Blithe didn't actually die at the end, he finished WWII with 3 purple heart medals, 3 bronze star medals and later served in Korea earning a silver star for gallantry in combat, and retired a master sergeant. He died from an ulcer on December 12th, 1967. The reason it's changed in the series is because the brothers in arms heard nothing else about him while he recovered. They assumed he died. He never contacted the men he fought with, so the producers and such gathering info, interviews, and intel for the show never knew his true fate.
That was such a big inaccuracy, and he got such a bad rap. There's so much historically accurate stuff in the book and the show, and Albert Blythe is the one thing that threatens to discredit all of the rest.
I feel I should clarify on that point that Blithe died in a US Army hospital in Wiesbaden West Germany in 1967. He had not retired and was still serving in the US army. A google search does not answer the ? did he have the longest period of military service of any soldier in Easy Company.
I think the longest tenure of active duty service belongs to Spiers. The series doesn't cover what he did after Spandau prison. However, his experience there with his Russian counterpart made him uniquely qualified for his final assignments..
@@johnhippely2125 I will declare I looked at his service, both Blithe and that gent (trying to avoid spoilers) enlisted in 1942, the former governor however quit the army in 1964. That gives Blithe 3 years more service than him.
There was also confusion due to some Easy members claiming they heard about Blythe dying and actually going to his funeral, not knowing it was a different Albert Blythe. Since he didn't maintain contact with most of them after WWII, it seems like they just assumed it was their guy.
That was Father Maloney, the battalion chaplain giving the last rights to the fallen. He was awarded the *Distinguished Service Cross* for his actions that day.
I've always considered Blithe getting three perspectives on combat/leadership. Winters...the strong, fatherly encouragement. Welch...it's just a game, relating it to football. Spiers..the theory of fatalism. The key to great leadership is knowing your men and what style of leadership they respond to. All of those have their place.
Thank you enjoyed your reaction. OP is Observation Post, Sgt Talbert got bayoneted because he was wearing a German raincoat when he woke up the guy who rightly thought it was a German soldier standing above him.
And you can see Talbert in the background showing up that raincoat at the beginning of the episode, while someone else shows up a Nazi flag, before Perconte displays his collection of watches.
Great reaction! On the topic of taking out tanks, a tank’s thickest armor is in the front because that’s where they’re expected to be hit. To save weight the sides are almost always thinner with the thinnest being the back, bottom and roof. German tanks and assault guns (a tank without a turret like in this episode) had their transmissions in the front at this time. By hitting the assault gun in the bottom the bazooka rocket was able to punch through the thin armor and damage the transmission resulting in a ‘mobility’ kill (the vehicle cannot move without repairs and cannot aid the mission).
@Kaliwali 16:50 you are the first reactor I've watched who seems to understand and maybe even agree with Lt Speirs perspective on how to cope with the fear. I think it is the perspective I would need to adopt in order to conquer the fear and do my job. Accept that you will likely die and thank my creator for the strength to fight anyway... These brave men really are our greatest generation!
My grandfather said pretty much the same thing about fighting the Japanese in the Pacific. That led him to do some absolutely insane things in the heat of battle. One of them involved walking through crossfire between positions because his soldiers were pinned down and running out of ammunition. When questioned about it, his response was simply, "Well, I can't outrun a bullet but I sure as hell can run into one." Whatever, he and a lot of his guys made it out alive in the end.
@@vinnynj78 Truly brave men, the war in the Pacific was a whole other level of hell according to my grandfather. I asked him to tell us what it was like several times but I only heard him speak of it twice and it was in generalities. Probably better for him to let it stay in the past.
@@War_And_Truth not a problem at all, they were our greatest generation in real life and Spiers perspective, in the series if not his perspective in real life resonates with me and I assume others... You feel better now? Can you sleep ok tonight bud?
5:28 Carentan had immense strategic value, it was surrounded by marshes on all sides and it was the only dry crossing point for vehicles, linking Utah and Omaha beach. The fighting for the town lasted 6 days before the allies could secure it. 7:00 Keep a close eye on Shifty, the man was a natural born sharpshooter. Another example at 7:04 where he nails the assistant gunner with 1 well placed shot. 10:09 That's a Chaplain and he's giving the dying/wounded their last rites. There's a very famous (and sad) picture of navy chaplain Luis Padilla, giving last rites to a soldier that was wounded by a sniper, during the "El Porteñazo" Revolt in Venezuela, 1962. The photograph is titled "Aid from the Padre", by Héctor Rondón. 10:26 due to budget and time constraints, the production team couldn't really convey fully how marshy the terrain was around Carentan, and this sequence is the only one we have where we can see actual marshes/water 13:01 This actually did happen, I think someone mentioned in the comments of Episode 2's video; _A replacement sergeant disobeyed a direct order while in a combat situation, thereby risking the lives of the other soldiers in the company. According to Private First Class Art DiMarzio, Speirs, commanding 2nd platoon, Dog Company was given orders to halt their attack on Ste. Come-du-Mont, to hold position while regimental headquarters coordinated a rolling barrage shelling fifteen targets in the vicinity of Ste. Come-du-Mont. DiMarzio, who was lying in a prone position next to a sergeant, stated he remembered the sergeant being drunk. An order to hold position was given and relayed down the line which the sergeant refused to obey, wanting to rush forward and engage the Germans. Once again, Speirs gave him the order to hold his position. Speirs told the man that he was too drunk to perform his duties and that he should remove himself to the rear. The sergeant refused and began to reach for his rifle. Speirs again warned the sergeant, who now levelled his rifle at Speirs. Art DiMarzio says he then saw Speirs shoot the sergeant in self-defense._ 17:52 OP stands for Observation Post, basically a position where soldiers can watch for enemy movements or to direct artillery fire. 19:42 huh, funny timestamp; I am gonna be pedantic here, you'll have to excuse me as I am serving as a tank crewmember, but these are tank destroyers. The main difference is that a tank (usually, depends on which country you ask) has a fully rotating turret and is designed to be able to combat infantry, armored vehicles and light skinned vehicles all the same. Tank destroyers (again, usually) don't have a fully rotating turret, but rather a gun on a casemate mount, and are designed to fight other armored vehicles. Here, a shot to the tracks, gun or transmission (which is where they shot) would have proven quite effective in order to cause what is called a "mobility kill". When it comes to armored vehicle combat, there's different kinds of "kills" a vehicle can suffer; Mobility kill; When the engine, tracks or transmission is destroyed and the vehicle is immobilized. Firepower kill; When the gun or the vehicle's aiming devices (periscopes, gunner's sight, commander's sight, etc) are destroyed. Mission kill; Mission kill is more complicated. It is used when a vehicle is no longer able to fulfill it's mission but it doesn't necessarily mean this was caused by enemy action. If your tank is bogged down in a marsh and you can't get it out, it's considered a mission kill. Finally, catastrophic kill, used only when a vehicle is damaged to the point where it's a total loss. Unusable and/or unrepairable. The best areas to hit an armored vehicle are the back, first and foremost, sides, roof and belly. The back is almost always the least armored area and if it's a conventional tank, will have fuel tanks and the engine. The roof and belly are also extremely thin but are hard to reach. The sides are also a good area to attack from for the same aforementioned reasons but they also allow for damage to the fighting compartment which has the crew, ammunition, electrical and fire control systems, etc. Back > Roof/Belly if you can access it > Sides > Front. 22:33 If I am not mistaken, the Germans had a Marder III Ausf. H (In reality they had to use a Swedish Sav M/43 chassis), StuG III (the one we see getting disabled) and the famous Jagdpanther The American tanks are, in fact, Canadian, LOL. They are the Grizzly I, which is a Canadian built M4A1 Sherman. This was done because Grizzlies were more readily available to the production team than American built Shermans, but they are the real deal. By the end of this episode, the special effects team had used more pyrotechnics than the whole of Saving Pvt. Ryan. Also, don't think for a second I didn't spot "I was lost without you" during the thoughts segment. Fitting.
I say 'Flash' - You say 'Thunder' --- Am enjoying your reactions immensely. Many have probably answered alotta your questions already, but I'd like to cover something you wondered about that deals with one of my favorite aspects of historical military research: I'm a unit emblem kinda guy. The spade on the helmets identified Easy men as members of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment (as a matter of interest, their radio callsign was 'Kidnap'). You noted the diamond on the helmet of the fella riding the horse: that was the insignia of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment (callsign 'Klondike'). As an aside, the actors all went through a 'boot camp' to learn firsthand something of what it was like to be a soldier of the time. The fella on the horse, his character name was Sgt. Farnsworth from Able Company, 501st PIR... that actor was Freddie Joe Farnsworth, one of the 'drill instructors' for the boot camp. He was in the USMC and is a 'horse' guy, having been a professional rider (rodeos and such) as well as a horse stuntman for film and television. If you have any interest in learning about some of the behind the scenes stuff from some of the BoB actors, directors, producers, and writers, including much about that boot camp, search here on UA-cam for the HBO Band of Brothers Podcasts. Really good stuff. They're audio only, so you can listen to them while doing other stuff or whatever. Also, Ron Livingston's (Nixon) video diary for the boot camp is worth a watch. Anyhoo, I simply wanna say that I appreciate these Band of Brother reactions. Yours are thoughtful and truly meaningful reactions and commentary. Keep 'em comin', Kali... and Curahee!
LP is Listening Post and OP is Observation Post, small forces place at the forefront of a unit. Those Soldiers' jobs are to report any any movements from the opposing forces (sounds, sights, sizes, etc. of the forces that about to contact with the main units). That's why when contacts were made, they have to be pull back or they'll just be the "speed bumps" as the enemy rolling in hard.
No. They won't. Numerous changes were made in the way the story was told and it was done with intent. Although there is a lot of truth in BoB there also a ton of "artistic license."
@@harryrabbit2870 that change was not made due to "artistic license", they were told by members of EZ that Blithe died because someone with the same name did die and they thought it was him.
@@sundalangur3250 from what I've read, it may not be hard, but it would be costly to do it properly, and don't forget that it's owned by TW-Discovery, whose CEO is cutting stuff from their own streaming services to cut costs and canceling projects for tax breaks. Do you really think he's going to let them spend money on it when there's realistically no profit motive?
at the 9:41 mark, that paratrooper was Ed Tipper. He survived the blast, lost his left eye and had 2 broken legs. Until last year, his daughter Kerry Tipper was a politician in the Colorado House of Representatives.
When I was in the army and down in Ft Jackson I had the privilege to meet Earl McClung who did interviews on Band of Brothers and Forrest Guth and got their signatures on a picture of them and some of the 506th with the 4th Infantry Division in St Marie-Du-Mont. It was amazing being able to talk to them about their time in service.
Chaplain John Maloney was a military chaplain with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army during World War II.He was the one giving the last rites,just before the soldier died.I believed they nicknamed him the "crazy Irish priest".
17:21 I think Blithe told him for two reasons. One, I think he felt guilty, and wanted to come clean to someone. Two, I think he was just searching for a human moment, from anyone. I think Blithe was in the middle of a total dissociation, and he was trying to find his way back to some sense of normalcy. It's like when he almost broke down in front of Winters because he felt guilty about letting his comrades down - Winters responded by comforting him, and Blithe immediately felt a little better. His blindness cleared up because Winters was kind to him instead of admonishing him. Here, Blithe was looking for the same type of human moment from Spiers, but instead he got the opposite. Spiers basically tells him that the human connection is what is holding him back, and if he wants to get through this, he better let it go. Hence the look on Blithe's face as Spiers leaves. It's the total opposite of what he wanted to hear.
I'm surprised at most peoples reactions when they even consider that Luz would shoot that family and kids in the building. Granted the sound editing is really strange at that moment when you hear a shot ring out after it cuts away, making it seem like he did.
It's the sound editing plus the visual editing - after lowering his weapon a bit, he raises it slightly again - a small bit of poor editing in an otherwise almost flawless show.
Bearing in mind the normal SOP was to clear buildings with grenades and Luz didn't use a grenade and when he saw those civilians in there you see him thinking "thank God I didn't throw in a grenade.
What so many people miss in that moment of relief is that it was standard procedure to throw grenades in first, that's why Luz's companion is confused. The scene is subtly hinting about what probably happened in all of the other buildings in which soldiers did throw grenades in, as they were trained to. War is hell.
Agreed, I came to the comments to make that point but you beat me to it. It looks like Kali had a bad take and actually thought Luz was considering shooting the family, which couldn't be further from the truth. His realization that he almost killed the family completely overwhelmed and stunned him. Even though he didn't, I'm sure the horror of that thought and memory stayed with him for a long time.
I live close to where Richard Winters lived, my son was doing a project for history class and wrote to him requesting an interview. He was very kind and replied, asking a lot of questions about what my son knew about Easy Company and the 502nd ( apparently after the series came out he was careful who he spoke to, avoiding people with no real desire for historical information) Unfortunately they were unable to coordinate a date to speak, but he was very polite to my son and apologized for not being able to work out a date.
Winters speech got Blithe on his feet, Spears speech got Blithe to be a soldier! He lived and went on to be decorated for Valor and again decorated for Valor in Korea. He died in 1967. People always assume he died in the show after getting hit in the neck, but it was actually his shoulder and he was evacuated to a hospital and went on to be a career soldier.😊
Winters as an incredible leader once again on full display here. While last episode we got a chance to see how calm, collected, and level headed he is on the battlefield, today we saw just how much he cares about his men too. Not just issuing commands in the heat of battle, but also looking after them, encouraging them, reaching out a hand to pull Blithe out of his darkness (multiple times). His men mean so much to him, and we could see that last episode too by how shaken he was at losing the one soldier in the trenches. He’s 100% the type of person, and leader that I aspire to be like Also after watching Fury and learning about everything the tank crews go through, it was very cool to see the tanks roll on through to save everyone
Some of the Philadelphia based vets heard that Blithe passed due to a funeral announcement for a different Blithe, and it was just assumed by the guys interviewed that it was Albert from thier company, but it wasnt, as previously commented. The philly guys also were used to straight and narrow guys like Winters being Quakers, hence Guarniers comments in the last episode, in the scene in the back of the truck, Guarnier says winters, "is from Lancaster County, hes probably a Mennonite" which he wasnt, but theres a lot of influence here.... my hometown area.....
After the initial landing, moving inland was near impossible by the overlapping of the hedgerows. These were natural walls of thicket formed over hundreds of years to divide farmers fields. Add to it the Germans flooded the fields to further impede the Allied advance. Carentan was a vital access to roads that was the only way to advance deeper into France
One of the most important qualities in a leader is authenticity. Sobel pretended to be tougher than he was and took it out on his men to cover up his own weakness. In contrast, you can see that Winters feels frustration, uncertainty, and fear, and doesn't pretend to know things he doesn't. That's a big reason why men were willing to follow him. The "mysterious" Spiers is another example -- he sees war much more cynically than Winters, but you can tell that he genuinely means it and it isn't an act, his seeming callousness is who he actually is. Men would follow either of them over a guy who fakes toughness.
The Battle for Normandy lasted 2 months. The hedgerow countryside offered the Germans an ideal defense. The Allies broke out at the beginning of August in Operation Cobra.
What happened to Blithe's eyesight I believe is called a retinal migraine. It happened to me, several times in one eye, and it only lasted five minutes. Fifty years after the war and doctors still didn't know why it happens, but generally attributed it to stress. Once I made a lifestyle change and eliminated the stress, it never happened again.
I have read that it is a psychological response brought on by stress. It can affect hearing, fainting, speech… quite a few things. It is called Conversion Disorder nowadays, sounds terrible.
The scene where George Luz bursts into the home and almost shoots that family is more tragic than most people think. It was standard procedure to throw grenades in first, Luz's companion is confused when he doesn't. The scene subtly hints at what probably happened in all of the other buildings in which soldiers did as they were trained. Yes, America was the good guy in WW2, but war is war.
The allies committed atrocities aswell but never to the scale of the Germans and most of the time it was an accident and when it wasn't they where penalised usely but the Pacific theatre is a completely different situation.
@@samuel10125pacific was a necessary savage. Japan Imperial soldiers would not surrender and slaughtered civilians almost to if not worse than the Germans. For instance on lack of surrender, a little over 14,000 Japanese soldiers were deployed on Peleliu. Only 67 surrendered, most badly wounded. The rest were KIA or would commit Bushido. They regularly tortured captured Americans. They exterminated virtually every living thing on the islands they captured and conquered.
@@JoshDeCoster Bushido is the warrior code, I believe you mean that they committed Seppuku which is the ritual form of suicide carried over from Samurai culture.
@@JoshDeCoster Exactly my point though I believe there is a debate to be had as to whether that was real Bushido or not because Japan was ruled by a military dictatorship and it did twist alot of Japanese traditions like Bushido to their own gain while I don't know mush about Samurai I doubt they would have condoned the savagery in Nanking.
I I don't think Spiers was considering killing Blithe. He was trying to get Blithe to accept the reality of the situation. James Jones, author of From Here to Eternity, (he served on Guadalcanal during the War) once wrote that the final step in the evolution of a solder, was to accept his own death. Then and only then, could he function as a combatant, putting aside his fear.
Well said. Kudos on an excellent explanation! Harry Welsh explained his mindset of getting through battle as it just being a game and advancing one yard at a time. That’s a more optimistic version. Spiers’ viewpoint was just as valuable a concept, only a more pessimistic take.
In many ways, Spiers was almost like a super soldier. Some of the things he did that didn't make the series were incredible in a time when heroism was almost commonplace.
The casting was excellent. Of all the cast, Frank John Hughes as Bill Guarnere was pretty much rock solid spot on. It’s great several of the real veterans were still alive and got the opportunity to interact with the actors research.
I think you might be the first reactor that I've seen, and I've seen dozens of reactions to this series, that noticed the diamond on the helmet of the soldier that was on the horse giving a message to Winters!! Those symbols designate which regimen of the 101st airborne division a particular soldier is from!! So spades as we know is for 506th! The diamond represents the 501st. So that soldier was from the 501st regiment! The heart represents the 502nd. Clubs represents the 327th glider regimen!! Congratulations on being a rare reactor that actually noticed that!!!🎉🎉❤❤
I've watched many people react to these...yours are fast becoming my favorite. You remember characters in a way that recognizes the efforts of these brave men. For me, this is kind of Lieutenant Harry Welsh's episode. An underrated badass. Also, you're one of the only people who have given due credit to Malarkey's scene in the laundrey. Brings me to tears every time. Well done!
The reason they can sleep in situations like that is because they put their complete trust in their brothers who are pulling guard duty. They trust that they are being watched over and protected as much as possible. It's hard to explain how in such dangerous situations one can find a sense of saftey and security in the men fighting beside you.
I once saw an interview with a vet who said that, ironically, he felt safer in the military than in civilian life, because on duty he was never alone but was always surrounded 24-7 by men with guns who were trained to give their lives to protect him and one shout would immediately wake 200 reinforcements. He said that when he left the military, sleeping in his apartment was a thousand times scarier because he was completely alone with nobody watching over him.
New to your channel. Ive watched Band of Brothers so many times that now it doesnt hit as hard. Getting to watch them with you, almost like an extended highlights reel, is giving me fresh Band of Brothers vibes. I am here for it, really like your content.
You did a good job of noticing the different markings on the helmets. They used card suits (Spades, Clubs, Diamonds and Hearts) to distinguish different regiments in the division. Another thing you might notice is the bar at the back of the helmet. There would be a vertical bar for an officer (like Winters, Welch, Nixon etc.) and horizontal bars for NCO's (like Lipton). This was to help soldiers identify who to watch for orders or signals. As the war progressed a lot of soldiers either allowed the bars to fade or actively scrapped them off or painted over them as the bar made them targets for snipers.
"OP" - Observation Post. It's usually a position manned by only a couple of soldiers, placed a good distance in front of the main line to provide advance warning in case of attack.
when I first started watching this with you I said you would start to feel as if you were part of the unit. I can see it happening already. You are doing a wonderful job . Thank you and God bless you.
Albert Blithe was an American career soldier who served as a private first class with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division during World War II. He served again with the Airborne during the Korean War and was twice decorated for gallantry. Born: June 20, 1923, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Died: December 17, 1967 (age 44 years), Wiesbaden, Germany
So the importance of Carentan was that it was a town where major highways and railways intersected- it was the first place inland where American forces from Utah and Omaha beaches could link up to form a unified American front (rather than two separate beach-heads). The 101st was the division that was closest to the town, so they were sent to capture Carentan.
The casting was perfect as far as the way the actors resembled their counter parts. For spoilers I won't say who it was but one of the Vets of Easy company went to the set during shooting. He looked in the back of one trucks where the actors were taking a break and went pale white. He later said that the actors were so spot on it was like looking at ghosts.
17:50 “OP” is outpost watch for the friendly end of the line, the most forward friendly position stretched out. Pulling the OP would mean pulling them back to the regular line of infantry in the hedgerow. This portion of Normandy was hedgerow to hedgerow fighting, square inch by square inch. Over 200,000 German soldiers were killed or wounded in or around these.
There were 2 guys who wanted a Luger. Hoobler, the guy who mentioned it at the start of this episode and who looked at one from the British soldier dressed as a German before they boarded their planes in episode 1, and Malarkey, who was the guy who ran into the field during the attack at Brecourt Manor only to discover what the dead German had was not a Luger. Also, Speirs wasn't part of Easy Co, he was in Dog Co.
I saw a comment elsewhere that Blithe actually did survive. They just didn’t know it at the time they filmed this. Apparently there was another solider with that name that did die in 1948.
OP, stands for observation post. It was a position a little out in front of where you were to keep the enemy from sneaking up on you and to observe enemy movement.
I think the point of the the shooting the prisoners bit was actually meant to show how rumors can spread on the battlefield and how details change according to the perception of the one telling the story
By the way, to make it easier to understand the unit sizes here's VERY roughly explained: Squad is ~ 10 men, Platoon is ~ 3-4 Squads = 30-40 men, Company is~ 3-4 Platoons = around 100 men, Battallion is ~ 3-4 companies around 400 men etc.
In military terms OP is Observation Point. It is usually sent up somewhere with clear lines of sight to the avenues that you expect the enemy to approach from. If you set up an OP and have it marked on the unit maps then the Sentries (stationed at the OP) radioing Enemy 500 yds to our front can be usefully charted on the maps and calling in artillery strikes can be done. In most wars fought in the 20th Century Artillery did most of the killing.
Again, I am touched by your attention to detail and obvious respect for the men of Easy Company. No spoiler, but you will come to see that Joe Liebgott will be a stone-cold killer in later episodes. I am always touched by his tenderness taking care of Tipper (who was in the storefront when an artillery shell exploded, messing him up badly). Ross McCall did a great job in that role, not only here, but future episodes.
OP - observation post. When you set up a defensive position you often put a few troops forward in an OP to provide early detection of threats. Those in the OP are at greater risk but situational awareness can save the unit a lot of damage. Same idea when employing a point element while moving, which is basically how Blythe was serving when he got hit.
Didn't see anyone else mention it in the comments, but "O.P." means observation post. It's a small group stationed ahead of the main line to keep an eye on the enemy lines.
Movie notes! Quite some intensity again with Blithe really going through it. First of all, as someone already commented, it's important to note that Blithe did not die in 1948 as stated at the end of the episode. He continued to serve in the army all the way to his death in 1967. The error comes from the fact that the series is based on a book which in turn is based on the memories of the soldiers. They thought that Blithe had died. Weird that they still have not corrected that mistake in the series at least in newer releases and streaming versions. Also notice Speirs' and Winters' different way on trying to get blithe to be a "real soldier". Winters talking to him constantly, Speirs telling him that he is already dead. I don't think there is a right answer there for what works best in such a situation, since everyone is different. Fun trivia: The video game Call of Duty (the original one) was heavily inspired by Band of Brothers. It also starts with a paratrooper jump the night before D-Day and includes some of the battles depicted in the series, like this one in Carentan. They even have the same piano in the street :) The scene at the end with the laundry really hits hard and is a great way of telling how many casualties Easy already had to suffer. Thanks for the video and see you next time, Kali!
I served as a fire platoon leader in the Army, among other jobs, and if fire support (artillery, mortars) and time were available in a situation like Easy's assault on Carentan I'd probably first call for a smoke mission to obscure the enemy's view as the platoon moved to engage through an open and/or constrained area so, hopefully, we could get close before suffering serious casualties. If civilian casualties weren't a concern you could also first hit the enemy with high explosive shells and, in those days, white phosphorous (a shake and bake mission) before moving into direct engagement. You might also have support from armor, opening even more options. If heavy support and time are available it is the combat leader's responsibility to employ it to save their troops from unnecessary harm while accomplishing their mission. However, light airborne forces like those of the 101st often had to fight without heavy support during assaults because they were so much more mobile than trailing heavy forces. Incidentally in this engagement the Germans did have fire support, which hit Easy after they took the town. I'm surprised they hadn't preplanned that bridge as a target, which could have really ruined Easy's day before they even got started. Artillery is much more lethal than small arms in such situations. Stopping near easily targeted locations like bridges, road crossings and stream crossings is asking for trouble if the enemy has artillery support.
There was a lot of death in Urban combat, one tactic they used since the buildings in most European cities were stuck together, they would use the mole tactic of blasting through walls instead of trying to move down the streets in the open.
Easy Co was in front many times because they were the designated 'assault' company. They were typically equipped with more and better weapons (mortars, bazookas and MGs) and were better trained in their associated uses and tactics.
24:39 Note what Spears says to Blythe, because it comes back around in a later episode where you actually see Spears do something almost suicidal. A lot of people miss the foreshadowing there.
Blythe confesses to Spiers out of masochistic guilt. He has learned Spiers's reputation, so, yeah, my take is that he is seeking absolution: if his failure is that bad, Spiers would kill him. Spiers's version of compassion is a crucial step towards Blythe being able to function again. (Although it's ultimately Winters standing with him--action, not words--that gets him through.)
OP= Observation Post today we call it LP/OP Listening Post / Observation Post it's a concealed postion a little bit ahead of the main Line to listen and observe for enemy movements to give a little extra time to react.
Another great reaction, young lady. This series got a few things wrong for various reasons, but it's mostly accurate. You're starting to understand why they are called "The greatest generation." I really appreciate the empathy you show for what these men went through to help free the world from tyranny. I'm looking forward to the next one. CURRAHEE.
OP means observation post. as far as hitting a tank it depends on the tank as to where to hit it the problem with blowing off the Tred IE wheels is that the turret still works meaning it can still shot at you.
From what I remember, you are a trauma nurse. I would like to see you react to Upiko - Crow. She’s a Japanese singer who also worked/works as a nurse. She wrote the song based on her experiences as a nurse
I agree. Also, to address Kali’s question, it actually _was_ a bit silly, honestly. Just a dramatization for exposition. England had been at war for five years at that point, suffered air raids by the Luftwaffe, and therefore the civilian population would have been all too cognizant of the prospect of losing people. Still, a quite poignant scene.
As others have said Blithe really died in 1967 so I’m getting into the details of his death. So how did it get shown as him dying in 1948? Easy Company had a large number of men from Pennsylvania in it…Winters, Welch, Guarnere, Heffron, Blithe among others who were never spotlighted in the miniseries. One day 2 members of Easy’s Pennsylvania contingent came across an obituary that said that Albert Blythe of the 101st Airborne Division, 506th PIR has died having never recovered from wounds received in Normandy. Believing that it was “their” Albert Blithe these 2 men attended his funeral then, at the next Company reunion, reported his death to the rest of Easy. What those 2 guys did not know was the crazy coincidence that there were 2 guys from Pennsylvania named Albert Blithe (the one who died in 1948 spelled his name “Blythe”) and both of them were in the 101st Division, 506 PIR and both were wounded in Normandy. Meanwhile Albert Blithe recovered from his wounds, rejoined the Army, served in Korea, and ultimately died in 1967 in Germany. Blithe, serving overseas, never saw another member of Easy. He made no attempt to contact any member of Easy or go to the reunions. Therefore no one from Easy knew any different. When Ambrose wrote the book “Band of Brothers” it was reported to him by Easy that Blithe died in 1947 so that’s what he wrote in the book. The miniseries took their cues, mostly, from the book. Blithe’s family didn’t come forward when the book came out but did when the miniseries came out.
I remember going to the Army Navy store in Miami during the late 50s and early 60s and seeing isles of surplus WW2 equipment. There were racks with German and Japanese bayonets that you could by for less than $5. Hundreds of G.I. helmet liners were available for $3 or less depending on condition. When we played war we played with some of the real stuff. I actually bought my first rifle for $5 from a family friend. It was an Arisaka 7.7 caliber infantry rifle. It was actually a pretty good gun that I used to kill a couple of wild pigs in the Florida Everglades. You could actually mail order WW2 rifles and pistols for less than $50. Before I left for college, one of my friends was considering ordering a Jeep. I believe the going price was $500.
Blythe did survive this was likely a production error as records for all these men had to be pierced together. That said however, was based on Dick Winter's experience and undoubtedly this sort of episode with soldiers in general did happen. War is a shock to the system going against all we consider rational and normal. Likely this was a general recreation for us the viewers. Dick was an advisor on the film and had many discussions with accuracy and his men's reactions. This should be part of everyone's education if not part of Highschool Education in a Western Civilization Class. First, in showing what the cost of freedom is and means, and second, as a part of historical importance for Democracy.
This show was based on Ambrose’s book, which _was_ a result of interviews with the vets plus research. Even if there were advisors on set. There certainly were mistakes made. And _please_ stop dropping spoilers by naming vets that survived. Thanks.
the guy who got rolled over by the tank, was actually done like that. the stunt people put a coffin into the ground and the stunt guy lay over it and when the tank rolled over him, he got pushed into the coffin apparently. and albert blighe didn't die in 1948 but in 1967, it was an error in the text
It wasn't an error in the text, the boys in Easy just never heard from him again and assumed he died from such a horrible wound...it wasn't until after the series aired we found out he lived until 1967.
Spiers’ shooting of POW’s did not occur in an assembly area. It occurred when he and two other soldiers in his company were still looking for other paratroopers. The number shot was 3-7. The Germans were given cigarettes so they would not be terrified before they died. Apparently, Spiers was a nonsmoker.
Your point re picking up the laundry. They were back in England. I think this scene was a vehicle to show those lost. I’m pretty sure the woman would have been aware of the war and the price of it. After all, Europe including the UK had been at war since 1939 and this is now 1944. Once mainland Europe had been conquered by Germany, Britain was the only country left and was basically the front line, enduring regular bombing campaigns and living on war time rations. As Britain was able to fight off the invasion it was able to provide a base for the Allies ( that now included Americans) to launch the D Day operation. I have given such a brief and sketchy hint at what was happening at such a momentous time in history that I’m sure to be criticised but hopefully it gives you a little context. 😃
not sure if it disappered because I mentioned a YT site that does a proper account of this fighting but hey ho. I'll make the point again, the bit where Fox and Dog company ran away gets shown. The part where they rallied and came back in time to help Easy repel the German's is omitted by HBO.
Blithe, did not in fact die in 1948. He lived a full life and died in the late sixties. The soldiers from Easy Company who served with him, just never heard from him again, after he went to the hospital, and assumed he died of his wounds. Blithe’s family later reached out after seeing this series, and informed the writers of the book of the misinformation.
The lady at the end wasn’t being rude. She had no idea what happened to these men. There were hundreds if not thousands of soldiers going through these towns while fighting in Europe, they were just names on a list and she was just working. Maybe she could’ve guessed but who knows?
Blithe was hit in the shoulder with a wooden bullet. He survived and served in Korea with distinction. He died while on duty in Germany in 1967. I have been fighting HBO to change the epilogue or at least provide an apology. Nothing.
@@eliminator173 🤣 OP: Observation post; a position from which military observations are made, or fire directed and adjusted, and which possesses appropriate communications; may be airborne. Hope you were being sarcastic. Can’t tell. If not: keep believing that! 😉
Kali, that not a tank. A tank has a turret that swivels a full 360°. It's probably some sort of self propelled gun or a tank destroyer. The Germans had a variety (actually too many different types) of mobile guns.
8:10 the thought of them shooting the civilians didn't even cross my mind. I was thinking they looked stunned because they almost threw a grenade in there...
Luz doesn't shoot the family in the building. There were definitely civilian casualties in any war, both by accident and purposeful but US soldiers...as well as others...did have orders to keep civilian casualties at a minimum if none at all. it was difficult in the confusion of war to make split-second decisions like that.
Shooting prisoners is a war crime. The German soldiers in Carantan were also paratroopers. The German tanks were actually elements of the elite SS panzer division. They bugged out after large numbers of US tanks from 2nd armored arrived . Actually Private Blyth did not die in 1948. He stayed in the military and became a career soldier
Surrendered enemy combatants (disarmed) cannot be shot. Once disarmed, assuming there is no logical way or system to guard them, they should be let go. General Maxwell Taylor issued the following directive>"If you were to take prisoners, they’d handicap our ability to perform our mission. We were going to have to dispose of prisoners as best we saw fit." That did not mean shooting them in cold blood once they surrendered. The visuals of the scene conjured up by Skip Muck later had the prisoners all in SS uniforms, but in the actual scene from Ep.2 they were regular Germans. It was more commonplace that SS soldiers who were all members of the Nazi Party were shot. As for the American in German uniform from Oregon, his fate was probably sealed anyway.
@johannesvalterdivizzini1523 That particular person Malarky knew since he had lived across the street, not 100 miles away. The series took artistic license with it and combined it with the Spiers incident. In reality, Malarky saw him on D day +3 or 4.. After they had actually started taking prisnors..
The true story is a Sergeant in Spears platoon was too drunk to go on patrol and Spears told him to stand down. But the Sergeant disobeyed and went anyway and when Spears told him to go back he pulled his weapon on Spears. Then Spears killed him.
Oh, purple heart is given to wounded by enemy fire. The guy getting extra medals was getting one for the guy stabbed by his own men. If that woman hadn't she'd have to eat the cost of cleaning those. She probably knew but saying so would be rude, especially if one was not dead, she might be seen as wishing him dead or speaking it to life- whatever
You will see later that Spiers may not have actually shot the prisoners. They did take prisoners and they were sent back to England and a lot actually went to America. I have a suggestion for after you finish this series, you watch "The Best Years of Our Lives", 1946. It deals with 3 men returning from WW II to try and restart their lives. I think it is the first movie to deal with PTSD before it was even called that. Your reactions to this series are spot on. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Speirs' actions are a difficult topic at best - if the shooting of the prisoners is indeed true, which no one can say for sure. In comparison, many mid-level german commanders were (rightfully!!!) charged as war criminals, as there is no acceptable excuse whatsoever to shoot prisoners. In fact, a number were (again correctly) sentenced for not stepping in when troops under their command murdered prisoners - in comparison, the 101st's divisional order of "don't take any prisoners" is not a grey area, but a clear war crime. I think the most prominent example of this was the Malmedy massacre.
Blithe didn't actually die at the end, he finished WWII with 3 purple heart medals, 3 bronze star medals and later served in Korea earning a silver star for gallantry in combat, and retired a master sergeant. He died from an ulcer on December 12th, 1967.
The reason it's changed in the series is because the brothers in arms heard nothing else about him while he recovered. They assumed he died. He never contacted the men he fought with, so the producers and such gathering info, interviews, and intel for the show never knew his true fate.
That was such a big inaccuracy, and he got such a bad rap. There's so much historically accurate stuff in the book and the show, and Albert Blythe is the one thing that threatens to discredit all of the rest.
I feel I should clarify on that point that Blithe died in a US Army hospital in Wiesbaden West Germany in 1967. He had not retired and was still serving in the US army. A google search does not answer the ? did he have the longest period of military service of any soldier in Easy Company.
I think the longest tenure of active duty service belongs to Spiers. The series doesn't cover what he did after Spandau prison. However, his experience there with his Russian counterpart made him uniquely qualified for his final assignments..
@@johnhippely2125 I will declare I looked at his service, both Blithe and that gent (trying to avoid spoilers) enlisted in 1942, the former governor however quit the army in 1964. That gives Blithe 3 years more service than him.
There was also confusion due to some Easy members claiming they heard about Blythe dying and actually going to his funeral, not knowing it was a different Albert Blythe. Since he didn't maintain contact with most of them after WWII, it seems like they just assumed it was their guy.
That was Father Maloney, the battalion chaplain giving the last rights to the fallen.
He was awarded the
*Distinguished Service Cross* for his actions that day.
I've always considered Blithe getting three perspectives on combat/leadership. Winters...the strong, fatherly encouragement. Welch...it's just a game, relating it to football. Spiers..the theory of fatalism. The key to great leadership is knowing your men and what style of leadership they respond to. All of those have their place.
Fun fact: @ 10:11 - that praying soldier (chaplain) is played by Doug Cockle - he voiced Geralt of Rivia in the Witcher video game series!
Your joking?
@@samuel10125 No, he's serious, you can Google it.
didn't know that but it makes me feel weirdly like a proud dad!🙂(i have played a lot of "the witcher".)
@@samuel10125 Nope it's all true, took me by surprise as well haha
Thank you enjoyed your reaction. OP is Observation Post, Sgt Talbert got bayoneted because he was wearing a German raincoat when he woke up the guy who rightly thought it was a German soldier standing above him.
And you can see Talbert in the background showing up that raincoat at the beginning of the episode, while someone else shows up a Nazi flag, before Perconte displays his collection of watches.
He didn't die.
Blithe survived, stayed in the army, and also fought in Korea
Great reaction! On the topic of taking out tanks, a tank’s thickest armor is in the front because that’s where they’re expected to be hit. To save weight the sides are almost always thinner with the thinnest being the back, bottom and roof. German tanks and assault guns (a tank without a turret like in this episode) had their transmissions in the front at this time. By hitting the assault gun in the bottom the bazooka rocket was able to punch through the thin armor and damage the transmission resulting in a ‘mobility’ kill (the vehicle cannot move without repairs and cannot aid the mission).
This ^ Very well explained
Thank you so much for the super! And for explaining tanks a bit more. Makes much more sense after reading this comment! 💚
@Kaliwali 16:50 you are the first reactor I've watched who seems to understand and maybe even agree with Lt Speirs perspective on how to cope with the fear. I think it is the perspective I would need to adopt in order to conquer the fear and do my job. Accept that you will likely die and thank my creator for the strength to fight anyway... These brave men really are our greatest generation!
My grandfather said pretty much the same thing about fighting the Japanese in the Pacific. That led him to do some absolutely insane things in the heat of battle. One of them involved walking through crossfire between positions because his soldiers were pinned down and running out of ammunition. When questioned about it, his response was simply, "Well, I can't outrun a bullet but I sure as hell can run into one." Whatever, he and a lot of his guys made it out alive in the end.
@@vinnynj78 Truly brave men, the war in the Pacific was a whole other level of hell according to my grandfather. I asked him to tell us what it was like several times but I only heard him speak of it twice and it was in generalities. Probably better for him to let it stay in the past.
Only problem is Speirs never said that to Blithe. They weren't even in the same company (Speirs was in Dog Co.)
@@War_And_Truth not a problem at all, they were our greatest generation in real life and Spiers perspective, in the series if not his perspective in real life resonates with me and I assume others...
You feel better now? Can you sleep ok tonight bud?
5:28 Carentan had immense strategic value, it was surrounded by marshes on all sides and it was the only dry crossing point for vehicles, linking Utah and Omaha beach. The fighting for the town lasted 6 days before the allies could secure it.
7:00 Keep a close eye on Shifty, the man was a natural born sharpshooter. Another example at 7:04 where he nails the assistant gunner with 1 well placed shot.
10:09 That's a Chaplain and he's giving the dying/wounded their last rites. There's a very famous (and sad) picture of navy chaplain Luis Padilla, giving last rites to a soldier that was wounded by a sniper, during the "El Porteñazo" Revolt in Venezuela, 1962. The photograph is titled "Aid from the Padre", by Héctor Rondón.
10:26 due to budget and time constraints, the production team couldn't really convey fully how marshy the terrain was around Carentan, and this sequence is the only one we have where we can see actual marshes/water
13:01 This actually did happen, I think someone mentioned in the comments of Episode 2's video;
_A replacement sergeant disobeyed a direct order while in a combat situation, thereby risking the lives of the other soldiers in the company. According to Private First Class Art DiMarzio, Speirs, commanding 2nd platoon, Dog Company was given orders to halt their attack on Ste. Come-du-Mont, to hold position while regimental headquarters coordinated a rolling barrage shelling fifteen targets in the vicinity of Ste. Come-du-Mont. DiMarzio, who was lying in a prone position next to a sergeant, stated he remembered the sergeant being drunk. An order to hold position was given and relayed down the line which the sergeant refused to obey, wanting to rush forward and engage the Germans. Once again, Speirs gave him the order to hold his position. Speirs told the man that he was too drunk to perform his duties and that he should remove himself to the rear. The sergeant refused and began to reach for his rifle. Speirs again warned the sergeant, who now levelled his rifle at Speirs. Art DiMarzio says he then saw Speirs shoot the sergeant in self-defense._
17:52 OP stands for Observation Post, basically a position where soldiers can watch for enemy movements or to direct artillery fire.
19:42 huh, funny timestamp; I am gonna be pedantic here, you'll have to excuse me as I am serving as a tank crewmember, but these are tank destroyers. The main difference is that a tank (usually, depends on which country you ask) has a fully rotating turret and is designed to be able to combat infantry, armored vehicles and light skinned vehicles all the same. Tank destroyers (again, usually) don't have a fully rotating turret, but rather a gun on a casemate mount, and are designed to fight other armored vehicles.
Here, a shot to the tracks, gun or transmission (which is where they shot) would have proven quite effective in order to cause what is called a "mobility kill". When it comes to armored vehicle combat, there's different kinds of "kills" a vehicle can suffer;
Mobility kill; When the engine, tracks or transmission is destroyed and the vehicle is immobilized.
Firepower kill; When the gun or the vehicle's aiming devices (periscopes, gunner's sight, commander's sight, etc) are destroyed.
Mission kill; Mission kill is more complicated. It is used when a vehicle is no longer able to fulfill it's mission but it doesn't necessarily mean this was caused by enemy action. If your tank is bogged down in a marsh and you can't get it out, it's considered a mission kill.
Finally, catastrophic kill, used only when a vehicle is damaged to the point where it's a total loss. Unusable and/or unrepairable.
The best areas to hit an armored vehicle are the back, first and foremost, sides, roof and belly. The back is almost always the least armored area and if it's a conventional tank, will have fuel tanks and the engine. The roof and belly are also extremely thin but are hard to reach. The sides are also a good area to attack from for the same aforementioned reasons but they also allow for damage to the fighting compartment which has the crew, ammunition, electrical and fire control systems, etc. Back > Roof/Belly if you can access it > Sides > Front.
22:33 If I am not mistaken, the Germans had a Marder III Ausf. H (In reality they had to use a Swedish Sav M/43 chassis), StuG III (the one we see getting disabled) and the famous Jagdpanther
The American tanks are, in fact, Canadian, LOL. They are the Grizzly I, which is a Canadian built M4A1 Sherman. This was done because Grizzlies were more readily available to the production team than American built Shermans, but they are the real deal.
By the end of this episode, the special effects team had used more pyrotechnics than the whole of Saving Pvt. Ryan.
Also, don't think for a second I didn't spot "I was lost without you" during the thoughts segment. Fitting.
guaranteed you’ll love Spiers soon…
I say 'Flash' - You say 'Thunder' --- Am enjoying your reactions immensely.
Many have probably answered alotta your questions already, but I'd like to cover something you wondered about that deals with one of my favorite aspects of historical military research: I'm a unit emblem kinda guy.
The spade on the helmets identified Easy men as members of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment (as a matter of interest, their radio callsign was 'Kidnap').
You noted the diamond on the helmet of the fella riding the horse: that was the insignia of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment (callsign 'Klondike'). As an aside, the actors all went through a 'boot camp' to learn firsthand something of what it was like to be a soldier of the time. The fella on the horse, his character name was Sgt. Farnsworth from Able Company, 501st PIR... that actor was Freddie Joe Farnsworth, one of the 'drill instructors' for the boot camp. He was in the USMC and is a 'horse' guy, having been a professional rider (rodeos and such) as well as a horse stuntman for film and television.
If you have any interest in learning about some of the behind the scenes stuff from some of the BoB actors, directors, producers, and writers, including much about that boot camp, search here on UA-cam for the HBO Band of Brothers Podcasts. Really good stuff. They're audio only, so you can listen to them while doing other stuff or whatever. Also, Ron Livingston's (Nixon) video diary for the boot camp is worth a watch.
Anyhoo, I simply wanna say that I appreciate these Band of Brother reactions. Yours are thoughtful and truly meaningful reactions and commentary. Keep 'em comin', Kali... and Curahee!
LP is Listening Post and OP is Observation Post, small forces place at the forefront of a unit. Those Soldiers' jobs are to report any any movements from the opposing forces (sounds, sights, sizes, etc. of the forces that about to contact with the main units). That's why when contacts were made, they have to be pull back or they'll just be the "speed bumps" as the enemy rolling in hard.
They really should edit that ending since they now know that Blithe did not die.
I agree. It can't really be that hard to do.
No. They won't. Numerous changes were made in the way the story was told and it was done with intent. Although there is a lot of truth in BoB there also a ton of "artistic license."
@@harryrabbit2870 that change was not made due to "artistic license", they were told by members of EZ that Blithe died because someone with the same name did die and they thought it was him.
@@sundalangur3250 from what I've read, it may not be hard, but it would be costly to do it properly, and don't forget that it's owned by TW-Discovery, whose CEO is cutting stuff from their own streaming services to cut costs and canceling projects for tax breaks. Do you really think he's going to let them spend money on it when there's realistically no profit motive?
at the 9:41 mark, that paratrooper was Ed Tipper. He survived the blast, lost his left eye and had 2 broken legs. Until last year, his daughter Kerry Tipper was a politician in the Colorado House of Representatives.
In the first episode he was the one who had so many letters that Sobel got upset. He also handed the map to Sobel when the barbed wire fence was cut.
When I was in the army and down in Ft Jackson I had the privilege to meet Earl McClung who did interviews on Band of Brothers and Forrest Guth and got their signatures on a picture of them and some of the 506th with the 4th Infantry Division in St Marie-Du-Mont. It was amazing being able to talk to them about their time in service.
Chaplain John Maloney was a military chaplain with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army during World War II.He was the one giving the last rites,just before the soldier died.I believed they nicknamed him the "crazy Irish priest".
17:21 I think Blithe told him for two reasons. One, I think he felt guilty, and wanted to come clean to someone. Two, I think he was just searching for a human moment, from anyone. I think Blithe was in the middle of a total dissociation, and he was trying to find his way back to some sense of normalcy. It's like when he almost broke down in front of Winters because he felt guilty about letting his comrades down - Winters responded by comforting him, and Blithe immediately felt a little better. His blindness cleared up because Winters was kind to him instead of admonishing him. Here, Blithe was looking for the same type of human moment from Spiers, but instead he got the opposite. Spiers basically tells him that the human connection is what is holding him back, and if he wants to get through this, he better let it go. Hence the look on Blithe's face as Spiers leaves. It's the total opposite of what he wanted to hear.
I'm surprised at most peoples reactions when they even consider that Luz would shoot that family and kids in the building. Granted the sound editing is really strange at that moment when you hear a shot ring out after it cuts away, making it seem like he did.
It's the sound editing plus the visual editing - after lowering his weapon a bit, he raises it slightly again - a small bit of poor editing in an otherwise almost flawless show.
Bearing in mind the normal SOP was to clear buildings with grenades and Luz didn't use a grenade and when he saw those civilians in there you see him thinking "thank God I didn't throw in a grenade.
Yeah same. I always thought his expression was like "oh s*** I almost killed this family" rather than him thinking about should he kill them.
What so many people miss in that moment of relief is that it was standard procedure to throw grenades in first, that's why Luz's companion is confused. The scene is subtly hinting about what probably happened in all of the other buildings in which soldiers did throw grenades in, as they were trained to. War is hell.
Agreed, I came to the comments to make that point but you beat me to it. It looks like Kali had a bad take and actually thought Luz was considering shooting the family, which couldn't be further from the truth. His realization that he almost killed the family completely overwhelmed and stunned him. Even though he didn't, I'm sure the horror of that thought and memory stayed with him for a long time.
I live close to where Richard Winters lived, my son was doing a project for history class and wrote to him requesting an interview. He was very kind and replied, asking a lot of questions about what my son knew about Easy Company and the 502nd ( apparently after the series came out he was careful who he spoke to, avoiding people with no real desire for historical information) Unfortunately they were unable to coordinate a date to speak, but he was very polite to my son and apologized for not being able to work out a date.
Hey dude, great story. But, um, stop with the spoilers.
@@mikepeterson9362
Agree. Never ceases to amaze how people drop spoilers. Hopefully they’re just ignorantly oblivious & not being callous trolls.
Winters speech got Blithe on his feet, Spears speech got Blithe to be a soldier! He lived and went on to be decorated for Valor and again decorated for Valor in Korea. He died in 1967. People always assume he died in the show after getting hit in the neck, but it was actually his shoulder and he was evacuated to a hospital and went on to be a career soldier.😊
Winters as an incredible leader once again on full display here. While last episode we got a chance to see how calm, collected, and level headed he is on the battlefield, today we saw just how much he cares about his men too. Not just issuing commands in the heat of battle, but also looking after them, encouraging them, reaching out a hand to pull Blithe out of his darkness (multiple times). His men mean so much to him, and we could see that last episode too by how shaken he was at losing the one soldier in the trenches. He’s 100% the type of person, and leader that I aspire to be like
Also after watching Fury and learning about everything the tank crews go through, it was very cool to see the tanks roll on through to save everyone
Some of the Philadelphia based vets heard that Blithe passed due to a funeral announcement for a different Blithe, and it was just assumed by the guys interviewed that it was Albert from thier company, but it wasnt, as previously commented. The philly guys also were used to straight and narrow guys like Winters being Quakers, hence Guarniers comments in the last episode, in the scene in the back of the truck, Guarnier says winters, "is from Lancaster County, hes probably a Mennonite" which he wasnt, but theres a lot of influence here.... my hometown area.....
After the initial landing, moving inland was near impossible by the overlapping of the hedgerows. These were natural walls of thicket formed over hundreds of years to divide farmers fields. Add to it the Germans flooded the fields to further impede the Allied advance.
Carentan was a vital access to roads that was the only way to advance deeper into France
One of the most important qualities in a leader is authenticity. Sobel pretended to be tougher than he was and took it out on his men to cover up his own weakness. In contrast, you can see that Winters feels frustration, uncertainty, and fear, and doesn't pretend to know things he doesn't. That's a big reason why men were willing to follow him. The "mysterious" Spiers is another example -- he sees war much more cynically than Winters, but you can tell that he genuinely means it and it isn't an act, his seeming callousness is who he actually is. Men would follow either of them over a guy who fakes toughness.
The Battle for Normandy lasted 2 months. The hedgerow countryside offered the Germans an ideal defense. The Allies broke out at the beginning of August in Operation Cobra.
Fun bit of trivia. The actor playing the chaplain is Doug Cockle who voiced Geralt of Rivia in the Witcher games.
Winds Howling
He's currently a part of Natural Six, a UK based group doing a D&D stream here on UA-cam. Pretty entertaining if you like that sort of content.
What happened to Blithe's eyesight I believe is called a retinal migraine. It happened to me, several times in one eye, and it only lasted five minutes. Fifty years after the war and doctors still didn't know why it happens, but generally attributed it to stress. Once I made a lifestyle change and eliminated the stress, it never happened again.
I have read that it is a psychological response brought on by stress. It can affect hearing, fainting, speech… quite a few things. It is called Conversion Disorder nowadays, sounds terrible.
The scene where George Luz bursts into the home and almost shoots that family is more tragic than most people think. It was standard procedure to throw grenades in first, Luz's companion is confused when he doesn't. The scene subtly hints at what probably happened in all of the other buildings in which soldiers did as they were trained. Yes, America was the good guy in WW2, but war is war.
The allies committed atrocities aswell but never to the scale of the Germans and most of the time it was an accident and when it wasn't they where penalised usely but the Pacific theatre is a completely different situation.
@@samuel10125pacific was a necessary savage. Japan Imperial soldiers would not surrender and slaughtered civilians almost to if not worse than the Germans.
For instance on lack of surrender, a little over 14,000 Japanese soldiers were deployed on Peleliu. Only 67 surrendered, most badly wounded. The rest were KIA or would commit Bushido. They regularly tortured captured Americans. They exterminated virtually every living thing on the islands they captured and conquered.
@@JoshDeCoster Bushido is the warrior code, I believe you mean that they committed Seppuku which is the ritual form of suicide carried over from Samurai culture.
@ there we go! Thank you for your correction, good callout.
@@JoshDeCoster Exactly my point though I believe there is a debate to be had as to whether that was real Bushido or not because Japan was ruled by a military dictatorship and it did twist alot of Japanese traditions like Bushido to their own gain while I don't know mush about Samurai I doubt they would have condoned the savagery in Nanking.
I I don't think Spiers was considering killing Blithe. He was trying to get Blithe to accept the reality of the situation. James Jones, author of From Here to Eternity, (he served on Guadalcanal during the War) once wrote that the final step in the evolution of a solder, was to accept his own death. Then and only then, could he function as a combatant, putting aside his fear.
Well said. Kudos on an excellent explanation!
Harry Welsh explained his mindset of getting through battle as it just being a game and advancing one yard at a time. That’s a more optimistic version. Spiers’ viewpoint was just as valuable a concept, only a more pessimistic take.
In many ways, Spiers was almost like a super soldier. Some of the things he did that didn't make the series were incredible in a time when heroism was almost commonplace.
Smartly IS a word and kudos on diving into BoB and not being spoiled in comments.
The casting was excellent. Of all the cast, Frank John Hughes as Bill Guarnere was pretty much rock solid spot on. It’s great several of the real veterans were still alive and got the opportunity to interact with the actors research.
I think you might be the first reactor that I've seen, and I've seen dozens of reactions to this series, that noticed the diamond on the helmet of the soldier that was on the horse giving a message to Winters!!
Those symbols designate which regimen of the 101st airborne division a particular soldier is from!!
So spades as we know is for 506th!
The diamond represents the 501st. So that soldier was from the 501st regiment!
The heart represents the 502nd.
Clubs represents the 327th glider regimen!!
Congratulations on being a rare reactor that actually noticed that!!!🎉🎉❤❤
I've watched many people react to these...yours are fast becoming my favorite. You remember characters in a way that recognizes the efforts of these brave men. For me, this is kind of Lieutenant Harry Welsh's episode. An underrated badass. Also, you're one of the only people who have given due credit to Malarkey's scene in the laundrey. Brings me to tears every time. Well done!
The reason they can sleep in situations like that is because they put their complete trust in their brothers who are pulling guard duty. They trust that they are being watched over and protected as much as possible. It's hard to explain how in such dangerous situations one can find a sense of saftey and security in the men fighting beside you.
I once saw an interview with a vet who said that, ironically, he felt safer in the military than in civilian life, because on duty he was never alone but was always surrounded 24-7 by men with guns who were trained to give their lives to protect him and one shout would immediately wake 200 reinforcements. He said that when he left the military, sleeping in his apartment was a thousand times scarier because he was completely alone with nobody watching over him.
New to your channel. Ive watched Band of Brothers so many times that now it doesnt hit as hard.
Getting to watch them with you, almost like an extended highlights reel, is giving me fresh Band of Brothers vibes.
I am here for it, really like your content.
You did a good job of noticing the different markings on the helmets. They used card suits (Spades, Clubs, Diamonds and Hearts) to distinguish different regiments in the division. Another thing you might notice is the bar at the back of the helmet. There would be a vertical bar for an officer (like Winters, Welch, Nixon etc.) and horizontal bars for NCO's (like Lipton). This was to help soldiers identify who to watch for orders or signals. As the war progressed a lot of soldiers either allowed the bars to fade or actively scrapped them off or painted over them as the bar made them targets for snipers.
Spears giving cigarettes to the German POWs before executing them is the same a a death row prisoner getting a final meal.
"OP" - Observation Post. It's usually a position manned by only a couple of soldiers, placed a good distance in front of the main line to provide advance warning in case of attack.
when I first started watching this with you I said you would start to feel as if you were part of the unit. I can see it happening already. You are doing a wonderful job . Thank you and God bless you.
It's really nice to watch such a smart reactor! 🙂
Albert Blithe was an American career soldier who served as a private first class with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division during World War II. He served again with the Airborne during the Korean War and was twice decorated for gallantry.
Born: June 20, 1923, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: December 17, 1967 (age 44 years), Wiesbaden, Germany
Respect your willingness to react to these difficult shows that show the realities of war.
So the importance of Carentan was that it was a town where major highways and railways intersected- it was the first place inland where American forces from Utah and Omaha beaches could link up to form a unified American front (rather than two separate beach-heads). The 101st was the division that was closest to the town, so they were sent to capture Carentan.
The casting was perfect as far as the way the actors resembled their counter parts. For spoilers I won't say who it was but one of the Vets of Easy company went to the set during shooting. He looked in the back of one trucks where the actors were taking a break and went pale white. He later said that the actors were so spot on it was like looking at ghosts.
17:50 “OP” is outpost watch for the friendly end of the line, the most forward friendly position stretched out. Pulling the OP would mean pulling them back to the regular line of infantry in the hedgerow. This portion of Normandy was hedgerow to hedgerow fighting, square inch by square inch. Over 200,000 German soldiers were killed or wounded in or around these.
There were 2 guys who wanted a Luger. Hoobler, the guy who mentioned it at the start of this episode and who looked at one from the British soldier dressed as a German before they boarded their planes in episode 1, and Malarkey, who was the guy who ran into the field during the attack at Brecourt Manor only to discover what the dead German had was not a Luger. Also, Speirs wasn't part of Easy Co, he was in Dog Co.
I saw a comment elsewhere that Blithe actually did survive. They just didn’t know it at the time they filmed this. Apparently there was another solider with that name that did die in 1948.
OP, stands for observation post. It was a position a little out in front of where you were to keep the enemy from sneaking up on you and to observe enemy movement.
I think the point of the the shooting the prisoners bit was actually meant to show how rumors can spread on the battlefield and how details change according to the perception of the one telling the story
When Lt. Welsh was trying to light his smoke you could tell he was shook up from sending Blithe to scout before getting pulled off the line.
6:16 Helmets wouldn't do much of anything to stop a bullet. It was mainly to protect against shrapnel from artillery strike.
By the way, to make it easier to understand the unit sizes here's VERY roughly explained: Squad is ~ 10 men, Platoon is ~ 3-4 Squads = 30-40 men, Company is~ 3-4 Platoons = around 100 men, Battallion is ~ 3-4 companies around 400 men etc.
In military terms OP is Observation Point. It is usually sent up somewhere with clear lines of sight to the avenues that you expect the enemy to approach from. If you set up an OP and have it marked on the unit maps then the Sentries (stationed at the OP) radioing Enemy 500 yds to our front can be usefully charted on the maps and calling in artillery strikes can be done. In most wars fought in the 20th Century Artillery did most of the killing.
Again, I am touched by your attention to detail and obvious respect for the men of Easy Company. No spoiler, but you will come to see that Joe Liebgott will be a stone-cold killer in later episodes. I am always touched by his tenderness taking care of Tipper (who was in the storefront when an artillery shell exploded, messing him up badly). Ross McCall did a great job in that role, not only here, but future episodes.
OP = Observation Post. (somebody ahead of your line with a radio/phone, etc).
OP - observation post. When you set up a defensive position you often put a few troops forward in an OP to provide early detection of threats. Those in the OP are at greater risk but situational awareness can save the unit a lot of damage. Same idea when employing a point element while moving, which is basically how Blythe was serving when he got hit.
Didn't see anyone else mention it in the comments, but "O.P." means observation post. It's a small group stationed ahead of the main line to keep an eye on the enemy lines.
Movie notes!
Quite some intensity again with Blithe really going through it.
First of all, as someone already commented, it's important to note that Blithe did not die in 1948 as stated at the end of the episode. He continued to serve in the army all the way to his death in 1967. The error comes from the fact that the series is based on a book which in turn is based on the memories of the soldiers. They thought that Blithe had died. Weird that they still have not corrected that mistake in the series at least in newer releases and streaming versions.
Also notice Speirs' and Winters' different way on trying to get blithe to be a "real soldier". Winters talking to him constantly, Speirs telling him that he is already dead. I don't think there is a right answer there for what works best in such a situation, since everyone is different.
Fun trivia: The video game Call of Duty (the original one) was heavily inspired by Band of Brothers. It also starts with a paratrooper jump the night before D-Day and includes some of the battles depicted in the series, like this one in Carentan. They even have the same piano in the street :)
The scene at the end with the laundry really hits hard and is a great way of telling how many casualties Easy already had to suffer.
Thanks for the video and see you next time, Kali!
I served as a fire platoon leader in the Army, among other jobs, and if fire support (artillery, mortars) and time were available in a situation like Easy's assault on Carentan I'd probably first call for a smoke mission to obscure the enemy's view as the platoon moved to engage through an open and/or constrained area so, hopefully, we could get close before suffering serious casualties. If civilian casualties weren't a concern you could also first hit the enemy with high explosive shells and, in those days, white phosphorous (a shake and bake mission) before moving into direct engagement. You might also have support from armor, opening even more options. If heavy support and time are available it is the combat leader's responsibility to employ it to save their troops from unnecessary harm while accomplishing their mission. However, light airborne forces like those of the 101st often had to fight without heavy support during assaults because they were so much more mobile than trailing heavy forces.
Incidentally in this engagement the Germans did have fire support, which hit Easy after they took the town. I'm surprised they hadn't preplanned that bridge as a target, which could have really ruined Easy's day before they even got started. Artillery is much more lethal than small arms in such situations. Stopping near easily targeted locations like bridges, road crossings and stream crossings is asking for trouble if the enemy has artillery support.
Artillery adds dignity to what would otherwise be an ugly brawl
There was a lot of death in Urban combat, one tactic they used since the buildings in most European cities were stuck together, they would use the mole tactic of blasting through walls instead of trying to move down the streets in the open.
O.P. = Observation post. Couple guys sitting in front of the lines with communications.. watching the other side.
Easy Co was in front many times because they were the designated 'assault' company. They were typically equipped with more and better weapons (mortars, bazookas and MGs) and were better trained in their associated uses and tactics.
Spiers is an absolute badass.
24:39 Note what Spears says to Blythe, because it comes back around in a later episode where you actually see Spears do something almost suicidal. A lot of people miss the foreshadowing there.
Blythe confesses to Spiers out of masochistic guilt. He has learned Spiers's reputation, so, yeah, my take is that he is seeking absolution: if his failure is that bad, Spiers would kill him. Spiers's version of compassion is a crucial step towards Blythe being able to function again. (Although it's ultimately Winters standing with him--action, not words--that gets him through.)
"So they're just chillin over there and we're chillin over here?"
Yeah well ... they did that for four years in ww1...
This was the first episode of BoB that I ever watched...but I got to watch it in a small town called Carentan, France. ;)
OP= Observation Post today we call it LP/OP Listening Post / Observation Post it's a concealed postion a little bit ahead of the main Line to listen and observe for enemy movements to give a little extra time to react.
Another great reaction, young lady. This series got a few things wrong for various reasons, but it's mostly accurate. You're starting to understand why they are called "The greatest generation." I really appreciate the empathy you show for what these men went through to help free the world from tyranny. I'm looking forward to the next one. CURRAHEE.
Nice choice on the background music. I think it's "I Was Lost Without You" from Mass Effect?
The conversation about Spiers and shooting the prisoner was referring to the same scene we saw in ep. two, not a different incident.
OP means observation post. as far as hitting a tank it depends on the tank as to where to hit it the problem with blowing off the Tred IE wheels is that the turret still works meaning it can still shot at you.
From what I remember, you are a trauma nurse. I would like to see you react to Upiko - Crow. She’s a Japanese singer who also worked/works as a nurse. She wrote the song based on her experiences as a nurse
18:24 I hesitate to say he's "broken" as this is probably a pretty natural response to being in a warzone. Even *with* all that training.
An "OP" is observation post, usually 2 soldiers, sometimes 3 or 4
The one scene that always gets me in this episode is the end. Malarkey picking up all the laundry of then that Easy lost. It was very sobering.
I always thought it was a fantastic bit of exposition, using the classic "show, don't tell", to name off some of the guys who died.
I agree.
Also, to address Kali’s question, it actually _was_ a bit silly, honestly. Just a dramatization for exposition. England had been at war for five years at that point, suffered air raids by the Luftwaffe, and therefore the civilian population would have been all too cognizant of the prospect of losing people. Still, a quite poignant scene.
Almost every episode has a perfect scene. But the laundry scene might be the perfect scene for the whole series.
As others have said Blithe really died in 1967 so I’m getting into the details of his death. So how did it get shown as him dying in 1948?
Easy Company had a large number of men from Pennsylvania in it…Winters, Welch, Guarnere, Heffron, Blithe among others who were never spotlighted in the miniseries.
One day 2 members of Easy’s Pennsylvania contingent came across an obituary that said that Albert Blythe of the 101st Airborne Division, 506th PIR has died having never recovered from wounds received in Normandy. Believing that it was “their” Albert Blithe these 2 men attended his funeral then, at the next Company reunion, reported his death to the rest of Easy. What those 2 guys did not know was the crazy coincidence that there were 2 guys from Pennsylvania named Albert Blithe (the one who died in 1948 spelled his name “Blythe”) and both of them were in the 101st Division, 506 PIR and both were wounded in Normandy.
Meanwhile Albert Blithe recovered from his wounds, rejoined the Army, served in Korea, and ultimately died in 1967 in Germany. Blithe, serving overseas, never saw another member of Easy. He made no attempt to contact any member of Easy or go to the reunions. Therefore no one from Easy knew any different. When Ambrose wrote the book “Band of Brothers” it was reported to him by Easy that Blithe died in 1947 so that’s what he wrote in the book. The miniseries took their cues, mostly, from the book.
Blithe’s family didn’t come forward when the book came out but did when the miniseries came out.
I said it before, I'll say it again: Spiers NEVER smoked a day in his life. I do love how the stories get more and more fantastic.
I remember going to the Army Navy store in Miami during the late 50s and early 60s and seeing isles of surplus WW2 equipment. There were racks with German and Japanese bayonets that you could by for less than $5. Hundreds of G.I. helmet liners were available for $3 or less depending on condition. When we played war we played with some of the real stuff. I actually bought my first rifle for $5 from a family friend. It was an Arisaka 7.7 caliber infantry rifle. It was actually a pretty good gun that I used to kill a couple of wild pigs in the Florida Everglades. You could actually mail order WW2 rifles and pistols for less than $50. Before I left for college, one of my friends was considering ordering a Jeep. I believe the going price was $500.
Blythe did survive this was likely a production error as records for all these men had to be pierced together. That said however, was based on Dick Winter's experience and undoubtedly this sort of episode with soldiers in general did happen. War is a shock to the system going against all we consider rational and normal. Likely this was a general recreation for us the viewers. Dick was an advisor on the film and had many discussions with accuracy and his men's reactions. This should be part of everyone's education if not part of Highschool Education in a Western Civilization Class. First, in showing what the cost of freedom is and means, and second, as a part of historical importance for Democracy.
This show was based on Ambrose’s book, which _was_ a result of interviews with the vets plus research. Even if there were advisors on set. There certainly were mistakes made.
And _please_ stop dropping spoilers by naming vets that survived. Thanks.
the guy who got rolled over by the tank, was actually done like that. the stunt people put a coffin into the ground and the stunt guy lay over it and when the tank rolled over him, he got pushed into the coffin apparently. and albert blighe didn't die in 1948 but in 1967, it was an error in the text
It wasn't an error in the text, the boys in Easy just never heard from him again and assumed he died from such a horrible wound...it wasn't until after the series aired we found out he lived until 1967.
Spiers’ shooting of POW’s did not occur in an assembly area. It occurred when he and two other soldiers in his company were still looking for other paratroopers. The number shot was 3-7. The Germans were given cigarettes so they would not be terrified before they died. Apparently, Spiers was a nonsmoker.
Your point re picking up the laundry. They were back in England. I think this scene was a vehicle to show those lost. I’m pretty sure the woman would have been aware of the war and the price of it. After all, Europe including the UK had been at war since 1939 and this is now 1944. Once mainland Europe had been conquered by Germany, Britain was the only country left and was basically the front line, enduring regular bombing campaigns and living on war time rations. As Britain was able to fight off the invasion it was able to provide a base for the Allies ( that now included Americans) to launch the D Day operation.
I have given such a brief and sketchy hint at what was happening at such a momentous time in history that I’m sure to be criticised but hopefully it gives you a little context. 😃
not sure if it disappered because I mentioned a YT site that does a proper account of this fighting but hey ho. I'll make the point again, the bit where Fox and Dog company ran away gets shown. The part where they rallied and came back in time to help Easy repel the German's is omitted by HBO.
Blithe, did not in fact die in 1948. He lived a full life and died in the late sixties. The soldiers from Easy Company who served with him, just never heard from him again, after he went to the hospital, and assumed he died of his wounds. Blithe’s family later reached out after seeing this series, and informed the writers of the book of the misinformation.
The lady at the end wasn’t being rude. She had no idea what happened to these men. There were hundreds if not thousands of soldiers going through these towns while fighting in Europe, they were just names on a list and she was just working. Maybe she could’ve guessed but who knows?
You have such a nice soothing sounding voice.
Blithe was hit in the shoulder with a wooden bullet. He survived and served in Korea with distinction. He died while on duty in Germany in 1967. I have been fighting HBO to change the epilogue or at least provide an apology. Nothing.
OP is outpost. Think of it as a security station set up to be able to give advanced warning of enemy movement to the main force.
OP is Observation Post.
@@ErnwaldoOP is Opponent Position
@@eliminator173 🤣
OP: Observation post; a position from which military observations are made, or fire directed and adjusted, and which possesses appropriate communications; may be airborne.
Hope you were being sarcastic. Can’t tell. If not: keep believing that! 😉
@Ernwaldo OP actually means Original Poster.
“Don’t shoot them!”…they are French civilians, he was just relieved that he trusted his gut and didn’t throw a grande first.
Speirs is a very scary guy but he is on our side.
Kali, that not a tank. A tank has a turret that swivels a full 360°. It's probably some sort of self propelled gun or a tank destroyer. The Germans had a variety (actually too many different types) of mobile guns.
8:10 the thought of them shooting the civilians didn't even cross my mind. I was thinking they looked stunned because they almost threw a grenade in there...
Luz doesn't shoot the family in the building. There were definitely civilian casualties in any war, both by accident and purposeful but US soldiers...as well as others...did have orders to keep civilian casualties at a minimum if none at all. it was difficult in the confusion of war to make split-second decisions like that.
Shooting prisoners is a war crime. The German soldiers in Carantan were also paratroopers. The German tanks were actually elements of the elite SS panzer division. They bugged out after large numbers of US tanks from 2nd armored arrived . Actually Private Blyth did not die in 1948. He stayed in the military and became a career soldier
Surrendered enemy combatants (disarmed) cannot be shot. Once disarmed, assuming there is no logical way or system to guard them, they should be let go. General Maxwell Taylor issued the following directive>"If you were to take prisoners, they’d handicap our ability to perform our mission. We were going to have to dispose of prisoners as best we saw fit." That did not mean shooting them in cold blood once they surrendered. The visuals of the scene conjured up by Skip Muck later had the prisoners all in SS uniforms, but in the actual scene from Ep.2 they were regular Germans. It was more commonplace that SS soldiers who were all members of the Nazi Party were shot. As for the American in German uniform from Oregon, his fate was probably sealed anyway.
@johannesvalterdivizzini1523 That particular person Malarky knew since he had lived across the street, not 100 miles away. The series took artistic license with it and combined it with the Spiers incident. In reality, Malarky saw him on D day +3 or 4.. After they had actually started taking prisnors..
The true story is a Sergeant in Spears platoon was too drunk to go on patrol and Spears told him to stand down. But the Sergeant disobeyed and went anyway and when Spears told him to go back he pulled his weapon on Spears. Then Spears killed him.
Oh, purple heart is given to wounded by enemy fire. The guy getting extra medals was getting one for the guy stabbed by his own men. If that woman hadn't she'd have to eat the cost of cleaning those. She probably knew but saying so would be rude, especially if one was not dead, she might be seen as wishing him dead or speaking it to life- whatever
You will see later that Spiers may not have actually shot the prisoners. They did take prisoners and they were sent back to England and a lot actually went to America. I have a suggestion for after you finish this series, you watch "The Best Years of Our Lives", 1946. It deals with 3 men returning from WW II to try and restart their lives. I think it is the first movie to deal with PTSD before it was even called that. Your reactions to this series are spot on. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Speirs' actions are a difficult topic at best - if the shooting of the prisoners is indeed true, which no one can say for sure.
In comparison, many mid-level german commanders were (rightfully!!!) charged as war criminals, as there is no acceptable excuse whatsoever to shoot prisoners. In fact, a number were (again correctly) sentenced for not stepping in when troops under their command murdered prisoners - in comparison, the 101st's divisional order of "don't take any prisoners" is not a grey area, but a clear war crime.
I think the most prominent example of this was the Malmedy massacre.
At 26:50 was the word compasionate to discribe Winters ?