“ No member of the 101st Airborne has ever agreed that the division needed to be ‘rescued’. “ I always loved that quote at the ending of the Bastogne Episode
Interesting takes. I still love the 1965 Battle of the Bulge film because it was Hollywood entertainment and maybe propaganda for how the battle was fought and won. You can't go wrong with that stellar cast.
Battleground is my all time favorite movie. Absolutely authentic and the guys look dirty and cold and have no idea what is happening or where they are. Some battle fatigue is shown and how replacements are treated by the veterans. All around fantastic movie.
Every December 16th since I was little, I delve into all materials relating to the Bulge. I am so excited to see this video posted as an acknowledgement of a truly significant day in our history. Your channel is an inspiration and serving as a "kick in the backside" for me to perhaps pursue something involving my true passion.
I have to agree with your choices of "Band of Brothers" and "Battleground" being the best depictions of the battle of the bulge. Reading about the battle in a number of books tells you about the many small skirmishes that fleeing American troops were involved with in a delaying action until help could arrive helped to actually slow the German advance enough for the 101st Airborne to arrive and reinforce the Bastogne perimeter and then seeing the action in those 2 movies is pretty close to what happened. I almost forgot about the other movies mentioned but yes they were definitely not as good, to put it mildly.
I haven't even finished watching this episode and I am grateful I tuned in. I just watched Battleground (1949) what an excellent movie. Of course, I love Band of Brothers, which I have almost memorized. Thank you.
I think as a general rule, any movie with the words "Battle of the Bulge" in the title is not a historical movie. The 1965 movie (starring Henry Fonda and Robert Shaw) is very entertaining, but contains very little history, which I think does a disservice to everyone involved in the real thing. My 'favourite' moment is when Robert Shaw's character is introduced to a nice shiny model of an American post-war M47 Patton tank as the "new Tiger", which perfectly telegraphs to the audience that they are going to be treated to a whole battalion of real M47 Patton tanks in the later action sequences. Important point to note in the battle is that the SS units in 6.Panzerarmee heading for Antwerp did not make as much progress as the flanking Army units in 5.Panzerarmee further south heading for Brussels. This was because the SS-Divisions tended to use their recon battalions as additional battlegroups, while their Army counterparts used theirs in the proper recon role, bypassing centres of resistance like Bastogne, to be invested by the follow-up Volksgrenadier and Panzergrenadier Divisions, and almost reaching the River Meuse before running out of fuel and supplies. Hope y'all shared a bottle of wine and toasted yourselves with the words "best job I've ever had!"
I just finished reading Kershaw's "The Longest Winter" about the 99th ID, 394th Reg. I&R Platoon's stand at Lanzerath, Belgium on the 16th where 22 men held up an entire German infantry battalion for over 10 hours before being captured. That story, done right, could be a combination of BoB and Stalag 17.
As some others have said, I’m glad you mentioned Battleground. I always liked that film A great resource for reading about the Battle of the Bulge is Antony Beevor’s ‘Ardennes 1944’. A really comprehensive read for anyone who wants to get an in depth understanding of the whole campaign. I work for a Belgian company and had the opportunity to drive down through Liege to Bastogne. It was like traveling through the pages of the book I’d just read with a lot of familiar names of towns I’d read about. Thanks for your work
You can say that "Battle of the Bulge" was horrible but don't ya go dissin my man Charles Bronson! 🤨🙂 The part that cracks me up the most is the ending credits where you get an aerial fly over shot of the burning and abandoned tanks with smoke pouring back into them. The film was played backwards!
not "of", but "near" both geographically and chronologically is a film that HBO produced called 'When Trumpets Fade'. it depicts similar winter conditions, and a seemingly hopeless battle (seen from both sides). I could call this both the Best and Worst film about the Battle of Huertgenwald, for there are accuracies, and inaccuracies. just throwing this one into the mix, as the B of H is often overlooked by history, often overshadowed by the 'larger' events of the Battle of the Bulge. i often wonder if the 28th Division out of Pennsylvania still feels sore about that- i know i sure would. and hey: i simply love your channel. cheers to you and your team for spreading knowledge. i would eagerly sign up for your classes, if i could. my urge to know more about the Battle of the Bulge led me to spend Christmas in Bastogne, and to get mud on my boots in the Bois Jacques. i can confirm that it is a *very* quiet place today. the silence is roaring in that space, if that makes any sense.
Andrew here (personal Account) thanks for the kind words. Also, Jared's grandfather was in the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest. BIG things in the works for not only "When Trumpets Fade" but other productions as well. Stay Tuned!
For the Crème de la crème of bad Battle of the Bulge movies, watch Company of Heroes. I'll sell try to sell you on it really quick "The Nazis have an Atom bomb" Its real bad
All of you looked great sat in front of the Sherman 👍 To my eyes Jared, Jonathan, Ethan and Josh you all looked the part and I could imagine any of you fitting in well in the cast of Band of Brothers. I agree with your verdicts and as much as I would love to see a movie that accurately portrays the battle being made I can’t see it happening for a few years, Hollywood is all superhero movies right now although the public will get fed up of them eventually. Have a great Christmas I look forward to your next video 👍
Thank you for your videos. Having the Sherman tank there was great. I like the armour from all sides during the war. I have a photo of me standing next to a Stug 111 that was recovered from a Russian River and repaired. Huge in size and armor thickness and it had the side plates. Awesome day for me. My father was a Sea Bee during WW2 stationed on Bougainville Island in the Pacific. He also went Regular Navy and was on a ship off Korea and on the USS America aircraft carrier in 1968 during the Viet Nam War. Very proud of my Dad. Sadly he passed in 2002. Thank you again for your videos.
One thing i don't understand in Band of Brothers, especially about the battle of the bulge is, how the wounded couldn't get evacuated but Toye, Compton and Guarnere for example could after the bombing of bastogne happened.
Patton's 3rd Army broke through to Bastogne on Dec 26th. Not sure what day the bombing happened compared to when Toye, Compton and Guarnere got wounded. Hmmm...now that I think about it, I don't think we saw them evacuated out of the encirclement. Just being driven towards the rear. Bastogne was very bad, but it was "only" encircled for about 8 days depending on who you ask. (My uncle was there as part of the 101st and the only story he told was about the first air drop after the weather cleared. The cargo planes dropped crates of potatoes under parachute, but they smashed as they hit the ground. The potatoes were useless.) The Battle of the Bulge, however went on towards the end of January. The Germans did not give up the bulge easily.
Please. A bit of love for The Big Red One' and the opening scenes from 'Hart's War' ? Abother film that rarely gets a mention is 'The Victors' starring George Peppard.
Enjoy the opinions you and your fellow re-enactors. Sounds like A Midnight Clear should only be on worst. I do agree Band of Brothers episodes Bastogne and Breaking Point depict the Battle of the Bulge in the most realistic light. Many people will not include BoB as a movie because it was on TV, but it was more cinematic than movies like Saints and Soldiers. I do agree Saints and Soldiers was awful. Completely agree with Battleground as a great movie about the battle. Van Johnson is a under rated actor as Holley. His hesitation in the firefight brings a moment of self doubt that many soldiers will feel, even the most combat hardened soldier, which he is. As he looks to sneak away he recognizes he can't do that so he composes himself collecting a couple comrades and they move to a favorable position where they outflank the Germans providing enfilading fire. Marshall Thompson is the replacement coming in green and becoming battle hardened. He was also wonderful. Ricardo Montalban is always a delight to watch. The cast has other notable names including James Whitmore, Leon Ames, James Arnes, Richard Jaeckel and former Little Rascal Scotty Beckett. The club on the side of the helmet is for glider infantry which they are depicted as. I believe that was the 327th.
Battleground did a great job of depicting what the American troops had to go through. The cast was filled with many actors who ended up with great careers. Van Johnson did a great job acting. The story rings true.
The point of Saints & Soldiers was not to be a historical depiction of the Bulge. It was merely the setting for a character development story contrasting a soldier of Christian faith with one without faith - and how the actions of the former influence the latter.
Battleground was indeed good - especially as it portrayed the "glider riders" of the 101st instead of focusing on the paras. as usual. Battle of the Bulge was indeed terrible - although I like the scene when the young tank commanders sing. I liked Saints & Soldiers. What you have to remember is that it was a film about faith. Many of the more so called 'unbelievable' aspects were true - but they were compiled into one narrative as if they all happened to one person. It didn't bother me that the two 101 guys were portrayed as being at Malmedy any more than in Band of Brothers showing the 2nd Rangers at Omaha. They explained it in the film - one was suffering from 'shell shock' and the other was his escort - they got lost. PS my dad fought with the 17th Airborne during 2nd half of the Bulge -
A bad one... Saints and Soldiers. I remember when people were telling to see it. That it was so good. I think it just came out around the right time. Early 2000s. After SPR and BoB. Any WW2 movie that looked anything like those two and venerated the bravery of the greatest generation in somewhat saccharine tones automatically was given this respect even if it was deserved...
I can't believe no one mentioned the 1955 movie "Attack!" It is set during The Bulge. A good movie w/a great cast (Jack Palance, Lee Marvin, Buddy Ebsen, Richard Jaeckel, Robert Strauss). There's Not a snowflake in sight & not much combat action. It dealt w/the corruption, incompetence, & cowardice amongst the officers in a battle-weary infantry company never expecting to see combat again until the German counter-offensive in the Ardennes caught them by surprise thrusting them back into action. You will laugh @ the one Stuart tank painted to look like a German tank used in multiple scenes. Nonetheless, well worth a watch. It's in gritty B&W to give it a very authentic feel.
The Good "Band of Brothers" (2001) "A Midnight Clear" (1992) "Battleground" (1949) The Bad "Battle of the Bulge" (1965) "Saints and Soldiers" (2003 ) "A Midnight Clear" (1992)
just to be clear, he is not a Nazi. It is difficult to have a reenactment without the enemy there. We took great pleasure in pretending to shoot him in the field.
I used to play rugby at that museum/park, never thought I'd see Boalsburg on youtube.
“ No member of the 101st Airborne has ever agreed that the division needed to be ‘rescued’. “
I always loved that quote at the ending of the Bastogne Episode
Battleground is my favorite Battle of the Bulge movie
Interesting takes. I still love the 1965 Battle of the Bulge film because it was Hollywood entertainment and maybe propaganda for how the battle was fought and won. You can't go wrong with that stellar cast.
Battleground is my all time favorite movie. Absolutely authentic and the guys look dirty and cold and have no idea what is happening or where they are. Some battle fatigue is shown and how replacements are treated by the veterans. All around fantastic movie.
Every December 16th since I was little, I delve into all materials relating to the Bulge. I am so excited to see this video posted as an acknowledgement of a truly significant day in our history. Your channel is an inspiration and serving as a "kick in the backside" for me to perhaps pursue something involving my true passion.
Thanks so much!
I have to agree with your choices of "Band of Brothers" and "Battleground" being the best depictions of the battle of the bulge. Reading about the battle in a number of books tells you about the many small skirmishes that fleeing American troops were involved with in a delaying action until help could arrive helped to actually slow the German advance enough for the 101st Airborne to arrive and reinforce the Bastogne perimeter and then seeing the action in those 2 movies is pretty close to what happened. I almost forgot about the other movies mentioned but yes they were definitely not as good, to put it mildly.
I haven't even finished watching this episode and I am grateful I tuned in. I just watched Battleground (1949) what an excellent movie. Of course, I love Band of Brothers, which I have almost memorized. Thank you.
I think as a general rule, any movie with the words "Battle of the Bulge" in the title is not a historical movie. The 1965 movie (starring Henry Fonda and Robert Shaw) is very entertaining, but contains very little history, which I think does a disservice to everyone involved in the real thing. My 'favourite' moment is when Robert Shaw's character is introduced to a nice shiny model of an American post-war M47 Patton tank as the "new Tiger", which perfectly telegraphs to the audience that they are going to be treated to a whole battalion of real M47 Patton tanks in the later action sequences.
Important point to note in the battle is that the SS units in 6.Panzerarmee heading for Antwerp did not make as much progress as the flanking Army units in 5.Panzerarmee further south heading for Brussels. This was because the SS-Divisions tended to use their recon battalions as additional battlegroups, while their Army counterparts used theirs in the proper recon role, bypassing centres of resistance like Bastogne, to be invested by the follow-up Volksgrenadier and Panzergrenadier Divisions, and almost reaching the River Meuse before running out of fuel and supplies.
Hope y'all shared a bottle of wine and toasted yourselves with the words "best job I've ever had!"
I forgot all about a Midnight Clear…it is a brilliant freaking movie!! Great video, thanks for the upload.
On a somewhat related note I dressed up as a WW2 soldier for Halloween this year. It wasn't 100 percent accurate but close enough.
I just finished reading Kershaw's "The Longest Winter" about the 99th ID, 394th Reg. I&R Platoon's stand at Lanzerath, Belgium on the 16th where 22 men held up an entire German infantry battalion for over 10 hours before being captured. That story, done right, could be a combination of BoB and Stalag 17.
As some others have said, I’m glad you mentioned Battleground. I always liked that film A great resource for reading about the Battle of the Bulge is Antony Beevor’s ‘Ardennes 1944’. A really comprehensive read for anyone who wants to get an in depth understanding of the whole campaign. I work for a Belgian company and had the opportunity to drive down through Liege to Bastogne. It was like traveling through the pages of the book I’d just read with a lot of familiar names of towns I’d read about. Thanks for your work
It's an amazing place. I loved my visit there.
I enjoyed this video format... Excited to check out A Midnight Clear and Battleground!
Today is also the day of the Boston Tea Party and the birthday of the day is Ludwig van Beethoven.
im glad someone talked about saints and soldiers, always wanted to hear what people like you guys had to say about it
Battleground got it right with many great actors. Every time I watch, I try to figure out who the vets who actually caught in the Bulge.
My grandfather was in the battle of the bulge, but he passed away when I was a baby so I never got to ask him about it.
Good analysis!!
I pretty much agree with all you guys
Nice job!
Glad you enjoyed it
Didn't expect to see a notification for a new episode tonight! Love the ambience and the period gear guys.
Thanks! Figured we'd throw a short together while we were there.
You can say that "Battle of the Bulge" was horrible but don't ya go dissin my man Charles Bronson! 🤨🙂 The part that cracks me up the most is the ending credits where you get an aerial fly over shot of the burning and abandoned tanks with smoke pouring back into them. The film was played backwards!
What if I just dis his hair in that one.
@@ReelHistory well, ok
@@gravitypronepart2201, he was actually raised in our region of Pennsylvania.
not "of", but "near" both geographically and chronologically is a film that HBO produced called 'When Trumpets Fade'.
it depicts similar winter conditions, and a seemingly hopeless battle (seen from both sides).
I could call this both the Best and Worst film about the Battle of Huertgenwald, for there are accuracies, and inaccuracies. just throwing this one into the mix, as the B of H is often overlooked by history, often overshadowed by the 'larger' events of the Battle of the Bulge. i often wonder if the 28th Division out of Pennsylvania still feels sore about that- i know i sure would.
and hey: i simply love your channel. cheers to you and your team for spreading knowledge. i would eagerly sign up for your classes, if i could.
my urge to know more about the Battle of the Bulge led me to spend Christmas in Bastogne, and to get mud on my boots in the Bois Jacques. i can confirm that it is a *very* quiet place today. the silence is roaring in that space, if that makes any sense.
Andrew here (personal Account) thanks for the kind words. Also, Jared's grandfather was in the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest. BIG things in the works for not only "When Trumpets Fade" but other productions as well. Stay Tuned!
For the Crème de la crème of bad Battle of the Bulge movies, watch Company of Heroes. I'll sell try to sell you on it really quick
"The Nazis have an Atom bomb"
Its real bad
All of you looked great sat in front of the Sherman 👍
To my eyes
Jared, Jonathan, Ethan and Josh you all looked the part and I could imagine any of you fitting in well in the cast of Band of Brothers.
I agree with your verdicts and as much as I would love to see a movie that accurately portrays the battle being made I can’t see it happening for a few years, Hollywood is all superhero movies right now although the public will get fed up of them eventually.
Have a great Christmas I look forward to your next video 👍
Thank you for your videos.
Having the Sherman tank there was great. I like the armour from all sides during the war. I have a photo of me standing next to a Stug 111 that was recovered from a Russian River and repaired. Huge in size and armor thickness and it had the side plates. Awesome day for me.
My father was a Sea Bee during WW2 stationed on Bougainville Island in the Pacific. He also went Regular Navy and was on a ship off Korea and on the USS America aircraft carrier in 1968 during the Viet Nam War. Very proud of my Dad. Sadly he passed in 2002.
Thank you again for your videos.
I thought someone would mention the 70s Patton Movie. Hope to se a video about it soon!
There will be!
@@ReelHistory can't wait! Love the content guys!
One thing i don't understand in Band of Brothers, especially about the battle of the bulge is, how the wounded couldn't get evacuated but Toye, Compton and Guarnere for example could after the bombing of bastogne happened.
That happened in January after the town itself wasn't completely surrounded anymore
Patton's 3rd Army broke through to Bastogne on Dec 26th. Not sure what day the bombing happened compared to when Toye, Compton and Guarnere got wounded. Hmmm...now that I think about it, I don't think we saw them evacuated out of the encirclement. Just being driven towards the rear. Bastogne was very bad, but it was "only" encircled for about 8 days depending on who you ask. (My uncle was there as part of the 101st and the only story he told was about the first air drop after the weather cleared. The cargo planes dropped crates of potatoes under parachute, but they smashed as they hit the ground. The potatoes were useless.) The Battle of the Bulge, however went on towards the end of January. The Germans did not give up the bulge easily.
Yes, the line broke on the 26th, Toye and Gaurnere were wounded on Jan. 3rd
Please. A bit of love for The Big Red One' and the opening scenes from 'Hart's War' ? Abother film that rarely gets a mention is 'The Victors' starring George Peppard.
Fair points!
ruclips.net/video/zWyBrUvXLcc/видео.html
Love this
Enjoy the opinions you and your fellow re-enactors.
Sounds like A Midnight Clear should only be on worst. I do agree Band of Brothers episodes Bastogne and Breaking Point depict the Battle of the Bulge in the most realistic light. Many people will not include BoB as a movie because it was on TV, but it was more cinematic than movies like Saints and Soldiers. I do agree Saints and Soldiers was awful.
Completely agree with Battleground as a great movie about the battle. Van Johnson is a under rated actor as Holley. His hesitation in the firefight brings a moment of self doubt that many soldiers will feel, even the most combat hardened soldier, which he is. As he looks to sneak away he recognizes he can't do that so he composes himself collecting a couple comrades and they move to a favorable position where they outflank the Germans providing enfilading fire. Marshall Thompson is the replacement coming in green and becoming battle hardened. He was also wonderful. Ricardo Montalban is always a delight to watch.
The cast has other notable names including James Whitmore, Leon Ames, James Arnes, Richard Jaeckel and former Little Rascal Scotty Beckett.
The club on the side of the helmet is for glider infantry which they are depicted as. I believe that was the 327th.
The firefight at the railroad embankment was classic! 😉
Band of Brothers was great at giving the story of The Bulge.
Battleground did a great job of depicting what the American troops had to go through. The cast was filled with many actors who ended up with great careers. Van Johnson did a great job acting. The story rings true.
The point of Saints & Soldiers was not to be a historical depiction of the Bulge. It was merely the setting for a character development story contrasting a soldier of Christian faith with one without faith - and how the actions of the former influence the latter.
I'm sure you are disappointed that it is so warm in Pennsylvania and that the weather was not an accurate "FREEZE TO DEATH" temperature...
We roll with the punches.
Have you guys ever made it out and performed at D-Day Conneaut, OH? That was my first exposure to the re-enactment community.
Battleground was indeed good - especially as it portrayed the "glider riders" of the 101st instead of focusing on the paras. as usual. Battle of the Bulge was indeed terrible - although I like the scene when the young tank commanders sing.
I liked Saints & Soldiers. What you have to remember is that it was a film about faith. Many of the more so called 'unbelievable' aspects were true - but they were compiled into one narrative as if they all happened to one person. It didn't bother me that the two 101 guys were portrayed as being at Malmedy any more than in Band of Brothers showing the 2nd Rangers at Omaha. They explained it in the film - one was suffering from 'shell shock' and the other was his escort - they got lost.
PS my dad fought with the 17th Airborne during 2nd half of the Bulge -
There were no scenes of 2nd Rangers at Omaha in BoB. I think you're thinking of Saving Private Ryan.
@@pbf7719 Oops. You are quite correct
Battleground. That’s a good one. A classic paratroopers in the Bulge film from the 50s...
On that note, there haven’t been a ton of Bulge films it seems...
A bad one... Saints and Soldiers. I remember when people were telling to see it. That it was so good. I think it just came out around the right time. Early 2000s. After SPR and BoB. Any WW2 movie that looked anything like those two and venerated the bravery of the greatest generation in somewhat saccharine tones automatically was given this respect even if it was deserved...
Oh you said Battleground... Damn: though that would be I sure enough... lol
Double damn! You said Saints and Soldiers as well...
I’m telling you though. A lot of people were saying Saints and Soldiers was really good back when it came out...
Good job.
I can't believe no one mentioned the 1955 movie "Attack!" It is set during The Bulge. A good movie w/a great cast (Jack Palance, Lee Marvin, Buddy Ebsen, Richard Jaeckel, Robert Strauss). There's Not a snowflake in sight & not much combat action. It dealt w/the corruption, incompetence, & cowardice amongst the officers in a battle-weary infantry company never expecting to see combat again until the German counter-offensive in the Ardennes caught them by surprise thrusting them back into action. You will laugh @ the one Stuart tank painted to look like a German tank used in multiple scenes. Nonetheless, well worth a watch. It's in gritty B&W to give it a very authentic feel.
I'm still hoping that Hollywood will produce a new Battle of the Bulge film, with the technology today, thay can certainly pull it off.
Couldn't agree more
Don't count on it. Remakes are rarely better than the original.
They could literally just film a Sherman sitting idle for 2 hours and it would be an improvement
My Grandpa served in the 99th Infantry at Camp Elsenborn during war and hated the movie Battle of the Bulge
The Good
"Band of Brothers" (2001)
"A Midnight Clear" (1992)
"Battleground" (1949)
The Bad
"Battle of the Bulge" (1965)
"Saints and Soldiers" (2003 )
"A Midnight Clear" (1992)
Well, the filming of "The Battle of the Bulge", with Robert Shaw and Henry Fonda, was beautiful! But, like you said, their story was total nonsense!
I though the professor was going to study battle of the bulge. I was dissapointed😮😢
I enjoy the 1965 one as a movie and spectacle but clearly it’s no where near reality
I just saw a REALLY bad one here on RUclips called The Battle of the Bulge / Wunderland
We had trouble watching the trailer let alone the movie.
Shout out to Nazi Josh!
just to be clear, he is not a Nazi. It is difficult to have a reenactment without the enemy there. We took great pleasure in pretending to shoot him in the field.
@@ReelHistory There are those who reenact, and then there those who cosplay.