Winters gets promoted in this episode which was rewarding to see. The scene on the train I found upsetting and I felt the depictions of PTSD overshadowed his time in Paris, which was purposefully done, and a striking contrast to the joys felt earlier in the episode. How did the train scene affect you?
Those reports, and Winters concentration on detail, are a big part of how so much is known about this group. If he'd followed Nixon's advice to use we a lot we'd not have known as much because it would not have been recorded.
I don't think Nixon feels hard done by that Winters was promoted. Nixon was just rather ambivalent about the whole situation all along. He was there because he had to be and that was all, and since he came from a wealthy family he wasn't going to be in the army as a career after the war. He didn't care about promotions.
Guarnere was from Philadelphia, they do have a distinct accent in that city, that's what the actor was trying to replicate. Only someone who grew up in Philly could truly say how well he did at trying to replicate the accent.
A relative of mine was in Paris during WW1 when he was part of the US Army. He absolutely hated Paris, thought people rude and the city to be filthy. BTW, he worked on a cattle ranch before the war, he wasn't exactly living in an ivory tower, and he was shocked by how filthy the city was.
"I wonder why the helmets have a white spade on them?" At the time of the D-Day invasion, the 101st Airborne was composed of 1 Glider and 3 Parachute infantry regiments (as well as a bunch of support units). To keep track of their troops in case any of them got lost, which we saw during the Normandy episodes, each regiment was assigned an insignia from a standard deck of cards to have painted on their helmets. The 506th Regiment was assigned the spade, hence why you see the white spade on the helmet. For the record, the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment was assigned the Club, the 501st PIR (Parachute Infantry Regiment) was assigned the Diamond and the 502nd PIR was assigned the Heart. That tradition is still practiced by the 101st Airborne to this day, although it's a little different now because of the restructuring of Regiments / Brigade Combat Teams in the late 90s and early 2000s. And you were half right about the “Jimmy” guy. It was Jimmy Fallon, not Jimmy Kimmel. He played Second Lieutenant George C. Rice. He was a supply officer in the 10th Armor Division. Knowing what the 101st was going to be up against as they headed into Bastogne, he made 8 supply runs for them, bring them whatever he thought they could use… ammo, food, blankets, you name it. His 8th run was made technically after the Germans had surrounded Bastogne and he was about to make a 9th run when his CO ordered him to stand down. Not sure if he was awarded anything for his actions, but they were at least Distinguished Service Cross worth in my opinion.
2nd Lt. George Rice was supposedly put in for a Medal of Honor for his actions but was apparently awarded the Bronze Star. My own research hasn't concluded much - sadly there's not much info on him beyond his story in Bastogne. There are some mentions of all this, even by name that are recalled by Dick Winters himself in a recorded interview from about 2001-2002, (shortly before or after the series was released) that gives a sliver of context about the 10th Armored. I also believe Rice's CO became a POW and some other officers were also captured or killed in or defending the line in Noville - north of the city Bastogne. Still hard to pinpoint Rice in all of that, but he lived through it seems.
@@davidperkins6752 Lewis's dialect was great in the series! He didn't have a "Yank Dialect" (Northeast U.S.) he comes across as "watered down" Western dialect
@@squint04 lol, i know, it's just that it's a really "limey" thing to say and i know it makes some Americans a bit salty but i can't help "busting their balls"!🙂
I did hear a few inflections that are definitely British. He stresses the 2nd syllable in "weekend", unlike we Americans who stress the first. But he's a terrific actor. I saw him perform on stage back in the late 90's when he was with the Royal Shakespeare Theater.
I am again amazed at your comments. You have a clarity of thought about what is going on and your ability to speak on both sides of the situation. It is indeed wonderful watching these shows with you. P.S. my wife approved this missive.
You're a thoughtful young person (I don't know your age, but you're young to me), and that's good to see. It's much more enjoyable to watch someone of your generation watch and comment on historical events when they truly appreciate and understand what they're seeing.
Thanks for your lovely comment. I'm 32 :) I am really enjoying learning about the war and subsequently my appreciation for this admirable generation rises tenfold.
When charging the German line on Winter's signal, in actuality, they all started off at the same time. But Winters was in such good condition, and a natural runner, that he outdistanced the rest of the company and reached the top of the road embankment before anybody else. The sentry he shot was actually at arm's length distance - he did smile at Winters just before being shot. Winters did then stand fully exposed on top of the road and emptied his M1 (8 shots), reloaded and fired the lot again before being joined by the rest of the company. While it seems a cinematic impossibility - he did in fact do that.
Battle reports like the one Winters was typing are the biggest reason we know what actually happened. The military documents everything. The white spade on the helmet identifies the Regiment of the soldier, making it easy to identify and organize in chaos. Other regiments wore diamonds, clubs, hearts, etc. Wonderful reaction, Kate!
The bullets your seeing are called Tracers. They have a bit of phosphorous in the base that lights when the powder charge ignites. Every 5th. round in a machine gun belt is a tracer. It lets the gunner see the strike of his bullets on the target so he can adjust if necessary. In Vietnam the we (U.S). used red tracers, the Viet Cong and NVA used Russian green tracers. T. Boyte Gunnery Sergeant USMC, retired. Vietnam 1965-66/1970-71
I’m smiling a lot at my newly learned fact! Thanks so so much for sharing your knowledge with me!! And thank you for your dedicated service. I’m really lucky you’re watching the series with me :)
To your comment about Nixon, I think he was not really bitter. It was more advising Winters that he needs to let go and manage the managers now vs. the E-Company men directly. But doing that in a straightforward way and kind of razzing his best friend at the same time. And that E company would be in good hands. Like anyone promoted to a manager position, sometimes it's just hard to "oversee" vs remain in the weeds so to speak. You are really good at this.
There was no bitterness or jealously from Nixon concerning Winters promotion. They were very close immediately when they first met in training, despite being complete opposites. Nixon is letting Winters know he's done his job (intelligence) and Moose Heliger (easy company commander) is going to do his job as well. "Relax & find my bacon sandwich, please"
That moment of celebration between the US and British airborne troops was heartwarming to see. Generals Monty and Patton were both difficult to manage, and were very fierce rivals. Yet despite different views and personality based tensions, the Brits were such fantastic allies - and remain so today.
Hello Kate. I'm back with another heart warming story. What is it about Christmas that brings out the best in humanity? Each person must search their own hearts for the answer. Let's first go back to 1914 when soldiers in the trenches declared a Christmas Truce. They met in No-man's-land, sang carols together, and exchanged gifts. The story is legendary. Fast forward 30 years to a lesser known Christmas miracle. Three American soldiers have been lost for 4 days during the Battle of the Bulge. One of the men is wounded. They come across the Vincken cottage where Mrs. Vincken and her 12 year old son are preparing Christmas Eve dinner. They ask to come in. She graciously let's them in. A short while later 4 more soldiers show up wearing different uniforms and they ask to come in. Mrs. Vincken tells them that she has three other guests that are Americans and also explains that they can come in but must leave their guns outside. She then goes in to explain the situation to the Americans insisting that there will be no fighting tonight. When the 4 German soldiers enter there is some tension at first, but as time goes by they relax and begin talking as Mrs. Vincken prepares extra food. One of the German soldiers looks after the wounded American. He tells the other G.I.s that their friend will live. There is no sign of infection and the wound is healing. They all sit down to dinner which by then they are all talking as best they could. The next morning as the men prepare to leave, they say goodbye to their hostess and her son. One of the Americans asked Mrs. Vincken where a certain town was. The corporal leading the Germans told him not to go there because his unit had taken the town days earlier. The corporal then drew the American a map showing him the way back to his lines. He also gave him a compass so he wouldn't get lost. They all shook hands and returned to their units. We only know about this moment of Peace on Earth and to men of good will because of Fritz Vincken, the 12 year old boy who later told us this story. MERRY CHRISTMAS ⛄
What a stunning story about humanity and looking after our fellow man. I hope everyone leans into these teachings in 2025. It is so important to love one another. Thanks for sharing, Mike! ☺️
Jimmy Fallon played a real-life person, Lt George Rice, he did make more ammo runs, several, the last one was after the Germans sealed off the area and under fire, he was awarded a medal for valor.
I thought I also heard that Fallon’s grandfather held a similar position as the soldier he was playing. So he was kind of playing that guy in tribute to his grandfather,
Typically, if Doc Roe would have popped off and yelled at a Captain, he’d get busted for insubordination and probably lose rank (because they were in combat). But the deal is: Doc was right. And when a medical person is angry with you, you’d better take your lumps and change your behavior… no matter what rank you are. I think the officers were ashamed. They should have been.
That's why I love that scene so much. Doc Roe is probably the quietest and most soft-spoken man in the company and yet he goes apoplectic against his commanding officers -- and not only that, Winters and Welsh just take their lumps because they know he's right. This is a matter of life and death, and you realize in that moment just how young the officers really were. These were men in their twenties who, despite being in combat, weren't medical professionals so they had no real idea what they were doing.
@@MovieDateWithKate “you are officers. You OUGHTA know!” That had to hurt. That’s WINTERS… the leader… the soldier’s soldier. This is what I have learned in all my years and facing death like I have: when your life is on the line, you find out how small you are. You grit, you hope, you try to be as brave as you can be… all the while feeling how insignificant you are in the big picture. And the “big picture” is all there is. All love,
12:54 The symbols on soldiers' helmets, such as spades, diamonds, hearts, and clubs, represented different regiments and aided in regrouping and identifying one another in battle.
You are most welcome my dearest friend Kate! Looking forward to seeing and watching your reaction to episode 6 of Band Of Brothers! Have a very beautiful day! Take care,be safe!
Great reaction Kate like always love this episode. The next 2 are amazingly great and emotionally wrecking. The Crossroads battle is considered Easy Company’s finest moment in a battle by Winters himself. The miniseries condenses the overall battle and gets a few details wrong. 1. Winters and his men all charged the German positions at the same time. However, due to the adrenaline in his body, Winters got ahead of everyone else and arrived first at the German position. 2. Whilst charging across the field, Winters had two Browning M1919 machine guns firing at the German positions to provide suppressing fire. It’s one of the reasons why the Germans were slow to react to Winters, they were occupied by the machine gun fire. 3. During the battle, Winters got on the radio and called for British artillery to fire, which is why you see the explosions happen around the German soldiers. 4. As I said earlier, the miniseries condenses battle. After the British artillery strike, Winters called up more reinforcements and went after the Germans. However, they were able to regroup and held back the attack. As Easy Company fell back to the Crossroads, that’s when the German artillery fell down on them. Several Easy Company men were wounded, but all would survive. Losing Dukeman was a big blow to Winters because he had been a top Toccoa man. The series tended to focus on men who survived the war so we didn't get to see Dukeman onscreen much. Nixon is always in there keeping Winters on an even keel. When Winters gets too serious, he cracks a joke; when Winters starts to worry about not doing enough, Nix reminds him of the effect he's having. Everybody should be so lucky as to have that kind of buddy. So winning $3,600 in 1944 is equivalent to winning about $60,000 today. Malarkey actually gave up some of the money because he was afraid of having too much. Could be dangerous, he also probably wanted to leave some for the other soldiers. Malarkey was also able to put some of the money into an Army Bank Account. And a fun-fact: There’s a crazy story behind Second Lt. George C. Rice, the guy Jimmy Fallon plays. The 10th Division knew the the 101st was low on supplies and at risk of being surrounded, so Rice made eight supply runs to provide them with ammunition, food, blankets, anything that could be useful. During all these supply runs, the Germans were closing in, and during the eighth run, the Germans had encircled the 101st, and Rice was at risk of getting captured. He stopped the supply runs after his commanding officer ordered him to do so, and he was awarded The Bronze Star for his actions. Keep up the good work.
I absolutely loved reading your comment!! Sooo knowledgeable plus I appreciate you writing it out in a way I can understand it all the more better. 😍☺️ I can’t wait to watch the next episodes!
This is one my favorite episodes. It was filmed so differently than the rest. You have so much empathy I knew the train scene with winters would get to you. When you gagged at realizing winters poured Nixon pee on him I laughed out loud. The remaining series are going to be intense. Keep your tissues stocked up from now until the end of the series. Great reaction.
@@MovieDateWithKate you are a great reactor. I have watched many. Enjoy your observations and empathy. Hope your channel grows tremendously in the coming months. I also to learn from other people. Obviously I’m not British so some of your “sayings” I don’t know what mean. I can usually figure out from context but I’ll google just to make sure 😁 Don’t ever change. I get to learn new information. Also, you are clearly a highly educated individual. Sometimes I have to google your words 🤣. I love it. Forces me to expand my vocabulary!😁
He's still a Captain in this episode, so he didn't really get promoted. He was re-assigned to a staff job that usually was held by a Major. So a promotion is in his future, if he doesn't screw it up. But, it's Dick Winters, so he won't.
@@MovieDateWithKate He was not promoted in rank, but he was promoted as far as command structure to Executive Officer (XO) of 2nd Battalion and no longer has command of Easy Company
This is a most critical episode in the series. It is called 'Crossroads' because it depicts a pivotal moment in the story where Lieutenant Winters and Easy Company face a critical battle at a literal crossroads during their campaign in the Netherlands, forcing them to make crucial decisions with potentially life-altering consequences, representing a turning point in their journey through the war. The episode focuses on a fierce engagement where Easy Company is tasked with crossing a dike, encountering heavy German resistance at a crossroads, leading to intense close-quarters combat.
I think this is my favorite episode. I think it's very artfully done -- a pretty deep exploration of the emotional challenges of even a superb solider like Winters, and mostly without any dialogue or explanation at all. Well done, Mr. Hanks.
Another spot-on reaction, Kate. You gotta stop spoiling us. A few notes: your jump-scare from the typewriter at 5:41 was amusing. Tom Hanks' affinity for antique typewriters found a spot in this episode. Lt. Peacock does a good job summarizing the the battle at 11:38 - except for saying they were lucky with 22 wounded. As we've seen, all casualties, especially deaths (Dukeman) hit Capt. Winters hard. It seems obvious that Buck Compton was also suffering from PTSD (then called combat fatigue) at 21:40. What I found compelling is how Winters looks at Compton during their exchange during the John Wayne/Marlene Dietrich movie. Get your Kleenex ready. Currahee!
Keep the scene with Private Alley being brought in all torn up from a grenade (3:43) in mind for future reference as it’s mentioned in a subsequent episode and discussed at length in the accompanying HBO documentary that you should react to after the miniseries called “We Stand Alone Together.” Tom Hanks has a love for (and collects) antique typewriters and that’s one reason he incorporates Winters’ typing the report into this episode that he directed. Winters in real life just outran the men. Peacock didnt screw up on a delayed smoke grenade. Winters has just fast. The reports are formalities but also necessary for awarding of medals, sometimes even tactical lessons, etc. Obviouksy Winters’ greatest skillls were as a tactical combat leader but as he moved up, the administrative stuff took more of his time. Also keep in mind Webster’s being wounded “They got me - can you believe I said that?” (11:29) as it will come up in later episodes after he returns from convalescing in Britain. Webster, if you forgot, was the soldier who gave the Dutch kid chocolate. I don’t think Nix was jealous of Winters. As a battalion intel officer at that point, Nixon just had a different relationship to Easy and was used to being in a slightly more detached, rear position wherein he was used to helping plan missions then await results while Winters was just now making the difficult adjustment from combat company commander to battalion administration. Love how they show Doc Roe (a corporal) as the medic chewing out officers like Winters and Welch. It shows how passionate Soc was and how much respect and latitude officers gave the medics even though they were enlisted and well beneath them in rank. Winters had very few critiques of the series but said he had a lovely time in Paris / no issues like depicted here on the Metro train. But he freely admitted to having issues for a time postwar around loud noises. He once dove in a ditch by the side of the road in the US when hearing a car backfire etc.
My Dad, Bill Young, was in the American 1st Infantry Division from February 1941 until October 1945. He served in North Africa, and all through Europe. He carried German mortar fragments in his back and legs until he passed away in 2008. I don’t know if I would say it was PTSD, but obviously the war was a huge part of his adult life. And I recall back around the 60th anniversary of D-Day he said that not a single day had passed that something hadn’t reminded him of something he saw or someone he knew during the war.
How heartbreaking for him, and heartbreaking for you to learn that. Such a huge burden which manifests both physically in fragments but also psychologically.
This is one of the 3 best episodes of the series. It truly demonstrates how, when allowed to unwind, a lot of those men started suffering mentally from what they'd seen and experienced. After the war, it took a heavy toll on many of them. The next episode is going to hurt. The one after that will hurt even more. Episode 6 was the peak of the German Wermacht. After Episode 7, things start to wind down some. That didn't mean the horrors had ended, as Episode 9 will demonstrate.
Hi Kate! Another wonderful reaction to this great series. You wondered why they were being sent to battle without winter clothing, food and ammo. To greatly simplify the reason: they had been pulled back a long way from the front lines. There they would rest, recuperate and get ready for the next time they were needed at the front. While behind the front lines they had no reason to be fully supplied for battle. That would be done when they were sent back into battle (which I believe Nixon thought wouldn't be for another 2 or 3 months). Then Hitler came up with his desperate plan to burst through the Allied lines in Belgium in a dash to the sea to take a seaport. This German offensive took the Allies by surprise. As we see at the end of the episode the 101st (along with many other units) are being sent to reinforce the bulge in the lines. There was no time to get clothing, food and ammo for the troops. They had to throw them into the fight quickly. I hope this oversimplification helps some! Love your channel!!!
You are so good for explaining that to me! Thanks for taking the time to answer my question as I was watching! I wholeheartedly appreciate the support. ❤️
12:54 The "spade" on the side of the helmets was the symbol for the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. "Easy Company" of "Company E" was just one company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. This "spade" on the helmet helped to identify one regiment from another in the field. For those who don't know these units fell under the 101st Airborne, or the "Screaming Eagles." As all soldiers were largely dressed the exact same in their field uniform, being able to distinguish one from another quickly in battlefield conditions was imperative.
I love how cinematic and different this episode feels. If I remember correctly it was the only episode Tom Hanks directed himself, which explains it I guess
Kate, the white spade on the helmet serves to identify that they are with the 506th Infantry Regiment of 101st Airborne Division. The other regiments used diamonds, hearts, and clubs. Colors were used to distinguish each particular Battalion of the 506th. The 1st Battalion used a red spade, the 2nd Battalion used a white spade and the 3rd Battalion used a blue spade.
The Germans were pressing 15 year old boys & younger into action . The US segregated the boys from the men when they were captured . Those camps were referred to as “ The baby cages “
I have thoroughly enjoyed re-watching this series with you. Your responses are spot on with many individual nuances of thought sprinkled in, as no 2 people that I have talked about this series with are the same. Please do not be embarrassed to shed some tears, because I can tell you... everyone who is a fan of this show has several scenes that lead to waterworks every time it is viewed . For me personally, I get choked up when Easy is in the ditch waiting for Winters to throw the smoke canister. But, right before he does, he looks down the line... to his left and to his right. He sees these men. He sees sons, husbands, fathers and so much more. He knows that he is asking these men to sacrifice, and he is in awe. Of course, the train scene hits me too. But as he leaves the train station and the boy stands up next to Winters, I think he understands the bigger picture and what it is all for. Forgive me... I could go on for days about every episode.
At the beginning the actual veteran was saying that the men had not confidence in one of the leaders ! Then going into battle with little to nowhere near enough ammo. But the one scene where they was joking and clowning around !! I think it would be rather difficult to find that many men with such courage in today’s society ! Thank you for another great reaction ❤. We appreciate you
Great reaction Kate! My Maternal Grandfather served in WWII. He was a clerk under General George S. Patton. This was a well done episode. I cannot fathom what battle felt like for these brave and wonderful guys. The adrenaline, nerves, and just pure survival and instincts that just kick in. Hope you are having a great day, Kate. For a great film regarding our men in uniform, I recommend the 1986 War biopic "The Delta Force". It is "Inspired" from the true story of a June 1985 hijacking of a TWA flight 847 out of Athen's, Greece by terrorists. A great film starring Chuck Norris and Actor and WWII Veteran himself, the late Lee Marvin. Also Stars Robert Forster, Martin Balsam, Shelley Winters and Lainie Kazan. A great film! Alan Silvestri does a fantastic soundtrack for this film. Recommendation: If you want to watch it, I recommend waiting at least until after episode 9 of this series. There is a subtheme in the film that ties in with the subject matter that encapsulates Episode 9.
Thanks so much for your super comment! That’s incredible your grandfather was a clerk under Patton :D I have heard of him thanks to the market garden episode - and understanding what a terrific leader he was.
Your proper English venacular paints a fresh perspective on this great mini-series. Glad to see you are enjoying this from a Yank perspective. Enjoying your British take on it. More great stuff to follow...Cheers..!
I've always thought that this is the most emotionally complex episode of BOB. The scene where Winters shoots the young German soldier - who couldn't have been more than fifteen, certainly hadn't shaved yet - is haunting. Then it's repeated during the episode at different focal lengths and finally the young French boy on the subway brings it all back to him. When Winters and the boy are standing outside on the train platform the lighting is so dark and somber that it almost feels like film noir. Deftly directed by Tom Hanks. So far this is my favorite of your reactions, great job and very insightful.
Supply issues were common because weapons, uniforms, ammunition etc. was being manufactured in the US and shipped overseas via the Atlantic Ocean. German U boat submarines were on the hunt for supply ships and they had to be escorted by the US Navy. Many of them were sunk by Germany so replenishment was slow going. This is also when the Battle of the Bulge began. It was basically a surprise offensive from Germany that took everyone by surprise as they had been on the retreat. US forces had expected more time to build up more strength and supplies. Getting supplies inland was also an issue with German airpower.
Plus, by this point in the war, the Allies only had one port city with heavy cargo handling equipment available to them: Antwerp in Belgium, which was Hitler's objective in the Battle of the Bulge. After Antwerp was liberated, the "mullberry" artificial harbors in Normandy were scrapped, and with the French Channel ports all sabotaged and the Atlantic ports still in German hands, the logiatics bottleneck was hard for the Germans to resist.
Here we go 👍 🇺🇸 🎥 Looking forward to your reaction . Winters the MVP , wish I could've had an officer or NCO like Winters in the two branches of the U.S. military I served in. Well, there's your articulate use of vocabulary that made this reaction video so outstanding . Well done 👍 📹
Your comments regarding the lenght of the series allowing in depth character development is right on. As you watch further episodes you'll see the seads planted in earlier episodes come into fruitation: for example, LT Dykes, LT Speirs
Great reaction Kate! You'll get one of your wishes from the earlier episodes granted in the next episode, unfortunately a very grim series of episodes coming. The train scene is an accurate reflection of PTSD triggers from unrelated situations, the thing I always point out to people is that Winters was in the midst of and had no escape from multiple chain reaction triggers where one thing triggers another which triggers another which doubles back to retrigger the first and then amplify the third, fourth, etc triggers. The darkness and lights flashing by, the young boy staring at him and smiling, the at the time in Winters' life ridiculous culture/reality clash of the old lady calmly knitting while men were being killed all around her were driving home the gulf of separation that existed between him and these other people. Walking around the town looking for something that doesn't come with a heavy tinge of that divisive tension, looking at Notre Dame and feeling no peace. He found it in the bath, the hot water that despite how deep the tension was rooted just by nature dissolves it and gives some moments of peace and weightlessness. It would have given him a moment in time where it was just himself, no war or responsibilities and his deep reservoir of spirit and help from God would kick in to recharge and re-center himself which as we see with guys like Buck is not an easy thing to do. The world is full of emotional triggers once life has loaded your ammo clip with trauma. The challenges of the rest of the war and any form that life would take after it can both add and subtract from the burden.
You wanted to read Winter's report. I paused it when it was still on the typewriter. I zoomed in with my laptop and can read almost all of it, so you can too.
Another solid episode. That's a great observation to compare Winters to a proud father, very fitting. Also touching to see you react to Winters' PTSD episode on the train :( Cool to see the patreon shoutouts in the outro too! 🤠
I’m so pleased you could watch this one with me. Yeah, the train scene was a tough watch. But I’m keen to watch the rest of the episodes now. I think they’ll be hardcore but I’m still up for it. 🤠
12:54 From what I can tell, the White Spade was a symbol for those paratroopers that were part of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) of which Easy company was a part of. Perhaps others here can confirm or expound on this.
During World War II, some U.S. helmets featured a white spade symbol as part of unit insignia or identification markings. The spade symbol was commonly associated with military units, often to signify specific divisions, brigades, or battalions. One of the most notable examples is the 2nd Armored Division, known as "Hell on Wheels," which used a spade symbol to represent its unit. The spade symbol was also used by other units, such as the 2nd Battalion of certain divisions or other specialized groups. It helped with identification on the battlefield and allowed for easy recognition of soldiers belonging to specific units, which was particularly important during combat.
The Battle of the Bulge was a desperate hour. The 101st was thrown in direct from leave. Their response to the incredible adversity and holding the town of Bastogne (an important road hub key in the heavily forested terrain indeed pre-War the French effectively considered it impassable for Armor units) was a major factor in disrupting and breaking up the German attack. To this day the 600,000 odd American Soldiers involved in the Bulge make it the largest battle for US forces since the first World War...at least.
Well...I never noticed that before! Back left part of the screen, his head quickly gets hidden by the guy in front of him with the cigarette in his right ear, but that definitely is Mr. Hanks. Good eye!
It also looks like they have a lady, in a red beret, making up the numbers as well. There is a guy drinking from a bottle in the top left corner at the point when Hanks becomes visible for 2 seconds, if you look directly below the bottle man, that looks like a lady to me.
The vertical white bar on the back of the helmet signified the person is an officer. Sometimes there would be a horizontal bar which typically meat he was a noncommissioned officer.
Each of the regiments in the 101st wore a different symbol, 327th Glider Infantry wore a "CLUB", 501st Parachute Infantry wore a "DIAMOND", 502nd Parachute Infantry wore a HEART, and the 506th Parachute Infantry wore the "SPADE".
@MovieDateWithKate It's been 20 years, but i remember it like yesterday. Me and my brothers and I were at a crossroads, I was so hungry I happened to have a candy bar in my gear and duck around the corner while my comrades talk to the locals to eat it. They were all distracted when out of nowhere I hea "ALLAH AKBAR" (god is great), my troopers didn't hear him I did and see him running out the building next to me Our eyes meet, and he is shocked that one of the infidels is so close. The longest 30 seconds of my life happened in that moment. He held something in his hand, the other his AK. Be raises it and evens squeeze a round off, I hear it hit thr wall next to me, but im trained better and faster I draw my rifle and fire three rounds first strikes his arm, the second his lower neck and the last catches his shoulder he crumbles. Even as he struggled to breathe, he still reached for the item he dropped when he saw me, a denotor. I raised my rifle, he was so young, no more than 18 or 19, I fire a shot it took part of his skull off the eye was hanging off the socket. My comrades finally get to me. My Lt sees what happened and opens his shirt, explosives. He looked at me and said "how you know, did you position yourself and a better tactical angle?" if you didn't see him? we all be dead by now that iam a hero.." Never felt like one, just lucky and hungry, my candy bar now in the puddle of blood of a young man....I was only 19 too, couldn't even drink on my way to deployment... I look at the door he came out of and I saw a child looking at me, his kid? His brother? Those eyes didn't see a hero, only a monster.
@@MovieDateWithKate No Kate, like Winters before me i did it if for you, I did it for my son and god willing their will be many men who do it for our people.
Winters' combat report is very common. The British have been doing it for centuries. I have an ancestor who was a captain on a ship with Francis Drake's fleet, and he fought the Spanish Armada. In my genealogy research, I found a letter he wrote to Lord Walsingham, apologizing for not sending him his action report due to illness.
How incredible is that!!! Absolutely brilliant you've discovered your lineage that far back. Incredible! I'm listening to a good audiobook at the moment about Pirates and Galleons :)
The bullets firing over head like fireworks are called tracers. Every so many rounds of real bullets a bullet of phosphorus was added, so it could help you direct your aim.
Fun fact, Tom Hanks makes a small cameo in the scene where the Brits are celebrating in the barn. You can see him trying to hide his face from the camera, it’s quite funny
On top of the regimental identification with the playing card symbols the 101st used - there were also the 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock ticks that would identify which battalion and company a soldier belonged to. Ex. A 506th guy in say Easy or Fox Co 2nd battalion would have a 6 o'clock tick on the spade whereas a 506th Easy Co 3rd battalion guy would have a 9 o'clock tick on his helmet. Now a 502nd guy from HQ battalion might've had a heart with the 12 o'clock tick. Hope that makes sense!
Winters is writing an "After Action Report" tells details of what happened and any recommendations for metals for the soldiers. Great reaction and be prepared next few episodes will be tough.♠♥♦♣
You missed the part where the Lieutenant bringing in the ammo said "Looks like your going to be surrounded." And winters said "We're paratroopers Lieutenant. We're supposed to be surrounded.
They had no winter clothing because Easy company were slated to go back to England for rest and to rebuild their battalion after heavy losses. The Germans though started a surprise winter offensive through the forests of Belgium, where they broke through the front lines so Easy company was thrown into the battle with no notice.
The Polish guy wasn't forced to fight with the Germans, they volunteered. The SS didn't induct forced labor troops. The spade ♤ signified they were from the 506th PIR. The Diamond 🔹 signified the 501st PIR. The Heart ♥ signified the 502nd PIR. The Club ♧ signified 327th Glider Infantry Regiment...
@johannesvalterdivizzini1523 Not true. There were was an SS unit made up of Russian. Another of Muslims. Still another of Poles. As for the officers, you are correct. In the early days of the SS, you had to provide your ancestry back several generations to be accepted into their officer training program.
@@johannesvalterdivizzini1523 Not quite true. He was Polish. There were SS units from all over the world, including Poland, the Soviet Union, even some from the Arab countries. The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem was even given a commission because of his work in recruiting Muslims into the SS. At first SS officers had to prove that there weren't any non Aryans for at least 7 generations, but by D-Day they were pretty much taking anyone...
As usual Kate rocked it. I would like to recommend the movie "When Trumpets Fade". WW2 movie that shows a more in depth look at the emotional experiences of troops. Thank you Kate, I look forward to your reactions willfully l weekly. 😊
Enjoying your journey with Easy Company, Kate. Just an FYI regarding the night action in the beginning, where Winters' platoon attacks the German machine gun position: for each of the tracer bullets you see coming at Winters' men, there are four other bullets between the tracers you don't see.
I never miss your work. I was right you are now part of Easy you say we all the time not they. ( I am sure I am not the only one that loves that about you ) Keep up the good work my friend and may Gpd bless you.
Winters gets promoted in this episode which was rewarding to see. The scene on the train I found upsetting and I felt the depictions of PTSD overshadowed his time in Paris, which was purposefully done, and a striking contrast to the joys felt earlier in the episode. How did the train scene affect you?
Those reports, and Winters concentration on detail, are a big part of how so much is known about this group. If he'd followed Nixon's advice to use we a lot we'd not have known as much because it would not have been recorded.
I don't think Nixon feels hard done by that Winters was promoted. Nixon was just rather ambivalent about the whole situation all along. He was there because he had to be and that was all, and since he came from a wealthy family he wasn't going to be in the army as a career after the war. He didn't care about promotions.
Guarnere was from Philadelphia, they do have a distinct accent in that city, that's what the actor was trying to replicate. Only someone who grew up in Philly could truly say how well he did at trying to replicate the accent.
A relative of mine was in Paris during WW1 when he was part of the US Army. He absolutely hated Paris, thought people rude and the city to be filthy. BTW, he worked on a cattle ranch before the war, he wasn't exactly living in an ivory tower, and he was shocked by how filthy the city was.
I was at home in Tonawanda, then Hitler started this whole thing....
That's funny and sad at the same time.
"I wonder why the helmets have a white spade on them?" At the time of the D-Day invasion, the 101st Airborne was composed of 1 Glider and 3 Parachute infantry regiments (as well as a bunch of support units). To keep track of their troops in case any of them got lost, which we saw during the Normandy episodes, each regiment was assigned an insignia from a standard deck of cards to have painted on their helmets. The 506th Regiment was assigned the spade, hence why you see the white spade on the helmet. For the record, the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment was assigned the Club, the 501st PIR (Parachute Infantry Regiment) was assigned the Diamond and the 502nd PIR was assigned the Heart. That tradition is still practiced by the 101st Airborne to this day, although it's a little different now because of the restructuring of Regiments / Brigade Combat Teams in the late 90s and early 2000s.
And you were half right about the “Jimmy” guy. It was Jimmy Fallon, not Jimmy Kimmel. He played Second Lieutenant George C. Rice. He was a supply officer in the 10th Armor Division. Knowing what the 101st was going to be up against as they headed into Bastogne, he made 8 supply runs for them, bring them whatever he thought they could use… ammo, food, blankets, you name it. His 8th run was made technically after the Germans had surrounded Bastogne and he was about to make a 9th run when his CO ordered him to stand down. Not sure if he was awarded anything for his actions, but they were at least Distinguished Service Cross worth in my opinion.
2nd Lt. George Rice was supposedly put in for a Medal of Honor for his actions but was apparently awarded the Bronze Star.
My own research hasn't concluded much - sadly there's not much info on him beyond his story in Bastogne. There are some mentions of all this, even by name that are recalled by Dick Winters himself in a recorded interview from about 2001-2002, (shortly before or after the series was released) that gives a sliver of context about the 10th Armored. I also believe Rice's CO became a POW and some other officers were also captured or killed in or defending the line in Noville - north of the city Bastogne. Still hard to pinpoint Rice in all of that, but he lived through it seems.
@@kmart1878 no he wasn't
Here is a link to the 101st WW2 helmet markings: www.battledetective.com/images/Battle_Relic_18/101st_WW2_Helmet_Markings(a).jpg
You are such a kind gem for writing that out for me so well to really understand everything. Thank you so much!! I really appreciate it!
@@MovieDateWithKate Thank you Kate. I really appreciate your kind words as well.
Speaking on American accents, this was the first thing I ever saw Damian Lewis in, and, his accent was so good, I just assumed he was American.
yep, same. i was convinced for a long time that he was a "bloody yank"!🙂
@@davidperkins6752 Lewis's dialect was great in the series! He didn't have a "Yank Dialect" (Northeast U.S.) he comes across as "watered down" Western dialect
@@squint04 lol, i know, it's just that it's a really "limey" thing to say and i know it makes some Americans a bit salty but i can't help "busting their balls"!🙂
Same with Ross McCall (Leibgott). Hearing him speak with a Scottish brogue in the BTS stuff was jarring.
I did hear a few inflections that are definitely British. He stresses the 2nd syllable in "weekend", unlike we Americans who stress the first. But he's a terrific actor. I saw him perform on stage back in the late 90's when he was with the Royal Shakespeare Theater.
As you may have figured out, Buck wasn't engrossed in the movie. That was a thousand yard stare.
I am again amazed at your comments. You have a clarity of thought about what is going on and your ability to speak on both sides of the situation. It is indeed wonderful watching these shows with you.
P.S. my wife approved this missive.
Thanks so so much for your supportive and extremely encouraging message. I appreciate that a lot ☺️
I concur. Not only is she intelligent and perceptive, but sweet and gentle in a soothing sort of way. I really enjoy watching with her.
You're a thoughtful young person (I don't know your age, but you're young to me), and that's good to see. It's much more enjoyable to watch someone of your generation watch and comment on historical events when they truly appreciate and understand what they're seeing.
Well said. As a veteran it does my heart god to see younger people who realize with appreciation the sacrifice of WW2 soldiers.
Indeed
Thanks for your lovely comment. I'm 32 :) I am really enjoying learning about the war and subsequently my appreciation for this admirable generation rises tenfold.
"Band of Brothers" and "The Pacific" are simply brilliant. Both produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg 👍👍👍
When charging the German line on Winter's signal, in actuality, they all started off at the same time. But Winters was in such good condition, and a natural runner, that he outdistanced the rest of the company and reached the top of the road embankment before anybody else. The sentry he shot was actually at arm's length distance - he did smile at Winters just before being shot. Winters did then stand fully exposed on top of the road and emptied his M1 (8 shots), reloaded and fired the lot again before being joined by the rest of the company. While it seems a cinematic impossibility - he did in fact do that.
Battle reports like the one Winters was typing are the biggest reason we know what actually happened. The military documents everything.
The white spade on the helmet identifies the Regiment of the soldier, making it easy to identify and organize in chaos. Other regiments wore diamonds, clubs, hearts, etc.
Wonderful reaction, Kate!
When I was at the Infantry School at Ft. Benning in the mid-90s, a lot of reports like this were still available for research purposes.
Thank you ever so much!!
I was amazed how many of the actors playing American soldiers are actually English!
Half of Easy Company are British and Irish actors who had an amazing dialect coach.
The bullets your seeing are called Tracers. They have a bit of phosphorous in the base that lights when the powder charge ignites. Every 5th. round in a machine gun belt is a tracer. It lets the gunner see the strike of his bullets on the target so he can adjust if necessary. In Vietnam the we (U.S). used red tracers, the Viet Cong and NVA used Russian green tracers.
T. Boyte
Gunnery Sergeant USMC, retired.
Vietnam 1965-66/1970-71
I’m smiling a lot at my newly learned fact! Thanks so so much for sharing your knowledge with me!! And thank you for your dedicated service. I’m really lucky you’re watching the series with me :)
The movie you were wondering about is a John Wayne movie called "Seven Sinners."
To your comment about Nixon, I think he was not really bitter. It was more advising Winters that he needs to let go and manage the managers now vs. the E-Company men directly. But doing that in a straightforward way and kind of razzing his best friend at the same time. And that E company would be in good hands. Like anyone promoted to a manager position, sometimes it's just hard to "oversee" vs remain in the weeds so to speak. You are really good at this.
Thanks for your support and great analysis:) I have to agree with you actually ☺️
First reactor to describe Dick Winters as "astute". Kate's the best!
like easily THEE best. Proper channel.
That’s so wicked! Thanks for saying so ☺️
Thank you! 🌠
There was no bitterness or jealously from Nixon concerning Winters promotion. They were very close immediately when they first met in training, despite being complete opposites. Nixon is letting Winters know he's done his job (intelligence) and Moose Heliger (easy company commander) is going to do his job as well. "Relax & find my bacon sandwich, please"
That moment of celebration between the US and British airborne troops was heartwarming to see. Generals Monty and Patton were both difficult to manage, and were very fierce rivals. Yet despite different views and personality based tensions, the Brits were such fantastic allies - and remain so today.
Hello Kate. I'm back with another heart warming story. What is it about Christmas that brings out the best in humanity? Each person must search their own hearts for the answer.
Let's first go back to 1914 when soldiers in the trenches declared a Christmas Truce. They met in No-man's-land, sang carols together, and exchanged gifts. The story is legendary. Fast forward 30 years to a lesser known Christmas miracle. Three American soldiers have been lost for 4 days during the Battle of the Bulge. One of the men is wounded. They come across the Vincken cottage where Mrs. Vincken and her 12 year old son are preparing Christmas Eve dinner. They ask to come in. She graciously let's them in. A short while later 4 more soldiers show up wearing different uniforms and they ask to come in. Mrs. Vincken tells them that she has three other guests that are Americans and also explains that they can come in but must leave their guns outside. She then goes in to explain the situation to the Americans insisting that there will be no fighting tonight. When the 4 German soldiers enter there is some tension at first, but as time goes by they relax and begin talking as Mrs. Vincken prepares extra food. One of the German soldiers looks after the wounded American. He tells the other G.I.s that their friend will live. There is no sign of infection and the wound is healing.
They all sit down to dinner which by then they are all talking as best they could. The next morning as the men prepare to leave, they say goodbye to their hostess and her son. One of the Americans asked Mrs. Vincken where a certain town was. The corporal leading the Germans told him not to go there because his unit had taken the town days earlier. The corporal then drew the American a map showing him the way back to his lines. He also gave him a compass so he wouldn't get lost. They all shook hands and returned to their units. We only know about this moment of Peace on Earth and to men of good will because of Fritz Vincken, the 12 year old boy who later told us this story. MERRY CHRISTMAS ⛄
What a stunning story about humanity and looking after our fellow man. I hope everyone leans into these teachings in 2025. It is so important to love one another. Thanks for sharing, Mike! ☺️
Jimmy Fallon played a real-life person, Lt George Rice, he did make more ammo runs, several, the last one was after the Germans sealed off the area and under fire, he was awarded a medal for valor.
I thought I also heard that Fallon’s grandfather held a similar position as the soldier he was playing. So he was kind of playing that guy in tribute to his grandfather,
That’s so lovely
How special to know. I bet he just loved acting in that scene.
been waiting for this, love your reaction to the series. I've watched the series countless times. Keep up the good work!
Because Winters so well respected and beloved, it's heartbreaking to see him struggle with PTSD. Of course, he did, along with so many others.
That’s the thing. You’ve said it 💯
Typically, if Doc Roe would have popped off and yelled at a Captain, he’d get busted for insubordination and probably lose rank (because they were in combat). But the deal is: Doc was right. And when a medical person is angry with you, you’d better take your lumps and change your behavior… no matter what rank you are. I think the officers were ashamed. They should have been.
That's why I love that scene so much. Doc Roe is probably the quietest and most soft-spoken man in the company and yet he goes apoplectic against his commanding officers -- and not only that, Winters and Welsh just take their lumps because they know he's right. This is a matter of life and death, and you realize in that moment just how young the officers really were. These were men in their twenties who, despite being in combat, weren't medical professionals so they had no real idea what they were doing.
Such a good sum up and I fully understand that!
@@MovieDateWithKate “you are officers. You OUGHTA know!” That had to hurt. That’s WINTERS… the leader… the soldier’s soldier. This is what I have learned in all my years and facing death like I have: when your life is on the line, you find out how small you are. You grit, you hope, you try to be as brave as you can be… all the while feeling how insignificant you are in the big picture. And the “big picture” is all there is. All love,
You realize Damien Lewis (Dick winters) is British? As a prop maker, i had the pleasure of working with him on the series “Billions” ❤
that's so cool!! love that!
12:54 The symbols on soldiers' helmets, such as spades, diamonds, hearts, and clubs, represented different regiments and aided in regrouping and identifying one another in battle.
You are most welcome my dearest friend Kate!
Looking forward to seeing and watching your reaction to episode 6 of Band Of Brothers!
Have a very beautiful day!
Take care,be safe!
Thanks lovely Eddie for your positive words!!
Great reaction Kate like always love this episode. The next 2 are amazingly great and emotionally wrecking.
The Crossroads battle is considered Easy Company’s finest moment in a battle by Winters himself. The miniseries condenses the overall battle and gets a few details wrong.
1. Winters and his men all charged the German positions at the same time. However, due to the adrenaline in his body, Winters got ahead of everyone else and arrived first at the German position.
2. Whilst charging across the field, Winters had two Browning M1919 machine guns firing at the German positions to provide suppressing fire. It’s one of the reasons why the Germans were slow to react to Winters, they were occupied by the machine gun fire.
3. During the battle, Winters got on the radio and called for British artillery to fire, which is why you see the explosions happen around the German soldiers.
4. As I said earlier, the miniseries condenses battle. After the British artillery strike, Winters called up more reinforcements and went after the Germans. However, they were able to regroup and held back the attack. As Easy Company fell back to the Crossroads, that’s when the German artillery fell down on them. Several Easy Company men were wounded, but all would survive.
Losing Dukeman was a big blow to Winters because he had been a top Toccoa man. The series tended to focus on men who survived the war so we didn't get to see Dukeman onscreen much.
Nixon is always in there keeping Winters on an even keel. When Winters gets too serious, he cracks a joke; when Winters starts to worry about not doing enough, Nix reminds him of the effect he's having. Everybody should be so lucky as to have that kind of buddy.
So winning $3,600 in 1944 is equivalent to winning about $60,000 today. Malarkey actually gave up some of the money because he was afraid of having too much. Could be dangerous, he also probably wanted to leave some for the other soldiers. Malarkey was also able to put some of the money into an Army Bank Account.
And a fun-fact: There’s a crazy story behind Second Lt. George C. Rice, the guy Jimmy Fallon plays. The 10th Division knew the the 101st was low on supplies and at risk of being surrounded, so Rice made eight supply runs to provide them with ammunition, food, blankets, anything that could be useful. During all these supply runs, the Germans were closing in, and during the eighth run, the Germans had encircled the 101st, and Rice was at risk of getting captured. He stopped the supply runs after his commanding officer ordered him to do so, and he was awarded The Bronze Star for his actions. Keep up the good work.
I absolutely loved reading your comment!! Sooo knowledgeable plus I appreciate you writing it out in a way I can understand it all the more better. 😍☺️ I can’t wait to watch the next episodes!
@ Oh thank you it was my pleasure.
This is one my favorite episodes. It was filmed so differently than the rest. You have so much empathy I knew the train scene with winters would get to you. When you gagged at realizing winters poured Nixon pee on him I laughed out loud. The remaining series are going to be intense. Keep your tissues stocked up from now until the end of the series. Great reaction.
Thanks so much!! Haha that made me laugh remembering how gross I thought it was!
@@MovieDateWithKate you are a great reactor. I have watched many. Enjoy your observations and empathy. Hope your channel grows tremendously in the coming months. I also to learn from other people. Obviously I’m not British so some of your “sayings” I don’t know what mean. I can usually figure out from context but I’ll google just to make sure 😁 Don’t ever change. I get to learn new information. Also, you are clearly a highly educated individual. Sometimes I have to google your words 🤣. I love it. Forces me to expand my vocabulary!😁
He's still a Captain in this episode, so he didn't really get promoted. He was re-assigned to a staff job that usually was held by a Major. So a promotion is in his future, if he doesn't screw it up. But, it's Dick Winters, so he won't.
Oh I see :) Thank you for explaining that to me.
@@MovieDateWithKate He was not promoted in rank, but he was promoted as far as command structure to Executive Officer (XO) of 2nd Battalion and no longer has command of Easy Company
This is a most critical episode in the series. It is called 'Crossroads' because it depicts a pivotal moment in the story where Lieutenant Winters and Easy Company face a critical battle at a literal crossroads during their campaign in the Netherlands, forcing them to make crucial decisions with potentially life-altering consequences, representing a turning point in their journey through the war. The episode focuses on a fierce engagement where Easy Company is tasked with crossing a dike, encountering heavy German resistance at a crossroads, leading to intense close-quarters combat.
I think this is my favorite episode. I think it's very artfully done -- a pretty deep exploration of the emotional challenges of even a superb solider like Winters, and mostly without any dialogue or explanation at all. Well done, Mr. Hanks.
Totally agree with you there. As you say, powerful to do that without much dialogue.
Another spot-on reaction, Kate. You gotta stop spoiling us. A few notes: your jump-scare from the typewriter at 5:41 was amusing. Tom Hanks' affinity for antique typewriters found a spot in this episode. Lt. Peacock does a good job summarizing the the battle at 11:38 - except for saying they were lucky with 22 wounded. As we've seen, all casualties, especially deaths (Dukeman) hit Capt. Winters hard. It seems obvious that Buck Compton was also suffering from PTSD (then called combat fatigue) at 21:40. What I found compelling is how Winters looks at Compton during their exchange during the John Wayne/Marlene Dietrich movie. Get your Kleenex ready. Currahee!
Currahee indeed!! Haha yes, I love the thought of Tom Hanks considering where he could fit in a typewriter in the episode. He did it superbly.
Keep the scene with Private Alley being brought in all torn up from a grenade (3:43) in mind for future reference as it’s mentioned in a subsequent episode and discussed at length in the accompanying HBO documentary that you should react to after the miniseries called “We Stand Alone Together.”
Tom Hanks has a love for (and collects) antique typewriters and that’s one reason he incorporates Winters’ typing the report into this episode that he directed.
Winters in real life just outran the men. Peacock didnt screw up on a delayed smoke grenade. Winters has just fast.
The reports are formalities but also necessary for awarding of medals, sometimes even tactical lessons, etc. Obviouksy Winters’ greatest skillls were as a tactical combat leader but as he moved up, the administrative stuff took more of his time.
Also keep in mind Webster’s being wounded “They got me - can you believe I said that?”
(11:29) as it will come up in later episodes after he returns from convalescing in Britain. Webster, if you forgot, was the soldier who gave the Dutch kid chocolate.
I don’t think Nix was jealous of Winters. As a battalion intel officer at that point, Nixon just had a different relationship to Easy and was used to being in a slightly more detached, rear position wherein he was used to helping plan missions then await results while Winters was just now making the difficult adjustment from combat company commander to battalion administration.
Love how they show Doc Roe (a corporal) as the medic chewing out officers like Winters and Welch. It shows how passionate Soc was and how much respect and latitude officers gave the medics even though they were enlisted and well beneath them in rank.
Winters had very few critiques of the series but said he had a lovely time in Paris / no issues like depicted here on the Metro
train. But he freely admitted to having issues for a time postwar around loud noises. He once dove in a ditch by the side of the road in the US when hearing a car backfire etc.
"uhhh....I just know how cold that weather is."
Oh my Dear sweet Kate.... just you wait.
😳🪖❄❄❄
I think this was one of the coldest winters on record - so you may not know how terrible that cold feels.
So refreshing to hear a thoughtful commentary and review by someone who speaks so well.
I'm really enjoying this series, thank you!
That’s truly awesome. Thanks for saying so. I’m really enjoying it as well.
My Dad, Bill Young, was in the American 1st Infantry Division from February 1941 until October 1945. He served in North Africa, and all through Europe. He carried German mortar fragments in his back and legs until he passed away in 2008. I don’t know if I would say it was PTSD, but obviously the war was a huge part of his adult life. And I recall back around the 60th anniversary of D-Day he said that not a single day had passed that something hadn’t reminded him of something he saw or someone he knew during the war.
How heartbreaking for him, and heartbreaking for you to learn that. Such a huge burden which manifests both physically in fragments but also psychologically.
This is one of the 3 best episodes of the series. It truly demonstrates how, when allowed to unwind, a lot of those men started suffering mentally from what they'd seen and experienced. After the war, it took a heavy toll on many of them.
The next episode is going to hurt. The one after that will hurt even more.
Episode 6 was the peak of the German Wermacht. After Episode 7, things start to wind down some.
That didn't mean the horrors had ended, as Episode 9 will demonstrate.
Hi Kate! Another wonderful reaction to this great series. You wondered why they were being sent to battle without winter clothing, food and ammo. To greatly simplify the reason: they had been pulled back a long way from the front lines. There they would rest, recuperate and get ready for the next time they were needed at the front. While behind the front lines they had no reason to be fully supplied for battle. That would be done when they were sent back into battle (which I believe Nixon thought wouldn't be for another 2 or 3 months). Then Hitler came up with his desperate plan to burst through the Allied lines in Belgium in a dash to the sea to take a seaport. This German offensive took the Allies by surprise. As we see at the end of the episode the 101st (along with many other units) are being sent to reinforce the bulge in the lines. There was no time to get clothing, food and ammo for the troops. They had to throw them into the fight quickly. I hope this oversimplification helps some! Love your channel!!!
You are so good for explaining that to me! Thanks for taking the time to answer my question as I was watching! I wholeheartedly appreciate the support. ❤️
12:54 The "spade" on the side of the helmets was the symbol for the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. "Easy Company" of "Company E" was just one company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. This "spade" on the helmet helped to identify one regiment from another in the field. For those who don't know these units fell under the 101st Airborne, or the "Screaming Eagles." As all soldiers were largely dressed the exact same in their field uniform, being able to distinguish one from another quickly in battlefield conditions was imperative.
Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge with me ☺️
I love how cinematic and different this episode feels. If I remember correctly it was the only episode Tom Hanks directed himself, which explains it I guess
Yeah, same!! Each one is pretty distinctive :)
This episode showcases Winters' incredible leadership and humanity.
True...also really all episodes and the 'extra' episodes do...this one may be one of the best at highlighting that tho...
Kate, the white spade on the helmet serves to identify that they are with the 506th Infantry Regiment of 101st Airborne Division. The other regiments used diamonds, hearts, and clubs. Colors were used to distinguish each particular Battalion of the 506th. The 1st Battalion used a red spade, the 2nd Battalion used a white spade and the 3rd Battalion used a blue spade.
The Germans were pressing 15 year old boys & younger into action . The US segregated the boys from the men when they were captured . Those camps were referred to as “ The baby cages “
I have thoroughly enjoyed re-watching this series with you. Your responses are spot on with many individual nuances of thought sprinkled in, as no 2 people that I have talked about this series with are the same. Please do not be embarrassed to shed some tears, because I can tell you... everyone who is a fan of this show has several scenes that lead to waterworks every time it is viewed . For me personally, I get choked up when Easy is in the ditch waiting for Winters to throw the smoke canister. But, right before he does, he looks down the line... to his left and to his right. He sees these men. He sees sons, husbands, fathers and so much more. He knows that he is asking these men to sacrifice, and he is in awe. Of course, the train scene hits me too. But as he leaves the train station and the boy stands up next to Winters, I think he understands the bigger picture and what it is all for. Forgive me... I could go on for days about every episode.
Loved reading your thoughts, Christopher. Thanks so much for sharing. It is an important important series.
Bastogne is where the 101 became a legendary unit.
At the beginning the actual veteran was saying that the men had not confidence in one of the leaders ! Then going into battle with little to nowhere near enough ammo. But the one scene where they was joking and clowning around !! I think it would be rather difficult to find that many men with such courage in today’s society !
Thank you for another great reaction ❤. We appreciate you
Great reaction Kate! My Maternal Grandfather served in WWII. He was a clerk under General George S. Patton. This was a well done episode. I cannot fathom what battle felt like for these brave and wonderful guys. The adrenaline, nerves, and just pure survival and instincts that just kick in. Hope you are having a great day, Kate. For a great film regarding our men in uniform, I recommend the 1986 War biopic "The Delta Force". It is "Inspired" from the true story of a June 1985 hijacking of a TWA flight 847 out of Athen's, Greece by terrorists. A great film starring Chuck Norris and Actor and WWII Veteran himself, the late Lee Marvin. Also Stars Robert Forster, Martin Balsam, Shelley Winters and Lainie Kazan. A great film! Alan Silvestri does a fantastic soundtrack for this film.
Recommendation: If you want to watch it, I recommend waiting at least until after episode 9 of this series. There is a subtheme in the film that ties in with the subject matter that encapsulates Episode 9.
Thanks so much for your super comment! That’s incredible your grandfather was a clerk under Patton :D I have heard of him thanks to the market garden episode - and understanding what a terrific leader he was.
Each regiment in the 101st Airborne was represented by a symbol, The 506th was represented by the Spade. This is why it is on their helmets!
Your proper English venacular paints a fresh perspective on this great mini-series. Glad to see you are enjoying this from a Yank perspective. Enjoying your British take on it. More great stuff to follow...Cheers..!
Cheers indeed!! Thanks so much for watching! See you at the next one.
I've always thought that this is the most emotionally complex episode of BOB. The scene where Winters shoots the young German soldier - who couldn't have been more than fifteen, certainly hadn't shaved yet - is haunting. Then it's repeated during the episode at different focal lengths and finally the young French boy on the subway brings it all back to him. When Winters and the boy are standing outside on the train platform the lighting is so dark and somber that it almost feels like film noir. Deftly directed by Tom Hanks.
So far this is my favorite of your reactions, great job and very insightful.
So so true, especially about the nod to noir movies and it was hauntingly sad. Thanks ever so much for watching.
Another thoughtful and heartfelt reaction Kate. Thank you!
Supply issues were common because weapons, uniforms, ammunition etc. was being manufactured in the US and shipped overseas via the Atlantic Ocean. German U boat submarines were on the hunt for supply ships and they had to be escorted by the US Navy. Many of them were sunk by Germany so replenishment was slow going. This is also when the Battle of the Bulge began. It was basically a surprise offensive from Germany that took everyone by surprise as they had been on the retreat. US forces had expected more time to build up more strength and supplies. Getting supplies inland was also an issue with German airpower.
Plus, by this point in the war, the Allies only had one port city with heavy cargo handling equipment available to them: Antwerp in Belgium, which was Hitler's objective in the Battle of the Bulge. After Antwerp was liberated, the "mullberry" artificial harbors in Normandy were scrapped, and with the French Channel ports all sabotaged and the Atlantic ports still in German hands, the logiatics bottleneck was hard for the Germans to resist.
That actor bringing all the ammo to Easy Company (25:29) is Jimmy Fallon.
Here we go 👍 🇺🇸 🎥 Looking forward to your reaction . Winters the MVP , wish I could've had an officer or NCO like Winters in the two branches of the U.S. military I served in.
Well, there's your articulate use of vocabulary that made this reaction video so outstanding . Well done 👍 📹
Thanks ever so much!
Your comments regarding the lenght of the series allowing in depth character development is right on. As you watch further episodes you'll see the seads planted in earlier episodes come into fruitation: for example, LT Dykes, LT Speirs
This is actually the episode where i really started to love the series.
Great review, great episode. Thank you for the commentary, it was very upstanding.
You are never be the same facing those horrors. Getting within an inch of death - i can not relate. And i am thankful for these guys.
I feel the same way as you.
Great reaction Kate! You'll get one of your wishes from the earlier episodes granted in the next episode, unfortunately a very grim series of episodes coming.
The train scene is an accurate reflection of PTSD triggers from unrelated situations, the thing I always point out to people is that Winters was in the midst of and had no escape from multiple chain reaction triggers where one thing triggers another which triggers another which doubles back to retrigger the first and then amplify the third, fourth, etc triggers. The darkness and lights flashing by, the young boy staring at him and smiling, the at the time in Winters' life ridiculous culture/reality clash of the old lady calmly knitting while men were being killed all around her were driving home the gulf of separation that existed between him and these other people. Walking around the town looking for something that doesn't come with a heavy tinge of that divisive tension, looking at Notre Dame and feeling no peace.
He found it in the bath, the hot water that despite how deep the tension was rooted just by nature dissolves it and gives some moments of peace and weightlessness. It would have given him a moment in time where it was just himself, no war or responsibilities and his deep reservoir of spirit and help from God would kick in to recharge and re-center himself which as we see with guys like Buck is not an easy thing to do. The world is full of emotional triggers once life has loaded your ammo clip with trauma. The challenges of the rest of the war and any form that life would take after it can both add and subtract from the burden.
You wanted to read Winter's report. I paused it when it was still on the typewriter. I zoomed in with my laptop and can read almost all of it, so you can too.
That’s cool!! 🔎
When Winters leaves his hand print on the window, it always puts me in mind of the film Castaway. "Wilson" !
🥺🥺 YES!!! 🏐🏝️
Another solid episode. That's a great observation to compare Winters to a proud father, very fitting. Also touching to see you react to Winters' PTSD episode on the train :(
Cool to see the patreon shoutouts in the outro too!
🤠
I’m so pleased you could watch this one with me. Yeah, the train scene was a tough watch. But I’m keen to watch the rest of the episodes now. I think they’ll be hardcore but I’m still up for it. 🤠
Thanks for watching Kate!
12:54 From what I can tell, the White Spade was a symbol for those paratroopers that were part of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) of which Easy company was a part of. Perhaps others here can confirm or expound on this.
Found your channel today, watched, liked and subbed!
That’s just awesome! Thank you, I’m really glad.
During World War II, some U.S. helmets featured a white spade symbol as part of unit insignia or identification markings. The spade symbol was commonly associated with military units, often to signify specific divisions, brigades, or battalions. One of the most notable examples is the 2nd Armored Division, known as "Hell on Wheels," which used a spade symbol to represent its unit.
The spade symbol was also used by other units, such as the 2nd Battalion of certain divisions or other specialized groups. It helped with identification on the battlefield and allowed for easy recognition of soldiers belonging to specific units, which was particularly important during combat.
The Battle of the Bulge was a desperate hour. The 101st was thrown in direct from leave. Their response to the incredible adversity and holding the town of Bastogne (an important road hub key in the heavily forested terrain indeed pre-War the French effectively considered it impassable for Armor units) was a major factor in disrupting and breaking up the German attack. To this day the 600,000 odd American Soldiers involved in the Bulge make it the largest battle for US forces since the first World War...at least.
Hello Kate, thanks for the excellent reaction.
15:48 Tom Hanks has a cameo as one of the British Airborne guys in the crowd.
Well...I never noticed that before! Back left part of the screen, his head quickly gets hidden by the guy in front of him with the cigarette in his right ear, but that definitely is Mr. Hanks. Good eye!
It also looks like they have a lady, in a red beret, making up the numbers as well. There is a guy drinking from a bottle in the top left corner at the point when Hanks becomes visible for 2 seconds, if you look directly below the bottle man, that looks like a lady to me.
The spade on their helmet is the insignia for the 506th regiment, of which Easy was part
The vertical white bar on the back of the helmet signified the person is an officer. Sometimes there would be a horizontal bar which typically meat he was a noncommissioned officer.
It's interesting that this is the only episode that Tom Hanks chose to personally direct. He's also in one scene with the Red Devils ;)
This is why I subscribe to this channel because Kate is so lovely🥰
Oh thank you 🥰
Each of the regiments in the 101st wore a different symbol, 327th Glider Infantry wore a "CLUB", 501st Parachute Infantry wore a "DIAMOND", 502nd Parachute Infantry wore a HEART, and the 506th Parachute Infantry wore the "SPADE".
LOVE THAT! That’s very cool to know.
All the after action reports for these encounters are still maintained in the library at the US Army infantry school.
No way!! Oh thats very cool to know. Their store cupboards must be HUGE lol
Iraq war veteran here, i still see them
💔
@MovieDateWithKate It's been 20 years, but i remember it like yesterday. Me and my brothers and I were at a crossroads, I was so hungry I happened to have a candy bar in my gear and duck around the corner while my comrades talk to the locals to eat it.
They were all distracted when out of nowhere I hea "ALLAH AKBAR" (god is great), my troopers didn't hear him I did and see him running out the building next to me
Our eyes meet, and he is shocked that one of the infidels is so close. The longest 30 seconds of my life happened in that moment. He held something in his hand, the other his AK. Be raises it and evens squeeze a round off, I hear it hit thr wall next to me, but im trained better and faster I draw my rifle and fire three rounds first strikes his arm, the second his lower neck and the last catches his shoulder he crumbles. Even as he struggled to breathe, he still reached for the item he dropped when he saw me, a denotor. I raised my rifle, he was so young, no more than 18 or 19, I fire a shot it took part of his skull off the eye was hanging off the socket.
My comrades finally get to me. My Lt sees what happened and opens his shirt, explosives. He looked at me and said "how you know, did you position yourself and a better tactical angle?" if you didn't see him? we all be dead by now that iam a hero.."
Never felt like one, just lucky and hungry, my candy bar now in the puddle of blood of a young man....I was only 19 too, couldn't even drink on my way to deployment... I look at the door he came out of and I saw a child looking at me, his kid? His brother? Those eyes didn't see a hero, only a monster.
@@MovieDateWithKate No Kate, like Winters before me i did it if for you, I did it for my son and god willing their will be many men who do it for our people.
Been looking forward to this 😊
great reaction as usual Ms. Kate😊
Winters' combat report is very common. The British have been doing it for centuries. I have an ancestor who was a captain on a ship with Francis Drake's fleet, and he fought the Spanish Armada. In my genealogy research, I found a letter he wrote to Lord Walsingham, apologizing for not sending him his action report due to illness.
How incredible is that!!! Absolutely brilliant you've discovered your lineage that far back. Incredible! I'm listening to a good audiobook at the moment about Pirates and Galleons :)
This episode is where the series starts getting really good, next episode is the best!
The bullets firing over head like fireworks are called tracers. Every so many rounds of real bullets a bullet of phosphorus was added, so it could help you direct your aim.
Just incredible!
Hang Tough Kate, the next two episodes get mighty rough. It's a pleasure watching this with you, as always. ❤ from Utah , U.S.A.
Many thanks indeed!
Fun fact, Tom Hanks makes a small cameo in the scene where the Brits are celebrating in the barn. You can see him trying to hide his face from the camera, it’s quite funny
Jimmy Fallon. You were on the right track
Another great reaction beautiful 😍
Excellent review, Kate. The closer to the front the more difficult the supply situaiton.
On top of the regimental identification with the playing card symbols the 101st used - there were also the 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock ticks that would identify which battalion and company a soldier belonged to.
Ex. A 506th guy in say Easy or Fox Co 2nd battalion would have a 6 o'clock tick on the spade whereas a 506th Easy Co 3rd battalion guy would have a 9 o'clock tick on his helmet. Now a 502nd guy from HQ battalion might've had a heart with the 12 o'clock tick.
Hope that makes sense!
Thanks so much :)
@@MovieDateWithKate no problem! happy to pass on any info I can!
Winters is writing an "After Action Report" tells details of what happened and any recommendations for metals for the soldiers. Great reaction and be prepared next few episodes will be tough.♠♥♦♣
Loving the emojis!!
You missed the part where the Lieutenant bringing in the ammo said "Looks like your going to be surrounded." And winters said "We're paratroopers Lieutenant. We're supposed to be surrounded.
"you're", not "your"
Sorry!! I was chatting.
They had no winter clothing because Easy company were slated to go back to England for rest and to rebuild their battalion after heavy losses.
The Germans though started a surprise winter offensive through the forests of Belgium, where they broke through the front lines so Easy company was thrown into the battle with no notice.
That's awesome of you to surmise it for me, thank you :)
Great Job Kate !! Keep it Up
The movie was "Seven Sinners" from 1940.
The Polish guy wasn't forced to fight with the Germans, they volunteered. The SS didn't induct forced labor troops. The spade ♤ signified they were from the 506th PIR. The Diamond 🔹 signified the 501st PIR. The Heart ♥ signified the 502nd PIR. The Club ♧ signified 327th Glider Infantry Regiment...
He wasn't Polish, since the SS didn't have "racially inferior Slavs" Even if they had some German ancestry, they NEVER would have been officers.
@johannesvalterdivizzini1523 Not true. There were was an SS unit made up of Russian. Another of Muslims. Still another of Poles. As for the officers, you are correct. In the early days of the SS, you had to provide your ancestry back several generations to be accepted into their officer training program.
@@johannesvalterdivizzini1523 Not quite true. He was Polish. There were SS units from all over the world, including Poland, the Soviet Union, even some from the Arab countries. The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem was even given a commission because of his work in recruiting Muslims into the SS. At first SS officers had to prove that there weren't any non Aryans for at least 7 generations, but by D-Day they were pretty much taking anyone...
I knew a Tom Hanks directed episode was going to feature an vintage portable typewriter. He collects them. :)
That’s a cool fact! This one was probably his pride & joy haha
As usual Kate rocked it. I would like to recommend the movie "When Trumpets Fade". WW2 movie that shows a more in depth look at the emotional experiences of troops. Thank you Kate, I look forward to your reactions willfully l weekly. 😊
I meant every week at the end. Spellcorrect got me!
That’s so great to know! I’m delighted you’re enjoying them ☺️
Enjoying your journey with Easy Company, Kate. Just an FYI regarding the night action in the beginning, where Winters' platoon attacks the German machine gun position: for each of the tracer bullets you see coming at Winters' men, there are four other bullets between the tracers you don't see.
Ooofff odds of dying were so so high 😟
Another great date!
I’m so glad!
My favorite episode of the series.
I never miss your work. I was right you are now part of Easy you say we all the time not they. ( I am sure I am not the only one that loves that about you ) Keep up the good work my friend and may Gpd bless you.
That’s a really nice message to read, thank you! I didn’t even realise I was doing that but you’re right. 😊
Moe Alley the guy brought in to the barn injured didn’t die. In fact he appears in the interviews. I won’t say which one he is.
After Action Reports are vital to understand battle tactics. Wars change as technology does. Understanding what works and what doesn't is crucial.
Thanks for explaining this. I understand the importance now a lot better :)
Great reaction, as usual!
Well done, Kate. You’re the only reaction person that I watch.
What a huge compliment! Thank you :)