Speirs made the two combat jumps in Korea with my father who is 94. The latter has two combat jump devices on his airborne wings. Speirs and my father made the two jumps with the 187th RCT, 11th Airborne Division.
My uncle was in that same unit.His name was Claude stover.He was in WW2,and Korea. Silver star in korea,made 2 jumps in korea with the 187th combat regimental team.
James Claude stover was my uncles full name.He also was in vietnam with spears as military advisors.My uncle retired as a sargent major in 62,spears retired in 64.
@@W0DAN88 We did want to stay out of it. But Democrats kept screwing around. How about y'all stop fighting each other like it's the 12th century and get with the program for a change?
@@monitor1862 What I said. Nobody forced you to join the war and yet you do and then say 'We had to fight this war' no you didn't. You didn't need to fight.
I had Spiders as a patient of mine after having hip replacment. He asked me if watched band of brothers. I had not. He told me that he was in it. So I watched. I went holy shit I know the real spiers.
I went home and rented it. He said it was pretty true. Spielberg brought him over for some of the filming to point out where he was. I did not get a chance to ask him why he was not in the interviews. He was turned off to a rehab snif.
I have always wondered whether the Roman Legion quote by Speirs in the series originated from the book, the screenplay, or the man himself. "I bet if you went back two thousand years, you'd hear a couple centurions standing around yakking about how Terseus lopped off the heads of some Carthaginian prisoners... Maybe that's because Terseus knew there was some value to the men thinking he was the meanest, toughest sonofabitch in the whole Roman legion."
Speirs would have worked his way to the rank of Centurion without a problem . he had all the qualities required ! Centurions were also involved in battle tactics and plans at staff levels . They were more than Command Sgt. Majors ! Lopping off heads is a merciful death from a Roman ! Always remember we Romans believe " Death is not Justice , pain is justice " . " Nail a little sense in Them " we used to say in the Xth Leg. Equestris !
My mom left her family and Yorkshire to be with my Pop. They stayed together until death. I was always so proud of my British mother, I was extremely proud of the fact that my mother was a naturalized citizen, in that she had chosen America. Rather than just being born here like so many of us. She was one of my heroes growing up.
The order to "take no prisoners", although rarely talked about, is not as uncommon as one might think. One of the kindest men I ever knew as a child had been a Ranger at Anzio. I would overhear a conversation with my father, a Vietnam veteran, where he referred to a patrol where they were told "and we don't want prisoners". I must admit, I was somewhat shocked to hear that American soldiers were given such orders. War is Hell.
It is not the same as murdering POWs away from the battlefield. There are situations where you can't take prisoners. You need enough men to guard them and take them behind your lines. There are some situations where soldiers refuse to accept surrenders from an enemy due to hard feelings such as when the Canadian army refused to accept surrenders from Waffen SS troops in Normandy. The SS retaliated by murdering some Canadian POWs.
Pal of my fathers, forward artillery observer in Patton's 4th ARMD DV said they took few prisoners, and no SS or Hitler Youth. Later being the worst and most diabolical.
I completely agree and I think that if any of us had been on the beaches in the first wave or even in Normandy on the first day that we probably would have agreed. We had massive failures at Dieppe and Anzio so there was a huge fear among the leadership that the landings would fail and that thousands of US soldiers would die in vain. I also think that it is possible that there was not a unified agreement among the leadership and that it is likely that men like General Maxwell Taylor, commander of the 101st Airborne were just going to tell their men not to take prisoners no matter what the men above them had decided, they were not going to take the chance. According to Historian Peter Lieb many Canadian and American units were given orders on D-Day to take no prisoners.
he wrote a piece of training advice for the USA ARMY. In this he recomende use granades as primary gun in close combat situacions. The binoculars in that photo are from a german dead officer.
Yes, when he died, it was indeed the end of an era for him! I got a chuckle out of that sentence, and I know it was unintentionally funny. Good job with these videos!
I grew up around the WW2 generation. My grandfather was in Mark Clarks army. In the 80s I worked in a gun store and a WW2 vet used to come in, named Al. He was at Normandy and he didn't hold back telling his story's. He made is clear they routinely went out and captured prisoners and then shot them. He said everyone did it. The germans did it, the americans did, the British, everyone. Its part of war.
@@X-Christian-464 LMAO!! Forking petulant child. Here is a thought, on a public forum that invites comments, don't make bullshit statements, and no one will call bullshit on them. 😂
A true warrior this is the type of man you need in situations like that all of those men on D-Day are true Heroes if it was not for those men we would not enjoy the freedom we have today and that is one thing you should never forget
I always tell the generations that served before me, “it’s what you fought for & preserved, that inspired me to do the same.” As far as war ACTUALLY goes, it’s a host of emotions and split-second conditions. Understand that.
Behind enemy lines trying to get to your objective you don't have the luxury of taking prisioners. Nor do we 80 years later have the right to judge these brave mens decisions. We weren't there, under those circumstances. They did what they had to do. I respect every one of them who fought against facism... Its why I'm allowed to have the life ive had... And why I was able to actually have a life. Lest we forget
There were thousands of units from the US ,Britain , Canada and France that did amasing acts of heroism .They didn't have their stories written down ,and i am sure that Colonel Winters and Lt Col Speirs would agree.
Whats crazy is they almost did not include the run through the town after he releived Dike. Not because there was a doubt that it happened, but because it felt so much like something written for the one man action star of the old John Wayne movies, and they thought no one would ever beleive he really did do it
Not one man asked for the duty they were sent to serve. They did what needed to be done and some were born leaders of these men. Speirs was one of many such men. My father served and lost his life on June 6th, I was not 2 years old, so I never knew him. I know he served and never asked why. That’s all I need to know. God bless all the brave that serve and have served our nation. 🙏🏼
Given their mission on D-Day, logistically you cannot take prisoners and you can't just let them go so they can give away your position, and jeopardize the rest of the men. That leaves one option.
I wish that I could have enjoyed the honor of meeting him. While made to participate in arnal warfare, in the midst of combat, nothng is normal--but what has been trained in a man. Extinguishing human life, adult or infant, is not normal. And it leaves a leaden lump of coal in the consiousness of the soul. We pray that God has allowed for the damage wrought by the horror thrust upon everyone forced to endure war.
Very good video. Really appreciated the factual update. I just recently bought the book, Fierce Valor, about Speirs and looking forward to learning more about Speirs.
I think the generals in British and American airborne divisions said to the men before D Day distantly and slightly subtly just remember that the taking of prisoners will slow you down when you’re trying to complete your objectives......!
You are aware the not all fighting forces was nazis, right? With your logic all us soldiers should be treated like Abu Graib prison guards - Without quarter.
"Your only hope is to realize you're already dead. Once you realize that, you will function as a soldier should. Without mercy, without hesitation. All war depends on it."
I agree that the 101st was “esteemed”, but we have to remember that there was another airborne division which had already been fighting for almost two years in North Africa, Sicily, and fought its way up the Italian peninsula to Naples. It parachuted into France, and into the Netherlands, which the 101st did not.
Yes I agree. Unfortunately there is not a lot of interest outside of this one particular company and the men in it. The Germans used to have a cult like following but the generations coming through aren't interested in them either.
So Ronald Speirs was a Scottish hero as well as an American one. Re. the shooting of prisoners, that was something that both sides engaged in, although I think Ronald Speirs did so without malice and did these things because of the exigencies of the situation where taking prisoners was not possible and allowing them to go free might also come back to haunt you (classic example shown in Saving Private Ryan where the very prisoner Captain Miller releases end up killing him.)
As In every situation before we denounce or criticise another’s actions we must put ourselves in the shoes at that moment. If we can answer AUTHENTICALLY that we would have done differently then ok proceed and make an argument. Otherwise better to keep quiet.
Food for thought: Saving Private Ryan, remember corporal Upham and how he was in favour of sparing that German POW who later killed several of his fellow soldiers, he eventually shot him.
@@angriff69 That's not the point, it is about not taking chances with your fellow soldiers letting them exposed to a risk very likely to happen. FYI, to educate you, both Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers were largely based on true events (esp. Band of Brothers) but for the story line artistic liberties with the truth were taken (more so for Saving Private Ryan).
You can’t take prisoners during an invasion and landing because there’s no secure rear echelon for them to go. Once France was liberated, American forces in Europe had the infrastructure to been accepting and processing German surrenders. On and shortly after D Day, for the Allies to take prisoners would have ended the invasion right on the beach because it would have required an inordinate commitment of men and ships needed to transport prisoners across the English Channel, resources needed instead to hasten the landings of Allied troops, equipment and supplies. Shooting surrendering Germans by invading Allied forces on D Day should never be classified as a war crime.
It angers me to no end that after all the blood that was shed, after all the sacrifices that were made, after all the mental anguish that was suffered. We still have nazis.
The sad part is I felt BoBs was a good attrempt at showing how things were in WW2 and such, and the series itself had excellent acting, storytelling etc etc. But then in later years stories about what really happened with Blythe, Dike, and now Speirs kinda sours the taste of the series. I know there's the old adage of "print the story or the legend" (from "Who Shot Liberty Valace" ), and yes, sometimes stories and intel can get skewed during war.... Thanks for sharing!
In War, Honor is what you give to your Countrymen, and perhaps, Enemy Officers. They are valuable. Met a Vietnam War Combat Medic vet, telling of the worst day of his life. The fight cost him a few friends. People in his Platoon. People he had been keeping healthy as "Doc". Being able to do no more for them, fighting with all of his skill and training, and losing them, he was then sent to to Prisoners in a foxhole tens of yards away. He introduced them both to a pair of Mr. Browning's surprise devices. He came back to the group and explained that they did not make it. It is war. Meanwhile, the UN commits Peace Crimes, of Child Trafficking and cuddle struggle.
Shooting POW's was unfortunately a not uncommon. My late father, a combat veteran with the 75ID was with 3 other soldiers and 2 German prisoners. A Captain pointed to 2 of them (not my dad) and said "Take them to HQ for interrogation and be back in 20 minutes. HQ was 30 minutes away ONE WAY!
Look up Paddy Mayne, one of the founding members of the SAS,a northern Irish man who was very much like Ronald Speirs 💪 took no prisoners, but got great results. Neither of them were awarded the highest honours because of their methods 🤭 I say give Paddy Mayne the VC, and obviously Ronald Speirs the CMOH 🏅 both postumely unfortunately. However these men are absolute heroes. To paddy Blair Mayne and Ronald Speirs, I salute you both. A couple of Celtic legends 💪
The Forces Agreement signed during WW2 by the UK and US stipulated that any child born of a union in the UK by UK and US parents would be citizens of the Father's country. It was also stipulated that a child who did not emigrate to the US after the war would lose US Citizenship after 14 years. At the time the US did not recognize Dual-Citizenship as it does today. So, under that agreement Spiers son was British after living 14 years in the UK. He later became a major in the British Army. Since then, citizenship requirements have undergone several changes.
That never happened. He shot a group of 4 prisoners on his own and it wasn't at the assembly area like they showed in the series. Those POW's including the German Malarkey was talking to were not shot.
Well known are the courageous stories of POWs in Viet Nam. Certainly the greatest majority were it seems pilots. As we infantry types serving in Viet Nam obviously had more contact with the enemy it moves me to ask a question. Why were there so very few infantry types as POWs? Mostly because prisoners were rarely taken prisoner by the Viet Cong or the NVA. These troops were executed or left to die a slow but tortuous death in real time by their enemies. I gave it read and in depth accounts to verify my thoughts, save real life experiences in armed combat.
The high school he attended (Boston English High School) had military training as part of the curriculum run by the regular army. He was commissioned as part of that training. So it wasn't a military college or academy as such.
There's a difference between not taking prisoners and taking prisoners and then murdering them. There are situations where you can't that prisoners and soldiers of all armies have to make decisions on whether they can take accept surrenders of enemy troops, in the middle of a battle, without endangering themselves or their men. Not taking prisoners when it is too risky to do so can be argued to be a war crime but it a hypertechnical that soldiers are not prosecuted for. Murdering POWs, after their surrender has been accepted, and they are in custody safely behind your lines, is murder and a war crime. It sounds more like what Spears did was more like the former rather than the latter. "Band of Brothers" portrays it as him shooting a group of POWs safely behind the US lines away from the battle. He probably was defamed.
In Band of Brothers they were at Easy Company's assembly point later in the morning when Speirs shot the prisoners but that wasn't the case. He wasn't fairly portrayed.
At that point of the invasion, with troops scattered all over the place and still trying to get organized, there were no resources or personnel available to take and hold prisoners. Who would guard them? They needed every available soldier to secure objectives. It's not like they had MP units with them who could set up holding areas for prisoners. It seems barbaric to people today but it was simply the only practical way to operate during that initial phase of the invasion. I'm curious if Speirs did leave one prisoner alive, why did he spare him and who was he? Speirs was more of a bad *** then he was portrayed as.
He only shot 4 prisoners instead of the large group depicted in the series. Nobody was left alive according to the men who were with him. They had also each shot a prisoner (3) prior to this event.
@@jerbs5346 I'm sure the guy putting the video up has researched the facts. You are clearly just a troll who resorts to name calling.... get a life. Don't bother to answer this.. this conversation is over. I won't be answering anything you post.
@@jerbs5346Pretty sure the guy who put up the video checked the facts. You are obviously just a troll who resorts to childish name-calling... get a life! Don't bother replying to this... I won't be answering anything else you post.
It depends on whether or not following orders is considered a war crime. Many German's were executed following Hitler's order. The problem was, shooting prisoners was such a common thing they could have never policed it.
@@War_And_Truthinternational Law doesn't work like that. Following illegal orders is and was a felony, then as it is now, so no. Besides, there never was any H. order on executing prisoners. If you refer to the Kommando Befehl, that was indeed ALSO Hitler's order, but unfortunately it was a reciprocal absurdity perpertrated on commandos, special forces and saboteours (in their own uniform) from both sides. War is hell, I can't point out anybody spotless, hence I would NOT consider Speirs a "good soldier's" example as you did, not so candidly. Unarmed prisoners are not much of a threat, do what horrid actions require to do to survive, but don't be elevated as a hero for them.
Speirs killing of prisoners 'could have be classed as a war crime', it was a war crime. While the Germans shooting landing paratroops as they descended isn't (the paratroops are combatants entering an active war zone with the intent of participating). 'Take no prisoners' is often misinterpreted. In an ongoing battle, prisoners slow down an advance - each prisoner needs to be searched and then escorted from the fighting. For each prisoner you remove from battle - during the search you'll lose two of your own, one to search the prisoner, another to cover the prisoner. So the attack just peters out. It's better to just steam through, any prisoners you disarm and try to render their weapons inoperable and continue forward. A lot of prisoners will be in 'capture shock' and reasonably compliant, so just screaming at them and keeping them moving will overload the majority of them. So the order 'take no prisoners' just means keep advancing, let the second line of troops to hoover up the detritus.
Good points. Its only against the Geneva Convention to fire on pilots who have jumped from stricken aircraft (which I'm sure happened all the time. The Japanese were notorious for it)
Apparently, it's only illegal if the pilot is abandoning his aircraft over hostile territory (and will therefore be captured, rendering him inactive). You can apparently fire on an airman if he is bailing out over friendly territory (and therefore will be able to rejoin his forces, making him an active combatant). But the Geneva convention is a tricky minefield to navigate - for example, you can't remove helmets from prisoners until they are out of the active combat area - however, studies show, that you're more likely to be shot attempting to surrender while wearing a helmet (it's nothing to do with just shooting prisoners out of hand, it's just if you see someone emerging from a bunker / trench wearing a helmet, you instantly shoot first and ask questions later.).
Dick Winters asked him about this incident on behalf of the film crew to which Speirs replied Absolutely! I will give it to you in writing! I wonder what his motivation for committing this act was. As for warcrime, it is obviously one. When someone is accepted as a POW, you are no longer a combatant and are to be treated well. You can refuse to take hostages in the first place. There are no obligations to take prisoners. That is a different story, but if someone makes the "mistake" you are not allowed to execute them later on. You can release them or you can hold on to them, but execute is a no no in just about any case. In the bigger scheme of things, this may not have been the worst thing that happened during the war.
I don't trust anything Winters stated and from what I read Speirs signed a document stating that he would not seek legal action for his portrayal in the series, probably because it was true that the rumors were circulated but he never admitted to the shooting as portrayed. Speirs was a HERO. As for Ambrose and Winters rather not say...
Don't try to give the "accounts vary" bullshit about Dyke, it is pretty easy to verify that he was indeed wounded and that both Winters and Ambrose were lying, aggrandising pricks.
"War criminals like Rudolf Hess and Albert Speer"!? They were not war criminals at all! Although being some of the tops in the Nazi regime, they were among the very few honest souls there. And they were both very unjustly convicted at the Nuremberg trials, which was a great farce, by the way. And all arranged by the U.S, too! A very prearranged and unjust trial. I beg you to please do your homework a little better next time! 🙂 Apart from that, a good show! Thanks!
They were both war criminals. One was Hitlers deputy and agreed with all of his policies. The other was responsible for armaments and the death of hundreds of thousands of slave laborers.
Its hard to judge if you haven't been in that situation. What would you do with a prisoner after just jumping into Normandy and having 4 hours to secure your objective? They were just trying to keep themselves alive.
He wasn't alone. Leibgott shot the camp commandant after the war had ended. All nations did it. I think that's why they turned a blind eye. Very few Germans were prosecuted for similar crimes either.
What I understand, the unit was well informed of the German POWs, but brushed it under the rug because Spears was the type of soldier they needed to fight the Nazis.
The Katyn massacre of Polish Officers and policemen and others by the Soviets during April/May 1940. The Laha massacre of Australian and Dutch prisoners by the Japanese in 1942. Hitler's Kommandobefehl (the Commando Order) that all allied commandos captured were to be summarily executed. The Malmedy massacre of US soldiers by the Waffen SS in December 1944. The 50 allied airmen mudered by the Gestapo after being recaptured during the Great Escape. Just to name a few... but Yeah... you don't shoot prisoners!
Speirs made the two combat jumps in Korea with my father who is 94. The latter has two combat jump devices on his airborne wings. Speirs and my father made the two jumps with the 187th RCT, 11th Airborne Division.
Great story
My uncle was in that same unit.His name was Claude stover.He was in WW2,and Korea. Silver star in korea,made 2 jumps in korea with the 187th combat regimental team.
James Claude stover was my uncles full name.He also was in vietnam with spears as military advisors.My uncle retired as a sargent major in 62,spears retired in 64.
The man was exactly what we needed to fight that war.
Could've just stayed out of it. But no you Americans always want to play.
@@W0DAN88 We did want to stay out of it. But Democrats kept screwing around. How about y'all stop fighting each other like it's the 12th century and get with the program for a change?
Wow. Someone who thinks the US should have stayed out of WWII. Crazy stuff…
@@W0DAN88 care to explain what brought you to that conclusion?
@@monitor1862 What I said. Nobody forced you to join the war and yet you do and then say 'We had to fight this war' no you didn't. You didn't need to fight.
I had Spiders as a patient of mine after having hip replacment. He asked me if watched band of brothers. I had not. He told me that he was in it. So I watched. I went holy shit I know the real spiers.
S peirs.
@@stevenhess5528amazing! When was this?
Poor typing on my tablet
@@Mk8airsoft I was working Ortho at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. It would have been 2003 or 04.
I went home and rented it. He said it was pretty true. Spielberg brought him over for some of the filming to point out where he was. I did not get a chance to ask him why he was not in the interviews. He was turned off to a rehab snif.
RON SPEIRS TOTAL ANIMAL SOLDIER THANK GOD FOR THIS MAN AMEN 🙏
I have always wondered whether the Roman Legion quote by Speirs in the series originated from the book, the screenplay, or the man himself. "I bet if you went back two thousand years, you'd hear a couple centurions standing around yakking about how Terseus lopped off the heads of some Carthaginian prisoners... Maybe that's because Terseus knew there was some value to the men thinking he was the meanest, toughest sonofabitch in the whole Roman legion."
Which is kind of stupid comment. During those times, it was not a bug, it was a feature.
Nailed it.
Speirs would have worked his way to the rank of Centurion without a problem . he had all the qualities required ! Centurions were also involved in battle tactics and plans at staff levels . They were more than Command Sgt. Majors ! Lopping off heads is a merciful death from a Roman ! Always remember we Romans believe " Death is not Justice , pain is justice " . " Nail a little sense in Them " we used to say in the Xth Leg. Equestris !
My mom left her family and Yorkshire to be with my Pop. They stayed together until death. I was always so proud of my British mother, I was extremely proud of the fact that my mother was a naturalized citizen, in that she had chosen America. Rather than just being born here like so many of us. She was one of my heroes growing up.
Nice story
YORKSHIRE GODS OWN COUNTY ❤
War is a very tough business.... and takes tough men to get the job done.
The order to "take no prisoners", although rarely talked about, is not as uncommon as one might think. One of the kindest men I ever knew as a child had been a Ranger at Anzio. I would overhear a conversation with my father, a Vietnam veteran, where he referred to a patrol where they were told "and we don't want prisoners". I must admit, I was somewhat shocked to hear that American soldiers were given such orders. War is Hell.
It is not the same as murdering POWs away from the battlefield. There are situations where you can't take prisoners. You need enough men to guard them and take them behind your lines. There are some situations where soldiers refuse to accept surrenders from an enemy due to hard feelings such as when the Canadian army refused to accept surrenders from Waffen SS troops in Normandy. The SS retaliated by murdering some Canadian POWs.
Pal of my fathers, forward artillery observer in Patton's 4th ARMD DV said they took few prisoners, and no SS or Hitler Youth. Later being the worst and most diabolical.
I completely agree and I think that if any of us had been on the beaches in the first wave or even in Normandy on the first day that we probably would have agreed. We had massive failures at Dieppe and Anzio so there was a huge fear among the leadership that the landings would fail and that thousands of US soldiers would die in vain.
I also think that it is possible that there was not a unified agreement among the leadership and that it is likely that men like General Maxwell Taylor, commander of the 101st Airborne were just going to tell their men not to take prisoners no matter what the men above them had decided, they were not going to take the chance. According to Historian Peter Lieb many Canadian and American units were given orders on D-Day to take no prisoners.
The paratroopers didn’t have the luxury of taking prisoners
One can’t beat an enemy which breaks all rules if you play by the rules.
Then you break the rules
Wearing two grenades on your jacket is a bold fashion statement!
I love it Lol
Not an individual to be messed with in my book.
he wrote a piece of training advice for the USA ARMY. In this he recomende use granades as primary gun in close combat situacions.
The binoculars in that photo are from a german dead officer.
Yes, when he died, it was indeed the end of an era for him! I got a chuckle out of that sentence, and I know it was unintentionally funny. Good job with these videos!
Thank you.
I grew up around the WW2 generation. My grandfather was in Mark Clarks army. In the 80s I worked in a gun store and a WW2 vet used to come in, named Al. He was at Normandy and he didn't hold back telling his story's. He made is clear they routinely went out and captured prisoners and then shot them. He said everyone did it. The germans did it, the americans did, the British, everyone. Its part of war.
Bullshit!
@@DIDYOUSEETHAT172 Who do you think you are? Go to bed little kiddie. Its way past your bed time.
@@DIDYOUSEETHAT172 TROLL.
@@DIDYOUSEETHAT172 Maybe time to grow up. ADMIN please block this trouble maker.
@@X-Christian-464 LMAO!! Forking petulant child. Here is a thought, on a public forum that invites comments, don't make bullshit statements, and no one will call bullshit on them. 😂
Imagine being pinned down in an assault with an incapacitated officer and then Speirs turns up. What a legend.
A true warrior this is the type of man you need in situations like that all of those men on D-Day are true Heroes if it was not for those men we would not enjoy the freedom we have today and that is one thing you should never forget
I always tell the generations that served before me, “it’s what you fought for & preserved, that inspired me to do the same.”
As far as war ACTUALLY goes, it’s a host of emotions and split-second conditions. Understand that.
I just came across your channel yesterday and have been binge watching your content. Thanks for your research and videos.
Awesome! Thank you!
@@War_And_Truth you're welcome
Behind enemy lines trying to get to your objective you don't have the luxury of taking prisioners. Nor do we 80 years later have the right to judge these brave mens decisions. We weren't there, under those circumstances. They did what they had to do. I respect every one of them who fought against facism... Its why I'm allowed to have the life ive had... And why I was able to actually have a life. Lest we forget
There were thousands of units from the US ,Britain , Canada and France that did amasing acts of heroism .They didn't have their stories written down ,and i am sure that Colonel Winters and Lt Col Speirs would agree.
Winters was never more than a major.
@@briancrawford8751 Served as a colonal training paratroops for Korea
@@johnord684 Oh, I didn't know that. Thank you.
These are very well done. Keep moving!!!!
Thank you so much!
Wow, now that's a soldier. he was said to say to an anxious soldier that it was best to pretend that you're already dead.
He didn't say to pretend. He said accept that you're already dead in that your number is up shortly..
I think I read a Samurai text that said the same thing.
Whats crazy is they almost did not include the run through the town after he releived Dike. Not because there was a doubt that it happened, but because it felt so much like something written for the one man action star of the old John Wayne movies, and they thought no one would ever beleive he really did do it
In war time, smoking can also cause a sudden case of lead poisoning. Glad I never acquired the habit.
Not one man asked for the duty they were sent to serve. They did what needed to be done and some were born leaders of these men. Speirs was one of many such men. My father served and lost his life on June 6th, I was not 2 years old, so I never knew him. I know he served and never asked why. That’s all I need to know. God bless all the brave that serve and have served our nation. 🙏🏼
Sorry for your loss.
He is a True warrior and Hero 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I want to think that The reason why Japan surrendered was because they knew that Speirs was coming.
I wonder how many folks were “privileged” to call him “Sparky?”
Given their mission on D-Day, logistically you cannot take prisoners and you can't just let them go so they can give away your position, and jeopardize the rest of the men. That leaves one option.
Unfortunate but true.
I wish that I could have enjoyed the honor of meeting him. While made to participate in arnal warfare, in the midst of combat, nothng is normal--but what has been trained in a man. Extinguishing human life, adult or infant, is not normal. And it leaves a leaden lump of coal in the consiousness of the soul. We pray that God has allowed for the damage wrought by the horror thrust upon everyone forced to endure war.
Very good video. Really appreciated the factual update. I just recently bought the book, Fierce Valor, about Speirs and looking forward to learning more about Speirs.
Thanks. I am sure you will discover a lot more about Spiers than what is in this video. He did a lot in the army.
I think the generals in British and American airborne divisions said to the men before D Day distantly and slightly subtly just remember that the taking of prisoners will slow you down when you’re trying to complete your objectives......!
This was excellent, thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@War_And_Truth Did Speirs travel with Hanks and Winter to the Premier ?
@@fishmonger6879 Yes they were both guests of Hanks. HBO flew every vet over along with their families.
The Germans of that era deserved no quarter .
You are aware the not all fighting forces was nazis, right? With your logic all us soldiers should be treated like Abu Graib prison guards - Without quarter.
"Your only hope is to realize you're already dead. Once you realize that, you will function as a soldier should. Without mercy, without hesitation. All war depends on it."
The only problem is Speirs never said that or at least he never remembered saying it.
@@War_And_Truth You may be right. Hell, you're probably right, but it sure seemed to define the way he fought.
Paratroopers aren't covered by the parachute rule anyway.. that only applies to aircrew
I agree that the 101st was “esteemed”, but we have to remember that there was another airborne division which had already been fighting for almost two years in North Africa, Sicily, and fought its way up the Italian peninsula to Naples. It parachuted into France, and into the Netherlands, which the 101st did not.
Yes I agree. Unfortunately there is not a lot of interest outside of this one particular company and the men in it. The Germans used to have a cult like following but the generations coming through aren't interested in them either.
So Ronald Speirs was a Scottish hero as well as an American one. Re. the shooting of prisoners, that was something that both sides engaged in, although I think Ronald Speirs did so without malice and did these things because of the exigencies of the situation where taking prisoners was not possible and allowing them to go free might also come back to haunt you (classic example shown in Saving Private Ryan where the very prisoner Captain Miller releases end up killing him.)
As In every situation before we denounce or criticise another’s actions we must put ourselves in the shoes at that moment. If we can answer AUTHENTICALLY that we would have done differently then ok proceed and make an argument. Otherwise better to keep quiet.
Yeah this subject is a minefield.
Born in Edinburgh??? This guy could've been very well a badass Highlander in WWII.
Yeah I really surprised when I learnt that. Probably explains a few things.
Edinburgh is Scotland, but not exactly the Highlands.
I don't think Edinburgh is in the Highlands.
Nowhere near them. But don't let that get in the way of bad TV.
Food for thought: Saving Private Ryan, remember corporal Upham and how he was in favour of sparing that German POW who later killed several of his fellow soldiers, he eventually shot him.
Just in case it ever occurred to you to find out that it was a Spielberg's FICTIONAL movie!
FUBAR
@@angriff69 That's not the point, it is about not taking chances with your fellow soldiers letting them exposed to a risk very likely to happen. FYI, to educate you, both Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers were largely based on true events (esp. Band of Brothers) but for the story line artistic liberties with the truth were taken (more so for Saving Private Ryan).
The Nazi's sowed the wind. Spiers and Winters reaped the whirlwind.
"When you speak to an officer, you say Sir! Cigarette?"
great content !!! thanks
Glad you liked it!
You can’t take prisoners during an invasion and landing because there’s no secure rear echelon for them to go.
Once France was liberated, American forces in Europe had the infrastructure to been accepting and processing German surrenders.
On and shortly after D Day, for the Allies to take prisoners would have ended the invasion right on the beach because it would have required an inordinate commitment of men and ships needed to transport prisoners across the English Channel, resources needed instead to hasten the landings of Allied troops, equipment and supplies.
Shooting surrendering Germans by invading Allied forces on D Day should never be classified as a war crime.
All depends where and when the prisoners are taken.
The ultimate badass
It angers me to no end that after all the blood that was shed, after all the sacrifices that were made, after all the mental anguish that was suffered. We still have nazis.
Yes but anyone with right wing views is labeled one these days.
The sad part is I felt BoBs was a good attrempt at showing how things were in WW2 and such, and the series itself had excellent acting, storytelling etc etc. But then in later years stories about what really happened with Blythe, Dike, and now Speirs kinda sours the taste of the series. I know there's the old adage of "print the story or the legend" (from "Who Shot Liberty Valace" ), and yes, sometimes stories and intel can get skewed during war.... Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching
The more I watch these videos, the more I find out a lot of information was either false or down right wrong.
much as i admire speirs, murphy had been action heroing for 9 months in italy and southeast france.
In War, Honor is what you give to your Countrymen, and perhaps, Enemy Officers. They are valuable.
Met a Vietnam War Combat Medic vet, telling of the worst day of his life. The fight cost him a few friends. People in his Platoon. People he had been keeping healthy as "Doc".
Being able to do no more for them, fighting with all of his skill and training, and losing them, he was then sent to to Prisoners in a foxhole tens of yards away.
He introduced them both to a pair of Mr. Browning's surprise devices.
He came back to the group and explained that they did not make it.
It is war. Meanwhile, the UN commits Peace Crimes, of Child Trafficking and cuddle struggle.
Speirs was a true badass
Shooting POW's was unfortunately a not uncommon. My late father, a combat veteran with the 75ID was with 3 other soldiers and 2 German prisoners. A Captain pointed to 2 of them (not my dad) and said "Take them to HQ for interrogation and be back in 20 minutes. HQ was 30 minutes away ONE WAY!
what they gonna do with prisoners? they dropped out of the sky with nothing but what they carried. War is War
Brave Men Do!
Look up Paddy Mayne, one of the founding members of the SAS,a northern Irish man who was very much like Ronald Speirs 💪 took no prisoners, but got great results. Neither of them were awarded the highest honours because of their methods 🤭 I say give Paddy Mayne the VC, and obviously Ronald Speirs the CMOH 🏅 both postumely unfortunately. However these men are absolute heroes. To paddy Blair Mayne and Ronald Speirs, I salute you both. A couple of Celtic legends 💪
Speirs exemplfies an Air borne leader.He is a Leader that men will follow thru the gates of Hell??? and they ask when are we leaving??
What a great American Soldier!
And a Scotsman.
Oh hey, truly great patriot
The Forces Agreement signed during WW2 by the UK and US stipulated that any child born of a union in the UK by UK and US parents would be citizens of the Father's country. It was also stipulated that a child who did not emigrate to the US after the war would lose US Citizenship after 14 years. At the time the US did not recognize Dual-Citizenship as it does today. So, under that agreement Spiers son was British after living 14 years in the UK. He later became a major in the British Army. Since then, citizenship requirements have undergone several changes.
Its just a sad story really.
I don't think the objective was parachute in to enemy territory and collect prisoners, your in enemy territory in a warzone, you kill the enemy.
Why did he spare the one prisoner and what happened to that prisoner ?
That never happened. He shot a group of 4 prisoners on his own and it wasn't at the assembly area like they showed in the series. Those POW's including the German Malarkey was talking to were not shot.
Paratroopers have no supply line. No one to send prisoners to.
Well known are the courageous stories of POWs in Viet Nam. Certainly the greatest majority were it seems pilots. As we infantry types serving in Viet Nam obviously had more contact with the enemy it moves me to ask a question. Why were there so very few infantry types as POWs? Mostly because prisoners were rarely taken prisoner by the Viet Cong or the NVA. These troops were executed or left to die a slow but tortuous death in real time by their enemies. I gave it read and in depth accounts to verify my thoughts, save real life experiences in armed combat.
It's only a war crime if you lose.
This man is a in case of war break the glass..
Kind of like John Shrek McPhee is to these days
What was the "military school" he graduated from?
The high school he attended (Boston English High School) had military training as part of the curriculum run by the regular army. He was commissioned as part of that training.
So it wasn't a military college or academy as such.
There's a difference between not taking prisoners and taking prisoners and then murdering them. There are situations where you can't that prisoners and soldiers of all armies have to make decisions on whether they can take accept surrenders of enemy troops, in the middle of a battle, without endangering themselves or their men. Not taking prisoners when it is too risky to do so can be argued to be a war crime but it a hypertechnical that soldiers are not prosecuted for. Murdering POWs, after their surrender has been accepted, and they are in custody safely behind your lines, is murder and a war crime. It sounds more like what Spears did was more like the former rather than the latter. "Band of Brothers" portrays it as him shooting a group of POWs safely behind the US lines away from the battle. He probably was defamed.
In Band of Brothers they were at Easy Company's assembly point later in the morning when Speirs shot the prisoners but that wasn't the case. He wasn't fairly portrayed.
I consider him a good soldier and leader. Prisoners can't be accommodated sometimes. It's war Afterall.
War criminal, but I love your "without hesitation..".Well if he did, he wouldn't have lived, would he!?
Wonder if Hasbro knew about him and made the GI JOE action figure
Very possibly. These things always come from somewhere.
the theater of war is not limited to the war zone.
An 88 fired at me, that impressed me. LOL Yeah! I bet it did.
Makes Rambo look like a sissy Lol
At that point of the invasion, with troops scattered all over the place and still trying to get organized, there were no resources or personnel available to take and hold prisoners. Who would guard them? They needed every available soldier to secure objectives. It's not like they had MP units with them who could set up holding areas for prisoners. It seems barbaric to people today but it was simply the only practical way to operate during that initial phase of the invasion. I'm curious if Speirs did leave one prisoner alive, why did he spare him and who was he? Speirs was more of a bad *** then he was portrayed as.
He only shot 4 prisoners instead of the large group depicted in the series. Nobody was left alive according to the men who were with him. They had also each shot a prisoner (3) prior to this event.
HIS FIRST WIFE WAS BEAUTIFUL!!!
Wow
Been waiting on this one! I read his book. Good stuff. Side note. You forgot to capitalize England. 😁
Lol I didn't notice.
All armies commit "war crimes" at one time or another. Just some more than others.
✅👍
Ciggaretten??
Does anyone think Speirs is more or less cool? after learning, he didn't actually run through Foy. He ran across no man's land.
Watch the video again, he did run through to contact Item Company.
@@peterbarriscale7857 I'm going off of fact dumdum.
@@jerbs5346 I'm sure the guy putting the video up has researched the facts. You are clearly just a troll who resorts to name calling.... get a life. Don't bother to answer this.. this conversation is over. I won't be answering anything you post.
@@jerbs5346Pretty sure the guy who put up the video checked the facts. You are obviously just a troll who resorts to childish name-calling... get a life! Don't bother replying to this... I won't be answering anything else you post.
India Co. ...not Ida/Item (?)
That's how Speirs referred to it.
@@War_And_Truth My miss and more than happy to admit it! I stand corrected! My understanding was wrong.
Scottish hero
The real OG was Audie Murphy.
Actually Scottish, which explains everything.
A war criminal, just like many others, it was war, he was good ad it, but let's not make an example of fairness.
It depends on whether or not following orders is considered a war crime. Many German's were executed following Hitler's order. The problem was, shooting prisoners was such a common thing they could have never policed it.
@@War_And_Truthinternational Law doesn't work like that. Following illegal orders is and was a felony, then as it is now, so no.
Besides, there never was any H. order on executing prisoners. If you refer to the Kommando Befehl, that was indeed ALSO Hitler's order, but unfortunately it was a reciprocal absurdity perpertrated on commandos, special forces and saboteours (in their own uniform) from both sides.
War is hell, I can't point out anybody spotless, hence I would NOT consider Speirs a "good soldier's" example as you did, not so candidly.
Unarmed prisoners are not much of a threat, do what horrid actions require to do to survive, but don't be elevated as a hero for them.
Speirs killing of prisoners 'could have be classed as a war crime', it was a war crime. While the Germans shooting landing paratroops as they descended isn't (the paratroops are combatants entering an active war zone with the intent of participating).
'Take no prisoners' is often misinterpreted. In an ongoing battle, prisoners slow down an advance - each prisoner needs to be searched and then escorted from the fighting. For each prisoner you remove from battle - during the search you'll lose two of your own, one to search the prisoner, another to cover the prisoner. So the attack just peters out. It's better to just steam through, any prisoners you disarm and try to render their weapons inoperable and continue forward. A lot of prisoners will be in 'capture shock' and reasonably compliant, so just screaming at them and keeping them moving will overload the majority of them. So the order 'take no prisoners' just means keep advancing, let the second line of troops to hoover up the detritus.
Good points. Its only against the Geneva Convention to fire on pilots who have jumped from stricken aircraft (which I'm sure happened all the time. The Japanese were notorious for it)
Apparently, it's only illegal if the pilot is abandoning his aircraft over hostile territory (and will therefore be captured, rendering him inactive). You can apparently fire on an airman if he is bailing out over friendly territory (and therefore will be able to rejoin his forces, making him an active combatant).
But the Geneva convention is a tricky minefield to navigate - for example, you can't remove helmets from prisoners until they are out of the active combat area - however, studies show, that you're more likely to be shot attempting to surrender while wearing a helmet (it's nothing to do with just shooting prisoners out of hand, it's just if you see someone emerging from a bunker / trench wearing a helmet, you instantly shoot first and ask questions later.).
Dick Winters asked him about this incident on behalf of the film crew to which Speirs replied Absolutely! I will give it to you in writing! I wonder what his motivation for committing this act was.
As for warcrime, it is obviously one. When someone is accepted as a POW, you are no longer a combatant and are to be treated well. You can refuse to take hostages in the first place. There are no obligations to take prisoners. That is a different story, but if someone makes the "mistake" you are not allowed to execute them later on. You can release them or you can hold on to them, but execute is a no no in just about any case.
In the bigger scheme of things, this may not have been the worst thing that happened during the war.
The Original American Hero who was Scottish ? !!?
Americans like us Australians have all come from somewhere.
google Kragujevac Serbia 1941, YT want let me comment
Ron’s memorabilia.. guns.. letters.. more.. Gettysburg war museum.. along with Winters..
I don't trust anything Winters stated and from what I read Speirs signed a document stating that he would not seek legal action for his portrayal in the series, probably because it was true that the rumors were circulated but he never admitted to the shooting as portrayed.
Speirs was a HERO. As for Ambrose and Winters rather not say...
I believe the stories, I think it was just in the wrong context in the series.
@@War_And_Truth - That things happened, yes. How they happened, another story...
Two wrongs don't make a right.
Problem is what do you do in that situation? Remember that is wasn't like it was shown in the series.
Don't try to give the "accounts vary" bullshit about Dyke, it is pretty easy to verify that he was indeed wounded and that both Winters and Ambrose were lying, aggrandising pricks.
I had to look up Aggrandizing. I like that word.
A true Scots hero., who proved just how tough they are.
We Scots are a tough bunch. Lots of southern war heroes. Back then most southerners were of Scot decent
"War criminals like Rudolf Hess and Albert Speer"!? They were not war criminals at all! Although being some of the tops in the Nazi regime, they were among the very few honest souls there. And they were both very unjustly convicted at the Nuremberg trials, which was a great farce, by the way. And all arranged by the U.S, too! A very prearranged and unjust trial.
I beg you to please do your homework a little better next time! 🙂
Apart from that, a good show! Thanks!
They were both war criminals. One was Hitlers deputy and agreed with all of his policies. The other was responsible for armaments and the death of hundreds of thousands of slave laborers.
@@War_And_Truth So, what was their crime?
War criminal murdered pows
Its hard to judge if you haven't been in that situation. What would you do with a prisoner after just jumping into Normandy and having 4 hours to secure your objective? They were just trying to keep themselves alive.
He was a war criminal murdered unarmed German prisoners at Normandy no better than an ss soldier
He wasn't alone. Leibgott shot the camp commandant after the war had ended. All nations did it. I think that's why they turned a blind eye. Very few Germans were prosecuted for similar crimes either.
What I understand, the unit was well informed of the German POWs, but brushed it under the rug because Spears was the type of soldier they needed to fight the Nazis.
YOU DON'T SHOOT PRISONERS!!!
The Katyn massacre of Polish Officers and policemen and others by the Soviets during April/May 1940. The Laha massacre of Australian and Dutch prisoners by the Japanese in 1942.
Hitler's Kommandobefehl (the Commando Order) that all allied commandos captured were to be summarily executed.
The Malmedy massacre of US soldiers by the Waffen SS in December 1944.
The 50 allied airmen mudered by the Gestapo after being recaptured during the Great Escape. Just to name a few... but Yeah... you don't shoot prisoners!
The Biden commercial made me pause, make this comment and leave.
I never made it to your video.
Lol I'm in Australia so I'm certainly not choosing Biden commercials.