Please remember that we have never claimed to know everything and are also not history majors. Yes, we went to school, but we can't always recall every detail just like most human beings. Thank you to those of you that understand this and kindly explain/educate us on the topic! We appreciate you! 💕
It‘s sad that you feel you have to explain that to certain people. Some people criticizing you really need to get a life. You two are doing great! I watch because of your genuine empathy and kindness, not because of your knowledge.
SS, the black-uniformed elite corps and self-described “political soldiers” of the Nazi Party. Founded by Adolf Hitler in April 1925 as a small personal bodyguard, the SS grew with the success of the Nazi movement and, gathering immense police and military powers, became virtually a state within a state.
The Waffen SS was later founded as military elite regiments, the SS itself was more involved in the domestic terror apparutus (which also operated in occupied ares, of course). The better results of the Waffen SS compared to regular army regiments comes almost fully from the much better supply they enjoyed. In the beginning the Waffen SS regiments even had a worse record than the army, not much of a surprise for a military organisation based on ideology and trained and deployed by a non-military militia. [edit] removed my erroneous statement that Himmler founded the SS. He only transformed it from the original security force for rallies.
A note on the guy who said they were Polish (and please somebody chime in on if there is specific truth here if they know what unit that was): The SS had many units that recruited primarily from friendly men in occupied areas. An example was the Wiking Division, recruited from Scandinavian territories. I think the man portrayed here was lying about being Polish to avoid harsh treatment, but there were definitely Poles in the SS. Warning: not for the feint of heart... The Dirlewanger brigade is another unit which later on brought in Eastern European recruits but was originally composed specifically of many convicted violent criminals. They are infamous for a number of EXTREMELY disgusting mass murders, so please anyone who is curious be careful how much you read about them. I think the details should be known and never forgotten but I want to give a fair warning.
The SS was the Schutzstaffel. It was the really hardcore arm of the Nazi machine. Towards the end of the episode they were getting to the "Battle of the Bulge" near Bastogne, Belgium, which began on December 16, 1944. The Bulge was Hitler's last big offensive designed to capture Allied supplies and fuel. (that's an extremely simplified description). My dad was trucked into the Bastogne area on December 25, 1944, with the 17th Airborne Division, 193D GIR to help relieve the 101st and recapture Bastogne. Dad walked into the bulge with 55 guys in his platoon and 45 days later when they were pulled off the line he was one of only 5 guys left in his platoon.
My father was also 17th....194th Glider Infantry Regiment. His baptism of fire was the Battle of Dead Man's ridge where their unit received 50% casualties in under 3 days fighting during the action above you describe as they were guarding Patton's left flank during the counterattack into the Bulge to relieve the 101st at Bastogne.
@natskivna I've done the "Dead Man's Ridge Walk" twice now, will be going back for the third time in 2025 for the 80th anniversary of Operation Varsity. I'm on the board of the Scions group. Let me know if you are interested.
Have you read Four Hours of Fury by James Fenelon? It's a great description of Operation Varsity and have corresponded with the author some. Highly recommended. I'm also a member of the Scions and would like to hear more about this trip!@@OZAHS1959
Nixon is always in there keeping Winters on an even keel. When Winters gets too serious, he cracks a joke; when Winters starts to worry about not doing enough, Nix reminds him of the effect he's having. Everybody should be so lucky as to have that kind of buddy.
So true. He was the perfect counter weight for winters. Where winters was always serious, Nixon seemed to always find the humor, no matter how dark the circumstances. Heck even when describing the debacle of market garden, he jokes “oh well, wasn’t me”! The actor did a good job of showing how he used jokes (and alcohol) to deal with the pain.
Actually, ever since they shipped out from the States, Nix has been with 2nd Battalion HG as their Intel officer. There's another book about the HQ Company. Nix would see Winters after action to get information and interrogate prisoners. He would serve as Winters S2 from here on. The SS were the true Nazis. They were the private army of the Nazi Party. Winters that to disarm
I am really proud of you two. I am 75 years old and my dad fought in Europe at the same time as the Band of Brothers. He was not in the 101st, but the 84th Division. He was just ten miles from Bastogne when everything went down, so these stories could just as easily have been about him and his friends. I grew up learning about WWII and quizzing my dad (who talked only reluctantly and only when I pressured him--the real heroes did not like to relive any of it). My generation knew a great deal about the war, but now very few young Americans know or care much about it. Watching the two of you react to the sacrifices these men made gives me hope that America is not completely lost (although I fear for the world you will live in just ahead--my dad is gone and soon I will be, too, but you will have to face it all, good, bad, or evil.) You two really care, and that warms my heart. I am proud of you, and if my dad is watching, I know he is, too. Bless you both.
My Dad was with the 88th--The Blue Devils,,,my brother fought in Vietnam and then it was my turn to go off and serve...Thank-you so much to all the men and women who have served this Country Before and After and to all those who will leave Family behind to defend this great country of ours..
Ladies, I am a retired instructor, college professor and 20-year veteran of the Submarine Force., here is what I used to tell all of my students at the beginning of a class. There is only one question I do not tolerate in my classes, that is the one you have and don't ask. I can't fix it if I don't know what is broke. Never worry about asking questions.
My great uncle (Elijah Whytsell) was one of the 22 wounded in this episode. He was knocked out by artillery and didn't wake back up until he was in an England hospital. He never got to return with the rest of the company because by the time he was deemed safe from a severe head wound, Easy was pushing thru Germany, so he finished the war on a diesel tug transporting German POWs across the channel.
Haylo (4:46): "What are they shooting at?" It's called "harassing fire." You randomly fire at the enemy where you know they are generally located and eventually you will inflict some casualties on them. It also makes the enemy very reluctant to move around, especially at night.
That was not Harassing Fire. That was Mistaken Fire lol. The Germans thought they were firing at Americans within Firing Range, when in reality that unit was miles away. It happens in combat in the dark, misjudging distances. Happened as recently as OIF 2003. That’s why we have IR laser rangefinders and thermal imagers now.
I don't think you're giving the German MG42 the credit it deserves as a medium machinegun. It's max effective range with the 7.92x 57 Mauser round was 1.25 miles with a max range of 2.92 miles. So, even if the gunner could not see the target, anyone hit by the harassing fire of the MG42 would still be a casualty from the 178.2 gr bullets it fired. For example, how willing would you be to cross a road that you know the enemy was randomly shooting down? Especially as in beginning of this episode of BoB, a soldier was brought in who had been seriously wounded by the MG42 firing from the crossroads.@@Ryan_Christopher
Yes, you're right. I missed that part of the scene where Winters is typing in his report that the soldier was wounded by a grenade at the crossroads.@@Murder_34
The UA-cam channel The Operations room has several videos on Easy Company including the “Crossroads” battle. He says that the Germans were firing, seemingly at random, because they were spooked by the patrol that encountered them. They were firing at ghosts because they either thought there were more Americans around or were doing “Recon by Fire”, shooting at likely hiding spots to make the enemy think you know they’re there.
“We’re meant to be surrounded “ is one of my favorite lines of the whole series. It shows Winter’s calm confidence and bravery, which is part of his brilliant leadership.
Ladies- I am writing this on 02/12/2024. I am a 10 year veteran of the US Navy. A Hospital Corpsman (think medic). I am the commander of my Legion post. Today I have been assisting with the arrangements for a dear friend who died yesterday. 90 years too young. If you asked him what he did in the service he'd say " Nothing special " He served on tin cans (Destroyers) mostly. Oh and one boat- SSN-571 USS Nautilus. The first nuclear powered submarine in the world. I tell you this why? Because you ladies are taking a journey learning things you may or may not know. You don't shy away from asking for information you aren't sure of. NO ONE knows everything! My advice for these idiots? Ignore them. They are not worth your time. You have an amazing channel that is refreshing to watch! Why? Because you are learning! You genuinely care about these Hero's story. You relate to them because of your papa. (May he rest in Peace) Keep up the great channel!
Thank you both for your services. Your friend served on the ships that were on the front line every time. Compared to all types, the DDs took the worst of it and while doing so showed some of the most heroic actions of the naval war.
@@markh3271 indeed. I have been asked by the family to speak at the service. As much as I revered this man, it is a very humbling honor to be able to do this for the family
I love when Eugene "Doc" Roe loses his stuff saying, "You are officers. You are grown-ups. You oughta know!" after Heyligger gets loaded into the ambulance. You'll be seeing more of Doc next episode.
@@jordanpeterson5140plus he was right, and although they might not like his tone, he was 100 percent right in what he was saying, so who are they going to complain to? BTW, I would add Sergeant Major’s to the list of folks who could speak like that to officers. When I was in the Army, I regularly saw CSGM’s yelling at company-grade officers (0-1’s to O-3’s). The battalion or brigade CSGM reported to the battalion /brigade commander, and would be the first one to call out jr. Officer BS.
Almost all reactors say the same about Winters’ promotion. He is not leaving Easy. Take heart, he is still over Easy, he just now has Dog and Fox companies under him as well, and now there will be a layer of command between him and the enlisted men. He will still be everywhere Easy is. Winters had PTSD, but he also greatly enjoyed his time in Paris. I have read a letter he sent to his lady pen pal about that forced R&R. He loved strolling amongst the old buildings, particularly Notre Dame.
So winning $3,600 in 1944 is equivalent to winning about $60,000 today. From what I've read, Malarkey actually gave up some of the money because he was afraid of having too much. Could be dangerous, he also probably wanted to leave some for the other soldiers. Malarkey was also able to put some of the money into an Army Bank Account.
The Crossroads battle is considered Easy Company’s finest moment in a battle by Winters himself. The miniseries condenses the overall battle and gets a few details wrong. 1. Winters and his men all charged the German positions at the same time. However, due to the adrenaline in his body, Winters got ahead of everyone else and arrived first at the German position. 2. Whilst charging across the field, Winters had two Browning M1919 machine guns firing at the German positions to provide suppressing fire. It’s one of the reasons why the Germans were slow to react to Winters, they were occupied by the machine gun fire. 3. During the battle, Winters got on the radio and called for British artillery to fire, which is why you see the explosions happen around the German soldiers. 4. As I said earlier, the miniseries condenses battle. After the British artillery strike, Winters called up more reinforcements and went after the Germans. However, they were able to regroup and held back the attack. As Easy Company fell back to the Crossroads, that’s when the German artillery fell down on them. Several Easy Company men were wounded, but all would survive.
I read the book and, tactically, it was a fairly simple proposition: Easy was in a bad spot and couldn’t stay where they were. They did not have permission to withdraw and doing that would leave an adjoining company exposed. I mean, if you can’t stay where you are and you can’t go back, sort of narrows down the options to one, no? I recall reading that Winters didn’t want to attack….. across open ground…… in daylight…… against possibly/probably superior forces…. What good officer does? It was, if you like, the least bad choice he had. Officers in the Army & Marines, especially, are taught the concept of ‘violence of action.’ Consider, had the two companies of SS traded 1:1 casualties with Easy, Winters’ Company would have ceased to exist. So, how did 1/2 as many men achieve such outsized results? They attacked first one SS Company, with suddenness and violence to the point where the 1st SS Company broke and ran. It’s hard to argue that the 1st SS Company breaking didn’t have anything to do with the 2nd scampering away only to be gunned down.
@@randomlyentertaining8287 Sorry I'm late to the party - but it was proably a combination of both... He was in incredible physical shape, but you would still try to keep some kind of cohersion in the unit.. but due to adrenaline (or something like that) he ended up running to fast.
Don't apologize for being compassionate and empathetic. Be proud that you are willing to learn about this history no matter how difficult it is to watch! Love your reactions.
Mark Lawrence, the actor who played Bill Dukeman, met his wife because of Band of Brothers. She was a fan, and happened to send him a message one day. He had been going through a rough patch, and she helped him through it. Mark Lawrence has referred to Dukeman as “the greatest wingman ever.” A few years back, Lawrence went to the spot where Dukeman died, and took a few minutes at the memorial to thank and honor him.
@@alcor4670 There was a 20th anniversary reunion for the actors and families of veterans a few years back, with discussion panels. There are a number of them on UA-cam. The official podcast also has some solid stories as well.
This is the episode when Tom Hanks literally takes the reigns in the series...becoming more introspective with Winters. Long before PTSD was even taken seriously. General Patton famously addressed it with the back of his hand on a soldiers face. Oh and if any of you come across any bacon sandwiches, let me know. Currahee ♠
For the casual viewer: The SS (short for Schutzstaffel) were extremely dedicated and highly trained Nazi soldiers (at least early in the war) who were considered a notch above the average German soldier (although a lot of "average" German soldiers might have argued with that assessment). If a soldier _wanted_ to be in the SS and subject themselves to the process of getting into an SS unit, it meant they were very dedicated to Hitler and the Nazi ideology.
@@hernerweisenberg7052I imagine it depended on the branch of the SS, the area of operations, and the stage of the war. By this point, yeah they’re probably were conscripts (which I’m guessing the Polish soldiers were).
Love watching you two young ladies learning about these amazing men and their story. Thanks for sharing your experience and beautiful hearts with us all.
In the next episode they mention a WWII veteran from my hometown named Peewee. I was surprised they mentioned him, but he knew all those guys personally. and went skydiving every year for his birthday until he died just recently at 102 (I believe).
You ladies are now my FAVORITE reaction channel. I so love your energy and humor, and how you choose to be yourselves. Please don't change anything. I love the Band of Brothers series and have seen it many times. It's that good. It makes me cry every time I see it. It pays homage to a great and brave generation. They were young, scared, full of character and had no idea if they would ever see or hold their families and loved ones again. They fought for our freedom, our way of life, but most importantly, they fought for their brother standing beside them. Many of the actors in this series have later said how it changed their lives. I believe one of the reasons the acting is so great is because they spent the time getting to know the real men they were portraying, if not directly, through their families. What a great way to honor those who stood on their heels and courageously marched in to the darkness of the unknown. There are no words in how to say thank you to all of our men and women in the armed forces and have served our country so bravely. We will never forget.
Hello. I'm a Navy veteran. I enjoy watching your reaction to Band Of Brothers. I have many items from Easy Company. Including: autographed photo of Major Dick Winters, autographed face plate from a book including Wild Bill Guarneers parachute(small piece) etc. Keep posting.
14:10 Doc Rowe makes me so proud of him in this scene. Not even officers are above knowing what to do in a situation like this. I can't wait till you guys react to him next episode. Such a good person.
I am a veteran and my father was a WWII veteran wounded twice. Those rooted in reality understand that you have a lot to learn. Only those that study WWII know everything. All we care about is your real and honest reactions and willingness to learn along the way and asking comments to fill in the blanks. Keep up the good work and look forward to the rest of your reactions.
Great reaction ladies. As an older person whose father fought in WW2 I could easily get annoyed at your lack of knowledge of some of the events. However, watching your reactions has reminded me to be more understanding and tolerant towards young people for which I thank you both. You are not history buffs, but you do care and want to understand for which I am so impressed and grateful. Also you show real emotions when you are reacting, which in this modern age of fake celebrity is also very refreshing. I am sorry to say that the story gets to be even more difficult in the next few episodes, but hang on in there!
Winters in the subway is easily the best depiction of what PTSD is like I've ever seen. Something seemingly unrelated will trigger it, a sound or a smell or even a color and then you're right back to whatever event is causing it and then your brain will replay that memory in slow motion, showing you details that you didn't even know that you picked up on at the time, like the look on someone's face. The best analogy I can come up with is that the event that happened to you is like Chernobyl and your brain is trying to clean up and deal with the aftermath of that event, but the process of dealing with that memory is exposing you to that pain over and over again.
Your obviously not a trained therapist or qualified medical professional. Not everything is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, ie or a serious behavior health condition. What most describe today as PTSD is often moral injury, ie remorse, guilt or loss of innocence. The violence unleashed in war resulting in suffering and death, impacts the soul and conscience as the mind sorts through those choices made in combat. Moral injury like most injuries heals with time and support. Moral injury most often does not result in the debilitating effects of PTSD like night sweats, feeling like life is out of control, panic attacks, chronic sleeplessness, etc. Captain Winters is able to function in society on RR and in combat again.
PTSD can take years to manifest, and even then, it affects everyone differently. Winters being able to function on RR and in combat for the remainder of the war is zero indication that he didn't suffer from PTSD.
My great uncle Murrel Swan served in Luxembourg about the same time the 101st was in Bastogne, there is a famous picture of him in a fox hole shaking hands with a dog, he loved to hunt and fish, we can never thank these men enough for their service, RIP Uncle Swan
The one thing I don’t like about this episode is the retreating Americans. They almost make them look like cowards. In fact, it was the 106th Infantry division, which was almost completely annihilated at the start of the Battle of The Bulge. The fact that any made it out is a miracle.
One of my favorites if not my favorite episode of the entire series. I loved how it centered on Winters. He is someone I would love to have met before he left this world. Speaking as a Navy Veteran, Richard Winters was exactly the kind of leader I would have been proud to serve under. I also love the friendship between Winters and Nixon.
hey there :) few points from this episode: SS, or more specifically its armed branch - Waffen-SS were considered the elite of the German armed forces. They were best equipped, trained and mostly loyal Nazi soldiers with fanatical loyalty to Hitler. Each of them had up to 20 000 men and many of them commited war crimes and atrocities. Johnny Martin saying that there were no Poles in the SS after capturing some of the prisoners: as the war progressed, newly created Waffen-SS divisions were created from the volunteers of the conquered nations, e.g. 5th SS division was named Wiking and many of its members were from occupied Scandinavian countries, there were also some of the SS divisions from conquered Soviet republics like Latvia, Estonia, etc. Some Poles were part of 14th division Galicia. But probably, the units encountered in this episode were Polish companies as a part of 10th SS Division "Frundsberg". At the end of the episode, we are introduced to the character of Lt. George Rice from the 10th armored division, played by Jimmy Fallon. He realised, that the 101st Airborne with Easy Company was probably going to be surrounded in the Bastogne area and made total of 8 supply runs with the ammo, blankets, uniforms, etc. His final run occured when the soldiers were already encircled and could be captured at any time by the Germans. He stopped because he was ordered to by his commanding officer. One last thing: based on what I have seen, from now on, prepare tissues (lots of them :D ) for each, keep up the good work, I love your reactions ;)
Such a great take on what PTSD can look like. Little random things can bring back the memories. Sound, lights, smells. All with no notice of when they show up.
They have a privately funded statue of Major Dick Winters in Normandy. They also have a small memorial for the attack on the German guns at Brecourt Manor.
@@nataliestclair6176 2, 6, 7, and 9 get all the attention because of the action and emotional moments. 5 and 8 are seen as the “boring episodes” to some even though they’re very important at telling the story
Ms. Haylo and Ms. Kiss, your quick understanding of events and dynamics in these episodes is impressive. When I was your age, I was still pretty much an idiot/ignorant type. You both are fun and refreshing. Best wishes to you.
Bastone was part of -- or the main part -- of what was known as "The Battle of the Bulge". My father fought in that theater, and others. He was with Army Intelligence, interrogating German POWs.
The first rounds that were coming in were friendly artillery. The second barrage was German counter fire. A good leader will mourn every soldier that he’s lost. I remember all of the soldiers that I’ve ever had under my charge and am fortunate enough that I have brought them all home. It has always been, for me, my greatest military achievement.
@@terminallumbago6465No I was a Sergeant. I have had as many as 12 and as few as 3 in my section. But I still keep in contact with all of my soldiers that I’ve had and talk to them all regularly.
You ladies seem so sweet and genuine. I think you’re both doing great. Don’t worry about not knowing everything when it comes to history. I think it’s something more people should learn about, so I really love and appreciate that you ladies are taking an interest. Think of this show as an opportunity to expand your knowledge. The charge that Winters led at (7:28) happened a bit differently in real life. Winters ordered machine guns to lay down fire when the smoke signal went off in order to provide cover for the assault group. There was no delayed smoke signal. As fast as they could, the men of Easy Company ran 200 to 300 yards across open field. It just so happened that Winters got to the Germans first because he was in such good shape, and he probably had a lot of adrenaline going through him. What you are seeing at 9:04 is American Artillery. A few seconds earlier, Winters was on the radio calling in their artillery to fire on the retreating Germans. The Germans then responded by firing their own artillery against the Americans at 9:13 in order to provide cover for their retreating troops. The SS is an abbreviation for Schutzstaffel, which is German for Protection Squadron or Protective Echelon. They were a major paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party under Adolf Hitler formed in 1925. They originally started out as a small paramilitary group made up of volunteers who provided security for Nazi party meetings in Germany. Over time, they grew in both political and military power to become an elite force. Requirements to be in the SS were very stringent, as members had to prove their Aryan ancestry all the way back to 1800. The SS not only wanted its members to be racially pure, but intensely loyal Nazis. They became the foremost agency responsible for state security, mass surveillance, and enforcing Nazi policies throughout Germany and occupied Europe. The SS also committed countless war crimes and crimes against humanity. They were the organization most responsible for the millions who were killed in the Holocaust. In 1933, they formed what came to be known as The Waffen-SS (Armed SS). This was regarded as the elite armed-wing of the Nazi Party. They were highly trained, highly motivated, well armed, and they saw intensive combat throughout Europe during World War II. So the Waffen-SS had a reputation for being the toughest, and fiercest soldiers in the Nazi regime. Foreign fighters were also recruited by Nazi Germany into Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS during World War II. So the SS troopers who claimed to be Polish might have been recruits or conscripts, or they could have just been saying that in hopes of receiving lighter treatment. The last part of this episode is the prelude to the Battle of the Bulge. It was the Winter of 1944 when the Germans launched a massive offensive through the Ardennes Forrest in Belgium and Luxembourg. This caught the Allies completely by surprise because they believed that the Germans didn’t have the manpower or resources left to launch a major offensive at this point in the war. In a desperate gamble to stave off defeat, Hitler hoped that the Ardennes Offensive would capture the Belgian port city of Antwerp. This would split the British Army Group in the North from the American Armies. The Germans would inflict a defeat so devastating that the Anglo-American alliance would collapse and the Western Allies would seek a negotiated settlement to end the war. This way Germany could focus all its resources on fighting the Soviets in the East. Given the rugged terrain of the Ardennes, Allied leaders thought it was highly unlikely that the Germans would launch an offensive through there. So it came as bitter shock when American units in the Ardennes were suddenly attacked by German SS and Panzer (tank) divisions. The Battle of the Bulge would become the bloodiest battle fought by US forces in Europe during World War II. Easy Company is about to play a pivotal role in the battle to come.
SS means Schutzstaffel, essentially the main paramilitary organisation of the Nazi party; the Waffen-SS being their buffed-up military arm (not belonging to the regular military though) faced in the episode. The Waffen-SS (despite their ideology) eventually recruited hundreds of thousands of foreigners.
The Waffen-SS was subordinate to the OKW. Mainly to avoid the chaos that two high commands would cause. So it was de facto subordinate to the army and was treated as such later.
Winters has some really great lines in this series. “We’re not lost, we’re in Normandy.” “We’re paratroopers, Lieutenant, we’re supposed to be surrounded.” But to me, his iconic line, and the one that best exemplifies him, is the line he delivers so often: “Follow me.”
The song is "Requiem For a Soldier". It has lyrics...... You never lived to see What you gave to me One shining dream of hope and love Life and liberty With a host of brave unknown soldiers For your company you will live forever Here in our memory In fields of sacrifice Heroes paid the price Young men who died for old men's wars Gone to paradise We are all one great band of brothers And one day you'll see we can live together When all the world is free I wish you'd lived to see All you gave to me Your shining dream of hope and love Life and liberty We are all one great band of brothers And one day you'll see - we can live together When all the world is free
The SS is acronym for Schutzstaffel, meaning Protection squad translated to english. the SS was the harcore supporters and believers of the nazi party, and had so much power, it practically became a state within a state. Generally they were the best equipped and best trained.
The character Jimmy Fallon plays (the officer with the supplies jeep) is 2nd Lt. George C. Rice, a Supply Officer from the 10th Armored Division. His own unit badly mauled in the battles around Bastogne, he knew that the 101st airborne, coming to reinforce the line, was going to be short on supplies and would likely end up surrounded. He asked the officers of the 506th regiment (that Easy company was part of) what they needed most, and found that rocket launchers, mortars and all types of ammunition were the critical shortages. He then drove to the town of Foy, where the ammunition dump was, and loaded the jeep with cases of hand grenades and ammunition. The jeep was turned around and the stuff was passed out to the paratroopers as they marched along the road. On his next shuttle, Rice got back to the moving battalion with a jeep and a truck (driven by soldiers under his command) overloaded with weapons and ammunition. The materiel was put alongside the road in five separate piles so that the men could pick up the things they needed as they went by. Eventually he himself made eight supply runs to Foy, to bring the paratroopers ammunition, food, equipment, anything that could be useful, all while the Germans were closing in. His eighth and last run was actually made after the Germans had already encircled the 101st, meaning he could have been captured at any moment. He only stopped because his own commanding officer ordered him to do so. P.S Fun fact is that Jimmy Fallon couldn't drive the stick gear jeep, so there were actually crew members pushing the jeep in the driving scenes
The theme song is called Requiem for a Soldier, and it actually has lyrics. “You never lived to see What you gave to me One shining dream of hope and love Life and liberty With a host of brave unknown soldiers For your company, you will live forever Here in our memory In fields of sacrifice Heroes paid the price Young men who died for old men's wars Gone to paradise We are all one great band of brothers And one day you'll see we can live together When all the world is free I wish you'd lived to see All you gave to me Your shining dream of hope and love Life and liberty We are all one great band of brothers And one day you'll see - we can live together When all the world is free” There are quite a few symphonic versions with a vocalist on YT, and they’re amazing.
Winters published a book based on his personal memoirs, Beyond Band of Brothers, and it covers some things not in the series or book the series was bases on as well as what the TV series changed. The charge at the Crossroads didn't happen like in the TV series. Winters gave the order to go on the smoke a d he waited with his men. Winters was just a much faster runner than any if his men amd that was how he got out ahead alone. The rest happened like the TV series shows. Per Winters in his book, the reason he only allowed Liebgott to have one bullet was because he was concerned Liebgot may shoot them. Winters said in his book that Liebgott, being Jewish, was extremely harsh on the German prolisoners especially the SS. Winters in his book describes it this way, "Liebgott had been slightly wounded on the arm, but he was ambulatory so I assigned him the mission of escorting seven (not 11) prisoners to the rear. Liebgott had gotten the reputation of being one of Easy Company's best combat soldiers, but we all had heard the stories that he was very rough with German prisoners. Liebgott was one of Easy Company's "killers" (Winters describes that term earlier in the book as meaning soldiers who instinctively understood the intricacies of battle and did not hesitate) So I deemed it appropriate to take a bit of caution. When he (Liebgott) heard me say, Take these prisoners back to battalion, he replied Oh boy, I'll take care of them. In his exuberance, Liebgott checked his rifle to see if it was loaded and started pacing back and forth. I stopped him amd told him, there are 7 prisoners and I want all 7 turned over. That was when he took Liebgotss bullets and gave him just one. Winters said later that he checked with Nixon and all 7 prisoners had been turned over
Smoke. I had the same experience with a smoke cannister that delayed, as we were serving a high risk search warrant. As I passed it I thought that it didn't go off, but it did after I passed. It changed my approach and put me on a different page from the rest of the team behind me. It made for a hilarious story and video record(masquerading as a fire fighter, complete with a fire engine). That tape was laughed at for years.
A lot of US soldiers that were retreating had just arrived, and had little or no combat experience. It was supposed to be a quiet sector of the war to be brought up to combat readiness. German SS troops and SS Panzer units ( tanks ) hit the American soldiers hard. First appearance of the German Assault Rifle in the Battle of the Bulge. Some American forces fought until out of ammunition or overrun.
Losing Dukeman was a big blow to Winters because he had been a top Toccoa man. The series tended to focus on men who survived the war so we didn't get to see Dukeman onscreen much.
It’s interesting that you noticed Winters at the forefront…the memorial to the US airborne troops at Normandy is a statue of Winters that simply says “follow me”
The SS started as an elite force of bodyguard for Adolf. As the war progressed they pulled from a lot of places but were considered incredibly fanatical. Real true believers. They also committed a lot of atrocities. The regular German army were not fans of them, nor were the Allies. There was one battle at the end of the war where the Americans and Germans fought the SS at a castle...
Furthermore, to be in the SS, a soldier had to prove “true German heritage” for several generations, swear an oath to Hitler, and were seen as the most fanatical. They couldn’t use the “just following orders” defence.
Exactly, this is why the claim being made by one of the surrendering troops that they were Polish didn't make sense to SSG Martin and Webster. You had to be a true Aryan to be in the SS. This is tremendous attention to detail on the part of the show creators, because by this point in the war the German Army and SS were all so depleted that they had relaxed those rules and were putting conscripts drawn from their POW camps on the front lines.
It should be noted that the regular German army didn't like them because they were outside Wehrmacht (regular German army) command and largely free to operate as they wished, as well as given preferential treatment and prominent propaganda presence, NOT because they disagreed with the fanaticism or adherence to Nazism-- which the majority of Germans had no issue with. The effort to separate the two forces emerged after the war when surviving Wehrmacht officers and soldiers wanted to downplay their own participation in atrocities.
@@MechSoldier191No, the Waffen-SS could not act as it wished. They were also subordinate to the OKW. The Wehrmacht disliked them because they had priority in getting equipment and supplies despite having little combat value.
@@Amrod97 Appreciate the correction! I guess I never understood the command structure of political troops. Generally though, I was trying to emphasize that the rest of the military's distaste for the SS was for practical reasons, not out of political or ethical disagreement, so thanks for the correction.
16:40 When Winters and the young German soldier lock eyes on one another for just that couple of seconds, Winters realizes that this is just a kid and that he has to kill him. The kid realizes, in that same couple of seconds, that he is about to die. Imagine that for a moment. That's all the time they each had to come to terms with what was about to happen. For Winters those couple of seconds turned into an eternity as he had to live with that memory his entire life. As for the kids parents, well, they had to live with the loss of their son for the rest of their lives. To quote Clint Eastwood playing William Money in the movie "Unforgiven," William Munny: It's a hell of a thing, killing a man. You take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have.
the SS (2x S's that looked like Lighting Bolts) Were best true Nazi Soldiers... at first SS were the person Bodyguard for Hitler (pre war) .. but then they used SS for Elite Soldiers .
@souldragon121 early on the organization had to purchase their own weapons from different manufacturers in Europe only later on would they receive a constant supply from german manufacturing out of necessity.
"Best true Nazi" sounds quite sympathetic to their cause. Its more like: Fanatical/brainwashed/para-military/terrorists taught to believe in their own racial superiority to a point where they could feel nothing slaughtering innocents. Deeply tied to the application of the "concentration camps", and with no real historic proof, that had any tactical/military/physical superiority at all compared to the rest of the German army. I know you probably didn't mean it like that, but be very careful with your word usage so you don't spread this kind of myth. When it's implied that the SS were superiors to other soldiers somehow, it's also automatically implied that their regime/ideology made this "superior soldiers" and that's exactly the kind of bullshit that airhead neo-Nazis love to feed off. My pint is: Be careful to not validate this sons of bitches, not even by accident.
I'm amazed by the way Winters seems calm and "at ease" in battle, always being calm and collected, so you get the feeling that "nothing gets to him", and then see the train scene where he gets his flashbacks... and you realise that the mental toll on him is the same as everyone else... and yet he is able to put it aside when it matters... Winters in almost all aspects is a true rolemodel and a person everyone can learn something from.
It's heartening to witness how you two sisters have approached this series with the emotional awareness and intelligence you have thus far. Well done, it's been a real pleasure watching along with you both!
I am so glad to see young people watching this movie . As a Veteran myself US Army 1970-1972 this movie goes along way in "teaching " people pf all ages what this Men and Women during WW2 sacrificed for us to be able to live as we do now in relative freedom . I appreciate watching both of you react to the scenes and also your feelings as you watch . Good Job ladies
They don't need to be taught by you or anyone else. They need to learn on their own if they have interest. How much did you know or care about something that happened 60 years before you were born?
@@Melrose51653 It's not for you or I to judge how other people learn.. your comments sounds like Captain sobel scolding Martin to not help that man when falling out of a run up Curahee. Why not? Not everyone was a military brat like me and immersed themselves in history much less military history... other people have other interests and priorities. Maybe someone's studying to be a brain surgeon but didn't understand the significance of those critical crossroads during the Battle of the bulge. I completely respect their genuine reactions to the sacrifice of easy company and all the warriors from the greatest generation. Most I feel would be happy to address their questions as It's more important "not to forget" than it is how one learned it in the first place.
Actually I knew a lot and still do about "History" relating to OUR FREEDOM and how we are able to live as we can today free of tyranny in the USA. I grew up with Men who fought for our freedom during WW2 in both Europe and the Pacific some who were Captured as POWs and Tortured during their captivity they were our examples sacrifice and courage so I dont need YOU to try and lecture me about my comments just keep making your Mine Craft Videos and stay Free and Happy and Ignorant as well
If you Ladies would like to learn a bit more about the crossroads battle along with a few others shown here in Band of Brothers look up a You-Tuber by the name of The Operations Room. Under his playlists there is a Band of Brothers section. The first 3 videos on there cover the assault on the guns on Breacourt Manor seen on episode 2, the taking of the town of Careentan from Episode 3 and this battle of the Crossroads. They are animated videos excellently done and explained in a way that non-military people can better understand. Highly recommended. Just don’t watch episodes from him until after you’ve seen the TV episodes as to not get spoilers. Great reaction as always Ladies!!!
Ive seen this series literally hundreds of times and I still rewatch it starting June 6th every year. Never forget what these young men did. With that said I also love watching those first time reactions to seeing it all and you two are way up there on the fave list. Dont worry about all the little details the education comes with watching the series, its not a prerequisite. See ya in the next one cant wait!
You two ladies noted how Winters’ job duties changed from combat leader to filling out reports guy. For the officers in the US Army, this is fairly standard. Officers who are competent alternate job duties as they get promoted. They go from leading one size of unit to being more staff officer at the next level up. It teaches the officer the administrative side of the next size unit up before taking over that size of unit as a combat leader. Rinse and repeat throughout their career as they continually prove their competence. Military History books are FULL of instances of officers absolutely shining in one level of the organization, only to fall flat on their face at the next level up.
Winters job would be extra hard because the regiment was short senior officers so they had to often do double duties. Winters would have to do his job as Battalion XO and then frequently step in as acting Battalion CO. It did not help that he was only a captain and having to do the job of a lieutenant colonel
Before I first watched this miniseries, I didn't really know much of anything about the 101st Airborne's WW2 history. But as soon as I realized they were headed to Bastogne at the end of this episode, my blood ran cold. I may not have known specifically which units were at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, but I did know all about that battle and that siege in particular, and I was very scared for these soldiers we had spent five episodes getting to know.
Winters described his style of command as "Leadership at the End of a Bayonet," in his war diaries. Any orders that he would give he would be right there next to his men by leading through example. This episode was a great description of his command style. It is why all the NCOs in Easy Company admired him among the commissioned officers. Also in his diaries, he describes the young German soldier and his smiling reaction when he sees Winters just before pulling the trigger.
The ending scene with Easy Company walking into Bastogne is the opening action of what became known as the "Battle of the Bulge", the largest land battle in US Army History, over 600,000 US Soldiers took part in this battle. The SS was part of the German Military often referred to as the Waffen SS, they were better trained and equipped than regular German Soldiers, they were supposedly committed Nazis that were totally loyal to Hitler.
Wrong. The Waffen SS was only a branch of the SS. The SS originally was part of the militia forces of the NSDAP, along with the SA. The more thug-like SA was later purged in "The Night of the Long Knifes." The SS itself, in contrast to the Waffen SS, operated as part of the terror regime apparatus, like secret police.
The one thing I don’t like about this episode is the retreating Americans. They almost make them look like cowards. In fact, it was the 106th Infantry division, which was almost completely annihilated at the start of the Battle of The Bulge. The fact that any made it out is a miracle.
Another great reaction ladies. I got to read the real after action reports that Winters was typing up in this episode and it happened a bit differently but due to time constraints and story flow, they had to alter it a bit. As to who the SS where shooting at, they "Whole Other Compony" that came over the raised roadway during the firefight, that unit was hiding along one side of the road that the machine gun fire down. The gun was bait for a textbook ambush. The SS was hopping to draw out troops from the town where the Command post was. Trouble was they misjudged the range from the gun to the American lines and where just shooting at open fields. The solder Winters shoot at the start and again when the flashback sequence caught up, was how it happened. Later they found out from prisoners the kid was a replacement 18 yo and was sitting his first guard duty. From accounts the kid fell asleep and when he woke up, they believe he thought Winters was some friendly solders coming to relive him. Anyway, Thanks again for sharing with us, Bless and be well and catch-ya next time.
Winters saying "We're paratroopers, lieutenant. We're supposed to be surrounded" reminds me of Lewis "Chesty" Puller saying "We're surrounded. That simplifies things." at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in Korea.
I love that you are watching this series. What you learn from it is dark, but realistic. It is a very down to earth look at the war and really invests you into each person and each moment. Though seeing Kiss end up in tears from it at moments makes my heart ache just as much as watching the show.
The man Jimmy Fallon was playing in the cameo, Second Lieutenant George C. Rice, is a true blue big nuts American hero. When the 101st Airborne were taking up positions in Bastogne, knowing their were under strenght, with a lack of ammo and a lack of equipment, Rice and two enlisted volunteers grabbed a jeep that was towing a trailer, loaded it up with as much stuff as they could, and took the trip to supply the 101st. After the 5th trip, Rice decided it was too dangerous and ordered the other two men to remain behind while Rice went on by himself. After the 7th trip, the Germans had encircled the town, meaning that Rice could have been captured or killed at any moment. Rice didn't stop, though, until he was loading up for what would have been his 10th trip -- a trip he didn't end up making because his direct superior officer found out what he was doing and ordered him to stand down. Rice was nominated for the Medal of Honor, but it was downgraded to the Distinguished Service Cross instead.
The SS (stands for SchutzStaffel) was like some other person mention created as Hitlers personal bodyguards, and generally were the most hard core Nazis. Usually parts of the SS manned the concentration camps etc. They were in general also not very well liked by the German Army commanders, who usually sendt them into the toughest fights. Also, volunteers from occupied countries also often ended up in the SS. But yes, the SS were usually tough to fight against because of their fanaticism.
During WW2 Germany had two armies. There was the traditional German Army who wore gray. The dought for their homeland. And then there was the SS German Gestapo these troops were loyal to Hitler and his ideals. They were fanatics. They were also very battle hardened and experienced. Often equipped with the newest weapons.
There was a BBC documentary series which aired on PBS in the United States under the title "Commanders at War" in which the leadership, tactics, troops and equipment of opposing sides in pivotal battles were explained and analyzed. Gen. Julian Thompson was the expert analyzing the American side of The Battle of the Bulge (which "Band of Brothers " is about to get into), and he said that one of the important factors was that is was the 101st Airborne (whom he described as "One of the greatest divisions in the history of warfare") that was sent to defend Bastogne.
I read some but not all comments. The SS were also in charge of the extermination camps. The allied soldiers sometimes didn't treat SS prisoners as well as other Germans. Because obviously. These were true believers as far as nazis go.
On December 16,1944 the Germans attacked a weak point in the American line, beginning the Battle of the Bulge. The troops retreating were not giving up, they were retreating to keep from being surrounded. The 101st Airborne were going into Bastogne because the Germans could not move their troops where they needed without the roads that went through there. The 101st needed the ammunition the retreating guys had, and the retreating guys were going to be re-supplied at some point, so they could give up their ammunition.
The one thing I don’t like about this episode is the retreating Americans. They almost make them look like cowards. In fact, it was the 106th Infantry division, which was almost completely annihilated at the start of the Battle of The Bulge. The fact that any made it out is a miracle.
Ladies, you are beyond fine as far as your reactions to this show. Gulf war company commander here, the fact you are even watching this makes me want to wake up tomorrow. You are open to learning history and truth, anyone who wants to criticize you for any historical errors should maybe take a step back. I'm proud of you two like I'm proud of my 2 daughters. Those men are true heroes and you showing them respect, well, respect back at you for that.
The Soviet guys were allies with you( Graduated from school five years ago (11th grade) After that, he was drafted into the army, and then sent to Ukraine I don't want everyone to think that everyone is an enemy I absolutely adore and appreciate the contribution of Allied troops (especially the 101st and 82nd Airborne divisions) and Marines in the Pacific And even though we are separated by political difficulties now, I hope it will all end someday
These are real events. AND unlike Hollywood movies, they actually have dialed the events back, because what these guys went through was so unbelievable.
You guys are so cute and wholesome, loving your BoB journey. There are some seriously teary moments ahead, but also very many special ones you'll never forget.
There's an interview with Winters about the crossroads assault that's on UA-cam. In it he describes the assault, but also talks about that first soldier he shot. A small detail in the acting is that the German soldier looks up, and when he sees winters he smiles, before the realization sets in that he's getting shot. It's a bizarre reaction, but pulled right from reality. In the interview Winters says it was a young soldier who was supposed to be their outlook (watching for an attack) but had put his head down due to the Americans covering fire and so didn't see Winters or the attack coming in. He said the soldier was just two steps away from him in real life. "I came up to him, eyeball to eyeball, and he was as shocked as could be. I leveled off at him, and the thing I'll never forget was that he smiled. And as he smiled, I shot him." I imagine it's things like that which cause so much PTSD. What was going through that young man's mind when he smiled at him? Winters probably wondered that many times throughout his life.
Where did he say that? In Winters Book, Beyond Band of Brothers he describes the encounter this way. I wheeled and dropped back to my side of the road, pulled the pin of a hand grenade, and tossed it over. At the same time, the German sentry lobbed a potato masher (German hand grenade) back at me. As soon as I three the grenade, I knew I goofed. I had kept the band of tape around the handle of my grenade tp avoid an accident in case the pin was pulled accidently. Fortunately, the enemy's grenade failed to explode. I immediately jumped back up on top of the road. The sentry was hunched down covering his head waiting for my grenade to explode. He was only three or four yards away. After all these years I can still see him smiling at me as I stood on top of the bike. It wasn't necessary to take an aimed shot. I simply shot from the hip without hesitation. That shot startled the entire company (Germans) and they started to rise and turn toward me en masse. After killing the sentry, I simply pivoted to my right and kept firing right into that solid mass of troops.
@@nataliestclair6176 I don't think I can post links here, but the UA-cam video clip of it is titled "Maj. Dick Winters on the Crossroads Assault (Band of Brothers)". You should be able to find it that way. It's entirely possible his memory of it changed over the decades.
@@Krynn72 was that in the documentary about Easy? You should read his book, Beyond Band of Brothers. It is very good and based on his memoirs. He was a very detailed record keeper of his personal experiences. It covers a lot for the book Band of Brothers and the TV show but also gives much more insight on his (Winters) experiences and insights
@@nataliestclair6176 I'm not sure where that clip is from. It was obviously post Band of Brothers, but it kinda sounds as if it's a third party interviewer. I've been meaning to read his book for years. I know other Easy company members also wrote their own books on the war and I want to read them as well.
This is such a great series and I'm thrilled you are taking the time to watch and ask questions. I've watched the show through every year since it came out. It grips me with pride and sadness that these troops and the families back home had to face such horror. As a retired senior NCO I would tell my troops to watch this show. The reason our military is so strong today is because people of Easy (and so many others) paved the way. I would suggest you pack a box of tissues until the end of the series. I'll be watching with you and my own tissues.
Poles were commonly drafted to German army for conscription as the Germans took their country in 1939. Most polish civilians were executed on site/in camps (including women and their children) but certain polish men were conscripted to regular army. The SS were elite German hardline soldiers. So the doubt of polish people being in the SS makes sense as Germany wouldn’t have let poles in as they felt them to be an inferior race of humans. All in all , the statistics show that anywhere between 20-45% of Poland’s civilian population was exterminated
Loved it when you said, "That was inspiring." People always talk about how tough this is to watch, and that's true. But, yeah, it's so damn inspiring. As often as my heart aches over these guys, my heart swells with pride and admiration. (As an aside: it only emphasizes the heart-ache/swell thing that my dad and Major Winters, in their later years, could've been brothers, the resemblance is so strong. My dad was only a Sergeant and wasn't in the 101st, but he was in the Blackhawks--one of the first units to cross the Rhine, and that similarity just guts me.) I see you've gotten your answer on the S.S. question below. No one expects you to be experts. Just be as genuine as you are. Keep up the great work, Ladies! We literarily owe our way of life to these heroes.
Kiss had mentioned she heard the theme at the DC WWII memorial. There wasn't a WWII memorial until Tom Hanks did Saving Private Ryan and he realized there wasn't anything on the mall for WWII (Vietnam and Korea have theirs) and initiated, spearheaded a campaign to have one built. The WWII memorial and Band of Brothers were Tom Hank's reaction to the making of Saving Private Ryan.
Great reaction as usual girls. The next episode is my favorite. My granddad earned a bronze star at the Crossroads, but unfortunately I don’t know the details. He was in one of the ultra balls-y glider divisions (101 airborne, 907 GFAB) and was part of a bazooka team. Like many of us who descended from these amazing men, I learned more about him and what he did from books and movies and people who came to his funeral than I did directly from him. Interestingly he was born in Biddeford England, immigrated with his family via Canada (4brothers, they all served) and the first time he returned to England was as a 20 year old preparing to jump into Normandy. Rip papa ❤
I’ve watched all five of your BOB reaction videos so far, and I love your teactions. You’re so genuine and wholesome and beautiful. It’s so nice to see younger adults with heartfelt appreciation and enciteful comments. I sent my son in college a copy of your youtube channel. He’s graduating and commissioning in the US Army this May, and I know he and his roommates will enjoy watching your take on Band of Brothers from the female perspective. All the best to both of you…it’s is so obvious you have amazing parents…I am SO impressed and comforted knowing there are great young intelligent and classy women like you two out there.
The name of the theme is "Requiem for a Soldier" by Oleg Pavlov. It does have lyrics and there are several YT videos where you can hear the vocal version.
Great reaction, gals. Buckle up for the episodes ahead. The emotional roller coaster is just cresting the top of the hill. You will love and remember this series for the rest of your days. Good luck, and CURRAHEE!
So when you see a bullet go past inches away, what you need to understand is that that is what’s called a tracer round. It is a special bullet that glows, letting the shooter see the path of the bullets so they can adjust their aim. But generally speaking, tracers are only 20-30% of the bullets. So for every close bullet that you see, there are 2-4 close bullets that you never even saw.
This episode was filmed at the actual cross-road where this took place during the war. This area of Holland was/is farmland and is still almost exactly as it was during this action.
Poles were in the SS, along with other nationalities. The German Army would not take foreign volunteers, so what happened is that if you were a foreign volunteer for the Germans, you had to join the Waffen SS which was a warfighting arm of the Nazi party. Yes, a political party had it's own Army separate from the German Army (Wermacht). The SS was able to facilitate foreign troops and create whole units out of them. There were Finnish, French, Dutch, etc units of the Waffen SS who were fighting on the German side even though some of their countries were not allies of the Germans. The Finnish soldiers in the Waffen SS, for example, joined the Germans because they hated the Soviets who they had already fought the Winter War against, and wanted to continue fighting them after that war ended. One of those Finnish Waffen SS guys later, after the war, ended up coming to the US and became a Green Beret fighting and dying in the Vietnam war on our side.
Please remember that we have never claimed to know everything and are also not history majors. Yes, we went to school, but we can't always recall every detail just like most human beings. Thank you to those of you that understand this and kindly explain/educate us on the topic! We appreciate you! 💕
How dare you not to know everything!
It‘s sad that you feel you have to explain that to certain people. Some people criticizing you really need to get a life. You two are doing great! I watch because of your genuine empathy and kindness, not because of your knowledge.
@@Icezapp1 *shakes fist*
You're doing great. Don't worry about being perfect.
UNSUBSCRIBE!!
😂😂😂 J/K
SS, the black-uniformed elite corps and self-described “political soldiers” of the Nazi Party. Founded by Adolf Hitler in April 1925 as a small personal bodyguard, the SS grew with the success of the Nazi movement and, gathering immense police and military powers, became virtually a state within a state.
The Waffen SS was later founded as military elite regiments, the SS itself was more involved in the domestic terror apparutus (which also operated in occupied ares, of course). The better results of the Waffen SS compared to regular army regiments comes almost fully from the much better supply they enjoyed. In the beginning the Waffen SS regiments even had a worse record than the army, not much of a surprise for a military organisation based on ideology and trained and deployed by a non-military militia.
[edit] removed my erroneous statement that Himmler founded the SS. He only transformed it from the original security force for rallies.
The Wehrmacht was far more successfull as the Waffen SS. These "elite" Soldiers were nothing more than better prison guards.
A note on the guy who said they were Polish (and please somebody chime in on if there is specific truth here if they know what unit that was):
The SS had many units that recruited primarily from friendly men in occupied areas. An example was the Wiking Division, recruited from Scandinavian territories. I think the man portrayed here was lying about being Polish to avoid harsh treatment, but there were definitely Poles in the SS.
Warning: not for the feint of heart...
The Dirlewanger brigade is another unit which later on brought in Eastern European recruits but was originally composed specifically of many convicted violent criminals. They are infamous for a number of EXTREMELY disgusting mass murders, so please anyone who is curious be careful how much you read about them. I think the details should be known and never forgotten but I want to give a fair warning.
These SS guys were hardcore elite soldiers.
@@IllustriousCrocoduck Poles in nationality maybe, but definitely they did not allow ethnic Poles.
The SS was the Schutzstaffel. It was the really hardcore arm of the Nazi machine. Towards the end of the episode they were getting to the "Battle of the Bulge" near Bastogne, Belgium, which began on December 16, 1944. The Bulge was Hitler's last big offensive designed to capture Allied supplies and fuel. (that's an extremely simplified description). My dad was trucked into the Bastogne area on December 25, 1944, with the 17th Airborne Division, 193D GIR to help relieve the 101st and recapture Bastogne. Dad walked into the bulge with 55 guys in his platoon and 45 days later when they were pulled off the line he was one of only 5 guys left in his platoon.
My father was also 17th....194th Glider Infantry Regiment. His baptism of fire was the Battle of Dead Man's ridge where their unit received 50% casualties in under 3 days fighting during the action above you describe as they were guarding Patton's left flank during the counterattack into the Bulge to relieve the 101st at Bastogne.
@natskivna I've done the "Dead Man's Ridge Walk" twice now, will be going back for the third time in 2025 for the 80th anniversary of Operation Varsity. I'm on the board of the Scions group. Let me know if you are interested.
Have you read Four Hours of Fury by James Fenelon? It's a great description of Operation Varsity and have corresponded with the author some. Highly recommended. I'm also a member of the Scions and would like to hear more about this trip!@@OZAHS1959
Much respect to your fathers, God bless them.
Nixon is always in there keeping Winters on an even keel. When Winters gets too serious, he cracks a joke; when Winters starts to worry about not doing enough, Nix reminds him of the effect he's having. Everybody should be so lucky as to have that kind of buddy.
So true. He was the perfect counter weight for winters. Where winters was always serious, Nixon seemed to always find the humor, no matter how dark the circumstances. Heck even when describing the debacle of market garden, he jokes “oh well, wasn’t me”! The actor did a good job of showing how he used jokes (and alcohol) to deal with the pain.
Agree, those kinds are so rare
Actually, ever since they shipped out from the States, Nix has been with 2nd Battalion HG as their Intel officer. There's another book about the HQ Company. Nix would see Winters after action to get information and interrogate prisoners. He would serve as Winters S2 from here on.
The SS were the true Nazis. They were the private army of the Nazi Party. Winters that to disarm
I am really proud of you two. I am 75 years old and my dad fought in Europe at the same time as the Band of Brothers. He was not in the 101st, but the 84th Division. He was just ten miles from Bastogne when everything went down, so these stories could just as easily have been about him and his friends.
I grew up learning about WWII and quizzing my dad (who talked only reluctantly and only when I pressured him--the real heroes did not like to relive any of it). My generation knew a great deal about the war, but now very few young Americans know or care much about it. Watching the two of you react to the sacrifices these men made gives me hope that America is not completely lost (although I fear for the world you will live in just ahead--my dad is gone and soon I will be, too, but you will have to face it all, good, bad, or evil.)
You two really care, and that warms my heart. I am proud of you, and if my dad is watching, I know he is, too. Bless you both.
My Dad was with the 88th--The Blue Devils,,,my brother fought in Vietnam and then it was my turn to go off and serve...Thank-you so much to all the men and women who have served this Country Before and After and to all those who will leave Family behind to defend this great country of ours..
Ladies, I am a retired instructor, college professor and 20-year veteran of the Submarine Force., here is what I used to tell all of my students at the beginning of a class. There is only one question I do not tolerate in my classes, that is the one you have and don't ask. I can't fix it if I don't know what is broke. Never worry about asking questions.
My great uncle (Elijah Whytsell) was one of the 22 wounded in this episode. He was knocked out by artillery and didn't wake back up until he was in an England hospital. He never got to return with the rest of the company because by the time he was deemed safe from a severe head wound, Easy was pushing thru Germany, so he finished the war on a diesel tug transporting German POWs across the channel.
Great story! Happy you shared
He's was in an English hospital, not an England hospital and the is how you spell through.
@19McCloy91 I'm so very glad you corrected my English... too bad they didn't get rid of all the grammar nazis amirite!?!? 🫠
@@unruinable138 we'll I'm sure English is your first language. No one should have to correct it.
@@19McCloy91 those last 7 words make no sense.
Haylo (4:46): "What are they shooting at?" It's called "harassing fire." You randomly fire at the enemy where you know they are generally located and eventually you will inflict some casualties on them. It also makes the enemy very reluctant to move around, especially at night.
That was not Harassing Fire. That was Mistaken Fire lol.
The Germans thought they were firing at Americans within Firing Range, when in reality that unit was miles away.
It happens in combat in the dark, misjudging distances. Happened as recently as OIF 2003.
That’s why we have IR laser rangefinders and thermal imagers now.
I don't think you're giving the German MG42 the credit it deserves as a medium machinegun. It's max effective range with the 7.92x 57 Mauser round was 1.25 miles with a max range of 2.92 miles. So, even if the gunner could not see the target, anyone hit by the harassing fire of the MG42 would still be a casualty from the 178.2 gr bullets it fired. For example, how willing would you be to cross a road that you know the enemy was randomly shooting down? Especially as in beginning of this episode of BoB, a soldier was brought in who had been seriously wounded by the MG42 firing from the crossroads.@@Ryan_Christopher
@@willmartin7293 the soldier in the beginning was hit by a grenade...They even show Winters writing it in his report
Yes, you're right. I missed that part of the scene where Winters is typing in his report that the soldier was wounded by a grenade at the crossroads.@@Murder_34
The UA-cam channel The Operations room has several videos on Easy Company including the “Crossroads” battle. He says that the Germans were firing, seemingly at random, because they were spooked by the patrol that encountered them. They were firing at ghosts because they either thought there were more Americans around or were doing “Recon by Fire”, shooting at likely hiding spots to make the enemy think you know they’re there.
The Band of Brothers song is called Requiem for a Soldier, Kathryn Jenkins version
“We’re meant to be surrounded “ is one of my favorite lines of the whole series. It shows Winter’s calm confidence and bravery, which is part of his brilliant leadership.
Ladies- I am writing this on 02/12/2024. I am a 10 year veteran of the US Navy. A Hospital Corpsman (think medic). I am the commander of my Legion post. Today I have been assisting with the arrangements for a dear friend who died yesterday. 90 years too young. If you asked him what he did in the service he'd say " Nothing special " He served on tin cans (Destroyers) mostly. Oh and one boat- SSN-571 USS Nautilus. The first nuclear powered submarine in the world. I tell you this why? Because you ladies are taking a journey learning things you may or may not know. You don't shy away from asking for information you aren't sure of. NO ONE knows everything! My advice for these idiots? Ignore them. They are not worth your time. You have an amazing channel that is refreshing to watch! Why? Because you are learning! You genuinely care about these Hero's story. You relate to them because of your papa. (May he rest in Peace) Keep up the great channel!
Thank you both for your services. Your friend served on the ships that were on the front line every time. Compared to all types, the DDs took the worst of it and while doing so showed some of the most heroic actions of the naval war.
@@markh3271 indeed. I have been asked by the family to speak at the service. As much as I revered this man, it is a very humbling honor to be able to do this for the family
U are doing fine 7:21 7:21
I love when Eugene "Doc" Roe loses his stuff saying, "You are officers. You are grown-ups. You oughta know!" after Heyligger gets loaded into the ambulance. You'll be seeing more of Doc next episode.
The Medic, the only guys alowed to shout at Officers
Yes, most people don't pick up on that.
Cuz everyone respects Doc.
@@jordanpeterson5140plus he was right, and although they might not like his tone, he was 100 percent right in what he was saying, so who are they going to complain to? BTW, I would add Sergeant Major’s to the list of folks who could speak like that to officers. When I was in the Army, I regularly saw CSGM’s yelling at company-grade officers (0-1’s to O-3’s). The battalion or brigade CSGM reported to the battalion /brigade commander, and would be the first one to call out jr. Officer BS.
Docs were going to save your life at one point or another
"GOT A. PENNY." I feel like George Luz helped a lot of people get through the war with his jokes.
like they say, 1600 people were at his funeral...
Almost all reactors say the same about Winters’ promotion. He is not leaving Easy. Take heart, he is still over Easy, he just now has Dog and Fox companies under him as well, and now there will be a layer of command between him and the enlisted men. He will still be everywhere Easy is.
Winters had PTSD, but he also greatly enjoyed his time in Paris. I have read a letter he sent to his lady pen pal about that forced R&R. He loved strolling amongst the old buildings, particularly Notre Dame.
So winning $3,600 in 1944 is equivalent to winning about $60,000 today. From what I've read, Malarkey actually gave up some of the money because he was afraid of having too much. Could be dangerous, he also probably wanted to leave some for the other soldiers. Malarkey was also able to put some of the money into an Army Bank Account.
oh god - what a man
The Crossroads battle is considered Easy Company’s finest moment in a battle by Winters himself. The miniseries condenses the overall battle and gets a few details wrong.
1. Winters and his men all charged the German positions at the same time. However, due to the adrenaline in his body, Winters got ahead of everyone else and arrived first at the German position.
2. Whilst charging across the field, Winters had two Browning M1919 machine guns firing at the German positions to provide suppressing fire. It’s one of the reasons why the Germans were slow to react to Winters, they were occupied by the machine gun fire.
3. During the battle, Winters got on the radio and called for British artillery to fire, which is why you see the explosions happen around the German soldiers.
4. As I said earlier, the miniseries condenses battle. After the British artillery strike, Winters called up more reinforcements and went after the Germans. However, they were able to regroup and held back the attack. As Easy Company fell back to the Crossroads, that’s when the German artillery fell down on them. Several Easy Company men were wounded, but all would survive.
What I was told, Winters got ahead of the men because he was legitimately just that much faster at running than they were.
I read the book and, tactically, it was a fairly simple proposition: Easy was in a bad spot and couldn’t stay where they were. They did not have permission to withdraw and doing that would leave an adjoining company exposed.
I mean, if you can’t stay where you are and you can’t go back, sort of narrows down the options to one, no?
I recall reading that Winters didn’t want to attack….. across open ground…… in daylight…… against possibly/probably superior forces…. What good officer does?
It was, if you like, the least bad choice he had.
Officers in the Army & Marines, especially, are taught the concept of ‘violence of action.’
Consider, had the two companies of SS traded 1:1 casualties with Easy, Winters’ Company would have ceased to exist.
So, how did 1/2 as many men achieve such outsized results? They attacked first one SS Company, with suddenness and violence to the point where the 1st SS Company broke and ran.
It’s hard to argue that the 1st SS Company breaking didn’t have anything to do with the 2nd scampering away only to be gunned down.
@@randomlyentertaining8287 Sorry I'm late to the party - but it was proably a combination of both... He was in incredible physical shape, but you would still try to keep some kind of cohersion in the unit.. but due to adrenaline (or something like that) he ended up running to fast.
Don't apologize for being compassionate and empathetic. Be proud that you are willing to learn about this history no matter how difficult it is to watch! Love your reactions.
Mark Lawrence, the actor who played Bill Dukeman, met his wife because of Band of Brothers. She was a fan, and happened to send him a message one day. He had been going through a rough patch, and she helped him through it.
Mark Lawrence has referred to Dukeman as “the greatest wingman ever.” A few years back, Lawrence went to the spot where Dukeman died, and took a few minutes at the memorial to thank and honor him.
amazing!
Been more than 20 years since this show first aired, and I'm still picking up new stuff about it from everywhere. Thanks mate!
@@alcor4670 There was a 20th anniversary reunion for the actors and families of veterans a few years back, with discussion panels. There are a number of them on UA-cam.
The official podcast also has some solid stories as well.
Here's the video of Mark Lawrence visiting the real crossroads
ua-cam.com/video/Dq84-nrmIdI/v-deo.htmlsi=thb1_AVPHoGxbOv0
This gave me goosebumps when I've first heard about it - it still gives me goosebumps today.
This is the episode when Tom Hanks literally takes the reigns in the series...becoming more introspective with Winters. Long before PTSD was even taken seriously. General Patton famously addressed it with the back of his hand on a soldiers face. Oh and if any of you come across any bacon sandwiches, let me know. Currahee ♠
For the casual viewer: The SS (short for Schutzstaffel) were extremely dedicated and highly trained Nazi soldiers (at least early in the war) who were considered a notch above the average German soldier (although a lot of "average" German soldiers might have argued with that assessment). If a soldier _wanted_ to be in the SS and subject themselves to the process of getting into an SS unit, it meant they were very dedicated to Hitler and the Nazi ideology.
Except that most SS troops were conscriped, with about half a million conscripts from outside of germany.
@@hernerweisenberg7052I imagine it depended on the branch of the SS, the area of operations, and the stage of the war. By this point, yeah they’re probably were conscripts (which I’m guessing the Polish soldiers were).
SS boast about how elite they were then get stomped when they have to fight something other than slavic farmers with captured rifles
Love watching you two young ladies learning about these amazing men and their story. Thanks for sharing your experience and beautiful hearts with us all.
In the next episode they mention a WWII veteran from my hometown named Peewee. I was surprised they mentioned him, but he knew all those guys personally. and went skydiving every year for his birthday until he died just recently at 102 (I believe).
What an absolute badass. May he rest in peace.
You ladies are now my FAVORITE reaction channel. I so love your energy and humor, and how you choose to be yourselves. Please don't change anything. I love the Band of Brothers series and have seen it many times. It's that good. It makes me cry every time I see it. It pays homage to a great and brave generation. They were young, scared, full of character and had no idea if they would ever see or hold their families and loved ones again. They fought for our freedom, our way of life, but most importantly, they fought for their brother standing beside them. Many of the actors in this series have later said how it changed their lives. I believe one of the reasons the acting is so great is because they spent the time getting to know the real men they were portraying, if not directly, through their families. What a great way to honor those who stood on their heels and courageously marched in to the darkness of the unknown. There are no words in how to say thank you to all of our men and women in the armed forces and have served our country so bravely. We will never forget.
Hello. I'm a Navy veteran. I enjoy watching your reaction to Band Of Brothers. I have many items from Easy Company. Including: autographed photo of Major Dick Winters, autographed face plate from a book including Wild Bill Guarneers parachute(small piece) etc. Keep posting.
14:10 Doc Rowe makes me so proud of him in this scene. Not even officers are above knowing what to do in a situation like this. I can't wait till you guys react to him next episode. Such a good person.
I am a veteran and my father was a WWII veteran wounded twice. Those rooted in reality understand that you have a lot to learn. Only those that study WWII know everything.
All we care about is your real and honest reactions and willingness to learn along the way and asking comments to fill in the blanks.
Keep up the good work and look forward to the rest of your reactions.
Great reaction ladies. As an older person whose father fought in WW2 I could easily get annoyed at your lack of knowledge of some of the events. However, watching your reactions has reminded me to be more understanding and tolerant towards young people for which I thank you both. You are not history buffs, but you do care and want to understand for which I am so impressed and grateful. Also you show real emotions when you are reacting, which in this modern age of fake celebrity is also very refreshing. I am sorry to say that the story gets to be even more difficult in the next few episodes, but hang on in there!
“I’m nervous for the next one though”, oh you should be. The next 2 are amazingly great and emotionally wrecking.
Winters in the subway is easily the best depiction of what PTSD is like I've ever seen.
Something seemingly unrelated will trigger it, a sound or a smell or even a color and then you're right back to whatever event is causing it and then your brain will replay that memory in slow motion, showing you details that you didn't even know that you picked up on at the time, like the look on someone's face.
The best analogy I can come up with is that the event that happened to you is like Chernobyl and your brain is trying to clean up and deal with the aftermath of that event, but the process of dealing with that memory is exposing you to that pain over and over again.
Your obviously not a trained therapist or qualified medical professional. Not everything is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, ie or a serious behavior health condition. What most describe today as PTSD is often moral injury, ie remorse, guilt or loss of innocence. The violence unleashed in war resulting in suffering and death, impacts the soul and conscience as the mind sorts through those choices made in combat. Moral injury like most injuries heals with time and support. Moral injury most often does not result in the debilitating effects of PTSD like night sweats, feeling like life is out of control, panic attacks, chronic sleeplessness, etc. Captain Winters is able to function in society on RR and in combat again.
PTSD can take years to manifest, and even then, it affects everyone differently. Winters being able to function on RR and in combat for the remainder of the war is zero indication that he didn't suffer from PTSD.
@@dcollins439 Functioning in life after the war too. He is one of those Band of Brothers at the beginning of each episode.
@@506thparatrooper I'm aware. "Functioning in life" is not an indicator that someone does not suffer from PTSD
Ironically, in an interview, Winters stated that he had no remorse over shooting that sentry.
My great uncle Murrel Swan served in Luxembourg about the same time the 101st was in Bastogne, there is a famous picture of him in a fox hole shaking hands with a dog, he loved to hunt and fish, we can never thank these men enough for their service, RIP Uncle Swan
This Frenchman salutes and thanks your great uncle!
The one thing I don’t like about this episode is the retreating Americans. They almost make them look like cowards. In fact, it was the 106th Infantry division, which was almost completely annihilated at the start of the Battle of The Bulge. The fact that any made it out is a miracle.
One of my favorites if not my favorite episode of the entire series. I loved how it centered on Winters. He is someone I would love to have met before he left this world. Speaking as a Navy Veteran, Richard Winters was exactly the kind of leader I would have been proud to serve under. I also love the friendship between Winters and Nixon.
21:55 Love that shot
He's Winters as he faces the camera, then turns around and blends into his comrades as they walk off
She has an heart so big, I love it, I become emotional every time she is starting to cry but tries not to. truly moving 🤗
5:53 is probably my favourite piece of editing in tv history. Cutting from rifle fire to typewriter punching away.
“She never tasted chocolate before” was the first thing I thought at the beginning of this video, just like the last episode…lol
hey there :)
few points from this episode:
SS, or more specifically its armed branch - Waffen-SS were considered the elite of the German armed forces. They were best equipped, trained and mostly loyal Nazi soldiers with fanatical loyalty to Hitler. Each of them had up to 20 000 men and many of them commited war crimes and atrocities. Johnny Martin saying that there were no Poles in the SS after capturing some of the prisoners: as the war progressed, newly created Waffen-SS divisions were created from the volunteers of the conquered nations, e.g. 5th SS division was named Wiking and many of its members were from occupied Scandinavian countries, there were also some of the SS divisions from conquered Soviet republics like Latvia, Estonia, etc. Some Poles were part of 14th division Galicia. But probably, the units encountered in this episode were Polish companies as a part of 10th SS Division "Frundsberg".
At the end of the episode, we are introduced to the character of Lt. George Rice from the 10th armored division, played by Jimmy Fallon. He realised, that the 101st Airborne with Easy Company was probably going to be surrounded in the Bastogne area and made total of 8 supply runs with the ammo, blankets, uniforms, etc. His final run occured when the soldiers were already encircled and could be captured at any time by the Germans. He stopped because he was ordered to by his commanding officer.
One last thing: based on what I have seen, from now on, prepare tissues (lots of them :D ) for each, keep up the good work, I love your reactions ;)
Such a great take on what PTSD can look like. Little random things can bring back the memories. Sound, lights, smells. All with no notice of when they show up.
They have a privately funded statue of Major Dick Winters in Normandy. They also have a small memorial for the attack on the German guns at Brecourt Manor.
One of the most underrated episodes
No it's not. It's considered one of the top 5, sometimes top 3 best episodes of the series
@@nataliestclair6176 2, 6, 7, and 9 get all the attention because of the action and emotional moments. 5 and 8 are seen as the “boring episodes” to some even though they’re very important at telling the story
Ms. Haylo and Ms. Kiss, your quick understanding of events and dynamics in these episodes is impressive. When I was your age, I was still pretty much an idiot/ignorant type. You both are fun and refreshing. Best wishes to you.
Bastone was part of -- or the main part -- of what was known as "The Battle of the Bulge". My father fought in that theater, and others. He was with Army Intelligence, interrogating German POWs.
The first rounds that were coming in were friendly artillery. The second barrage was German counter fire.
A good leader will mourn every soldier that he’s lost. I remember all of the soldiers that I’ve ever had under my charge and am fortunate enough that I have brought them all home. It has always been, for me, my greatest military achievement.
Sir! Kudos to you, _sir!_ 😃
Thank you for your service. If I may, what branch, conflicts?
@@terminallumbago6465 I was Army for 13 years and was deployed to Iraq twice. Once in 2003 and the other time 2009-10.
@@JK-tn4xp Thank you. I’m guessing you were an officer?
@@terminallumbago6465No I was a Sergeant. I have had as many as 12 and as few as 3 in my section. But I still keep in contact with all of my soldiers that I’ve had and talk to them all regularly.
You ladies seem so sweet and genuine. I think you’re both doing great. Don’t worry about not knowing everything when it comes to history. I think it’s something more people should learn about, so I really love and appreciate that you ladies are taking an interest. Think of this show as an opportunity to expand your knowledge.
The charge that Winters led at (7:28) happened a bit differently in real life. Winters ordered machine guns to lay down fire when the smoke signal went off in order to provide cover for the assault group. There was no delayed smoke signal. As fast as they could, the men of Easy Company ran 200 to 300 yards across open field. It just so happened that Winters got to the Germans first because he was in such good shape, and he probably had a lot of adrenaline going through him.
What you are seeing at 9:04 is American Artillery. A few seconds earlier, Winters was on the radio calling in their artillery to fire on the retreating Germans. The Germans then responded by firing their own artillery against the Americans at 9:13 in order to provide cover for their retreating troops.
The SS is an abbreviation for Schutzstaffel, which is German for Protection Squadron or Protective Echelon. They were a major paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party under Adolf Hitler formed in 1925. They originally started out as a small paramilitary group made up of volunteers who provided security for Nazi party meetings in Germany. Over time, they grew in both political and military power to become an elite force. Requirements to be in the SS were very stringent, as members had to prove their Aryan ancestry all the way back to 1800. The SS not only wanted its members to be racially pure, but intensely loyal Nazis. They became the foremost agency responsible for state security, mass surveillance, and enforcing Nazi policies throughout Germany and occupied Europe. The SS also committed countless war crimes and crimes against humanity. They were the organization most responsible for the millions who were killed in the Holocaust. In 1933, they formed what came to be known as The Waffen-SS (Armed SS). This was regarded as the elite armed-wing of the Nazi Party. They were highly trained, highly motivated, well armed, and they saw intensive combat throughout Europe during World War II. So the Waffen-SS had a reputation for being the toughest, and fiercest soldiers in the Nazi regime. Foreign fighters were also recruited by Nazi Germany into Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS during World War II. So the SS troopers who claimed to be Polish might have been recruits or conscripts, or they could have just been saying that in hopes of receiving lighter treatment.
The last part of this episode is the prelude to the Battle of the Bulge. It was the Winter of 1944 when the Germans launched a massive offensive through the Ardennes Forrest in Belgium and Luxembourg. This caught the Allies completely by surprise because they believed that the Germans didn’t have the manpower or resources left to launch a major offensive at this point in the war. In a desperate gamble to stave off defeat, Hitler hoped that the Ardennes Offensive would capture the Belgian port city of Antwerp. This would split the British Army Group in the North from the American Armies. The Germans would inflict a defeat so devastating that the Anglo-American alliance would collapse and the Western Allies would seek a negotiated settlement to end the war. This way Germany could focus all its resources on fighting the Soviets in the East. Given the rugged terrain of the Ardennes, Allied leaders thought it was highly unlikely that the Germans would launch an offensive through there. So it came as bitter shock when American units in the Ardennes were suddenly attacked by German SS and Panzer (tank) divisions. The Battle of the Bulge would become the bloodiest battle fought by US forces in Europe during World War II. Easy Company is about to play a pivotal role in the battle to come.
SS means Schutzstaffel, essentially the main paramilitary organisation of the Nazi party; the Waffen-SS being their buffed-up military arm (not belonging to the regular military though) faced in the episode. The Waffen-SS (despite their ideology) eventually recruited hundreds of thousands of foreigners.
The Waffen-SS was subordinate to the OKW. Mainly to avoid the chaos that two high commands would cause. So it was de facto subordinate to the army and was treated as such later.
@@ShaneCarroll-y8o Salty.
Winters has some really great lines in this series.
“We’re not lost, we’re in Normandy.”
“We’re paratroopers, Lieutenant, we’re supposed to be surrounded.”
But to me, his iconic line, and the one that best exemplifies him, is the line he delivers so often:
“Follow me.”
The song is "Requiem For a Soldier". It has lyrics......
You never lived to see
What you gave to me
One shining dream of hope and love
Life and liberty
With a host of brave unknown soldiers
For your company you will live forever
Here in our memory
In fields of sacrifice
Heroes paid the price
Young men who died for old men's wars
Gone to paradise
We are all one great band of brothers
And one day you'll see we can live together
When all the world is free
I wish you'd lived to see
All you gave to me
Your shining dream of hope and love
Life and liberty
We are all one great band of brothers
And one day you'll see - we can live together
When all the world is free
The SS is acronym for Schutzstaffel, meaning Protection squad translated to english.
the SS was the harcore supporters and believers of the nazi party, and had so much power, it practically became a state within a state. Generally they were the best equipped and best trained.
The character Jimmy Fallon plays (the officer with the supplies jeep) is 2nd Lt. George C. Rice, a Supply Officer from the 10th Armored Division. His own unit badly mauled in the battles around Bastogne, he knew that the 101st airborne, coming to reinforce the line, was going to be short on supplies and would likely end up surrounded. He asked the officers of the 506th regiment (that Easy company was part of) what they needed most, and found that rocket launchers, mortars and all types of ammunition were the critical shortages. He then drove to the town of Foy, where the ammunition dump was, and loaded the jeep with cases of hand grenades and ammunition. The jeep was turned around and the stuff was passed out to the paratroopers as they marched along the road. On his next shuttle, Rice got back to the moving battalion with a jeep and a truck (driven by soldiers under his command) overloaded with weapons and ammunition. The materiel was put alongside the road in five separate piles so that the men could pick up the things they needed as they went by. Eventually he himself made eight supply runs to Foy, to bring the paratroopers ammunition, food, equipment, anything that could be useful, all while the Germans were closing in. His eighth and last run was actually made after the Germans had already encircled the 101st, meaning he could have been captured at any moment. He only stopped because his own commanding officer ordered him to do so.
P.S
Fun fact is that Jimmy Fallon couldn't drive the stick gear jeep, so there were actually crew members pushing the jeep in the driving scenes
The theme song is called Requiem for a Soldier, and it actually has lyrics.
“You never lived to see
What you gave to me
One shining dream of hope and love
Life and liberty
With a host of brave unknown soldiers
For your company, you will live forever
Here in our memory
In fields of sacrifice
Heroes paid the price
Young men who died for old men's wars
Gone to paradise
We are all one great band of brothers
And one day you'll see we can live together
When all the world is free
I wish you'd lived to see
All you gave to me
Your shining dream of hope and love
Life and liberty
We are all one great band of brothers
And one day you'll see - we can live together
When all the world is free”
There are quite a few symphonic versions with a vocalist on YT, and they’re amazing.
Winters published a book based on his personal memoirs, Beyond Band of Brothers, and it covers some things not in the series or book the series was bases on as well as what the TV series changed.
The charge at the Crossroads didn't happen like in the TV series. Winters gave the order to go on the smoke a d he waited with his men. Winters was just a much faster runner than any if his men amd that was how he got out ahead alone. The rest happened like the TV series shows.
Per Winters in his book, the reason he only allowed Liebgott to have one bullet was because he was concerned Liebgot may shoot them. Winters said in his book that Liebgott, being Jewish, was extremely harsh on the German prolisoners especially the SS.
Winters in his book describes it this way, "Liebgott had been slightly wounded on the arm, but he was ambulatory so I assigned him the mission of escorting seven (not 11) prisoners to the rear. Liebgott had gotten the reputation of being one of Easy Company's best combat soldiers, but we all had heard the stories that he was very rough with German prisoners. Liebgott was one of Easy Company's "killers" (Winters describes that term earlier in the book as meaning soldiers who instinctively understood the intricacies of battle and did not hesitate) So I deemed it appropriate to take a bit of caution. When he (Liebgott) heard me say, Take these prisoners back to battalion, he replied Oh boy, I'll take care of them. In his exuberance, Liebgott checked his rifle to see if it was loaded and started pacing back and forth. I stopped him amd told him, there are 7 prisoners and I want all 7 turned over.
That was when he took Liebgotss bullets and gave him just one. Winters said later that he checked with Nixon and all 7 prisoners had been turned over
Smoke. I had the same experience with a smoke cannister that delayed, as we were serving a high risk search warrant. As I passed it I thought that it didn't go off, but it did after I passed. It changed my approach and put me on a different page from the rest of the team behind me. It made for a hilarious story and video record(masquerading as a fire fighter, complete with a fire engine). That tape was laughed at for years.
A lot of US soldiers that were retreating had just arrived, and had little or no combat experience. It was supposed to be a quiet sector of the war to be brought up to combat readiness. German SS troops and SS Panzer units ( tanks ) hit the American soldiers hard. First appearance of the German Assault Rifle in the Battle of the Bulge. Some American forces fought until out of ammunition or overrun.
Losing Dukeman was a big blow to Winters because he had been a top Toccoa man. The series tended to focus on men who survived the war so we didn't get to see Dukeman onscreen much.
It’s interesting that you noticed Winters at the forefront…the memorial to the US airborne troops at Normandy is a statue of Winters that simply says “follow me”
The SS started as an elite force of bodyguard for Adolf. As the war progressed they pulled from a lot of places but were considered incredibly fanatical. Real true believers. They also committed a lot of atrocities. The regular German army were not fans of them, nor were the Allies. There was one battle at the end of the war where the Americans and Germans fought the SS at a castle...
Furthermore, to be in the SS, a soldier had to prove “true German heritage” for several generations, swear an oath to Hitler, and were seen as the most fanatical. They couldn’t use the “just following orders” defence.
Exactly, this is why the claim being made by one of the surrendering troops that they were Polish didn't make sense to SSG Martin and Webster. You had to be a true Aryan to be in the SS. This is tremendous attention to detail on the part of the show creators, because by this point in the war the German Army and SS were all so depleted that they had relaxed those rules and were putting conscripts drawn from their POW camps on the front lines.
It should be noted that the regular German army didn't like them because they were outside Wehrmacht (regular German army) command and largely free to operate as they wished, as well as given preferential treatment and prominent propaganda presence, NOT because they disagreed with the fanaticism or adherence to Nazism-- which the majority of Germans had no issue with.
The effort to separate the two forces emerged after the war when surviving Wehrmacht officers and soldiers wanted to downplay their own participation in atrocities.
@@MechSoldier191No, the Waffen-SS could not act as it wished. They were also subordinate to the OKW. The Wehrmacht disliked them because they had priority in getting equipment and supplies despite having little combat value.
@@Amrod97 Appreciate the correction! I guess I never understood the command structure of political troops. Generally though, I was trying to emphasize that the rest of the military's distaste for the SS was for practical reasons, not out of political or ethical disagreement, so thanks for the correction.
16:40
When Winters and the young German soldier lock eyes on one another for just that couple of seconds, Winters realizes that this is just a kid and that he has to kill him.
The kid realizes, in that same couple of seconds, that he is about to die.
Imagine that for a moment. That's all the time they each had to come to terms with what was about to happen.
For Winters those couple of seconds turned into an eternity as he had to live with that memory his entire life.
As for the kids parents, well, they had to live with the loss of their son for the rest of their lives.
To quote Clint Eastwood playing William Money in the movie "Unforgiven,"
William Munny: It's a hell of a thing, killing a man. You take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have.
the SS (2x S's that looked like Lighting Bolts) Were best true Nazi Soldiers... at first SS were the person Bodyguard for Hitler (pre war) .. but then they used SS for Elite Soldiers .
Meh were they really any better than Wehrmacht? It’s doubtful.
@@kylecasey7010better equipped i think?
@@Shifty51991 And usually high on meth
@souldragon121 early on the organization had to purchase their own weapons from different manufacturers in Europe only later on would they receive a constant supply from german manufacturing out of necessity.
"Best true Nazi" sounds quite sympathetic to their cause.
Its more like: Fanatical/brainwashed/para-military/terrorists taught to believe in their own racial superiority to a point where they could feel nothing slaughtering innocents. Deeply tied to the application of the "concentration camps", and with no real historic proof, that had any tactical/military/physical superiority at all compared to the rest of the German army.
I know you probably didn't mean it like that, but be very careful with your word usage so you don't spread this kind of myth. When it's implied that the SS were superiors to other soldiers somehow, it's also automatically implied that their regime/ideology made this "superior soldiers" and that's exactly the kind of bullshit that airhead neo-Nazis love to feed off.
My pint is: Be careful to not validate this sons of bitches, not even by accident.
I'm amazed by the way Winters seems calm and "at ease" in battle, always being calm and collected, so you get the feeling that "nothing gets to him", and then see the train scene where he gets his flashbacks... and you realise that the mental toll on him is the same as everyone else... and yet he is able to put it aside when it matters... Winters in almost all aspects is a true rolemodel and a person everyone can learn something from.
It's heartening to witness how you two sisters have approached this series with the emotional awareness and intelligence you have thus far. Well done, it's been a real pleasure watching along with you both!
I am so glad to see young people watching this movie . As a Veteran myself US Army 1970-1972 this movie goes along way in "teaching " people pf all ages what this Men and Women during WW2 sacrificed for us to be able to live as we do now in relative freedom . I appreciate watching both of you react to the scenes and also your feelings as you watch . Good Job ladies
They don't need to be taught by you or anyone else. They need to learn on their own if they have interest. How much did you know or care about something that happened 60 years before you were born?
@@Melrose51653 It's not for you or I to judge how other people learn.. your comments sounds like Captain sobel scolding Martin to not help that man when falling out of a run up Curahee. Why not? Not everyone was a military brat like me and immersed themselves in history much less military history... other people have other interests and priorities. Maybe someone's studying to be a brain surgeon but didn't understand the significance of those critical crossroads during the Battle of the bulge. I completely respect their genuine reactions to the sacrifice of easy company and all the warriors from the greatest generation. Most I feel would be happy to address their questions as It's more important "not to forget" than it is how one learned it in the first place.
Actually I knew a lot and still do about "History" relating to OUR FREEDOM and how we are able to live as we can today free of tyranny in the USA. I grew up with Men who fought for our freedom during WW2 in both Europe and the Pacific some who were Captured as POWs and Tortured during their captivity they were our examples sacrifice and courage so I dont need YOU to try and lecture me about my comments just keep making your Mine Craft Videos and stay Free and Happy and Ignorant as well
@@1234uz Well said.
@@Melrose51653grow up you lil disrespectful brat
You ladies are fun to watch, great reaction! I hope you do more TV series in the future, how about The Sopranos!?
If you Ladies would like to learn a bit more about the crossroads battle along with a few others shown here in Band of Brothers look up a You-Tuber by the name of The Operations Room. Under his playlists there is a Band of Brothers section. The first 3 videos on there cover the assault on the guns on Breacourt Manor seen on episode 2, the taking of the town of Careentan from Episode 3 and this battle of the Crossroads. They are animated videos excellently done and explained in a way that non-military people can better understand. Highly recommended. Just don’t watch episodes from him until after you’ve seen the TV episodes as to not get spoilers. Great reaction as always Ladies!!!
fantastic channel and episode yes
Ive seen this series literally hundreds of times and I still rewatch it starting June 6th every year. Never forget what these young men did. With that said I also love watching those first time reactions to seeing it all and you two are way up there on the fave list. Dont worry about all the little details the education comes with watching the series, its not a prerequisite. See ya in the next one cant wait!
You two ladies noted how Winters’ job duties changed from combat leader to filling out reports guy. For the officers in the US Army, this is fairly standard. Officers who are competent alternate job duties as they get promoted. They go from leading one size of unit to being more staff officer at the next level up.
It teaches the officer the administrative side of the next size unit up before taking over that size of unit as a combat leader. Rinse and repeat throughout their career as they continually prove their competence.
Military History books are FULL of instances of officers absolutely shining in one level of the organization, only to fall flat on their face at the next level up.
Winters job would be extra hard because the regiment was short senior officers so they had to often do double duties. Winters would have to do his job as Battalion XO and then frequently step in as acting Battalion CO. It did not help that he was only a captain and having to do the job of a lieutenant colonel
Before I first watched this miniseries, I didn't really know much of anything about the 101st Airborne's WW2 history. But as soon as I realized they were headed to Bastogne at the end of this episode, my blood ran cold. I may not have known specifically which units were at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, but I did know all about that battle and that siege in particular, and I was very scared for these soldiers we had spent five episodes getting to know.
Winters described his style of command as "Leadership at the End of a Bayonet," in his war diaries. Any orders that he would give he would be right there next to his men by leading through example. This episode was a great description of his command style. It is why all the NCOs in Easy Company admired him among the commissioned officers. Also in his diaries, he describes the young German soldier and his smiling reaction when he sees Winters just before pulling the trigger.
The ending scene with Easy Company walking into Bastogne is the opening action of what became known as the "Battle of the Bulge", the largest land battle in US Army History, over 600,000 US Soldiers took part in this battle. The SS was part of the German Military often referred to as the Waffen SS, they were better trained and equipped than regular German Soldiers, they were supposedly committed Nazis that were totally loyal to Hitler.
Wrong. The Waffen SS was only a branch of the SS. The SS originally was part of the militia forces of the NSDAP, along with the SA. The more thug-like SA was later purged in "The Night of the Long Knifes." The SS itself, in contrast to the Waffen SS, operated as part of the terror regime apparatus, like secret police.
Don't forget over 100,000 British troops took part as well.
The one thing I don’t like about this episode is the retreating Americans. They almost make them look like cowards. In fact, it was the 106th Infantry division, which was almost completely annihilated at the start of the Battle of The Bulge. The fact that any made it out is a miracle.
@@MetalDetroit What are you talking about? It looks exactly how you said it happened.
When you said "Do you want some chocolate?" I thought "For the upcoming episodes, it should be Belgian chocolate."
Another great reaction ladies. I got to read the real after action reports that Winters was typing up in this episode and it happened a bit differently but due to time constraints and story flow, they had to alter it a bit. As to who the SS where shooting at, they "Whole Other Compony" that came over the raised roadway during the firefight, that unit was hiding along one side of the road that the machine gun fire down. The gun was bait for a textbook ambush. The SS was hopping to draw out troops from the town where the Command post was. Trouble was they misjudged the range from the gun to the American lines and where just shooting at open fields. The solder Winters shoot at the start and again when the flashback sequence caught up, was how it happened. Later they found out from prisoners the kid was a replacement 18 yo and was sitting his first guard duty. From accounts the kid fell asleep and when he woke up, they believe he thought Winters was some friendly solders coming to relive him. Anyway, Thanks again for sharing with us, Bless and be well and catch-ya next time.
Winters saying "We're paratroopers, lieutenant. We're supposed to be surrounded" reminds me of Lewis "Chesty" Puller saying "We're surrounded. That simplifies things." at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in Korea.
I love that you are watching this series. What you learn from it is dark, but realistic. It is a very down to earth look at the war and really invests you into each person and each moment. Though seeing Kiss end up in tears from it at moments makes my heart ache just as much as watching the show.
The man Jimmy Fallon was playing in the cameo, Second Lieutenant George C. Rice, is a true blue big nuts American hero. When the 101st Airborne were taking up positions in Bastogne, knowing their were under strenght, with a lack of ammo and a lack of equipment, Rice and two enlisted volunteers grabbed a jeep that was towing a trailer, loaded it up with as much stuff as they could, and took the trip to supply the 101st. After the 5th trip, Rice decided it was too dangerous and ordered the other two men to remain behind while Rice went on by himself. After the 7th trip, the Germans had encircled the town, meaning that Rice could have been captured or killed at any moment. Rice didn't stop, though, until he was loading up for what would have been his 10th trip -- a trip he didn't end up making because his direct superior officer found out what he was doing and ordered him to stand down.
Rice was nominated for the Medal of Honor, but it was downgraded to the Distinguished Service Cross instead.
The SS (stands for SchutzStaffel) was like some other person mention created as Hitlers personal bodyguards, and generally were the most hard core Nazis. Usually parts of the SS manned the concentration camps etc. They were in general also not very well liked by the German Army commanders, who usually sendt them into the toughest fights. Also, volunteers from occupied countries also often ended up in the SS. But yes, the SS were usually tough to fight against because of their fanaticism.
During WW2 Germany had two armies. There was the traditional German Army who wore gray. The dought for their homeland. And then there was the SS German Gestapo these troops were loyal to Hitler and his ideals. They were fanatics. They were also very battle hardened and experienced. Often equipped with the newest weapons.
There was a BBC documentary series which aired on PBS in the United States under the title "Commanders at War" in which the leadership, tactics, troops and equipment of opposing sides in pivotal battles were explained and analyzed. Gen. Julian Thompson was the expert analyzing the American side of The Battle of the Bulge (which "Band of Brothers " is about to get into), and he said that one of the important factors was that is was the 101st Airborne (whom he described as "One of the greatest divisions in the history of warfare") that was sent to defend Bastogne.
I read some but not all comments. The SS were also in charge of the extermination camps. The allied soldiers sometimes didn't treat SS prisoners as well as other Germans. Because obviously. These were true believers as far as nazis go.
On December 16,1944 the Germans attacked a weak point in the American line, beginning the Battle of the Bulge. The troops retreating were not giving up, they were retreating to keep from being surrounded. The 101st Airborne were going into Bastogne because the Germans could not move their troops where they needed without the roads that went through there. The 101st needed the ammunition the retreating guys had, and the retreating guys were going to be re-supplied at some point, so they could give up their ammunition.
The one thing I don’t like about this episode is the retreating Americans. They almost make them look like cowards. In fact, it was the 106th Infantry division, which was almost completely annihilated at the start of the Battle of The Bulge. The fact that any made it out is a miracle.
Ladies, you are beyond fine as far as your reactions to this show. Gulf war company commander here, the fact you are even watching this makes me want to wake up tomorrow. You are open to learning history and truth, anyone who wants to criticize you for any historical errors should maybe take a step back. I'm proud of you two like I'm proud of my 2 daughters. Those men are true heroes and you showing them respect, well, respect back at you for that.
You two are young, beautiful, innocent and naive. You are who all of the brave soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines have always fought and died for.
The Soviet guys were allies with you(
Graduated from school five years ago (11th grade)
After that, he was drafted into the army, and then sent to Ukraine
I don't want everyone to think that everyone is an enemy
I absolutely adore and appreciate the contribution of Allied troops (especially the 101st and 82nd Airborne divisions) and Marines in the Pacific
And even though we are separated by political difficulties now, I hope it will all end someday
These are real events. AND unlike Hollywood movies, they actually have dialed the events back, because what these guys went through was so unbelievable.
You guys are so cute and wholesome, loving your BoB journey. There are some seriously teary moments ahead, but also very many special ones you'll never forget.
There's an interview with Winters about the crossroads assault that's on UA-cam. In it he describes the assault, but also talks about that first soldier he shot. A small detail in the acting is that the German soldier looks up, and when he sees winters he smiles, before the realization sets in that he's getting shot. It's a bizarre reaction, but pulled right from reality.
In the interview Winters says it was a young soldier who was supposed to be their outlook (watching for an attack) but had put his head down due to the Americans covering fire and so didn't see Winters or the attack coming in. He said the soldier was just two steps away from him in real life. "I came up to him, eyeball to eyeball, and he was as shocked as could be. I leveled off at him, and the thing I'll never forget was that he smiled. And as he smiled, I shot him." I imagine it's things like that which cause so much PTSD. What was going through that young man's mind when he smiled at him? Winters probably wondered that many times throughout his life.
Where did he say that? In Winters Book, Beyond Band of Brothers he describes the encounter this way. I wheeled and dropped back to my side of the road, pulled the pin of a hand grenade, and tossed it over. At the same time, the German sentry lobbed a potato masher (German hand grenade) back at me. As soon as I three the grenade, I knew I goofed. I had kept the band of tape around the handle of my grenade tp avoid an accident in case the pin was pulled accidently. Fortunately, the enemy's grenade failed to explode. I immediately jumped back up on top of the road. The sentry was hunched down covering his head waiting for my grenade to explode. He was only three or four yards away. After all these years I can still see him smiling at me as I stood on top of the bike. It wasn't necessary to take an aimed shot. I simply shot from the hip without hesitation. That shot startled the entire company (Germans) and they started to rise and turn toward me en masse. After killing the sentry, I simply pivoted to my right and kept firing right into that solid mass of troops.
@@nataliestclair6176 I don't think I can post links here, but the UA-cam video clip of it is titled "Maj. Dick Winters on the Crossroads Assault (Band of Brothers)". You should be able to find it that way. It's entirely possible his memory of it changed over the decades.
@@Krynn72 was that in the documentary about Easy? You should read his book, Beyond Band of Brothers. It is very good and based on his memoirs. He was a very detailed record keeper of his personal experiences. It covers a lot for the book Band of Brothers and the TV show but also gives much more insight on his (Winters) experiences and insights
@@nataliestclair6176 I'm not sure where that clip is from. It was obviously post Band of Brothers, but it kinda sounds as if it's a third party interviewer.
I've been meaning to read his book for years. I know other Easy company members also wrote their own books on the war and I want to read them as well.
This is such a great series and I'm thrilled you are taking the time to watch and ask questions. I've watched the show through every year since it came out. It grips me with pride and sadness that these troops and the families back home had to face such horror. As a retired senior NCO I would tell my troops to watch this show. The reason our military is so strong today is because people of Easy (and so many others) paved the way. I would suggest you pack a box of tissues until the end of the series. I'll be watching with you and my own tissues.
I'm Canadian ( 40 years old) and i must say it's ok to cry when all the allies sacrificed their lives for young people so they can have a great life!
Poles were commonly drafted to German army for conscription as the Germans took their country in 1939. Most polish civilians were executed on site/in camps (including women and their children) but certain polish men were conscripted to regular army. The SS were elite German hardline soldiers. So the doubt of polish people being in the SS makes sense as Germany wouldn’t have let poles in as they felt them to be an inferior race of humans. All in all , the statistics show that anywhere between 20-45% of Poland’s civilian population was exterminated
Loved it when you said, "That was inspiring." People always talk about how tough this is to watch, and that's true. But, yeah, it's so damn inspiring. As often as my heart aches over these guys, my heart swells with pride and admiration. (As an aside: it only emphasizes the heart-ache/swell thing that my dad and Major Winters, in their later years, could've been brothers, the resemblance is so strong. My dad was only a Sergeant and wasn't in the 101st, but he was in the Blackhawks--one of the first units to cross the Rhine, and that similarity just guts me.)
I see you've gotten your answer on the S.S. question below. No one expects you to be experts. Just be as genuine as you are. Keep up the great work, Ladies! We literarily owe our way of life to these heroes.
Kiss had mentioned she heard the theme at the DC WWII memorial. There wasn't a WWII memorial until Tom Hanks did Saving Private Ryan and he realized there wasn't anything on the mall for WWII (Vietnam and Korea have theirs) and initiated, spearheaded a campaign to have one built. The WWII memorial and Band of Brothers were Tom Hank's reaction to the making of Saving Private Ryan.
Great reaction as usual girls. The next episode is my favorite. My granddad earned a bronze star at the Crossroads, but unfortunately I don’t know the details. He was in one of the ultra balls-y glider divisions (101 airborne, 907 GFAB) and was part of a bazooka team. Like many of us who descended from these amazing men, I learned more about him and what he did from books and movies and people who came to his funeral than I did directly from him. Interestingly he was born in Biddeford England, immigrated with his family via Canada (4brothers, they all served) and the first time he returned to England was as a 20 year old preparing to jump into Normandy. Rip papa ❤
I’ve watched all five of your BOB reaction videos so far, and I love your teactions.
You’re so genuine and wholesome and beautiful.
It’s so nice to see younger adults with heartfelt appreciation and enciteful comments.
I sent my son in college a copy of your youtube channel. He’s graduating and commissioning in the US Army this May, and I know he and his roommates will enjoy watching your take on Band of Brothers from the female perspective.
All the best to both of you…it’s is so obvious you have amazing parents…I am SO impressed and comforted knowing there are great young intelligent and classy women like you two out there.
Tom Hanks directed and theeee best episode!
The name of the theme is "Requiem for a Soldier" by Oleg Pavlov. It does have lyrics and there are several YT videos where you can hear the vocal version.
Great reaction, gals. Buckle up for the episodes ahead. The emotional roller coaster is just cresting the top of the hill. You will love and remember this series for the rest of your days. Good luck, and CURRAHEE!
Bastogne and the next 2 episodes are intense, they lose a lot of men. Episode 9 is gonna change you. Get ready for an emotional ride. ❤
So when you see a bullet go past inches away, what you need to understand is that that is what’s called a tracer round. It is a special bullet that glows, letting the shooter see the path of the bullets so they can adjust their aim. But generally speaking, tracers are only 20-30% of the bullets. So for every close bullet that you see, there are 2-4 close bullets that you never even saw.
There's a video here on UA-cam where the actor that played Dukeman visits the exact location of this crossroad where the real Dukeman was killed
The Band of Brothers theme will always be my favourite "opening theme" it just hits so hard every damn time
This episode was filmed at the actual cross-road where this took place during the war. This area of Holland was/is farmland and is still almost exactly as it was during this action.
Poles were in the SS, along with other nationalities. The German Army would not take foreign volunteers, so what happened is that if you were a foreign volunteer for the Germans, you had to join the Waffen SS which was a warfighting arm of the Nazi party. Yes, a political party had it's own Army separate from the German Army (Wermacht). The SS was able to facilitate foreign troops and create whole units out of them. There were Finnish, French, Dutch, etc units of the Waffen SS who were fighting on the German side even though some of their countries were not allies of the Germans. The Finnish soldiers in the Waffen SS, for example, joined the Germans because they hated the Soviets who they had already fought the Winter War against, and wanted to continue fighting them after that war ended. One of those Finnish Waffen SS guys later, after the war, ended up coming to the US and became a Green Beret fighting and dying in the Vietnam war on our side.