Happy Veterans Day everyone!! THANK YOU to ALL of the Veterans and they sacrifice they made! IN HONOR OF OUR VETS I want to encourage you to share your stories or the stories of your loved ones on this Pinned Comment so we can honor and remember their/your memories! I'll Start: My Grandfather Corporal Frank C, served in the Korean War and got 2 Purple Hearts!! He was shot in the leg and the chest and lived!! BADASS!
@@Mr.LiteMod I remember one Memorial Day he took me to the Yorktown in Charleston, SC. They told us there wasn't any tours planned but we were free to walk around the ship. He gave me a tour better than any of their tour guides could have!
My great uncle was a Marine Raider in WWII! He was on Guadalcanal and received a Navy Cross for his valor in action. After the Raiders were disbanded following victory at Guadalcanal, he rejoined the 1st Marine Regiment of the 1st Marine Division. Teegan, he basically was in the campaigns you saw with the Marines in Call of Duty: World at War. Carlson’s Raiders is what he was a part of and it’s the name of the Xbox achievement you earn after completing the first mission of that game!
Please guys no spoilers, don't ruin it for her. Huge respect to American brothers and sisters who have served. Much love from an old Royal Green Jacket.
I thought exactly the same as you did about "no spoilers". What I see is that the viewers who have already watched BoB are so enthused that they have a hard time controlling themselves. It's like someone telling a little sister or little brother what is in a siblings Christmas package and then warning them not to tell. Even if they don't mean to tell, they are so excited that they blurt out or somehow tell in the end.
Much respect to you brother, from a 24 year USAF Vet. Love my RAF brethren across the Pond. Met a few Green Jackets over in the sandbox, great bunch of fellows.
Capt. Dye has been an actor in multiple movies (Saving Private Ryan and Platoon for sure) as well as being their military advisor. Honestly, the scene in Platoon where he's calling in the air strike wrecks me every. single. time.
Dye plus another Marine Corp Veteran, R Lee Ermey aka "Gunny" like Dye served during Vietnam as a DI. Ermey portrayed Sgt Hartman, bad DI during basic in Full Metal Jacket. Emery did his role as a reversal of DI trained to handle his or now, her recruits.
The best. As simple as that, the best mini-series ever made to this day. Many amazing work out there (Chernobyl, The Pacific, The Queen's Gambit, ...), but let's all agee BoB is just in a league of its own, unequaled to this very day.
US army organization: A squad is 8-12 men and led by a sergeant. A platoon is 3 squads led by a lieutenant and platoon sergeant. A company is 3 platoons led by a captain and first sergeant with an additional weapons platoon with machine guns, mortars and bazookas. A battalion is 3 companies led by a lieutenant colonel. A regiment is 3 battalions led by a colonel.
that's how it was in WW2. the army uses the brigade system of ordering units, now. the Marines still use platoon> company > battalion > regiment > division
My father is a U.S. Army Veteran and a former teacher. He’s retired now. We watched this series when it first aired, together. I will never forget those memories. I love your perspective and insight. The best reactor on TH-cam. I’m being very honest. You actually understand the context and content of the story. Thank you.
This means a lot to me! THANK YOU! Thank you for sharing your memories with your Dad and I thank him for his service! Had to be an unforgettable experience getting to watch this with him!
My Grandfather was a British soldier who fought in North Africa and on D-Day. He loved this series. There are some difficult moments, but I guarantee you won't regret choosing it, this mini-series will live with you for a good many years
@@LiteWeightReactingI love it when younger generations react to THIS series!! Just so cool that you're a history teacher! SO you probably know a lot of the basics of the stories as far as the background goes throughout the series, like the names of the battles and such!! You are correct that the gentlemen that we see at the beginning of just about every episode ARE the actual veterans that lived through what we are going to see throughout the series!! I think it's important to note, even though there's mixed opinions about Stephen Ambrose, who wrote the original book Band of Brothers, even some not-so-good opinions from some of the surviving veterans of EASY company, I think that appreciation should be thrown in Stephen Ambrose's direction for actually finding these veterans, interviewing these veterans, and compiling their memories of the actions that they lived through!! Because without HIS book THIS would never have happened!!! I hope that you will show this to your children when they are old enough to understand it!!!
@@LiteWeightReacting you will love it and grow to love these characters! BoB has been one one of the greatest mini series in television history. After this, you definitely need to check out “The Pacific.”
The entire casting of Band of Brothers went through basic "Basic training" to get ready for the parts and learn the lingo of Military, and it REALLY shows and helps develop this entire HBO show.
While working as an usher at the US OPEN Tennis Tournament the actor who played Winters walked through my gate. I reflexively saluted him. He stopped, gave a little smile and saluted back.
The actor, Damien Lewis, as well as many in the cast, actually have strong English accents. Throws me off when they do an interview, but is a further testament to their acting.
As a Combat Wounded Soldier of 3 deployments in the Iraq Afghanistan war, your reaction is a reminder of wh a t we fight for. Every Veteran appreciates the weight of war and its impacts shown in a person's face, voice reaction. much appreciated! God Bless you And they were calling Cadence
I am a retired Army Veteran, I was in the Army when this showed first aired and was able to meet some of these men prior to the show airing. It was such a privilege to meet them and trust me they are even greater in person. I am 60 years old, have been deployed five times. You’re embarking on one of the most special stories ever made. I appreciate the younger generations being aware of what these incredible men endured and their willingness to do what they did to save the world. I was truly blessed to meet them when I was still in the army and share stories with them. Keep up the good work, love to see your reactions, esp as a history teacher, keep the history alive!
On 11/11/1944, my maternal great-uncle was KIA during an air combat mission in Italy. He first became an uncle when my mom was born in 1942. 1 Lt. Leo W. Rice, 24 years old, Co-pilot, B-24 Liberator, never met his niece before he was killed. Now, 80 years to the very day, you have embarked on a journey with Easy Company that you'll never forget, and I thank you for that. May we never forget the service and sacrifice of those who fought and died for the liberties we enjoy today.
That guy was actual military. Dale Dye (still going at 80) was a Marine in Vietnam, working as one of the few correspondents who saw a lot of action and was decorated. After leaving the military he has been in dozens of films and tv shows (he was in Saving Private Ryan, as the officer advising against Saving Private Ryan!), and he has also worked as an adviser on sets for a lot of military films. He does give off the air of a military man!
Great reaction to a great series. I am a 72 year old Army Veteran. I have watched this series at least once a year ever since it first came out to honor, not only these men who served in Easy Company, but to honor all the men and women who signed their life on the line to serve their country. You are going to need tissues, I can assure you. As many times as I've watched this series, even after all these years, there are still certain episodes that I cannot watch without literally crying like a baby. I mean actual sobbing, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. You're in for an amazing, emotional roller coaster, of a ride with this one. Thank you for this tribute to all of my fellow veterans. God bless you.
For anyone interested, one of the first semi-public previews of this series outside of production crew was done in one of the D-Day museums in Normandy on 06.06.2001. The guests of honor, the real men of Easy Company. Each veteran was escorted on the day by the actor who portrayed him. Source: the DVD extras of the series.
I have to give you credit for picking out the actor playing Colonel Sink as being former military. The actor is Dale Dye a Vietnam Marine veteran. He's been in a few war movies, including "Saving Private Ryan" and is frequent technical advisor for war movies. He put the actors in this series through a mini military training camp so they'd better understand what the men they were portraying had been through.
That boot camp is portrayed in "Ron Livingston's Video Diary". It was included in my copy of the DVD box, but you can also find it here on TH-cam. It's 12 short episodes, each about 5 minutes. I don't think there are any spoilers for the actual mini series in it. It's a lot more lighthearted, maybe something to watch in-between the episodes of the mini series. Or after.
Oh my sweet summer child - you are indeed going to experience an emotional roller coaster with this series. I remember watching this series when it came out and yes, 9/11 was very much at the top of my mind and made the service much more poignant for me. Thank you for honoring veterans and for providing your unique historical perspective. Never stop learning!
Definitely the right call to do one episode per video! Can’t wait for the next episode!! Loved your emphasis on the brotherhood in particular! I knew you wouldn’t let me down haha
03:12 "The song is so pretty...." The theme is called "Requiem for a Soldier", composed by Michael Kamen specifically for "Band of Brothers". It has had many beautiful renditions in the meantime, most notably by Katherine Jenkins, especially her live performance in 2007 at the UK Royal British Legion Festival.
I have never been so excited to see a reactor react to one of the best TV series ever aired. A friggen' History Teacher, it does not get any better. Looking forward to the entire series with you.
My Irish born Grandfather joined the Britih Army early. He served in France and was evaced from Dunkirk. As soon as it became an option he volunteered as a British Army paratrooper, first in the 1st Airborne Division as he jumped into Arnhem and later when the 1st was basically wiped out, he joined the 6 th Airborne Division in time to cross the Rhine with them and ivade Germany. He was among usthe troops who liberated Bergen Belsen concentratiojn camp (where Anne Frank had been murdered) and this led to his lifelong fanatical hatred of Nazis. He ended the war being transferred to the Pacific to prepare for the invasion of Japan. Thankfully this was needed in the end and could go home. His son,, my Dad 29:33 also joined the British Army as a Para from the late 60s to mid 70s.He went through the thuck of the Ulster conflict and had nothing but contempt for the terrorists who targeted civilians while claiming to be fighting for them
Easy Company veterans credited Sobel with making them tough enough to survive the war. However, they are still thankful that they did not have to follow him into battle. A key skill for any military officer is to know when to delegate and when to listen to the advise of your subordinates. Sobel micro managed stuff and did not listen to his NCOs.
Sorry, but it was more than micromanaging as we are shown in the series. Sobel was unable or unwilling to see and fix his own shortcomings, particularly in map reading and compass work, as well as conducting tactical actions in the field. He could train his men with negative energy, but he wasn't able to do the other parts of his job, ie. lead them in the field, the only place where military leadership really matters. Worse yet, it took the NCO rebellion to wake up Colonel Sink to the fact that the man he had put faith in was actually incapable of leading Easy company into and out of combat. Luckily, Sink realized his own error and adjusted things before they went into combat in Normandy. I suggest fans of Band of Brothers should take a look into Sink's probable shortcomings as well and not blame Sobel entirely.
This show not only shaped me as a young man, but as a military member as well. Winters taught me how to conduct myself as a follower as well as a leader. He was the ultimate servant leader. One of the best officers the US military has ever produced
Lite! I just watched through all of your reaction on Patreon! Was already planning to re-up on your Patreon knowing you were going to react to this soon! This is going to be such a worthwhile watch for you and it’s so surreal that my favorite let’s-player for the past 5+ years is watching my favorite series ever! I just wanted to answer some of your queries/bring up a few things: Bill Guarnere’s brother was, in fact, fighting in North Africa during the time you saw him bring it up on the troop ship heading to England in 1943. However, by mid 1944 (when he learns of his brother’s death), the Allied forces had driven out all Axis forces in North Africa, liberated Sicily, and were up into mainland Italy fighting the Germans there. Monte Casino is near Rome and where his brother was killed. You are totally right about Operation Overlord’s incredible scale as well. It remains, BY FAR, the largest and most logistically complicated amphibious invasion in human history. You are correct about the ranking order/hierarchy, also. While Sobel was still assigned to Easy Company, he was company CO (commanding officer), while Winters is the CO of one of the platoons that make up Easy Company. Of course, as you saw, Sobel was transferred out and now the assigned CO of Easy Company is Lt. Meehan. I can’t wait to continue on this series with you! I’m positive there are tons of others like me looking forward to this greatly!
Jake thank you SO much. I appreciate your donation to the channel and being a Patron. Also, really appreciate your insight on the series and all that facts you added. I love how passionate the Band fans are!!! This is going to be so great!
This is an excellent choice for a reaction today. I have family members who had served during WWII who are sadly no longer with us. Watching this series along with you will be an excellent way to honor their memory. To all of the men and women who have served, and who are currently serving, thank you for the sacrifices you have made for our country. 🇺🇸 ❤ 🫡
Band of Brothers and The Pacific are the two best depictions of war and the psychological effects I’ve ever seen. The characters and writing and cinematography and acting….god I could gush about these series for hours. Hope you enjoy!
The moment you realized this series debuted just before 9/11 was eye opening. I was 20 years old in 2001 and I had just joined the U.S. Air Force in 1999. Our country was totally different than it is today. We were all ONE America, there was no divisiveness like there is now. I feel terrible for this new generation who never got the chance to experience the time where we ALL loved America. I'm so glad you decided to react to this amazing series, and I can't wait to see the next one!!
There's half of us who still love America and bring back its glory, and the other half of the country has been brainwashed by the media into hating us and everything about the nation.
Just the into song alone can bring a tear. Absolutely love this series. So well produced, acted and filmed. It deserved all the accolades it's received and more.
Sobel is fairly accurately portrayed according to the book. Later on the men appreciated his training saying he attributed to their success. In 1970 Sobel shot himself in the head in an attempted suicide. The bullet blinded him. He died in 1987 from malnutrition. He was a tragic figure.
The can of peaches and the "adult" magazine were actually legitimate infractions, but undoubtedly, Sobel was looking for anything to berate his men. If those particular infractions were based on events from Easy and not just Hollywood ad lib, then yeah, Sobel had grounds for dismissal of those men for breaking rules. So yes, Sobel meant it verbatim when he said "get rid of him". Sobel was a solid motivator by negative means, but apparently just complete crap in the field, where it all really matters anyway. I guess Sobel was unable or unwilling to improve his own shortcomings, particularly on map work and battlefield tactics. Another thing is, why didn't his superiors understand his limitations and bring it to his attention or did they and we just don't know? Its really all a shame.
@thomast8539 Military commanders often keep incompetent subordinates commanding men for a variety of reasons. Confederate President Jefferson Davis kept the very incompetent General Braxton Bragg on as commander of the Army of Tennessee because they were friends. Speaking of friendships, General Fredendall was placed in command of our forces in Africa by none other than Gen George C. Marshall. Fredendall led the troops in the fiasco called The Battle of Kasserine Pass. He was relieved by Gen. George Patton but was not demoted. Instead he was promoted and placed in charge of the 2nd Army.
I have seen the comments made and I'm not certain that "appreciated" is quite the right word. I had a leader very similar to Sobel when I was in the military. While I was perfectly capable, intellectually, of recognizing that some of ways he had pushed me did pay dividends when I was overseas, I still fucking despise that man, and resent him immensely for not having the capability of preparing me for combat without mentally, physically, and emotionally abusing me. If I saw the man today, drowning, I would throw him a fucking anchor. I consider myself to have succeeded in spite of him, rather than because of him. But, if asked, yes. I would say the things he did helped me get through my deployment. Sobel is indeed a tragic figure, and I'm hesitant to disparage him directly, as I didn't know him personally and don't know EXACTLY what went down, but judging from the overwhelming majority of comments and a bit of reading between the lines (I suspect some of easy company later softened on him, after knowing how his life worked out), I don't think they hold any respect or affection towards the man.
I love your content. Thank you for the shoutout to us Veterans. Not only did I serve in the Marine Corps, but my grandfather served in WW2, amazingly he lived. He was the only one of his initial unit to survive. Silver star, 6 Bronze stars, 3 purple hearts. Sadly he passed many years ago, and there are correlations with Band of Brothers. While he was not in the company, he was in the division and did most of everything you will see.
This is amazing! Thank you for sharing your story and your grandfather stories. Thank your for your service and holy smokes your Grandfather had quite the list of accolades! A legend!
The best mini-series ever made!! Also saw that someone suggested that you should react to "Das Boot" (1981), and I agree. It is one of the best WW2 movies ever made.
Thanks so much for the upload! Like so many who have commented, Band of Brothers is one of my absolute favourites. I'm a current serving Australian Navy officer - 12 years so far. Have been to sea throughout most of the Pacific, and also on operations in the Middle East and Africa. With plenty left to give I hope! As for a few family stories: I have family who served in Korea, WW2, WW1 and in the Boer War. Recently I was able to visit my uncle who is buried at the Menin Gate in Belgium. He was killed a week after arriving at the Somme. My great-grandfather, who had already served in the Boer War and was in his 40s already, was so grief-stricken he insisted on signing up to serve as well. Gratefully for his family, he was told he was too old, and vital to the farming industry, to enlist. Another uncle of mine was captured at Singapore by the Japanese, and ended up working the Thai-Burma railroad before being shipped to Japan on a prison ship. There he was liberated at the end of the war, and spent time in the Allied Occupation Force. And another uncle, a fighter pilot in the RAF, was shot down in North Africa and captured by the Germans who sent him to a POW camp in Austria. He helped some men escape, but ultimately was unsuccessful in his own attempts until being liberated by the Soviets in 1945.
It's so refreshing to see a reactor who actually knows history! Also, you're in for one of the most emotional experiences in all of TV! This episode was just "baby steps" of the emotions you're going to feel! 😮
Hi LiteWeight. Thank you for recognizing the veterans and what we all are / were prepared to sacrifice to keep this country safe. Some of us actually did make that ultimate sacrifice. I'm pleased to hear your grandfather survived his wounds. As for me, I am a former paratrooper like these guys in Band of Brothers, though I never actually went to combat (nearly got sent to Somalia back in '92 but never got the final order to go) and I was in the 82nd Airborne. I was a communications guy and a unit machine gunner. You will love this series. You will laugh, you will cry, you will get scared occasionally, you will get angry occasionally, you will be in awe of them and may even find yourself in disbelief from time to time. But above all, you will grow to love these guys and what they accomplished in the face of near impossible odds. About the interviews with the old men... they'll tell you who's who at the end of the final episode. That was done intentionally by the producers. To that end, when you're done with the series, I would encourage you to watch the "We Stand Alone Together" documentary which is the unofficial 11th episode of Band of Brothers. Buckle up. It's going to be a wild ride.
I love it when a new reactor to Band of Brothers starts the series. Thank you! I, too, taught history... a long, long time ago. I love that you picked up on the respectful salute that the NCOs gave Winters after getting chewed out by Colonel Sink. I find the dichotomy of the salute that Sobel did not return to Winters after being reassigned to Chilton-Foliat quite telling. Currahee!
10:52 so they actually made all the actors go through bootcamp together before filming. They did indeed have to be in shape. Also, love your videos! Good idea for veterans day.
@@LiteWeightReacting…and the company that put them through that “boot camp” was run by Dale Dye, who portrays Col. Sink. Dye was a Marine CO who served in Vietnam. He came home from the military and decided that war movies needed to up their accuracy game. His company has been training actors for tv and movies since the mid-80, starting with, I believe, “Platoon.”
@@bujin1977 yes! @LiteWeightReacting please add it to your list of reactions for after you've finish Episode 10, but first you MUST include your reaction to the unofficial Episode 11, We Stand Alone Together, featuring more of the interviews and actual footage of the real Easy Company. These are the best way to end the series!
Love the reaction, I’m watching this again since my grandpa died at the age of 98. He was WW2 army vet, served in CIB (China, India, Burma) campaign. Then moved to the European theater, because he was fluent in German and a few other languages.
David Schwimmer did such a great job portraying Cpt Sobel that every time I now watch some Friends re-run when Ross is on screen I can't help but expect him to yell: YOU PEOPLE ARE AT THE POSITION OF ATTENTION
There is a little bit of Sobel that one time when Ross pretends like Rachel is shocking him when she tells him that they are over and he pretends to flip out and yells "fine by me"!
I really enjoyed your reaction I love that you're already very intuitive with the characters. I also appreciate your post commentary and how it shows you take note of important dates. As you said, it's adds a whole other layer to this show. Once you're done this series, I recommend listening to the 10 Part Band of Brothers Podcast. A lot of extra context and insight. Anyway...Enjoy the rest of the series!
'The World at War' is a classic (1973) British documentary on WW2 that might be of interest. It's worth a watch for anyone who is interested in the documentation of history, especially because of the raw footage and interviews with eyewitnesses.
@@LiteWeightReacting Sure! I found it very moving and haunting, but essential viewing, especially to complement and balance dramatisations, I think. You might appreciate it all the more with your historical training.
10:56 - The actors were in shape. They were all put thru an actor boot camp, so to speak headed up by Dale Dye.. HBO gave Nixon (Ron Livingston) a camera, and was told to film 'actor boot camp'. The resulting YT video was really interesting. You see during the course of filming, many lost a lot of weight.
I look forward to seeing what you think of this series. I, myself, am a US Navy veteran and served from 2014 to 2019. You see and do things you would never think possible outside of the military, and the brotherhood you experience is something entirely different that you will experience outside of the military. I hope you enjoy this
Active duty Coast Guard member here! Thank you for your kind words and support for veterans and their families. Congratulations on beginning arguably the greatest war series ever created and one of the most awarded and celebrated TV series ever made. You’re in for a ride 🇺🇸 It will change your life. SEMPER PARATUS and God Bless! P.S. NEVER SKIP THE INTRO! (Only intro I’ve never skipped)
I'm former Army Infantry. Captain Sobel was the company commander. Lieutenant Dick Winters was the executive officer (XO) of the company. Lieutenant Nixon was the company's intelligence officer. The ranks of the enlisted go as follows: Private, Private First Class, Corporal, Sergeant, Staff Sergeant, Sergeant First Class, Master Sergeant, First Sergeant, Sergeant Major
So excited. This is one of the most amazing and accurate series ever done. You will remember this for the rest of your life. What I have watched of your channel so far this going to be rough but worth it!
The planes they were being transported on were known as the C47 and the civilian version was the DC3. One of the most useful and well-designed aircraft ever. After the War, the planes became the most flown transcontinental plane for US airlines and a really dominant transport. A design from the 1930's, some are still in use, especially in places where paved runways aren't always available (they could land and take off on dirt runways)
I saw a show 15-20 years ago that had a segment on the passenger plane with the most flight hours in the world, a DC-3. I think it was 90,000 at that time. Still on a regular route, flying passengers. I should dig around and see if she's still flying. I think it was the Marine version of the plane that was designated as C-46.
@@MightyDrakeC That is interesting. Over a thousand hours each year, year after year is a staggering amount of time flown. I am a pilot and would guess that my fifty year old plane at eight thousand hours has the most time on it of any plane that I ever flew in my sixty years as a pilot. That's not even in the same universe as that DC-3 that you mentioned. Thanks.
@ytorwoody Frustrating. I had this all typed up, and TH-cam won't let me include links. It pretends to take it, and then lost it. Let me type it again. *sigh* Even when I obfuscate the link, it fakes accepting it. Okay, fourth try. Fifth try. If your want to see the page, search for "highest-time airframes". Let's see if it'll allow that. That page talks about that DC-3. It was bought by an individual at 91,400 hours and retired from regular service. But, that isn't the max. Several jumbo jets make it past 110k hours, albeit most are converted to cargo, so not all airline time. One person pointed out that TWA 800 was 25 years old with 93k hours. And then there's a 50-yr-old Convair 580 with 143k cycles, still doing three flights a day. He said the math works out to an average of seven landings a day. Let me climb out of this rabbit hole 🙂
My dad, born 1919, was with Patton in North Africa, Sicily, Southern Italy. Drove a 2 1/2 truck, talking guys to the front, bringing wounded back. He NEVER talked about it. Would not.
Veteran here of Gulf War I. Thank you for your shout-out and I think you will fall in love with Band of Brothers. It is one of the best limited series of all-time!
I have watched a lot of reactors to this series, and nobody else could track names like you have in episode one. I couldn’t believe it when you said “I thought his brother was in Africa.” Wow! You are sharp! Also, to address that, the invasion of Italy was launched from Africa.
I watched this with my grandfather who was a WW2 vet (marine). He's gone now but made sure at every opportunity to tell me how much he appreciated that I watched it with him, and how much he loved it. He bought the series on DVD and would make his friends in his nursing home watch it. Also from your post show discussion you weren't sure what to call the "song" being sung while in a march/run. They're called cadences.
I love that I’ve found someone who really puts some interest into our history & actually listens to what these brave people had to say. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to show someone this series or shows similar like this & only to see them basically blow it off. God bless you & God bless America.
Today is a special day for my family in particular my grandad was a marine and fought in the pacific against the Japanese my dad was a marine and fought in desert storm and i am soon on my way to bootcamp to become a marine, i have nothing but the utmost respect for anyone who decides to dawn the uniform and god bless all those who have served and are serving now. Much love from a soon to be marine.
I missed it when you uploaded this episode initially, so glad it’s back up. My grandpa was a paratrooper in WWII, trained at Fort Benning and Camp Mackall but he served in Italy, southern France, and Belgium. He passed away three years before the show came out in 1998 and I never knew about his service until a year after that. Considering when the show came out, this was a strangely comforting show and still is, because it helped connect me back to him despite everything happening in the world…it also connected my dad and I, with a shared interest in military history, that still exists to this day. As a history hound and history lover, thank you for diving in to this show!
The guy that seems like actual military is Dale Dye and he is actual military, a marine from Vietnam that worked as a technical advisor for Platoon and ended up getting his first role in that film. Since then he's been in tons of movies.
@@LiteWeightReacting He had previously worked with the show's producers, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, in the samke capacity (as both technical advisor AND a supporting actor) on Saving Private Ryan, so it was a no-brainer for them to trust him with making the show as realistic as possible, as well as working with and training the cast to make them come across as REAL soldiers.
I loved both your emotional reaction as well as your measured perspective on the humanity behind this particular historical event. Hearing from the actual veterans truly set this series apart. I've watched it countless times since its debut and always enjoy watching a younger generation's reaction. I look forward to seeing and hearing your reactions on future episodes. Subscribed!
At the end of the episode, the paratroopers begin loading onto the airplanes for their flight into battle. The planes that carried the paratroopers from England to Normandy were C-47s. There were slightly more than 800 of them that went over for the first lift. During the war, there were thousands built. After the war, many were used by civilian companies until they were good only for scrap metal. A few years ago, as one was being prepared to be scrapped, it was discovered to be "That's All Brother". That's All Brother was the actual C-47 that led all of the others to Normandy. Once that was confirmed, the CAF (Commemorative Air Force) purchased it and completely refurbished it back to its configuration on June 6, 1944. That's All Brother can be seen at air shows now. What a remarkable coincidence that it was found almost eighty years after WWII and in time to be restored.
@@rccola5167 We, on the ground, actually loved the C-47s that carried the mini-guns. Spooky was awesome, especially at night when it resembled "death's garden hose".
@@davechaney1452 The first time that I watched the series, I was aware of the CGI, but after watching a few reactions, they've simply become part of the whole for me.
It’s so interesting you made that comment at 19:00 because the man you were talking about is Captain Dale Dye. He’s actually a decorated Vietnam War veteran who served in the United States Marine Corps from 1964 to 1984. After retiring from the Marines, Dye founded “Warriors, Inc.” The company specializes in training actors in war films to portray their roles realistically, and provides research, planning, staging and on-set consultation for directors and other film-production personnel. His company is the top military consultant to Hollywood. This explains why Band of Brothers is so realistic in portraying the military. In this series, Dye got to portray Colonel Robert Sink, the commanding officer of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. (25:22) Guarnere’s brother Henry was serving as a medic in North Africa with the U.S. 1st Armored Division by the time Easy Company was shipped off to Europe in September 1943. After Africa had been liberated, the 1st Armored Division fought its way up Italy while Easy Company was training in England in preparation for D-Day. Monte Cassino was one of the fiercest and bloodiest battles of the Italian Campaign. While the Allies did emerge victorious and captured Rome, the fighting in Italy was soon overshadowed by the D-Day landings. While one might resent him, it’s also reasonable to feel sympathetic for Herbert Sobel. He was renowned for being an extremely strict and harsh disciplinarian. He was intensely disliked by the men of Easy Company who saw him as a petty and domineering tyrant. At the same time they credited his training for getting them in top physical condition, which was critical to them becoming an elite unit. It actually helped many of these men survive the war. While his harsh tactics in training proved effective in forging highly disciplined paratroopers, his tactical abilities in the field were poor. Richard Winters privately held concerns over Captain Sobel’s ability to lead the company in combat for quite some time. He took exception to Sobel’s “desire to lead by fear rather than example.” The men came to respect Winters for his skill and leadership. It’s believed that Captain Sobel felt that Lieutenant Winters threatened his leadership of Easy Company, so he brought him up on trumped up charges for failing to carry out conflicting orders regarding latrine inspection. Ironically Captain Sobel did end up parachuting into Normandy on D-Day with the 101st Airborne Division as commander of the 506th’s Service Company. He and four other men were credited with destroying a German machine gun nest. He would spend the rest of the war as a staff officer with the 506th. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel, and went on to have three children. His son Michael said that he was a good and loving father. In 1970, Sobel tragically attempted to commit suicide by shooting himself in the temple with a pistol. The bullet severed his optical nerves, leaving him blind. He spent the next 17 years at a VA assisted-living facility in Waukegan, Illinois, where he died on September 30, 1987.
IT'S BACK!!!!! My daughter wanted to watch your reaction after I mentioned your channel. She saved to watch later and wondered where it went. I told her that TH-cam got its knickers in a twist and it would be back.
Great reactions to this superb piece of television. Amazing to see SO many famous faces in this show. And fantastic to see SO many British actors portraying real Americans, with such skill and respect.
This is easily the greatest mini-series ever made. I binge watch it every veterans day while looking through my grandfather's things. He was a sergeant in the 29th infantry division, 116th infantry regiment, company k and was in the 3rd wave to land on Omaha beach. He was wounded in Brest France in August of 44, healed up in England, returned to his men, and stayed for the remainder of the war. He came home in '45. I have boxes and boxes of his things from the war. Watching this while remembering my grandfather is a ritual I enjoy every year.
I own the old DVD box set and have re-watched this series every year since it's release on HBO back in the day. Its so great, and such a wonderful memorial / tribute to all those who gave some, and to all those who gave all. Get the tissues ready. Make a note for watching the follow up interviews and documentaries on the making of this series after you finish it. All are great to watch and hear the real stories from the heros. ... Also, in your post discussion, you were wondering what they call the marching. It's a "cadence call", or just cadence. It a method to keep the pace of the troops synchronized and in formation. I've also heard from some that it would become hypnotic and take your mind away from the stress of the march on your joints and blisters.
2:23 -- RE: "I loved that [opening with veteran interviews ]..."; A: Good! There's lots more of those to look forward to, and by the end, you won't even care that they haven't been explicitly identified. You'll know them all by the end of the series. It is utterly incredible how much care and effort this production put into linking the acting talent with the veterans themselves.
I am glad to see that a young teacher like you is understanding about what happened, the sacrifice and honor. I was very fortunate to have known & spent time w/ my grandpa who was at pearl harbor 12/7/1941 and Guadalcanal. To hear some of the stories from WW2 & what they gave for our freedom. God Bless our Veterans!
I really enjoyed this reaction, i hope you love this enough to continue on to The Pacific and Masters of the Air (which just came out this year). 2:29 yes and about 75-80% of this is 100% accurate, the rest are either situations or stories exaggerated, tappered down versions of what happened (because ehat actually happened is unbelievable), or they make it up to go along with the theme of the episode. 4:53 yes him and several big actors now are littered throughout this show.
This show is 100% true and 99% accurate! They only changed the chronology of one or two things in the entire 10 episodes to fit with a mini series narrative, and they got maybe 2 or 3 things factually wrong, since this show came from a book written by Stephen Ambrose of whom wrote it based on everyone's recollections and memoirs. Some of those recollections weren't 100% fully accurate but were VERY close! I won't spoil anything, but will look forward to every episode. It's unfortunate I'll have to wait a week for every episode's reaction! I wish it was only 2 or 3 days max!
Yes! I am so thrilled to see this pop up, especially considering your affinity for history. Add to that your genuine empathy, pleasant countenance & beautiful soul that is a gift from God. As a 24 year veteran, this is a fitting start on Veterans Day. These men of that Greatest Generation are my heroes. My grandfather, three great uncles fought in WWII & I grew up just enamored by their stories, even though few were actually on their service. (Might I suggest, while we start this journey, reacting to "The Best Years of Our Lives"...I think it would be the perfect companion to this fantastic series. As we say in the South, you're a peach. 😊
Im very excited and thankful to see this being covered on the channel, especially with your background as a history teacher. This series has always had a special place in my heart due to my having immense respect for soldiers that have served, and of all nations (with the obvious exceptions), and how by the shows end you get shown that things arent always black and white. I unfortunately dont have any stories to tell about family members serving. The only one who did was my Step-Grandfather who saw little to no action, but served on transport ships between Scotland, England and France. Its quite possible he may have been close to action given the area, but if he did either nobody asked him or he either never spoke about it.
Also, its great that you pretty quickly put it together that the elder men at the beginning are at least veterans of the war themselves. So I get to say that, another reason this show is so great is BECAUSE of the veterans telling their experiences. As it stands, there are only around 20 people left alive that had served during the war, and each of them are in their late 90s or early 100's. That presents a sobering thought that within the next 10-15 years, we are going to live in a world that has no living memory left of the war. So having this show with the veterans themselves is a very special thing because we wont be able to do make something like this ever again. Also also (last one i promise), some years ago, there was something started called the Currahee Cleanup project. As it turned out, over the decades following the war, the Currahee mountaintop turned into a getaway from young people, who went up for various teenage reasons. As a result, the place had been littered with trash, refuse, cigarette butts, you name it it was dumped up there. The rock faces had also been defaced with a lot of graffiti, and carvings. Its been a longhaul, and they are still currently cleaning it up as best they can and have made huge milestones, but the damage done is pretty extensive and likely will never fully be removed. Im neither American nor ever been there, but as said i have immense respect for these men, so the idea that a place thats so significant and popularized largely due to this show, was defaced so badly and in a way sort of like spitting in the faces of all the men who trained there made/makes my blood boil.
Having actual veterans at the start of each episode was genius. It gives context to what each episode is about. These guys were so bonded that they had yearly reunions for the rest of the lives. The actors who portray them also now have regular reunions (and half of them are from the UK) - the series bonded them as well.
I'm happy to see that you're reacting to this amazing show! I recommend The Pacific afterwards, which is a 10 episode show, just like Band of Brothers. 💙
Great observation about the difference between Sobel and Winters. It's the difference between a "boss" and a "leader" -- one uses his power to push people around, the other inspires people to follow him.
Subbed! FYI, the Battle of Monte Cassino, which was like 4 military assaults by the Allies in Italy, lasted from January to May of 1944. Henry Guarnere's unit probably moved on from North Africa to Italy in that invasion. Henry was actually killed in action on Jan 6, 1944 in Lazio, Italy. According to the Find A Grave website Henry Guarnere is buried in the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial. Henry Guarnere was a Medical Corpsman, he was awarded a Silver Star for his actions in care of his wounded Love your reactions
Love your reaction and thank you for reacting to it. This series will change your life and it's the reason why people re-watch it every year - including me.
Excellent beginning to what will be an excellent series! Really looking forward to your thoughts as this moves along. At 8:00 where he tells them not to help the guy struggling with the run and you said, "Don't you want to help your brothers." I saw a video on TH-cam in which a real Army Drill Sergeant rates the portrayals of boot camps in movies and he saw that scene and said you would want to train them to not leave anyone behind.
Brilliant reaction. Your assessment of this actions gravity, and your attention to the nuance of these characters portraying very real people was gratifying. I've watched many reactors and enjoyed yours a great deal. I appreciate that your a history teacher and have such firm grip on this history in particular.
You are about to embark on the single greatest story of these brave men, and the horrors of war that they each went through, but theough it all the story of how they became brothers. It's one of the most eye opening works of television, and by the end of it I guarantee you, yourself will feel like a member of Easy company, 506th airborne infantry.
That final scene is so good. Winters keeps it nice and short, then looks each man in the eyes as he helps them up. Them knowing the next time their feet touch ground it will be in combat. They are so nervous that guys are slipping trying to to get into the plane. It’s incredibly well done.
I’m so over the moon that you’re watching this. One of, if not the single greatest television show I have ever had the privilege to watch. Brace yourself..
Happy Veterans Day everyone!! THANK YOU to ALL of the Veterans and they sacrifice they made!
IN HONOR OF OUR VETS I want to encourage you to share your stories or the stories of your loved ones on this Pinned Comment so we can honor and remember their/your memories!
I'll Start: My Grandfather Corporal Frank C, served in the Korean War and got 2 Purple Hearts!! He was shot in the leg and the chest and lived!! BADASS!
My grandfather was in the Navy during the Korean War. He was on the Yorktown aircraft carrier. He passed away this past April at the age of 89.
@@TeeZee22dude that’s so cool!!
@@Mr.LiteMod I remember one Memorial Day he took me to the Yorktown in Charleston, SC. They told us there wasn't any tours planned but we were free to walk around the ship. He gave me a tour better than any of their tour guides could have!
My great uncle was a Marine Raider in WWII! He was on Guadalcanal and received a Navy Cross for his valor in action. After the Raiders were disbanded following victory at Guadalcanal, he rejoined the 1st Marine Regiment of the 1st Marine Division. Teegan, he basically was in the campaigns you saw with the Marines in Call of Duty: World at War. Carlson’s Raiders is what he was a part of and it’s the name of the Xbox achievement you earn after completing the first mission of that game!
@@TeeZee22this is why I love TH-cam. What a cool story! That had to be so amazing.
Please guys no spoilers, don't ruin it for her. Huge respect to American brothers and sisters who have served. Much love from an old Royal Green Jacket.
I thought exactly the same as you did about "no spoilers". What I see is that the viewers who have already watched BoB are so enthused that they have a hard time controlling themselves. It's like someone telling a little sister or little brother what is in a siblings Christmas package and then warning them not to tell. Even if they don't mean to tell, they are so excited that they blurt out or somehow tell in the end.
Yes, please! Thank you, Beaker!
Much respect to you brother, from a 24 year USAF Vet. Love my RAF brethren across the Pond. Met a few Green Jackets over in the sandbox, great bunch of fellows.
I'm hoping she has enough sense to pre-record and upload after she's safe from spoilers. She'd be crazy not to
America wins
The actor who you said "seems like actual military" is decorated Marine Corp veteran, turned actor Capt. Dale Dye
Capt. Dye has been an actor in multiple movies (Saving Private Ryan and Platoon for sure) as well as being their military advisor. Honestly, the scene in Platoon where he's calling in the air strike wrecks me every. single. time.
Dye has trained many actors over several decades for military movies(including Platoon and Saving Private Ryan).
Dye was also the military advisor for this show. He also commanded the boot camp the actors had to go through before filming.
Dye plus another Marine Corp Veteran, R Lee Ermey aka "Gunny" like Dye served during Vietnam as a DI. Ermey portrayed Sgt Hartman, bad DI during basic in Full Metal Jacket. Emery did his role as a reversal of DI trained to handle his or now, her recruits.
Tremendous! What a legend!
Oh boy... here we go! One of the best(the best?) mini-series ever made.
Agree...the only other series as good is "Lonesome Dove".
The best. As simple as that, the best mini-series ever made to this day.
Many amazing work out there (Chernobyl, The Pacific, The Queen's Gambit, ...), but let's all agee BoB is just in a league of its own, unequaled to this very day.
The BEST
Can’t wait to see all of it!!
100% agree the best
US army organization:
A squad is 8-12 men and led by a sergeant.
A platoon is 3 squads led by a lieutenant and platoon sergeant.
A company is 3 platoons led by a captain and first sergeant with an additional weapons platoon with machine guns, mortars and bazookas.
A battalion is 3 companies led by a lieutenant colonel.
A regiment is 3 battalions led by a colonel.
that's how it was in WW2. the army uses the brigade system of ordering units, now. the Marines still use platoon> company > battalion > regiment > division
@@TheRedStateBlueYep. Trying to match the info with the time period.
This is so helpful thanks!!
@@LiteWeightReactingkeep in mind that this is a quick and dirty breakdown and is what they’re SUPPOSED to have.
Oh you got the numbers!
My father is a U.S. Army Veteran and a former teacher. He’s retired now. We watched this series when it first aired, together. I will never forget those memories. I love your perspective and insight. The best reactor on TH-cam. I’m being very honest. You actually understand the context and content of the story. Thank you.
This means a lot to me! THANK YOU!
Thank you for sharing your memories with your Dad and I thank him for his service! Had to be an unforgettable experience getting to watch this with him!
My Grandfather was a British soldier who fought in North Africa and on D-Day. He loved this series. There are some difficult moments, but I guarantee you won't regret choosing it, this mini-series will live with you for a good many years
Thanks for sharing your grandfathers story Ian! I appreciate him and you!!
It’s honestly refreshing watching a reactions like yours because I know you have a have a familiar understanding of history.
100% AGREE!!!
Thank you so much Resin!!
Your channel has quickly become one of my top 3 favourite reaction channels. You’re in for an amazing ride with Band of Brothers
This makes me so happy! Cannot wait to watch more with you!!
fresh box of kleenex required
This series will change you 👍. Thanks for your interest in history.
@@LiteWeightReactingI love it when younger generations react to THIS series!! Just so cool that you're a history teacher! SO you probably know a lot of the basics of the stories as far as the background goes throughout the series, like the names of the battles and such!!
You are correct that the gentlemen that we see at the beginning of just about every episode ARE the actual veterans that lived through what we are going to see throughout the series!!
I think it's important to note, even though there's mixed opinions about Stephen Ambrose, who wrote the original book Band of Brothers, even some not-so-good opinions from some of the surviving veterans of EASY company, I think that appreciation should be thrown in Stephen Ambrose's direction for actually finding these veterans, interviewing these veterans, and compiling their memories of the actions that they lived through!!
Because without HIS book THIS would never have happened!!!
I hope that you will show this to your children when they are old enough to understand it!!!
@@LiteWeightReacting you will love it and grow to love these characters! BoB has been one one of the greatest mini series in television history. After this, you definitely need to check out “The Pacific.”
The entire casting of Band of Brothers went through basic "Basic training" to get ready for the parts and learn the lingo of Military, and it REALLY shows and helps develop this entire HBO show.
While working as an usher at the US OPEN Tennis Tournament the actor who played Winters walked through my gate. I reflexively saluted him. He stopped, gave a little smile and saluted back.
FUCKING LEGENDARY STORY!!!
The actor, Damien Lewis, as well as many in the cast, actually have strong English accents. Throws me off when they do an interview, but is a further testament to their acting.
As a Combat Wounded Soldier of 3 deployments in the Iraq Afghanistan war, your reaction is a reminder of wh a t we fight for. Every Veteran appreciates the weight of war and its impacts shown in a person's face, voice reaction. much appreciated!
God Bless you
And they were calling Cadence
I am a retired Army Veteran, I was in the Army when this showed first aired and was able to meet some of these men prior to the show airing. It was such a privilege to meet them and trust me they are even greater in person. I am 60 years old, have been deployed five times. You’re embarking on one of the most special stories ever made. I appreciate the younger generations being aware of what these incredible men endured and their willingness to do what they did to save the world. I was truly blessed to meet them when I was still in the army and share stories with them. Keep up the good work, love to see your reactions, esp as a history teacher, keep the history alive!
On 11/11/1944, my maternal great-uncle was KIA during an air combat mission in Italy. He first became an uncle when my mom was born in 1942. 1 Lt. Leo W. Rice, 24 years old, Co-pilot, B-24 Liberator, never met his niece before he was killed. Now, 80 years to the very day, you have embarked on a journey with Easy Company that you'll never forget, and I thank you for that. May we never forget the service and sacrifice of those who fought and died for the liberties we enjoy today.
That guy was actual military. Dale Dye (still going at 80) was a Marine in Vietnam, working as one of the few correspondents who saw a lot of action and was decorated. After leaving the military he has been in dozens of films and tv shows (he was in Saving Private Ryan, as the officer advising against Saving Private Ryan!), and he has also worked as an adviser on sets for a lot of military films. He does give off the air of a military man!
Wait he’s still serving??
@ no, he left the military a long time back, he’s still alive though!
Great reaction to a great series. I am a 72 year old Army Veteran. I have watched this series at least once a year ever since it first came out to honor, not only these men who served in Easy Company, but to honor all the men and women who signed their life on the line to serve their country. You are going to need tissues, I can assure you. As many times as I've watched this series, even after all these years, there are still certain episodes that I cannot watch without literally crying like a baby. I mean actual sobbing, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. You're in for an amazing, emotional roller coaster, of a ride with this one. Thank you for this tribute to all of my fellow veterans. God bless you.
For anyone interested, one of the first semi-public previews of this series outside of production crew was done in one of the D-Day museums in Normandy on 06.06.2001. The guests of honor, the real men of Easy Company. Each veteran was escorted on the day by the actor who portrayed him. Source: the DVD extras of the series.
I have to give you credit for picking out the actor playing Colonel Sink as being former military. The actor is Dale Dye a Vietnam Marine veteran. He's been in a few war movies, including "Saving Private Ryan" and is frequent technical advisor for war movies. He put the actors in this series through a mini military training camp so they'd better understand what the men they were portraying had been through.
Mustang officer who retired as a captain after 21 years in the Corps...
That boot camp is portrayed in "Ron Livingston's Video Diary". It was included in my copy of the DVD box, but you can also find it here on TH-cam. It's 12 short episodes, each about 5 minutes. I don't think there are any spoilers for the actual mini series in it. It's a lot more lighthearted, maybe something to watch in-between the episodes of the mini series. Or after.
"He's been in a few war movies, including "Saving Private Ryan" and..."
I believe 'Platoon' was the first movie he was involved with.
@@randallshaw9609 Yeah and except for BoB probably his biggest role.
Oh my sweet summer child - you are indeed going to experience an emotional roller coaster with this series. I remember watching this series when it came out and yes, 9/11 was very much at the top of my mind and made the service much more poignant for me. Thank you for honoring veterans and for providing your unique historical perspective. Never stop learning!
Thank you so much for the donation Robert!!! I appreciates your support on the channel! 😊
@@LiteWeightReacting No doubt, now a Winters child, as we all are! Currahee!
12:05 He wasn't kicked out for having a can of peaches he was kicked out for stealing from the mess hall.
Definitely the right call to do one episode per video!
Can’t wait for the next episode!! Loved your emphasis on the brotherhood in particular!
I knew you wouldn’t let me down haha
Yes next episode will be the video of videos 😢
@@LiteWeightReacting i waiting allready
Will interesting ep 5,6,9@@mikaelnotkonen
The actors also still meet nowadays for Bob even after over 20 years since it was made
@@LiteWeightReacting Saw what you did there. Nice.
03:12 "The song is so pretty...." The theme is called "Requiem for a Soldier", composed by Michael Kamen specifically for "Band of Brothers". It has had many beautiful renditions in the meantime, most notably by Katherine Jenkins, especially her live performance in 2007 at the UK Royal British Legion Festival.
Oh man. The time has come. Buckle up Lite.
Seatbelt! Check!!!
Episode 9
I have never been so excited to see a reactor react to one of the best TV series ever aired. A friggen' History Teacher, it does not get any better. Looking forward to the entire series with you.
My Irish born Grandfather joined the Britih Army early. He served in France and was evaced from Dunkirk. As soon as it became an option he volunteered as a British Army paratrooper, first in the 1st Airborne Division as he jumped into Arnhem and later when the 1st was basically wiped out, he joined the 6 th Airborne Division in time to cross the Rhine with them and ivade Germany. He was among usthe troops who liberated Bergen Belsen concentratiojn camp (where Anne Frank had been murdered) and this led to his lifelong fanatical hatred of Nazis. He ended the war being transferred to the Pacific to prepare for the invasion of Japan. Thankfully this was needed in the end and could go home. His son,, my Dad 29:33 also joined the British Army as a Para from the late 60s to mid 70s.He went through the thuck of the Ulster conflict and had nothing but contempt for the terrorists who targeted civilians while claiming to be fighting for them
Easy Company veterans credited Sobel with making them tough enough to survive the war. However, they are still thankful that they did not have to follow him into battle. A key skill for any military officer is to know when to delegate and when to listen to the advise of your subordinates. Sobel micro managed stuff and did not listen to his NCOs.
Sorry, but it was more than micromanaging as we are shown in the series. Sobel was unable or unwilling to see and fix his own shortcomings, particularly in map reading and compass work, as well as conducting tactical actions in the field. He could train his men with negative energy, but he wasn't able to do the other parts of his job, ie. lead them in the field, the only place where military leadership really matters.
Worse yet, it took the NCO rebellion to wake up Colonel Sink to the fact that the man he had put faith in was actually incapable of leading Easy company into and out of combat. Luckily, Sink realized his own error and adjusted things before they went into combat in Normandy. I suggest fans of Band of Brothers should take a look into Sink's probable shortcomings as well and not blame Sobel entirely.
This sums it up perfectly!!
This show not only shaped me as a young man, but as a military member as well. Winters taught me how to conduct myself as a follower as well as a leader. He was the ultimate servant leader. One of the best officers the US military has ever produced
I would follow a leader like Winters in combat any time
Lite! I just watched through all of your reaction on Patreon! Was already planning to re-up on your Patreon knowing you were going to react to this soon! This is going to be such a worthwhile watch for you and it’s so surreal that my favorite let’s-player for the past 5+ years is watching my favorite series ever!
I just wanted to answer some of your queries/bring up a few things:
Bill Guarnere’s brother was, in fact, fighting in North Africa during the time you saw him bring it up on the troop ship heading to England in 1943. However, by mid 1944 (when he learns of his brother’s death), the Allied forces had driven out all Axis forces in North Africa, liberated Sicily, and were up into mainland Italy fighting the Germans there. Monte Casino is near Rome and where his brother was killed.
You are totally right about Operation Overlord’s incredible scale as well. It remains, BY FAR, the largest and most logistically complicated amphibious invasion in human history.
You are correct about the ranking order/hierarchy, also. While Sobel was still assigned to Easy Company, he was company CO (commanding officer), while Winters is the CO of one of the platoons that make up Easy Company. Of course, as you saw, Sobel was transferred out and now the assigned CO of Easy Company is Lt. Meehan.
I can’t wait to continue on this series with you! I’m positive there are tons of others like me looking forward to this greatly!
Jake thank you SO much. I appreciate your donation to the channel and being a Patron.
Also, really appreciate your insight on the series and all that facts you added. I love how passionate the Band fans are!!! This is going to be so great!
This is an excellent choice for a reaction today. I have family members who had served during WWII who are sadly no longer with us. Watching this series along with you will be an excellent way to honor their memory. To all of the men and women who have served, and who are currently serving, thank you for the sacrifices you have made for our country. 🇺🇸 ❤ 🫡
Dan!!! Thanks for the donation.
Thank you for sharing your family members story! I hope you enjoy the journey!
@ You’re channel is well worth the donation 💯
Band of Brothers and The Pacific are the two best depictions of war and the psychological effects I’ve ever seen. The characters and writing and cinematography and acting….god I could gush about these series for hours. Hope you enjoy!
The moment you realized this series debuted just before 9/11 was eye opening. I was 20 years old in 2001 and I had just joined the U.S. Air Force in 1999. Our country was totally different than it is today. We were all ONE America, there was no divisiveness like there is now. I feel terrible for this new generation who never got the chance to experience the time where we ALL loved America. I'm so glad you decided to react to this amazing series, and I can't wait to see the next one!!
There's half of us who still love America and bring back its glory, and the other half of the country has been brainwashed by the media into hating us and everything about the nation.
Just the into song alone can bring a tear. Absolutely love this series. So well produced, acted and filmed. It deserved all the accolades it's received and more.
Sobel is fairly accurately portrayed according to the book. Later on the men appreciated his training saying he attributed to their success. In 1970 Sobel shot himself in the head in an attempted suicide. The bullet blinded him. He died in 1987 from malnutrition. He was a tragic figure.
The can of peaches and the "adult" magazine were actually legitimate infractions, but undoubtedly, Sobel was looking for anything to berate his men. If those particular infractions were based on events from Easy and not just Hollywood ad lib, then yeah, Sobel had grounds for dismissal of those men for breaking rules. So yes, Sobel meant it verbatim when he said "get rid of him".
Sobel was a solid motivator by negative means, but apparently just complete crap in the field, where it all really matters anyway. I guess Sobel was unable or unwilling to improve his own shortcomings, particularly on map work and battlefield tactics. Another thing is, why didn't his superiors understand his limitations and bring it to his attention or did they and we just don't know? Its really all a shame.
@thomast8539 Military commanders often keep incompetent subordinates commanding men for a variety of reasons. Confederate President Jefferson Davis kept the very incompetent General Braxton Bragg on as commander of the Army of Tennessee because they were friends. Speaking of friendships, General Fredendall was placed in command of our forces in Africa by none other than Gen George C. Marshall. Fredendall led the troops in the fiasco called The Battle of Kasserine Pass. He was relieved by Gen. George Patton but was not demoted. Instead he was promoted and placed in charge of the 2nd Army.
Yeah, it's easy to hate him in the show. When you dig into his life, it was, as you said, tragic.
Ugh what an awful way to go!
I have seen the comments made and I'm not certain that "appreciated" is quite the right word. I had a leader very similar to Sobel when I was in the military. While I was perfectly capable, intellectually, of recognizing that some of ways he had pushed me did pay dividends when I was overseas, I still fucking despise that man, and resent him immensely for not having the capability of preparing me for combat without mentally, physically, and emotionally abusing me. If I saw the man today, drowning, I would throw him a fucking anchor. I consider myself to have succeeded in spite of him, rather than because of him. But, if asked, yes. I would say the things he did helped me get through my deployment.
Sobel is indeed a tragic figure, and I'm hesitant to disparage him directly, as I didn't know him personally and don't know EXACTLY what went down, but judging from the overwhelming majority of comments and a bit of reading between the lines (I suspect some of easy company later softened on him, after knowing how his life worked out), I don't think they hold any respect or affection towards the man.
This series should be required viewing for every high school student. I've watched it more than 20 times - it's that impactful
24:43 I love how Nixon's upper class upbringing & his Yale pedigree is subtly shown by his French pronunciation as well
So great watching a history teacher watch this. I'm here for it, thanks for your efforts and reaction.
I love your content. Thank you for the shoutout to us Veterans. Not only did I serve in the Marine Corps, but my grandfather served in WW2, amazingly he lived. He was the only one of his initial unit to survive. Silver star, 6 Bronze stars, 3 purple hearts. Sadly he passed many years ago, and there are correlations with Band of Brothers. While he was not in the company, he was in the division and did most of everything you will see.
This is amazing! Thank you for sharing your story and your grandfather stories.
Thank your for your service and holy smokes your Grandfather had quite the list of accolades! A legend!
the series are so well done this is a quality masterpiece and possibly one of the best i've ever seen!
This first episode was so strong! Can’t wait to keep watching!
The best mini-series ever made!! Also saw that someone suggested that you should react to "Das Boot" (1981), and I agree. It is one of the best WW2 movies ever made.
Thanks so much for the upload! Like so many who have commented, Band of Brothers is one of my absolute favourites.
I'm a current serving Australian Navy officer - 12 years so far. Have been to sea throughout most of the Pacific, and also on operations in the Middle East and Africa. With plenty left to give I hope!
As for a few family stories: I have family who served in Korea, WW2, WW1 and in the Boer War. Recently I was able to visit my uncle who is buried at the Menin Gate in Belgium. He was killed a week after arriving at the Somme. My great-grandfather, who had already served in the Boer War and was in his 40s already, was so grief-stricken he insisted on signing up to serve as well. Gratefully for his family, he was told he was too old, and vital to the farming industry, to enlist.
Another uncle of mine was captured at Singapore by the Japanese, and ended up working the Thai-Burma railroad before being shipped to Japan on a prison ship. There he was liberated at the end of the war, and spent time in the Allied Occupation Force.
And another uncle, a fighter pilot in the RAF, was shot down in North Africa and captured by the Germans who sent him to a POW camp in Austria. He helped some men escape, but ultimately was unsuccessful in his own attempts until being liberated by the Soviets in 1945.
It's so refreshing to see a reactor who actually knows history! Also, you're in for one of the most emotional experiences in all of TV! This episode was just "baby steps" of the emotions you're going to feel! 😮
Hi LiteWeight. Thank you for recognizing the veterans and what we all are / were prepared to sacrifice to keep this country safe. Some of us actually did make that ultimate sacrifice. I'm pleased to hear your grandfather survived his wounds. As for me, I am a former paratrooper like these guys in Band of Brothers, though I never actually went to combat (nearly got sent to Somalia back in '92 but never got the final order to go) and I was in the 82nd Airborne. I was a communications guy and a unit machine gunner.
You will love this series. You will laugh, you will cry, you will get scared occasionally, you will get angry occasionally, you will be in awe of them and may even find yourself in disbelief from time to time. But above all, you will grow to love these guys and what they accomplished in the face of near impossible odds.
About the interviews with the old men... they'll tell you who's who at the end of the final episode. That was done intentionally by the producers. To that end, when you're done with the series, I would encourage you to watch the "We Stand Alone Together" documentary which is the unofficial 11th episode of Band of Brothers. Buckle up. It's going to be a wild ride.
I love it when a new reactor to Band of Brothers starts the series. Thank you! I, too, taught history... a long, long time ago. I love that you picked up on the respectful salute that the NCOs gave Winters after getting chewed out by Colonel Sink. I find the dichotomy of the salute that Sobel did not return to Winters after being reassigned to Chilton-Foliat quite telling. Currahee!
No spoilers.
Congratulations, you are about to watch one of the best TV series in history.
10:52 so they actually made all the actors go through bootcamp together before filming. They did indeed have to be in shape. Also, love your videos! Good idea for veterans day.
That is so cool! No wonder they all look so legit!!!
@@LiteWeightReacting Ron Livingston (Lewis Nixon in the series) did a video diary of the bootcamp - it's available on TH-cam.
@@LiteWeightReacting…and the company that put them through that “boot camp” was run by Dale Dye, who portrays Col. Sink. Dye was a Marine CO who served in Vietnam. He came home from the military and decided that war movies needed to up their accuracy game. His company has been training actors for tv and movies since the mid-80, starting with, I believe, “Platoon.”
@@bujin1977 yes! @LiteWeightReacting please add it to your list of reactions for after you've finish Episode 10, but first you MUST include your reaction to the unofficial Episode 11, We Stand Alone Together, featuring more of the interviews and actual footage of the real Easy Company. These are the best way to end the series!
I love the quote “The eyes of the world are upon you”
They really were, and our veterans did the world proud.
It's time!!! Prepare for tears and blood to be shed. What an epic show
Love the reaction, I’m watching this again since my grandpa died at the age of 98. He was WW2 army vet, served in CIB
(China, India, Burma) campaign. Then moved to the European theater, because he was fluent in German and a few other languages.
David Schwimmer did such a great job portraying Cpt Sobel that every time I now watch some Friends re-run when Ross is on screen I can't help but expect him to yell:
YOU PEOPLE ARE AT THE POSITION OF ATTENTION
PIVOT!!
Omg haha you’re so right! I’ll never not see that!
There is a little bit of Sobel that one time when Ross pretends like Rachel is shocking him when she tells him that they are over and he pretends to flip out and yells "fine by me"!
I really enjoyed your reaction I love that you're already very intuitive with the characters. I also appreciate your post commentary and how it shows you take note of important dates. As you said, it's adds a whole other layer to this show.
Once you're done this series, I recommend listening to the 10 Part Band of Brothers Podcast. A lot of extra context and insight.
Anyway...Enjoy the rest of the series!
'The World at War' is a classic (1973) British documentary on WW2 that might be of interest. It's worth a watch for anyone who is interested in the documentation of history, especially because of the raw footage and interviews with eyewitnesses.
Thanks for suggesting this!!
One of my all-time favorites since I was a kid
@@LiteWeightReacting Sure! I found it very moving and haunting, but essential viewing, especially to complement and balance dramatisations, I think. You might appreciate it all the more with your historical training.
10:56 - The actors were in shape. They were all put thru an actor boot camp, so to speak headed up by Dale Dye.. HBO gave Nixon (Ron Livingston) a camera, and was told to film 'actor boot camp'. The resulting YT video was really interesting. You see during the course of filming, many lost a lot of weight.
I look forward to seeing what you think of this series. I, myself, am a US Navy veteran and served from 2014 to 2019. You see and do things you would never think possible outside of the military, and the brotherhood you experience is something entirely different that you will experience outside of the military. I hope you enjoy this
Thank you for your service Joe!
Active duty Coast Guard member here! Thank you for your kind words and support for veterans and their families.
Congratulations on beginning arguably the greatest war series ever created and one of the most awarded and celebrated TV series ever made.
You’re in for a ride 🇺🇸 It will change your life.
SEMPER PARATUS and God Bless!
P.S. NEVER SKIP THE INTRO! (Only intro I’ve never skipped)
Thank you for taking this series on… You will not be disappointed
I can't wait to watch the rest of this absolute masterpiece along with you. Very much looking forward to the rest of the episodes!
I'm former Army Infantry. Captain Sobel was the company commander. Lieutenant Dick Winters was the executive officer (XO) of the company. Lieutenant Nixon was the company's intelligence officer. The ranks of the enlisted go as follows: Private, Private First Class, Corporal, Sergeant, Staff Sergeant, Sergeant First Class, Master Sergeant, First Sergeant, Sergeant Major
Thanks for clearing this up and thank you for your service Chuck!
So excited. This is one of the most amazing and accurate series ever done. You will remember this for the rest of your life. What I have watched of your channel so far this going to be rough but worth it!
Yes it will be rough! But as you said, so worth it! Already loving the series!
@ one of the best musical intros of all time. Goosebumps every time you hear it. Every single time!
The planes they were being transported on were known as the C47 and the civilian version was the DC3. One of the most useful and well-designed aircraft ever. After the War, the planes became the most flown transcontinental plane for US airlines and a really dominant transport. A design from the 1930's, some are still in use, especially in places where paved runways aren't always available (they could land and take off on dirt runways)
Thanks for elaborating on the C-47s. You might be interested in the comment that I made regarding them a few minutes ago.
Very cool!!
I saw a show 15-20 years ago that had a segment on the passenger plane with the most flight hours in the world, a DC-3. I think it was 90,000 at that time. Still on a regular route, flying passengers. I should dig around and see if she's still flying.
I think it was the Marine version of the plane that was designated as C-46.
@@MightyDrakeC That is interesting. Over a thousand hours each year, year after year is a staggering amount of time flown. I am a pilot and would guess that my fifty year old plane at eight thousand hours has the most time on it of any plane that I ever flew in my sixty years as a pilot. That's not even in the same universe as that DC-3 that you mentioned. Thanks.
@ytorwoody Frustrating. I had this all typed up, and TH-cam won't let me include links. It pretends to take it, and then lost it. Let me type it again. *sigh* Even when I obfuscate the link, it fakes accepting it. Okay, fourth try. Fifth try.
If your want to see the page, search for "highest-time airframes". Let's see if it'll allow that.
That page talks about that DC-3. It was bought by an individual at 91,400 hours and retired from regular service.
But, that isn't the max. Several jumbo jets make it past 110k hours, albeit most are converted to cargo, so not all airline time. One person pointed out that TWA 800 was 25 years old with 93k hours.
And then there's a 50-yr-old Convair 580 with 143k cycles, still doing three flights a day. He said the math works out to an average of seven landings a day.
Let me climb out of this rabbit hole 🙂
Very excited to watch this with you. I love seeing someone around my age who knows history like me. Very refreshing.
My dad, born 1919, was with Patton in North Africa, Sicily, Southern Italy. Drove a 2 1/2 truck, talking guys to the front, bringing wounded back. He NEVER talked about it. Would not.
Veteran here of Gulf War I. Thank you for your shout-out and I think you will fall in love with Band of Brothers. It is one of the best limited series of all-time!
One of the few series you can actually call *perfect*
I certainly hope you keep hydrated because those tears ducts will be working overtime.
Haha I am prepared!!!
I have watched a lot of reactors to this series, and nobody else could track names like you have in episode one. I couldn’t believe it when you said “I thought his brother was in Africa.” Wow! You are sharp! Also, to address that, the invasion of Italy was launched from Africa.
One of my favorite creators watching one of my favorite series'. Bless you Lite!
This is awesome! Makes me happy to see this! Thank you!!
I watched this with my grandfather who was a WW2 vet (marine). He's gone now but made sure at every opportunity to tell me how much he appreciated that I watched it with him, and how much he loved it. He bought the series on DVD and would make his friends in his nursing home watch it.
Also from your post show discussion you weren't sure what to call the "song" being sung while in a march/run. They're called cadences.
I’m so glad you’re watching this. Always have tissues unless you’ve already watched all of the episodes
Haha I am well stocked!
I love that I’ve found someone who really puts some interest into our history & actually listens to what these brave people had to say. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to show someone this series or shows similar like this & only to see them basically blow it off. God bless you & God bless America.
Today is a special day for my family in particular my grandad was a marine and fought in the pacific against the Japanese my dad was a marine and fought in desert storm and i am soon on my way to bootcamp to become a marine, i have nothing but the utmost respect for anyone who decides to dawn the uniform and god bless all those who have served and are serving now. Much love from a soon to be marine.
I missed it when you uploaded this episode initially, so glad it’s back up. My grandpa was a paratrooper in WWII, trained at Fort Benning and Camp Mackall but he served in Italy, southern France, and Belgium. He passed away three years before the show came out in 1998 and I never knew about his service until a year after that. Considering when the show came out, this was a strangely comforting show and still is, because it helped connect me back to him despite everything happening in the world…it also connected my dad and I, with a shared interest in military history, that still exists to this day. As a history hound and history lover, thank you for diving in to this show!
The guy that seems like actual military is Dale Dye and he is actual military, a marine from Vietnam that worked as a technical advisor for Platoon and ended up getting his first role in that film. Since then he's been in tons of movies.
That makes total sense! Glad I wasn’t losing my mind!
@@LiteWeightReacting He had previously worked with the show's producers, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, in the samke capacity (as both technical advisor AND a supporting actor) on Saving Private Ryan, so it was a no-brainer for them to trust him with making the show as realistic as possible, as well as working with and training the cast to make them come across as REAL soldiers.
I loved both your emotional reaction as well as your measured perspective on the humanity behind this particular historical event. Hearing from the actual veterans truly set this series apart. I've watched it countless times since its debut and always enjoy watching a younger generation's reaction. I look forward to seeing and hearing your reactions on future episodes. Subscribed!
This warms my heart!! So happy to share this journey with you! Can’t wait to watch more!
At the end of the episode, the paratroopers begin loading onto the airplanes for their flight into battle. The planes that carried the paratroopers from England to Normandy were C-47s. There were slightly more than 800 of them that went over for the first lift. During the war, there were thousands built. After the war, many were used by civilian companies until they were good only for scrap metal. A few years ago, as one was being prepared to be scrapped, it was discovered to be "That's All Brother". That's All Brother was the actual C-47 that led all of the others to Normandy. Once that was confirmed, the CAF (Commemorative Air Force) purchased it and completely refurbished it back to its configuration on June 6, 1944. That's All Brother can be seen at air shows now. What a remarkable coincidence that it was found almost eighty years after WWII and in time to be restored.
My father flew in one in VN doing secret radio stuff. DFC
@@rccola5167 We, on the ground, actually loved the C-47s that carried the mini-guns. Spooky was awesome, especially at night when it resembled "death's garden hose".
What an amazing story!! So glad That’s All Brother didn’t get scrapped!!!
I read they had 3 flyable C-47's available. The rest was CGI.
@@davechaney1452 The first time that I watched the series, I was aware of the CGI, but after watching a few reactions, they've simply become part of the whole for me.
It’s so interesting you made that comment at 19:00 because the man you were talking about is Captain Dale Dye. He’s actually a decorated Vietnam War veteran who served in the United States Marine Corps from 1964 to 1984. After retiring from the Marines, Dye founded “Warriors, Inc.” The company specializes in training actors in war films to portray their roles realistically, and provides research, planning, staging and on-set consultation for directors and other film-production personnel. His company is the top military consultant to Hollywood. This explains why Band of Brothers is so realistic in portraying the military. In this series, Dye got to portray Colonel Robert Sink, the commanding officer of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
(25:22) Guarnere’s brother Henry was serving as a medic in North Africa with the U.S. 1st Armored Division by the time Easy Company was shipped off to Europe in September 1943. After Africa had been liberated, the 1st Armored Division fought its way up Italy while Easy Company was training in England in preparation for D-Day. Monte Cassino was one of the fiercest and bloodiest battles of the Italian Campaign. While the Allies did emerge victorious and captured Rome, the fighting in Italy was soon overshadowed by the D-Day landings.
While one might resent him, it’s also reasonable to feel sympathetic for Herbert Sobel. He was renowned for being an extremely strict and harsh disciplinarian. He was intensely disliked by the men of Easy Company who saw him as a petty and domineering tyrant. At the same time they credited his training for getting them in top physical condition, which was critical to them becoming an elite unit. It actually helped many of these men survive the war. While his harsh tactics in training proved effective in forging highly disciplined paratroopers, his tactical abilities in the field were poor. Richard Winters privately held concerns over Captain Sobel’s ability to lead the company in combat for quite some time. He took exception to Sobel’s “desire to lead by fear rather than example.” The men came to respect Winters for his skill and leadership. It’s believed that Captain Sobel felt that Lieutenant Winters threatened his leadership of Easy Company, so he brought him up on trumped up charges for failing to carry out conflicting orders regarding latrine inspection. Ironically Captain Sobel did end up parachuting into Normandy on D-Day with the 101st Airborne Division as commander of the 506th’s Service Company. He and four other men were credited with destroying a German machine gun nest. He would spend the rest of the war as a staff officer with the 506th. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel, and went on to have three children. His son Michael said that he was a good and loving father. In 1970, Sobel tragically attempted to commit suicide by shooting himself in the temple with a pistol. The bullet severed his optical nerves, leaving him blind. He spent the next 17 years at a VA assisted-living facility in Waukegan, Illinois, where he died on September 30, 1987.
IT'S BACK!!!!! My daughter wanted to watch your reaction after I mentioned your channel. She saved to watch later and wondered where it went. I told her that TH-cam got its knickers in a twist and it would be back.
So happy that it’s back up!! I hope she enjoys it 😊
Great reactions to this superb piece of television.
Amazing to see SO many famous faces in this show.
And fantastic to see SO many British actors portraying real Americans, with such skill and respect.
Well out Kieron. I would’ve have had a clue any of them were British to be honest gaha
This is easily the greatest mini-series ever made. I binge watch it every veterans day while looking through my grandfather's things. He was a sergeant in the 29th infantry division, 116th infantry regiment, company k and was in the 3rd wave to land on Omaha beach. He was wounded in Brest France in August of 44, healed up in England, returned to his men, and stayed for the remainder of the war. He came home in '45. I have boxes and boxes of his things from the war. Watching this while remembering my grandfather is a ritual I enjoy every year.
OOOH YOU ACTUALLY WATCHING IT! HYPE!!!!!!!!!
LETS GOOOOO
I own the old DVD box set and have re-watched this series every year since it's release on HBO back in the day. Its so great, and such a wonderful memorial / tribute to all those who gave some, and to all those who gave all. Get the tissues ready. Make a note for watching the follow up interviews and documentaries on the making of this series after you finish it. All are great to watch and hear the real stories from the heros. ... Also, in your post discussion, you were wondering what they call the marching. It's a "cadence call", or just cadence. It a method to keep the pace of the troops synchronized and in formation. I've also heard from some that it would become hypnotic and take your mind away from the stress of the march on your joints and blisters.
2:23 -- RE: "I loved that [opening with veteran interviews ]..."; A: Good! There's lots more of those to look forward to, and by the end, you won't even care that they haven't been explicitly identified. You'll know them all by the end of the series. It is utterly incredible how much care and effort this production put into linking the acting talent with the veterans themselves.
Spot on! I’m honestly so excited to see the interview the most!
I am glad to see that a young teacher like you is understanding about what happened, the sacrifice and honor. I was very fortunate to have known & spent time w/ my grandpa who was at pearl harbor 12/7/1941 and Guadalcanal. To hear some of the stories from WW2 & what they gave for our freedom. God Bless our Veterans!
That look when Sobel appeared 😂
Right?? It was too funny.
Thanks for mentioning that. You might like the comment on David S. that I made earlier.
I really enjoyed this reaction, i hope you love this enough to continue on to The Pacific and Masters of the Air (which just came out this year).
2:29 yes and about 75-80% of this is 100% accurate, the rest are either situations or stories exaggerated, tappered down versions of what happened (because ehat actually happened is unbelievable), or they make it up to go along with the theme of the episode.
4:53 yes him and several big actors now are littered throughout this show.
This show is 100% true and 99% accurate! They only changed the chronology of one or two things in the entire 10 episodes to fit with a mini series narrative, and they got maybe 2 or 3 things factually wrong, since this show came from a book written by Stephen Ambrose of whom wrote it based on everyone's recollections and memoirs. Some of those recollections weren't 100% fully accurate but were VERY close! I won't spoil anything, but will look forward to every episode.
It's unfortunate I'll have to wait a week for every episode's reaction! I wish it was only 2 or 3 days max!
that's the most concise and accurate true assessment! And it doesn't say anything to spoil! Currahee!
I've met dozens of these men. To a man they ALL told me they would do it again. Humble men. We need more like them.
Yes! I am so thrilled to see this pop up, especially considering your affinity for history. Add to that your genuine empathy, pleasant countenance & beautiful soul that is a gift from God. As a 24 year veteran, this is a fitting start on Veterans Day. These men of that Greatest Generation are my heroes. My grandfather, three great uncles fought in WWII & I grew up just enamored by their stories, even though few were actually on their service. (Might I suggest, while we start this journey, reacting to "The Best Years of Our Lives"...I think it would be the perfect companion to this fantastic series. As we say in the South, you're a peach. 😊
So glad you’ve been enjoying the channel! Also, thank you to you and your family for your service and sharing your story!!
Im very excited and thankful to see this being covered on the channel, especially with your background as a history teacher. This series has always had a special place in my heart due to my having immense respect for soldiers that have served, and of all nations (with the obvious exceptions), and how by the shows end you get shown that things arent always black and white.
I unfortunately dont have any stories to tell about family members serving. The only one who did was my Step-Grandfather who saw little to no action, but served on transport ships between Scotland, England and France. Its quite possible he may have been close to action given the area, but if he did either nobody asked him or he either never spoke about it.
Also, its great that you pretty quickly put it together that the elder men at the beginning are at least veterans of the war themselves. So I get to say that, another reason this show is so great is BECAUSE of the veterans telling their experiences. As it stands, there are only around 20 people left alive that had served during the war, and each of them are in their late 90s or early 100's. That presents a sobering thought that within the next 10-15 years, we are going to live in a world that has no living memory left of the war.
So having this show with the veterans themselves is a very special thing because we wont be able to do make something like this ever again.
Also also (last one i promise), some years ago, there was something started called the Currahee Cleanup project. As it turned out, over the decades following the war, the Currahee mountaintop turned into a getaway from young people, who went up for various teenage reasons. As a result, the place had been littered with trash, refuse, cigarette butts, you name it it was dumped up there. The rock faces had also been defaced with a lot of graffiti, and carvings.
Its been a longhaul, and they are still currently cleaning it up as best they can and have made huge milestones, but the damage done is pretty extensive and likely will never fully be removed. Im neither American nor ever been there, but as said i have immense respect for these men, so the idea that a place thats so significant and popularized largely due to this show, was defaced so badly and in a way sort of like spitting in the faces of all the men who trained there made/makes my blood boil.
Very happy that you decided to take this journey. It's well worth it. 😎😍
Having actual veterans at the start of each episode was genius. It gives context to what each episode is about. These guys were so bonded that they had yearly reunions for the rest of the lives. The actors who portray them also now have regular reunions (and half of them are from the UK) - the series bonded them as well.
I'm happy to see that you're reacting to this amazing show! I recommend The Pacific afterwards, which is a 10 episode show, just like Band of Brothers. 💙
Really can’t wait!!
Great observation about the difference between Sobel and Winters. It's the difference between a "boss" and a "leader" -- one uses his power to push people around, the other inspires people to follow him.
Subbed! FYI, the Battle of Monte Cassino, which was like 4 military assaults by the Allies in Italy, lasted from January to May of 1944. Henry Guarnere's unit probably moved on from North Africa to Italy in that invasion.
Henry was actually killed in action on Jan 6, 1944 in Lazio, Italy.
According to the Find A Grave website Henry Guarnere is buried in the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial.
Henry Guarnere was a Medical Corpsman, he was awarded a Silver Star for his actions in care of his wounded
Love your reactions
I didn't know he was a medical corpsman!
@genghisgalahad8465 found it on his Find A Grave entry, newspaper article on it
Love your reaction and thank you for reacting to it. This series will change your life and it's the reason why people re-watch it every year - including me.
I can definitely see why people love it and I’ve only seen one episode!
Excellent beginning to what will be an excellent series! Really looking forward to your thoughts as this moves along.
At 8:00 where he tells them not to help the guy struggling with the run and you said, "Don't you want to help your brothers." I saw a video on TH-cam in which a real Army Drill Sergeant rates the portrayals of boot camps in movies and he saw that scene and said you would want to train them to not leave anyone behind.
Thanks for the love as always TeeZee!!! I’m glad I wasn’t alone with that thought!!
Brilliant reaction. Your assessment of this actions gravity, and your attention to the nuance of these characters portraying very real people was gratifying. I've watched many reactors and enjoyed yours a great deal. I appreciate that your a history teacher and have such firm grip on this history in particular.
You are about to embark on the single greatest story of these brave men, and the horrors of war that they each went through, but theough it all the story of how they became brothers. It's one of the most eye opening works of television, and by the end of it I guarantee you, yourself will feel like a member of Easy company, 506th airborne infantry.
Really looking forward to watching more of the series with you. I watch it annually 😊✨
So glad you’re watching this! My favorite series ever!!!
So glad to share this journey with all of you!
That final scene is so good. Winters keeps it nice and short, then looks each man in the eyes as he helps them up. Them knowing the next time their feet touch ground it will be in combat. They are so nervous that guys are slipping trying to to get into the plane. It’s incredibly well done.
I’m so over the moon that you’re watching this. One of, if not the single greatest television show I have ever had the privilege to watch. Brace yourself..