Speirs didn't chew bubble gum but chewed nails! That dude was a beast on the battlefield! Great episode here, and these poor girls will have some tough moments still to come. Especially episode 9 " Why we fight ".
The thing about Nix always sleeping was that he would work opposite of Winters when on the line. Winters would go around checking during the day, and Nix would check on things during the night. They were a true pair when it came down to it, almost an inverse you could say
Every CO needs a right hand man like Nixon. Even if he wasn’t hands on like Winters, he was essential for every mission being successful with the right intelligence. Also Nixon was a good friend, which for someone like Winters, who’s is at the top of the chain of command and where it’s never more lonely, couldn’t be more essential. Band of Brothers really makes me appreciate the friendships I have. Im lucky enough to have guys like Nixon and Lipton in my life. I ran a fraternity for a year and these sort of relationships are all I thought about. I had a VP, who really didn’t do shit, but nonetheless I needed him and I couldn’t have done anything without him by my side. I also had my NCOs who stepped up and led the fraternity, even if it wasn’t their job to do so. Brotherhood like that really is a special experience that I think everyone should have, whether it’s in the military, a team sport, or a fraternity. Seek it. You’ll learn a lot about yourself and other people.
I imagine the Germans had the same expression on their faces as Haley did when Spiers charged forward to link up with I Company - eyes wide and mouth open in disbelief.
In the 90s Winters confessed Speirs killed the prisoners, it was their first day of combat, everyone was full stressed, young men killing and dying, so Speirs did what he thought que should have done, not because he was a psycho, actually he was particularly a cool and funny guy.
@@Pedrogogthey were a paratrooper invasion force which was scattered alllllll over the peninsula. Taking prisoners wasn’t really a realistic option until the beach invasion linked up, especially if there were a big number of prisoners…
6:10 "He's just another one of those arrogant rich jerks from Yale." - Capt. Winters. The joke here is that he said this to Capt. Nixon who graduated from Yale, so he was making fun of Lt. Dike and Nixon. Ironically, the real Lt. Norman Dike didn't go to Yale until AFTER the war...
Mr Lipton and my Father were friends they both worked in the Glass business I met Mr Lipton a few times when I was growing up on the 1950s and 60s and he was a real class act
I believe, sir, that you got to meet one of those men Winters talked about in that story that NEVER fails to bring a tear to my eye: “Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?” I’ll omit the response, let everyone who hasn’t seen it, enjoy it.
25:50 The thing is, that trust was 100% justified. Shifty was an amazing shooter, by far the best of the company (and also quite humble, as you can see when he said that his was father was way better than him). One famous anecdote about him is, during the advance to Foie through the forest, he located a german observation post disguised as a tree, because he realized it wasn't there the day before. The fake tree was more than 1 mile away from his position, in the middle of the forest. That's how good he was.
IRL the attack faultered because Lt. Dike was wounded and the Germans were using a captured radio set to call in false fire missions, which then caused the troops to stop using their radios, and was the reason for Spiers's run through the town. He had to coordinate with I Company, mainly to avoid friendly fire.
Yeah if I remember correctly they used Dike as a way to show what a incompetent leader acts like. Which I thought they were over exaggerated but after joining I found out it’s not.
Him being wounded is highly disputed, it was never mentioned in the book the series is based on nor the books that came out after the show written by E Company men, including the one authored by Winters. In all my studies I don't remember anything about a radio being compromised. Additional thoughts on the whole Dike thing. 1: He worked under Winters who had his concerns about Dike just like the men who worked under Dike that had their concerns. That's saying something when both the men above and below you have that. 2: If he was hit, that by itself shouldn't have stopped the charge into Foy unless he ordered it which everyone knows is idiotic and suicidal being exposed as they were. He also did order the flanking maneuver which was clearly a bad idea, and he wouldn't respond to Winters on the radio. 3: In the book written by Winters he was asked by higher ups what he wanted to do with Dike, he chose to immediately replacing Dike and met zero resistance. Ultimately, and regardless if he was actually injured or not, he failed the men at a very critical time. How many died because of that?
@@anthony92399 The 506th’s AARs mention that Dike was relieved due to wounds received in battle and the bit about the captured radios. Whether that is someone higher covering for Dike I don’t really know. I do know that he went on to have a full career in the Army, and his actions in Holland, for which he was awarded a silver star, and another bronze star for pulling 3 wounded men from an OP in Bastogne under fire just add more mystery. Either way, you are correct. Easy didn’t have effective leadership during the assault, and sadly men died because of it.
@@philipcoggins9512 Apparently, Dike was from a somewhat connected family. Later, he became an aid to General Taylor, Div HQ. I believe the Holland heroic action. However, if he did rescue 3 men in the same regiment, I find it hard to believe no one in Easy would have heard that. Dike did receive at least 2 Purple Hearts/clusters. Could he have been wounded at Foye? May be. That might explain his inaction but does not explain some of is other choices. Perhaps he was in shock!
@@anthony92399One thing that some mentioned as their opinion. Dike may have been decent, not great or special, platoon leader, but that is different than leading a company into battle. Unless he has told a squad to stay back or to move forward while the rest do something else, a platoon leader might expect to see all elements of his platoon. Perhaps why he was unnerved by not see a platoon, but he is commanding several platoons! Don't know if that opinion has merit, but found it interesting!
In the 90s Winters confessed Speirs killed the prisoners, it was their first day of combat, everyone was full stressed, young men killing and dying, so Speirs did what he thought que should have done, not because he was a psycho, actually he was particularly a cool and funny guy.
Panzergrenadier basically means motorized infantry. Meaning they moved around the battlefield in vehicles, and armored transports more often than regular soldiers. They're generally considered more elite than regular German soldiers.
As a former Panzergrenadier i can agree to that. There is Decade old Rivalry between German Panzergreanadiere and Fallschirmjäger (Paratroopers) about who are the hardest Sons of B*tches. The Grenadiers who storm Head-On into the Enemy Lines or Counterattacks at the very Speartip, or the Airborne who jumps in behind them. I still to this Day have no unbiased Answer to this Question, and maybe thats good. Competition keeps the "Game" at high Quality.
The thing to keep in mind for Foy is that the village farmed trees. The forest surrounding the village wasn’t a natural forest by a tree farm, and as such the trees were in rows like any other crop. This is important because it meant that the Germans had clear line of site down the rows to see the American positions where as the Germans had the village’s buildings they could use as cover. The Allied troops were more or less completely exposed.
When I was going through the John F Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, I got the chance to sit down with several veterans from the Ardennes Offensive. It was the middle of winter in the Carolinas and it was a particularly cold one (talking well into single digits before wind chill when we were out there). One of the veterans joked that he would have killed just for a pair of the socks we got issued, let alone the thermal gear, sleep system (rated up to -30° F), and other advancements we’ve made in sustainability. These guys were truly the hardest bunch of men and it’s a shame that one day soon people won’t be able to hear these stories from the people that experienced them.
I think the last members of Easy all passed but as a whole I think we are approaching the point of all these soldiers will be gone. I'm just glad that some of their first hand accounts are preserved.
Just to clear up the confusion for you guys; both Hoobler and Malarkey wanted a luger. In the first episode, Hoob meets a British solider who shows him his luger and Hoob almost walked away with it to show to his friends. He took a shine to it and brings up really wanting one multiple times in later episodes. Malarkey wanted one for his kid brother, he's the one that ran out into the field at Brecourt Manor in episode two to check the German soldier's body. (Also you guys are absolutely my new favourite reaction channel! I adore how invested the both of you get in what you're watching, and how much you obviously care for these men and the real history behind the show. The love and genuine interest fucking radiates off of you. Keep it up! ❤️)
This is by far my favorite episode. The scene showing the contrast of leadership, seeing Dike become so scared he stops functioning, then seeing Speirs running through the dust from a shell exploding in front of him, taking charge of the situation... and on top of that doing that "suicide run" hooking up with the other company and coming back 😁
Perfection. The reaction, the editing, the volume, the emotions, the understanding and really drawing in to the story unfolding, is just top tier. This is elite YT Reaction stuff! You work so great together.
@@TheDarkCow11 Yep. I like Natalie, too. These ladies seem more appropriately dialed in emotionally to what is happening, though. Also, they rarely cut the payoff line to a scene, which Natalie does too often.
Lt Dike had worked for division. He was used to liaising between units. He was given the job of a captain running a company but decided that his job was to coordinate between companies. That's a job of a major, what Winters was doing. The series is a little unfair to Dike. He wasn't a coward and was actually awarded for bravery for some of his actions. He broke down at Foy after being shot. He looked confused because he was going into shock.
Lieutenant Dike actually won medals for heroics, I think bronze and silver stars. When he freezes up in the assault on Foy, he had been shot and was in shock. But as this is based on the memories of the men who actually went through it, all of whom didn’t care much for Dike (and he, them) this was what was portrayed. There would inevitably be historical errors. One that always stuck in my mind was that in the book by Stephen Ambrose, he says that one man (I won’t say who for possible spoilers) either made an error or goofed off and was reprimanded for it. This was incorrect according to the soldier he mentioned, and he was crushed by what was said. This episode, along with episode 5 are my favourites of the whole series. Best tv show ever made by a long shot 🖤
A couple of bits of info… The song the choir sings in the convent isn’t a religious hymn. It is a love song dating back to 1784, “Plaisir d’Amour.” A rough translation of the first verse might be “the pleasure of love only lasts a moment. The sorrow of love lasts the whole life long.” This is a very popular French song and has been covered by many artists. Then in 1960 it got a new life. It got a key change, a little dinking around for English lyrics, and a new bridge. It became “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” one of Elvis Presley’s best loved hits. From Easy to Elvis… We celebrate Rosie the Riveter. When we mobilized for war women did 110% in factories to make the materials of war. Hitler had a very misogynist attitude towards women, seeing them as hit only to be homemakers. Instead of German women helping in war production Germany used slave laborers from conquered countries and concentration camps. Some of those workers would sabotage the ammunition they made at risk of their own lives as a way of fighting back against the Nazis. I’d like to think that was why the shell that was a dud for Lipton and Luz didn’t go off.
I heard a story about a bomber that was hit multiple times in the gas tank by incendiary shells but did not blow up. One of the shells remained in the tank. In the part that would have exploded was a note in Czech that said we are doing what we can is this story true? I do not know but it fits the slave labor narrative to a T.
They actually did Dike a little dirty. They portray Dike as a incompetent leader. Dike was actually a good leader he was awarded 2 bronze stars. One in Holland for leading scattered soldiers to protect one of the bridges. And another in Bastogne for rescuing a few of his wounded soldiers in sight of enemy fire. It’s possible that Dike simply had a mental break. There’s also an account that he was wounded. Winters had him transferred. Later on he was promoted and went on to serve in Korea and became a lawyer after the war.
He was more of the wrong type of leader for Easy Company. Dike was not the type of leader who lead from the trenches. He was wounded at Foy whether he broke, became confused or what ever he did make the ill fated order to halt and attack by flanking. It was that order which lead to Winters having Spiers take command. As far as whether he was a good leader from several accounts about him especially from Lipton they did not have a high opinion of him. He was called "Foxhole Norman" and he did often vanish from the lines. Some accounts state this was because he thought he still had obligations to HQ where he came from. Getting medals just means your brave. Being brave doesn't make you a good leader. I think the main issue the men of Easy Company had with him was he did not lead by example and from the front. One thing to remember about Easy Company they were considered an assault unit compared to regular units. However Lipton's views on Dike is much reflected in this portrayal and it is being narrated by him.
@@arakuss1 He wasn't just portrayed as a poor leader though, he was portrayed as a socially inept coward. His so-called vanishing could easily be explained by him having no camaraderie in the unit. As an outsider given the task of leading a unit notoriously unwelcoming of outsiders he was likely well aware of the hostility towards him from the men, although he still should have been out walking the lines doing the tasks that got Lipton commissioned for doing in his place. The men not knowing where he was doesn't mean he was chilling in the rear echelon sipping hot cocoa while his unit got shelled, most likely "Foxhole" Norman just kept to himself. The events that led to his second Bronze Star occurred just ten days before the attack on Foy so he was out there with the men, just not leading them adequately. Also I flat out call bullshit on him ever telling anyone "Im going to go for help" and fleeing the line in the middle of an artillery barrage, and I seriously doubt he ever just wandered off in the middle of a conversation with someone either.
Pressed pause. My comment on previous episode was a bit long. So I saved the rest for this episode. I served 1986-1996 as a Hospital Corpsman (Doc) of the 10 years, 8 were with Marines. Years after I got out, my son's best friend became a Marine. Just in time for the 2nd battle of Fallujah. He got home the following year in time for Christmas. To celebrate, we went to our local VA home to pass out presents and lift the spirits of those veterans. We went room to room and visited with these Hero's. Our final stop was the dining facility. Families gathered with their loved ones, singing and opening presents. All except one old man in a wheelchair. He was crying, utterly inconsolable. One young girl across the table with her family asked her daddy, "Why is he so sad?" The dad redirected her without answering. I knelt beside him and simply asked where? "Bastogne " was all he said. Through tears he told me his unit was shelled for hours on Christmas Day 1944. When it was over, he was the only survivor of his platoon. From that day forward, December 25th was that man's personal nightmare. I quietly hugged him & thanked him for everything. My young Marine came up & said "Doc we have to go" The gentleman looked up at me and said "God Bless you " "Doc's never got a break and saw the worst of everything" I will not argue his experiences. He is gone now, he passed a few months later. At long last reunited with his buddies. As for the remaining episodes- Steel yourself.
The thing with Spiers is he actually ran across Foy to connect with I company and then ran back afterwards. The men of East have said that it was much more epic than what was shown.
When the book was published, the publisher asked Winters to get in touch with Speirs to find out if the stories were true or not, cause they couldn't find him. When Winters called, Speirs said that all the stories were true.
I’ve read the book and other accounts. From what I understood, the problem was what was actually being described. Speirs, apparently, did shoot some German prisoners but, apparently it was within a short time after he landed. He was leading no more than a squad (handful) of men, they’d jumped some Germans and were holding them but German pressure forced Speirs’ element to withdraw from their position rather quickly and, if Speirs shot them, though arguably still a war crime, it was more in the vein of “we can’t take them with us, we can’t turn them loose…..” than assassinating a group of harmless, guarded prisoners. The reputation Speirs earned seems to support this narrative: he was brutal efficiency embodied. He was cut from the same military cloth as Sherman. You visited hell on your enemy as a means of shortening the end of the war. I don’t want to give any spoilers but consider his behavior in a later episode when every emotion tells him to kill a, sort of, prisoner in front of him and he refrains. This speaks to his ability to stay rationale and not act on emotion. From what I understand, Speirs was utterly ruthless and practical: execute men who are inclined to give away your and your men’s position? Without hesitation. Randomly execute a group of properly guarded prisoners in the light of day and with no immediate threat? Brutal, sure but pointless and that doesn’t jibe with the image the men who served with him painted. I’m not sure of your source material and you could be right, don’t get me wrong. It seems possible that Winters may have asked Speirs “Were the stories about you executing prisoners true?” Speirs says, “They were,” thinking Winters was describing the confused, night-time engagement shortly after landing not the scenario depicted. I did serve in the Army in combat and I can assure you of no shortage of instances where I was a direct witness to events a fellow soldier was describing but finding the account so embellished as to be almost unrecognizable. When the troops are discussing it in an earlier episode, I find that scene utterly precise in capturing how soldiers talk about these sorts of stories: “No, the way I heard it……” I think we might be dealing with a story with a kernel of truth under deep layers of fairly typical BS.
@@MrSmithlathe publisher of the book was worried about lawsuits so Winters called up Sparky and he wrote Winters a letter giving permission to tell the stories and use his name.
@MrSmithla wartime, mid-invasion, they weren't hapless civilians, they were captured Enemy combatants so its no war cime like what would be the case for torture of POWs so forth. Doesn't count mid-campaign.
@@genghisgalahad8465 I’m certainly not versed in International Law. I’m pretty sure the Geneva Accords prohibit execution of prisoners. The debate would be, “What was the status of those German soldiers at that second?” I’m NOT anti-Speirs. I fought in a war, get it over with is, ultimately, the greatest mercy to the most number of people. Anyone in that situation would VERY reasonably argue that they, either, weren’t proper POWs at that point or there’s some wiggle room towards “I don’t have to allow myself or my men to be put in danger to care for you.” Otherwise you could argue that a guard couldn’t defend himself if attacked by a POW. My main argument is really that, from the articles I recall reading and my experience with ‘company stories/gossip,’ I find it possible that Speirs’ actions as depicted in the series are problematic. I’m actually arguing that there is a possible sequence of events where Lt Ronald ‘Sparky’ Speirs did intentionally end the lives of disarmed German soldiers in his custody and NOT be a war criminal, moral monster or sociopath.
@@genghisgalahad8465 I think what may have happened is that, in the telling and re-telling, the details of the story get muddled from a sound tactical decision during a withdrawal in the middle of the night to a homicidal and pointless mass execution in broad daylight surrounded by witnesses no one could ever find.
I think it goes to show Spears did believe his statement of believing you’re already dead and then being able to function without thought or remorse. He was able to do it because he already made his peace with it
I think a lot of people miss the distinction of "made your peace with it". At its essence, that's what he was arguing in episode 3. A lot of people assume he means something hopeless or even suicidal, but really, it just means accepting that things are out of your hands. He absolutely embodied that state of mind, judging by the book/show.
The winter of 1944/45 was the coldest recorded in European history to that time and often was below freezing for days at a time with heavy snow fall. So it was very cold for someone without proper winter clothing and living outdoors.
Hoobler didn't just die in this episode of B-o-B, he died in real life. That's what's unique about this series. For the most part, with some variations here and there, things happened in real life pretty much as portrayed in this series. BTW, when questioning Ronald Speirs (after the war) about the rumors surrounding him, Winters said Speirs admitted they were true. Though they remained friends throughout their lives, Winters said Speirs was the most brutal man he ever knew.😉 Also, Joe Toye actually said that, "what's a guy gotta do to get killed around here." A short synopsis on Capt. Lewis Nixon: Captain Lewis Nixon III was born on September 30, 1918, in New York, New York. His family was shipbuilders, and he learned to sail early in life. Captain Lewis Nixon *traveled extensively through the US and Europe and was privately educated for much of his life (*probably why he was designated as Intelligence Officer) . He graduated from the Cate School (a highly selective, university-preparatory school) in Santa Barbara, California, before he attended two years of university at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
I can only imagine… of all the horrible experiences in war, one of the worst for a soldier has to be experiencing enemy artillery fire. All you can do is take cover and pray.
A lot of workers in the German factories were deliberately sabotaging things like artillery rounds because they were no fans of the Hitler regime. It's very possible that round was not a dud by accident, but an act of resistance. A factory worker caught doing so could be killed, so it was a very brave thing.
When i was in the Army, i went on a USO Bus Tour of WW2 History and we ended up in Bastogne. There are signs all over the place warning you that there is still unexploded ordinance buried in the ground. What those soldiers went through is amazing. There is a reason they're known as the Greatest Generation! Great reactions, y'all never disappoint! Cheers from Colorado!
this was kinda a hit piece on Dike, cuz Eazy didnt like him, he stopped and became confused during the attack becase he was shot in the shoulder and his coat covered the blood and wound and he lost a lot of blood. they didnt know it till they pulled him back off the line and removed his coat. he was not scared or a coward, he may not have been the best leader, but he won a bronze star at Bastogne for pulling 3 wounded soldiers to safety while in direct sight of and taking small arms fire from German Soldiers. he also won one of Hollands highest awards for what he did during Operation Market Garden.
You two youngsters are feeling like family to me after seeing your hearts as we watch these episodes! That's a rare and valuable occurrence for me! Bravo! :)
ladies, my late mother watched this over and over, I deployed 10+ times before I retired and I can tell you with confidence this captures what its like. Thank you for watching this series
Ladies you need to be aware of something here. When Capt Winters is talking to Lt Dike and Dike yawns, it is not because he is not listening or that he is not interested, in fact he is scared. In my day it was called the “Combat Yawn”. Yawning can be a response to high levels of both anxiety and stress. When we are in a heightened state of tension, our body's natural response is to take deep breaths and increase oxygen intake. Yawning helps regulate breathing patterns and can serve as a subconscious mechanism to alleviate stress. This was what the program captured here, yet another attention to detail point among so many.
Cpt Nixon is the Intelligence Officer and as such his job to to run back and forth from one group to the next. Getting reports, updating maps, checking in on other units. And since it's safest to move around when it's dark he does most of this work at night. Which is why he's usually asleep when we see him.
You two are so adorable. I watch reactions to this series to see the reactions of this new generation. I'm a fifth generation infantryman. My family served at Gettysburg, in the trenches of ww1 and Gramps made 5 beach landings in ww2. He scaled the cliffs at Point DuHac. My father and Uncle's mutiple Uncle's and even a couple cousins were in Korea and Vietnam. I signed on the line during Desrt Shield. It's saddens me that history has taken a back seat to wokeness in our school's and so few of our young people are even aware of the tremendous sacrifice that's been made for them. As a military brat these stories were my everyday. I remember my Dad pointing out names at the memorials. I remember our Captain marching us from the barracks to the theater to see Saving Private Ryan and I later signed for a van to take my soldiers to the Holocaust museum in DC t during Sergeants time to impress upon them why we sacrifice It's so important we never forget the sacrifice of these young men. They are ,who We are , and we are better because of them. Less than one percent will serve in the military. I believe it was Winston Churchill that said "Never have so many owed so much to so few". You give me hope for this new generation. Seems there may still be a few good ones. May God bless both of you abundantly.
The person Winters mentions as yelling at everyone when discussing who could replace Lieutenant Dike lived until 2021. He might have been the last surviving member of Easy company.
As an Army veteran (fortunately, not a combat veteran), I am always impressed by young people who try to understand what our soldiers and their families went through (and are going through) for this nation. God bless you both for watching this powerful series and thank you!
I've been trying to look into that. I've seen mentions of 20's and low 30's °F (more or less -7 up to about 0 °C), with occasional dips to 0 °F (-18 °C), which seems more believable already. I'd very much like to see official records, but I can imagine the climatological institutions' record keeping was not as meticulous during the war. The thing is: I live in Belgium, though not in the Ardennes, but I've been in the Ardennes a few times in winter. I know december 1944 - january 1945 was exceptionally cold, and Bastogne can be colder than where I live, but some of the temperatures I see mentioned seem really implausible. -20 °F (-29 °C) is very hard to believe. Belgium is not Siberia or Alaska! I doesn't take all that much cold to get really cold of you're outside the whole time, day and night for weeks, without winter clothing or any form of shelter, sleeping on the frozen ground without camp bed or sleeping bag. 20 °F, seems bad enough, let alone 0 °F; -20 °F is ... I don't know, is that even survivable without appropriate clothing and shelter?
@@rschroevThat may have included wind chill. I think -20 Celsius, which is negative -4 Fahrenheit makes more sense. I've been outside at that temperature in a parka and didn't enjoy it. You're surprised with people can survive.y grandfather survived mining in a Soviet gulag in Kolyma, where It did hit -40 c/f. In time I was with him and complained about it being cold, he would laugh. He remembered it being so cold that if he peed it outside, the urine would freeze before it hit the ground And the steam coming from your mouth froze
@@rschroev I Googled the information and read an article that stated the temperature that winter, describing it as the coldest winter for many years. I don't know how accurate it was.
13:38 so, funny story I guess. I accidentally buried my e-tool in my finger during training while using it to cut something. The plus side to that was that with the open wound, the doctor wouldn't allow them to use the CS gas on us while I was there.
In the documentary We Stand Alone, Together (which is where they got the footage of the real vets talking) the real Lipton recalls going to check on Wild Bill after he and Joe Toye got hit, and how Bill's leg was torn up and fidgeting (just like they depicted in the show). As he's telling this story, the real Lipton barely manages to hold back tears. The love these men had for each other is something remarkable.
My grandfather was afa right behind ez most of the advance,told me stories about the cold. Including sleeping in the snow under tarps, he was the most humble yet toughest person I've ever met.
Shames was the last living Tacoa man, dying just short of 100. His hardnosed leadership style came from the fact he was enlisted trained, not OCS like most officers. He received a battlefielfld commission while fighting behind enemy lines in Normandy. As a Jewish man he said he carried many scars from what he witnessed during the liberation of the camps. During the taking of the Eagle"s nest he took a bottle of cognac that was labeled "for the Fuehrer's use only'. He would later use it to toast to his son's Bar Mitzah. Currahee
I'm 69 now, born in '54, they were our fathers and grandfathers, even our mothers served in or during that war. My father a fighter pilot for the navy, my mother a yeoman (secretarial work) there was no division in this country, no protests. This country fought for survival, if England fell, we were next. It was a war we almost and could have lost. All of these people gave of themselves, some the ultimate price. Hero's were celebrated and given medals, but there was heroics only seen by God.
At least 4 "Tocoa" men died and 2 were badly wounded in the Foy assault. That's why the first scene of this chapter is so important: Malarkey, Guarniere, Copton, Muck, and Hubbler, all together planning the assault.
This episode shows the start of PTSD symptoms in all the soldiers and it really shows when one of their best and toughest leaders (Lt. "Buck" Compton) reaches his breaking point. Many miss the signs of PTSD in Lt. Dike who is often wandering and he is always yawning and his behavior is erratic which are signs of his personal trauma. The knowledge of seeing the signs of mental health was not as well known during WWII and it was called Combat or Battle Fatigue. I'm sure Lt. Dike was having severe insomnia during this period.
8:09 "Sociability" is listed in leadership training as one of the qualities for a good leader. I think Dike is trying to follow that principle, but he just doesn't have the knack or the feel for it.
Another wonderful reaction. Heartbreaking what happened to Joe Toye and Wild Bill, as well as what seeing that did to Compton. So very sad how Hoobler died. I also found it heartbreaking that Malarkey lost his three best friends in the company, Compton due traumatic stress and Penkala and Muck getting killed. What Speirs did was amazing; absolutely fearless. Much respect for Carwood Lipton and everything that he did. That battlefield commission to lieutenant was well deserved. And I found the scene in the church to be both beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time.
At the time of promotion Lipton was a Non Commissioned Officer. To promote him they gave him a battlefield commission, which he said was the greatest honor of his life. I also recommend you mentally prepare yourselves, it gets far heavier than this...
Well, it's not just a clever name. When Winters tries to go in against orders, and then sends LT. Speirs in he more than put his money where his mouth is. One of my favorite moments of the series. When he goes into relieve Dike of command, that scene is stunning every single time. And when Buck's helmet hits the ground, it's as Earth shattering as the German artillery. Currahee ♠
It was about -7C (20F) in Bastogne with it getting colder during the nights of course. So not extremely cold but still very cold to essentially live outside with no fire or anything. In the Finnish winter war the temp reached -43C (-45F) so that was insanely cold to fight in, there's stories about Russians freezing instantly and remain standing after they were shot.
Something that wasn't depicted in the Holland episode ("Replacements") was when Speirs swam across a river, alone, at night to scout out enemy positions, for which he received the Silver Star.
Shifty Powers was an outstanding marksman… best in the company. When Shifty killed the German sniper in Foy, a couple soldiers went to clear the room where the sniper was and inspected the body. Shifty hit him in the center of the forehead. 👀 The shot was about 100 meters.
Also, he killed the sniper before they captured the town, fighting was still happening and Lipton never acted as a diversion cuz he was a few blocks down the road. Shifty just outshot the sniper by himself. He also couldn’t see the sniper in the window, as he was a few feet back further in the room. Shifty aimed at the steam from his breath
On December 29, 1944, when Easy company was staying the woods, Powers noticed a tree standing there that had not been there the day before and reported it to his First Sergeant Lipton. The "tree" was discovered to be a part of a camouflage the Germans put up for there anti-aircraft battery. Lipton got permission to fire on the battery, despite low ammunitions. The area was evacuated within an hour.
That shot is on google maps, it's now a historical marker in Belgium near the town of Foy, to me it looked more like 50 meters, but a hell of a shot in any case
Ladies, another great reaction! When Lipton drew the sniper fire so Shifty could nail him, when Lipton and some guys went to check to make sure no one else was in that house they found Shifty’s shot Nailed the sniper dead center of his forehead above the bridge of his nose. Shifty saved a lot of lives by. Wing OUR sniper and counter sniping the German snipers throughout the war
I had seen Band Of Brothers multiple times before deploying to Afghanistan a few years back. I kept track of the IDF (Indirect Fire) attacks on us while I was there. We were hit 57 different times on that deployment. Each attack was 1-3 rounds of mortars/rockets for the majority of it, and probably 15-20 on the absolute worst of them. They were always terrifying, lying on the ground trying to get as low as you can but simply not knowing if it was going to be your time or not. I will never forget that feeling of helplessness. Each of the attacks Easy Company suffered in this episode probably had more rounds fired at them per attack than I did in all of the attacks against us combined. These guys are absolute heroes. I literally cannot put into words how awe-inspiring they are to me. The Greatest Generation is a title that doesn't do them the proper credit they deserve.
Lip is an exemplary leader. He makes me think of when one of the vets in one of the opening interviews said "We had good officers...FOR THE MOST PART. But we had EXCELLENT NCOs."
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.
@HayloAndKiss you were commenting about the gear they were wearing. When the 3rd Army made this advance in Dec 1944 Upper command had to decide what was more important to transport to the front: winter clothes, food, or ammunition. Without trucks, an army does not move. Also the roads were muddy and trucks had difficulty carrying heavy supplies through hilly country full of trees. Roads in wide open spaces were easy targets for the Germans to ambush or hit with artillery. When "E" Company advanced to Bastogne, the Germans cut them off from the rest of the Army. The 101st Airborne were completely surrounded with low ammunition, no winter clothing, low amount of food. The weather in December was cloudy overcast ever day, so planes were not able to fly in provisions. The winter of 44/45 was the coldest ever recorded in Europe. "E" Company was in dire straits and completely surrounded which is why the Germans suggested that they surrender. When General Taylor was given the surrender ultimatum, he was sitting down to dinner and just uttered out of frustration, "Oh nuts." He didn't say any more, so that was the message sent back to the Germans. Of course, such a response travelled like wild fire amongst the troops and reached General Patton. Patton had the greatest respect for those brave men surrounded by Germans and had to save them. By the time they attacked FOY, Patton's 3rd army had broken through German defenses.
The scene where Buck Compton finds Guarnere and Toye with their legs blown off? Buck Compton dropped his helmet on seeing them. Back in 1989 I completed an oral history with my dad regarding his experiences as an Army infantry company commander during World War II in New Guinea and the Philippines. Dad said---again, he told me this more than ten years before the Band of Brothers series was produced---that when a guy would "crack" mentally, he would often just stand there, immobile, and drop his helmet. He said that dropping a helmet was a curious thing, and a simple thing, but it happened. And every infantry soldier in the company was aware of that little gesture. He also said that every soldier had a breaking point, some could take the stress more or less than others. He likened it to bottles; some guys were just born with larger "bottles" than others for being able to carry the stress. When a guy did crack, no one bore him any ill will; no one considered him anything else than a brave and loyal comrade whose "time" had come just as surely as getting felled by a Japanese bullet or artillery fragment.. Anyway, I was amazed when, years after my dad's passing in 1992, I was watching Band of Brothers and saw Buck Compton.........stand immobile and drop his helmet. Little things like that make BoB such a compelling, realistic series.
I have watched this series every year for the last 15 years at least. Watching along with you girls has been more emotional than I have ever been before. Thanks for letting me see it again for the first time..
Speirs ran track in college before the war. He didn't run through the line as depicted, but basically ran parallel between everyone... And twice as far.
i watched the making of this after i finished the series and they measured how far that shot was from Shifty to that german sniper , i think it was like 76 yards , that building the german sniper was firing from is still there , it totally gave me chills !
My grandfather and both his brothers served ! I hold my uncles bronze star is one of my greatest keepsakes the same uncle that had to fight in Korea. It was part of Sherman Pratt company who wrote another book on that these men were truly remarkable
The winter scenes in the woods were actually shot in a large warehouse which was really warm according to the actors. They were sweating while pretending to be freezing.
3:44 it’s Luger, not Ruger. Both names do have a part in the firearms world however. Ruger is an American firearms company that makes a bunch of different guns. The Luger is a specific design that was made by a bunch of German firearms companies (Mauser, DWM, etc).
That winter was one of the worst on record for Bastogne at the time. Even elderly residents commented that it was some of the worst weather they could remember. I saw a record many years ago that on one night the temperature dropped to -30C (about -22F). The environment even without the fighting had to have been brutal. :(
2:20 per AP News: Average temperature in the Ardennes Forest (where the Battle of the Bulge took place) in the winter of 1944 was about 20 degress F (7 deg C for the international crowd)... Reminder: That was the *average*...
At the end of this series my girlfriend asked me who was my favorite soldier. When I professed my love for Speirs she got mad and said "he's mean and nasty" and I said "that's the man I want to follow into combat!"
True fact,,,,Hoobler ddi not shoot himself with the Lugar, He shot himself with an old pistol with no safety he picked up in Holland and had in his pocket. Notice how no one says it was the Lugar. This scene was made for Hollywood to make u think it was the Lugar .
Multiple bronze stars, iirc? One for gathering survivors and defending a crossroads, too. There's mixed reports that his confusion was down to being wounded, but we'll never know for sure. Shame that the man gets shit on unjustly though.
He went on to lead with distinction in Korea too. It's the only thing of this series that's wishy washy with details but to be fair none of the men knew he was wounded.
Like with Sobel. They both are portrayed as they were recalled by the men. Neither of them were liked. As I understand it, “Foxhole Norman”was a real nickname
@@seanwalters1977That also doesn't excuse the level of incompetence leading upto the attack on Foy from Dyke's part either. He doesn't deserve a pass for freezing up in battle just because he might've gotten hit. All the guys around him were getting hit top because no one could make a decision.
@@Chevalier1632 Never said he deserved a pass. Just commenting on the fact that he's portrayed as a total coward when that's far from the truth. And he did get hit there isn't a question about it.
While easy company attacked this town, another company was attacking from the other side. Which is why spiers ran to them to pass on a message because the radio was down. Also explains why you always see the germans always running. Because the other company had already engaged in combat. Edit: Easy company was to attack the town but was delayed a day later. You can thank Lt. Dike for that.
If you guys want to read a wonderful book about Ronald Spiers try out "Fierce Valor" it was written by the curator of the Gettysburg Museum of History Erik Dorr. The museum has an amazing collection of 101st memorabilia, including a section dedicated to Ronald Spiers and Dick Winters. It's pretty cool.
![American reacts to Posts That Prove American's Think That Only They Exist [part 2]](/img/n.gif)
"Speirs! Get yourself over here!" is my favorite moment in the whole series.
A brief moment, but still a moment, where Speirs got to be the coolest man in the world
Spiers doesn't even say anything just books it like a hunting dog
Winters didn't snap at people often so when he did, you paid attention
First time watching this series, your like "oh man, what's Winters gonna do?' Then he says that and its immediately "LETS GOOOOOOOO"
Speirs didn't chew bubble gum but chewed nails! That dude was a beast on the battlefield! Great episode here, and these poor girls will have some tough moments still to come. Especially episode 9 " Why we fight ".
The thing about Nix always sleeping was that he would work opposite of Winters when on the line. Winters would go around checking during the day, and Nix would check on things during the night. They were a true pair when it came down to it, almost an inverse you could say
Every CO needs a right hand man like Nixon. Even if he wasn’t hands on like Winters, he was essential for every mission being successful with the right intelligence. Also Nixon was a good friend, which for someone like Winters, who’s is at the top of the chain of command and where it’s never more lonely, couldn’t be more essential. Band of Brothers really makes me appreciate the friendships I have. Im lucky enough to have guys like Nixon and Lipton in my life. I ran a fraternity for a year and these sort of relationships are all I thought about. I had a VP, who really didn’t do shit, but nonetheless I needed him and I couldn’t have done anything without him by my side. I also had my NCOs who stepped up and led the fraternity, even if it wasn’t their job to do so. Brotherhood like that really is a special experience that I think everyone should have, whether it’s in the military, a team sport, or a fraternity. Seek it. You’ll learn a lot about yourself and other people.
Thats cool i didn't know that
"Can't be worse than the last one right" oh you just wait...
Yeah this doesn't get any easier
Yeah there are about to be a lot of tears
And they still have episode 9 to look forward to. Invest in tissues, ladies.
Episode 9 has entered the comments
They haven’t even taped the Pacific yet
The emotional interviews with real men recalling the facts always get me.
And BTW I still scream inside a big "F*CK YEAH" when Winters call in Speirs.
I imagine the Germans had the same expression on their faces as Haley did when Spiers charged forward to link up with I Company - eyes wide and mouth open in disbelief.
In the 90s Winters confessed Speirs killed the prisoners, it was their first day of combat, everyone was full stressed, young men killing and dying, so Speirs did what he thought que should have done, not because he was a psycho, actually he was particularly a cool and funny guy.
@@Pedrogogthey were a paratrooper invasion force which was scattered alllllll over the peninsula. Taking prisoners wasn’t really a realistic option until the beach invasion linked up, especially if there were a big number of prisoners…
Almost the moment Spiers was on scene, they went from "we're getting torn apart" to "the Germans are getting away."
6:10 "He's just another one of those arrogant rich jerks from Yale." - Capt. Winters.
The joke here is that he said this to Capt. Nixon who graduated from Yale, so he was making fun of Lt. Dike and Nixon.
Ironically, the real Lt. Norman Dike didn't go to Yale until AFTER the war...
Mr Lipton and my Father were friends they both worked in the Glass business I met Mr Lipton a few times when I was growing up on the 1950s and 60s and he was a real class act
no way!! that's amazing!
My father, a navy vet. in the Pacific, worked for Owens-Illinois at the Oakland, CA Plant for 32 years.
I believe, sir, that you got to meet one of those men Winters talked about in that story that NEVER fails to bring a tear to my eye: “Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?”
I’ll omit the response, let everyone who hasn’t seen it, enjoy it.
No spoilers, please.
All episodes are on Patreon, so it isn’t really a spoiler
25:50 The thing is, that trust was 100% justified. Shifty was an amazing shooter, by far the best of the company (and also quite humble, as you can see when he said that his was father was way better than him).
One famous anecdote about him is, during the advance to Foie through the forest, he located a german observation post disguised as a tree, because he realized it wasn't there the day before. The fake tree was more than 1 mile away from his position, in the middle of the forest. That's how good he was.
IRL the attack faultered because Lt. Dike was wounded and the Germans were using a captured radio set to call in false fire missions, which then caused the troops to stop using their radios, and was the reason for Spiers's run through the town. He had to coordinate with I Company, mainly to avoid friendly fire.
Yeah if I remember correctly they used Dike as a way to show what a incompetent leader acts like. Which I thought they were over exaggerated but after joining I found out it’s not.
Him being wounded is highly disputed, it was never mentioned in the book the series is based on nor the books that came out after the show written by E Company men, including the one authored by Winters. In all my studies I don't remember anything about a radio being compromised.
Additional thoughts on the whole Dike thing.
1: He worked under Winters who had his concerns about Dike just like the men who worked under Dike that had their concerns. That's saying something when both the men above and below you have that.
2: If he was hit, that by itself shouldn't have stopped the charge into Foy unless he ordered it which everyone knows is idiotic and suicidal being exposed as they were. He also did order the flanking maneuver which was clearly a bad idea, and he wouldn't respond to Winters on the radio.
3: In the book written by Winters he was asked by higher ups what he wanted to do with Dike, he chose to immediately replacing Dike and met zero resistance.
Ultimately, and regardless if he was actually injured or not, he failed the men at a very critical time. How many died because of that?
@@anthony92399 The 506th’s AARs mention that Dike was relieved due to wounds received in battle and the bit about the captured radios. Whether that is someone higher covering for Dike I don’t really know. I do know that he went on to have a full career in the Army, and his actions in Holland, for which he was awarded a silver star, and another bronze star for pulling 3 wounded men from an OP in Bastogne under fire just add more mystery.
Either way, you are correct. Easy didn’t have effective leadership during the assault, and sadly men died because of it.
@@philipcoggins9512 Apparently, Dike was from a somewhat connected family. Later, he became an aid to General Taylor, Div HQ. I believe the Holland heroic action. However, if he did rescue 3 men in the same regiment, I find it hard to believe no one in Easy would have heard that.
Dike did receive at least 2 Purple Hearts/clusters. Could he have been wounded at Foye? May be. That might explain his inaction but does not explain some of is other choices. Perhaps he was in shock!
@@anthony92399One thing that some mentioned as their opinion. Dike may have been decent, not great or special, platoon leader, but that is different than leading a company into battle. Unless he has told a squad to stay back or to move forward while the rest do something else, a platoon leader might expect to see all elements of his platoon. Perhaps why he was unnerved by not see a platoon, but he is commanding several platoons! Don't know if that opinion has merit, but found it interesting!
The best comment I've seen about Speirs was "I don't know how Speirs can run so well with those gigantic balls."
Not only huge, but made of steel. You would think that would weigh him down.
In the 90s Winters confessed Speirs killed the prisoners, it was their first day of combat, everyone was full stressed, young men killing and dying, so Speirs did what he thought que should have done, not because he was a psycho, actually he was particularly a cool and funny guy.
Panzergrenadier basically means motorized infantry. Meaning they moved around the battlefield in vehicles, and armored transports more often than regular soldiers. They're generally considered more elite than regular German soldiers.
As a former Panzergrenadier i can agree to that. There is Decade old Rivalry between German Panzergreanadiere and Fallschirmjäger (Paratroopers) about who are the hardest Sons of B*tches. The Grenadiers who storm Head-On into the Enemy Lines or Counterattacks at the very Speartip, or the Airborne who jumps in behind them.
I still to this Day have no unbiased Answer to this Question, and maybe thats good. Competition keeps the "Game" at high Quality.
The thing to keep in mind for Foy is that the village farmed trees. The forest surrounding the village wasn’t a natural forest by a tree farm, and as such the trees were in rows like any other crop. This is important because it meant that the Germans had clear line of site down the rows to see the American positions where as the Germans had the village’s buildings they could use as cover. The Allied troops were more or less completely exposed.
When I was going through the John F Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, I got the chance to sit down with several veterans from the Ardennes Offensive. It was the middle of winter in the Carolinas and it was a particularly cold one (talking well into single digits before wind chill when we were out there). One of the veterans joked that he would have killed just for a pair of the socks we got issued, let alone the thermal gear, sleep system (rated up to -30° F), and other advancements we’ve made in sustainability. These guys were truly the hardest bunch of men and it’s a shame that one day soon people won’t be able to hear these stories from the people that experienced them.
I think the last members of Easy all passed but as a whole I think we are approaching the point of all these soldiers will be gone. I'm just glad that some of their first hand accounts are preserved.
@@nullunit correct, at least of the original Toccoa men. Back in 2022 if I remember
Thank you for your service!
@@PoolSiide24 thank you for the support
isnt USAJFKSWCS where they train the green hat soldiers? @@Romanowski129
Just to clear up the confusion for you guys; both Hoobler and Malarkey wanted a luger. In the first episode, Hoob meets a British solider who shows him his luger and Hoob almost walked away with it to show to his friends. He took a shine to it and brings up really wanting one multiple times in later episodes. Malarkey wanted one for his kid brother, he's the one that ran out into the field at Brecourt Manor in episode two to check the German soldier's body.
(Also you guys are absolutely my new favourite reaction channel! I adore how invested the both of you get in what you're watching, and how much you obviously care for these men and the real history behind the show. The love and genuine interest fucking radiates off of you. Keep it up! ❤️)
This is by far my favorite episode.
The scene showing the contrast of leadership, seeing Dike become so scared he stops functioning, then seeing Speirs running through the dust from a shell exploding in front of him, taking charge of the situation... and on top of that doing that "suicide run" hooking up with the other company and coming back 😁
Perfection. The reaction, the editing, the volume, the emotions, the understanding and really drawing in to the story unfolding, is just top tier. This is elite YT Reaction stuff! You work so great together.
“Can’t be worse than the last one”
Me- “oh no…..”
LOL. Yeah. Episode 9 says "hold my tissues."
You two are my favorites of all the reactors I’ve seen to _Band of Brothers._
Agreed.
Natalie gold is pretty good as well.
@@TheDarkCow11Yes, she is.
@@TheDarkCow11
Yep. I like Natalie, too.
These ladies seem more appropriately dialed in emotionally to what is happening, though. Also, they rarely cut the payoff line to a scene, which Natalie does too often.
Lt Dike had worked for division. He was used to liaising between units. He was given the job of a captain running a company but decided that his job was to coordinate between companies. That's a job of a major, what Winters was doing.
The series is a little unfair to Dike. He wasn't a coward and was actually awarded for bravery for some of his actions. He broke down at Foy after being shot. He looked confused because he was going into shock.
That shot shifty took is actually on google maps and an official memorial in Belgium, the bullet holes are still in the building in the town of Foy
That shot of Speirs leaping through the debris of the exploding tank shell is one of my favorite shots in the whole series!
Lieutenant Dike actually won medals for heroics, I think bronze and silver stars. When he freezes up in the assault on Foy, he had been shot and was in shock. But as this is based on the memories of the men who actually went through it, all of whom didn’t care much for Dike (and he, them) this was what was portrayed. There would inevitably be historical errors. One that always stuck in my mind was that in the book by Stephen Ambrose, he says that one man (I won’t say who for possible spoilers) either made an error or goofed off and was reprimanded for it. This was incorrect according to the soldier he mentioned, and he was crushed by what was said. This episode, along with episode 5 are my favourites of the whole series. Best tv show ever made by a long shot 🖤
A couple of bits of info…
The song the choir sings in the convent isn’t a religious hymn. It is a love song dating back to 1784, “Plaisir d’Amour.” A rough translation of the first verse might be “the pleasure of love only lasts a moment. The sorrow of love lasts the whole life long.” This is a very popular French song and has been covered by many artists. Then in 1960 it got a new life. It got a key change, a little dinking around for English lyrics, and a new bridge. It became “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” one of Elvis Presley’s best loved hits. From Easy to Elvis…
We celebrate Rosie the Riveter. When we mobilized for war women did 110% in factories to make the materials of war. Hitler had a very misogynist attitude towards women, seeing them as hit only to be homemakers. Instead of German women helping in war production Germany used slave laborers from conquered countries and concentration camps. Some of those workers would sabotage the ammunition they made at risk of their own lives as a way of fighting back against the Nazis. I’d like to think that was why the shell that was a dud for Lipton and Luz didn’t go off.
I heard a story about a bomber that was hit multiple times in the gas tank by incendiary shells but did not blow up. One of the shells remained in the tank. In the part that would have exploded was a note in Czech that said we are doing what we can is this story true? I do not know but it fits the slave labor narrative to a T.
They actually did Dike a little dirty. They portray Dike as a incompetent leader. Dike was actually a good leader he was awarded 2 bronze stars. One in Holland for leading scattered soldiers to protect one of the bridges. And another in Bastogne for rescuing a few of his wounded soldiers in sight of enemy fire. It’s possible that Dike simply had a mental break. There’s also an account that he was wounded. Winters had him transferred. Later on he was promoted and went on to serve in Korea and became a lawyer after the war.
He was more of the wrong type of leader for Easy Company. Dike was not the type of leader who lead from the trenches. He was wounded at Foy whether he broke, became confused or what ever he did make the ill fated order to halt and attack by flanking. It was that order which lead to Winters having Spiers take command. As far as whether he was a good leader from several accounts about him especially from Lipton they did not have a high opinion of him. He was called "Foxhole Norman" and he did often vanish from the lines. Some accounts state this was because he thought he still had obligations to HQ where he came from. Getting medals just means your brave. Being brave doesn't make you a good leader. I think the main issue the men of Easy Company had with him was he did not lead by example and from the front. One thing to remember about Easy Company they were considered an assault unit compared to regular units. However Lipton's views on Dike is much reflected in this portrayal and it is being narrated by him.
@@arakuss1 He wasn't just portrayed as a poor leader though, he was portrayed as a socially inept coward. His so-called vanishing could easily be explained by him having no camaraderie in the unit. As an outsider given the task of leading a unit notoriously unwelcoming of outsiders he was likely well aware of the hostility towards him from the men, although he still should have been out walking the lines doing the tasks that got Lipton commissioned for doing in his place. The men not knowing where he was doesn't mean he was chilling in the rear echelon sipping hot cocoa while his unit got shelled, most likely "Foxhole" Norman just kept to himself. The events that led to his second Bronze Star occurred just ten days before the attack on Foy so he was out there with the men, just not leading them adequately.
Also I flat out call bullshit on him ever telling anyone "Im going to go for help" and fleeing the line in the middle of an artillery barrage, and I seriously doubt he ever just wandered off in the middle of a conversation with someone either.
Pressed pause. My comment on previous episode was a bit long. So I saved the rest for this episode. I served 1986-1996 as a Hospital Corpsman (Doc) of the 10 years, 8 were with Marines. Years after I got out, my son's best friend became a Marine. Just in time for the 2nd battle of Fallujah. He got home the following year in time for Christmas. To celebrate, we went to our local VA home to pass out presents and lift the spirits of those veterans. We went room to room and visited with these Hero's. Our final stop was the dining facility. Families gathered with their loved ones, singing and opening presents. All except one old man in a wheelchair. He was crying, utterly inconsolable. One young girl across the table with her family asked her daddy, "Why is he so sad?" The dad redirected her without answering. I knelt beside him and simply asked where?
"Bastogne " was all he said. Through tears he told me his unit was shelled for hours on Christmas Day 1944. When it was over, he was the only survivor of his platoon. From that day forward, December 25th was that man's personal nightmare. I quietly hugged him & thanked him for everything. My young Marine came up & said "Doc we have to go" The gentleman looked up at me and said "God Bless you " "Doc's never got a break and saw the worst of everything" I will not argue his experiences. He is gone now, he passed a few months later. At long last reunited with his buddies.
As for the remaining episodes- Steel yourself.
The thing with Spiers is he actually ran across Foy to connect with I company and then ran back afterwards. The men of East have said that it was much more epic than what was shown.
When the book was published, the publisher asked Winters to get in touch with Speirs to find out if the stories were true or not, cause they couldn't find him. When Winters called, Speirs said that all the stories were true.
I’ve read the book and other accounts.
From what I understood, the problem was what was actually being described.
Speirs, apparently, did shoot some German prisoners but, apparently it was within a short time after he landed.
He was leading no more than a squad (handful) of men, they’d jumped some Germans and were holding them but German pressure forced Speirs’ element to withdraw from their position rather quickly and, if Speirs shot them, though arguably still a war crime, it was more in the vein of “we can’t take them with us, we can’t turn them loose…..” than assassinating a group of harmless, guarded prisoners.
The reputation Speirs earned seems to support this narrative: he was brutal efficiency embodied. He was cut from the same military cloth as Sherman. You visited hell on your enemy as a means of shortening the end of the war.
I don’t want to give any spoilers but consider his behavior in a later episode when every emotion tells him to kill a, sort of, prisoner in front of him and he refrains.
This speaks to his ability to stay rationale and not act on emotion. From what I understand, Speirs was utterly ruthless and practical: execute men who are inclined to give away your and your men’s position? Without hesitation.
Randomly execute a group of properly guarded prisoners in the light of day and with no immediate threat? Brutal, sure but pointless and that doesn’t jibe with the image the men who served with him painted.
I’m not sure of your source material and you could be right, don’t get me wrong.
It seems possible that Winters may have asked Speirs “Were the stories about you executing prisoners true?”
Speirs says, “They were,” thinking Winters was describing the confused, night-time engagement shortly after landing not the scenario depicted.
I did serve in the Army in combat and I can assure you of no shortage of instances where I was a direct witness to events a fellow soldier was describing but finding the account so embellished as to be almost unrecognizable.
When the troops are discussing it in an earlier episode, I find that scene utterly precise in capturing how soldiers talk about these sorts of stories: “No, the way I heard it……”
I think we might be dealing with a story with a kernel of truth under deep layers of fairly typical BS.
@@MrSmithlathe publisher of the book was worried about lawsuits so Winters called up Sparky and he wrote Winters a letter giving permission to tell the stories and use his name.
@MrSmithla wartime, mid-invasion, they weren't hapless civilians, they were captured Enemy combatants so its no war cime like what would be the case for torture of POWs so forth. Doesn't count mid-campaign.
@@genghisgalahad8465 I’m certainly not versed in International Law. I’m pretty sure the Geneva Accords prohibit execution of prisoners. The debate would be, “What was the status of those German soldiers at that second?”
I’m NOT anti-Speirs. I fought in a war, get it over with is, ultimately, the greatest mercy to the most number of people.
Anyone in that situation would VERY reasonably argue that they, either, weren’t proper POWs at that point or there’s some wiggle room towards “I don’t have to allow myself or my men to be put in danger to care for you.”
Otherwise you could argue that a guard couldn’t defend himself if attacked by a POW.
My main argument is really that, from the articles I recall reading and my experience with ‘company stories/gossip,’ I find it possible that Speirs’ actions as depicted in the series are problematic.
I’m actually arguing that there is a possible sequence of events where Lt Ronald ‘Sparky’ Speirs did intentionally end the lives of disarmed German soldiers in his custody and NOT be a war criminal, moral monster or sociopath.
@@genghisgalahad8465 I think what may have happened is that, in the telling and re-telling, the details of the story get muddled from a sound tactical decision during a withdrawal in the middle of the night to a homicidal and pointless mass execution in broad daylight surrounded by witnesses no one could ever find.
I think it goes to show Spears did believe his statement of believing you’re already dead and then being able to function without thought or remorse. He was able to do it because he already made his peace with it
I think a lot of people miss the distinction of "made your peace with it". At its essence, that's what he was arguing in episode 3. A lot of people assume he means something hopeless or even suicidal, but really, it just means accepting that things are out of your hands.
He absolutely embodied that state of mind, judging by the book/show.
The winter of 1944/45 was the coldest recorded in European history to that time and often was below freezing for days at a time with heavy snow fall.
So it was very cold for someone without proper winter clothing and living outdoors.
Agreed he'll of a time for the defenders of bastogne
Hoobler didn't just die in this episode of B-o-B, he died in real life. That's what's unique about this series. For the most part, with some variations here and there, things happened in real life pretty much as portrayed in this series. BTW, when questioning Ronald Speirs (after the war) about the rumors surrounding him, Winters said Speirs admitted they were true. Though they remained friends throughout their lives, Winters said Speirs was the most brutal man he ever knew.😉 Also, Joe Toye actually said that, "what's a guy gotta do to get killed around here."
A short synopsis on Capt. Lewis Nixon: Captain Lewis Nixon III was born on September 30, 1918, in New York, New York. His family was shipbuilders, and he learned to sail early in life. Captain Lewis Nixon *traveled extensively through the US and Europe and was privately educated for much of his life (*probably why he was designated as Intelligence Officer) . He graduated from the Cate School (a highly selective, university-preparatory school) in Santa Barbara, California, before he attended two years of university at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
That scene with Lip and Spiers in the church is always one of the most emotional moments in the whole series for me
The actor playing Joe Toye (Kirk Acevedo) went to my college's Theater Conservatory. He was always a good actor
He is relly good in Oz
When a soldier drops his helmet it often means they have been broken. Buck Compton reached his Breaking Point.
I can only imagine… of all the horrible experiences in war, one of the worst for a soldier has to be experiencing enemy artillery fire. All you can do is take cover and pray.
I’ve met a few of these guys in person. Even helped Malarky put on an Airborne jacket at a Military Show.
A lot of workers in the German factories were deliberately sabotaging things like artillery rounds because they were no fans of the Hitler regime. It's very possible that round was not a dud by accident, but an act of resistance. A factory worker caught doing so could be killed, so it was a very brave thing.
When i was in the Army, i went on a USO Bus Tour of WW2 History and we ended up in Bastogne. There are signs all over the place warning you that there is still unexploded ordinance buried in the ground. What those soldiers went through is amazing. There is a reason they're known as the Greatest Generation!
Great reactions, y'all never disappoint! Cheers from Colorado!
this was kinda a hit piece on Dike, cuz Eazy didnt like him, he stopped and became confused during the attack becase he was shot in the shoulder and his coat covered the blood and wound and he lost a lot of blood. they didnt know it till they pulled him back off the line and removed his coat. he was not scared or a coward, he may not have been the best leader, but he won a bronze star at Bastogne for pulling 3 wounded soldiers to safety while in direct sight of and taking small arms fire from German Soldiers. he also won one of Hollands highest awards for what he did during Operation Market Garden.
You two youngsters are feeling like family to me after seeing your hearts as we watch these episodes! That's a rare and valuable occurrence for me! Bravo! :)
Agreed!!!!
ladies, my late mother watched this over and over, I deployed 10+ times before I retired and I can tell you with confidence this captures what its like. Thank you for watching this series
Ladies you need to be aware of something here. When Capt Winters is talking to Lt Dike and Dike yawns, it is not because he is not listening or that he is not interested, in fact he is scared. In my day it was called the “Combat Yawn”. Yawning can be a response to high levels of both anxiety and stress. When we are in a heightened state of tension, our body's natural response is to take deep breaths and increase oxygen intake. Yawning helps regulate breathing patterns and can serve as a subconscious mechanism to alleviate stress. This was what the program captured here, yet another attention to detail point among so many.
Everytime I watch a reaction to Band of Brothers, I scan the comments for new insights, and here it is. I always learn something new. Thank you.
Cpt Nixon is the Intelligence Officer and as such his job to to run back and forth from one group to the next. Getting reports, updating maps, checking in on other units. And since it's safest to move around when it's dark he does most of this work at night. Which is why he's usually asleep when we see him.
Yours is the most empathetic reaction to this series I've seen. Thank you.
You two are so adorable. I watch reactions to this series to see the reactions of this new generation. I'm a fifth generation infantryman. My family served at Gettysburg, in the trenches of ww1 and Gramps made 5 beach landings in ww2. He scaled the cliffs at Point DuHac. My father and Uncle's mutiple Uncle's and even a couple cousins were in Korea and Vietnam. I signed on the line during Desrt Shield. It's saddens me that history has taken a back seat to wokeness in our school's and so few of our young people are even aware of the tremendous sacrifice that's been made for them. As a military brat these stories were my everyday. I remember my Dad pointing out names at the memorials. I remember our Captain marching us from the barracks to the theater to see Saving Private Ryan and I later signed for a van to take my soldiers to the Holocaust museum in DC t during Sergeants time to impress upon them why we sacrifice It's so important we never forget the sacrifice of these young men. They are ,who We are , and we are better because of them. Less than one percent will serve in the military. I believe it was Winston Churchill that said "Never have so many owed so much to so few". You give me hope for this new generation. Seems there may still be a few good ones. May God bless both of you abundantly.
The person Winters mentions as yelling at everyone when discussing who could replace Lieutenant Dike lived until 2021. He might have been the last surviving member of Easy company.
As an Army veteran (fortunately, not a combat veteran), I am always impressed by young people who try to understand what our soldiers and their families went through (and are going through) for this nation. God bless you both for watching this powerful series and thank you!
During the siege of Bastogne, which was shown in Episode 6, the temperature got as low as -20 degrees Fahrenheit.
I've been trying to look into that. I've seen mentions of 20's and low 30's °F (more or less -7 up to about 0 °C), with occasional dips to 0 °F (-18 °C), which seems more believable already. I'd very much like to see official records, but I can imagine the climatological institutions' record keeping was not as meticulous during the war.
The thing is: I live in Belgium, though not in the Ardennes, but I've been in the Ardennes a few times in winter. I know december 1944 - january 1945 was exceptionally cold, and Bastogne can be colder than where I live, but some of the temperatures I see mentioned seem really implausible. -20 °F (-29 °C) is very hard to believe. Belgium is not Siberia or Alaska!
I doesn't take all that much cold to get really cold of you're outside the whole time, day and night for weeks, without winter clothing or any form of shelter, sleeping on the frozen ground without camp bed or sleeping bag. 20 °F, seems bad enough, let alone 0 °F; -20 °F is ... I don't know, is that even survivable without appropriate clothing and shelter?
@@rschroevThat may have included wind chill. I think -20 Celsius, which is negative -4 Fahrenheit makes more sense. I've been outside at that temperature in a parka and didn't enjoy it.
You're surprised with people can survive.y grandfather survived mining in a Soviet gulag in Kolyma, where It did hit -40 c/f. In time I was with him and complained about it being cold, he would laugh. He remembered it being so cold that if he peed it outside, the urine would freeze before it hit the ground And the steam coming from your mouth froze
@@rschroev I Googled the information and read an article that stated the temperature that winter, describing it as the coldest winter for many years. I don't know how accurate it was.
13:38 so, funny story I guess. I accidentally buried my e-tool in my finger during training while using it to cut something. The plus side to that was that with the open wound, the doctor wouldn't allow them to use the CS gas on us while I was there.
In the documentary We Stand Alone, Together (which is where they got the footage of the real vets talking) the real Lipton recalls going to check on Wild Bill after he and Joe Toye got hit, and how Bill's leg was torn up and fidgeting (just like they depicted in the show). As he's telling this story, the real Lipton barely manages to hold back tears. The love these men had for each other is something remarkable.
My grandfather was afa right behind ez most of the advance,told me stories about the cold. Including sleeping in the snow under tarps, he was the most humble yet toughest person I've ever met.
I know you guys heard already but Spears really did do that. Amazing.
Shames was the last living Tacoa man, dying just short of 100. His hardnosed leadership style came from the fact he was enlisted trained, not OCS like most officers. He received a battlefielfld commission while fighting behind enemy lines in Normandy.
As a Jewish man he said he carried many scars from what he witnessed during the liberation of the camps.
During the taking of the Eagle"s nest he took a bottle of cognac that was labeled "for the Fuehrer's use only'.
He would later use it to toast to his son's Bar Mitzah.
Currahee
@@va3svd Agreed.
What a beautiful little bit of justice
That's some stylish poetic justice.
I'm 69 now, born in '54, they were our fathers and grandfathers, even our mothers served in or during that war. My father a fighter pilot for the navy, my mother a yeoman (secretarial work) there was no division in this country, no protests. This country fought for survival, if England fell, we were next. It was a war we almost and could have lost. All of these people gave of themselves, some the ultimate price. Hero's were celebrated and given medals, but there was heroics only seen by God.
Speirs had an "Ace-in-the-Hole" when he made that run through enemy lines ..... He was a runner on his track team in college.
Bulletproof balls of steel also helped him tremendously
At least 4 "Tocoa" men died and 2 were badly wounded in the Foy assault. That's why the first scene of this chapter is so important: Malarkey, Guarniere, Copton, Muck, and Hubbler, all together planning the assault.
This episode shows the start of PTSD symptoms in all the soldiers and it really shows when one of their best and toughest leaders (Lt. "Buck" Compton) reaches his breaking point. Many miss the signs of PTSD in Lt. Dike who is often wandering and he is always yawning and his behavior is erratic which are signs of his personal trauma. The knowledge of seeing the signs of mental health was not as well known during WWII and it was called Combat or Battle Fatigue. I'm sure Lt. Dike was having severe insomnia during this period.
8:09 "Sociability" is listed in leadership training as one of the qualities for a good leader. I think Dike is trying to follow that principle, but he just doesn't have the knack or the feel for it.
I like the shot of Hoobler aiming the Luger mirroring the first episode when he was talking to the British soldier disguised as a German
Another wonderful reaction. Heartbreaking what happened to Joe Toye and Wild Bill, as well as what seeing that did to Compton. So very sad how Hoobler died. I also found it heartbreaking that Malarkey lost his three best friends in the company, Compton due traumatic stress and Penkala and Muck getting killed. What Speirs did was amazing; absolutely fearless. Much respect for Carwood Lipton and everything that he did. That battlefield commission to lieutenant was well deserved. And I found the scene in the church to be both beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time.
At the time of promotion Lipton was a Non Commissioned Officer. To promote him they gave him a battlefield commission, which he said was the greatest honor of his life.
I also recommend you mentally prepare yourselves, it gets far heavier than this...
Well, it's not just a clever name. When Winters tries to go in against orders, and then sends LT. Speirs in he more than put his money where his mouth is. One of my favorite moments of the series. When he goes into relieve Dike of command, that scene is stunning every single time. And when Buck's helmet hits the ground, it's as Earth shattering as the German artillery.
Currahee ♠
It was about -7C (20F) in Bastogne with it getting colder during the nights of course. So not extremely cold but still very cold to essentially live outside with no fire or anything. In the Finnish winter war the temp reached -43C (-45F) so that was insanely cold to fight in, there's stories about Russians freezing instantly and remain standing after they were shot.
Something that wasn't depicted in the Holland episode ("Replacements") was when Speirs swam across a river, alone, at night to scout out enemy positions, for which he received the Silver Star.
Shifty Powers was an outstanding marksman… best in the company. When Shifty killed the German sniper in Foy, a couple soldiers went to clear the room where the sniper was and inspected the body. Shifty hit him in the center of the forehead. 👀 The shot was about 100 meters.
Also, he killed the sniper before they captured the town, fighting was still happening and Lipton never acted as a diversion cuz he was a few blocks down the road. Shifty just outshot the sniper by himself.
He also couldn’t see the sniper in the window, as he was a few feet back further in the room. Shifty aimed at the steam from his breath
On December 29, 1944, when Easy company was staying the woods, Powers noticed a tree standing there that had not been there the day before and reported it to his First Sergeant Lipton. The "tree" was discovered to be a part of a camouflage the Germans put up for there anti-aircraft battery. Lipton got permission to fire on the battery, despite low ammunitions. The area was evacuated within an hour.
That shot is on google maps, it's now a historical marker in Belgium near the town of Foy, to me it looked more like 50 meters, but a hell of a shot in any case
Ladies, another great reaction! When Lipton drew the sniper fire so Shifty could nail him, when Lipton and some guys went to check to make sure no one else was in that house they found Shifty’s shot
Nailed the sniper dead center of his forehead above the bridge of his nose. Shifty saved a lot of lives by. Wing OUR sniper and counter sniping the German snipers throughout the war
I had seen Band Of Brothers multiple times before deploying to Afghanistan a few years back. I kept track of the IDF (Indirect Fire) attacks on us while I was there. We were hit 57 different times on that deployment. Each attack was 1-3 rounds of mortars/rockets for the majority of it, and probably 15-20 on the absolute worst of them. They were always terrifying, lying on the ground trying to get as low as you can but simply not knowing if it was going to be your time or not. I will never forget that feeling of helplessness.
Each of the attacks Easy Company suffered in this episode probably had more rounds fired at them per attack than I did in all of the attacks against us combined. These guys are absolute heroes. I literally cannot put into words how awe-inspiring they are to me. The Greatest Generation is a title that doesn't do them the proper credit they deserve.
Thank you for your service.
Lip is an exemplary leader. He makes me think of when one of the vets in one of the opening interviews said "We had good officers...FOR THE MOST PART. But we had EXCELLENT NCOs."
It’s actually Hashey (one of the replacements featured) who said that!
Great reaction ladies! There are some tough episodes yet to watch but I know you will appreciate them. Just hang on in there.
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.
@HayloAndKiss you were commenting about the gear they were wearing. When the 3rd Army made this advance in Dec 1944 Upper command had to decide what was more important to transport to the front: winter clothes, food, or ammunition. Without trucks, an army does not move. Also the roads were muddy and trucks had difficulty carrying heavy supplies through hilly country full of trees. Roads in wide open spaces were easy targets for the Germans to ambush or hit with artillery. When "E" Company advanced to Bastogne, the Germans cut them off from the rest of the Army. The 101st Airborne were completely surrounded with low ammunition, no winter clothing, low amount of food. The weather in December was cloudy overcast ever day, so planes were not able to fly in provisions. The winter of 44/45 was the coldest ever recorded in Europe. "E" Company was in dire straits and completely surrounded which is why the Germans suggested that they surrender. When General Taylor was given the surrender ultimatum, he was sitting down to dinner and just uttered out of frustration, "Oh nuts." He didn't say any more, so that was the message sent back to the Germans. Of course, such a response travelled like wild fire amongst the troops and reached General Patton. Patton had the greatest respect for those brave men surrounded by Germans and had to save them. By the time they attacked FOY, Patton's 3rd army had broken through German defenses.
Once Speirs took command he said the epitome of a good leader, "Everyone else follow me"
The scene where Buck Compton finds Guarnere and Toye with their legs blown off? Buck Compton dropped his helmet on seeing them. Back in 1989 I completed an oral history with my dad regarding his experiences as an Army infantry company commander during World War II in New Guinea and the Philippines. Dad said---again, he told me this more than ten years before the Band of Brothers series was produced---that when a guy would "crack" mentally, he would often just stand there, immobile, and drop his helmet. He said that dropping a helmet was a curious thing, and a simple thing, but it happened. And every infantry soldier in the company was aware of that little gesture. He also said that every soldier had a breaking point, some could take the stress more or less than others. He likened it to bottles; some guys were just born with larger "bottles" than others for being able to carry the stress. When a guy did crack, no one bore him any ill will; no one considered him anything else than a brave and loyal comrade whose "time" had come just as surely as getting felled by a Japanese bullet or artillery fragment.. Anyway, I was amazed when, years after my dad's passing in 1992, I was watching Band of Brothers and saw Buck Compton.........stand immobile and drop his helmet. Little things like that make BoB such a compelling, realistic series.
Agree with you about coffee and creamer at my moms house, like how do you expect me to function around family with out caffeine
I have watched this series every year for the last 15 years at least. Watching along with you girls has been more emotional than I have ever been before. Thanks for letting me see it again for the first time..
Speirs ran track in college before the war. He didn't run through the line as depicted, but basically ran parallel between everyone... And twice as far.
i watched the making of this after i finished the series and they measured how far that shot was from Shifty to that german sniper , i think it was like 76 yards , that building the german sniper was firing from is still there , it totally gave me chills !
Shifty was from the hills of western Virginia & had been making shots like that his whole life. But it was a hell of a shot.
Best series ive ever watched...... We must never forget all the sacrifice that was made during this horrible time.....
How cold was it? According to the author of the book this is based on, it was Europe's coldest winter in 40 years.
Re:Weather. It was one of the area's coldest recent winters, w/temps averaging about 20°F and as low as -18°F overnight.
My grandfather and both his brothers served ! I hold my uncles bronze star is one of my greatest keepsakes the same uncle that had to fight in Korea. It was part of Sherman Pratt company who wrote another book on that these men were truly remarkable
The winter scenes in the woods were actually shot in a large warehouse which was really warm according to the actors. They were sweating while pretending to be freezing.
The dustabce that Speirs ran depicted in the show is inaccurate. He actually ran a much farther distance. 😂
Something about seeing those old guys getting choked up all those years later just slays me.
It's worse because you know these guys were hard as nails, so anything that makes *them* choke up must have been awful beyond imagination.
3:44 it’s Luger, not Ruger. Both names do have a part in the firearms world however. Ruger is an American firearms company that makes a bunch of different guns. The Luger is a specific design that was made by a bunch of German firearms companies (Mauser, DWM, etc).
I've watched this series at least 20 times, no exaggeration. The exchange between Spears and Lipton gets me emotional every time.
That winter was one of the worst on record for Bastogne at the time. Even elderly residents commented that it was some of the worst weather they could remember. I saw a record many years ago that on one night the temperature dropped to -30C (about -22F). The environment even without the fighting had to have been brutal. :(
Spiers is total BA! Great reaction ladies, thanks.
In combat a soldier is expected to eat up to 6000 calories per day. So they did loose alot of weight during the siege.
According to research, it was the worst snowstorm in that area in 60 years. Plus the area had record breaking severe cold temperatures.
2:20 per AP News: Average temperature in the Ardennes Forest (where the Battle of the Bulge took place) in the winter of 1944 was about 20 degress F (7 deg C for the international crowd)...
Reminder: That was the *average*...
At the end of this series my girlfriend asked me who was my favorite soldier. When I professed my love for Speirs she got mad and said "he's mean and nasty" and I said "that's the man I want to follow into combat!"
They say Chuck Norris checks under his bed for Lt. Spiers
Speirs was a scary guy; I'm just glad he was on our side!
True fact,,,,Hoobler ddi not shoot himself with the Lugar, He shot himself with an old pistol with no safety he picked up in Holland and had in his pocket. Notice how no one says it was the Lugar. This scene was made for Hollywood to make u think it was the Lugar .
True fact: it doesn’t matter who manufactured the weapon that killed you. This comment was made to make you think a Lugar was a Luger.
What's a Lugar?
That reminds me that on of the paratroopers (no spoilers about who or when) says that the "loot" he had was mostly pistols.
@@genghisgalahad8465 In Spanish, Lugar means a "place."
@@waterbeauty85Neat! 🙂
I’ve enjoyed this ride in my favorite show with you… “Can’t be worse than the last one” told the whole thing
Dike was actually wounded when leading the charge. He also was rewarded a Bronze Star in Holland. Lot's of conflicting reports on him.
Multiple bronze stars, iirc? One for gathering survivors and defending a crossroads, too. There's mixed reports that his confusion was down to being wounded, but we'll never know for sure. Shame that the man gets shit on unjustly though.
He went on to lead with distinction in Korea too. It's the only thing of this series that's wishy washy with details but to be fair none of the men knew he was wounded.
Like with Sobel. They both are portrayed as they were recalled by the men. Neither of them were liked. As I understand it, “Foxhole Norman”was a real nickname
@@seanwalters1977That also doesn't excuse the level of incompetence leading upto the attack on Foy from Dyke's part either.
He doesn't deserve a pass for freezing up in battle just because he might've gotten hit. All the guys around him were getting hit top because no one could make a decision.
@@Chevalier1632 Never said he deserved a pass. Just commenting on the fact that he's portrayed as a total coward when that's far from the truth. And he did get hit there isn't a question about it.
While easy company attacked this town, another company was attacking from the other side. Which is why spiers ran to them to pass on a message because the radio was down. Also explains why you always see the germans always running. Because the other company had already engaged in combat.
Edit: Easy company was to attack the town but was delayed a day later. You can thank Lt. Dike for that.
If you guys want to read a wonderful book about Ronald Spiers try out "Fierce Valor" it was written by the curator of the Gettysburg Museum of History Erik Dorr. The museum has an amazing collection of 101st memorabilia, including a section dedicated to Ronald Spiers and Dick Winters. It's pretty cool.
"It can't be worse than the last one... right?"
Narrator: it was worse
The average temperature during the Battle of the Bulge was 20 degrees with temperatures dropping as low as -20.
That scene with Spiers and Lipton at the end of the episode is my favorite scene in the series.