Back in the 1980s when I was training to be an army officer, we studied this assault. To give you a better idea of what was going on, Winters took around 17 people, and together they attacked an entrenched German position manned by just over 60 Germans. Literally four to one odds. And they succeeded with only two casualties: one killed and one wounded. It was a remarkable success.
Pretty amazing stuff from Winters. Although there were three others killed (two of which aren't particularly clear in the show): the WO who is looking for battalion HQ, and two men with Speirs. Another trooper with Speirs was wounded. Not trying to correct you but I always assumed there were just two men killed during the assault and was a little surprised to later learn that the casualties were a bit higher.
@@Ausl0vich two from the 17 that Winters took with him is what he meant... obviously there were others. The other one shown was not with the group as he was caught in the cross fire trying to make his way to the HQ... probably a runner.
Just to clarify, the man who was shot in the ass didn’t shoot himself. He was not trying to go home. He was disappointed with himself because he felt he let the unit down by having to leave because of his wound.
I am a retired combat veteran of Iraq and had the honor & privilidge to be Dick Winter's escort one day at a July 4th event in our state Pennsylvania back in 2002. In my entire military & police career, and in my lifetime no man has ever inspired me in such a powerful way. I took much of the advice he gave me to heart & practice. It made me a far better soldier & man than I ever believed I could become. I am in your debt Sir, and thank you often.
Some men are born for war. Patton and MacArthur, for example, would have been considered harsh, ruthless warhawks in any other time period, but they were exactly the kind of ingenious tacticians that the USA needed to win this war. Dick Winters is another such man. He was born to be a soldier, born to lead, and born to be the captain of Easy Company. I just can't imagine any other man taking his place.
I wish I could have met him. If he had made the military his career, no doubt in my mind he would have been a 5 star general. He would have made a great president too.
@@nekoti.8-2 he wanted nothing to do with politics, especially having to deal with politicians. I completely understood where he is coming from, good men learn early to avoid careers that one has to sell his soul to become succesfull in.
@@patches6309 True. I've read alot about him. He even at first really wanted not much to do with the war . The man was very smart and very brave though and those things made him a natural military leader.
The producers deliberately withold the names of the veterans who are shown at the begining of each episode in order to prevent any spoilers about who survives the series.The interviews were collected for an accompanying documentary titled: 'We Stand Alone Together'. When you finish the last episode it is highly recomended that you watch the documentary. It is very moving to hear these men retell their story in their own words.
thier own words ? they all tell the same - dont do that shit - my grandfather fight on german side - he allways said "mach das nicht junge " ( dont do that kid ) he´s died long time ago - but we - all - do the same shit again ...
And for the record, this is pretty much exactly what happened at Brecourt. The men in the trees, Malarkey running out looking for a Luger, the lost soldier getting shot in the head, every bit of that actually happened.
It's now taught as a textbook assault on a fixed, defended position. Winters was a great officer, and his careful scouting of the position prior to the assault saved a lot of his men's lives. Winters and his men were not the first attack on those guns, but the other attacks had failed because they rushed in without proper reconnaissance, and were ambushed by the machine gun nests. His friend, Nixon, was so worried that Winters was going to get killed trying to attack the guns, that he ran to the beaches where tanks were starting to land, basically commandeered a few, and rushed back, expecting Winters would be in need of rescue and support from the armor. That's why we see him at the end riding those tanks. But by then, Winters had already succeeded with the handful of men he had. Those medals were awarded to the men who took part in the assault not only because of how competently and heroically it was carried, but because of how important it was that those guns were silenced. They were artillery guns firing on the men landing on the beaches. The men who destroyed them saved hundreds of lives on the beaches, and allowed the invasion to be successful. D-Day, and the invasion more generally, required speed to be successful. Getting bogged down on the beaches, or even just a few miles inland, might have very well doomed the entire operation. It was critical that the Allies establish a secure beachhead, land heavier weapons and armor, and get far inland before the Axis could make a counteroffensive. This is also why the prisoners of war were executed. It was a war crime, but it was one that had been either directly ordered, or at least strongly suggested by higher level officers who were in charge of planning the invasion. The airborne units that had landed into Normandy were surrounded by enemy soldiers, and could not spare anyone to handle POWs. If they released the POWs, they'd just face them again in battle minutes or hours after capturing them. So they were basically told not to take any prisoners. The invasion had to be successful on the first few days, and any delay or wasted strength could have caused the entire invasion to fail.
@@fakecubed Regarding the POW issue, there's strong evidence that those orders were given and carried out. I would like to just clarify that we do not have confirmation that Speirs executed these particular prisoners. That remains a mystery, I believe.
@@matthewjordan7297 iirc, during the making of or after the release of this episode,, Winters asked Spiers about this incident. Spiers confirmed it, he did shoot/execute the POW's; but the order was more implied than given directly. Thinking about it logically, where are they supposed to put prisoners when the infantry is still landing on the beaches and they have no idea if their invasion will even stick?
@@MeatballCereal I think if I recall they were ordered to "take no prisoners" because as you said they couldn't afford to do so. So not directly ordered to execute prisoners, but yeah, a pretty heavy implication from the top down that they should.
For context Easy Company was approximately 140 men and each plane held around 25 troops. They dropped during the middle of the night about 6 hrs prior to the beach landings. The combination of low cloud cover and enemy fire caused many of the troopers to miss their drop zones. The 101st airborne lost approx 1/6 of their soldiers on the first day of the invasion.
That 25 number seemed like about how many sport jumpers a C-47 carried in my misspent youth. DC-3/C-47s were somewhat available for skydiving in the 1980s. Paratroops were loaded with more heavy equipment than we sport jumpers carried. I looked it up and found a maximum or 18 combat loaded troops, so a company of 140 needed at least 8 planes, possibly more.
My wife's great uncle was in the 101st Airborne. He parachuted into France and was killed on a road in Normandy. His family was devastated and they never really recovered from his death. He was planning on becoming a medical doctor.
"You cannot qualify war in harsher terms than I will. War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it; and those who brought war into our country deserve all the curses and maledictions a people can pour out." -General William Tecumseh Sherman
@@thomasohanlon1060 For God and His Majesty... The King of England, Is More Charismatic! Than the leaders of: France, The Netherlands, Canada, Australia, The United States of America, Montenegro South America, The United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Russia, China, and North Korea... Any person willing to dispute this is welcome to show up at my residence and challenge me to one on one Combat for the honour of our planet Earth. Anytime man.
The invasion was on a tight time schedule, they were surrounded by enemies with no other units to turn POWs over to, and couldn't spare any men to guard prisoners. If they released any prisoners, a they'd all immediately rejoin Axis units and the Allied airborne units would have to just fight them all over again. It's an ugly business, but that's war, period. All wars are crimes. The men did what they had to do to ensure the invasion was a success, and a beachhead could be established to bring in the necessary heavy weapons and armor required to take back France. Lt. Speirs didn't want to burden any of the men under his command to carry out the execution of the prisoners, so he did that himself. It seems very cold blooded, but really he took personal responsibility for it.
General Taylor, commander of the 101st, openly instructed his men to 'take no prisoners' before the Normandy landings (according to the real Malarkey, ironically the one who is so shocked by Speirs's action in this episode). Patton was also officially reprimanded for telling his troops (before landing in Italy) to 'take no prisoners'. And Hitler expressly ordered his troops to execute on sight any 'special forces', including paratroopers dropped behind German lines. The paratroopers were running into the dead bodies of their comrades dangling from the trees (something that makes it into this episode as well). Those bodies were sometimes mutilated and defiled when they were found. On the other hand, the men of Easy Company are clearly shocked by Speirs's actions, and it feeds his legend as a stone-cold killer throughout the series. And Toye resorts to brass knuckles to silence a surrendering German (instead of shooting him). And Winters later virtually disarms Liebgott, putting his life at serious risk, in order to make sure 'the prisoners are escorted back to base unharmed' (and they were hated 'SS'). I don't know. The message is mixed. And in the scale of the chaos, there's probably room for plenty of instances of both types.
@@GK-yi4xv The thing with Winters you're talking about was later on. The "take no prisoners" thing was really just for the initial invasion of Normandy until such time as they established a beachhead and were able to handle POWs.
Popeye - Got shot in the butt. Bill - brother died and he killed lots of Germans. Malarkey - Talked to a German prisoner and ran into the field looking for a Lugar(German pistol). Winters (Officer - 1st lieutenant) highest ranking officer in Easy Company led attack. Easy Company starts with around 150 soldiers and each Plane has around 12 soldiers on it. Hope that's helpful.
Easy Company was flown to Normandy from Devon England on 8 sticks (C-47 planes), 7 of them successfully dropped their paratroopers. The 8th plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire and exploded, the flying crew and all 17 members of the company on board the plane were killed (including the company commander Lt. Meehan and the highest ranking non-commissioned officer 1st SGT Bill Evans).
@@MrKINSM You know ive seen this show many times, but watching this the names Evans and Meehan stick out and I realize I dont think we ever get a confirmation what exactly happened. Theyre just dropped from the narrative. So thanks for clearing that up.
The only confirmation is that the pilot says “get Meeheen out of there” right before the engine explodes and torches the whole plane. Sometimes better to not know the details.
My Grandfather was a truck driver during WW2 he very rarely would talk about his time over seas but in one of the few times when he did talk about it he told my Dad about the time he saw many dead paratroopers hanging from the trees My Dad told me how it was the only story of the few stories he did talk about that made him tear up also one of the few if not only time my Dad saw him cry
I subscribed to your channel because you started to react to this series. It's legit one of the best ever - and it gets better and better with each episode. Also harder to watch lol but so great nonetheless. (Try to avoid spoilers, there are some great reveals at the very end)
I cannot think of better reactors than you girls, to react this serie, only you can get the emotional attachment and further analisis this masterpiece need. I personally watch this seris once a year, i've done it since 2004, a know the lines by heart, and still get emotional every time. PS: I'll give a list of some of the most recognizable faces in the show, so you dont have to be hurting your brain, trying to figure it out where have you sen the actors: Lieutenant Winters- Damian Lewis (Homeland) Lieutenant Nixon- Ron Livingston( Office space) Private Christenson- Michael Fassbender ( X-men) Sergeant Randleman- Michael Cudiltz (The walking dead) Donnie Whahlberg (member of the New kids on the block, also starring on Blue Bloods) sergeant Malarkey- Scott Grimes ( E.R) Lieutenant Buck Compton- Neal Mc Donugh (Desperate Housewiwes-The 100-Yellostone-justified,etc) Sergeant Martin- Dexter Fletcher (Director of BEhemian Rhapsody and Rocketman) Privete John Janovec- Hardy- ( Batman-WArrior- Locke) Captain Sobel- David Schwimmer- (Friends) Sergeant Toye- Kirk Acevedo- (Fringe) Private Hall- Scott Andrews - (Fleabag) Captain Spears- Matthew Settle (Gossip Girl) Private Muck- Richard Speight- (Supernatural)
When you ladies finish this series there is a companion documentary which is titled "We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company" which is an expanded look at the real people we see at the beginning & end of the episodes.
Popeye didn’t shoot himself in the ass. He got hit by a German soldier and did profusely apologize about getting wounded in real life as well. Also, the last tidbit of info is more impactful knowing that Winters was NEVER a graduate of West Point, yet he still went there to give lectures on the Brecourt Manor assault because it was executed so flawlessly.
No one wants to let their brothers-in-arms down during a battle like that. They all knew the assault on those guns was of vital importance, and was going to be a very difficult task. Getting injured meant not only that you were unable to contribute to the effort, but that somebody else would need to take care of you and be unable to contribute to the effort, and it would be so much harder and riskier on everyone else to accomplish their mission.
Yeah, I forget who said it in the we stand alone together interviews but he quipped "there's something beautiful about a man in the middle of a battle apologising for being wounded"
Don't worry if you don't recognize the faces of the soldiers with the names, it's pretty hard to follow even when the series took liberties like showing soldiers without their helmets on. Even on a second watch some people struggle with the names, so it's ok ;) I'm super glad you two are watching BoB, I was waiting for you to do reactions for this! Enjoy the ride!
They dont really say it in the show but when they come across those dead paratroopers and that one guy is staring at the guy in the trees, that was one of the men he trained with for over 2years. Imagine being told to do your duty as you come across a dead friend after not knowing where they went. These men are much stronger than I could ever be
I am so pleased that you have had an interest in the 101st Airborne Division's history during World War Two. You now know more about World War Two than most young Americans. I served with Charlie Company in the First of the 506th from 1973-75 with the 101st Airborne Division. They no longer use the designation Easy Company but would now call it Echo Company. Dog Company would now be called Delta Company. During those years I had the privilege to serve alongside older solders, who had fought at Bastogne. Your reactions to the story have been precious. But you learned how men rise up to endure the horrors of war but live in peace after defeating evil. My earliest memory of those veterans was of men matured by war but still relatively young. During my years of duty in Germany, I was able to visit the Eagle's Nest and Hitler's old garage at Obersaltzberg. Thanks for your input.
They have already reacted to half the series on patreon, but to clarify the ranks and positions: Winters was the company XO on D-Day, second in command of easy company, and was a 1st lieutenant. The platoon leaders were 1st or 2nd lietenants in charge of about 45 men each. The commander of the company is supposed to be a captain, but with Captain Sobel reassigned, Mehan was put into command last minute. He was also only a 1st lieutenant and was moved in from a different company in the same regiment. So after only three years in the army, Winters became responsible for leading over 100 men into combat. The only problem I have with the show is that almost all the actors are too old. Winters was only 26 in 1944 and he was one of the oldest in the unit on D-day.
Buck Compton’s hand signals in order were 1, 4, 2, 2, 5, clenched fist, pull back and thrust forward with his other arm ending with a finger point. This meant, “One MG42, 25 yards away, throw grenades that way (the direction I point).”
*RANKS* hope this helps. Private Private First Class Technician 5th Grade Corporal Technician 4th Grade Sergeant Technician 3rd Grade Sergeant First Class Staff Sergeant Technical Sergeant Master Sergeant First Sergeant Sergeant Major Command Sergeant Major Second Lieutenant First Lieutenant Captain Major Lieutenant Colonel Colonel Brigadier General Major General Lieutenant General General (the rank of technician was a rank created and only used during WW 2. The rank was equivalent to it's grouping but the individual lacked command training but was specifically trained in a technological skill, ie; disarming land mines, explosives, etc.) MAIN CAST of(BOB) By the end of series (dead or alive) the men presented here will have achieved these ranks. Kirk Acevedo as Staff Sergeant Joe Toye, Eion Bailey as Private First Class David Kenyon Webster, Michael Cudlitz as Staff Sergeant Denver "Bull" Randleman, Dale Dye as Colonel Robert Sink, Rick Gomez as Technician Fourth Grade George Luz, Scott Grimes as Technical Sergeant Donald Malarkey, Frank John Hughes as Staff Sergeant William "Wild Bill" Guarnere, Damian Lewis as Major Richard "Dick" Winters, Ron Livingston as Captain Lewis Nixon, James Madio as Technician Fourth Grade Frank Perconte, Neal McDonough as First Lieutenant Lynn "Buck" Compton, Rene L. Moreno as Technician Fifth Grade Joseph Ramirez, David Schwimmer as Captain Herbert Sobel, Richard Speight, Jr. as Sergeant Warren "Skip" Muck, Donnie Wahlberg as Second Lieutenant Carwood Lipton, Matthew Settle as Captain Ronald Speirs, Douglas Spain as Technician Fifth Grade Antonio C. Garcia, Rick Warden as First Lieutenant Harry Welsh, Marc Warren as Private Albert Blithe, Shane Taylor as Technician Fourth Grade Eugene "Doc" Roe, Dexter Fletcher as Staff Sergeant John "Johnny" Martin, Colin Hanks as First Lieutenant Henry S. Jones, Ross McCall as Technician Fifth Grade Joseph Liebgott.
A single Company like "Easy Company" was around 200 men and there were 9 companies in their Regiment: the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Multiple Regiments or Brigades made up the 3 Divisions of airborne troops and many also landed in gliders. A DC3 aircraft carried about 13 paratroopers. There were about 18,000 British, American, and Canadian paratroopers dropped at points all over Normandy the night before the invasion to attack artillery batteries and garrisons and secure certain bridges and roads connecting the landing beaches for the invasion force. Most were scattered all over due to confusion and navigation errors and pilots just wanting to drop their troops off and fly back to England to escape all the gunfire
Hope this helps... the series is based on a book of the same name by historian Stephen Ambrose. He wrote it based on conversations with the actual soldiers from E ("easy") Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. The persons you see interviewed at the beginning of each episodes are the real surviving (as of 2000-2001 when it was filmed) soldiers from Easy Company. It was a storytelling device from Hanks/Spielberg to keep the names off each person. Because you don't see their names, you don't know who is who in the show, and therefore have no idea who lived or died. Each episode you have no idea if your favorite "characters" are going to be okay, or get wounded, or killed. It adds a little but of uncertainty to watching that is intentional to simulate for the viewer the fact that war is always uncertain.
Another awesome reaction, Lola and Milena. Here is a list of our characters you've met so far. BAND OF BROTHERS ACTORS / CHARACTERS: *are/were real people Kirk Acevedo as Staff Sergeant Joe Toye *Eion Bailey as Private First Class David Kenyon Webster Michael Cudlitz as Staff Sergeant Denver "Bull" Randleman *Dale Dye as Colonel Robert Sink Rick Gomez as Technician Fourth Grade George Luz *Scott Grimes as Technical Sergeant Donald Malarkey *Frank John Hughes as Staff Sergeant William "Wild Bill" Guarnere *Damian Lewis as Major Richard "Dick" Winters *Ron Livingston as Captain Lewis Nixon James Madio as Technician Fourth Grade Frank Perconte *Neal McDonough as First Lieutenant Lynn "Buck" Compton Rene L. Moreno as Technician Fifth Grade Joseph Ramirez *David Schwimmer as Captain Herbert Sobel Richard Speight, Jr. as Sergeant Warren "Skip" Muck *Donnie Wahlberg as Second Lieutenant Carwood Lipton *Matthew Settle as Captain Ronald Speirs Douglas Spain as Technician Fifth Grade Antonio C. Garcia Rick Warden as First Lieutenant Harry Welsh *Marc Warren as Private Albert Blithe Shane Taylor as Technician Fourth Grade Eugene "Doc" Roe Dexter Fletcher as Staff Sergeant John "Johnny" Martin Colin Hanks as First Lieutenant Henry S. Jones Ross McCall as Technician Fifth Grade Joseph Liebgott
Are there then so many fictional members of E Company? Or can they merely be actual soldiers who performed the deeds ascribed to them, but bearing altered names? 🤨
@@goldenager59 No, they're all (or at least most of them) real people. I don't know all of them, but I see several names without asterisks who I know are/were real people. Joe Toye, Bull Randleman, George Luz, Frank Perconte, etc. If Joe Toye hadn't been real, Bill Guarnere wouldn't have had anyone to go shoe shopping with for the rest of his life. ;) (They lost opposite legs, so they did that!)
Everything they did with this show was just perfect. I've seen so many war movies and shows, but seeing the actual WW2 heroes sharing they're perspective before each episode, Brings a realism and emotional aspect that I've never seen in any other war film or tv show.
I'm new to the channel and here because this series means so much. Thank you for taking the time for so much introspection- I love that you dedicate a portion of the reaction to talking to us and attempting to process something so very complex. I'm excited to see your journey through this and to share it with you.
We got a speech by a S Vietnamese veteran. He graduated from HS and he was the only one who volunteered to be a medic for US Rangers. He got thru the war because his American unit was overtrained. His other HS boys got assigned to regular units. None of them survived. Normally one doesn't kill POWs. But the first day, Allies were told to kill all prisoners. Only a few Axis POWs survived. After that, things were more civilized on the W Front, many Italian-Americans or German-Americans, including my mother's first cousin who fought into Germany in 1945. The E Front was brutal to all. Asia was also inhuman.
The names of the companys are letters A-Able through I-Item, 9 companies, make up the regiment of 2 battalions. They DID receive more extensive training that regular infantry. Another group that receive extensive training were the Rangers, of whom the men in SAVING PRIVATE RYAN were members, Tom Hanks and his men. Today we still have two parachute infantry regiments, the 101st Airborne, seen here, and the 82nd Airborne. They have much of the same training, but their finishing training is different from each other and geared toward performing specific and different kinds of missions. The Rangers were the troops depicted in BLACKHAWK DOWN. In that film, you also see portrayed "Deltas", short for Delta Force. They are special operations personnel and even more highly trained.
The U.S. airborne landings in Normandy were the first U.S. combat operations during Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy by the Western Allies on June 6, 1944, during World War II. Around 13,100 American paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions made night parachute drops early on D-Day, June 6, followed by 3,937 glider troops flown in by day. As the opening maneuver of Operation Neptune (the assault operation for Overlord) the two American airborne divisions were delivered to the continent in two parachute and six glider missions.
First Lieutenant (1Lt) Winters was originally a Platoon (Plt) leader (Ldr) of an Infantry (Inf) Platoon (Plt)… He was also the company executive officer (XO) usually a 1Lt rank and is second to the Company Commander (CO) usually a Captain rank (Cpt), before he became the (CO)… In Normandy 1Lt Winters was the Company executive officer (XO)! When Senior 1Lt Mead was missing in action, 1Lt Winters as the XO automatically assumed the CO position of Easy Company unless the BN CDR puts someone else because if ranking position, of the Easy company… During the combat jump 1LT Winters also commanded an Airborne (ABN), Inf Plt taking orders from either from his (CO), usually a Captain (Cpt) or the absent of the CO the Battalion (BN) BN CO!!! A BN consists of an 4 Inf Companies! An Inf company consist of 4 Plt’s… An American Inf BN has over 800 to 1000 men… An Inf Company has over 180-200 men. A Inf Platoon has 45 men give or take? The platoon leader, Lt. Winters instruct his directions and best course of action on the ground on this mission to his Plt SGT & Squad Leaders (Sqd Ldr’s), on any operations… During normal operations Lt. Winters instructs his platoon Sergeants, then the Plt SGT instructs his Squad Leaders (Sqd Ldr’s) in the best course of action on the ground to accomplish 1Lt Winters orders! BTW a Plt SGT is the next in Command (CMD) of the Plt if 1Lt Winters goes down… Plt Sgt wears on his side arms its usually 3 stripes up and two Chevrons under it… Googles US Army ranks it tells you better then I can explain… Then there’s 3 squads plus, in a platoon… Their squad leaders in-charge of a man squad… Each squad is split up into 2 teams Alpha team & Bravo team… American Army is set up to let the men on the ground to problem solve into their advantage… It makes it easier since the Battalion CMD is in the rear and doesn’t have complete grasp of the situation on the ground. US soldiers are trained for critical thinking and problem solving on any mission…
I truly love your reaction to this series. You spend a great amount of time both before and after talking about it. Great channel and glad that I found it.
Playing catchup: Knew Wild Bill Guarnere - he was a friend of one of my managers when I worked in a bank & would come in and we'd all chat. Funny dude! The "Quaker" thing is funny to me, Wild Bill was from South Philly where I grew up, and Winters was from out in Lancaster, PA - lots of Quakers and Amish out there, so Bill knew a bit about the area. I remember we made the same "Quaker" jokes growing up in the 80s and 90s... some things don't change!
There is a south korean movie about a soldier who has been in 3 wars (its from real story, i think). He was japanese soldier, and he got captured and became a soviet soldier, then finally he became german soldier after ran away before he got captured by the american. The title is "my way" (2011). But if you think watching band of brother is tough. Wait till you watch the pacific :O I think, both series are from the same house production. So, they both are good. I havent seen any german or russian war movies/series without "political element". (band of brother is the closest one without "politic aspect" from american). "Generation war" (it only has 3 episodes) is as far as you can have from the german. But if you re into book. I would recommend you "tiger in the mud" by otto carius. He was a tiger tank ace commander. He fought russian alot. But somehow he managed to stay non bias in his book. Rather he gained respect for russian. Tho, if you re such a lazy reader like me. I would suggest you to hit the manga version of it :O It was by miyazaki hayao. Still the same title "tiger in the mud". It gives pretty much visual reference of the stories in that book actually.
These guys are the most badass fucking dudes I have ever heard of. I've watched Band of Brothers probably 10 times in my life and as of now in 2023. The entire unit has passed away. I hope I die never forgetting these men.
There's no way to compare, or rank different war zones, but there is something extra added when the elements themselves are an additional enemy. The jungle. The tunnels carved into the coral. Jungle rot. Malaria. Every island has a new D day..... incomprehensible!
I'm sure plenty of other comments have talked about the action at Brecourt Manor, but it bears repeating: the tactics Winters employed were so textbook that it's literally still studied today at the US Military Academy as a perfect example of how to assault a fortified position. Putting all of that together from a simple command of "go silence those guns hitting Utah Beach" is simply mindblowing.
A shout out to the pilots of those C-47's. I flew one in Vietnam. You'll NOTE they did not have parachutes on because the seat and the cockpits were just too small. So if their aircraft was hit there was almost no chance they could bail out. They went "down with the ship".
As much as I love reaction vids like this, and seeing BoB on Netflix has reached the top 10, 23 years after its release, it’s still shocking to see people wondering if these events actually happened or not…if not scary.
This series is one of the greatest ever made, and the amazing thing is it all really happened. You will need a few days to digest things and talk it through following every single episode, they are so intense.
The adrenaline is real. Second time I got bombed, my lieutenant started checking me. We were in an armored vehicle and strapped in so he could only reach my right side. He kept patting (which is protocol. You may not feel a wound at first. Pat for blood.) It just made me even madder than the bomb so I told him to f--- off. Did not get in trouble for that swearing at an officer. I was fine and we all had our hearts pounding.
Normandy was the first combat jump for the 101st Airborne Division. Units of the 82nd had already participated in jumps into Sicily and southern Italy (Operations Husky and Avalanche). The Allies hadn't quite mastered airborne operations just yet, as the scattering of paratroopers was seen (though in much smaller scale) in Salerno and Husky was almost a complete disaster as Allied AA gunners shot down several C-47s mistaken for German bombers. This episode's depiction of the Brécourt fight is entirely accurate. Later episodes sort of fudge the truth for the sake of license or inaccuracies in the book. Stephen Ambrose based the book on interviews with the Easy Company veterans in the 1990s, and he didn't check any other sources, so things got misrememered after 50 years.
Episodes 6 and 9 are the two least historically accurate episodes. Not that the people and places depicted weren't real, but they kind of moved Easy Company or some Easy Company men in particular into the forefront so that certain stories could be told that the show creators wanted to tell. There's also a dispute between several different units and what they did in episode 10, but I think Easy Company has the strongest claim so I consider it historically accurate, or at least close enough to the truth that it's okay if some other things aren't included.
Worst part for the Italian jumps is they got shot up by friendly ships on the way to the jump point, so their planes were already damaged and had wounded then they had to go through it all over again with enemy AAA.
5:28 marks Based on the 1992 Book "Band of Brothers" 5:34 mark we presented XXX with that Guidon (small blue flag on the wall behind him) in 2000 during the annual Battle of the Bulge reenactment in PA. Each plane carries 1 Stick of Troopers of 15 to 18 men. i have flown in (W7) whisky 7 a C47 they was the lead plane for the 2nd wave of the 505th 82nd on D-Day with the doors on it can be warm inside and not too noisy. they were dressed in layers under their M42 jump uniforms they had wool shirt & pants ect.., plus their uniforms were CC2 treated for chemical warfare which made them hot & stink so they were warm & had been given motion sickness pills which helped. 7:59 mark where LT. Meehan's plane hits ,there is now a marker there with all the names of those who died in that crash. Many troopers lost gear & weapons during the jump. the crickets were used by a few units mostly the 101st Flash & Thunder was used for all units. 10:46 Mark Officers were issued Escape kits and they sewed the items into their uniforms Hence why Winters pulled out the compass from his pants. 11:28 mark so the show gets this wrong as Bill also didn't have a weapon during the ambush portrayed, BUT after the ambush shown here he got 2 P-38 pistols off the dead Germans which he used in another ambush and later he picks up a Thompson. having talked with XXX & XXXX that were there at those ambushes they were ok and understood why they had to portray it as shown for the show. 12:58 mark Many Troopers were killed still in their harness while in the air or hung up in trees. 1 stick of troopers landed in a camp of Russian Cossack's and were hacked up by swords., 14:45 Speirs did kill the POW's and 1 of his own men (A Drunk NCO who refused to follow an order then went to draw his weapon but Speirs shot him 1st , he was cleared of all charges on that. the attack on the guns is spot on (except for a few minor details, and the guns were closer to the houses) 16:59 mark Comption's gun was 1 he picked up after his jump so he hadn't had to chance to check it) had the honor of being walked through it by some of those who took part. 18:21 mark He arm was bumped by a Trooper moving behind him which made him drop the grenade 22:37 them cooking and eating in the truck a typical GI meal in the field if i remember right talking to XXX who was their it was kinda a stew made with some stuff they found and rations cooked in a GI ammo can
Great reactions! I loved how quickly you were able to grasp the tactical risks of what was going on, like how dangerous it was for Lipton to be up in the trees and how little cover the tree limbs and bushes provided, the shock of a close grenade blast making it difficult to self-assess Toye's injuries, as well as Winters standing up too high at the end (nothing happened to him, but that was definitely risky). Few other reactors were able to pick up on those things.
I don't understand why the 101st is so revered over the 82nd. The 82nd saw a lot more action. Maybe it's because the siege of Bastogne gets the lion's share of attention from the battle of the bulge whilst there were far more important battles along the line.
6:44 "They said there were lights down..." Dropped by parachute about 30 minutes before the main assault were paratroopers called "Pathfinders". It was their job to place lights and other indicators on the drop zones for the main forces.
The airborne part of the Normandy invasion was estimated to lose more than half of these men. It was felt the cost was needed to distract the Germans and disrupt reinforcements from hitting the landing forces on the beach.
The Douglas C47 aircraft could carry up to 28 fully loaded paratroopers. Back when I was a paratrooper (early to mid 1990s), we jumped from the C130 Hercules and and C141 Starlifter. The C130 can hold up 64 paratroopers and the C141 can hold up to 123 paratroopers. Big difference between the eras.
No, Popeye (who got hit in the ass), didn't want to leave his men. He wished that his injury wasn't such that he had to leave his brothers. And yes, that is Winters narrating the episode.
Glad to see young people watching this. Wish it were part of education curriculum. Then we might appreciate how so many young people sacrificed for the privileges we enjoy today. Enjoy. I'll watch along with you. South Africa 🇿🇦
Great reaction, really enjoy the before and after reaction talks. The reason that the episode feels so fast and shaky is because in the trenches they are just using a normal camera without any shakycam to still the video. It feels more immersive this was. P.S. You should follow up with We Stand Alone Together which is the documentary around this series
Also, while many of the German forces didn't have an option, the paratroopers were a completely volunteer group of men. They may have been drafted but they had to choose to be in and earn to be in the airborne
The soldiers were well trained but the pilots weren't. The messed up landing zones was due to pilots just trying to get out as fast as possible. They kind of addressed this in episode one when they talk about transferring Cpt. Sobel (David Schwimer) to train non combatants.
You were talking about how fast the movements were and all of the noises: "No plan survives first contact with the enemy." This saying has been attributed to Prussian Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke the Elder. We should be glad that soldiers, like Easy Co., were able to deal with this, so we wouldn't.
34:13 'Considered a war crime' if the army is willing to prosecute you, on day 1 prisoner taking by paratroop forces was thin on the ground because basically prisoners need guarding. Thats the thing with Speirs shooting those German POW's, only 10% of the company had made it to the rally point at that stage. His action therefore brutal though it was freed the men guarding those prisoners to engage German's who were still carrying guns.
You guys really need to see “Saving Private Ryan”. It’s made by the same people, shot in the same style, and serves as a companion piece to the series (in addition to “the Pacific”).
There’s a major motion picture about D-Day called “the longest day “. It name is derived from the words of the German general Rommel who when told of the Allie’s landing said “ Be sure they have a long day “.
When this show first came out you could only watch two episodes a week on the night they came out. No streaming. You watch it live or you missed it. I had the fortune of experiencing it with my mother and Father (WWII vet from pacific theater) in a fairly large home theater room I had throw together. We would have dinner and then watch two episodes and they would go home. I could tell that my father could feel the realism and everything even though it was from his experiences from 60 years earlier.
At 34:30 the reactors made a commonly heard comment - Once the enemy surrenders, they should be disarmed and taken as 'prisoners of war.' The reality of the situation is quickly forgotten - 'Easy' Company has been dropped behind enemy lines with no heavy weapons or backup. There are no Military Police to turn over the prisoners. There are no POW camps set up. There is no one they can spare to guard and look over the prisoners. Until the airborne units link up with the invasion from the coast, they are completely alone - taking prisoners of war on D-Day for the airborne was impossible.
When I turned 24 years old in 1984, my parents took me to the local airport to look at a lot of old airplanes from World War 2 for my birthday. One of them was a B-17 bomber that I got to walk through. This was a life-changing experience for me. As I looked around, all I could see was aluminum, exactly as in the C-47 aircraft at the beginning of this episode. Next to me was a man who was in his 60s, old enough to have participated in in the war. I said to him, "There is no place to hide from the bullets in here. The bullets would go right through. How did they get anybody to ride on these airplanes?" The man replied, "They were drafted." That is the moment that World War 2 became real for me.
I worked with WW2 vets in Brooklyn decades after the war. They would never speak about the actual events of the war, it was still too upsetting for them. The multiple traumas they suffered were well documented in their files however and I never grasped how they survived so many losses and continued on with their lives beyond the war. I was young then and the impact of the war on their lives never really registered until years later. Today I have so much respect for them and how they conducted themselves with the remainder of their lives.
Ladies, these are the real names of men, real places in the war and real accounts of the people(in the beginning) that were there. They are portrayed by actors, but this is very real. Not just a show and not based on fiction. I'm glad you two are taking the time to watch it.
The planes could drop up to 28 paratroopers. But the first airborne troops to land on D-Day landed just after midnight by glider D Company, 2nd (Airborne) Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.
As someone who has seen these series sooooo many times, I’m so happy you all have watched this series. It is hard to watch, but very important to watch. The more you learn about Easy Company, the more you appreciate what all soldiers did in WW II.
An author, Stephen Ambrose, went to these men and asked them to tell their story to him for the purpose of publishing the book, BAND OF BROTHERS. It is a fine book upon which this series is based, very closely.
If I remember correctly he said something to the effect of "it was an incredibly stupid idea that I only pulled because I was new to combat... a veteran soldier would never have done something like that" 😂
Great reaction, Milena and Lola! This excellent series was inspired by the success of Saving Private Ryan (1998). You can tell from the cinematography first used in Saving Private Ryan (SPR) and also used in Band of Brothers. Though SPR tells a fictional story, it shows more combat (and camaraderie) from WWII in greater scale. I highly recommend it, and would love if you could post your reaction here for us to enjoy too. Cheers!
Winters was Executive Officer and Platoon Leader commanding First Platoon IIRC. There's additional officers within the individual Platoons. Sergeants are Non-commissioned Officers. There's a company-level First Sergeant (currently played by Simon Pegg) and each Platoon has a Staff Sergeant.
They are paratroopers, they are the first in. They have nowhere to take prisoners, and if they don't succeed in their mission the invasion force of 130,000 could be pushed back into the sea.
If you think this episode was exhausting, it's gonna get worse. Oh and also, because you mentioned 'Ross' aka Sobel. He had it though, he never got over the fact that he got reassigned and lost command of Easy, he never made a combat jump and never saw combat action. He served in Korea, later had a wife and 3 kids, then got divorced, lost contact with his ex-wife and kids. He attempted to kill himself in 1970 but the bullet went straight through behind both eyes making him blind requiring him to live in a nursing home untill he died in 1987 from malnutrition and neglect. There was no memorial service and no funeral. I mention this, as I think the series doesn't give him enough credit. He made the men of Easy company, he trained them and it's because of that hard training they managed to survive that well. Even though the series lacks in this area, in Winters' book Beyond Band of Brothers, Winters credits Sobel for it.
Watched a lot of Band of Brothers reactions and yours is in the top tier. Very engaged with the show and I love it. Don't worry about being unable to recognize who is who, I've seen this show countless times and I still don't fully remember who a lot of the secondary characters are. Just try to get the names of the important people and for everyone else "That's the guy who [whatever] is enough.
Guarnere did not wait for orders and started shooting because he was frustrated and angry that his brother had been killed in Italy near Monte Cassino. Guarnere said several times in interviews after the war that he killed many Germans, including prisoners, on the first day of the invasion to avenge the death of his brother.
Winter's, I'm pretty sure (not 100% positive) is a Lutheran (a American Protestant Christian denomination separate from European Lutherans), but he has Mennonite (Amish) ancestry
The company is about 140 men divided into several squads (4?). Each squad is commanded by sergeant. The squads are divided into platoons, each of which are commanded by a lieutenant. The company is commanded by a captain. In This case Captain Meghan was killed in his plane before he could jump. Winters was in a seperate airplane and assumed command of the men he managed to scrape together (as well as stragglers rom other companies, like Hall, played by Andrew Scott) during the night. In the morning they were given the objective of capturing several gun emplcements at a place called Brecourt manor.
Minor correction: platoon is the larger unit. Initially, Easy Company consisted of three platoons (plus an HQ detachment), and each platoon comprised three twelve-man rifle squads and a six-man mortar squad.
Winters was awarded the second highest award in the army. He didn't receive the Medal of Honor because only one member of every unit was allowed to receive it.
There was an effort, after this miniseries came out, to get his medal upgraded. But Medals of Honor are very political things and it just never happened. And just so nobody thinks this is a spoiler, medals can be awarded to both living and dead soldiers. Whether Winters died in WW2 or lived a long life afterwards, this comment doesn't indicate one way or another.
The assault on the batteries at Brecourt Manor is one of the most historically accurate battle scenes. I once did a map of it and how everyone moved. Then i investigated the real assault and it was very coincident. Even the details and some funny things that you would think are just fiction (Lipton on the trees and Malarkey looking for the luger), they really happened (stupid mistakes). The only significant difference would be in the specific location of some of the soldiers, once they attacked the first canon, but i suspect it had to do with an actors availability issue. Production stuff. Like, in the real battle, more men advanced to the rest of the canons, but in the scene most of them are kept on the first one, so they can have less actors on the rest of the filmming days.
The German field marshal, known as Moltke the Elder, believed in developing a series of options for battle instead of a single plan, saying “No plan of operations extends with certainty beyond the first encounter with the enemy's main strength.” Today, “no plan survives contact with the enemy” is the popular ...lol... The Guy shot in the ass was Popeye... Bill Guarnere...was the soldier who's brother died in Sicily.
Winters is an officer. He is a first lieutenant, which is one rank higher than the lowest officer rank, which is a 2nd lieutenant. Then there are Non-commission officers (NCO), which are Seargents who are senior enlisted soldiers who are given some authority over other soldiers without being officers.
There were special groups of paratroopers called pathfinders. The pathfinders dropped before the main body of the rest of the division. They would put up lights in different colors and radio beacons to let the pilots know where to drop the troops. Of course, if the pathfinder landed in the wrong spot everything after that got messed up. The Germans purposefully flooded fields and put up obstacles to make it difficult. There was a process for uniting the platoon. The first soldier out of the plane would walk in the direction the plane had been going. The last soldier out would walk the direction back. This was called gathering up the stick. Things got confused because the planes scattered in the air due to the flack. We differentiate between the common soldier and those in the SS. Pay attention to Ronald Spiers. Your opinion of him will change through the course of the series.
There’s a famous photo of Eisenhower talking to face-painted, geared up, Mohawk-shaved paratroopers before they embarked on the planes. Planners calculated something in the neighborhood of 90% casualties among the airborne. Ike reportedly felt he needed to be among the men he was asking so much of. There’s a story in the book that the last man aboard one of the transports, sun setting, props spinning up, just before ducking his head to go on that fateful ride, stopped, looked to the East and said, “Look out, Hitler, here we come!” That’s the sort of spirit those men had.
There’s a famous story about when the paratroopers were getting trucked in to Bastogne and, along the roads, the shattered remnants of American units hit in the initial assault were clogging the roads marching West. One of the men running away noticed the paratroopers heading in to the town geared up for a fight and said, “Hey, don’t go in there! You’ll be cut off and surrounded!” The rather cheeky reply he received was, “We’re paratroopers! We’re ALWAYS cut off and surrounded!” Military historians study the results of the drops of the two Airborne divisions on D-Day: the 82nd and the 101st (Easy is 101st). Both units were scattered on their drops, to be sure, but the 82nd far more so. Both units trained for this, though. The military maxim is “First, go win the war.” It means, no matter what situation you’re in, be guided by that principle. Do SOMETHING constructive to win the war, even if you’re alone or in a small group with no leader. Pee in the gas tank of an enemy vehicle, it’ll ruin the engine. Get your knife out and puncture the tires of an enemy truck. Change the signs on the road so enemy units get lost. Do SOMETHING to win the war. The fact that the Airborne was so scattered did have an advantage. German HQ received so many reports of ambushes, brief firefights, etc from all over the map, German forces were paralyzed until the sun came up because they didn’t know which way to send their forces. There are reports of German columns marching for four hours along a road only to be told to turn around and retrace their steps for the next four. Enough individual and small groups of paratroopers caused enough problems all over the place that it completely confused German command.
Because of the anti-aircraft fire, and, general confusion, most of the paratroopers ended up missing their designated drop zones, and, being spread out all over the Normandy countryside. It was only due to their training, and, fighting spirit, that they gathered into ad hoc units, and, accomplished their assigned objectives.
This is one of the incredible things that distinguishes Western military from authoritarian militaries like those of China and Russia. All command is delegated to the lowest possible effective level of the hierarchy. If you drop a hundred random American or British or German troops into an area, they can form up companies and a chain of command almost instantly, and their NCOs corps are well-trained to execute the tactics required to achieve a strategic objective without explicit top-down guidance. As evidenced by Ukraine, they can even do this when they're not even from the same country The modern Western military is infinitely impressive
"Operations Room" on You Tube has an instructive, seven minute video covering the assault on Brecourt Manor - czcams.com/video/814qEsxSzmA/video.html U.S. Army officer ranks from lowest to highest: 2nd Lieutenant - Platoon leader. A platoon (PLT) is composed of 3 squads with about 12 soldiers in each squad for a total of about 36. 1st Lieutenant - Same as above. Captain - Commands a company (COY). A paratroop COY has 3 PLTs. Major - Either 2nd in command (executive officer or exec. or XO) of a battalion (BN) or is in command of one. A paratroop BN is made up of 3 companies. A, B, & C in 1st BN; E, F, G in 2nd BN; and H, I, & K in the 3rd BN. Lieutenant Colonel - Commands a BN or is the XO of a regiment (RGT) Colonel - Commands a RGT. A RGT is made up of 3 BNs. Brigadier General - (not applicable to this HBO series) Major General - Commands a division (DIV). A DIV is made up of 3 RGTs. The continuation of officer ranks is not relevant to the HBO series. Lieutenant General - Commands a corps. A corps is made up of 2 to 4 DIVs General - Commands an Army or Army Group. An Army is made up of several corps. An Army Group is made up of several Armys. Note the markings on the helmets. The while playing card spade indicates the 506th regiment. On the back of the helmets is a white strip, either vertical or horizontal. The vertical means the wearer is an officer. The horizontal strip indicates the wearer is an enlisted sergeant or higher. It is on the rear of the helmets for two reasons. One, that men behind can quickly identify a leader and two, that the enemy cannot readily identify a leader. Here is a listing of the enlisted ranks of U.S. Army in World War II - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_enlisted_rank_insignia_of_World_War_II -Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA
Lieutenants lead companies of 100 men plus "non-commissioned" officers (sergeants and corporals), these are divided into squads or squadrons. There are normally 9 companies in a battalion (able, bravo, charlie, dog, easy etc) which is roughly 1000 men (these have a Captain or Major in charge). there are 2-3 battalions in a regiment (Colonel) and 2-3 regiments in a division (Major General). to give you a rough overview of military structure. Great reactions keep them coming!
I'm late to the discussion but I just want you ladies to know that you taking this story seriously enough to rewatch ep. 1 has a lot of meaning to me. Thank you.
It is easy to tell by your facial expressions, especially during battle scenes, that you grasp the gravity of the situation and are both fully invested. You honor what is known affectionately as “The Greatest Generation”with your close and respectful attention and sincere reactions. Thank you for that.
Winters was an officer......a 1st Lieutenant, the 2nd to lowest grade officer. Lt Meehan, who was Easy Company's cammander after Captain Sobel was relieved, was killed, with other soldiers, when his plane went down on D-Day, making Winters, the next senior officer, then in command of Easy. Below the Officers are Non-Commissioned officers....various grades of Corporals and Sergants who act out their officers orders and lead, guide, direct the soldiers.
Ken burn “The War” has a quote that; “some men were dropped so low their parachutes didn’t have time to open. When they hit the ground they hit with the sound of fresh pumpkins being thrown on concrete. Love you guys so much! Great series get tissue boxes!
Back in the 1980s when I was training to be an army officer, we studied this assault. To give you a better idea of what was going on, Winters took around 17 people, and together they attacked an entrenched German position manned by just over 60 Germans. Literally four to one odds. And they succeeded with only two casualties: one killed and one wounded. It was a remarkable success.
wow i’ve watched that part so many times and i never knew that, it made the scene so much better now
Thank you for your service
Pretty amazing stuff from Winters. Although there were three others killed (two of which aren't particularly clear in the show): the WO who is looking for battalion HQ, and two men with Speirs. Another trooper with Speirs was wounded. Not trying to correct you but I always assumed there were just two men killed during the assault and was a little surprised to later learn that the casualties were a bit higher.
@@Ausl0vich two from the 17 that Winters took with him is what he meant... obviously there were others. The other one shown was not with the group as he was caught in the cross fire trying to make his way to the HQ... probably a runner.
@@werakepa3415 That is correct. I'm only talking about those men killed or wounded who were formally part of Winters' team.
Just to clarify, the man who was shot in the ass didn’t shoot himself. He was not trying to go home. He was disappointed with himself because he felt he let the unit down by having to leave because of his wound.
Popeye
Yes, and that is a true story. Popeye really did apologize for being hit.
Yes I think she was somewhat joking, that she would have shot herself in the butt just to be able to go home.
Popeyes a good damn soldier.
Pretty sure they were joking.
I am a retired combat veteran of Iraq and had the honor & privilidge to be Dick Winter's escort one day at a July 4th event in our state Pennsylvania back in 2002. In my entire military & police career, and in my lifetime no man has ever inspired me in such a powerful way. I took much of the advice he gave me to heart & practice. It made me a far better soldier & man than I ever believed I could become. I am in your debt Sir, and thank you often.
What an honor that was man.
Some men are born for war. Patton and MacArthur, for example, would have been considered harsh, ruthless warhawks in any other time period, but they were exactly the kind of ingenious tacticians that the USA needed to win this war.
Dick Winters is another such man. He was born to be a soldier, born to lead, and born to be the captain of Easy Company. I just can't imagine any other man taking his place.
I wish I could have met him. If he had made the military his career, no doubt in my mind he would have been a 5 star general. He would have made a great president too.
@@nekoti.8-2 he wanted nothing to do with politics, especially having to deal with politicians. I completely understood where he is coming from, good men learn early to avoid careers that one has to sell his soul to become succesfull in.
@@patches6309 True. I've read alot about him. He even at first really wanted not much to do with the war . The man was very smart and very brave though and those things made him a natural military leader.
The producers deliberately withold the names of the veterans who are shown at the begining of each episode in order to prevent any spoilers about who survives the series.The interviews were collected for an accompanying documentary titled: 'We Stand Alone Together'. When you finish the last episode it is highly recomended that you watch the documentary. It is very moving to hear these men retell their story in their own words.
Better solution: read the book
thier own words ? they all tell the same - dont do that shit - my grandfather fight on german side - he allways said "mach das nicht junge " ( dont do that kid ) he´s died long time ago - but we - all - do the same shit again ...
@@hiho6373 It's kinda part of human nature unfortunately, we humans have a tendency to be very self-destructive.
And for the record, this is pretty much exactly what happened at Brecourt. The men in the trees, Malarkey running out looking for a Luger, the lost soldier getting shot in the head, every bit of that actually happened.
It's now taught as a textbook assault on a fixed, defended position. Winters was a great officer, and his careful scouting of the position prior to the assault saved a lot of his men's lives. Winters and his men were not the first attack on those guns, but the other attacks had failed because they rushed in without proper reconnaissance, and were ambushed by the machine gun nests. His friend, Nixon, was so worried that Winters was going to get killed trying to attack the guns, that he ran to the beaches where tanks were starting to land, basically commandeered a few, and rushed back, expecting Winters would be in need of rescue and support from the armor. That's why we see him at the end riding those tanks. But by then, Winters had already succeeded with the handful of men he had.
Those medals were awarded to the men who took part in the assault not only because of how competently and heroically it was carried, but because of how important it was that those guns were silenced. They were artillery guns firing on the men landing on the beaches. The men who destroyed them saved hundreds of lives on the beaches, and allowed the invasion to be successful. D-Day, and the invasion more generally, required speed to be successful. Getting bogged down on the beaches, or even just a few miles inland, might have very well doomed the entire operation. It was critical that the Allies establish a secure beachhead, land heavier weapons and armor, and get far inland before the Axis could make a counteroffensive.
This is also why the prisoners of war were executed. It was a war crime, but it was one that had been either directly ordered, or at least strongly suggested by higher level officers who were in charge of planning the invasion. The airborne units that had landed into Normandy were surrounded by enemy soldiers, and could not spare anyone to handle POWs. If they released the POWs, they'd just face them again in battle minutes or hours after capturing them. So they were basically told not to take any prisoners. The invasion had to be successful on the first few days, and any delay or wasted strength could have caused the entire invasion to fail.
@@fakecubed Regarding the POW issue, there's strong evidence that those orders were given and carried out. I would like to just clarify that we do not have confirmation that Speirs executed these particular prisoners. That remains a mystery, I believe.
@@matthewjordan7297 iirc, during the making of or after the release of this episode,, Winters asked Spiers about this incident. Spiers confirmed it, he did shoot/execute the POW's; but the order was more implied than given directly. Thinking about it logically, where are they supposed to put prisoners when the infantry is still landing on the beaches and they have no idea if their invasion will even stick?
@@MeatballCereal OK, thanks for the info. I didn't see that particular interview. Those were complicated times, to say the least.
@@MeatballCereal I think if I recall they were ordered to "take no prisoners" because as you said they couldn't afford to do so. So not directly ordered to execute prisoners, but yeah, a pretty heavy implication from the top down that they should.
For context Easy Company was approximately 140 men and each plane held around 25 troops. They dropped during the middle of the night about 6 hrs prior to the beach landings. The combination of low cloud cover and enemy fire caused many of the troopers to miss their drop zones. The 101st airborne lost approx 1/6 of their soldiers on the first day of the invasion.
Also most of transport pilots wigged out under fire and dropped them too fast and out of position.
@@ScarriorIII The crazy thing is the planners never calculated this into the equation.
@@ScarriorIII I mean you can't really blame them, that must have been absolutely terrifying
That 25 number seemed like about how many sport jumpers a C-47 carried in my misspent youth. DC-3/C-47s were somewhat available for skydiving in the 1980s. Paratroops were loaded with more heavy equipment than we sport jumpers carried. I looked it up and found a maximum or 18 combat loaded troops, so a company of 140 needed at least 8 planes, possibly more.
At the time this was filmed, it was the most expensive program ever produced for television, averaging $1 million per episode.
Considering most of the SFX were done on MS Paint on a Windows 98 PC
@@benschultz1784not really, most are practical effects.
Google says $12.5 million per episode, $125 million total. $1 million would have been super cheap
@@SirCanadianBacon the cast of Friends was making 1 mil per episode each, meaning each episode of Friends cost over 6 mil.
And still worth way more then the billion spent on rings of power
My wife's great uncle was in the 101st Airborne. He parachuted into France and was killed on a road in Normandy. His family was devastated and they never really recovered from his death. He was planning on becoming a medical doctor.
You will become so invested in these men. Each episode just keeps pulling you in. This series is a masterpiece!!
I was fortunate to meet Winters and Guinere at a WW2 reenactment in 1995. This makes the show more 'real" for me.
"You cannot qualify war in harsher terms than I will. War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it; and those who brought war into our country deserve all the curses and maledictions a people can pour out."
-General William Tecumseh Sherman
Considering the motivation behind the U.S.' most recent wars, this quote is both disturbing and accurate.
A profound comment Sir.
Simple terms War is; "hours of boredom broken up by moments of shear terror and brutality.", an unknown Infantryman.
For God and King Charles III!
Long May He reign!!!
@@thomasohanlon1060 For God and His Majesty...
The King of England,
Is More Charismatic!
Than the leaders of:
France,
The Netherlands,
Canada,
Australia,
The United States of America,
Montenegro
South America,
The United Arab Emirates,
Turkey,
Russia,
China,
and North Korea...
Any person willing to dispute this is welcome to show up at my residence and challenge me to one on one Combat for the honour of our planet Earth.
Anytime man.
The paratroopers had no means to take prisoners. What Lt. Spears did to those german prisioners was in fact unwriten order.
The invasion was on a tight time schedule, they were surrounded by enemies with no other units to turn POWs over to, and couldn't spare any men to guard prisoners. If they released any prisoners, a they'd all immediately rejoin Axis units and the Allied airborne units would have to just fight them all over again. It's an ugly business, but that's war, period. All wars are crimes. The men did what they had to do to ensure the invasion was a success, and a beachhead could be established to bring in the necessary heavy weapons and armor required to take back France. Lt. Speirs didn't want to burden any of the men under his command to carry out the execution of the prisoners, so he did that himself. It seems very cold blooded, but really he took personal responsibility for it.
General Taylor, commander of the 101st, openly instructed his men to 'take no prisoners' before the Normandy landings (according to the real Malarkey, ironically the one who is so shocked by Speirs's action in this episode).
Patton was also officially reprimanded for telling his troops (before landing in Italy) to 'take no prisoners'.
And Hitler expressly ordered his troops to execute on sight any 'special forces', including paratroopers dropped behind German lines.
The paratroopers were running into the dead bodies of their comrades dangling from the trees (something that makes it into this episode as well). Those bodies were sometimes mutilated and defiled when they were found.
On the other hand, the men of Easy Company are clearly shocked by Speirs's actions, and it feeds his legend as a stone-cold killer throughout the series. And Toye resorts to brass knuckles to silence a surrendering German (instead of shooting him).
And Winters later virtually disarms Liebgott, putting his life at serious risk, in order to make sure 'the prisoners are escorted back to base unharmed' (and they were hated 'SS').
I don't know. The message is mixed. And in the scale of the chaos, there's probably room for plenty of instances of both types.
@@GK-yi4xv The thing with Winters you're talking about was later on. The "take no prisoners" thing was really just for the initial invasion of Normandy until such time as they established a beachhead and were able to handle POWs.
No spoiler. At the end of the third episode, the second text is wrong. It was only revealed after the show.
Popeye - Got shot in the butt. Bill - brother died and he killed lots of Germans. Malarkey - Talked to a German prisoner and ran into the field looking for a Lugar(German pistol). Winters (Officer - 1st lieutenant) highest ranking officer in Easy Company led attack.
Easy Company starts with around 150 soldiers and each Plane has around 12 soldiers on it.
Hope that's helpful.
Bill is Bill Guarnere, who will be affectionately called gonorrhea most of the show
Easy Company was flown to Normandy from Devon England on 8 sticks (C-47 planes), 7 of them successfully dropped their paratroopers. The 8th plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire and exploded, the flying crew and all 17 members of the company on board the plane were killed (including the company commander Lt. Meehan and the highest ranking non-commissioned officer 1st SGT Bill Evans).
@@MrKINSM You know ive seen this show many times, but watching this the names Evans and Meehan stick out and I realize I dont think we ever get a confirmation what exactly happened. Theyre just dropped from the narrative. So thanks for clearing that up.
The only confirmation is that the pilot says “get Meeheen out of there” right before the engine explodes and torches the whole plane. Sometimes better to not know the details.
My Grandfather was a truck driver during WW2 he very rarely would talk about his time over seas but in one of the few times when he did talk about it he told my Dad about the time he saw many dead paratroopers hanging from the trees My Dad told me how it was the only story of the few stories he did talk about that made him tear up also one of the few if not only time my Dad saw him cry
I subscribed to your channel because you started to react to this series. It's legit one of the best ever - and it gets better and better with each episode. Also harder to watch lol but so great nonetheless.
(Try to avoid spoilers, there are some great reveals at the very end)
They've also had great reactions to Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, The Expanse, and Avatar: The Last Airbender, if any of that would interest you.
@@fakecubed thanks! I'll definitely check them out
Being x-military these scenes are some of the most realistic depictions of war ever done.
It gets more emotional as the episodes progress. Probably the best war series ever made.
I cannot think of better reactors than you girls, to react this serie, only you can get the emotional attachment and further analisis this masterpiece need. I personally watch this seris once a year, i've done it since 2004, a know the lines by heart, and still get emotional every time.
PS: I'll give a list of some of the most recognizable faces in the show, so you dont have to be hurting your brain, trying to figure it out where have you sen the actors:
Lieutenant Winters- Damian Lewis (Homeland)
Lieutenant Nixon- Ron Livingston( Office space)
Private Christenson- Michael Fassbender ( X-men)
Sergeant Randleman- Michael Cudiltz (The walking dead)
Donnie Whahlberg (member of the New kids on the block, also starring on Blue Bloods)
sergeant Malarkey- Scott Grimes ( E.R)
Lieutenant Buck Compton- Neal Mc Donugh (Desperate Housewiwes-The 100-Yellostone-justified,etc)
Sergeant Martin- Dexter Fletcher (Director of BEhemian Rhapsody and Rocketman)
Privete John Janovec- Hardy- ( Batman-WArrior- Locke)
Captain Sobel- David Schwimmer- (Friends)
Sergeant Toye- Kirk Acevedo- (Fringe)
Private Hall- Scott Andrews - (Fleabag)
Captain Spears- Matthew Settle (Gossip Girl)
Private Muck- Richard Speight- (Supernatural)
When you ladies finish this series there is a companion documentary which is titled "We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company" which is an expanded look at the real people we see at the beginning & end of the episodes.
Popeye didn’t shoot himself in the ass. He got hit by a German soldier and did profusely apologize about getting wounded in real life as well.
Also, the last tidbit of info is more impactful knowing that Winters was NEVER a graduate of West Point, yet he still went there to give lectures on the Brecourt Manor assault because it was executed so flawlessly.
No one wants to let their brothers-in-arms down during a battle like that. They all knew the assault on those guns was of vital importance, and was going to be a very difficult task. Getting injured meant not only that you were unable to contribute to the effort, but that somebody else would need to take care of you and be unable to contribute to the effort, and it would be so much harder and riskier on everyone else to accomplish their mission.
Spoiler
@@kkpenney444 it’s been out for over 20 years now…
Yeah, I forget who said it in the we stand alone together interviews but he quipped "there's something beautiful about a man in the middle of a battle apologising for being wounded"
Don't worry if you don't recognize the faces of the soldiers with the names, it's pretty hard to follow even when the series took liberties like showing soldiers without their helmets on. Even on a second watch some people struggle with the names, so it's ok ;)
I'm super glad you two are watching BoB, I was waiting for you to do reactions for this! Enjoy the ride!
Even with reading the books many times and doing many, many rewatches it can be difficult to get the names correct.
They dont really say it in the show but when they come across those dead paratroopers and that one guy is staring at the guy in the trees, that was one of the men he trained with for over 2years. Imagine being told to do your duty as you come across a dead friend after not knowing where they went. These men are much stronger than I could ever be
I am so pleased that you have had an interest in the 101st Airborne Division's history during World War Two.
You now know more about World War Two than most young Americans.
I served with Charlie Company in the First of the 506th from 1973-75 with the 101st Airborne Division. They no longer use the designation Easy Company but would now call it Echo Company. Dog Company would now be called Delta Company.
During those years I had the privilege to serve alongside older solders, who had fought at Bastogne.
Your reactions to the story have been precious. But you learned how men rise up to endure the horrors of war but live in peace after defeating evil.
My earliest memory of those veterans was of men matured by war but still relatively young.
During my years of duty in Germany, I was able to visit the Eagle's Nest and Hitler's old garage at Obersaltzberg.
Thanks for your input.
They have already reacted to half the series on patreon, but to clarify the ranks and positions: Winters was the company XO on D-Day, second in command of easy company, and was a 1st lieutenant. The platoon leaders were 1st or 2nd lietenants in charge of about 45 men each. The commander of the company is supposed to be a captain, but with Captain Sobel reassigned, Mehan was put into command last minute. He was also only a 1st lieutenant and was moved in from a different company in the same regiment. So after only three years in the army, Winters became responsible for leading over 100 men into combat. The only problem I have with the show is that almost all the actors are too old. Winters was only 26 in 1944 and he was one of the oldest in the unit on D-day.
Buck Compton’s hand signals in order were 1, 4, 2, 2, 5, clenched fist, pull back and thrust forward with his other arm ending with a finger point. This meant, “One MG42, 25 yards away, throw grenades that way (the direction I point).”
*RANKS* hope this helps.
Private
Private First Class
Technician 5th Grade
Corporal
Technician 4th Grade
Sergeant
Technician 3rd Grade
Sergeant First Class
Staff Sergeant
Technical Sergeant
Master Sergeant
First Sergeant
Sergeant Major
Command Sergeant Major
Second Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
Captain
Major
Lieutenant Colonel
Colonel
Brigadier General
Major General
Lieutenant General
General
(the rank of technician was a rank created and only used during WW 2. The rank was equivalent to it's grouping but the individual lacked command training but was specifically trained in a technological skill, ie; disarming land mines, explosives, etc.)
MAIN CAST of(BOB)
By the end of series (dead or alive) the men presented here will have achieved these ranks.
Kirk Acevedo as Staff Sergeant Joe Toye,
Eion Bailey as Private First Class David Kenyon Webster,
Michael Cudlitz as Staff Sergeant Denver "Bull" Randleman,
Dale Dye as Colonel Robert Sink,
Rick Gomez as Technician Fourth Grade George Luz,
Scott Grimes as Technical Sergeant Donald Malarkey,
Frank John Hughes as Staff Sergeant William "Wild Bill" Guarnere,
Damian Lewis as Major Richard "Dick" Winters,
Ron Livingston as Captain Lewis Nixon,
James Madio as Technician Fourth Grade Frank Perconte,
Neal McDonough as First Lieutenant Lynn "Buck" Compton,
Rene L. Moreno as Technician Fifth Grade Joseph Ramirez,
David Schwimmer as Captain Herbert Sobel,
Richard Speight, Jr. as Sergeant Warren "Skip" Muck,
Donnie Wahlberg as Second Lieutenant Carwood Lipton,
Matthew Settle as Captain Ronald Speirs,
Douglas Spain as Technician Fifth Grade Antonio C. Garcia,
Rick Warden as First Lieutenant Harry Welsh,
Marc Warren as Private Albert Blithe,
Shane Taylor as Technician Fourth Grade Eugene "Doc" Roe,
Dexter Fletcher as Staff Sergeant John "Johnny" Martin,
Colin Hanks as First Lieutenant Henry S. Jones,
Ross McCall as Technician Fifth Grade Joseph Liebgott.
A single Company like "Easy Company" was around 200 men and there were 9 companies in their Regiment: the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Multiple Regiments or Brigades made up the 3 Divisions of airborne troops and many also landed in gliders. A DC3 aircraft carried about 13 paratroopers. There were about 18,000 British, American, and Canadian paratroopers dropped at points all over Normandy the night before the invasion to attack artillery batteries and garrisons and secure certain bridges and roads connecting the landing beaches for the invasion force. Most were scattered all over due to confusion and navigation errors and pilots just wanting to drop their troops off and fly back to England to escape all the gunfire
Hope this helps... the series is based on a book of the same name by historian Stephen Ambrose. He wrote it based on conversations with the actual soldiers from E ("easy") Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. The persons you see interviewed at the beginning of each episodes are the real surviving (as of 2000-2001 when it was filmed) soldiers from Easy Company. It was a storytelling device from Hanks/Spielberg to keep the names off each person. Because you don't see their names, you don't know who is who in the show, and therefore have no idea who lived or died. Each episode you have no idea if your favorite "characters" are going to be okay, or get wounded, or killed. It adds a little but of uncertainty to watching that is intentional to simulate for the viewer the fact that war is always uncertain.
Another awesome reaction, Lola and Milena.
Here is a list of our characters you've met so far.
BAND OF BROTHERS ACTORS / CHARACTERS:
*are/were real people
Kirk Acevedo as Staff Sergeant Joe Toye
*Eion Bailey as Private First Class David Kenyon Webster
Michael Cudlitz as Staff Sergeant Denver "Bull" Randleman
*Dale Dye as Colonel Robert Sink
Rick Gomez as Technician Fourth Grade George Luz
*Scott Grimes as Technical Sergeant Donald Malarkey
*Frank John Hughes as Staff Sergeant William "Wild Bill" Guarnere
*Damian Lewis as Major Richard "Dick" Winters
*Ron Livingston as Captain Lewis Nixon
James Madio as Technician Fourth Grade Frank Perconte
*Neal McDonough as First Lieutenant Lynn "Buck" Compton
Rene L. Moreno as Technician Fifth Grade Joseph Ramirez
*David Schwimmer as Captain Herbert Sobel
Richard Speight, Jr. as Sergeant Warren "Skip" Muck
*Donnie Wahlberg as Second Lieutenant Carwood Lipton
*Matthew Settle as Captain Ronald Speirs
Douglas Spain as Technician Fifth Grade Antonio C. Garcia
Rick Warden as First Lieutenant Harry Welsh
*Marc Warren as Private Albert Blithe
Shane Taylor as Technician Fourth Grade Eugene "Doc" Roe
Dexter Fletcher as Staff Sergeant John "Johnny" Martin
Colin Hanks as First Lieutenant Henry S. Jones
Ross McCall as Technician Fifth Grade Joseph Liebgott
Are there then so many fictional members of E Company? Or can they merely be actual soldiers who performed the deeds ascribed to them, but bearing altered names? 🤨
what about Cobb?
@@goldenager59 No, they're all (or at least most of them) real people. I don't know all of them, but I see several names without asterisks who I know are/were real people. Joe Toye, Bull Randleman, George Luz, Frank Perconte, etc. If Joe Toye hadn't been real, Bill Guarnere wouldn't have had anyone to go shoe shopping with for the rest of his life. ;) (They lost opposite legs, so they did that!)
@@SelvesteSand
I'm quite glad about this, thank you. Liebgott too? 🙂
"No plan survives first contact with the enemy" (paraphrased version of a famous quote by German general Helmuth von Moltke, 1871)
"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face" - Mike Tyson
Everything they did with this show was just perfect.
I've seen so many war movies and shows, but seeing the actual WW2 heroes sharing they're perspective before each episode, Brings a realism and emotional aspect that I've never seen in any other war film or tv show.
I'm new to the channel and here because this series means so much. Thank you for taking the time for so much introspection- I love that you dedicate a portion of the reaction to talking to us and attempting to process something so very complex. I'm excited to see your journey through this and to share it with you.
We got a speech by a S Vietnamese veteran. He graduated from HS and he was the only one who volunteered to be a medic for US Rangers. He got thru the war because his American unit was overtrained. His other HS boys got assigned to regular units. None of them survived. Normally one doesn't kill POWs. But the first day, Allies were told to kill all prisoners. Only a few Axis POWs survived. After that, things were more civilized on the W Front, many Italian-Americans or German-Americans, including my mother's first cousin who fought into Germany in 1945. The E Front was brutal to all. Asia was also inhuman.
The names of the companys are letters A-Able through I-Item, 9 companies, make up the regiment of 2 battalions.
They DID receive more extensive training that regular infantry. Another group that receive extensive training were the Rangers, of whom the men in SAVING PRIVATE RYAN were members, Tom Hanks and his men. Today we still have two parachute infantry regiments, the 101st Airborne, seen here, and the 82nd Airborne. They have much of the same training, but their finishing training is different from each other and geared toward performing specific and different kinds of missions. The Rangers were the troops depicted in BLACKHAWK DOWN. In that film, you also see portrayed "Deltas", short for Delta Force. They are special operations personnel and even more highly trained.
The U.S. airborne landings in Normandy were the first U.S. combat operations during Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy by the Western Allies on June 6, 1944, during World War II. Around 13,100 American paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions made night parachute drops early on D-Day, June 6, followed by 3,937 glider troops flown in by day. As the opening maneuver of Operation Neptune (the assault operation for Overlord) the two American airborne divisions were delivered to the continent in two parachute and six glider missions.
Also, "Saving Private Ryan" (movie) and "The Pacific" (mini-series)
Are both to be recommended.
First Lieutenant (1Lt) Winters was originally a Platoon (Plt) leader (Ldr) of an Infantry (Inf) Platoon (Plt)… He was also the company executive officer (XO) usually a 1Lt rank and is second to the Company Commander (CO) usually a Captain rank (Cpt), before he became the (CO)… In Normandy 1Lt Winters was the Company executive officer (XO)! When Senior 1Lt Mead was missing in action, 1Lt Winters as the XO automatically assumed the CO position of Easy Company unless the BN CDR puts someone else because if ranking position, of the Easy company… During the combat jump 1LT Winters also commanded an Airborne (ABN), Inf Plt taking orders from either from his (CO), usually a Captain (Cpt) or the absent of the CO the Battalion (BN) BN CO!!! A BN consists of an 4 Inf Companies! An Inf company consist of 4 Plt’s… An American Inf BN has over 800 to 1000 men… An Inf Company has over 180-200 men. A Inf Platoon has 45 men give or take? The platoon leader, Lt. Winters instruct his directions and best course of action on the ground on this mission to his Plt SGT & Squad Leaders (Sqd Ldr’s), on any operations… During normal operations Lt. Winters instructs his platoon Sergeants, then the Plt SGT instructs his Squad Leaders (Sqd Ldr’s) in the best course of action on the ground to accomplish 1Lt Winters orders! BTW a Plt SGT is the next in Command (CMD) of the Plt if 1Lt Winters goes down… Plt Sgt wears on his side arms its usually 3 stripes up and two Chevrons under it… Googles US Army ranks it tells you better then I can explain… Then there’s 3 squads plus, in a platoon… Their squad leaders in-charge of a man squad… Each squad is split up into 2 teams Alpha team & Bravo team… American Army is set up to let the men on the ground to problem solve into their advantage… It makes it easier since the Battalion CMD is in the rear and doesn’t have complete grasp of the situation on the ground. US soldiers are trained for critical thinking and problem solving on any mission…
I truly love your reaction to this series. You spend a great amount of time both before and after talking about it.
Great channel and glad that I found it.
Playing catchup: Knew Wild Bill Guarnere - he was a friend of one of my managers when I worked in a bank & would come in and we'd all chat. Funny dude!
The "Quaker" thing is funny to me, Wild Bill was from South Philly where I grew up, and Winters was from out in Lancaster, PA - lots of Quakers and Amish out there, so Bill knew a bit about the area. I remember we made the same "Quaker" jokes growing up in the 80s and 90s... some things don't change!
There is a south korean movie about a soldier who has been in 3 wars (its from real story, i think).
He was japanese soldier, and he got captured and became a soviet soldier, then finally he became german soldier after ran away before he got captured by the american.
The title is "my way" (2011).
But if you think watching band of brother is tough. Wait till you watch the pacific :O
I think, both series are from the same house production. So, they both are good.
I havent seen any german or russian war movies/series without "political element".
(band of brother is the closest one without "politic aspect" from american).
"Generation war" (it only has 3 episodes) is as far as you can have from the german.
But if you re into book.
I would recommend you "tiger in the mud" by otto carius. He was a tiger tank ace commander.
He fought russian alot. But somehow he managed to stay non bias in his book.
Rather he gained respect for russian.
Tho, if you re such a lazy reader like me.
I would suggest you to hit the manga version of it :O
It was by miyazaki hayao. Still the same title "tiger in the mud".
It gives pretty much visual reference of the stories in that book actually.
These guys are the most badass fucking dudes I have ever heard of. I've watched Band of Brothers probably 10 times in my life and as of now in 2023. The entire unit has passed away. I hope I die never forgetting these men.
This show is quality throughout. I envy you ladies. I wish I could watch this for the first time all over again. What a treat.
Similar thoughts. They have it all, ahead of them...
After you finish this masterpiece, I'd recommend you girls to watch The Pacific, really captured the horrors of the Pacific Theater.
There's no way to compare, or rank different war zones, but there is something extra added when the elements themselves are an additional enemy. The jungle. The tunnels carved into the coral. Jungle rot. Malaria. Every island has a new D day..... incomprehensible!
Generation Kill
Absolutely brutal series
I'm sure plenty of other comments have talked about the action at Brecourt Manor, but it bears repeating: the tactics Winters employed were so textbook that it's literally still studied today at the US Military Academy as a perfect example of how to assault a fortified position. Putting all of that together from a simple command of "go silence those guns hitting Utah Beach" is simply mindblowing.
The show doesn't touch on it, but Simon Pegg's character was in the plane that crashed and burned in the beginning.
A shout out to the pilots of those C-47's. I flew one in Vietnam. You'll NOTE they did not have parachutes on because the seat and the cockpits were just too small. So if their aircraft was hit there was almost no chance they could bail out. They went "down with the ship".
As much as I love reaction vids like this, and seeing BoB on Netflix has reached the top 10, 23 years after its release, it’s still shocking to see people wondering if these events actually happened or not…if not scary.
This series is one of the greatest ever made, and the amazing thing is it all really happened. You will need a few days to digest things and talk it through following every single episode, they are so intense.
The adrenaline is real. Second time I got bombed, my lieutenant started checking me. We were in an armored vehicle and strapped in so he could only reach my right side. He kept patting (which is protocol. You may not feel a wound at first. Pat for blood.) It just made me even madder than the bomb so I told him to f--- off. Did not get in trouble for that swearing at an officer. I was fine and we all had our hearts pounding.
Normandy was the first combat jump for the 101st Airborne Division. Units of the 82nd had already participated in jumps into Sicily and southern Italy (Operations Husky and Avalanche). The Allies hadn't quite mastered airborne operations just yet, as the scattering of paratroopers was seen (though in much smaller scale) in Salerno and Husky was almost a complete disaster as Allied AA gunners shot down several C-47s mistaken for German bombers.
This episode's depiction of the Brécourt fight is entirely accurate. Later episodes sort of fudge the truth for the sake of license or inaccuracies in the book. Stephen Ambrose based the book on interviews with the Easy Company veterans in the 1990s, and he didn't check any other sources, so things got misrememered after 50 years.
Episodes 6 and 9 are the two least historically accurate episodes. Not that the people and places depicted weren't real, but they kind of moved Easy Company or some Easy Company men in particular into the forefront so that certain stories could be told that the show creators wanted to tell. There's also a dispute between several different units and what they did in episode 10, but I think Easy Company has the strongest claim so I consider it historically accurate, or at least close enough to the truth that it's okay if some other things aren't included.
Worst part for the Italian jumps is they got shot up by friendly ships on the way to the jump point, so their planes were already damaged and had wounded then they had to go through it all over again with enemy AAA.
Fun Fact: the guy who plays Don Malarkey also voices Steve Smith from American Dad.
5:28 marks Based on the 1992 Book "Band of Brothers" 5:34 mark we presented XXX with that Guidon (small blue flag on the wall behind him) in 2000 during the annual Battle of the Bulge reenactment in PA.
Each plane carries 1 Stick of Troopers of 15 to 18 men. i have flown in (W7) whisky 7 a C47 they was the lead plane for the 2nd wave of the 505th 82nd on D-Day with the doors on it can be warm inside and not too noisy. they were dressed in layers under their M42 jump uniforms they had wool shirt & pants ect.., plus their uniforms were CC2 treated for chemical warfare which made them hot & stink so they were warm & had been given motion sickness pills which helped. 7:59 mark where LT. Meehan's plane hits ,there is now a marker there with all the names of those who died in that crash. Many troopers lost gear & weapons during the jump. the crickets were used by a few units mostly the 101st Flash & Thunder was used for all units. 10:46 Mark Officers were issued Escape kits and they sewed the items into their uniforms Hence why Winters pulled out the compass from his pants.
11:28 mark so the show gets this wrong as Bill also didn't have a weapon during the ambush portrayed, BUT after the ambush shown here he got 2 P-38 pistols off the dead Germans which he used in another ambush and later he picks up a Thompson. having talked with XXX & XXXX that were there at those ambushes they were ok and understood why they had to portray it as shown for the show.
12:58 mark Many Troopers were killed still in their harness while in the air or hung up in trees. 1 stick of troopers landed in a camp of Russian Cossack's and were hacked up by swords., 14:45 Speirs did kill the POW's and 1 of his own men (A Drunk NCO who refused to follow an order then went to draw his weapon but Speirs shot him 1st , he was cleared of all charges on that. the attack on the guns is spot on (except for a few minor details, and the guns were closer to the houses)
16:59 mark Comption's gun was 1 he picked up after his jump so he hadn't had to chance to check it) had the honor of being walked through it by some of those who took part. 18:21 mark He arm was bumped by a Trooper moving behind him which made him drop the grenade
22:37 them cooking and eating in the truck a typical GI meal in the field if i remember right talking to XXX who was their it was kinda a stew made with some stuff they found and rations cooked in a GI ammo can
Great reactions! I loved how quickly you were able to grasp the tactical risks of what was going on, like how dangerous it was for Lipton to be up in the trees and how little cover the tree limbs and bushes provided, the shock of a close grenade blast making it difficult to self-assess Toye's injuries, as well as Winters standing up too high at the end (nothing happened to him, but that was definitely risky). Few other reactors were able to pick up on those things.
My great uncle was a member of the 82nd Airborne (504th) and was killed as he parachuted into Italy in 1943 🇺🇸 RIP to all the heroes…
I don't understand why the 101st is so revered over the 82nd. The 82nd saw a lot more action. Maybe it's because the siege of Bastogne gets the lion's share of attention from the battle of the bulge whilst there were far more important battles along the line.
6:44 "They said there were lights down..."
Dropped by parachute about 30 minutes before the main assault were paratroopers called "Pathfinders". It was their job to place lights and other indicators on the drop zones for the main forces.
The airborne part of the Normandy invasion was estimated to lose more than half of these men. It was felt the cost was needed to distract the Germans and disrupt reinforcements from hitting the landing forces on the beach.
The Douglas C47 aircraft could carry up to 28 fully loaded paratroopers. Back when I was a paratrooper (early to mid 1990s), we jumped from the C130 Hercules and and C141 Starlifter. The C130 can hold up 64 paratroopers and the C141 can hold up to 123 paratroopers. Big difference between the eras.
All those years later, you could still see their pain.
No, Popeye (who got hit in the ass), didn't want to leave his men. He wished that his injury wasn't such that he had to leave his brothers. And yes, that is Winters narrating the episode.
Glad to see young people watching this. Wish it were part of education curriculum. Then we might appreciate how so many young people sacrificed for the privileges we enjoy today. Enjoy. I'll watch along with you. South Africa 🇿🇦
Great reaction, really enjoy the before and after reaction talks. The reason that the episode feels so fast and shaky is because in the trenches they are just using a normal camera without any shakycam to still the video. It feels more immersive this was.
P.S. You should follow up with We Stand Alone Together which is the documentary around this series
Also, while many of the German forces didn't have an option, the paratroopers were a completely volunteer group of men. They may have been drafted but they had to choose to be in and earn to be in the airborne
The soldiers were well trained but the pilots weren't. The messed up landing zones was due to pilots just trying to get out as fast as possible. They kind of addressed this in episode one when they talk about transferring Cpt. Sobel (David Schwimer) to train non combatants.
You were talking about how fast the movements were and all of the noises: "No plan survives first contact with the enemy." This saying has been attributed to Prussian Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke the Elder. We should be glad that soldiers, like Easy Co., were able to deal with this, so we wouldn't.
I wasn’t sure if you realized this is a true story that actually happened. It’s not made up, these men are true hero’s.
34:13 'Considered a war crime' if the army is willing to prosecute you, on day 1 prisoner taking by paratroop forces was thin on the ground because basically prisoners need guarding. Thats the thing with Speirs shooting those German POW's, only 10% of the company had made it to the rally point at that stage. His action therefore brutal though it was freed the men guarding those prisoners to engage German's who were still carrying guns.
You guys really need to see “Saving Private Ryan”. It’s made by the same people, shot in the same style, and serves as a companion piece to the series (in addition to “the Pacific”).
There’s a major motion picture about D-Day called “the longest day “. It name is derived from the words of the German general Rommel who when told of the Allie’s landing said “ Be sure they have a long day “.
When this show first came out you could only watch two episodes a week on the night they came out. No streaming. You watch it live or you missed it. I had the fortune of experiencing it with my mother and Father (WWII vet from pacific theater) in a fairly large home theater room I had throw together. We would have dinner and then watch two episodes and they would go home. I could tell that my father could feel the realism and everything even though it was from his experiences from 60 years earlier.
At 34:30 the reactors made a commonly heard comment - Once the enemy surrenders, they should be disarmed and taken as 'prisoners of war.' The reality of the situation is quickly forgotten - 'Easy' Company has been dropped behind enemy lines with no heavy weapons or backup. There are no Military Police to turn over the prisoners. There are no POW camps set up. There is no one they can spare to guard and look over the prisoners. Until the airborne units link up with the invasion from the coast, they are completely alone - taking prisoners of war on D-Day for the airborne was impossible.
When I turned 24 years old in 1984, my parents took me to the local airport to look at a lot of old airplanes from World War 2 for my birthday. One of them was a B-17 bomber that I got to walk through. This was a life-changing experience for me. As I looked around, all I could see was aluminum, exactly as in the C-47 aircraft at the beginning of this episode. Next to me was a man who was in his 60s, old enough to have participated in in the war. I said to him, "There is no place to hide from the bullets in here. The bullets would go right through. How did they get anybody to ride on these airplanes?" The man replied, "They were drafted." That is the moment that World War 2 became real for me.
I worked with WW2 vets in Brooklyn decades after the war. They would never speak about the actual events of the war, it was still too upsetting for them.
The multiple traumas they suffered were well documented in their files however and I never grasped how they survived so many losses and continued on
with their lives beyond the war. I was young then and the impact of the war on their lives never really registered until years later. Today I have so much respect
for them and how they conducted themselves with the remainder of their lives.
Ladies, these are the real names of men, real places in the war and real accounts of the people(in the beginning) that were there. They are portrayed by actors, but this is very real. Not just a show and not based on fiction. I'm glad you two are taking the time to watch it.
Thanks for watching this, these men deserve to be remembered as well as all that was lost during WW2. Best WW2 seriers of all time.
The planes could drop up to 28 paratroopers. But the first airborne troops to land on D-Day landed just after midnight by glider D Company, 2nd (Airborne) Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.
As someone who has seen these series sooooo many times, I’m so happy you all have watched this series. It is hard to watch, but very important to watch. The more you learn about Easy Company, the more you appreciate what all soldiers did in WW II.
An author, Stephen Ambrose, went to these men and asked them to tell their story to him for the purpose of publishing the book, BAND OF BROTHERS. It is a fine book upon which this series is based, very closely.
That guy actually did climb up the tree, and immediately regretted it when the Germans started shooting back.
If I remember correctly he said something to the effect of "it was an incredibly stupid idea that I only pulled because I was new to combat... a veteran soldier would never have done something like that" 😂
Great reaction, Milena and Lola! This excellent series was inspired by the success of Saving Private Ryan (1998). You can tell from the cinematography first used in Saving Private Ryan (SPR) and also used in Band of Brothers. Though SPR tells a fictional story, it shows more combat (and camaraderie) from WWII in greater scale. I highly recommend it, and would love if you could post your reaction here for us to enjoy too. Cheers!
Winters was Executive Officer and Platoon Leader commanding First Platoon IIRC. There's additional officers within the individual Platoons. Sergeants are Non-commissioned Officers. There's a company-level First Sergeant (currently played by Simon Pegg) and each Platoon has a Staff Sergeant.
They are paratroopers, they are the first in. They have nowhere to take prisoners, and if they don't succeed in their mission the invasion force of 130,000 could be pushed back into the sea.
If you think this episode was exhausting, it's gonna get worse.
Oh and also, because you mentioned 'Ross' aka Sobel. He had it though, he never got over the fact that he got reassigned and lost command of Easy, he never made a combat jump and never saw combat action. He served in Korea, later had a wife and 3 kids, then got divorced, lost contact with his ex-wife and kids. He attempted to kill himself in 1970 but the bullet went straight through behind both eyes making him blind requiring him to live in a nursing home untill he died in 1987 from malnutrition and neglect. There was no memorial service and no funeral.
I mention this, as I think the series doesn't give him enough credit. He made the men of Easy company, he trained them and it's because of that hard training they managed to survive that well. Even though the series lacks in this area, in Winters' book Beyond Band of Brothers, Winters credits Sobel for it.
Airborne paratroopers suffered some of the highest casualties of any units on D-Day: each airborne division suffered at least 50% deaths.
Watched a lot of Band of Brothers reactions and yours is in the top tier. Very engaged with the show and I love it. Don't worry about being unable to recognize who is who, I've seen this show countless times and I still don't fully remember who a lot of the secondary characters are. Just try to get the names of the important people and for everyone else "That's the guy who [whatever] is enough.
I cant help but just shake my head at this 'reaction' video.
Hey Matsimus! I concur lol
Guarnere did not wait for orders and started shooting because he was frustrated and angry that his brother had been killed in Italy near Monte Cassino.
Guarnere said several times in interviews after the war that he killed many Germans, including prisoners, on the first day of the invasion to avenge the death of his brother.
Winter's, I'm pretty sure (not 100% positive) is a Lutheran (a American Protestant Christian denomination separate from European Lutherans), but he has Mennonite (Amish) ancestry
The company is about 140 men divided into several squads (4?). Each squad is commanded by sergeant. The squads are divided into platoons, each of which are commanded by a lieutenant. The company is commanded by a captain. In This case Captain Meghan was killed in his plane before he could jump. Winters was in a seperate airplane and assumed command of the men he managed to scrape together (as well as stragglers rom other companies, like Hall, played by Andrew Scott) during the night. In the morning they were given the objective of capturing several gun emplcements at a place called Brecourt manor.
Minor correction: platoon is the larger unit. Initially, Easy Company consisted of three platoons (plus an HQ detachment), and each platoon comprised three twelve-man rifle squads and a six-man mortar squad.
Winters was awarded the second highest award in the army. He didn't receive the Medal of Honor because only one member of every unit was allowed to receive it.
There was an effort, after this miniseries came out, to get his medal upgraded. But Medals of Honor are very political things and it just never happened. And just so nobody thinks this is a spoiler, medals can be awarded to both living and dead soldiers. Whether Winters died in WW2 or lived a long life afterwards, this comment doesn't indicate one way or another.
The assault on the batteries at Brecourt Manor is one of the most historically accurate battle scenes. I once did a map of it and how everyone moved. Then i investigated the real assault and it was very coincident. Even the details and some funny things that you would think are just fiction (Lipton on the trees and Malarkey looking for the luger), they really happened (stupid mistakes). The only significant difference would be in the specific location of some of the soldiers, once they attacked the first canon, but i suspect it had to do with an actors
availability issue. Production stuff. Like, in the real battle, more men advanced to the rest of the canons, but in the scene most of them are kept on the first one, so they can have less actors on the rest of the filmming days.
The German field marshal, known as Moltke the Elder, believed in developing a series of options for battle instead of a single plan, saying “No plan of operations extends with certainty beyond the first encounter with the enemy's main strength.” Today, “no plan survives contact with the enemy” is the popular ...lol... The Guy shot in the ass was Popeye... Bill Guarnere...was the soldier who's brother died in Sicily.
Winters is an officer. He is a first lieutenant, which is one rank higher than the lowest officer rank, which is a 2nd lieutenant. Then there are Non-commission officers (NCO), which are Seargents who are senior enlisted soldiers who are given some authority over other soldiers without being officers.
There were special groups of paratroopers called pathfinders. The pathfinders dropped before the main body of the rest of the division. They would put up lights in different colors and radio beacons to let the pilots know where to drop the troops. Of course, if the pathfinder landed in the wrong spot everything after that got messed up. The Germans purposefully flooded fields and put up obstacles to make it difficult.
There was a process for uniting the platoon. The first soldier out of the plane would walk in the direction the plane had been going. The last soldier out would walk the direction back. This was called gathering up the stick. Things got confused because the planes scattered in the air due to the flack.
We differentiate between the common soldier and those in the SS.
Pay attention to Ronald Spiers. Your opinion of him will change through the course of the series.
There’s a famous photo of Eisenhower talking to face-painted, geared up, Mohawk-shaved paratroopers before they embarked on the planes. Planners calculated something in the neighborhood of 90% casualties among the airborne. Ike reportedly felt he needed to be among the men he was asking so much of. There’s a story in the book that the last man aboard one of the transports, sun setting, props spinning up, just before ducking his head to go on that fateful ride, stopped, looked to the East and said, “Look out, Hitler, here we come!” That’s the sort of spirit those men had.
There’s a famous story about when the paratroopers were getting trucked in to Bastogne and, along the roads, the shattered remnants of American units hit in the initial assault were clogging the roads marching West. One of the men running away noticed the paratroopers heading in to the town geared up for a fight and said, “Hey, don’t go in there! You’ll be cut off and surrounded!” The rather cheeky reply he received was, “We’re paratroopers! We’re ALWAYS cut off and surrounded!” Military historians study the results of the drops of the two Airborne divisions on D-Day: the 82nd and the 101st (Easy is 101st). Both units were scattered on their drops, to be sure, but the 82nd far more so. Both units trained for this, though. The military maxim is “First, go win the war.” It means, no matter what situation you’re in, be guided by that principle. Do SOMETHING constructive to win the war, even if you’re alone or in a small group with no leader. Pee in the gas tank of an enemy vehicle, it’ll ruin the engine. Get your knife out and puncture the tires of an enemy truck. Change the signs on the road so enemy units get lost. Do SOMETHING to win the war. The fact that the Airborne was so scattered did have an advantage. German HQ received so many reports of ambushes, brief firefights, etc from all over the map, German forces were paralyzed until the sun came up because they didn’t know which way to send their forces. There are reports of German columns marching for four hours along a road only to be told to turn around and retrace their steps for the next four. Enough individual and small groups of paratroopers caused enough problems all over the place that it completely confused German command.
Because of the anti-aircraft fire, and, general confusion, most of the paratroopers ended up missing their designated drop zones, and, being spread out all over the Normandy countryside. It was only due to their training, and, fighting spirit, that they gathered into ad hoc units, and, accomplished their assigned objectives.
This is one of the incredible things that distinguishes Western military from authoritarian militaries like those of China and Russia. All command is delegated to the lowest possible effective level of the hierarchy. If you drop a hundred random American or British or German troops into an area, they can form up companies and a chain of command almost instantly, and their NCOs corps are well-trained to execute the tactics required to achieve a strategic objective without explicit top-down guidance. As evidenced by Ukraine, they can even do this when they're not even from the same country
The modern Western military is infinitely impressive
"Operations Room" on You Tube has an instructive, seven minute video covering the assault on Brecourt Manor - czcams.com/video/814qEsxSzmA/video.html
U.S. Army officer ranks from lowest to highest:
2nd Lieutenant - Platoon leader. A platoon (PLT) is composed of 3 squads with about 12 soldiers in each squad for a total of about 36.
1st Lieutenant - Same as above.
Captain - Commands a company (COY). A paratroop COY has 3 PLTs.
Major - Either 2nd in command (executive officer or exec. or XO) of a battalion (BN) or is in command of one. A paratroop BN is made up of 3 companies. A, B, & C in 1st BN; E, F, G in 2nd BN; and H, I, & K in the 3rd BN.
Lieutenant Colonel - Commands a BN or is the XO of a regiment (RGT)
Colonel - Commands a RGT. A RGT is made up of 3 BNs.
Brigadier General - (not applicable to this HBO series)
Major General - Commands a division (DIV). A DIV is made up of 3 RGTs.
The continuation of officer ranks is not relevant to the HBO series.
Lieutenant General - Commands a corps. A corps is made up of 2 to 4 DIVs
General - Commands an Army or Army Group. An Army is made up of several corps. An Army Group is made up of several Armys.
Note the markings on the helmets. The while playing card spade indicates the 506th regiment. On the back of the helmets is a white strip, either vertical or horizontal. The vertical means the wearer is an officer. The horizontal strip indicates the wearer is an enlisted sergeant or higher. It is on the rear of the helmets for two reasons. One, that men behind can quickly identify a leader and two, that the enemy cannot readily identify a leader.
Here is a listing of the enlisted ranks of U.S. Army in World War II - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_enlisted_rank_insignia_of_World_War_II
-Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA
Lieutenants lead companies of 100 men plus "non-commissioned" officers (sergeants and corporals), these are divided into squads or squadrons. There are normally 9 companies in a battalion (able, bravo, charlie, dog, easy etc) which is roughly 1000 men (these have a Captain or Major in charge). there are 2-3 battalions in a regiment (Colonel) and 2-3 regiments in a division (Major General). to give you a rough overview of military structure. Great reactions keep them coming!
I'm late to the discussion but I just want you ladies to know that you taking this story seriously enough to rewatch ep. 1 has a lot of meaning to me. Thank you.
It is easy to tell by your facial expressions, especially during battle scenes, that you grasp the gravity of the situation and are both fully invested. You honor what is known affectionately as “The Greatest Generation”with your close and respectful attention and sincere reactions. Thank you for that.
Winters was an officer......a 1st Lieutenant, the 2nd to lowest grade officer. Lt Meehan, who was Easy Company's cammander after Captain Sobel was relieved, was killed, with other soldiers, when his plane went down on D-Day, making Winters, the next senior officer, then in command of Easy. Below the Officers are Non-Commissioned officers....various grades of Corporals and Sergants who act out their officers orders and lead, guide, direct the soldiers.
Ken burn “The War” has a quote that; “some men were dropped so low their parachutes didn’t have time to open. When they hit the ground they hit with the sound of fresh pumpkins being thrown on concrete.
Love you guys so much! Great series get tissue boxes!