I'm a flight attendant and I had the honor of having Shifty and his wife on one of my flights shortly after this series came out. I completely "fan-girled" over him. He was so humble and sweet. Truly the greatest generation.
I actually had the EXTREME honor of getting to meet Dick Winters before he passed away! Every year the airport near me in Reading, PA has a WWII Weekend. One year he was there, and I got to meet him, shake his hand, and thank him for his service! It was so sureal!
Reading airshow back in the day was a blast , i was with the E/506th living history unit so we always had some of the org troopers in camp, the USO Hanger Dance was always a blast woke up a few times on the flight line lol
When the real Winters says "I served in a company of heroes," it makes me think of the scene when Winters told Nix to tell the parents of the new men who were killed before they could even jump out of their plane that their sons died as heroes, and when Nix asked if he believed that, he said yes "Yes. I do."
Something interesting on the pistol the officer wanted to surrender. In the show, Winters letting the German officer keep his sidearm was meant to be a sign of respect. But in real life he did keep the sidearm, as it was given not just as a surrender, but as a gift. He and his family would later find out that it was a weapon that had *never* been fired. That pistol has still never been fired, and he and his family agreed that it will never be fired. A surrender over a weapon that never has been and never will be used.
THAT is what I found so profound! We have heard these names, and we have seen these faces... but to put then together in the last episode. These are not characters - these are real men.
13:45 Just as with a lot of events in the series, this was an actual event and was more or less how it happened, except Speirs hit the guy with a rifle butt and said: "I've killed better men than you." The a-hole replacement was subsequently beaten up more by the MP's before being court-martialed. 15:30 The Germans began the war on September 1, 1939, and Germany surrendered in May, 1945. War might have been long for the Americans, but it was even longer for the Germans. 16:08 The outdoor scenes in this episode were shot in Switzerland. When actor Neal McDonough (Buck Compton), who was then no longer showing up on set because he had no scenes to be shot, heard that they needed to have him there for a week, he said: "Heck, yeah!" 17:25 Spandau Prison inmates like Rudolf Hess hated Speirs for the strict way he ran things when he was in charge. Trivia: Dick Winters played a large role in making sure Band of Brothers would portray Easy Company - his men - as accurately as possible. When he saw that there would be a lot of swearing (particularly his character - and Dick Winters didn't swear), he gave an ultimatum to Tom Hanks to have his character not swear and to cut back on the swearing in general, or else he and the rest of Easy Company would drop their support for the project. Tom Hanks waffled, and the man who played a leader in war movies eventually gave way to the guy who had experienced the real thing. Perhaps no surprise there, given who Dick Winters was, both as a person and a leader.
Re: the soldier Speirs hit - Sink also is supposed to have said something to the effect of "You should've just shot him and saved us the trouble of a court martial."
It's also notable, watching the updates on the men's lives after the war at the end, that this series was first aired 20 years ago, so today there is only one member of Easy Company still alive: Edward Shames, who was one of the options that Winters listed as a possible replacement for Lieutenant Dike at Bastogne. Shames is currently 99 years old.
“And this story will the good man teach his son. And Crispin and Crispinian shall ne’re go by, from now to the ending of the world, but that we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we Band of Brothers.”
You gotta watch the "We Stand Together" documentary, starring all real soldiers again. Also, I see that you were emotionally exhausted at the moment this episode started. The last episode was brutal and this one is very emotional too, but in a different way. I've watched like 10 channels reacting to this series, but I "clicked" with you two the most. You both showed that you have beautiful hearts. Greetings from Madrid
Winters was such a good person, people would call him and he would answer their questions and speak with them on the phone for hours on end, including myself when I wrote a report in school ages ago. May Easy forever be cherished as the heroes they were.
@@steriopticon2687 Yes - it was a different king of war. Generally a frontal attack by one side against the other, until one side or the other ran out of men to feed to the meat-grinder.
Richard "Dick" Winters died about 10 years ago at the age of 92. In 2002, he made an acceptance speech during Emmy Awards. While he doing his speech, camera in another building, nearby hotel showing his men who were still living back then watching event. Every entertainment people did standing ovation for him and his men.
I remember the day he died. I was a teacher then, and I'd had a very bad day. When I got home and saw the news, it was immediately worse than what I'd been through, and I cried like a baby for about 30 minutes.
The shooting of Charles E Grant was a real occurrence and happened on the 27 of may 1945. It was a bit different then displayed on the show however and I think it’s an important part to learn about the show and about history. Private Floyd W. Carver and another Private Dewey Houge soldier had spent all afternoon and night drinking before deciding to head to the town of Saalfelden for more drinks and fun. During their trip their vehicle ran out of gas and the two men waved down a passing German couple, one of which who was a German army captain on his way home from the Soviet front after his surrender. Carver saw that the captain had a pistol on him as he was a captain and was allowed to keep his sidearm and demanded that he hand it over. when the captain refused an altercation broke out however Houge the second man with Carver broke it up and told the car to drive on. Once it did carver fired rounds from his pistol into the back of the car causing it to swerve into a ditch, from there Carver walked over to the car and executed the Captain. Houge fled the scene in fear of Carver to report it In the local town and to call for an ambulance. It’s then reported that Carver shot possibly at some passing Soviet soldiers and before long the search for Carver was a foot Soon later carver was discovered hiding outside a barn by two British soldiers , major Martin R.G Watkin and Warrant officer Dodd. The two men didn’t know who Carver was. Carver convinced the two to help him with a vehicle and the men obliged yet at the same time a US army truck carrying Sgt Chuck Grant and one other man who we see in the show drives past and asks if the men need any help. The British major exclaims they don’t and as Grants truck pulls off carver fires two rounds into the back of the truck. It is then when Grant exits his vehicle and demands to know why Carver shot at his vehicle and requests his sidearm, Grant is then shot in the head as we see in the show. However then carver turned to the British soldiers who were now fleeing and shoots Major Watkin killing him. Carver is then captured and the rest in the show is pretty historical. A side note is that Lt speirs later said the only reason he had not shot Carver was because he was unsure if they had the right man apprehended. Carver was sentenced to life in prison and died in 1987. Grant would make a recovery yet would always be troubled by his injury up till his death in 1984, he had a wife and kids. I think it is good for us to remember the names of those killed aswell as they had survived the war and yet were unjustly killed. Lest we forget Major Watkin of the British intelligence corps and Captain Altacher of the German Gebirgsjäger.
I second this. The pacific is a lot like Band of Brothers. Band of brothers was like the brotherhood in war. The pacific is how war changes soldiers. It’s more gruesome.
I recommend The Pacific and Generation Kill aswell. They, together with BoB, are like the holy trinity of high budget, realistic, war miniseries by HBO.
I actually went to the Eagles Nest when I was in Germany a few years ago and had lunch out in the courtyard. It's an absolutely stunning view. You also take a golden elevator from a tunnel under the mountain up to the actual building itself.
The surgeon initially refused to operate on Grant. He was sure Grant would die no matter what. The surgeon was then told he’d be shot if he didn’t operate. He did the surgery. Grant survived. The surgeon was then honored at a banquet as a thank you. He was assured after the fact that he would indeed have been killed had he refused to operate.
Late to the party, but I'll piggyback on this. Sgt. Grant lived a mostly normal life. He occasionally had difficulty speaking and had partial paralysis in his left arm, but was otherwise okay. He owned and operated a little tobacco shop in San Francisco and died in 1986.
Reminds me of the scene from A Bridge Too Far where James Caan's character threatens to shoot a doctor if he didn't operate on his captain. The doc did and the captain lived. Slightly adapted from what really happened but broad strokes are true.
So glad you guys enjoyed this and showing the emotion this masterpiece evokes. The bitter sweet ending makes me happy we get to see the real guys recorded, but sad that this was 20 yrs ago and nearly all of them have now left us. But never forgotten.
Two interesting things from this episode: when Speirs looked like he was going to shoot the drunk replacement who shot Sergeant Grant, even after all they had been through, some of the men were turning away because they couldn't look at it, and at the end when Major Winters tells them the war is over, there's no excited cheering or whooping or celebration. They just take it in quietly for a minute and go back to their game.
Such an amazing series. The job they did was top notch. The Pacific is great, but nothing like this one. I hope it will be watched soon. Chernobyl is really good too!
Great ending to a great series. Just a little caution about the Pacific. It's a little darker than BOB imo, deals more with the psychological impact on soldiers. Also its was a different kind of war not just a clash of political views but a clash of very different cultures. Case in point the Japanese thought there was no greater honor than to die for the Emperor. So in many battles they would frequently fight to almost the last man.
Now that you're done with the series you should watch the Band of Brothers Podcast that HBO launched a couple of weeks ago; it features interviews with the main actors on the show and provides a lot of fascinating behind the scenes info. The first episode is with Ron Livingston (Capt. Nixon): ua-cam.com/video/yFJn3qRdOew/v-deo.html
Loved watching you guys watch this. Great reactions. My dad was in the European theater (28th Infantry), so naturally this (and most things WWII) are of special interest to me.
The Austrian scenes were actually filmed in Switzerland. The large red building is a hotel right next to the Reichenbach Falls, where Moriaty and Sherlock fought their battle. My first ever trip abroad was to Hitlers Eagles Nest and Zell Am See, which is where the war ended for Easy. They are only 10s of miles apart. Well worth a visit if you ever get a chance. The majority of the show was filmed in Hertfordshire, 45 minutes drive from my home town in Essex. They built each town, shot the scenes and then ripped them down and built the next. The woods of Bastogne were actually filmed in a large warehouse. I visited Bastogne and Foy also. There are still fox holes in the woods, splintered trees and even the bullet marks around the window Shifty killed the sniper in. What a show. What a group of heroes. What a story.
You guys are great......honest, heartfelt, and honest reactions. You both seem like genuinely good, empathetic people......make sure you watch The Pacific as well, it's different, but also excellent.
Herbert Solbel lived a miserable life of solitude and alcoholism after the war. At one point he tried to kill himself, but he survived the attempt, but it left him blind. He died in a assisted living facility, due to starvation.
Uncle Wally, was a navy man during WWII, and he did see combat, and was decorated... He never talked about it... I always knew him as a potash miner... became a manager of a potash mine b4 retiring... apparently, he wasn't a very good father... my cousin, Bill does not like to talk about it... Wally did slowly drink himself to death... only because he always refused to eat.... being a burley strong man, did live until he was 78 years old tho, but because of his health choices was confined to a wheel chair his final five years.... Only the people that were there during WWII, know what horrors they had personally seen....
The general interviewing Maj. Winters was Lt. Gen. Chapman, the commander of the 13th Airborne Division. The line I like most was when he says, "The bastards took your company away." The general commanded a company in WWI so he knew what it was like.
You have another subscriber because of your sincerity, appreciation not only for quality filmmaking but the wonderful way in which you brought heartfelt reactions to those who gave so much. Thank you Simone & George for a really good channel
It’s true, I watch every reaction in anticipation of Winters’ quote at the end. I have to disagree he WAS a hero in the war. But I agree with who he served with. A company of heroes.
_A company of heroes._ Yes, they can be considered heroes but please remember that a lot shown in Band of Brothers is not historically accurate. For instance, the camp Easy company is shown liberating in episode 9 is Kaufering IV which in reality was found and liberated by the 12th Armored Division on April 27, 1945 with Easy company actually arriving on April 28 and in episode 10, Easy company is shown liberating Berchtesgaden and the Obersalzberg which in reality were liberated by the 3rd Infantry Division on May 4, 1945 with Easy company again arriving the following day.
@@iammanofnature235 that’s irritating when they take liberties like that. Credit should be given, where it’s due. I learned that Blythe didn’t actually die in 1948, but lived much longer and even served in Korea. There’s no reason to leave out details like that.
generation kill reaction now, please as someone said before (and I fully agree), band of brothers- the bond of war the pacific- the horror of war generation kill- the futility of war each of these series is outstanding
As of June, 2020... Edward Shames is the last surviving member of Easy Company. Huge respect and salute to the men of that generation who fought for all of us.
The Eagle's Nest is now a museum and historical center teaching the utter folly of fascism and Hitler's insanity. I went there while pursuing my PhD (which is in history). The view is spectacular, and its got a really amazing restaurant.
Congrats on making it to the end! It’s a tough watch, but so worth it, and the ending is one of the best endings of a show/movie ever. Highly recommend watching We Stand Alone Together, the documentary with extended interviews on UA-cam. Up next, The Pacific. It’s wild ride, buckle up. Technical note, there’s a lot of scenes in the jungle at night, so very dimly lit. Maybe increase brightness settings accordingly or really turn down background light.
Some others background in the series. Sobel had hard times after the war, with his marriage and with his mental stability. His attitude and personality kept apart his family and wife (even though he was a good father), he tried to kill himself but was blinded, and spent the last 2 decades tragically in a VA home where he died of malnutrition and neglect. Lipton, the after-war glass manufacturer, did well in life but tragically died soon after you see him interviewed for the tv series in 2001. Guamere and Toye who both had their legs damaged during the artillery strikes both had long and happy lives with family after the war, and died within a year of each other in 2014-2015. Gordon who was injured during the war used to organize the EZ company reunions afterwards. McGrath, one of the background soldiers that wasn't really focused on, partook in the battles with EZ and never took a hit and fought in all their battles. A silent hero.
That beautiful hotel in "Austria" was actually in Switzerland. It is called the Grandhotel Giessbach. The actual hotel they stayed at was The Grand Hotel, Zell Am See, Austria
My grandfather's unit came through Berchtesgaden right behind Easy Company, not long after - he was with the 3rd Infantry Division. They were camped in town around when the war ended and had lots of free time to tour the area. I have photographs my grandfather sent back that he took around that time period, including one of the burned out and destroyed local SS Headquarters building, one of Hitler's house, and one or two of the beautiful and towering Alps that overlooked the area. It must be a really gorgeous place to visit in person.
Grampa we’re you a hero in the war? No…but I served in the company of heroes. Gets me EVERY SINGLE TIME. Thanks to these GIs and our Allies of all nations. The GREATEST GENERATION.
I did a quick scan but didn't see it so I'll post it. In the hotel when they start splitting up the silverware, what Winters took has become the Winters family silverware set to this day. Now that's a souvenir.
Like others have probably recommended already, you should react to the Band of Brothers documentary, We Stand Alone Together, which is where all the talking heads interviews in the show come from. It's a must watch after completing the show, and you get to see a lot more of the real-life people.
@@rg20322 Eugene sledge in the pacific wrote a book about his experience and most of the episodes he’s in is taken straight out of his book to a pulp. If you read his book and then watch the pacific I can assure you gonna fall in love à second time with the series.
One of my grandfathers served in the Army in Europe. In civilian life he was an insurance adjuster, so the Army made him a war crimes investigator. Mom said that for the rest of his life he refused to talk about his experiences but he came back different. My stepfather served in combat in the Navy on a tiny ship called a subchaser, first escorting convoys in the Atlantic to protect them from German submarines, then once things had settled down in the Atlantic, in the Western Pacific - they spent a lot of time as a radar picket ship, positioned where they would spot incoming kamikaze attacks and radio a warning to the rest of the fleet. He had an endless supply of funny stories about his time in the war. But when I was about to leave for boot camp I asked him what one thing stood out the most to him about that time; he was quiet for a few seconds, then said, "Dead friends." When the war ended he was still only 22. He was a gentle person, my hero and role model and one of my best friends until the day he died at age 80.
Bit of trivia: In an interview, Scott Grimes, who played Donald Malarkey in the series, stated that he had been away from the shoot in the days preceding the baseball scene and had become delayed in his return due to transportation issues which is why we do not see him in that scene.
It seems there's only one member of Easy Company left alive now. I just watched Mark Feldman's Channel of "The Last WW2 Veterans - Only Living Survivors of Famous Units & Actions", and he mentioned that Bradford Freeman was Easy's only living veteran now. I don't think he figured much in the TV Show, but according to Feldman he was a good friend of Dick Winters both during and after the war. The video was posted on 9th June, 2022.
Hi, I'm glad that you two were able to learn of their saga. As of a few years ago, they are all gone now. I hope you two will continue to spread their story to others.
There is also an HBO documentary with more interviews with the men of Easy company with actual period footage from the war called "We Stand Alone Together" if you are interested in more stories from these exceptional soldiers.
@@cardiac19 Lol, definitely. I had watched it 8 or 9 times on DVD before people started reacting to videos on UA-cam. I've probably watched different reactors react to the whole thing 3 or 4 times. I obviously cannot get enough of BoB
That last part chokes me up every time. All major characters in this series have passed (though there are still members of Easy alive). This is why we call them the Greatest Generation.
There is also a RTS game called "Company of Heroes" that follows Easy Company through World War II which l played before seeing this brilliant mini series, l knew from the game the events were real but to see some of the people that actually took part in those events was awe inspiring. These men were all true gentlemen as well and perfect examples of a time gone when you didn't make a noise about what you had done but just took pride in yourself that you had done it.
The whole series was shot in the UK apart from the scenes in Austria that were filmed in the actual location. Bastogne though for example was a forest crested in a warehouse in the UK just for the series
Can I recommend “The Pacific”? It’s produced and created by the same people who made band of brothers. However it’s a series about the marines in the pacific theater of war
I know this is an older video and idk if you’ll see this but they made another show called “the pacific” and it’s just as good as band of brothers. I highly recommend it
Hitler had been entrenched in Berlin which was under siege by the Russian army. By that point he was essentially running the war out of a bunker and was apparently frustrated with his command staff and remaining Generals for not pushing the invaders back and not coming to his aid. The German forces were exhausted by this point. Within Berlin they actually resorted to suiting up children in uniforms and sending them out with guns to fight. The war was more or less over and out of fear for the reprisals the Russians would take against him (The German army had been exceedingly brutal and cruel in the East) Hitler committed suicide. He toon a cyanide capsule and then shot himself before his body was taken outside and doused in gasoline before being burned. Despite this, and despite the news of his demise the German army did not surrender immediately. Hitler was for all intents and purposes the Chancelor of the Nazi party, but the party did not die with him. As the writing on the wall became apparent for everyone however the German army itself did begin to concede and surrender to the allied forces en masse, but the time between Hitler's death and the official end of the war in Europe took some time. It is also important to distinguish as many historic accounts often neglect to mention that the Nazis, were a political party, not the military. The state was a militant state, but you could be unaffiliated with the Nazi party and still serve in the military forces. The exception to this being that in the early years of the war, those who were counted among the S.S. were doubtlessly affiliated as Nazis, and were the personal army of the Nazi party and had to show a bunch of details about their citizenship and lineage to even be considered.
Bit late, but if anyone wants to learn more about Easy Company and Dick Winters, his memoir, Beyond Band of Brothers, as well as Hang Tough, are great. Hang Tough is a particular favourite, which follows his point of view, mainly through letters he wrote back home.
It's worth watching the "We stand alone together" documentary that came as a DVD extra, the story of Easy company paid by the members of Easy. Fantastic stuff, amazing guys!
You definitely need to go watch Ron Livingston’s (Nixon) vlogs about the 10 day training camp the actors had to go through before filming. And some of the reunion videos of the actors and real veterans. Half of Easy Company actors were from the UK like Harry Welsh, Grant, Popeye and Liebgott.
To my Canadian friends, Thanks for ALWAYS looking out for USA and UK... I will like to see what the Canadians also did during D- Day.. as USA Vet 82nd Officer, I always be ready...
Fun fact: in Saving Private Ryan, when they find Ryan in that field after his team takes out the German Amtrak, the fire team leader next to Ryan introduces himself as a member of Easy Company, 501st Regiment (101st Airborne)
I'm a flight attendant and I had the honor of having Shifty and his wife on one of my flights shortly after this series came out. I completely "fan-girled" over him. He was so humble and sweet. Truly the greatest generation.
To paraphrase Winston Churchill, it might take a thousand years for people as fine with a just cause to stand again.
So great that one can fan over something that isn't an actor/singer. Also that's so sweet that he was humble as he seemed
Cool
Thanks for you taking the time to make him welcome...
@@neilgriffiths6427 And here we are, ahead of schedule.
“No. But I served in a company of heroes.” Waterworks every time.
Me too....
Yep...
Yes indeed brother, Yes indeed.
Me as well those last quotes are my favorite ❤️
@@walterdayrit675 idk but i smell it too
I actually had the EXTREME honor of getting to meet Dick Winters before he passed away! Every year the airport near me in Reading, PA has a WWII Weekend. One year he was there, and I got to meet him, shake his hand, and thank him for his service! It was so sureal!
Reading airshow back in the day was a blast , i was with the E/506th living history unit so we always had some of the org troopers in camp, the USO Hanger Dance was always a blast woke up a few times on the flight line lol
When the real Winters says "I served in a company of heroes," it makes me think of the scene when Winters told Nix to tell the parents of the new men who were killed before they could even jump out of their plane that their sons died as heroes, and when Nix asked if he believed that, he said yes "Yes. I do."
Something interesting on the pistol the officer wanted to surrender. In the show, Winters letting the German officer keep his sidearm was meant to be a sign of respect. But in real life he did keep the sidearm, as it was given not just as a surrender, but as a gift. He and his family would later find out that it was a weapon that had *never* been fired. That pistol has still never been fired, and he and his family agreed that it will never be fired. A surrender over a weapon that never has been and never will be used.
The reveal of their names after the last episode sells this show more than anything else. It's, just, truly wonderful.
THAT is what I found so profound! We have heard these names, and we have seen these faces... but to put then together in the last episode. These are not characters - these are real men.
13:45 Just as with a lot of events in the series, this was an actual event and was more or less how it happened, except Speirs hit the guy with a rifle butt and said: "I've killed better men than you." The a-hole replacement was subsequently beaten up more by the MP's before being court-martialed.
15:30 The Germans began the war on September 1, 1939, and Germany surrendered in May, 1945. War might have been long for the Americans, but it was even longer for the Germans.
16:08 The outdoor scenes in this episode were shot in Switzerland. When actor Neal McDonough (Buck Compton), who was then no longer showing up on set because he had no scenes to be shot, heard that they needed to have him there for a week, he said: "Heck, yeah!"
17:25 Spandau Prison inmates like Rudolf Hess hated Speirs for the strict way he ran things when he was in charge.
Trivia: Dick Winters played a large role in making sure Band of Brothers would portray Easy Company - his men - as accurately as possible. When he saw that there would be a lot of swearing (particularly his character - and Dick Winters didn't swear), he gave an ultimatum to Tom Hanks to have his character not swear and to cut back on the swearing in general, or else he and the rest of Easy Company would drop their support for the project. Tom Hanks waffled, and the man who played a leader in war movies eventually gave way to the guy who had experienced the real thing. Perhaps no surprise there, given who Dick Winters was, both as a person and a leader.
Re: the soldier Speirs hit - Sink also is supposed to have said something to the effect of "You should've just shot him and saved us the trouble of a court martial."
Please watch the band of brothers documentary we stand alone together. You’ll love it
I totally agree...
Must watch, absolutely ✌️
Yes absolutely!
Yes!! Please react to the documentary!!!
We Stand Alone Together is a great follow up.
It's also notable, watching the updates on the men's lives after the war at the end, that this series was first aired 20 years ago, so today there is only one member of Easy Company still alive: Edward Shames, who was one of the options that Winters listed as a possible replacement for Lieutenant Dike at Bastogne. Shames is currently 99 years old.
The end of an era
actually, Shames just passed away. They are now all back together.
@@marketsquareus like the band of brothers they are
“And this story will the good man teach his son. And Crispin and Crispinian shall ne’re go by, from now to the ending of the world, but that we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we Band of Brothers.”
As of last month (December of 2021) there was still one surviving member, Bradford Freeman. He was a Private, Shames was the last surviving officer.
You gotta watch the "We Stand Together" documentary, starring all real soldiers again.
Also, I see that you were emotionally exhausted at the moment this episode started. The last episode was brutal and this one is very emotional too, but in a different way.
I've watched like 10 channels reacting to this series, but I "clicked" with you two the most. You both showed that you have beautiful hearts.
Greetings from Madrid
Winters was such a good person, people would call him and he would answer their questions and speak with them on the phone for hours on end, including myself when I wrote a report in school ages ago. May Easy forever be cherished as the heroes they were.
Next you guys need to watch The Pacific! It’s by the same guys as Band of Brothers, but it’s about the pacific theater! Super good!
Another good one also produced by Tom Hanks (et al) is ‘From the Earth to the Moon’
@@alanholck7995 Yeah, excellent
As I frequently warn reactors, The Pacific isn't the light-hearted romp through WWII that Band of Brothers was.
@@steriopticon2687 I do the same thing. The Pacific has moments of levity, but the soul crushing stuff hits a lot harder.
@@steriopticon2687 Yes - it was a different king of war. Generally a frontal attack by one side against the other, until one side or the other ran out of men to feed to the meat-grinder.
Richard "Dick" Winters died about 10 years ago at the age of 92. In 2002, he made an acceptance speech during Emmy Awards. While he doing his speech, camera in another building, nearby hotel showing his men who were still living back then watching event. Every entertainment people did standing ovation for him and his men.
I remember the day he died. I was a teacher then, and I'd had a very bad day. When I got home and saw the news, it was immediately worse than what I'd been through, and I cried like a baby for about 30 minutes.
The shooting of Charles E Grant was a real occurrence and happened on the 27 of may 1945. It was a bit different then displayed on the show however and I think it’s an important part to learn about the show and about history.
Private Floyd W. Carver and another Private Dewey Houge soldier had spent all afternoon and night drinking before deciding to head to the town of Saalfelden for more drinks and fun.
During their trip their vehicle ran out of gas and the two men waved down a passing German couple, one of which who was a German army captain on his way home from the Soviet front after his surrender.
Carver saw that the captain had a pistol on him as he was a captain and was allowed to keep his sidearm and demanded that he hand it over. when the captain refused an altercation broke out however Houge the second man with Carver broke it up and told the car to drive on.
Once it did carver fired rounds from his pistol into the back of the car causing it to swerve into a ditch, from there Carver walked over to the car and executed the Captain.
Houge fled the scene in fear of Carver to report it In the local town and to call for an ambulance.
It’s then reported that Carver shot possibly at some passing Soviet soldiers and before long the search for Carver was a foot
Soon later carver was discovered hiding outside a barn by two British soldiers , major Martin R.G Watkin and Warrant officer Dodd. The two men didn’t know who Carver was.
Carver convinced the two to help him with a vehicle and the men obliged yet at the same time a US army truck carrying Sgt Chuck Grant and one other man who we see in the show drives past and asks if the men need any help.
The British major exclaims they don’t and as Grants truck pulls off carver fires two rounds into the back of the truck.
It is then when Grant exits his vehicle and demands to know why Carver shot at his vehicle and requests his sidearm, Grant is then shot in the head as we see in the show.
However then carver turned to the British soldiers who were now fleeing and shoots Major Watkin killing him.
Carver is then captured and the rest in the show is pretty historical. A side note is that Lt speirs later said the only reason he had not shot Carver was because he was unsure if they had the right man apprehended. Carver was sentenced to life in prison and died in 1987.
Grant would make a recovery yet would always be troubled by his injury up till his death in 1984, he had a wife and kids.
I think it is good for us to remember the names of those killed aswell as they had survived the war and yet were unjustly killed.
Lest we forget Major Watkin of the British intelligence corps and Captain Altacher of the German Gebirgsjäger.
The Pacific is a must watch as a follow up. The soldiers who fought there deserve to have their stories told as well.
I second this. The pacific is a lot like Band of Brothers. Band of brothers was like the brotherhood in war. The pacific is how war changes soldiers. It’s more gruesome.
@@SpartansAndHeroes The dehumanization of war.
Agree 100 percent
Marines*.
The Japanese were arguably far more brutal than the Nazis were.
"Were you a hero in the war"?
"No, I served with a company of heros."
DESTROYS ME EVERY TIME!!!
I recommend The Pacific and Generation Kill aswell. They, together with BoB, are like the holy trinity of high budget, realistic, war miniseries by HBO.
I actually went to the Eagles Nest when I was in Germany a few years ago and had lunch out in the courtyard. It's an absolutely stunning view. You also take a golden elevator from a tunnel under the mountain up to the actual building itself.
The Germans sure did make the mold of a comic book villain.
I got to do an R&R at the old Patton Hotel.
Toured the bunkers underneath but the Eagles Nest was fogged in and closed when I was there
I had the pleasure of meeting Donald Malarkey twice. I will cherish those memories forever. What a phenomenal human.
The surgeon initially refused to operate on Grant. He was sure Grant would die no matter what. The surgeon was then told he’d be shot if he didn’t operate. He did the surgery. Grant survived. The surgeon was then honored at a banquet as a thank you. He was assured after the fact that he would indeed have been killed had he refused to operate.
Also Generation Kill. Also HBO, also fantastic but set in Iraq based on an embedded reporters memoire. Gives a good comparison to how war has changed.
Where’d you find this story?
Link to Don Malarkey recounting the events is here. His giggle at the end is awesome. 😁 ua-cam.com/video/3xnaWS_XDds/v-deo.html
Late to the party, but I'll piggyback on this. Sgt. Grant lived a mostly normal life. He occasionally had difficulty speaking and had partial paralysis in his left arm, but was otherwise okay. He owned and operated a little tobacco shop in San Francisco and died in 1986.
Reminds me of the scene from A Bridge Too Far where James Caan's character threatens to shoot a doctor if he didn't operate on his captain. The doc did and the captain lived. Slightly adapted from what really happened but broad strokes are true.
So glad you guys enjoyed this and showing the emotion this masterpiece evokes.
The bitter sweet ending makes me happy we get to see the real guys recorded, but sad that this was 20 yrs ago and nearly all of them have now left us. But never forgotten.
Two interesting things from this episode: when Speirs looked like he was going to shoot the drunk replacement who shot Sergeant Grant, even after all they had been through, some of the men were turning away because they couldn't look at it, and at the end when Major Winters tells them the war is over, there's no excited cheering or whooping or celebration. They just take it in quietly for a minute and go back to their game.
Such an amazing series. The job they did was top notch. The Pacific is great, but nothing like this one. I hope it will be watched soon. Chernobyl is really good too!
I've really enjoyed rerererewatching this with you guys.
It's hard not to feel a connection to these men at the end of this series.... They truly were all heroes....
Great ending to a great series. Just a little caution about the Pacific. It's a little darker than BOB imo, deals more with the psychological impact on soldiers. Also its was a different kind of war not just a clash of political views but a clash of very different cultures. Case in point the Japanese thought there was no greater honor than to die for the Emperor. So in many battles they would frequently fight to almost the last man.
Now that you're done with the series you should watch the Band of Brothers Podcast that HBO launched a couple of weeks ago; it features interviews with the main actors on the show and provides a lot of fascinating behind the scenes info.
The first episode is with Ron Livingston (Capt. Nixon):
ua-cam.com/video/yFJn3qRdOew/v-deo.html
Wow...this is the earliest I have ever been...it says I am here less than 10 minutes after posting. Howdy! 😜💯✌
Loved watching you guys watch this. Great reactions. My dad was in the European theater (28th Infantry), so naturally this (and most things WWII) are of special interest to me.
The Keystone Division.
@@JayM409 Yup, the bloody bucket.
Soooo, The Pacific is definitely a channel requirement after this 🔥🤣
you should really watch "We stand alone together" you get to meet all the heros
The Austrian scenes were actually filmed in Switzerland. The large red building is a hotel right next to the Reichenbach Falls, where Moriaty and Sherlock fought their battle. My first ever trip abroad was to Hitlers Eagles Nest and Zell Am See, which is where the war ended for Easy. They are only 10s of miles apart. Well worth a visit if you ever get a chance.
The majority of the show was filmed in Hertfordshire, 45 minutes drive from my home town in Essex. They built each town, shot the scenes and then ripped them down and built the next. The woods of Bastogne were actually filmed in a large warehouse. I visited Bastogne and Foy also. There are still fox holes in the woods, splintered trees and even the bullet marks around the window Shifty killed the sniper in.
What a show. What a group of heroes. What a story.
You guys are great......honest, heartfelt, and honest reactions. You both seem like genuinely good, empathetic people......make sure you watch The Pacific as well, it's different, but also excellent.
Herbert Solbel lived a miserable life of solitude and alcoholism after the war. At one point he tried to kill himself, but he survived the attempt, but it left him blind. He died in a assisted living facility, due to starvation.
Uncle Wally, was a navy man during WWII, and he did see combat, and was decorated... He never talked about it... I always knew him as a potash miner... became a manager of a potash mine b4 retiring... apparently, he wasn't a very good father... my cousin, Bill does not like to talk about it... Wally did slowly drink himself to death... only because he always refused to eat.... being a burley strong man, did live until he was 78 years old tho, but because of his health choices was confined to a wheel chair his final five years.... Only the people that were there during WWII, know what horrors they had personally seen....
You have one more. Episode 11 'We Stand Alone Together '. all the interviews you've seen snippets of. It ties it all together nicely.
The general interviewing Maj. Winters was Lt. Gen. Chapman, the commander of the 13th Airborne Division. The line I like most was when he says, "The bastards took your company away." The general commanded a company in WWI so he knew what it was like.
Well done you two. Thanks for sharing. It is always heart-warming to see people learn a bit about WWII.
Definitely watch the Pacific!!! A wonderful view of that theater of the war!
I watch this series 3 days a year: memorial day, independence day, and veterans day. Never gets old
It still gets me, the reveal at the end, showing each of the characters we've grown to care for and respect.
You have another subscriber because of your sincerity, appreciation not only for quality filmmaking but the wonderful way in which you brought heartfelt reactions to those who gave so much. Thank you Simone & George for a really good channel
It’s true, I watch every reaction in anticipation of Winters’ quote at the end.
I have to disagree he WAS a hero in the war. But I agree with who he served with.
A company of heroes.
_A company of heroes._
Yes, they can be considered heroes but please remember that a lot shown in Band of Brothers is not historically accurate. For instance, the camp Easy company is shown liberating in episode 9 is Kaufering IV which in reality was found and liberated by the 12th Armored Division on April 27, 1945 with Easy company actually arriving on April 28 and in episode 10, Easy company is shown liberating Berchtesgaden and the Obersalzberg which in reality were liberated by the 3rd Infantry Division on May 4, 1945 with Easy company again arriving the following day.
@@iammanofnature235 that’s irritating when they take liberties like that.
Credit should be given, where it’s due.
I learned that Blythe didn’t actually die in 1948, but lived much longer and even served in Korea.
There’s no reason to leave out details like that.
Hope you'll do the Pacific next, it's amazing too, i love them both, but the Pacific just a little bit more.
generation kill reaction now, please
as someone said before (and I fully agree),
band of brothers- the bond of war
the pacific- the horror of war
generation kill- the futility of war
each of these series is outstanding
You cut out the gendarmerie German at the cross roads, i love that scene.
Not noticed was that there was only one name in the drawing. They fixed it for Shifty.
As of June, 2020... Edward Shames is the last surviving member of Easy Company.
Huge respect and salute to the men of that generation who fought for all of us.
Shames died in the summer of 2021.
The Eagle's Nest is now a museum and historical center teaching the utter folly of fascism and Hitler's insanity. I went there while pursuing my PhD (which is in history). The view is spectacular, and its got a really amazing restaurant.
Congrats on making it to the end! It’s a tough watch, but so worth it, and the ending is one of the best endings of a show/movie ever. Highly recommend watching We Stand Alone Together, the documentary with extended interviews on UA-cam.
Up next, The Pacific. It’s wild ride, buckle up. Technical note, there’s a lot of scenes in the jungle at night, so very dimly lit. Maybe increase brightness settings accordingly or really turn down background light.
Interesting bit of trivial Buck Compton and the actor who portrayed him, Neal McDonough both played baseball for UCLA.
Both catchers, too.
I saw a magazine article years ago with a picture of McDonough playing catch with Buck at Compton’s house. So very cool.
@@va3svd Thanks, that a bit of trivia I did not know.
I'm not crying! You're not crying! No one is crying!!! 😭😭😭😭😭 ❤❤❤❤
Winters actually accepted the gun from the general.
And to this day that gun has Never been fired.
Its worth mentioning that the scenes set in austria were filmed in switzerland
When the Army was still 20 years in '65 France, I lived there, and as a Boy Scout, camped in Normandy, where Easy Company were 20 years back.
After this you should do the documentary " we stand alone, together " amazing show with all the real men
I keep coming back to this series. I feel like a better person just for having watched it. It’s that good.
Some others background in the series. Sobel had hard times after the war, with his marriage and with his mental stability. His attitude and personality kept apart his family and wife (even though he was a good father), he tried to kill himself but was blinded, and spent the last 2 decades tragically in a VA home where he died of malnutrition and neglect. Lipton, the after-war glass manufacturer, did well in life but tragically died soon after you see him interviewed for the tv series in 2001. Guamere and Toye who both had their legs damaged during the artillery strikes both had long and happy lives with family after the war, and died within a year of each other in 2014-2015. Gordon who was injured during the war used to organize the EZ company reunions afterwards. McGrath, one of the background soldiers that wasn't really focused on, partook in the battles with EZ and never took a hit and fought in all their battles. A silent hero.
You should watch "The Pacific" its made by the same people, it takes place in the pacific theatre.
That beautiful hotel in "Austria" was actually in Switzerland. It is called the Grandhotel Giessbach. The actual hotel they stayed at was The Grand Hotel, Zell Am See, Austria
Time for The Pacific.-to see how different that Theatre of Operations was. And make sure to watch We Stand Alone Together .
My grandfather's unit came through Berchtesgaden right behind Easy Company, not long after - he was with the 3rd Infantry Division. They were camped in town around when the war ended and had lots of free time to tour the area. I have photographs my grandfather sent back that he took around that time period, including one of the burned out and destroyed local SS Headquarters building, one of Hitler's house, and one or two of the beautiful and towering Alps that overlooked the area. It must be a really gorgeous place to visit in person.
This is the only series that I considered life changing.
Grampa we’re you a hero in the war?
No…but I served in the company of heroes.
Gets me EVERY SINGLE TIME.
Thanks to these GIs and our Allies of all nations. The GREATEST GENERATION.
I did a quick scan but didn't see it so I'll post it. In the hotel when they start splitting up the silverware, what Winters took has become the Winters family silverware set to this day. Now that's a souvenir.
Like others have probably recommended already, you should react to the Band of Brothers documentary, We Stand Alone Together, which is where all the talking heads interviews in the show come from. It's a must watch after completing the show, and you get to see a lot more of the real-life people.
You have to keep going with the PACIFIC. Its different, but just as impactful. I actually am slightly more fond of The Pacific, not sure why.
For me it's because it follows a smaller cast. You get closer to each person. It's also less pro patria mori compared to BoB
I don't think the Pacific is as such a great cast and training quality as Band of Brothers, but it is excellent.
@@rg20322 Eugene sledge in the pacific wrote a book about his experience and most of the episodes he’s in is taken straight out of his book to a pulp. If you read his book and then watch the pacific I can assure you gonna fall in love à second time with the series.
"He looks like a grouchier Bill Nighy." lol
One of my grandfathers served in the Army in Europe. In civilian life he was an insurance adjuster, so the Army made him a war crimes investigator. Mom said that for the rest of his life he refused to talk about his experiences but he came back different.
My stepfather served in combat in the Navy on a tiny ship called a subchaser, first escorting convoys in the Atlantic to protect them from German submarines, then once things had settled down in the Atlantic, in the Western Pacific - they spent a lot of time as a radar picket ship, positioned where they would spot incoming kamikaze attacks and radio a warning to the rest of the fleet. He had an endless supply of funny stories about his time in the war. But when I was about to leave for boot camp I asked him what one thing stood out the most to him about that time; he was quiet for a few seconds, then said, "Dead friends." When the war ended he was still only 22. He was a gentle person, my hero and role model and one of my best friends until the day he died at age 80.
I watched this series when it came out, Im so glad people are still watching it !
Bit of trivia: In an interview, Scott Grimes, who played Donald Malarkey in the series, stated that he had been away from the shoot in the days preceding the baseball scene and had become delayed in his return due to transportation issues which is why we do not see him in that scene.
Now onto "The Pacific"... another 10 part about US Marines in the Pacific Theater
Definitely watch the documentary and bring your tissues!
thanks 4 watching
It seems there's only one member of Easy Company left alive now. I just watched Mark Feldman's Channel of "The Last WW2 Veterans - Only Living Survivors of Famous Units & Actions", and he mentioned that Bradford Freeman was Easy's only living veteran now. I don't think he figured much in the TV Show, but according to Feldman he was a good friend of Dick Winters both during and after the war. The video was posted on 9th June, 2022.
"WE Stand Alone Together", meet the men. A follow up for this series. A MUST watch.
Hi, I'm glad that you two were able to learn of their saga. As of a few years ago, they are all gone now. I hope you two will continue to spread their story to others.
There is also an HBO documentary with more interviews with the men of Easy company with actual period footage from the war called "We Stand Alone Together" if you are interested in more stories from these exceptional soldiers.
The translator soldier that died in the Jeep accident was played by a young Tom Hardy.
Great reaction...thank you for sharing your experience with us
I've watched Band of Brothers in it's entirety probably 8 or 9 times. It gets me every single time and, obviously, never gets old. Brilliant.
And I assume, like me, that doesn't count the many, many different UA-camr reactions.
@@cardiac19 Lol, definitely. I had watched it 8 or 9 times on DVD before people started reacting to videos on UA-cam. I've probably watched different reactors react to the whole thing 3 or 4 times. I obviously cannot get enough of BoB
That last part chokes me up every time. All major characters in this series have passed (though there are still members of Easy alive). This is why we call them the Greatest Generation.
There is also a RTS game called "Company of Heroes" that follows Easy Company through World War II which l played before seeing this brilliant mini series, l knew from the game the events were real but to see some of the people that actually took part in those events was awe inspiring. These men were all true gentlemen as well and perfect examples of a time gone when you didn't make a noise about what you had done but just took pride in yourself that you had done it.
The whole series was shot in the UK apart from the scenes in Austria that were filmed in the actual location. Bastogne though for example was a forest crested in a warehouse in the UK just for the series
Can I recommend “The Pacific”? It’s produced and created by the same people who made band of brothers. However it’s a series about the marines in the pacific theater of war
Austria is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. I did a Tour in Germany while in the army.
The places in the beginning are actually in Switzerland not Austria. They filmed these scenes in Bern mostly along the lake „Brienzersee“.
I know this is an older video and idk if you’ll see this but they made another show called “the pacific” and it’s just as good as band of brothers. I highly recommend it
My god this really does still stand as the best mini series of all time. Unbelievable.
You guys should watch the documentary as well. You'll see many of the other soldiers that weren't revealed at the end.
I just watched all ten in two days. First time seeing it in a long time. That was fun, watching it with Simone and George.
Hitler had been entrenched in Berlin which was under siege by the Russian army. By that point he was essentially running the war out of a bunker and was apparently frustrated with his command staff and remaining Generals for not pushing the invaders back and not coming to his aid. The German forces were exhausted by this point. Within Berlin they actually resorted to suiting up children in uniforms and sending them out with guns to fight. The war was more or less over and out of fear for the reprisals the Russians would take against him (The German army had been exceedingly brutal and cruel in the East) Hitler committed suicide. He toon a cyanide capsule and then shot himself before his body was taken outside and doused in gasoline before being burned.
Despite this, and despite the news of his demise the German army did not surrender immediately. Hitler was for all intents and purposes the Chancelor of the Nazi party, but the party did not die with him. As the writing on the wall became apparent for everyone however the German army itself did begin to concede and surrender to the allied forces en masse, but the time between Hitler's death and the official end of the war in Europe took some time.
It is also important to distinguish as many historic accounts often neglect to mention that the Nazis, were a political party, not the military. The state was a militant state, but you could be unaffiliated with the Nazi party and still serve in the military forces. The exception to this being that in the early years of the war, those who were counted among the S.S. were doubtlessly affiliated as Nazis, and were the personal army of the Nazi party and had to show a bunch of details about their citizenship and lineage to even be considered.
I hope you guys watch the documentary extra footage for this. :) And The Pacific.
Bit late, but if anyone wants to learn more about Easy Company and Dick Winters, his memoir, Beyond Band of Brothers, as well as Hang Tough, are great. Hang Tough is a particular favourite, which follows his point of view, mainly through letters he wrote back home.
Please do watch The Pacific after this. It's made by the same people and gives you a sample of what life in the Pacific theater was like.
yes it actually happened. The guy actually killed a British Officer too.
It's worth watching the "We stand alone together" documentary that came as a DVD extra, the story of Easy company paid by the members of Easy.
Fantastic stuff, amazing guys!
4:50 The Sound of Music was also shot in Berchtesgaden...
You definitely need to go watch Ron Livingston’s (Nixon) vlogs about the 10 day training camp the actors had to go through before filming. And some of the reunion videos of the actors and real veterans. Half of Easy Company actors were from the UK like Harry Welsh, Grant, Popeye and Liebgott.
To my Canadian friends, Thanks for ALWAYS looking out for USA and UK... I will like to see what the Canadians also did during D- Day.. as USA Vet 82nd Officer, I always be ready...
Fun fact: in Saving Private Ryan, when they find Ryan in that field after his team takes out the German Amtrak, the fire team leader next to Ryan introduces himself as a member of Easy Company, 501st Regiment (101st Airborne)