map Service) map is the Arnhem map that was used by British 1st Airborne at Arnhem, and the US 101st Airborne during the period of the 'crossroads' incident.
The map can be downloaded from: www.oudestafkaarten.nl/images/Grote%20Oorlogskaarten/06-NW-Arnhem-1944.jpg
The grid reference for the 'crossroads' is 623753 in kilometre grid square 62-75, and the Easy Company CP was in the barn located inside the acute angle of the road junction at 610750. For orientation, the Germans had crossed the river using the Renkum ferry, and they were firing the heavy machine-gun on a fixed line to guide their troops south in the direction of "Battalion CP" (according to Lewis Nixon), which at the time I believe was in Zetten.
@@ReelHistory It makes sense in that the maps available to them would have been reprints using the measurement of maps produced in the source countries. 'Translating' the maps could have led to errors. During the cold war, the allies certainly produced their own maps, leading to satellite mapping, google maps and other such services today. There is an interesting story of Russian maps of Western Europe and the UK that were secretly produced, having had details important to the military (bridge capacities and widths etc) that could only be the result of in person surveys. These maps were found by collectors in the immediate post soviet era who raced to acquire them.
Stop the hyperbole any company of the 2/2 AIF Battalion In WW2 from 1941 TO 1945
when the last episode finishes we have the impression they are retreating from Nuenen about 34miles/55 km south of where they are in this episode one month later and captain Nixen is mentioning how they should take Antwerp which is even further back am I missing some details or were there some editing mishaps?
I would love to see you review The Lost Battalion.
I would like to read more about Shifty Powers. If I recall correctly, he died in 2009 without any fanfare. His story of the pitted M1 is one of my favorite stories from "The Band of Brothers."
You're not addressing, nor does anyone else in the comments, while here's heavy fighting going on but the d*** report has to be written.
Your insights are most appreciated. Well done.
Professor, you really need to let the segments run a little more, and talk a smidgen less. You’re too often interrupting as opposed to adding insights… good series but again a bit too chatty. Quieter on patrol!
According to the book, George Rice made a total of 5 trips back and forth to bring ammo to the troops going in to Bastogne, the last through enemy lines both ways.
I don't understand how close Winters came to be shot when Moose was hit. Could Winters have been shot instead of Moose?
ITS A MIRACLE THAT THEY SURVIVED BATTLE OF THE BULGE AND PATTON SHOWED UP AFTER MARCHING 100 MILES AND WENT INTO BATTLE WITH 101sr BATTLING BASTARDS OF BASTONG. BASTONG STILL HAS A YEARLY CELEBRATION ABOUT WHAT THE 101st DID FOR THEIR TOWN AMEN 🙏
14:12 Strange!? More like unforgiving on the part of the US ARMY CONSIDERING that the only MOH received by a US Soldier of the 101st airborne division during the Normandy Campaign was that Lt. Corneal on June 12th, 1944........WHO LEAD A BAYONET CHARGE!!!
Maybe someone should petition CONGRESS to give LT.Winters the MOH posthumously!
My favorite episode in the whole series. Tom did kncok it out of the park directing