Band of Brothers Ep. 5 Reaction | First Time Watching | Asia and BJ
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You have shown such respect for these men and their story. Thank you
They sure have. My favorite couple reactions. How down their mood becomes out of respect.
"I don't know he survived... but he did." God bless Dick Winters. A man I would've followed. An amazing performance by Damien Lewis.
I was freaked out when I first learned he's British.
@@cshubs Damien Lewis' American accents sounds so natural.
So does guy that plays Rick Grimes in Walking Dead
@UWP lol no way
@@danieldaponte1819 Andrew Clutterbuck.
This is one of those shows that I can watch any time. I'm so glad they did it this way instead of a movie. So much would be lost.
I worked on a car once that had a plate on the front which read "The Battered Bastards of Bastogne." I asked the man, who was wearing a very old, very worn fatigue cap, "You were in Bastogne, sir?" I extended my hand to shake. He put his hand in mine and we shook. "You know what Bastogne is?" "I do, sir." He visibly shivered. "We were there before the Airborne got there. My God, they let us have it," as a hint of a tear formed in his eyes. That was more than 20 years ago. I'll never forget it.
Heartbreaking, yet beautiful story Edward! Thanks for sharing this with us, much love to you!!
I live in Holland (The Netherlands) and this TV serie is still one of the best WW2 that is ever made.
My Grandma is 94 and see is still alive, she can remember the war like it was yesterday.
The next episode is about the Battle of the Bulge. It lasted 5 weeks. And it's one of my favorite episodes.
I think the next one with the battle of Foy is the best one of the series.
That next episode is straight 🔥
Each episode highlights a soldier and often has a theme, this one highlights Winters and leadership.
Soldiers highlighted in each episode thus far.
1) Sobel (I'd say the theme was lack of leadership, especially going after Winters because he was doing better than him).
2) Guarnere (the theme is the state of mind soldiers had when going to battle after losing a loved one, with revenge on their minds).
3) Blithe (the theme is fear).
4) Bull (The theme was veterans reaction to replacements and how they viewed them).
5) Winters (Leadership)
and so forth....
The ending scene with Easy Company walking into Bastogne along with the 101st Airborne which they were a part of, took up positions around Bastogne, this was the opening action of what became known as "The Battle of the Bulge", the largest land battle in the history of the US Army, over 600,000 American Soldiers to part in the battle.
Among the 600,000 American soldiers was a young combat engineer who went on to direct several movies that have reactions on this channel. Mel Brooks.
@@benvsreality Yo, that blew my mind.
@@benvsreality WOW, that I did not know
As an Iraq combat vet that had amazing officers, I can tell you that a great man and leader will have his men ready to walk through hell with him. It's beautiful to see you both watch this and really want to understand what is happening and talk about the effects of war! Much respect! Also, Babe Heffron of Easy Company has a statue in my old neighborhood in South Philly.
Thank you so so so so so much, from the bottom of my heart, for your service. Thank you.
My Dad watched some of this series but having been there, he didn't need reminders. He was a haunted man for most of the time I was growing up. Way later in life he seemed to find peace.
The Breaking Point is en route. Thank you both for taking the time to watch the greatest miniseries I have ever seen.
(the defense of) Bastogne was the very backbone of the Battle of Bulge; the largest single batter ever fought. The 101st Airborne become known as "the battered bastards of Bastogne" for refusal to give in to an overwhelming German onslaught from every side. The next two episodes lay this all out for you. Enjoy and God bless.
They're walking to the Battle of the Bulge. Hitler's last attempt to go on the offensive that nobody expected. They smashed through the American lines which were relatively thinly manned at that point (because nobody thought the Germans were crazy enough to attempt an offensive with how spent their military was) but very quickly bogged down. The fighting was nevertheless vicious.
Yep. . y'all are marching off into "The Battle of the Bulge" along with Easy Company (parts 6 & 7) ... Hang tough. 👍 ❤ 🇺🇸 🎥
"We're suppose to be surrounded" is a cold line
Pay attention to the men giving real life accounts of what they went through… you will learn who each of them is (actual Easy Company members) when the series concludes. And THANK YOU for the level of attention and respect you are paying to this series. We can NEVER repay the debt we owe these HEROS! Thanks Patriots!! ❤️ 🇺🇸
another bonehead who likes to spoil. Why do people feel the need to give hints about what's coming up? Let people enjoy a series
I'm not going to give away anything but these next two episodes will show you how each of these men were heroes and some were legends. The words of Winters. "We're paratroopers. We're supposed to be surrounded " tells you the metal of these men.
There was 2 cameos in this episode of you didnt notice. 1 is obvious and the other is hidden.
Jimmy Fallon played the role of Lt. George C. Rice. He made several runs back and forth between supply depots and the Americans in Bastogne gathering as much ammunition and food rations for the soldiers there. His last run was after the Germans completely surrounded Bastogne. He only stopped doing them after he was ordered to stop.
The 2nd cameo was Tom Hanks. At the party where Easy Company and the British was celebrating being rescued. Tom Hanks was dressed up as a Brished soldier (i believe an officer) in the background among everyone.
I've watched this series 3 times and have the Blu-ray box sets of both this and The Pacific. An unbelievable debt of gratitude we owe all these men for what they had to endure, and obviously a lot of them paying the ultimate sacrifice.😢
It is an amazing series. I've watched this series at least once or twice a year ever since it was released. I remember paying $90 for the special edition metal tin box set. I've seen it so many times that the DVDs started wearing out a few years ago. Luckily for me about a couple years or so ago I found a regular box set of it on DVD in a black Friday sale at Walmart for $10-$15.
Last summer, I visited my aunt and her family in the Netherlands and while en route to Helmond (where they live; southern part of the Netherlands near Belgian border), I begged my mom to stop at the Crossroads location because I wanted to see if it was really there. Sure enough, the crossroads looks almost the same in real life as it does on-screen, although there is a crosswalk (3:26) and some spots are blocked off (11:08) with barbed wire fencing _(it is located near a village, so I guess kids could fall in and hurt themselves)._
Anyway, the ditch where Easy Company first engaged the Germans is still intact (7:15) and nearby is a small memorial dedicated to Dukeman, the only man killed during the engagement. The memorial also has a plaque, written in both Dutch and English. I took a pic of it and asked my cousin to read out the Dutch inscription, which she read aloud to my uncle and although I could understand about 15% of what she said, my uncle understood the story a lot better (obviously, their first language is Dutch but they can understand and speak English very well). Later on, he drove us to a local cemetery dedicated to British soldiers and there were a several graves marked for 18-20 year olds (which was difficult for my mom and aunt to fathom because I was 22 at the time, now 23). War is absolute hell and it's mind-boggling to imagine what soldiers my age and sometimes younger have experienced.
History fact I learned from other reactions and comments: The engagement at the crossroads would be the last time that Dick Winters fired a gun at the enemy for the rest of the war. He devoted his energy from then on leading his brothers in arms, leading by example and showing courage, despite not wielding a gun. He is such a great example of what true leadership is.
Ty for the respect you have shown. My family has deep history with war for a bunch of poor hillbillies. Great gpa served in the trenches of ww1. All 3 of dads uncles , great gpas boys, served in ww2. Dads dad in korea.. where he was horribly wounded. An explosion broke 60 bones. Then dad and his bro david in Nam.. where sadly david was k.i.a. . Its important to remember that the majority of our wars were fought by mostly blue collar, working class, men and women who came back to very little and just quietly went on with their lives.
My great grandfathers division got called into that battle (the battle of the bulge). We was a sergeant in an engineering division and his job was to fix things and make it easier for other divisions to move into Germany, probably built a ton of bridges, and he even drove around Patton and help liberate buchenwald concentration camp.
My Papaw was also at the Battle of the Bulge and a driver/body guard for Patton. After the war he became a Pastor and always spoke kindly of Patton.
@@robinmitchell6986 wow that’s so cool. Im glad he lived a good life. And from my grandma says he thought very highly of him to. He must have been a great general.
Now you're gonna see what these men were made of. Battle of the Bulge, another good reaction, Asia and Bj. This series is probably the best series out there, in my opinion
I loved this episode because Winter's character portrays an issue that soldiers deals with but don't talk about to civilians. The urge/longing to be with your men. Winters wanted to be with his men after being promoted to XO.
In my second deployment (13 months total) I took R&R at the 11 month mark. At first, I didn't want to take it but by month 11 I needed it. So I took R&R and was flown back to the states to see my family. My family was having a family beach vacation in the Carolinas. They were so excited to have me fly in and take the vacation with them. I didn't realize it at the time...But I was boiling with anger. I was short tempered the entire vacation. And all I kept thinking about was "what are my guys doing? How are they doing? Are they ok?" . I was spending those two weeks thinking of my guys I left in Afghanistan. And when I got back to them, it was like a reunion. Just smiles , laughs, and inside jokes I missed out on while gone. I had a better reunion with my men than my own family. Which is terribly sad. It took me years to realize just how much anxiety and anger I had those two weeks at the beach. And I wish I could go back and tell family members that I am sorry for how I acted and try to explain that weird sick feeling of letting my guys down because I was on vacation. But I feel like Winters was showing some of that in this episode. He didn't know how to relax and did not enjoy his trip to Paris. It's a legit feeling and a weird one to shake.
As a Vet, I appreciate your comments and also a learning lesson.
As a historian who loves this show and all the actual history behind it, I love to see people like you guys watching, enjoying and learning more about this crazy time in world history
At about the 6:08 mark when the Germans begin shooting bursts from the machine gun(s), they are sighting in target areas. Crew-served weapons like the guns have areas such as ditch lines, shack, wooded draw, etc. At night it is tough or even impossible to see them. The gun sits on a tripod and has a mechanism attached to the butt that allows it to slide left or right with graduation marks. Also there's a handwheel for elevating or depressing the barrel. You fire in the gun until the beaten zone of the bullets hits each target, record the traversing and elevation numbers for them, and put that on a card that stays with the gun. If the crew is replaced, the range card allows another crew to man the gun and hit those same targets without even observing them; when the target is called just dial the L/R & U/D numbers and pull the trigger.
Reports are very important. When Ambrose wrote his books, he had access to unit After Action Reports plus interviews with surviving members of Easy; also the reports are now the only surviving unit history since the men are all dead. With his book and interviews of the men before they too passed away, BOB could be made and actual names & dates put in place.
Now, the Battle of the Bulge has begun.
Gotta fill out those range cards..Those were the days.
@@ryanhampson673 Yessir - as a Weapons Squad Leader a lot of training time went into those and use of the T&E Mechanism. Good days....to have wall behind me! :-)
The 101st Airborne in Bastogne were at ground zero of the famous Battle of the Bulge. Completely surrounded by a bigger, better equipped German army during the coldest winter in Belgium in decades. No winter coats, no winter boots, no ammo, no medical supplies. The next two episodes are going to show you the true horrors of a winter war, and what it does to men.
A great movie about Market Garden is "A Bridge too Far".
At the end they are marching into Batstone. That's the tip of the bulge in the Battle of the Bulge.
22:20, I completely forgot Jimmy Fallon had a small role in BoB
One of the biggest battles ever my great great grandad is buried at the war grave site there,they are so appreciative in Bastow for all the Allies
That first comment from ("The Vet..." i almost gave a spoiler!), "a leader leads the way..." has been such an inspiration to me in my professional life. Don't just kick back and give direction, LEAD. Do it with them. Show them how it's done.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying this series. There’s not many of these brave men left and we should always honor, remember and respect them 🫡🇺🇸
Winters saying "We're paratroopers, lieutenant. We're supposed to be surrounded" brings four things to mind for me:
1) There was a newsreel reporting on Bastogne and the Battle of the Bulge (as the fight came to be known in popular culture because of the bulge the advancing Germans had made in the Allied lines). The newsreel included a shot of a sign someone in the 101st had put up that said "They've got us surrounded. The poor bastards!"
2) A comment on another channel's reaction to this episode said that the show took the line from a British officer who said "We're paratroopers. We're meant to be surrounded" I can't confirm whether that's true, and even if it is, people often independently say similar things when faced with similar situations.
3) Lewis "Chesty" Puller, the most decorated Marine in U.S. history, said at the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir in Korea "We're surrounded. That simplifies things."
4) In the "Battle of the Bulge" episode of the series "Generals at War," Gen. Julian Thompson praised the 101st Airborne as "One of the greatest divisions in the history of warfare" and said that they were used to being dropped deep into enemy terrority, so being cut off and outnumbered was part of the job for them.
The crossroads in the title represents a couple of things. Easy is physically at a crossroads when they open up on the German positions at the beginning of the episode. Winters getting promoted to battalion is a crossroads in leadership. Since D-Day he has been the combat leader for Easy. The promotion means new leadership, a crossroads. Winters is at a junction in his military career. He is now in a more administrative position. Can he handle the paperwork? Easy is at a crossroads at the end of the episode as they turn towards Bastogne.
Superb reaction. You guys are among a handful of people who noticed that these guys got no sleep, no rest during a mission. A neat bit of editing shows them go from night to day, but yeah, that's several hours of stress, hunger, fatigue for each soldier.
Reel talk! Just when you think you've seen courage another battle comes. Next one is one of the most historic battles for the US Army.
Army fun fact: just a reminder June 14th is the Army birthday. It's mainly known as Flag Day, but first came the Army, then came the Nation. ❤
Did you two recognize Jimmy Falon in the jeep cameo at 22:30 ? It was a quick one, just wondering if you caught it.
If you look on youtube for Damian Lewis (Winters) appeared on Jimmy Fallon’s show years later and they have a laugh that Jimmy couldn’t drive the jeep so it had to be pushed out of frame.
This is my favorite episode hands down. The focus on the mental trauma experienced by men at war is important to depict.
The men who were leaving Bastogne as the 101st arrived were mostly already exhausted before they were assigned the area. Bastogne was seen as a “quiet” place on the line where troops could relax a bit. Many of the units who were there when the Germans launched their surprise counteroffensive were made up of replacements and veterans of the battle of Hürtgen forest.
Hürtgen is a largely forgotten battle. 33k-55k American casualties over the course of 2 months in dense forest where maps, compasses and aerial recon were basically useless.
There’s a movie about Hürtgen called When Trumpets Fade. It’s pretty decent.
22:19 Jimmy Fallon is the last person you'd expect to see in a show like this 😂
This is my favorite episode out of the series. Puts you on the edge of your seat from the very start.
Asia, that was not the guy you were thinking of from the last episode that just sat there when everyone left. That guy was Cobb who sat there right after the brick wall they were crouching next to was hit and he froze.
Just as a footnote: The 101st actually did have artillery support at Bastogne. There were two batteries that were there 755TH Field Artillery Battalion and the 969TH Field Artillery Battalion. Most of all there was mobile Artillery amongst them. This would supplement 101sts own Artillery which had been depleted from Operation Market Garden. Also supporting the 101st was the 10th Armored Combat Command B and 7015th Tank Destroyer Battalion. There were also many straggler units still retreating which where gathered up to make replacements for the 101st. Brig. Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe of the 101st and Col. William L. Roberts of Combat Command B who both credited that the 101st nor the 10th Armor could have held Bastogne alone. The steel of the 10th armor with the blood of the 101st was needed to defend Bastogne. The ability to use combined arms to defend Bastogne would be key to the defense. Their main weakness was how long supplies would last which they were short of when they marched into Bastogne.
My father-in-law was at the battle of the bulge. Could never wear jewelry (watch, wedding ring) again, because of the cold. My father was in the South Pacific, most definitely “the Greatest Generation “!
We love watching this series with y’all, you get attached to them,don’t want to lose the men from Easy Co
The battle of Bastogne or ,better known as the Battle of the Bulge, took place in the Ardenne forest in the winter of 1944. It was a last ditch effort by Hitler for a final attempt for a major German victory. It took the Allies by surprise and was successful for a short period of time. It was one of the worst fighting conditions for the Americans. After the Germans lost this battle, the end of the war was finally getting closer.
They're headed into Bastogne a.k.a. The Battle of the Bulge. My G-Pa made three of the major jumps over there. He came back a different and closed-off man, my father and uncles say.
In the first episode the random firing from the machine gun could be them just being stupid, BUT it would also keep any enemy on their toes. If you're trying to sneak up on an enemy position and then all of the sudden you get a burst of machine gun fire even if it's not directly at you it may make you start your attack early or it make spook you and make you break off your attack entirely.
So there is SOME tactical advantage to just pumping out a few bursts here and there. Don't know that I would do it at night time, but hopefully that gives some logic to the decision.
In the movie "We Were Soldiers" the Americans do this in one scene. The Commander (Mel Gibson) comes up to a part of the line and in "It's quiet, too quiet" fashion he has each soldier shoot 3 rounds at anything that looks off. After this short burst the Vietnamese start their attack because they thought they got spotted. It's very possible they would have been able to sneak up even closer had the Americans not just fired, seeming, pointless rounds.
So, again, maybe them being inexperienced soldiers. Or maybe them trying to keep any potential patrol's head down.
So there is a documentary done by Jeremy Clarkson (From Top gear) about the battle of Arnhem. It’s called “What it takes to win a Victoria Cross” the British medal for valor. It covers the British airborne during their portion of Market Garden and is a wild story, I highly recommend checking it out.
Surrounded in the forest of Bastogne, battle of the Bulge is the history books. Surrounded thru xmas, below zero, no food, no winter clothes, getting shelled relentlessly.
The next few episodes are my all-time favorite bits of TV ever. Absolutely shattering, great performances, insane heroism and bravery and dedication, and some heartbreak that will linger with you for a long long time. I envy your first time through this gauntlet.
I recommend the 1949 film "Battleground" made just 4 years after the Battle of the Bulge with actual members of the 101st Airbotne serving as the movie'sadvisors and extras.
Fun fact, Tom Hanks directed this episode.
Definitely check out RED TAILS(2012) It's about the Tuskegee Airmen of WWII 👍 Aeriel Combat action
DUNKIRK(2017) is another Awesome WWII movie about the English & French evacuation on Dunkirk Beach. This event takes place in 1940, way before America entered the war. You get to see the British Airforce in action using the Spitfire jets 👌
U-571(2000) Is another great WWII movie about submarine warfare, capturing a German U-Boat(Submarine) Great cast
“Farthest from your mind is the thought of falling back, in fact, it isn’t there at all. And so you dig your hole carefully, and deep, and you wait.” Words to remember the next few episodes. The next episodes are my favorite but they do make me, a grown man, tear up.
You're not alone my friend.
The layout of the geography of this episode is strikingly similar to the actual crossroads. There is a plaque in the real place and you can find it on the map. When he says there is a ferry crossing and it could be a whole battalion, he wasn't kidding. My favorite line is Webster after he gets hit. #They got me, can you believe I said that....... I'll see you... somewhere else....." He was an aspiring writer........
Also, the actor who plays Dukeman (Mark Lawrence), the soldier killed at the crossroads, went to the real location as part of a We Happy Few 506th tour, and he got real emotional there. It was all filmed by Matthew Leitch who plays Talbert. Lots of really good rabbit holes to go down from this series.
There was a big Symposium at the WW2 museum in New Orleans last summer with many actors and remaining family of the men. About 7 hours worth of stuff on TH-cam. Also they just did an archeological dig in Aldbourne where Easy was billeted.
The battle of the crossroads was an astounding victory for the Americans. Winters lean a charge of 35 men of Easy Company towards the German position (pf a unknow amount of Germans at that time). Due to Winters running very fast ane a delay in the smoke bomb Winters got way a ahead pf hos men. He actually did see a single young shoulder by himself when he crossed over and shot him and turned his attention to the other Germans and he emptied about 2 full clips from is M1 before the rest of his men caught up to him. There was a Company of about 150 germans that got caught completely by surprise. Then another Company of Germans came up to support (sp probably another 100-200+ Germans) but they stopd their ground and held them off with artillery support. The germans retreated and at the end of the battle there was a out 50 Germans and 1 American killed.
Greetings and love from Las Vegas! I am really enjoying your videos and the respect you for these great men. Keep up the
great job! Mu grandfather was a
p-51 pilot and it took late into into life to even begin to talk about it. Thank God my uncles got him to record his memories. Still tough to listen to it today. I highly suggest you watch the Red Tails about the first African American crew of aviators.
A great depiction of these.. wonderful men.
5:58 the man Asia is talking about would be Cobb. The guy they brought in and out on the table after he was wounded by a "potato masher" (standard German hand grenade with a long handle) was called Alley, so it's not the same guy.
They are headed to The Battle of the Bulge…
The Epic deciding battle of WWII
The battle you are referring to was the Oct 5 Crossroads battle. It was NOT a mission.
They were simply going on a patrol to find the soldiers responsible for Mo Allie getting injured. The area they were in was referred to as Hell’s Highway and the German’s were sometimes just on the opposite side of the road…just feet away. There were a lot of men killed on Hell’s Highway.
Winter’s never knew how large of a force they were facing. He just knew that if they stayed in that field much longer…they would get flanked and be killed. Attack was the only option for survival and it worked out in their favor tremendously. Only William Dukeman was killed. You have to remember that these episodes span a matter of weeks as far as time elapsed in the war.
When you finish Band of Brothers, you HAVE to watch Together We Stand Alone, it’s the interviews with the real heroes that survived and who Band of Brothers is about. It will give you so much information and stories from the survivors.
Dick Winters said that if was only able to take one man into combat by his side it would have been Floyd "Tab" Talbert. Unfortunately Tab never recovered from the mental injuries he suffered and became a recluse, almost until he died.
My buddies gpa was in the 101st airborne and he was captured at Bastogne he would tell us all about it. He said when he was captured by the Germans they stripped him and his buddies naked and made them walk all day through knee deep snow in below zero temps. He spent the rest of the war in a POW camp. His favorite WW2 stories to tell were about the girls in Paris though. LOL He passed away only a few years ago, he was hilarious and a good man.
At the end you see a glimpse of African American soldiers driving the trucks bringing Easy Co to Bastogne.
They were part of the famed, Red Ball Express, transportation unit. The unit was formed when the Allied Advance was advancing so fast their own units couldn't supply them, putting them & the Advance in great danger.
The Red Bull unit was 75% Black soldiers & " earned a reputation as tireless and fearless troops. They steered rough-driving trucks down pitch-black country roads & narrow lanes in French towns. They drove fast and adopted the French phrase “tout de suite” - immediately, right now - as their motto".
Gen Eisenhower said,"Without the Red Bull Express the Allied Advance through France could not have been made."
The unit delived an average of 5000 Tons of supplies per day.
The all black 969th Artillery Battalion as well as remnants of the all black 333rd Artillery Battalion gave the 101st artillery support at Bastogne.
Thank you for such a respectful reaction and such empathetic and thoughtful commentary. Many of us watching you had relatives who were in WW2. It means alot that there actions are not forgotten. They truly did save the world that we now enjoy every day.
The area they now went into (the Hürtgen Forest on the Belgium-German border) was nicknamed the American Meatgrinder... I've been there many times and you can still see all the thousands of foxholes, bomb craters and trenches. Walking through that forest you can almost feel the atmosphere that must've been there when the Germans made their last push killing and wounding at least 33,000 US troops (with upper estimates at 55,000, the German casualties were 28,000). It's a very haunting place, but so is most of the Belgian Ardennes and Flanders fields, both areas being drenched with the blood of 100,000s of soldiers who died there during WW1 and WW2.
Very much appreciate y'all for doing this wonderful series. The story of these men, among the innumerable other stories from that war, cannot be allowed to fade away. Have a suggestion on how you can keep track of their names; get a small notepad to jot down any names you hear. Sometimes they are in a passing conversation & many times a name is called out during stressful moments. For instance this episode Capt. Winters said "Tab" referring to Floyd Talbert naming the dog. He was the guy who was kissing the girl in Eindhoven. Moose Hieliger was the Lt. shot on the tracks, & Doc Roe is the medic who lambasted the officers for not knowing how much morphine they gave Moose. Just trying to help, thanks y'all!
When they arrived at the rest camp, Easy turned in all their machine guns, bazookas mortars, etc for maintenance. Because they were pulled out of camp as an emergency, they didn't get most of their heavy weapons back before they were sent to Bastogne and had to play a pickup game as they fought, scavenging more weapons as they fought.
They will become surrounded by German tanks and infantry in what came to be known as the siege of Bastogne, a part of the larger Battle of the Bulge. The guys that were surrounded became known as the "Battling Bastards of Bastogne"!
we're midway at the series and this is the real crossroads that changed Winters' life! everything changes for him after he killed the SS boy whose life couldn't be spared...he lost the Company to lead the Batallion.
the episode starts and ends at different crossroads with different versions of Winters, his typewriter is the counterpart of his gun, processing the turning point of his experience, just like Nix with the drinking or Compton being shellshocked...
on the 68th anniversary of D-Day, a statue of Winters was unveiled on Utah Beach, France. previously, Winters had agreed for the statue to bear his resemblance, on the condition that would be dedicated to all officers who served and died in Normandy.
the loneliness of leadership is true but earned and with bonds so deep, you "stand together alone".
16:27 - hello Mr. Tom Hanks' cameo as a Red Devil!
22:20 - and Mr. Jimmy Fallon at the end setting out the greatest line in the series!
There were not enough Allied Troops at this point in 1944 to defend the whole frontline in depth. So, Eisenhower had to make a choice to have part of it defended more lightly. He chose to do so around the Ardennes forest, also with mainly green troops. It was considered a quite & relatively safe part of the front. The Germans were considered to be a spent force, who would just be on the defensive.
The only problem was Adolf had other ideas, he had been building up some forces to carry out a lightening strike. It would go through the Ardennes forest, just as they had done back in 1940, catching the French Army by surprise. Those troops retreating were the lucky one`s, who had not been surrounded & captured.
Amongst the attacking German forces were several Elite SS Panzer Divisions withdrawn from the Eastern Front. The idea was to break through with a Panzer column & push for the coast & the port of Antwerp. This would split the Allied forces on the Western front, with an idea to force negotiations with the western powers.
They imagined, they could persuade the Western Allies to unite against the oncoming Soviet threat, this was a fever dream & a false hope on the part of the Germans.
The first veteran they show talking "If you're a leader, you lead the way" is Winters. The guy the others are talking about.
Bastogne. The next few episodes are gonna be insane.
Also you might have noticed another familiar face making a cameo. A certain late night talk show host. He was the one being told paratroopers are supposed to be surrounded.
Yes, LT George Rice. He continually drove to the front supplying what ammo he could find during the battle until finally his commanding officer forced him to stop. I want to say he made 7 or so trips while the battle was going on.
Why would you ruin the last episode for them? That's a major jerk move.
The battle of the bulge was so bad that several inexperienced American army divisions were overrun in an attempt to recapture Paris and split the allied lines.
Particularly for the Americans the German army split the frontlines and were taking uniforms from the dead or captured and creating disorder by giving wrong directions, destroying street signs and communication lines.
Then the snow and cloud cover prevented the air forces from providing support for the infantry.
The worst part of it was the entire counterattack was preventable, French citizens were reporting to allied armies the night time movement of German forces, people on the front line were hearing night time movement seeing tire and tank tracks in the snow.
All that was ignored by leadership.
Spielberg and Hanks have also done a mini series about the Marines in the Pacific, slightly different as it focuses on different heroes of the USMC
I LOVE that you guys are so into this series. Y'all are learning a lot and making very intuitive reactions. Love y'all!
Nice reaction Now the entire B.o.B. show is phenomenal & they smartly made it a like an anthology where the didn’t focus on a single narrator or a specific soldier’s POV to tell the story from. Instead they bounced around & focused on various soldiers points of views to delineate the plight of their unit Easy Company which IIRC was part of the 503rd in the 101st Airborne Division.
I know it’s tricky to keep track of all the names that they bombard you with as you try to decipher & pick up on al the military acronyms & Army lingo which was numerous. As good as Ep5 & the show is, you’re in for a treat when you watch Ep 6 “Bastogne.” I think it’s the best episode of the serious.
Glad you are enjoying it & are reverential to the soldiers & history. While entertaining, the show is also education & vital as it reminds us of important history & informs the new generations of WW2 which is crucial. Also, Steven Spielberg & Tom Hanks who helped bring about the show’s creation & produced didn’t sugarcoat, censor or pull any punches with some of the dark sides to the war. For example, it’s simplistic & generalized to frame the Allies as good & Axis powers as bad. We also committed atrocities like illegally killing prisoners of war and looting civilians personal property. Some might say it’s justified but these acts are illegal & get soldiers imprisoned or executed. It’s a fine line between retribution & revenge and the same goes for justice & tyranny. It’s a slippery slope when you start doing acts dressed as justice but is simply hateful revenge. It’s hard to not want revenge always but staying moral & staving off baser instincts like vindictiveness as what ultimately separates us from evil like many of the Nazi leaders & concentration camp guards.
Anyway, enjoy. The show is amazing and despite there being some tough things to watch like sad deaths, etc it’s just an enjoyable show. This is history we must never forget. It makes you appreciate things & how silly many people are in modern times in that they get triggered over some of the pettiest & most trivial of things. Can’t wait to see your “Bastogne” reaction - you two are in for a treat🙂👍
Y’all. I can’t express enough how happy I am watching BOB with you ❤❤. Get them tissues girl
The battle that they are about to go into was known as The Battle of the Bulge. This was really Germany’s last effort to try & win the war & they took back some of the land that the Allies had gained. Other than D-Day this might have been the most important battle in the European theater & was basically Valley Forge & Gettysburg rolled into one.
You two are watching one of the very best miniseries on WWII that was made, Stephen Spielberg and Tom Hanks produced this epic and Easy Co is heading into what is known as THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE!
Remember this is based on the actual Easy Co. Those men were 18- 20+ years old and they did their jobs. Real heroes.
Thank you for watching this and sharing your feelings it honors all those men who gave their all.
🫶🇺🇸
Fallon tells this story a lot: he's supposed to drive up, the ammo is claimed, then he drives away. He doen't know how to drive a manual transmission, so some of the cast members help to move the Jeep out of view by pulling on it.
It's been said by a few servicemen today, that when soldiers fought in WWII, once they left, they fought until wars end... now, in recent conflicts, they leave to fight in 6-8 mos deployments... because of the constant rotations, once soldiers get settled in, learn the terrain and combat tactics, they're replaced with new, unfamiliar soldiers who have to learn everything new... is that good or, leave them there until the job is done ?
At the end they are heading into the "Battle of the Bulge" where a German spearhead drove through the allied lines. I'd say more but you'll see. There is a movie about it (with the same name) and the movie Patton spends time on it as well.
Did anyone catch the jimmy fallon cameo? He’s the guy that drove up in the jeep with ammo at the end.
Yall should really consider reacting to The Pacific after yall finish Band of Brothers. Its SO good. Focuses on the fight against the Japanese during ww2. Its produced by the makers of Band of Brothers.
The Battle of the Bulge (Bastogne a city in the Ardennes forest) was Hitlers last big gasp to pull himself out of defeat and it almost worked.
Band of Brothers is liiiiit🤘
Did you just remember a small Dutch town right off the top of your head!? Two-three fumbles until you got it right! That's what in Norwegian, we refer to as a "sticky-brain" :D
The next episode "Bastogne" is my favorite. The interviews from the real soldiers at the beginning will get your attention. I'm really looking forward to your reaction.
The rescue of the British Paratroopers by the 101st resulted in the Brits giving their maroon berets to the paratroopers of the 101st. Following this, American Airborne soldiers adopted the maroon beret as the official headgear of the Army Airborne.
"There's a LOT of shit and it's heading this way..." This is when Tom Hanks takes over the reigns. We get much more introspective, before PTSD was even recognized as a thing. And if you run into any bacon sandwiches...let me know. Currahee ♠
I really like when y'all magnify y'all's faces by putting them in them circles. Makes it really easy to watch both the episode and y'all's reactions simultaneously lol Good content 👍
Imagine the crazy shit these dudes went through is nuts
Great movie about Market Garden. A Bridge To Far.
Enjoy your reactions! Top Notch! Also love BJs Cardinal Hat. Get a Chiefs hat for football season and you can be a honorary Missourian. Looking forward to the next.
Oh yeah...the next TWO episodes are INTENSE.
It's a record of action, loss of men, mention outstanding Soldiers for formal medals.
The next two episodes are really tough.
They didn't really get any intel when they went out to the crossroads. All they knew, was four guys or so came back with one wounded man, told them they had contact at the crossroads. They didn't know crap.
What you saw with Winters in Paris isn't very accurate either. According to him, he had a pretty good time in Paris and did a lot of sight seeing, typical tourist stuff. None of that was conveyed in this episode.
This was the beginning of the BATTLE OF THE BULGE. Ip until that point, no army had pushed through the ardine forrest like the germans did in WW2. It was really the germans last real push on the offensive.
As said before this was Germanys last attempt to change the balance of the war with this offensive in winter a hail mary.
the reason they broke through American lines so easily is that it was undermanned and staffed with exhausted veterans and brand new replacements who had just arrived. The 101st was supposed to be resting and getting replacements during this time but with the germans offensive they where quickly ordered to battle, now in series it makes it look like the 101st was by itself which isnt true they had elements of the 10th armored, engineers, artillery , and whatever infantry they could scrape up to hold the town.
For this episode your right Intel didn’t know because those German reinforcements arrived the night before and were preparing to attack the flanks of the British/Americans and if it weren’t for easy company fighting them off they could have cut the British off and destroyed them.
Now the whole dick running by himself is alittle exaggerated they all charged at the same time it just happened to be that winters ran faster then everyone else due to being a runner and athlete before the war
Tom Hanks directed this episode... lot's of attention on TYPEWRITER...Tom Hanks LOVES typewriters.