You should watch The Pacific next (also by HBO) which, hard as it might be to believe, was even more brutal than the European war. Also by HBO, and decidedly less dark, is a miniseries called From the Earth to the Moon about America's Apollo program.
My maternal grandfather was part of the US Army occupation force in Japan. When he passed away, my cousin scanned all of his photos and put them on a DVD and mailed copies to all of us. On that is pictures of when he was a kid, his wedding and his time in Japan, various military camps, Japanese weaponry, either Hiroshima or Nagasaki (I don't remember which off the top), and photos of the Americans playing baseball with the Japanese. A guy that lived around the corner from me in college served in the US Navy during WW2, and he gave me a pocket slide rule made of bamboo that said Made in Occupied Japan on the back.
I had the honor of meeting Major Winters at an army base very near to his farm in Pennsylvania. We were there doing a living history of the Battle of the Bulge, and he and some other men of Easy Company came by to watch. Winters asked if he could join me at the cafe table, We chatted and he asked me if my father was in the War, and I explained my dad was a Senior Navigational Instructor in the Army Air Force--never went into combat--but he trained many hundreds of air crew and fliers the skills they needed to reach their targets and get home alive. I said "so, you know, he never fought" but Winters stopped me and said "Your father was a real hero, and you should be proud to be his son".Dad was already gone by then, but I'll never forget what Maj. Winters said to me.
The Eleventh episode, “We Stand Alone Together”, features interviews of most of the men who served in Easy Company when the series’ “Band of Brothers”, was being developed and filmed, if you want more.
I think its interesting to note something about the German General at the end. His uniform did not feature any of the insignia that indicated Nazi Party membership. He was a loyal German, but not a Nazi.
Sgt. Chuck Grant, shot in the head, did survive - he lived until the mid-80s. He recovered but never was 100% free of the lingering effects of that wound. The sad part is that, as this debuted in 2001 (believe it premiered on US TV the night of 9/11) all veterans of Easy are now gone. The final one passed away in 2022 I believe.
During the 2002's Primetime Emmys, Winters made an acceptance speech as Hanks & Spielberg looked on towards the audience. His men now then older were simulcasted from nearby hotel as audience gave them a major standing ovation.
The actors who played the men of Easy Company have said many times how these roles changed their lives, and themselves, for the better. To that end they maintain their bond of comradeship. They have their own reunions and have said they feel it is their duty to keep the memory of Easy Company alive. A group of them recently made a C-47 parachute drop at the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy. They even trained in the city of Toccoa for it.
The last officer to pass away was Ed Shames, in December of 2021 (briefly shown in the show as the officer who keeps shouting, when Winters goes through the possible replacements for Dike). The last enlisted, and very last Easy company member alive, was Bradford Freeman, passing away in July of 2022. Floyd Craver, the replacement who shot Sgt Grant only spent a short amount of time in jail, somehow, and when he was initially caught, he was more or less trying to rape a local woman.. Shifty was one of the last members of Easy to make it back to the US, because of his injuries. While he was recovering in various hospitals, all his back pay and guns were stolen. Concerning Shifty, did you notice the helmet only had one piece of paper in it? The NCOs rigged it to be sure Shifty would get to leave. Malarkey was supposed to be included in the baseball scene at the end, but Scott Grimes who plays him, missed his flight to get there. He hopped on a train but sadly didn't make it in time. He said in a podcast it's one of his biggest regrets so far. ------ About the 85 points, that's how they were earned. 1 month of military service ****1 point each 1 month of military service overseas (in addition to total time in service) ****1 point each Combat award (Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Silver Star Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, Soldier's Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal, Purple Heart) ****5 points each Having a dependent child under the age of eighteen (up to a max of 3 dependents) ****12 points each They also earned ****5 points per campaign they took part in. Egypt-Libya 11 June 1942 - 13 February 1943 Air Offensive, Europe 4 July 1942 - 5 June 1944 Algeria-French Morocco 8 - 11 November 1942 Tunisia 17 November 1942 - 13 May 1943 Sicily 9 July - 17 August 1943 Naples-Foggia 9 September 1943 - 21 January 1944 Anzio 22 January - 24 May 1944 Rome-Arno 22 January - 9 September 1944 Normandy 6 June - 24 July 1944 Northern France 25 July - 14 September 1944 Southern France 15 August - 14 September 1944 North Apennines 10 September 1944 - 4 April 1945 Rhineland 15 September 1944 - 21 March 1945 Ardennes-Alsace 16 December 1944 - 25 January 1945 Central Europe 22 March - 11 May 1945 Po Valley 5 April - 8 May 1945 As an example, a man who served for three years in the Army, including one and a half years overseas, had a child under 18, and fought in the Northern France, Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland and Central Europe Campaigns, earning a Bronze Star Medal and two Purple Hearts would have: 36 (months in service) + 18 (months overseas) + 12 (dependent under 18) + 5 (Northern France) + 5 (Rhineland) + 5 (Ardennes-Alsace) + 5 (Central Europe) + 5 (Bronze Star Medal) + 5 (Purple Heart) + 5 (Purple Heart) = 101 points, enough to go home! ---------------------- The Austria-Germany scenes were actually all filmed in Switzerland, in Bernese Oberland. The Austrian town of Zell Am See is actually the Swiss village of Brienz and the grand hotel at which the main characters stay is the hotel Giessbach. ___________ I don't know if that was the case for you, it might vary depending on the platform you're watching BoB on, but on many other channels, the subs at the end are all messed up and it's really irritating because it can otherwise ruin a perfect ending. They should read: "Do you remember the letter that MIKE RANNEY wrote me?" ( sometimes the subtitles show "my granny", as if it would make any sense..) "Do you remember how HE ended it?" Those last words Winters quote are not from himself, they're from a letter Mike Ranney wrote him. Mike Ranney was one of those 2 sergeants in Ep1 who get busted down to Private after the mutiny.
I've had the honor of meeting and talking with a number of WW2 veterans over the years. Most were American. A few Canadians and British, and a couple of Germans. My grandfather served as a Navy Seabee. Basically, he was a combat engineer during amphibious landings against Japanese-held positions. It was his second enlistment. He was 36 at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack, and didn't come home until October, 1945. It was no coincidence that my mother was born in July, 1946. As a child, I had a neighbor who was a Scottish immigrant to the US. He was also one of The Few to whom so much was owed by so many - an RAF fighter pilot and veteran of The Battle of Britain. He had seven confirmed aerial victories, then later transitioned to ground attack aircraft. He was shot down three times. The third time, he was captured by German troops and became a prisoner of war until his liberation by Patton's Third Army. He was so indebted to his American liberators and fellow prisoners, that he chose to spend his life in the US as a naturalized citizen. I feel quite fortunate to have met these men before they left us.
When they were researching the series, the production & research staff were invited to a lunch at Dick Winter's farm. He and his wife put on a superb spread. One of the female researchers piled up quite the sandwich, and realised that it was so well filled she'd be unable to eat it in any sort of dignified fashion. Suddenly Winters appeared over her shoulder, and sliced the sandwich in two with his old jump knife ... She marvelled at this, " here he was, at 81, still observing, watching everything around him, and still helping out " ....
This is the best mini-series that I’ve ever seen. It really makes me proud to be an American. I had a lot of family that fought real fascism in WWII. I’m proud of every one of them.
I think the most incredible thing about these men, not just easy company but the whole generation is that after extraordinary service, they came home to live normal lives for the most part. RIP Uncle Jimmy who landed on the beach on D-day and Uncle Ned whose ship provided anti-aircraft cover.
They never mentioned in the show but on 20th May 1944 Spiers married an English woman Margaret Griffiths. After the war she did not want to go to America and leave her family in England so the marriage ended in divorce. Their son Robert Spiers joined the British Army and retired as a Lieutenant colonel in the Royal Green Jackets.
It didn't exactly end that way. She was married to a British soldier and received news that he was killed in action. Then she married Spiers. It was revealed that her first husband was not killed but a POW. So she dumped Spiers and went back to her first husband. Kept all the loot Spiers sent her too.
@@catherinelw9365 That story was put forward but Spiers denied it in a letter to Winters in 1992, because it had been mentioned in Ambrose's book. He insisted Margaret was a single person who had never been married before. This is just from his wikipedia of course so true or false is a ? but its not likr Ambrose did not add some things in and make errors. Like Blyth's premature death. Or a person running out into the middle of a field to get a luger,
If you look closely at the scene where the guys are enjoying themselves at the cafe in Holland, you may see the real "Babe" Heffron sitting at the cafe.
Really hope you guys watch the documentary We Stand Alone Together, where they pulled all the interviews from. It's the cherry on top for the Band of Brothers.
You saw Bill Guarnere the interesting thing is the guy who played him in this series was his son or grandson. And no matter how many times I've watched this and peoples reactions when Dick responds to his grandson his question, No, but I served in a Company of Hero's. I cry like a baby.
23:05 Just a clarification, Grant said "Mac" not "Muck." Although that wasn't his name either. "Mac" back then was a slang term used to refer to anyone (usually people you weren't familiar with). So it's like saying "hey buddy" or "hey pal," but instead of "buddy" or "pal" they say "mac."
Even though David Webster was lost at sea in 1961, he played a pivotal role in the making of Band of Brothers. He kept a wartime diary detailing his and Easy's experiences that the author of the book "Band of Brothers" used as source material. This explains how his character was able to narrate the episode "The Last Patrol". The book author encouraged his widow to have it published, which it was under the title “Parachute Infantry: An American Paratrooper’s Memoir of D-Day and the Fall of the Third Reich.” I think at first Liebgott scoffed a bit at the German general's speech, but was then moved by his words as he recognized how the Germans experienced the same wartime bond the men of Easy had formed with each other. I was impressed with how Winters, after letting the German colonel keep his sidearm, showed respect to a defeated enemy by returning his salute. It was like a recognition that it was time to put enmity aside and build a world of peace together. And Germany did become both an ally and friend. I enjoyed this journey with you all. It encouraged me to get out my DVD set and watch it again after several years. I look forward to future reactions from you
"I was impressed with how Winters, after letting the German colonel keep his sidearm," As I understand it, Winters _did_ take that sidearm. Later, he realized it had never been fired, so he kept it that way, for the rest of his life.
You guys simply HAVE to watch the 1-hour documentary We Stand Alone, Together (it's where all the veterans talking heads videos are from, plus a lot more of them, and it's got tons of actual footage). It's here on CZcams. It's amazing and a MUST WATCH "11th episode" for anyone who finishes Band of Brothers
Please release "We Stand Alone Together". I so want to see your reaction to the identities of the veterans, and also to see how they stayed together for decades.
You guys should react to Valkyrie (2008) too. Not all Germans were Nazis or believed in the Nazi doctrine. In fact, many regular German soldiers were even weary of the SS. Many regular Germans were conscripted and forced to go to war.
You have to remember that this series originally came out in 2001. I think all of them are now sadly dead. For example Winters died in 2011. Also some easy company members who were still alive at the time might not have wished to be filmed.
Also, if you guys do "The Pacific" please try to find the version with the historical intros narrated by Tom Hanks. Really help and add to the show. Have a good one.
Nixon's wife Grace Umezawa was a survivor of the internment of Japanese Americans during WW2. She was quite an incredible woman in how she overcame the events that happened to her during and after the war before she married Lewis Nixon.
Another comment to encourage you to watch Stand Alone Together. It will give you the names of those other men in the opening snippets. One is Tipper (the guy blown up in the store in episode 3). Another is “One Lung” McClung, a tier 2 or 3 character who was always there (for instance he was one of the three originally tagged for The Last Patrol). Another is Alley, the guy who was wounded by a grenade at the opening of action at the Crossroads (episode 5.) One who wasn’t in openings but is in the documentary is Moose, the brief XO immediately after Winters.
The story goes that when Col Sink was being briefed by Spears on the shooting, Col Sink said he would have shot the bastard. Great reaction to my favorite series of all time. I need to go back to Toccoa and visit the 101st Airborne museum again.
Actually, Tokyo did burn pretty heavily, but the fires were contained to about 30% of the southern portion of the city, HOWEVER, Yokohama, Yamato, Yokosuka. and a few other cities were absolutely devastated by the fire bombings, in Yokohama, more people died than either of the 2 nuclear strikes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and you are right, up till 1944, BEFORE General Lemay took over for the U.S. Army Air Corps, we were using the SAME bombs that were being used against the heavy masonry, bricks and mortar construction of Europe, When General Lemay took over in the Pacific, he got rid of all the heavy bombs and had the bomber crews drop what was essentially stick flares, they were not really even bombs, but instead of a single B-29 carrying up to fifty 250 pound bombs, each one could carry 20,000 of these small stick flares, and leave a trail of those burning flares for more than a mile on the ground, and setting fire to whatever they touched.
Great reactions! Thanks for including us on the journey! I also want to encourage you to react to We Stand Alone Together, the “Episode 11” of the show. Ties the whole thing together, and a lot more of the real Easy Co men in interviews.
Spiers fed off of the _idea_ of his reputation, and he was never going to prove he was a badass in front of them. T00 cheeky for him -- It's the idea that is powerful and makes Iegends
Hey fellow tribe. Delighted to see your reactions. My father was decorated for valor as a Forward Mortar Scout on Iwo Jima. He never came home the same. Hope you will react to “The Pacific” and “Unbroken.”
It's pretty sad that there are no longer any surviving members of Easy Company. The final one (Bradford Freeman) died in 2022. What is really cool though is how many of the real-life members became minor celebrities after the show aired. It's great they got some notiriety for their bravery, albeit very late in life. The interviews started in 1998 or 99, and Popeye Wynn (who was interviewed) died in 2000, a year before the show aired. Lipton died in 2001, right after show finished its original airing. Moose Heyliger also died in 2001, one day before episode 10 aired. Here are when some others who were alive for the show died.
2003: Bull Randleman 2007: Ronald Spiers 2008: Moe Alley 2009: Shifty Powers 2011: Richard Winters 2012: Buck Compton 2013: Babe Heffron, Earl McClung, Frank Perconte 2014: Bill Guarnere 2015: Paul Rogers 2017: Donald Malarkey, Edward Tipper
I leave a comment just because I'm happy you notice the fact that the general talking to his man is just an army officer, and not a nazi (a**hole) officer. He just do what he have to to protect his country. And for the one who give his pistol for surrendering, I think what he mean by "... when their would be no more war to occupy us", is that when you saw battle, and become a soldier, when it's end, you can't think of any thing else you could do, like if the civilan version of you doesn't exist anymore and forever. It's a tough time to reconnect with this kind of life.
Say what you will about the ethics of giving a man with a drinking problem the run of a liquor cellar, Winters’ giving Nixon the keys to Goering’s liquor collection was probably one of the best bro moves of the 20th century. Gentlemen of Easy, and all the other soldiers you represented - thank you. Thank you for your service. Thank you for sharing your stories with us. Currahee!
Easy Company is the most ironic name in military history. From D-DAY all the way to Hitler's Eagle's Nest, there was nothing Easy about it. I never want things I love to end, but you want the pain to end for these Men, and the peace to begin. The German Field Marshall's speech is actually what ties the entire concept of of the series together unexpectedly...No matter what side you were on you were suffering. I implore you to see "We Stand Alone Together" and Ron Livingston's (Nixon) Bootcamp Diary. It makes you appreciate the series even more. "Were you a hero in the War Grandpa? Grandpa says no, but I served in a company of heroes" Near tears every time from Major Winters. Currahee! ♠
I think you mean "iconic" and not "ironic." Also, there were many "Easy" companies in the Army, not just the one. And "Easy" stood for the letter E in the phonetic alphabet of the time and had nothing to do with the actual word easy.
Civilian and military law are different in the United States. The shooter from I company, (Private Floyd W. Craver) was tried for capital murder for the Germans and the British officer. He was given a life sentence because there was a question about his sanity. Major Wiinters did not start as a second lieutenant. He was drafted in 1940 as a private and his leadership skills were quickly seen during and after basic training. He was then sent to officer candidate school.
When I was in 8th grade our school flew us to Washington D.C. and we went to the Holocaust musem. We got a name at the begining of the tour and at the end the told you if that person survived or not. I'll never forget that tour. My cousins are Jewish and I met their father's Dad who still had a tattoo from when he was in concentration camp. R.I.P. to my buddy from high school who took his own life when he got back from Iraq and Afghanistan. My classmate growing up Grandpa was one of the guys in this.
Thank you for taking us to the end with this. I have appreciated all your reactions to this great series. What makes Winters such a compelling individual is his respect for good "soldiering" even by the Wehrmacht.
If you want to see more of the guys in the company, watch the excellent documentary “We Stand Along Together.” Another great experience is the “ video diary” that Ron Livingston (Nixon) recorded about the 2 week training camp that the main cast went through before filming.
its also ironic and sad that although shifty won the lottery to be sent home first.. he nearly died as a result of a traffic accident as he left the company on his way home. he ended up recuperating for many months in a hospital in europe where all his backpay and "war loot" was stolen. on top of that, most of the other men made it back to the US before he did.
Loved all your reactions to each episode, from the best WWII Miniseries of all time. Looking forward to see you both react to many more shows and movies to come . Thank you. 👏❤
Hey you guys need to watch the next episode of band of brothers it's called " We stand alone Together " you would love it. Are you going to watch " The Pacific " it's same as band of brothers but it's with the war with Japanese
I just found your site today. I started with WALL-E and just finished watching your reactions to Band of Brothers. You have been asking us for more ideas on what to watch next. Since you have already done Netflix "Stranger Things," I would love to watch your reaction to the top Netflix series: Wednesday season 1. It is based on a tv show I watched in the 1960's (The Addams Family), with 2 movies in the 1990's, and Wednesday season 2 is being filmed now to be released on Netflix in December? Shalom and keep smiling.
My father was in the Korean War (just 5 years after WW II). He never talked about it. Most of the WW II or Korean War vets rarely talked about it. They just came home and got on with life... and made babies. They are rightly called "The greatest generation." They helped save the world from tyranny and made the Boomers. (The first accomplishment was probably better than the second one.) Anyway, I loved all your reactions to this great series. You two have great chemistry together. It's almost like you're related or something. 🤔
Babe Heffron actually had a small cameo in episode 4 (Replacements): He's the old man at the table when the soldier sits down to make out with the lady in pink (who gets her head shaved)....
Points were awarded according to the following formula: One point for each month in service in the Army, One additional point for each month in service overseas, Five points for each campaign, Five points for a medal for merit or valor (Silver Star for example), Five points for a purple heart (awarded to all soldiers who were wounded in action), and Twelve points for each dependent child up to three dependent children 85 points were required to be discharged.
Ayala and Ron it has been my pleasure watching Band of Brothers with you. One thing the last scene with sobal you have to look at episode one, after being transferd when sobal was in the jeep Winters gave him a salute, sobal did not return it Winters gave him a lesson in episode ten.
Part 2 of this would be The Pacific. Most feel it's very good but not quit as good as this. However, it is actually more brutal. You see how the war affected the troops much more in The Pacific. Hanks and Spielberg also did it. Part 3 just came out this year. it's about the Air Force but it is on some obscure channel I don't want to pay for.
it is giving ones parole in the older times you surrender your sword signifying your sworn oath to not escape or try to run away until either released or exchanged for a officer of equal rank
The French general who entered Paris was allowed to enter Paris as symbolic gesture but he was quite arrogant about it afterwards so that’s why dike/the American command wanted to get there first
Two really good movies that are under rated are "The Pianist" ("It is based on the autobiographical book The Pianist (1946), a memoir by the Polish-Jewish pianist, composer and Holocaust survivor Władysław Szpilman.") "The Flowers of War" ("The film is based on a novella by Geling Yan, 13 Flowers of Nanjing, inspired by the diary of Minnie Vautrin. The story is set in Nanjing, China, during the 1937 Nanjing Massacre in the Second Sino-Japanese War. A group of escapees, finding sanctuary in a church compound, try to survive the Japanese atrocities.")
Like every episode of Band of Brothers, there are fictional elements, omissions, and embellishments in episode 10 but I will only highlight a few: 1) Contrary to what is shown in Band of Brothers, Berchtesgaden was captured in the afternoon of May 4, 1945 by the 7th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division with the French 2nd Armored Division arriving later that afternoon and the 101st arriving in the morning of May 5. 2) Members of the 7th Infantry Regiment and the French 2nd Armored Division claim to have reached the Eagle's Nest hours before members of the 101st, and many historians accept these claims (e.g., National WW2 Museum). 3) There is no evidence that members of Easy Company killed an unnamed commandant of unnamed concentration camp. What is shown in Band of Brothers is strikingly similar to the killing of Franz Ziereis who had been commandant of Mauthausen. Like the commandant in Band of Brothers, Franz Ziereis was hiding out in a mountain cabin when U.S. soldiers, who had been given a tip, went to the cabin to arrest him. Franz Ziereis was shot three times trying to escape.
now watch the pacific. as awesome as the guys in europe were, the Marines fighting the island hopping campaign in the pacific were a million times better. they didn't have seasons or r&r in paris or weekend liberty or any of that shit, and they were doing what they were doing for far longer than the european theater existed. if there's a hell on earth, its peleliu.
Hey Guys, Hope you enjoyed!
The Special - "We Stand Alone Together" - Is a Patreon Exclusive, you can check it out!🤗
www.patreon.com/thosesiblings
A “thank you” is appropriate. All of us living today owe the Allies who fought in WWII a massive amount of gratitude.
You should watch The Pacific next (also by HBO) which, hard as it might be to believe, was even more brutal than the European war. Also by HBO, and decidedly less dark, is a miniseries called From the Earth to the Moon about America's Apollo program.
Mac was a common way of addressing someone when you didn't know their name in the 1940s.
My maternal grandfather was part of the US Army occupation force in Japan. When he passed away, my cousin scanned all of his photos and put them on a DVD and mailed copies to all of us. On that is pictures of when he was a kid, his wedding and his time in Japan, various military camps, Japanese weaponry, either Hiroshima or Nagasaki (I don't remember which off the top), and photos of the Americans playing baseball with the Japanese.
A guy that lived around the corner from me in college served in the US Navy during WW2, and he gave me a pocket slide rule made of bamboo that said Made in Occupied Japan on the back.
That miniseries was filmed right around the year 2000 so a lot of them had passed away already.
I had the honor of meeting Major Winters at an army base very near to his farm in Pennsylvania. We were there doing a living history of the Battle of the Bulge, and he and some other men of Easy Company came by to watch. Winters asked if he could join me at the cafe table, We chatted and he asked me if my father was in the War, and I explained my dad was a Senior Navigational Instructor in the Army Air Force--never went into combat--but he trained many hundreds of air crew and fliers the skills they needed to reach their targets and get home alive. I said "so, you know, he never fought" but Winters stopped me and said "Your father was a real hero, and you should be proud to be his son".Dad was already gone by then, but I'll never forget what Maj. Winters said to me.
Was that at Ft Indiantown Gap? I went through Officer Candidate school there in 2005.
what a moment!
The Eleventh episode, “We Stand Alone Together”, features interviews of most of the men who served in Easy Company when the series’ “Band of Brothers”, was being developed and filmed, if you want more.
I think its interesting to note something about the German General at the end. His uniform did not feature any of the insignia that indicated Nazi Party membership. He was a loyal German, but not a Nazi.
He was also old, he would have been an army officer before the war and probably before the Nazi party took power.
And when he was a colonel he melted playing around with the Ark of the covenant in Raiders of the lost ark.
Sgt. Chuck Grant, shot in the head, did survive - he lived until the mid-80s. He recovered but never was 100% free of the lingering effects of that wound.
The sad part is that, as this debuted in 2001 (believe it premiered on US TV the night of 9/11) all veterans of Easy are now gone. The final one passed away in 2022 I believe.
During the 2002's Primetime Emmys, Winters made an acceptance speech as Hanks & Spielberg looked on towards the audience. His men now then older were simulcasted from nearby hotel as audience gave them a major standing ovation.
I’m so glad they made this before the last of them was gone. It’s great to have these men on record.
Episodes were broadcast on HBO on Sunday nights. The first was two days before 9-11😢
The actors who played the men of Easy Company have said many times how these roles changed their lives, and themselves, for the better. To that end they maintain their bond of comradeship. They have their own reunions and have said they feel it is their duty to keep the memory of Easy Company alive. A group of them recently made a C-47 parachute drop at the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy. They even trained in the city of Toccoa for it.
The last officer to pass away was Ed Shames, in December of 2021 (briefly shown in the show as the officer who keeps shouting, when Winters goes through the possible replacements for Dike).
The last enlisted, and very last Easy company member alive, was Bradford Freeman, passing away in July of 2022.
Floyd Craver, the replacement who shot Sgt Grant only spent a short amount of time in jail, somehow, and when he was initially caught, he was more or less trying to rape a local woman..
Shifty was one of the last members of Easy to make it back to the US, because of his injuries. While he was recovering in various hospitals, all his back pay and guns were stolen. Concerning Shifty, did you notice the helmet only had one piece of paper in it? The NCOs rigged it to be sure Shifty would get to leave.
Malarkey was supposed to be included in the baseball scene at the end, but Scott Grimes who plays him, missed his flight to get there. He hopped on a train but sadly didn't make it in time. He said in a podcast it's one of his biggest regrets so far.
------
About the 85 points, that's how they were earned.
1 month of military service ****1 point each
1 month of military service overseas (in addition to total time in service) ****1 point each
Combat award (Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Silver Star Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, Soldier's Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal, Purple Heart) ****5 points each
Having a dependent child under the age of eighteen (up to a max of 3 dependents) ****12 points each
They also earned ****5 points per campaign they took part in.
Egypt-Libya 11 June 1942 - 13 February 1943
Air Offensive, Europe 4 July 1942 - 5 June 1944
Algeria-French Morocco 8 - 11 November 1942
Tunisia 17 November 1942 - 13 May 1943
Sicily 9 July - 17 August 1943
Naples-Foggia 9 September 1943 - 21 January 1944
Anzio 22 January - 24 May 1944
Rome-Arno 22 January - 9 September 1944
Normandy 6 June - 24 July 1944
Northern France 25 July - 14 September 1944
Southern France 15 August - 14 September 1944
North Apennines 10 September 1944 - 4 April 1945
Rhineland 15 September 1944 - 21 March 1945
Ardennes-Alsace 16 December 1944 - 25 January 1945
Central Europe 22 March - 11 May 1945
Po Valley 5 April - 8 May 1945
As an example, a man who served for three years in the Army, including one and a half years overseas, had a child under 18, and fought in the Northern France, Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland and Central Europe Campaigns, earning a Bronze Star Medal and two Purple Hearts would have:
36 (months in service) + 18 (months overseas) + 12 (dependent under 18) + 5 (Northern France) + 5 (Rhineland) + 5 (Ardennes-Alsace) + 5 (Central Europe) + 5 (Bronze Star Medal) + 5 (Purple Heart) + 5 (Purple Heart) =
101 points, enough to go home!
----------------------
The Austria-Germany scenes were actually all filmed in Switzerland, in Bernese Oberland. The Austrian town of Zell Am See is actually the Swiss village of Brienz and the grand hotel at which the main characters stay is the hotel Giessbach.
___________
I don't know if that was the case for you, it might vary depending on the platform you're watching BoB on, but on many other channels, the subs at the end are all messed up and it's really irritating because it can otherwise ruin a perfect ending.
They should read:
"Do you remember the letter that MIKE RANNEY wrote me?" ( sometimes the subtitles show "my granny", as if it would make any sense..)
"Do you remember how HE ended it?"
Those last words Winters quote are not from himself, they're from a letter Mike Ranney wrote him. Mike Ranney was one of those 2 sergeants in Ep1 who get busted down to Private after the mutiny.
wow! this is great work right here! Thank you for posting this. Semper Fi.
I never knew about Scott Grimes missing his flight!
I've had the honor of meeting and talking with a number of WW2 veterans over the years. Most were American. A few Canadians and British, and a couple of Germans.
My grandfather served as a Navy Seabee. Basically, he was a combat engineer during amphibious landings against Japanese-held positions. It was his second enlistment. He was 36 at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack, and didn't come home until October, 1945. It was no coincidence that my mother was born in July, 1946.
As a child, I had a neighbor who was a Scottish immigrant to the US. He was also one of The Few to whom so much was owed by so many - an RAF fighter pilot and veteran of The Battle of Britain.
He had seven confirmed aerial victories, then later transitioned to ground attack aircraft. He was shot down three times. The third time, he was captured by German troops and became a prisoner of war until his liberation by Patton's Third Army. He was so indebted to his American liberators and fellow prisoners, that he chose to spend his life in the US as a naturalized citizen.
I feel quite fortunate to have met these men before they left us.
I salute your grandfather! From France with gratitude
We Stand Together Alone, guys find it, watch it.
You forgot to say, ‘Please.’
We Stand Alone Together is definitely a must watch.
the entire series: about as "perfect" as television gets. thanks for sharing.
When they were researching the series, the production & research staff were invited to a lunch at Dick Winter's farm. He and his wife put on a superb spread. One of the female researchers piled up quite the sandwich, and realised that it was so well filled she'd be unable to eat it in any sort of dignified fashion. Suddenly Winters appeared over her shoulder, and sliced the sandwich in two with his old jump knife ... She marvelled at this, " here he was, at 81, still observing, watching everything around him, and still helping out " ....
The best thing i heard today. Thank you ♥️ 😊
congratulations on completing this series, the finest miniseries ever put to film.
This is the best mini-series that I’ve ever seen. It really makes me proud to be an American. I had a lot of family that fought real fascism in WWII. I’m proud of every one of them.
I think the most incredible thing about these men, not just easy company but the whole generation is that after extraordinary service, they came home to live normal lives for the most part. RIP Uncle Jimmy who landed on the beach on D-day and Uncle Ned whose ship provided anti-aircraft cover.
They never mentioned in the show but on 20th May 1944 Spiers married an English woman Margaret Griffiths. After the war she did not want to go to America and leave her family in England so the marriage ended in divorce. Their son Robert Spiers joined the British Army and retired as a Lieutenant colonel in the Royal Green Jackets.
My understanding is that she took all the loot that he'd be accumulating during the war.
It didn't exactly end that way. She was married to a British soldier and received news that he was killed in action. Then she married Spiers. It was revealed that her first husband was not killed but a POW. So she dumped Spiers and went back to her first husband. Kept all the loot Spiers sent her too.
@@catherinelw9365 That story was put forward but Spiers denied it in a letter to Winters in 1992, because it had been mentioned in Ambrose's book. He insisted Margaret was a single person who had never been married before. This is just from his wikipedia of course so true or false is a ? but its not likr Ambrose did not add some things in and make errors. Like Blyth's premature death. Or a person running out into the middle of a field to get a luger,
Grant survived and ran his own shop after the war but did suffer from the effects of his wound for the rest of his life.
Man I just only now noticed a small but very touching detail about how Spiers was holding Grant’s hand while being examined by the doc.
If you look closely at the scene where the guys are enjoying themselves at the cafe in Holland, you may see the real "Babe" Heffron sitting at the cafe.
Really hope you guys watch the documentary We Stand Alone Together, where they pulled all the interviews from. It's the cherry on top for the Band of Brothers.
Band of Brothers = the best thing ever put on television, period!
You saw Bill Guarnere the interesting thing is the guy who played him in this series was his son or grandson. And no matter how many times I've watched this and peoples reactions when Dick responds to his grandson his question, No, but I served in a Company of Hero's. I cry like a baby.
On to the Pacific Theater...
I cannot count the number of times I've seen the ending, and listening to Winter's voice break gets me every time.
23:05 Just a clarification, Grant said "Mac" not "Muck." Although that wasn't his name either. "Mac" back then was a slang term used to refer to anyone (usually people you weren't familiar with). So it's like saying "hey buddy" or "hey pal," but instead of "buddy" or "pal" they say "mac."
It was a pleasure riding along with you on this trip, thanks for watching and reacting!
Even though David Webster was lost at sea in 1961, he played a pivotal role in the making of Band of Brothers. He kept a wartime diary detailing his and Easy's experiences that the author of the book "Band of Brothers" used as source material. This explains how his character was able to narrate the episode "The Last Patrol". The book author encouraged his widow to have it published, which it was under the title “Parachute Infantry: An American Paratrooper’s Memoir of D-Day and the Fall of the Third Reich.”
I think at first Liebgott scoffed a bit at the German general's speech, but was then moved by his words as he recognized how the Germans experienced the same wartime bond the men of Easy had formed with each other.
I was impressed with how Winters, after letting the German colonel keep his sidearm, showed respect to a defeated enemy by returning his salute. It was like a recognition that it was time to put enmity aside and build a world of peace together. And Germany did become both an ally and friend.
I enjoyed this journey with you all. It encouraged me to get out my DVD set and watch it again after several years. I look forward to future reactions from you
"I was impressed with how Winters, after letting the German colonel keep his sidearm,"
As I understand it, Winters _did_ take that sidearm. Later, he realized it had never been fired, so he kept it that way, for the rest of his life.
@@wwoods66 No, he kept the sidearm from a major. This was a colonel in the film. Winters accepted the surrender of dozens of German officers.
I just found your channel. Last week. Make sure after you watch episode 10 to watch the documentary.We stand along together
Thanks so much for this reaction series. It's been a joy re-viewing "Band of Brothers" with you! God bless you!
You guys simply HAVE to watch the 1-hour documentary We Stand Alone, Together (it's where all the veterans talking heads videos are from, plus a lot more of them, and it's got tons of actual footage). It's here on CZcams. It's amazing and a MUST WATCH "11th episode" for anyone who finishes Band of Brothers
Remember Sobel didn't salute Winters in the 1st episode when he lost E company. Winters got his salute.😁
Please release "We Stand Alone Together". I so want to see your reaction to the identities of the veterans, and also to see how they stayed together for decades.
It's been said many times but this series should be required viewing in every school everywhere
we watched saving private ryan in highschool
You guys should react to Valkyrie (2008) too.
Not all Germans were Nazis or believed in the Nazi doctrine. In fact, many regular German soldiers were even weary of the SS. Many regular Germans were conscripted and forced to go to war.
You have to remember that this series originally came out in 2001. I think all of them are now sadly dead. For example Winters died in 2011. Also some easy company members who were still alive at the time might not have wished to be filmed.
Five of them are buried at Arlington National Cemetery...
now you have to watch "The Pacific" and girl, you Will Cry... alot... much more brutal. as you said, german's surrendered, Japanese did not.
Also, if you guys do "The Pacific" please try to find the version with the historical intros narrated by Tom Hanks. Really help and add to the show. Have a good one.
I actually liked the Pacific more than Band of Brothers, im in the minority group. The Pacific is the most expensive tv series HBO ever made
The BEST miniseries EVER made..
Nixon's wife Grace Umezawa was a survivor of the internment of Japanese Americans during WW2. She was quite an incredible woman in how she overcame the events that happened to her during and after the war before she married Lewis Nixon.
Highly recommend We Stand Alone Together, it really brings their story full circle
I recommend watching The Pacific
It has been a blast to watch you two react to this series!
Another comment to encourage you to watch Stand Alone Together. It will give you the names of those other men in the opening snippets. One is Tipper (the guy blown up in the store in episode 3). Another is “One Lung” McClung, a tier 2 or 3 character who was always there (for instance he was one of the three originally tagged for The Last Patrol). Another is Alley, the guy who was wounded by a grenade at the opening of action at the Crossroads (episode 5.) One who wasn’t in openings but is in the documentary is Moose, the brief XO immediately after Winters.
The story goes that when Col Sink was being briefed by Spears on the shooting, Col Sink said he would have shot the bastard. Great reaction to my favorite series of all time. I need to go back to Toccoa and visit the 101st Airborne museum again.
I recommend you guys "The Pacific".
hope next is the pacific and then masters of the air
Actually, Tokyo did burn pretty heavily, but the fires were contained to about 30% of the southern portion of the city, HOWEVER, Yokohama, Yamato, Yokosuka. and a few other cities were absolutely devastated by the fire bombings, in Yokohama, more people died than either of the 2 nuclear strikes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and you are right, up till 1944, BEFORE General Lemay took over for the U.S. Army Air Corps, we were using the SAME bombs that were being used against the heavy masonry, bricks and mortar construction of Europe, When General Lemay took over in the Pacific, he got rid of all the heavy bombs and had the bomber crews drop what was essentially stick flares, they were not really even bombs, but instead of a single B-29 carrying up to fifty 250 pound bombs, each one could carry 20,000 of these small stick flares, and leave a trail of those burning flares for more than a mile on the ground, and setting fire to whatever they touched.
Amazing journey! Thank you for allowing us to join you on this walk-through. It's an amazing show and depiction of these men. Well done!
Thank you so much I've really enjoyed watching your reactions to this series.
Blessings from the UK
Moroccan follower here. I really like your channel! Good luck for the rest of your journey
Great reactions! Thanks for including us on the journey! I also want to encourage you to react to We Stand Alone Together, the “Episode 11” of the show. Ties the whole thing together, and a lot more of the real Easy Co men in interviews.
Spiers fed off of the _idea_ of his reputation, and he was never going to prove he was a badass in front of them. T00 cheeky for him -- It's the idea that is powerful and makes Iegends
Now we gotta get y'all to watch The Pacific AND Masters of the Air
watch the pacific next you be amazed, thank you for these great reaction and for the support against tyranny.
So excited to see your "Life is Beautiful" reaction!
That last episode is pretty emotional.
Spiers NOT GIVING UP on Sgt. Grant is e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.
And yes, Kitty married Harry in a dress made from his parachute!
The scene when Winters's CO denies his transfer is beautiful.
Great reactions to the entire series! I enjoyed all of them. It's very interesting seeing reactions from a different point of view.
Hey fellow tribe. Delighted to see your reactions. My father was decorated for valor as a Forward Mortar Scout on Iwo Jima. He never came home the same.
Hope you will react to “The Pacific” and “Unbroken.”
It's pretty sad that there are no longer any surviving members of Easy Company. The final one (Bradford Freeman) died in 2022.
What is really cool though is how many of the real-life members became minor celebrities after the show aired. It's great they got some notiriety for their bravery, albeit very late in life.
The interviews started in 1998 or 99, and Popeye Wynn (who was interviewed) died in 2000, a year before the show aired.
Lipton died in 2001, right after show finished its original airing. Moose Heyliger also died in 2001, one day before episode 10 aired. Here are when some others who were alive for the show died.
2003: Bull Randleman
2007: Ronald Spiers
2008: Moe Alley
2009: Shifty Powers
2011: Richard Winters
2012: Buck Compton
2013: Babe Heffron, Earl McClung, Frank Perconte
2014: Bill Guarnere
2015: Paul Rogers
2017: Donald Malarkey, Edward Tipper
The documentary, We Stand Alone Together, shows many more interviews.
Great job sibs! Thank you for giving this series the attention and respect it deserves.
I leave a comment just because I'm happy you notice the fact that the general talking to his man is just an army officer, and not a nazi (a**hole) officer. He just do what he have to to protect his country.
And for the one who give his pistol for surrendering, I think what he mean by "... when their would be no more war to occupy us", is that when you saw battle, and become a soldier, when it's end, you can't think of any thing else you could do, like if the civilan version of you doesn't exist anymore and forever. It's a tough time to reconnect with this kind of life.
Say what you will about the ethics of giving a man with a drinking problem the run of a liquor cellar, Winters’ giving Nixon the keys to Goering’s liquor collection was probably one of the best bro moves of the 20th century.
Gentlemen of Easy, and all the other soldiers you represented - thank you. Thank you for your service. Thank you for sharing your stories with us.
Currahee!
Interesting reactions. Stay brave, Israel.
Love this series with you guys! Time to do "we stand alone together"
Easy Company is the most ironic name in military history. From D-DAY all the way to Hitler's Eagle's Nest, there was nothing Easy about it. I never want things I love to end, but you want the pain to end for these Men, and the peace to begin. The German Field Marshall's speech is actually what ties the entire concept of of the series together unexpectedly...No matter what side you were on you were suffering. I implore you to see "We Stand Alone Together" and Ron Livingston's (Nixon) Bootcamp Diary. It makes you appreciate the series even more. "Were you a hero in the War Grandpa? Grandpa says no, but I served in a company of heroes" Near tears every time from Major Winters. Currahee! ♠
I think you mean "iconic" and not "ironic." Also, there were many "Easy" companies in the Army, not just the one. And "Easy" stood for the letter E in the phonetic alphabet of the time and had nothing to do with the actual word easy.
Ayyyy my favorite react channel just uploaded a video of my favorite show. Got my popcorn ready! 🍿
Civilian and military law are different in the United States. The shooter from I company, (Private Floyd W. Craver) was tried for capital murder for the Germans and the British officer. He was given a life sentence because there was a question about his sanity.
Major Wiinters did not start as a second lieutenant. He was drafted in 1940 as a private and his leadership skills were quickly seen during and after basic training. He was then sent to officer candidate school.
When I was in 8th grade our school flew us to Washington D.C. and we went to the Holocaust musem. We got a name at the begining of the tour and at the end the told you if that person survived or not. I'll never forget that tour. My cousins are Jewish and I met their father's Dad who still had a tattoo from when he was in concentration camp. R.I.P. to my buddy from high school who took his own life when he got back from Iraq and Afghanistan. My classmate growing up Grandpa was one of the guys in this.
Thank you for taking us to the end with this. I have appreciated all your reactions to this great series. What makes Winters such a compelling individual is his respect for good "soldiering" even by the Wehrmacht.
If you want to see more of the guys in the company, watch the excellent documentary “We Stand Along Together.” Another great experience is the “ video diary” that Ron Livingston (Nixon) recorded about the 2 week training camp that the main cast went through before filming.
its also ironic and sad that although shifty won the lottery to be sent home first.. he nearly died as a result of a traffic accident as he left the company on his way home. he ended up recuperating for many months in a hospital in europe where all his backpay and "war loot" was stolen. on top of that, most of the other men made it back to the US before he did.
Those ending interviews always make me cry. Every time
Loved all your reactions to each episode, from the best WWII Miniseries of all time.
Looking forward to see you both react to many more shows and movies to come . Thank you. 👏❤
Thank you for the great reactions to BoB, stay safe 😊
That brain surgeon who saved Grant’s life is the one who saved the private who shot him. Grant dies and Speirs kills him for sure.
I think you guys would enjoy Rogue Heros, a story of the founding of the British SAS in thr African Theater
Hey you guys need to watch the next episode of band of brothers it's called " We stand alone Together " you would love it. Are you going to watch " The Pacific " it's same as band of brothers but it's with the war with Japanese
Speir was born in Scotland, Edinburgh.
Grandfather, father--in-law, grandmother and mother's cousin served. This was a living past when I was a boy.
Finally some happy tears from most of us.
I just found your site today. I started with WALL-E and just finished watching your reactions to Band of Brothers. You have been asking us for more ideas on what to watch next. Since you have already done Netflix "Stranger Things," I would love to watch your reaction to the top Netflix series: Wednesday season 1. It is based on a tv show I watched in the 1960's (The Addams Family), with 2 movies in the 1990's, and Wednesday season 2 is being filmed now to be released on Netflix in December? Shalom and keep smiling.
The Pacific is a much watch
My father was in the Korean War (just 5 years after WW II). He never talked about it. Most of the WW II or Korean War vets rarely talked about it. They just came home and got on with life... and made babies. They are rightly called "The greatest generation." They helped save the world from tyranny and made the Boomers. (The first accomplishment was probably better than the second one.) Anyway, I loved all your reactions to this great series. You two have great chemistry together. It's almost like you're related or something. 🤔
Babe Heffron actually had a small cameo in episode 4 (Replacements): He's the old man at the table when the soldier sits down to make out with the lady in pink (who gets her head shaved)....
You should read about Babe Heffron and Bill Garnuar. They stayed friends in Philadelphia And they past not along ago and only a few months apart.
Gotra do the Pacific next
Points were awarded according to the following formula: One point for each month in service in the Army, One additional point for each month in service overseas, Five points for each campaign, Five points for a medal for merit or valor (Silver Star for example), Five points for a purple heart (awarded to all soldiers who were wounded in action), and Twelve points for each dependent child up to three dependent children 85 points were required to be discharged.
Ayala and Ron it has been my pleasure watching Band of Brothers with you. One thing the last scene with sobal you have to look at episode one, after being transferd when sobal was in the jeep Winters gave him a salute, sobal did not return it Winters gave him a lesson in episode ten.
Part 2 of this would be The Pacific. Most feel it's very good but not quit as good as this. However, it is actually more brutal. You see how the war affected the troops much more in The Pacific. Hanks and Spielberg also did it. Part 3 just came out this year. it's about the Air Force but it is on some obscure channel I don't want to pay for.
it is giving ones parole in the older times you surrender your sword signifying your sworn oath to not escape or try to run away until either released or exchanged for a officer of equal rank
That was great y’all 😊 thanks for sharing 😊👍✌️🇺🇸
The bitter sweet ending.
The French general who entered Paris was allowed to enter Paris as symbolic gesture but he was quite arrogant about it afterwards so that’s why dike/the American command wanted to get there first
Two really good movies that are under rated are "The Pianist" ("It is based on the autobiographical book The Pianist (1946), a memoir by the Polish-Jewish pianist, composer and Holocaust survivor Władysław Szpilman.")
"The Flowers of War" ("The film is based on a novella by Geling Yan, 13 Flowers of Nanjing, inspired by the diary of Minnie Vautrin. The story is set in Nanjing, China, during the 1937 Nanjing Massacre in the Second Sino-Japanese War. A group of escapees, finding sanctuary in a church compound, try to survive the Japanese atrocities.")
Like every episode of Band of Brothers, there are fictional elements, omissions, and embellishments in episode 10 but I will only highlight a few:
1) Contrary to what is shown in Band of Brothers, Berchtesgaden was captured in the afternoon of May 4, 1945 by the 7th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division with the French 2nd Armored Division arriving later that afternoon and the 101st arriving in the morning of May 5.
2) Members of the 7th Infantry Regiment and the French 2nd Armored Division claim to have reached the Eagle's Nest hours before members of the 101st, and many historians accept these claims (e.g., National WW2 Museum).
3) There is no evidence that members of Easy Company killed an unnamed commandant of unnamed concentration camp. What is shown in Band of Brothers is strikingly similar to the killing of Franz Ziereis who had been commandant of Mauthausen. Like the commandant in Band of Brothers, Franz Ziereis was hiding out in a mountain cabin when U.S. soldiers, who had been given a tip, went to the cabin to arrest him. Franz Ziereis was shot three times trying to escape.
now watch the pacific. as awesome as the guys in europe were, the Marines fighting the island hopping campaign in the pacific were a million times better. they didn't have seasons or r&r in paris or weekend liberty or any of that shit, and they were doing what they were doing for far longer than the european theater existed.
if there's a hell on earth, its peleliu.
'Stalingrad (1993)' would be interesting to see a reaction
Something you don’t get to see in the show is the relationship between Shifty and Winters, they had this older younger brother friendship