How Accurate is Omaha Beach in "Saving Private Ryan?"
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- čas přidán 5. 06. 2023
- June 6 Special: To mark the anniversary of D-Day, we revisit the opening scenes of Steven Spielberg's WWII epic "Saving Private Ryan." Just how accurate is the iconic Omaha Beach recreation? Tune in to find out. To view the full breakdown of the movie, watch our complete review here: • The Definitive Histori...
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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 producer Andrew Collins, these episodes are a labor of love and a means of expressing passion for the past as well as cinema. Courteous viewer feedback is always welcome. The views expressed are our own and do not necessarily represent our employers or organizations with which we are involved.
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My dad was not in the initial wave but went in several units later and I asked him when I was 15 years old what it was like and my dad was a man when he was 12 years old working a dual team plowing up ground and was the bravest, strongest man I ever knew and he told me there were men lying like cross ties on a railroad track and it was literal hell and he made it very clear don't ever ask me about it again. I never did and he had night terrors waking the whole house for 28 years it was an every other night trauma for me. I was honored to call him dad and he won 2 bronze stars and two medals of valor for heroism. He passed in 2002 and I miss my hero and dad. They fought for our freedom and were the greatest generation of builders, sacrificed and made a better life for their children and generations to follow.
May I ask for his name? I’d like to look at records and learn more.
Your dad was a hero. RIP to him 🌹
Love you bro. May you find peace in your heart so all these trauma may heal.
Well said. Amazing family history. Thank you to your dad.
We all owe your dad and others like him so much Hooefully we never have to go through a war like that again My Grandfather died on the Burmah Railway and I think of him every day We owe so much to our past generations
My grandfather landed in the initial wave on Omaha. He passed away last year at 100 years and 5 months. He was a Sergeant. He only made it about 30 minutes into the film before PTSD kicked in….but he said the landing was almost perfect but “The water wasn’t red enough.”
That’s insane because the water was RED in that movie
Yes but if you ever noticed if you end up getting at your finger stuck with a pen your blood almost turns blue black super dark red because it's exposed to the oxygen it would be the same within water in the same kind of coincidence
R.I.P. Thanks for his service..
@@mikebaird6788 After watching that shark attack video from Egypt, it definitely looks like traditional blood. Your arteries have bright red blood.
@@mikebaird6788 Sorry, but none of that is true 😂 The blood coming from a cut in your finger is dark because it’s coming from a vein and a vein that is at an extremity, thus oxygen deprived and heading back to your heart, not because it’s “exposed to oxygen” in the air or water. It’s why when you get a blood test the blood is dark, because it’s coming from a vein, not an artery. When an artery is cut/exposed the blood is oxygen rich and red. That’s just medical/scientific fact and why when there is a shark attack or something like D-Day, the water is bright red with liters of oxygenated blood from each body.
I just so happened to be 16 years old when Saving Private Ryan was in theatres and I worked at a concession stand at my local movie theatre. One thing I can say is, while a movie is being shown,the lobby is usually empty except for the random person using the restroom. This was NOT the case when Saving Private Ryan was being shown. I witnessed MANY elderly men leave the theatre and just pace, around the empty lobby visibly shaken from the beach landing scene. I was just a young guy at that time but seeing a grown man the age of my grandfather in shambles waking around all alone in a public place is something that I will never forget. So I'd say that they accurately portrayed the beach landing for it to effect men that had obviously been there or in similar situations the way it did.
Same. I was like 14 or 15. I think when taking movies like Stephen Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan into account people throughout my life have ripped the movie apart. Constantly. "It's not historically accurate there was no battle at the bridge at Ramelle in France (sorry for the misspelling), there was no Private Ryan who was rescued etc." Here is what I always shoot right back at everyone: Please name me a historical WW2 movie that is more historically accurate. It's impossible. Can anyone beat this movie? It may be rife with historical inaccuracies but as far as it goes it is STILL one of the most historically accurately made WW2 movies in existence. It is just impossible to beat. In my honest opinion. Perhaps much of it is historically inaccurate but wow are the historically accurately incorporated elements just so on par. It is hard to get on the level this movie is on. It is really incredible. Very few movies come close to it in terms of historical accuracy that is for sure.
13:35 what is this WEIRD voiceover here?
on todays episode of things that never happened
@@priestsonaplane2236 On today's episode of "you are one sad, sad man with zero proof and nothing but a cynical mind and conjecture. Do the world a favor and walk in front of a bus." We have the worlds worst band name... drum roll please.. Priests on a plane!! " crickets "
Oh and for the record... this 100% DID happen. I'm 42 years old and worked at Mountain Park Cinema's in West Dover Vermont. Do the math and look it up if you must you sad sad man
I was 15 and saw the movie with my uncle and grandfather. Vietnam vet, and ww2 vet. My grandfather shed the only tears I've ever seen him shed. Other older men were crying too. It happened.
11:46 That's my grandfather Richard Exline coming ashore on Omaha beach. It is one of 6 or so of him and his unit coming ashore that form the basis of much of the landing scene in Saving Private Ryan. Before this photo, his unit is seen pinned down behind a tank trap (hedgehog) as seen in the film.
My grandfather did not know of the existence of the pictures until about 1994.
He passed in 2011. A search on "Richard Exline Obituary (2011) - Manchester, NH" will find his obit and photo. He left an audio record of his WW-II experience, the landing, and his discovery of the existence of the photos of him and his unit coming ashore at New Orleans' WW-II museum.
For me it's weird to see my grandfather staring back at me from a book cover in a random used bookstore in the middle of nowhere Mexico, or other.
One driver on the Higgins boat said he did not want to drop the ramp because he did not want to see them boys get killed,Captain said ‘ Drop the damn ramp’ ! He said the bullets was hitting the ramp door , He dropped it an said 14 soldiers in front was killed right away He said he could not raise the ramp door because of dead bodies on the ramp door. He said he had to climb over dead bodies to move them off the ramp to close it . He said he went back to the ship covered in blood and the smell of death on him . He went back 14 times ..
Frank DeVita Lane was the operator of the boat for those that are wondering.
I have been reading Stephen Ambrose's "D-day" and it seems like in one similar incident, an officer or captain took out his .45 and aimed it at the guy's head after he refused to drop the gate
@stevedriscoll2539 have you read his Band of Brothers book? It's absolutely phenomenal, Ambrose interviewed as many of the real members of Easy Company as he could before writing the book.
When this movie came out, my WW2 veteran grandfather saw it in the theater. I vividly remember him asking teenage me if I saw it when he visited for an afternoon family get-together. I said yes. A grave, serious look came over his face. It was like a shadow fell over him, even though he was inside under artificial light. It was chilling because he was usually such a happy, positive man. He then said, in a really eerily quiet, hurt voice, “Yeah… that’s what it was like.” There was a long pause in the room, everyone waiting to see if he’d speak more. It was quiet. He didn’t say anything other than that. We ate lunch and the subject changed.
That’s all I need to hear about the accuracy of this movie.
Nitpickers can nitpick all they want - the purpose of the film is to convey the human experience, the terror, and the cause of the shadow I observed on my grandfather’s face.
Slathering on that melodrama like it were mayonnaise. Tone it down a little 🤮
@@justenbenally522 I stopped telling people my stories about Afghanistan because of the random ones like you.
If I'm not detailed about it, people say that it "doesn't sound that bad."
If I go into detail, people say "oh, don't be SO dramatic."
How are you supposed to casually tell somebody about your friend drowning in their own blood? Do you think war is all rainbows and lollipops?
Please, CZcams expert. We are all waiting anxiously.
@@JuanAppleseed-ge6tb But for THEM, it IS because for them and people like them, war is something from video games, TV and movies or something that is shouted about by politicians trying to scare people. They do not understand and they won't. So of course, they have to insult people, because that is how they react to things they do not understand.
People see this and go 'Oh no, it could not possibly be that bad!' and my response is 'You are right. Reality is far worse. You cannot smell the blood, guts, feces and all in a movie!'
The whole point of a movie is to entertain and in some cases, educate or explain. Anyone who was entertained by this scene needs help, but it does explain a few things.
@@justenbenally522Keyboard warrior. From your profile pic you look like you would bawl your eyes out over a hangnail.
@@Chingloves
from your profile pick, I can tell that you're so ashamed of your appearance that you hide it from the public and this is the only way you're able to assert yourself without being made fun of.
My grandfather, Lt. William Locke, made it through the invasion. Sadly, he was killed a couple of weeks later on his way to Belgium. He sent a letter to his wife, May, and it told of scenes that you couldn't comprehend unless you were there. He was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart posthumously. I went to Normandy as a young man in 1990. The pill boxes were still there and of course there were several plaques and markers, but the portion of the visit that left the biggest impression on a privileged young man like myself was the cemetery. I feel strongly that all young people in this country should visit one of our nation's military cemeteries. Stand in the center and turn 360 degrees and you'll get a small sense of what our lifestyle has cost.
So well said.
❤
And to think your fucking world leader country is throwing all that shit away for a geriatric oaf that didn't serve.
Yes, I'm referring to both Biden and Trump. What a shit show. Get your act together, America.
How old was he?
My father-in-law wasn't at Normandy, but he was in the 4th Marine Division at Iwo Jima. My wife and I took him to the film, with some trepidation on his part. He walked out of the beach scene maybe halfway through in tears. We left and he never saw the rest of it. I don't know how much that speaks to any 'accuracy' but however much it is it was way more than my father-in-law with his experience could handle.
My grandpa only watched half the movie. He was very pissed about Tom hanks helmet. You never wore rank on uniform, especially not helmet lol. This is for obvious reasons. He of course was correct but I also felt dome ptsd coming thru
Great, you took your FIL to a PTSD event.
Steiner’s attack will solve everything.
"Err, Mein Fuhrer...."
Ouch!
That was an order! Steiners counter attack was an order
Steiner's truly selfless for taking the heat off Wenck, who really disobeyed orders.
Wenck will come...
Back in 9th Grade, my groupmates and I decided to show Saving Private Ryan's full 22-minute Omaha Beach sequence to our class as part of our history assignment on WW2. There were many shocking reactions in class to the violence and gore portrayed on screen, beginning from the opening MG42 burst on the LCA. After the class ended, I heard one of our classmates was disturbed by what she watched that she said we could have just made the class watch a documentary instead.
It was only now that I realized that the D-Day sequence accomplished what it meant to do: make war disturbing.
Very interesting!
How old are you, or I should ask, when we're you in 9th grade?
Ah. Yes. Marshall Rosenberg - non violent communication.
"Our society markets violence as enjoyable"
You and your friends literally traumatized some of the children in that class. Your teacher was probably an idiot. But I know you were simply trying to educate your peers.
Different people grow up exposed to vastly different levels of violence and gore. Some people are frightened by war/violence and don't need to viscerally watch it in order to "understand" it's nature.
Other people, usually boys, become desensitized to violence very early in life, which changes their perspective of the world for better or worse.
It reminds me of when an English college professor of mine played the "printer scene" from Office Space with the uncensored music/lyrics ("die motherf***r! Die motherf***r die, die!) Even though it was a complete satire/comedy, I lost respect for him being completely clueless and insensitive of different people's attitudes or cultures in that classroom, which had at least 150 students. Nobody signed up to listen to such degenerate crap, even if it's meant to be funny.
@@JBS2018 I mostly agree with you, but I still think some of the kids were too young to watch that level of intense violence and gore. Of course, they had the freedom to close their eyes. 16-18 years old would be more appropriate, just out of a matter of decency.
Nobody should live their whole lives completely ignorant of the cold hard realities of human nature, such as war.
I think the intent of the class demonstration was valid and important.
I watched the premier screening of this movie in the company of a man who had been in combat like this and I will never forget his expression and tone of voice while he watched the landing scenes. He looked at me briefly and said "This is what it's like boy, this is the war, this is how it is" He appreciated the depiction, the honesty, and the realism displayed I guess as some sort of relief that people could see how terrible it is. Lest we forget.
I worked on this movie in Curracloe wexford Ireland, the reality of what the troops went through on D-day was driven home by the way the set was designed and the scene were played out. These were the bravest men who succeeded in their mission, in what must have felt like a no win situation is a testament to their heroism.
As a veteran I know this movie has accuracy issues for history however the accuracy of how war is total FUBAR is 100% accurate. No movie has touched my soul more than this opening scene. God bless every man that landed on that beach that day. They are all heroes
Exactly. Just because something in the movie wasn’t recorded in a history book or document, doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen. Lots of things happened to lots of soldiers that aren’t recorded.
Patton said
“we fought for the wrong side “
@dannybird4996 what does that have to do with my post
@@PanSearedRibeye68I think you're missing the point entirely. It's not talking about things that weren't recorded, but things that are a known inaccuracy portrayed as actually taking place.
@@shawnthegreat4281 Nothing at all, but it is what fascists say on any video about WW2. Feel pity for them; you'd think the war would have shown them the error in hyper-nationalism and the idea of genetic superiority to other peoples, but sadly it lives on like a disease.
My brother and I took my father to the opening night of saving Private Ryan. World War II veteran. After the beach invasion scene, our jaws were hanging down, and my father calmly said that was pretty good, but it was worse.
God bless your dad
One thing a movie can never get right is the smell of combat
Worse? Jesus.
@@L1VE3V1L I've heard multiple accounts of vets who claim the water was blood red across the entire beach
My father was in Vietnam and we really never talked about his time there but when watched the movie together, he basically said, ""That's what it's like." He left it at that and I didn't press.
My Dad and I went and saw it in the theater back in 98'. The previous screening had nothing but WWII vets in attendance. As the elderly patriots streamed out of the theater after its conclusion, every one of them had tears in their eyes. Yeah, I'd say it's accurate.
I watched a funny movie in the next door hall and saw the faces of those leaving afterwards, horrible!
A man that I knew from the local gun shop was in the 1st wave to hit Omaha beach. Several times people would ask Gus about it, but he wouldn't talk about it. One day the regulars were there having coffee and shooting the BS, and Gus came in with a satchel. He took out the medals he had made for that day and the official paperwork of commendations. One day about a week after Private Ryan came out one of the guys asked Gus if he was going to see it. Gus hung his head for a few moments, and when he raised back up there were tears in his eyes. Gus replied "No thank you. I saw the real thing close up and in my face, and I have no desire to see anything like that again in my lifetime". Gus passed away about 4 years later, but that man had the respect of everyone that knew him.
Yes those evil Hollywood producer creatures love to retraumatize everyone….since they feed of the energies of fear and hate!
And they even make people pay for experiencing the pain!
Very clever
@@AleisterCrowly2 yes everyone freely insisting into any army….I feel sorry for..to a certain degree
Why do people join?
@ERNIE555 I can only tell my reasons why I decided to go military...here goes...
I was 16 when I made up my mind to serve, defend and die if necessary for this country. What I learned about my dad's service back then was a very strong influence on my decision. He was a Marine cook (1922-1945) who went to various hotspots and 2 major WW2 battles in the Pacific theater (Midway and Guadalcanal, June '42 - February '43). I'd been hearing about Vietnam more and more after 1968, and had even registered for the draft in 1974 (age 18), but I never got the gist of what he'd gone through until decades later, after I'd retired from active duty(he passed away when I was 5 years old). I was in the Air Force and Navy; I work in a VA hospital now, so I do what I can to serve those who served with me.
One thing that sometimes gets mentioned is that the guy the medics were working on was the battalion surgeon. Some say there’s no way someone like that would have been landed so soon which makes sense. However, while reading Hank Baumgarten’s book, he mentioned that there was a battalion surgeon who insisted he be included in the first wave as he strongly felt he could save more lives. Unfortunately he was killed soon after landing, although the circumstances of what happened wasn’t mentioned.
Very fascinating! Something I never knew and was always curious about why there was a battalion surgeon there in the film
If it's doc Block the Rangers doctor he was killed by German machine gun fire while tending to a wounded soldier. Him and his aide had their red crosses fully displayed and were obviously tending to a wounded soldier, German machine Gunner ignored it an killed em both. Sometimes in the ETO Germans respected the red cross an sometimes they didn't whereas in the Pacific the Japanese always shot them matter fact they where specifically targeted there. Anyways the soldier Block was tending to was later evacuated thus able to tell what happened. This was couple days past the landing, but just beyond the beach.
I don't think the German defenders were concentrating that much on detail to notice red crosses. Don't forget they were also fighting for their lives. Machine gunners would have been just spraying concentrations of men - alot of them probably closed their eyes while pulling the trigger.
@@rumbleofdrums527bullshit
This is the first anniversary year my father is not with us, PFC Horace Calhoun arrived on Omaha Beach (same Dog Green as movie) with Company K 116th Infantry. They landed between 1300 and 1400 hours, they were a tactical reserve Company. My Dad was RTO. His historical record is in the National Archives. He told us that the Germans were still shelling incoming landing craft on the beach and that when they climbed the cliff, German machine guns were still firing on them from about 200 meters inland. My Dad was one of the earliest soldiers to have enough points to go home as soon as the Germans surrendered. Funny anecdote: My Father rode his horse “Spider “ to the induction center near his home in Louisiana.
GOD BLESS HIM AND YOU FOR CONTINUING TO TELL HIS STORY!!🙏❤🇺🇸
Regardless of any inaccuracies, I will never forget sitting in the cinema back in 1998, watching the opening beach scene. The stress, anxiety and high breathing I felt was something I wasn't prepared for and had never experienced before in my life. It all seem to last forever. I felt exhausted and so relieved when the movie finally arrived into a more saver scene.
Exactly how I felt too. It was a shock to see such carnage, and as a British Army medic for 20+ years I’d experienced small arms fire, explosions and resulting mutilation first hand.
100% agree. I've never watched it again.
the fight at Omaha went on for hours...wasn't until they brought the destroyers in close to destroy the bunkers that our guys were able to make their way off the beach...something that often gets overlooked....
Yeah, I was literally on the edge of my seat, gripped with tension. My dad & his two brothers were WW2 veterans, but it wasn't until I saw that scene that I really understood what that generation went through.
@@frankpienkosky5688Why didn't they do that already?
I watched this movie by myself early after release on a weekday afternoon. There were several WWII vets that were deeply impacted that I met walking out. They said it was very close to the sights and sounds of battle. Visibly shaken. Thanked them for their service and went back to work.
As a 24 year retired 3 war US Army ARSOF vet, you're overloaded due to taking more ammunition, grenades etc. You take more to be prepared to slug shit out. Not to mention, rhe US Army had you carry an ammunition can if you were an AG. Mortarmen carried in addition to their rifles ang kit, a piece of that mortar. You brought everything you were told to take, and more.
I was at the premiere of this film here in Paris , where there were many dozens of Americans, who are veterans of the landing, as well as many Canadians, English, and a handful of us French toast - I have never seen a parade of people leaving the theater like that many wheelchairs, sobbing, men in uniforms, decorated for the highest bravery, crying like babies… That is much is this opening scene has affected me for the rest of my days
I went on a battlefield tour of the D-Day beaches, with three of the other participants being WW2 veterans, including one American and two British, at least one of these had stormed the beaches on D-Day back in the day. The coach played the opening of Saving Private Ryan during one of the journeys, and the first thing the veterans said was, "there's no air power, on the day we had tons of it!"
Wonder why they couldn't bomb the bunkers then.
I’m a pretty well versed person when it comes to reading about WW2 and I can tell you this is the first time I’ve ever heard or read that there was air power during the invasion of Normandy. From all the accounts that I have read the airpower landed the night before and was largely unsuccessful due to how scattered all the men were. If you mean bombardment then that makes more sense
In the absence of DD tanks that were meant to make it to the beach but did not, perhaps the most effective source of support fire for the troops on Omaha were the destroyers that ran in so close to the beach that some witnesses said they thought the ships were going to ground themselves. The destroyers then turned and moved slowly parallel to the beach, sometimes in reverse, while pouring fire from their 5 inch guns into whatever targets they could locate. Some of the gunners on those destroyers later said that because of the way the Germans had placed their guns intentionally to not be seen from the water by naval gunners and to enable them to pour interlocking fields of enfilading fire down the beach, many of the German emplacements were by design difficult or impossible for the destroyer gunners to see from just off shore. Gunners later said that in the absence of any other indication of where to fire, they watched where troops on the beach were aiming their own fire along the bluffs and directed the ship's guns at those points.
One of many sources of info on that aspect of the invasion -
www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2014/june/navy-saved-our-hides
Literally every description of the invasion I've ever read, watched, or listened to explicitly points out the lack of air power due to the poor weather. The overcast of the previous two days forced the Air Force to move their bombardment inland to avoid hitting the landing parties, which led to next-to-none of the ordinance landing even close to the beach walls.
Ive encountered several samples of sand from landing beaches from WW2 but as one Marine Corps Iwo Jima vet put it, "I collected it as we were leaving. I damn sure wasn't concerned about getting sand when we landed. At that time, I was concerned about the hell out of the sand!"
My father went in with the 1st Div on Easy Red +4hrs, his men on the landing craft were loaded backwards for some reason so he was one of the first to go out. They were dropped on a sandbar thinking they were on the beach and he was only 5'5" one step off and down he went in the deep water, his machine gunner was behind him and grabbed him by the equipment straps and pulled him back up. He was carrying 81mm mortar rounds which he dropped so he would not drown. When they got to the sand wall his LT (first invasion) asked my father where his rounds were and my father said "back there!" LT told him to go get them and my dad said "you want them you f'n go get them!" That's the only story I ever heard about D-Day from him. By D-Day my dad was a SGT and had been in Africa, he came home from the war with 8 campaign stars, 2 Bronze Stars with 1 V-Device for action in the Alsace Region going through enemy fire with a truck for ammo resupply, he never wore that "V" device on his ribbon and we never heard a story about it? It was only after his passing in 2016 that I found the citation of action. I've been trying to research more about it and have been reading the 1st Division action reports from that time frame to try and understand more.
Much respect to your father.
You can do a NARA public request to find out more
@@huntyfla thank you for that info, I'll check into it!
If you find out more, would you let us know? That would be fascinating!
Higgins boats are like that. The use of them on Tarawa became a major issue for the Marines when they became hung up on the coral reefs far away from the island itself thus forcing the Americans to wade ashore praying they didn't step into a shell hole (from Naval and sink like rocks and drown in them or get shot on their way to the beach by the Japanese. This sped up the development of Amptracs, aka Amphtracks, amphibious tractors or LVT's. Tarawa was the first big disaster using these landing boats. The Normandy landing didn't have to worry about coral reefs in France but as is painfully displayed in the 1st 15 mins of the Spielberg film, the dropping of the ramps (on the Higgins boats) exposing the soldiers to spiting MG42's was a special kind of horror in itself. As long as the ammunition lasted anything that didn't have some cover on the beach was likely to be torn to shreads by the most deadly MG of WW2 that fired at a rate of 1200 rounds per minute (our fixed MG's fired at about 650 rds per minute during WW2). The FACT that slightly modernized MG42's are still in service with numerous armies around the world today attests to that.
Joseph Balkoski’s book about the 29th Division on d-day has an interesting bit of information about a contributing factor for the seasickness experienced that day. The allied troops uniforms were impregnated with a chemical that would help ward off the effects of poison gas weapons if they were deployed that day. Unfortunately whatever they used gave off a bit of a nauseous odour that combined with the waves and greasy food often made the troops sick. Btw, the distinctive patch of lighter colored cloth on the troops right arms is a gas brassard designed to change color if it comes in contact with poison gas.
I drove truck in Europe during the 90’s and frequently saw those places. The concrete bunkers along the French/Belgian border were the creepiest ones
Thanks for posting this. It was fantastic
🙏🙏
My grandmothers brother was a combat medic for the 29th infantry that took part in the initial wave. Sadly, I never got to meet him as he passed away when I was very young but I was once told this story of when my grandma and him went to go see Saving Private Ryan together. He had never ever spoke to anyone about the war but this day he finally broke in front of her. He walked out half way through the Omaha Beach fight scene crying. When my grandma asked what was wrong, he told her it was like he was reliving the horrors of that day. I honestly think that fight scene is accurate. For this movie to break someone who saw the horrors of what man can do, is truly disheartening. He continued to look death in the eye that day and move forward to save his fellow comrades on that beach. Rest Easy Bobby Guerin. You’ll forever be a hero in my eyes and the bravest soul to ever walk this planet. I’m sorry you had to experience such gruesome fighting at a young age. May you find peace up there ❤
Amen. A beautiful eulogy you have left here, full of love, feeling, admiration, respect, honour and his hope for the world's future. All he could have asked for, sweetheart.
Lest we forget.
@@NavigatorMother I was heterosexual before I read his amazing way with words, but now I am trans and homosexual. His grandmother's brother is now my hero for the rest of my life.
Another book by Joseph Balkoski titled Omaha Beach has something that’s rarely mentioned about how the allies were concerned with the 5 draws at Omaha that provided access from the beach to the higher terrain. Only 4 of those draws were suitable for vehicular travel. The allies were worried that the preparatory aerial and naval bombardements might block off some or all of those draws which could seriously delay the invasion from moving past the beach. Because of this, the naval gunfire was purposely kept away from those draws. The heavy bombers used smaller bombs with fuses set to instantaneous to reduce bomb crater size. Of course as is well known, the bombers completely missed the target area. However, since the German’s understood the importance of those 5 draws, they placed the majority of their bunkers near them. Thus they felt very little impact from the naval bombardements and were left pretty well intact when the troops arrived. Definitely a huge part of why Omaha was so difficult that day.
Balkoski is a must read.
I'm a WWII nut. I read and watch a lot over the subject. From my research over D-Day the first 2 or 3 waves of troops suffered 85-90% casualties of dead and/or wounded. One of the wounded survivors was only 15yrs old. And you can call it unlucky to be lucky I read about another man who while climbing down the cargo nets to the Higgins Boats fell and got tangled up breaking his leg in the process. He was the only person on that boat that survived cause on the way in it took a direct hit from an artillery shell killing everyone on board. I'd like to see a movie made someday that fully captures the battle even with the one battleship dropping water to be able to come in and blast the beach defenses so our men could move up the beach
Same here!
Imagine a D-Day movie filmed in real time, exploring the experiences of a single wave of troops.
@ReelHistory I wanna know who it was that was recording the real thing. There is 1 recording of the actual battle even capturing a couple of our men going down but no one seems to know who it was or what happened to them. Apparently just their camera was found with the film on it. Your idea would be super cool too. I'd definitely watch it
@@jasonjarvis3594 We actually do know the names of a good amount of the men that captured the few bits of remaining footage of the invasion. If I am not mistaken most of the combat cameramen were from the 165th signal company. I know the man that recorded the only surviving motion picture on Omaha was Sgt. Richard Taylor. His footage was not found randomly but was turned in by him at the hospital he received medical care at. I’m positive there are videos that cover this information. I am a prior service combat camera myself, thats how I learned of Sgt. Taylor.
@@jasonjarvis3594 Here is the story : czcams.com/video/HFkxH_qclYY/video.html
I worked with the production company on providing accurate uniforms for the main cast and consulting on period accurate kit. Much of the costumery used was actually genuine WW2 vintage issue, and some of the division and unit insignia was actually NOS from Philadelphia QM obtained in a mil surplus auction. Other pieces were sourced online from collectors and even eBay.
Didn’t they shred all of that after they were done filming? Seemed like a waste of history
No they sold it to wwii reenactment vendor’s, I have a 1910 haversack used in the movie I bought for like $12 because 7-8 years later they were still trying to offload it
In regards to the soldiers being overloaded, there seems to be something commonly left out. And that's how much it all weighed when soaking wet. If you've ever been swimming (accidentally or on purpose) while wearing jeans, and multiple clothing layers, you know how surprisingly heavy it all becomes. I couldn't even imagine wearing thick soaking wet wool along with 100 lbs of kit.
This was a great breakdown. As you stated, many layperson's perspective of the D-Day landing at Omaha is based on this film and the many video games inspired by it. The filmmakers, however, did a fantastic job at showing the sheer chaos and carnage and succeeded in giving many people a greater appreciation of the effort and sacrifices made that day.
Thank you for tuning in.
Yep
@@ReelHistorycan you please tell me what the 13:35 voiceover is here? Thank you!
That's what disturbs me. Kids think of these battles as games.
Agreed, it's very unlikely that Spielberg and those creating the film were unaware of the facts that lead to inaccuracies. However, details such the captains rank on the helmet and the sailor being American instead of English are all for the benefit of the audience. Most audience members don't know that detail and would start wondering why is a British soldier telling American soldiers what to do? Now they're thinking about things that can take them out of the moment just long enough to lessen the impact of the ensuing massacre.
Regarding flamethrowers on Dog Green: Russell Pickett of A Company, 116th infantry regiment carried a flamethrower during the landings, but was injured before he could use it. There was also at least one operator with the 16th Infantry Regiment down on the other end of Omaha with the Big Red One, who was seen clearing out enemy positions near WN60.
Big Red One!! HOOAH!! Bco. 101st FSB !!
I've been in combat, this is the first movie I saw when I got Home.
I wanted to crawl under my seat it was so realistic.
The thing with the Czech soldiers could also have a different explanation. *Massive* part of the Czech population was German for many centuries (there was literally more Germans than Slovaks in pre communist Czechoslovakia), so lots and lots of German soldiers were Czech citizens for most of their lives until the country became a part of Germany proper. Its completely realistic that some of them spoke Czech and could try to play victims like this when captured. In general the question of Bohemia and Moravia in the context of the Reich is quite interesting, as nazis were divided about what to do with the population. Some of them wanted to treat us like they treated Poles (so not very nicely), other saw us as naturally germanised enough to be mostly germanised completely (except for jews and other groups targeted by nazis).
Sudatenland.
The beach scene was reasonably accurate, within allowances of what could and couldn't be done on screen back in 1998.
But where the plot gets ridiculous is where Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Barry Pepper, Vin Diesel etc, eight men, supposedly elite US Army Rangers, plodding along in open fields, chatting away at the top of their voices, when they were meant to be sneaking through swarms of German reinforcements trying to push the Allies back to the sea.
I enjoyed the concept of eight men sneaking past thousands of Germans to find one soldier who may or may not already be KIA, to bring him home, but the Rangers weren't exactly...sneaky...Germans could have heard them coming all the way from Berlin
Apparently they are saying that they were Czech conscripts and didn't kill anyone
We were "lucky" most of the Normandy defenses were manned by Ost troops, nor German regulars.
That point you make about how Tom Hanks' character in the movie should really have been much younger that he was is true of all the characters, really. It's important to remember that these guys were all 18,19, 20, just kids really. Richard Winters of Easy Company, 506th was only 24 on D-day.
Hanks does look pretty young though and in 1944 40 which is roughly what age he was looked older then. The average age of a combat veteran in ww2 was 24..
Going to the British battle of Normandy cemetery I was surprised how many grave were fir soldiers in thier 30's and even 40's
A couple of things: This film depicts the equivalent of the first wave hitting the beach. If that was the case, you have about 60 landing craft spread across 4 miles of beach. These assault parties were actually pretty isolated from each other. While the fighting was intense in those first waves, it was also a moment of incredible isolation in some spots of Omaha beach, adding to the terror. Hans Severloh was also not manning an MG42. He was manning a captured Polish machine gun. We know this based on the accounts of Franz Gockel who identified the weapons used in WN62 as captured Polish machine guns and insisted quite heavily that there were not MG42s in that position. I will say, regardless of the gun in the bunkers, soldiers are still facing a machine gun across open ground but understanding the 352nd as a representation of "this is 1944 and Germany is scraping out of the bottom of the armory" helps us understand the experience on the beach better. They show this with the captured Czech soldiers but not the weaponry in the film. Great breakdown, just gotta beef with Hans Severloh for being a uhhh..... inconsistent narrator of his own experience.
Very good points!
Thanks for sharing all that. Love this stuff
Severloh and his 1st Lt were not of Gockel's 716th ID but part of the 352nd ID. They manned a small observation bunker to direct fire for Severloh's 1st battery. Severloh wasn't even really part of the WN but Olt Frerking's batman and driver. It's very possible that Severloh had a MG42 and that it was not part of WN62's regular inventory.
Severloh used his rifle because the MG's barrel(s) were overheating and he had to wait for them to cool down again. That indicates the use of an aircooled MG.
The Polish wz.30 MG had a water cooled barrel that could not be changed (in the field).
Plus, the MG42 in the LMG role had a bipod and not a tripod like the wz.30 which is quite unwieldy and much heavier when you are on your own. The wz.30 is a crew served weapon, the MG42 without the lafette not necessarily so.
Severloh's whole account fits the handeling of a MG42 much more, especially if you have handled one yourself and know the capabilities and drills of it.
The 352 Infantry regiment was a crack unit with over 6,500 of it's complement of 12,020 men being experienced combat troops. The D Day planners didn't even know they were stationed there. Don't put any faith in the accounts of Severloh and Gockel. There were 6x MG42's sited on Omaha Beach along with an assortment of older mg's. WN62 was just one of many other WN's. But when they ran out of ammunition, the Americans were able to get off the beach.
@@JohnJameson18y ahhhh interesting! so interesting! This is definitely detail I was missing.
My dad was a World War that, Marines South Pacific.
I don't know a lot about his service record but I do know he fought from Cape Glouste, Siapan and Guam and finally Peleliu where he got hit.
The only stories that I heard were from Saipan and Peleliu where he was attached to an artillery unit.
He said of Saipan the Japanese Navy showed up and they glassed them from Shore and when they realized who it was in his term they've bugged out before they were wiped out. My dad's a hero to me! Semper Fi ❤
I know what happened on Omaha. My friend was a commander of 19 tanks there, only his and one other survived to take the beach. The rest drowned. I've seen Bill landing his tank on D day on PBS. I've also heard stories from the Germans who surrendered because Bill got up and around their defenses when the Germans were running low on ammo having poured it on the beach for no reason. They saw they were drastically outnumbered but just chose to be thorough Nazis. I used to play Bridge with Bill and his wife in their kitchen in 1975 when I was 18 in Columbus Ohio.
I really like how you pointed out that the soldiers were tremendously overloaded with gear and I think that single fact was one of the main things that caused the catastrophic casualties on Omaha. A close friend of my father was in the 116th Regiment of the 29th Division in that first wave. He was wounded after he took two steps out of his LCVP, when a shell burst exploded close to him. The shell drove pretty deeply into the sand before exploding, so he didn't get any shrapnel hits, but the concussion gave him a Traumatic Brain Injury that he never fully recovered from. He passed away when I was fairly young (I'm 76 now) and all I can really remember is that he always seemed to move very slowly and seemed fragile. My Dad came over with the Third Army, he was an ordnance sergeant in the 4th Armored Division. Another thing that was touched very briefly in the film but had huge consequences was the carnage among the Army combat engineers and Navy demolition crews that attempted to land with the first wave. Barely 25% of them survived the first 2 hours at Omaha. Also another case of overloading hurt them also. There are incidents where the rubber boats they were using to carry explosives, primacord and other necessary gear fell victim to direct hits from mortars and 75mm shells, killing the entire team and anyone else that was close. John C McManus wrote possibly the best account of Omaha and its successes and failures in "The Dead and Those Who Are About to Die", though it specifically is about the 1st Infantry Division at Omaha. But everything he described is exactly what happened to the 29th Infantry Division also.
I went to see this movie the weekend it came out with my girlfriend at the time. I was 16 (yes, we got in despite not being "old enough") and when we got in the theatre, we sat down next to an old couple who were VERY quiet and weren't moving/looking around much. Just staring straight forward. I didn't pay much attention until about 10 minutes into the movie, the old man started BAWLING and basically started watching "through his hands." At that moment, I also saw his jacket which had clear military insignia and a "WWII Vet" patch sewn on. I will NEVER forget that moment as long as I live. By the time the movie ended, he had been pretty calm for a little while and as I got up to leave, I made sure to turn to him and thank him for everything he did. But I also took that opportunity, after getting permission to ask about the movie, how "accurate" he thought it was. He said "it was almost like I was back on the damn beach."
Over the next few weeks, I got the opportunity to ask quite a few WWII vets what they thought? Every...single...one shared this fellows sentiment.
The scene where Rangers jumps overboard really happened, read about it in Steve Zaloga's book about Omaha Beach and Pointe Du Hoc. I think it's another nice detail 👍🏻👍🏻
Just wanted to clarify the situation regarding the tanks at Omaha. You mentioned the 741st and all it’s issues but the 743rd supporting the 29th Division is often overlooked. The 743rd battalion commander realized the conditions were too rough and ordered his DD-Sherman’s to be landed directly on the beach. Most of them succeeded in doing so as did all the regular Sherman’s & Sherman/dozer variants from the 743rd Battalion. All told around 40 tanks from the 743rd landed successfully. Unfortunately they didn’t contribute as much as hoped for during the early hours of the invasion being pretty well pinned by well placed antitank guns. Once the breakout from the beach began, they proved their worth and were awarded a Presidential Unit Citation for their actions that day. There’s a pretty good CZcams video by WW2TV with Steven Zaloga as a guest who go into detail about the tanks at Omaha.
My grandfather landed on Omaha beach on D-Day. He was haunted by his experiences and rarely told us about it. Nevertheless I am proud to have his blood in my heart. I love my grandfather, I am proud of him and I miss him.
My grandfather was in the 2nd wave at Omaha beach. My dad took him to see the movie, he said it was pretty accurate but that it was much worse. He said they couldn't capture the smell of the beach, and also he said he never walked on the beach. He said he walked on bodies...I can't imagine this kind of hell. He rarely talked about his WWII experience but he was a combat engineer and he was over there for quite a while. He's passed on now, but he lived a good life, came home bought a house, worked at GM and had 4 kids. I wish I had interviewed him and wrote a book, he had an exceptional memory and could have nearly recalled everyday that he was there.
Much respect to your grandfather.
"He walked in bodies" come on, you americans have a stupid behavior to overreact about everything. My Opa was fighting in Stalingrad, e.g. He told me that he was part of a combat group to destroy advancing Soviet tanks, just like in the movie "Stalingrad" he allowed himself to be rolled over in a tiny trench and then pushed a grenade into the interior through the top hatch. In contrast to your ancestor, he never started with any pseudo-sentimental stories about bodies being torn open, infantrymen being shot down by machine gun fire or how he shot the tank commander..... . No, he just said that when the wreckage was examined, it turned out that some of the men on the tank crew were CHAINED inside. What your ancestor is babbling about about "we walked over bodies" or "in reality the horror was much worse" is just American platitude chatter. And then He Had 4 Kids, lived a good Life, probably he sit in an armchair every evening and praised God that he came out of this war alive ...... Meeeeen, i can hardly stand this American over-the-top chatter.😅😅😅
I bet between your Das memories and yours, you could still right that book in honor of your grandfather! 🙏❤🇺🇸
While in High School, I did my History Term Paper on Overlord. I was fortunate to be able to Interview Col. Russel P "Red" Reeder 12th Inf/4th ID for several hours on his landing at Utah Beach. I still have the transcript today and feel fortunate to have met and learned from such a leader. My mother was taking the interview in shorthand and I remember his kindness to her when she started breaking down hearing the first hand horrors those soldiers went through. He took shrapnel a couple of days after the landing and eventually lost a leg to the wound.
Would you mind emailing us at reelhistory1944@gmail.com ? I'd like to add your research to our 4th ID collection if possible. Jared's grandfather was in the 4th from Utah Beach through VE day
Man, I appreciate your content more and more each day. CZcams can get me feeling pretty despondent with some of the trash on here. Then I receive a notification from you or creators like you and hope is restored
And happy/solemn D Day everyone
@@oOneenOo Happy D-Day to you too! 😊❤️
Thank you for the kind words and revisiting our channel!
@@ReelHistory Anytime!
One of the best creators on CZcams IMO
12:02 The Life Belt CO2 cartridges were often missing because Milo Minderbinder of M & M Enterprises stole many of them to sell Iced Cream Sodas with Whipped Cream. What’s good for the syndicate is good for the Country.
My father was 14 when this happened, but later served in the Korean war and saw battle. He never openly spoke about it. Every time someone thanked him, he'd reply with "Just thank the guys we left over there". One of the most touching things that happened towards the ends of his life while he was in a McDonald's, a young man from South Korea came up to him and desperately thanked him for what they did to free his country. It seems the culture there still appreciates the terrible, but ultimately beneficial sacrifices made by so many in that war, and specifically the role the U.S. Army played. It really helped him heal on many levels I feel, as even 70 years later he would have nightmares. Some level of peace was very welcome.
My Father was in the U.S.A.A.F in WWII. My Uncle was in the Infantry in Europe. My Father shared storries with me, but it was made very clear to me when I was quite young, not to ask Uncle Evert about war storries.
During my graduation party in May 2022, my mom’s friend gave me a book called “D-Day: The First 24 Hours” by Will Fowler.
I know we all think of Omaha beach as the one with the most casualties in such a short period of time. Tarawa was just as bad of a landing. In addition, the battles of Peleliu, Okinawa, Iwo Jima etc. were just as bloody and intense for the entire campaign. Omaha was a blood bath from about 0630 until about 1300 on June 6th. The Pacific theater after Guadalcanal (after the Japanese changed their tactics and ended the banzai charges) was a constant bloodbath. Not taking anything away from the heroes at Omaha.
The bravery and valor of these young patriots is amazing! I will forever be in awe of their service. Few are still living and may all rest in peace.
13:35 what is this WEIRD voiceover here?
@@777jaris we used to have MG shoots in a location eerily similar..high bluff overlooking water...as we were blasting away I thought "I sure wouldn't want to be down there!"....
They are spinning in their graves with what’s been happening to America
The bunker in the movie looks more like a type of observation bunker, rather than a gun-bunker. No bunker of that type was in the bluffs above Omaha Beach, but the type does exsist along the Atlantic Wall in France and Belgium. I recall that most of the extras in the movie were irish reserve units, red cross members etc. Many of them were used as extras a few years earlier in 'Braveheart' as well.
Creepy in real life, as I don't think they could really see where they were.
Just to clarify about the beach, they were not given permission to film on the actual beach
They filmed on one in Scotland
Given how significantly different the beach size is (Normandy is just bigger IIRC) even if they filmed in low tide it probably wouldn’t have increased that much
For those who have never been sea sick, it's different than other conditions that make you nauseous. In my experience, it ends very suddenly either when you get used to it or the motion calms/ceases. So even if you were throwing up on the way in, you would feel much better as you got close and then off the boat. I would imagine adrenaline would help as well. You would still be dehydrated of course, but you would still be able to function a lot better than someone who was suffering from some other stomach affliction. I only bring this up because when I saw this film as a kid I assumed if you were seasick you would continue to feel that way for a while after. Again this is just based on my experience with being sea sick (as a mariner.) It was like having the most severe hangover of my life that ended in a moment. It was weird.
Indeed, this is because it is a nausea which is induced by motion alone and the effect this has upon the equilibrium within the human inner ear which is akin to a spirit level that allows the human body to maintain its balance and co-ordination. I awoke one morning years ago and as I attempted to get out of bed the room immediately began spinning crazily causing me to fall heavily to the floor and then begin vomiting bile as I tried to stand up and walk. I had no idea what was going on and couldn''t get off the floor. I had to slide on my belly to a phone and call friends who came to my home and had to break in to gain entry who then called for a locum doctor who came to my house, diagnosed a severe inner ear infection, then gave me an injection of powerful sedative and antibiotics and put me back into my bed. When I woke the next day, I had some degree of balance, but it took a few days before I regained sufficient co-ordination to be able walk or drive again. Since then, I have always had a 'blind spot' in my balance for several degrees either side of level which made my job as a carpenter and roof plumber a bit difficult thereafter and somewhat amusing for others whenever I was required to walk a roof frame seeing me suddenly completely lose my sense of balance when standing perfectly upright.
Didn't help them with the meal they were fed before hitting the beach.
@@harryricochet8134 that sounds absolutely terrifying and awful
@samuelhowie4543 what was it? I always recoil when hearing about astronauts eating steak and eggs before launch. I can't imagine that feels good during launch and then experiencing weightlessness
I got seasick when my Dad and I and some friends were out in deep water in the San Francisco bay area. I was scared when we were rocked by pretty high swells. I didn't throw up, but I have been reading Stephen Ambrose's book "D-day" and those descriptions of the men throwing up and the hellish conditions is just horrific
29:51 I always remember watching an old war movie as a kid and my uncle saying that it wasn't very realistic, the Allied soldiers would not be acting like saints all the time. They were also sometimes prone to shooting or beating enemies who had surrendered, especially if that enemy had just wiped out 3 of your best mates. It always stuck with me for many years.
Also reminds me of the famous photos of Robert Capra from Leipzig called something like "the last soldier to die in ww2" of a GI who was shot dead by a sniper whilst manning a 30cal. The following photos that Capra took show the sniper being captured and kicked down the street by frustrated GIs
Ralph Goranson, command for the Omaha beach, at f'ing 24. What a boss. Name should definitely be remembered. Nothing but respect.
Fantastically researched video, I appreciate the effort you've gone into . Saving Private Ryan really had an affect on me the first time I saw it all those years ago. I came out of it feeling like I could use a couple of stiff drinks. As you briefly indicated, WW2 veterans who saw the Spielberg film confirmed it captured the reality of war as they remembered it.
This was one of the best review/analysis videos for the opening of the film I've seen. Being for a film AND military history nerd, I really appreciate that you gave the film an appropriate nod to the needs of cinema when it deviated from history.
Thanks for the kind words!
Another great video as always. Indeed, the story of the Korean soldiers at Normandy is a really fascinating one. I think there's a Korean film about them.
Indeed. It is called "My Way."
@@ReelHistory If SPR is a slightly flawed representation of D-Day, "My Way" is blooper city.
Really awesome seeing the 4th infantry division patch! My pop was with the 4th infantry division, 124th transportation battalion in Vietnam and was a gunner on gun trucks. "Big Kahuna", "Snake Eyes", "Eve Of Destruction" etc. Thank you all for your service! 🤘🏻
I THANK YOUR FATHER MY FRIEND!!!
I have seen documentaries with the "Big Kahuna" in them. I can't remember, but just in the last year I saw a video where they were restoring one of the gun trucks from Vietnam, not sure of the trucks name but I'm sure it was on CZcams.
Im not a veteran. I was going to go into the Marines right after high school but I ended up getting married and having a kid at 19. Although ive never fought in battle every time i see vets talking about they're experiences i can almost feel theyre pain and that makes me kinda glad that i never inlisted. Who knows I may have been killed and my kids would be without a dad. That being said, we as Americans need to give our respect and gratitude to all are armed forces for giving us the freedom to even give our 2 cents online or even on the street. We take everthing for granted and dont give our armed forces the respect they deserve. So the next time you're sitting there with your family watching a movie or whatever remember the ones that got you that freedom. We as Americans are spoiled. The government dont give a damn about our homeless veterans or even the ones who arent.
My father was not at D-Day, but came in during the Bulge. This movie still moved him profoundly. I miss that old guy. He died in 2016.
Crazy how nobody ever mentions the actors were all in their 30’s but the real guys were teenagers
Another great episode!! I can’t even begin to imagine what these men went through.
I got to meet Harold Baumgartmer once and he was absolutely amazing. He spoke with a small group of us and told us about his very short time in France, he stormed the beach and after being injured was back on a ship heading home about three days later. I can't accurately express in words how in awe we were just listening to him talk. The things he saw and experienced in such a short time was more than most will have in a lifetime.
Dude, you look so much like your grandfather, it’s remarkable. That aside, thank you for your fascinating take on history. It was a pleasure watching your well produced video!
My Grandfather landed on Omaha Beach. Came home with 3 purple hearts after the war and met my grandmother. Who had came down from the mountains in West Virginia to work in the cities during the war.
While working in France (Nice area) about 10 years ago I visited those beaches. Like a lot of beaches there they are shallow and its 100's of yards to the beach. Scary as hell. I was in a small Pub owned by a lady that was especially nice to me because she lived during WWII and remembered the Allies coming to their aid.
That "don't shoot, let em' burn" line was double edged IMO. The natural impulse would be to put those guys out of their misery and end their suffering by shooting them dead. Whether that actually did anything for the victim matters less as it does more psychologically for the ones actually doing the shooting. The carrying out of an act of mercy preserves your humanity. Choosing not to, shows pretty clearly just how these men were feeling in that moment. And truthfully, that was the kind of thing that would haunt someone for the rest of their life no matter how thirst-quenching it was in the moment. It's just not natural. But as you mention, combat does awful awful things to ones psyche.
Would be irrelevant as I don't think they had flamethrowers, but it would he understandable if someone thought that l.
Dude this was an amazing discussion. Good research and work put in.
In case you missed it, the Navy beach battalion engineer who tells Capt Miller to go somewhere else appears twice more in the opening part of the film. You see him prone on the shingle among the Rangers a few minutes later and then he's one of the two guys who shoots the surrendering Czechs. He's the guy asking, "what did he say?" This actually isn't inaccurate as dozens of sailors who lost their equipment on landing grabbed a rifle to become infantrymen. Stephen Ambrose mentions a Navy captain who'd reached the top of the bluff and asked a GI "how in the hell do I operate this thing," talking about the M1 he'd picked up. Another small point is that I'm pretty sure that Charlie Company of the 2nd Rangers landed with the 2nd wave, not the first. Veterans I've spoken to over the years have told me how loud it was on the Higgins boats and how they had to scream at the guy right next to them to be heard, so Captain Miller and Sgt. Horvath's pep talks wouldn't have been heard by anyone on the ride in. And you're right, Sgt Horvath collecting canisters of dirt to carry in his musette bag was fairly comical. As a veteran, he'd be carrying only useful things, such as chow, ammo, and more chewing tobacco. But it's a great plot device, as you say, to show that this isn't his first rodeo.
guy with the typewriter shows up later too....not uncommon in movies with a large cast
I watched this movie in the theater with a few WW2 veterans who had actually been at Omaha, and they told me that it was VERY accurate to the Hell they experienced. I couldn't believe that they were able to sit through that, but they did.
Well done! This is probably the best breakdown of the SPR beach scene that I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen more than a few lol).
I agree
Great video and really held my attention way more than I expected.
Actually accurate or not, it drives home the brutality of that moment and makes EVERYONE pay undivided attention and get SOME kind of concept of what people went through. That's all it needs to do.
Thanks for a interesting video.
2019 I was on Omaha Beach wit my son.
I was looking after the concrete bunker, who was in the movie.
We could not find it, and that’s explains in your video.
We found the same one of that concrete bunker at Pointe du Hoc, there was one of the top.
It was a very special trip to do.
When we walked in the sand at Omaha Beach, we looked at each other and said.
Here we go without all theirs equipment, and without machine gun fire at us, and it’s still hard too walk in the sand.
I can not explain the feelings we had in our hearts that time.
So many young men who gave their lives, to fight against the enemies, and help Europe be free from the evil Nazi regime.
R.I.P all young fallen soldiers.
❤️❤️🌺🌺🌺🙏
So glad I stumbled across this. You’re a informative guy. Love it.
Thanks!
First time here. You did a great job with this video. Look forward to checking out the rest of your content. Thank you for the respectful and knowledgeable breakdown.
As a veteran (Gulf War I, not WWII), I'm always amused by Hollywood war films where every enlisted man talks like he's on a training ground being inspected by an officer. "SIR! Blahblahblahblahblah, SIR!" In real life, once training is over, that nonsense is dispensed with. You always address an officer respectfully as 'sir' (or ma'am, or course), but hammering it out like that, like a private recruit being ordered to clean the latrine, is highly unrealistic in the workaday military environment. Still SPR is a superb film, and I never tire of watching it.
I didn't hear you say it, but my understanding is that the Allies did not have a POW plan as part of their D-Day invasion plans on Normandy. I believe that the allies didn't start collecting POW's until the 3'rd day.
You hear a pop when a bullet goes past you. The one that hits you, you don't hear but it burns like hell !
I was 14 years old when this film came out. I went to see it with my family on opening weekend. In the theater were at least a dozen veterans in their uniforms. As soon as the opening scene of the Normandy beach landings started, these veterans began weeping, almost involuntarily, as if they were reliving a nightmare. Their emotional reaction to the film is something I will never forget!
I was a former Airborne Ranger. Of course we don’t hit beaches today. But I was in Normandy the Summer of 1999. I walked all the beaches and hiked from our hotel at hotel de Casino to pointe du hoc. Anyway, I remember watching the film the year before with my then wife and friends. That first 20 minutes for me were horrible. I’ve been to war. And remember well wanting to sprint and duck and dive. I was sweating at the intermission. We g it ave intermission in Switzerland cinemas. Anyway, was a hard movie to watch.
Reel History actually made a small error of their own in talking about the tanks on Omaha Beach. There were two types of Shermans on Omaha on D-Day...the DD tanks that had the canvas skirts to "swim" ashore, and the wading tanks that had the giant extended intake and exhaust vents on their rear deck. In the photo at 21:45 you can see 1 of the DD tanks to reach shore with its canvas skirt lowered as well as 2 of the wading tanks. It was the DD tanks of the 741st Tank Battalion that were meant to support the 1st Infantry Division at the other end of the beach that were put into the water too far from the beach, and lost 27 of their 32 DD tanks before they reached the shore.
We try our best.
@@ReelHistory Absolutely 100 percent understandable...I am actually a little comforted that you are even capable of small mistakes and are not perfect. LOL
Thank You Sir for your erudition and excellent commentary!
The more you learn about D-Day, the more crazy it gets. It’s insane how violent it was. Iwo Jima is also a crazy invasion.
Indeed, if you're interested in Iwo Jima keep an eye on our channel. We have quite the video coming out in the coming weeks!
Subscribed so I won't miss that video! Have you, or do you ever plan to do anything about the Rainbow Division, 42nd Infantry liberating Dauchau? My grandfather was there.
I asked him about it when I was 10 years old or so. Years later, I saw a very good documentary about it, 1 that I've only managed to find years ago. It captured on video many of the things he told me about. Thanks for keeping the memories of the men if that generation alive!
My grandpa passed in 1995. I have his units yearbook and a book titled April 29th 1945 about it.
Iwo was even more cruel in my opinion.
No other Movie has ever had the impact on a cinema audience as this did with the Omaha Beach Scene
9:27 I remember a German MG42 Gunner saying in a UK documentary years ago that they'd been watching the ships coming for a long time and as they approached an NCO told him to hold off firing until the landing troops were halfway up the beach, he didn't fire straight away and when he did he fired in short bursts
Thank you
Very informative.
I wish we could get a civil war movie like this.
So true.
And Vietnam
@@michaelquinn7710try platoon not like saving private ryan but pretty damn good
@@MythKatana already saw it, it's good
I have a client who was there named Jake Larsen. He is 100 years old. He is a living witness to the Omaha Beach landing. In fact, here is a CZcams video of his description of that experience. czcams.com/video/dXhmpy65P5k/video.html. Talking to him I realized that despite the awful gunfire, the greatest fear was stepping on a mine.
My great uncle was somewhere else in pacific, but ran into some soldiers as war was closing and asked some men what D day was like and almost every man admitted they never were so frightened in their life, like when over , felt sick from nerves. These men and our men woman today are our hero’s.
Very informative D-Day history lesson. Me and my wife went on a tour of the Normandy battlefields and beach landings in 2003. Amongst the many places we visited was Sword Beach, The Merville Gun Battery, the Point Du Hoc site, the town of St. Mere Eglise and Omaha Beach and the American Cemetary on the bluff. This beach was a moving experience (as we'd seen the film Saving Private Ryan, and watched many WWII documentaries). I was overcome when I saw a small blue flower blowing in the wind. I thought how silent this scene was, and how unblievably noisy and bloody it must have been on D-Day. All those who took part in those landings were truly brave and many gave their lives to secure the freedoms that we often take for granted today. Philip Edwards. North Wales. UK.
25:50 - A side note: Earlier in the movie, I think when they are on the landing craft approaching the beach, you actually see that same soldier stuffing gum into his mouth. Not sure if it was intentional foreshadowing, but Tom Hanks knew who was chewing gum when he reached into the GI's mouth.
Missing from the film was the critical role of the US Navy destroyers in providing direct fire support to the Omaha Beach offensive and their role was critical. See the quote below from a beach master on Omaha beach.
"A beachmaster on Omaha, watching the “tin cans” fire into the cliff, later claimed, “You could see the trenches, guns, and men blowing up where they were hit.” There was no doubt in his mind that “the few Navy destroyers that we had there probably saved the invasion.” With more enthusiasm than precision, he insisted that the handful of American ships “destroyed practically the entire German defense line at Omaha Beach.” If they didn’t quite do that, they did change the trajectory of the battle. Inside an artillery bunker behind Omaha Beach, a German regimental commander phoned headquarters to report: “Naval guns are smashing up our strongpoints. We are running short of ammunition. We urgently need supplies.” There was no answer because the line had gone dead."
SOURCE: www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2014/june/navy-saved-our-hides
Another thing that Hank's captain got wrong talking about the tanks is that the engineers were not just clearing obstacles for the DD tanks, but for all the other tanks and vehicles that would be brought in on subsequent waves as well as clearing the way for the landing craft. As time went on and the tide came in if they hadn't cleared the obstacles then a lot of landing craft would have foundered or been destroyed.
Interesting and informative commentary. Thank you.