Band of Brothers | E07 The Breaking Point - REACTION!

[@TheNightmareFish]

I wrote to StSgt. William Guarnere when I was a kid and he wrote me back. He said Joe Toye was the toughest SOB he's ever known, and that he died of cancer in 1995. He also said that Winters and Speirs were the two best leaders a soldier could ask for. This is one of my favorite episodes of the series. Great video!

[@olly91uk]

So great to hear this, thanks for sharing it. I too wrote Sgt Guarnere when I was a kid, and he too wrote me back. Such a humble and honest man, who gave his time and advice to so many. I have kept the letter and singed photograph he sent me for over 17 years now. I agree as well, this is a standout episode.

[@Jack251190]

wow, that is something so much more meaningful than some celebrity. These men put their lives on the line for us.

[@dezinguy]

@@Jack251190 These soldiers should be the celebrities of the world! I agree.

[@cr9477]

Do you have the letter? Perhaps you can post a picture, it would be very cool

[@TheNightmareFish]

@@cr9477 It would be at my parents place. I'll look for it the next time i'm there and post back here.

[@jimirayo]

Everything you just saw Speirs do actually happened.

[@TheAmpharosFreak]

Mercb3ast um they didn’t hate blithe. They lost contact with him after the war. Don’t spread misinformation. Ambrose did a shitty job at references.

[@TheAmpharosFreak]

Mercb3ast also they didn’t hate sobel they credited him with making easy company who they were. Go read dick winters memoir.

[@danbennett472]

Dike got 2 bronze stars in holland. His Actions in the bulge were due to his shoulder injury

[@cindypats7693]

yeah, and I heard that when he encountered german soldiers he threw a grenade and kill a hundred and when it exploded it killed the other twenty...

[@CliffJumpingProd]

well is there anything in this show that didnt happen? it's literally written by the men who were there xD if you send thousands of people to kill each other, the men who survives will have some crazy stories, you dont need hollywood to add anything.. things that are inaccurate are small practical things like taking helmets off too often, so its easier to see faces, things like that.. everything in this show happened.

[@zombiTrout]

Donnie Wahlberg killed it in this episode.

[@alexlim864]

Fun fact: Joe Toye was the guy who DIDN'T get blown up by two grenades during the Brecourt Manor attack (Episode 2).

[@SSIronHeart]

That was one of my favorite lines... "...... fn twice"

[@BlueDebut]

Ironically he was also the guy who didn't get blown up by artillery twice. Things repeated for that man

[@ven_skywalker7007]

“What’s a guy gotta do to get killed around here?!” -Joe Toye 1945

[@arnoldriendeau3072]

Interesting story about the real Buck Compton, but the actor who portrayed him in the series lived on the same street as Buck Compton

[@Camuska]

I know a lot about the show and didnt knew that ! Very nice to know

[@mattnar3865]

I think Band of Brothers is probably Neil Mcdonagh's best role.

[@charlesedwards2856]

Do you mean like he grew up on the same street Compton grew up on in Massachusetts, or like legit at the same time they lived a few doors down from each other?

[@kaziu312]

Whoa! The real life Buck Compton went on to be a lawyer and prosecuted the guy that shot RFK!

[@AceOfTestPilots]

Dick Winters writes in his book “Beyond Band of Brothers,” that right when a soldier breaks, he takes his helmet off and drops it... just what Buck Compton does in this episode. Hence the episode title.

[@robbypollitt465]

I believe he also mentions them running their hand through their hair

[@mattnar3865]

@@BringDHouseDown I imagine that it's more like a soldier abandoning his protection, something that has been drilled into him to wear at all times, because he's just finally done with it at all, he can't handle it and doesn't give a damn if he lives or dies. That's just how my depressed ass mind sees it, we need someone who actually knows what it's about to explain it.

[@BipoIarbear]

It's an Alarm bell, u ever had someone surprise u behind a door? That's adrenaline and it's not like normal , it incapacitates u and it's like slow motion...its hard to explain it in a way but it's an alien thing and it's like every nerve in your head just fired at once , u gotta stroke hair...that's just the physical stuff too, a billion things run through your head and u can lose 20 min , bad explanation sorry

[@ven_skywalker7007]

Those aren’t grenades around Speirs’ neck but his massive balls 11:56 rare footage of a tiger tank running away from Speirs Also I’m noticing Kat is handling dismemberment a lot better now lol

[@Gopniksquat]

Okay the Tiger running away from him comment got me 😂

[@deuces_shoeless]

Dude he was a video game character

[@robbypollitt465]

Shifty powers during the bastonge siege once noticed a tree in a new spot and told his commander turned out it was the germans camaflouging their artillery

[@bolobalaman]

The boys got an eye of an eagle

[@DorkKnight99]

That moment when you realize Speirs is Captain America.

[@MWSin1]

Not only did Spiers run through Foy, he did it pushing the wheelbarrow he used to carry his balls around.

[@AlasdairGR]

Buck always tears me to shreds emotionally when I rewatch this series.

[@vitovirgilio8975]

The crazy thing that your can’t tell from the show because the actors are so much older but when they first went to the war, Winters was only 26 years old and Buck Compton was only 23.

[@kunarmakun793]

well, to be honest! they are fighting a german army with teenage, young adults, adults, middle aged, and even seniors in the line ... so whats your point? hahahahaha nobody wants war, ever! but unfortunately! USA keeps on having WARS since ww2 up until now!

[@vitovirgilio8975]

kun armakun my point wasn’t that anyone wants war. My point was simply the the real mean those characters were based off of were about 10 years younger then the actors who portrayed them and when you think about that, the fact that they were both such incredible leaders at such a young age is pretty impressive.

[@nobody9126]

People aged differently back than even a older looking person was young in age

[@charlesedwards2856]

Vito Virgilio you’re partly right. Damien Lewis was only about 3-4 years older than Winters was. The biggest differences were McDonough and Cudlitz, who was the old man of the group at about 35 when they filmed the series. McDonough you were spot on with, he was ten years older.

[@babyguilhem9338]

@@charlesedwards2856 bill Guarnere was like 21 years old in 1942 and the actor is like 40 lol

[@deanhibler3117]

The selection of Speirs was incidental; Winters later stated that Speirs was simply the first officer he saw when he turned around. "The stories about him are true. When I first heard, I was speechless. What he did was unbelievable, inexcusable. If you talk to somebody in today’s Army, they would say, well, how come he wasn’t court-martialed? Well, you needed every man you had. Those guys that goofed up, didn’t measure up, you couldn’t just get rid of them. You needed the body, because if you lose that body, then somebody else has to shoulder twice the burden. You needed every body you could get. At Foy, he was the first officer I saw when I turned around. It could have been anybody, but it was Speirs. I didn’t ask, ‘OK, would you mind taking over?’ No, I just turned around, saw him and said take over. It was just a roll of the dice that he was standing there when I needed someone." _ Dick Winters

[@Indrid-Cold]

Like you said, the stories about Speirs are true. As a leader myself, in the intelligence community, when the sh!t hits the fan, he’s exactly the kind of guy you need. Moreover, you can’t forget that these were NAZIS, and this was a WORLD war that would decide the future of, well, the entire WORLD. All is fair in war. I don’t blame him one bit for any of his exploits, even those that might have gotten him court-martialed today. It was a very different war, and you needed fearless, decisive, badasses to win it. People who could turn off their empathy, become war machines, and get things done. Especially when you’re going up against a bunch of German soldiers, 90% of whom were hopped up on methamphetamines (true story.) You have to remember, psychologically, this was the last war in American history, wherein US soldiers had to fight other Caucasian men who, other than language and uniform, looked just like them. You had far more instances of deadly hesitation to shoot to kill on the part of US soldiers when they could see the enemy. The war was won by men like Speirs.

[@jrich749]

@adam loring Yes because torture if scientifically proven, in EVERY test case, to be the least effective way of getting accurate information......ever. Wanna know the best way of getting information from a captive? If you think water boarding produced accurate intelligence you need to watch The Report (2019 film).

[@DJ118USMC]

​@@Indrid-Cold Not all German troops were Nazis. I think that is something people forget. Regardless a warcrime is a warcrime and I think we should think twice before admiring an individual who most likely killed German POW's.

[@deanhibler3117]

@@DJ118USMC By today's standards, yes. By what was happening during WW2, no. Winters certainly didn't care about it enough to stop him from placing Spiers in the position. There were other things done later on by men in Easy Company like looting that he also stated that he had no problem with. As the saying goes, War is Hell.

[@helmedon]

@@Indrid-Cold not to mention Spiers could've been directed to "take care of" the prisoners. Seeing that they were behind enemy lines, surrounded actually, they had nowhere to take the prisoners and no manpower available to guard them. It was tactically unsound to take prisoners.

[@TheAes86]

"That last one, was a tough one.' episode 7, "Hold my beer."

[@kristopherheenk2710]

Episode 9, "All Y'all Can Hold MY Beer"

[@charlesedwards2856]

Kristopher Heenk oh no, episode 9 comes in like fuckin’ Leroy Jenkins!

[@mithroch]

Wells is the one that said "this is a game." Spiers was the one that talked about accepting that you are already dead.

[@scottjones9310]

Ronald Speirs - "We're all scared. You hid in that ditch because you think there's still hope. But Blithe, the only hope you have is to accept the fact that you're already dead. And the sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to function as a soldier's supposed to function."

[@j3RicK24]

I'd like to place a report on KZbin.... everytime I watch an episode and/or reaction of Band of Brothers there seems to be an onion ninja in my house.... I've never found the culprit but it makes me tear up every.... damn....time.... On the other hand, we're almost there you two, thank you for keeping up with this show.... it's only gonna get harder from here but it goes to show how great the "writing" and execution of this series is.... they make you FEEL everything.

[@SuperThompson63]

Just a little note here, the song sung by the choir in the church is "Plaisir d'amour". A very beautiful song, with sad and moving lyrics, especially in this context, as a French (i guess like all Francophones who watched Band of Brothers) it always gets me. Greetings from France, and thank you for your reactions to this fantastic series that Band of Brothers is §

[@gravitypronepart2201]

Whenever I hear that song the tune reminds me of an old Elvis Presely song intitled "I Cant Help falling in Love With You". P.S . Just googled it. The melody of Cant Help Falling in Love was borrowed from "Plaisir D A'mor" . How about that. I have often wondered about it..

[@charlesedwards2856]

I never knew the name of the song, but it is absolutely beautiful. I’ll have to see if I can download it somewhere.

[@Farbar1955]

You can go to Foy and stand in the same spot at the corner of the building where Shifty Powers took down the sniper. The distance is further in real life than what the episode implied. It was an amazing shot but as Shifty said, his dad was way better than him.

[@gravitypronepart2201]

I saw a video that showed the sniper tower from Shifty's position. It seemed to me to be around 400 yards, and Shifty shot him with open sights. (No scope) with his standard M1 Garand service rifle. It was an impressive shot.

[@nickmitsialis]

@@gravitypronepart2201 Well, Easy has said 'It didn't pay to shoot at Shifty Powers'.

[@juvandy]

As a Virginia country boy myself, Shifty is my hero

[@davidwoolbright2416]

I really was affected when Muck and Penkala were killed. Skip Muck was my favorite besides Luz and he was well liked among all the men. It hit really hard.

[@charlesedwards2856]

Their reaction to it was exactly what you’d expect. I was watching the scene and saw both of their faces go wide-eyed in shock. It affects me more the more often I see it. I used to get Muck and Cobb mixed up when I first started watching the series many years ago, but the more I see the Muck scenes in earlier episodes and even this one, it hurts to know what happens and to see it play out every time.

[@agchee]

I cried hard the first time I saw this episode, and it was while I was active duty Navy. You have to remind yourself that the show's characters were real and those things really happened to them. It's crushing and I can't express enough much I appreciate and respect them.

[@gawainethefirst]

Thank you for your service.

[@D25Bev]

I first saw BoB in a school history lesson. An episode coming up soon. I then watched the whole show after that & since then I've watched it every couple weeks before Christmas for the last 12yrs. Sort of a tradition now. I don't think any other show has had an impact on me as much as BoB. Probably a big reason why I went into film & tv production.

[@mattj2081]

The episode they showed in the class was episode 9, wasn't it?

[@charlesedwards2856]

Matt J that’s the episode every history teacher shows...trust me, I’m one of them. If I had my way I would show the entire series, but schools don’t like kids just watching videos and we have to get to pretty recent history by the end of the year, so...

[@mattj2081]

@@charlesedwards2856 Yeah, that makes sense. And if you're gonna show any episode to illustrate the horrors of what happened, episode 9 is the way to go. This episode (7) is good for teaching about leadership skills and qualities.

[@brovold72]

@@mattj2081 IMHO 'Why We Fight' is extra effective because of the emotional bond the viewer has made with the main characters by that point -- so you're feeling *their* horror and outrage, amplifying your own emotional responses to the scenes.

[@miguelgarr576]

Speirs was who talked with Blithe about fear! Regards from Argentina!

[@GodOfWar221]

The one thing, that they portrayed wrong about Lt.Dike...is that he certainly wasn't a coward. If you look up his service record, it's seen as him being awarded both the Purple Heart, and I believe either the Silver Star or Bronze Star with Valor. During Market Garden, an event took place that wasn't portrayed in the series..where Lt.Dick at great risk to himself, and under heavy fire...pulled two wounded Easy Company men into cover. Now, if you ask me for proof...I can't provide that, I don't really remember where I heard the story. I believe it was from the History Buffs channel on the Band of Brothers mini-series.

[@genghisgalahad8465]

Where can we find this actual military history on Dyke?

[@MastaChiefa99]

He got a purple heart, two bronze stars, and was nominated for the Medal of Honor (though obviously didn't get it). He was a good soldier, just a bad leader.

[@grimalkin8082]

Not only that, I read the reason he 'froze up' during this was because he was going into shock after taking multiple bullets to the chest and abdomen. He was just wearing so many layers to stay warm that no one knew about it.

[@BCvictoria]

The way they showed guys disappearing at the end is tough. When you see one of them go down from a quick gunshot or blown up, and the scene switches, it's hard to put a face to that. Once they do it really hits home. It gives us as an audience even the slightest idea of what it was Like for these soldiers. One minute your friend is there, the next they aren't. 😔

[@havok6280]

Bull is an enlisted man. They needed an officer to run Easy Company. A battlefield commission was possible (as we saw in the end) but it's important to have good NCOs (noncommissioned officers), too.

[@robbypollitt465]

That and battlefield commissions are supposed to make you move to a different company it just takes time for the proper papers to be filed

[@BipoIarbear]

The corporal and the sgts run the army , the officers admistrated, although was a bit different

[@mikeh77]

Loved your Dad, he was so knowledgable, was kind of hoping youd have him on for the rest of the episodes.

[@KatSonny]

He'll be back again, eventually 😉

[@GHound420]

I love how genuine your reactions are. Episode 9 is going to be a real tear jerker and nobody will think anything less of you for it. That episode is one of the only things I’ve cried at whether it be movies, TV or books.

[@shootem5568]

Almost looks like she's a floating head at the beginning

[@Yoda98292]

She kinda looks like a floating head for most of it

[@KatSonny]

NTS: don't wear black for BoB 😅

[@kumararup188]

I watched the series at one go when it came out and went straight to their official FB page and wrote a whole paragraph appreciating Cpt. Winters and his company. I was fortunate that I actually got reply from Captain Winters's family members. 😔 Rest in Peace brave souls. 🙏🏽

[@waterbeauty85]

People already mentioned it in "Day of Days," but General Maxwell Taylor, commander of the 101st Airborne instructed his paratroopers to take no prisoners during the Normandy Invasion, and members of the 82nd Airborne recall being told to that prisoners would slow them down and that any delays in achieving their objectives would cost more allied lives to be lost and endanger the success of the invasion. It came down to "Could you live with letting your brothers in arms die and letting your/their mission fail, or could you live with doing something abhorrent to prevent those deaths and avert that failure?"

[@brovold72]

They showed a little of that in 'Saving Private Ryan' but it was a more matter-of-fact in that depiction.

[@macmcleod1188]

@@brovold72 Saving Private Ryan was more about troops killing conscripts who they thought were German soldiers when they had just taken so many losses. It was pretty much a war crime as well. And it was a hot blooded act of Revenge rather than something cold and calculated.

[@j.b8728]

Thanks for doing this. I am ex-Army, during the Gulf War crisis, not the same significance as WWII. I thoroughly enjoyed your father and his command of WWII history. God bless your dad and the men and women who served. Again, thanks for the opportunity.

[@fredbar4250]

there is a story about bill on his way back to the states the plane he was in had engine trouble and even with his leg gone he crawled to the door and he found a parachute the staff on board told him he should get back in his stracher and he told them he was a paratrooper and was going to jump if the plane went down. what a tough man! truly part of the greatest generation.

[@ChrisParadise-wv5iz]

People can say what they want about Spiers but being in Afghan myself, he is the exact type of man you want leading you. There was method to his madness. LEGEND.

[@wadeyearsago]

The scene in the church as the choir sings and the faces of the dead fade and disappear I found to be one of the most powerful in the entire series.

[@kammyethain4591]

I don't know if you guys will ever read the books by the soldiers but Don Malarkey wrote one and talked about how he basically become numb all over after Muck died. It was only after this series aired that he went to Skip's grave and cried 'sixty years worth of tears'. Broke my heart when I read it.

[@Shurororu]

*Bill Guarnere* was one of my favorites, besides the situation he was so real and loyal to save Joe Toy and even with all that happens he still smile and jokes, keeping them united in this whole process. Amazing episode, my personaly favorite. great reaction and review as aways guys 🙏

[@AdderTude]

In Episode 11 (the documentary), he and Babe Heffron went back to Foy and pointed out the location where Muck and Penkala were killed.

[@kristopherheenk2710]

I'm honestly tempted to subscribe to the patreon just to be able to see the full reaction to Episode 9.

[@PaulBradshawMedia]

This couple is AWESOME. SO MUCH RESPECT for your humanity, intelligence and analysis. You put my language skills to shame. Kudos to you both.

[@mlong1958]

When they checked the sniper IRL after Shifty shot him, they found he was hit between the eyes. Also, that run Spiers made actually happened.

[@cra0422]

I've got a WWII helmet autographed by Bill Guarnere. It was a Christmas gift in 2013 and then I heard he died in March 2014 (from an aneurysm at age 90). It's since become one of my prized possessions.

[@GilroyGoldBlood]

Man, this show gets harder to watch with every episode.

[@mercifulsnake226]

Ikr

[@Aviator-Chicken]

Wait till episode 9

[@Serenity113]

Episode 9...

[@GilroyGoldBlood]

Oh god, I forgot about episode 9. Next week is gonna be rough.

[@paulhewes7333]

"Whats a guy got to do to get killed around here?" Toye had almost been blown up with a grenade twice on D-Day, wounded at least one other time, then shelled twice.

[@MrSmithla]

On the ampoules of morphine in World War II both in this series and in ‘Band of Brothers,’ Sonny mentioned when they marked a man as having received morphine with an ‘M’ on their forehead, it isn’t that they’d waste it. The saying went “one for the pain, one for forever.’ Two ampoules would kill the recipient. In BoB this is what they knowingly did when the medic was shot through the liver. Giving him the second ampoule was a conscious, merciful death.

[@MrSmithla]

Incidents of soldiers self-injecting morphine when not wounded did happen but were surprisingly rare. I’m assuming the soldiers realized that taking it frivolously meant not having it in the event of an actual wound. I saw footage from Iraq and Afghanistan that morphine based pain-killers are now given orally in a sort of suckable plastic contraption on a stick that, of course, the men call ‘lollipops.’ It solves the ‘M’ marking situation. Doctors at an aid station see a plastic stick coming out of a wounded soldier’s mouth, they know he’s received morphine

[@gibsonindistress418]

After this series, you need to watch The Pacific.

[@76JStucki]

4:35- "What about Bull?" Yeah, Bull Randleman was a good soldier, a good sergeant, and a good leader. But he was an enlisted man, not an officer. The Commanding officer of a company has to be...well, an officer.

[@cra0422]

The part of this episode that really hits me hard is when Lipton is running down the roll and the ones who were killed or wounded fading away and when he's done the church is much emptier. However you'd better have the tissues ready for Episode 9, that's going to be a breaking point for many many people

[@tehdipstick]

If you remember, Hoobler was the one who was going on about wanting to get himself a Luger in the very first episode.

[@Nokdu.]

Second episode.

[@tehdipstick]

@@Nokdu. Malarkey tried to get a Luger from one of the dead Germans in the second episode. Hoobler was the one asking the British soldier about his Luger, and mentioning he wanted one for himself, in the first episode.

[@generalsaufenberg4931]

Jeeesus, throw the Luger as far away as you can. It only brought death to its owners....

[@mfree80286]

It's just a gun with an unfamiliar manual of arms.

[@nullunit]

I have seen that episode over a dozen times throughout the years, never fails to make me at the least choke up, usually full on tears. The fact that real humans lived through it and the extremity of loss, is just brutal. The scene where Buck just reaches out and gently crumples the paper in Malarky's hand, as this quiet plea for silence but also of affirmation "I know what you are doing, but I am done right now.", so well performed that even seeing that little bit you had in this video got me. Later when Lipton tells Malarky to go back and take time off the line, the look of numb loss on his face is real and as a viewer I was right there with him. I can't think of many shows that were able, in such a short period, to make all of those people so real that even their fictional loss has the a sting to it. to thins day when I see them pop up in a show, call them but their Easy name and I get happy to see them. It is bananas we had Band of Brothers, Rome, Deadwood, The Wire, and Sopranos all running at the same time at one point. Each has heart and in it's own way is a masterpiece.

[@nokta7373]

Awww, no dad? Tell him we missed him

[@juvandy]

The opening to this one, when the real Malarkey chokes up... always gets me.

[@Nloveru]

I never cry at films or series. But this Buck scene has me in tears every single time.

[@igman037]

Band of Brothers in General has me in tears. Especially watching episode 9 for the first time. Seems like band of brothers is so good that it has everybody in tears at the exact same episodes

[@19McCloy91]

Fun fact. Lt. Speirs was Scottish. He moved to the US when he was very young.

[@欧阳思艺]

I remember he was 4 years old when he and his family moved to the US

[@charlotte_lk]

It kind of flies under the radar with Lipton (and Speirs) getting all these brilliant badass moments in this episode, but my fav moment here actually might be Winters just not being able to bear seeing Easy Men getting killed one by one, standing on the outside, being so unusually *openly* desperate and angry, and then actually running IN THERE, and after being ordered back just straight-up ghosting his superior and calling upon Speirs. "Speirs get yourself over here" - all the emotion in that one yelled sentence by calm, collected Winters... (but still, as always, the right and sound decision and the best he could take at that moment as a leader). They are all legends, but Winters is just... exceptional. (And Damian Lewis' portrayal is excelling in this series, no wonder he got the Golden Globe nomination)

[@jamesbirch4400]

Not how it really happened. But it makes for good tv

[@TheWayOfAlex]

Can't wait for you guys to see the last three. They're still pretty heart wrenching but for different reasons. The ending of the final episode is some of my favorite film footage of all time.

[@clancywoodard310]

From what I've read about the Battle of the Bulge A lot of them guys in the 101st airborne had that same sentiment about Patton that they felt like they didn't need his help

[@charlesedwards2856]

Not a single one of them has or will ever say they needed rescuing. They knew their jobs and the risks of it, and not one thought they needed help. They just needed supplies and would have held the Germans off till Doomsday.

[@brandondietrich7159]

You guys should watch the pacific

[@jian5568]

Their not or one of them is they commented me about that

[@twitchydom8689]

The Pacific was not as good

[@amitabhsharma3916]

I mean it's tradition to watch it after Band of Brothers. We've all done it

[@twitchydom8689]

@@amitabhsharma3916 oh of course, I still liked it

[@Drummer4President]

I think that might break her.

[@paulbarker4986]

Interesting fact with the great coats for winter the allied forces used to cut them shorter then the German long coats so they could be quickly identified by the siloett.

[@stevesullivan6494]

I have really enjoyed your reactions so far, getting a female reaction adds even more to the conversation. Im looking forward to the next episodes and dont forget to react to the full length video of interviews by the soldiers of Easy company titled "We stand alone together".

[@mikecarson9528]

Another great reaction to one of the hardest episodes in this series. I have been looking forward to these weekend posts. Thank you for doing this. I'm enjoying it all over again through you.

[@ColeTrain2731]

Incidentally, it was mentioned that the winter weather was so damn cold, that both of them survived because their blood congealed more or less instantly.

[@mikek5958]

St.Sgt. Guarnere and PFC. Babe Heffron were both from South Philly, about ten miles from where I live. I regret not ever meeting them in person. The same goes for Major Winters who lived about a two and a half hour drive from me. They were citizen soldiers; the absolute best.

[@sivonni]

Regarding the "mentally broken", people like Buck were diagnosed as having "shell shock" after the war was over. That diagnosis later changed to "PTSD".

[@MisterMac4321]

While Buck is the obvious individual who reaches his "breaking point" here, it was more a breaking point for the entire unit (up to and including the whole 101st division). After this battle the 101st was essentially rebuilding and not committed to major offensive operations for the remainder of the war (one of the main reasons they weren't committed to Operation VARSITY, the drop to support the Rhine crossing in March'45). By the time the division pulled out of Bastogne it had suffered roughly 20% casualties. What's often forgotten is that the other units trapped in Bastogne with the 101st (most notably the reinforced 21st tank battalion of the 10th Armored Division) suffered, proportionally, losses that were even more severe (approaching 40% according to some estimates).

[@Robmcil]

Excellent job. I love this series and I have enjoyed your reactions. The thing about Spiers is the story about him shooting the prisioners is not confirmed. However the story of him shooting a Drunken sargent is true. The full story is that during an assualt a sargent in his platoon was drunk and unable to perfrom his duties. Spiers ordered the him to the rear because he would get others killed being too drunk to do his job. The Sargent refused to leave Spiers confronted him and the sargent pointed his weapon at Speirs so Speirs shot him. He was was told by his commanding officer at the time that he would have to stand for a court martial. However his commanding officer was killed in action before filing the paperwork and the matter was dropped.

[@j_karma]

From Wikipedia: "According to [PFC Art] DiMarzio, Speirs, commanding 2nd platoon, Dog Company was given orders to halt their attack on Ste. Come-du-Mont, to hold position while regimental headquarters coordinated a rolling barrage shelling fifteen targets in the vicinity of Ste. Come-du-Mont. DiMarzio, who was lying in a prone position next to a sergeant, stated he remembered the sergeant being drunk. An order to hold position was given and relayed down the line which the sergeant refused to obey, wanting to rush forward and engage the Germans. Once again, Speirs gave him the order to hold his position. Speirs told the man that he was too drunk to perform his duties and that he should remove himself to the rear. The sergeant refused and began to reach for his rifle. Speirs again warned the sergeant, who now levelled his rifle at Speirs. Art DiMarzio says he then saw Speirs shoot the sergeant in self-defense. The entire platoon also witnessed the event. Lieutenant Speirs immediately reported the incident to his commanding officer, Captain Jerre S Gross. Eyewitness DiMarzio says that Captain Gross went to the scene of the shooting and after receiving all the information, deemed it justifiable self-defense. Captain Gross was killed in battle the next day, and the incident was never pursued." Speirs was never told he would face courts-martial. Also, OP has significantly edited his post - originally saying the drunken sergeant was on guard duty and making it seem like Speirs was in the wrong and deserved to be court-martialed. I posted this account to correct that. Based on his current edits, I probably wouldn't have posted this correction at all.

[@gravitypronepart2201]

@@j_karma I watched an interview with Winters who said that when the film was being made there were legal concerns about Defamation suits etc. Winters asked Spears if the stories were true, and Spears said that they were. He then wrote a letter giving Hanks permission to use it.

[@leepagnini6273]

I was enjoying your Reaction Video of this segment. The actor that played Muck is almost a double for my younger brother, and when Muck and Pencaila got blown up, it was like seeing that happen to a loved brother. It has always shocked me.

[@cyberdan42]

A touching and impactful addendum to the series is the documentary Beyond Band of Brothers which sees Wild Bill taking a camera crew around their old foxhole positions in Bastogne area and he is doing so on crutches, somewhere in those fields that film crew walk over is Bill Guarnere's leg. Really brings home the loss and impact of the war to see that.

[@Indrid-Cold]

The stories about Speirs are true. As a leader myself, in the intelligence community, when the sh!t hits the fan, he’s exactly the kind of guy you need. Moreover, you can’t forget that these were NAZIS, and this was a WORLD war that would decide the future of, well, the entire WORLD. I don’t blame him one bit for any of his exploits, even those that might have gotten him court-martialed today. It was a very different war, and you needed fearless, decisive, badasses to win it. People who could turn off their empathy, become war machines, and get things done. A deep sense of Morality was not useful against the Nazis. Especially when you’re going up against a bunch of soldiers, 90% of whom were hopped up on methamphetamines (true story.) You have to remember, psychologically, this was the last war in American history, wherein US soldiers had to fight other Caucasian men who, other than language and uniform, looked just like them. You had far more instances of deadly hesitation to shoot to kill on the part of US soldiers when they could see the enemy. The war was won by men like Speirs. For what it’s worth... -GG14 DCIPS

[@FrailCaesar]

One of, if not the greatest mini series made. I watched it years ago but am really enjoying watching people see it for the first time.

[@Salguine]

And yet both Toye and Guarnere recovered from those horrible injuries and lived to be old men.

[@suprchickn7745]

Guarnere died just a few years back! Godspeed patriot!

[@willl676]

I've seen only one other person in the comments mention this and it didn't end up getting any attention so I felt I should mention this as well. In the actual events, Lieutenant Dyke wasn't actually a coward, the only reason he was replaced by Speirs in Foy was because he was wounded while on the charge. He had also gotten a Bronze Star Medal for saving two men of Easy company in Operation Market Garden while under heavy fire. To this day I have no idea why Tom Hanks and the other producers decided to portray him as such (I guess they needed some drama).

[@KatSonny]

A bunch of our patrons told us about this when we posted the reaction on Patreon a while back. But yeah, it is a bit puzzling, for sure. You’re probably right about them wanting to add some drama or something.

[@Bawookles]

Such a great episode. Thanks again for watching this incredible mini-series.

[@EricPalmerBlog]

Yeah this one it tough too.Keep up the great work. A WWII buff since forever. One book I read mentioned that the Germans being on the defensive and with some experience, when in trees (especially), took the time to put logs and branches over trenches/fox holes to help protect against fragments. Calling in artillery on semi-unprotected troops in trees has the added benefit of the trees create a lot of additional fragmentation when they get hit by an artillery shell or mortar round, with all the splinters flying around (as shown in this episode). Americans many times didn't stick in one place too long or for other reasons didn't use this added self-protection.

[@KurticeYZreacts]

This is my 2nd fav episode cuz donnie's performance and the guy that place Spears. Also i like the frustration winter's shows in being a commander instead of the platoon leader. Buck was good too. Great job showing a man at the breaking point

[@Ladyvirgule]

Just to tell you I love you guys ! Hugs from France !

[@KatSonny]

Merci beaucoup 💜

[@MichaelPower212]

Lynn Davis "Buck" Compton (December 31, 1921 - February 25, 2012) was an American jurist, police officer, and soldier. In his legal career, he served as a prosecutor and California court of appeal judge, and is most notable as having been the lead prosecutor in Sirhan Sirhan's trial for the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, brother to John F. Kennedy, when Robert Kennedy was campaigning for president.

[@delraybrewer]

11:32 Kat saying "boom" is my message tone on my phone now.

[@daddynitro199]

“My Luger’s going to put you all to shame when I get it!” - Don Hoobler, episode 3.

[@Tony-rz4ks]

can you imagine how the guys that survived saw so much death and killing for years...what they mind is going through...images of death you will never forget...i can see why so many men had PTSD after WWI and WII.. so much death

[@nathanpfeifer864]

Spiers is a BAD ASS

[@Torresmo2]

Speirs is pure testosterone! This guy have real guts! He was blessed with courage !

[@christopherdeguilio6375]

Love you all reacting to this...it's your empathy that makes the difference.

[@TombstoneBlues]

Lieutenant Colonel Ronald C. Speirs was a badass. He was also an immigrant from Scotland.

[@Gibbetoo]

both of my grandfathers were in war, other wounded in winter war shot to chest, other was at front about 5 years as a runner he lost his finger..

[@Bugeye0704]

In regards to Shifty taking out that sniper, upon examination they found that the bullet had gone square between the sniper’s eyes, Bull was quoted saying “it just doesn’t pay to be shooting at Shifty when he’s got a rifle” Shifty is a person that I think needed more screen time, he did some astonishing stuff that the show doesn’t cover, however that can be said for most of Easy company.

[@TheReconmarine92]

Damn. I JUST got the notification for this upload. Come on KZbin. 🙄🙄 Oh well I've been looking forward to more episodes of this show. Thank you guys 🙏🏼

[@BrahmaDBA]

Winters was promoted from First Lieutenant to Major from 1944 to 1945. That is crazy fast. Besides being awarded the Distinguished Service Cross you have to understand that his promotions is like that because the fatality/casualty rate for Airbornes are very high. In Foy alone 145 of them went in and only 80+ went home. That's 60/145 injured/dead. Winters first promotion was because Moose Heyliger, the CO of Easy during the invasion died because his plane was shot down.

[@117rebel]

When y’all are done with this series you should start The Pacific. It’s like Band of Brothers but it follows some US Marines fighting the Japanese. Another show you might like is Yellowstone. It’s also a really good show and the 3rd season started a few weeks ago so there’s plenty of episodes for you to watch and catch up.

[@jimirayo]

I'm on episode 5 of The Pacific. It just hasn't grabbed me the way BOB did. It feels rushed with no cohesion and the characters have not endeared me at all. It just feels like another Hollywood embellished movie that took huge 'liberties' with the storyline.

[@117rebel]

Jimi Ray I like BoB more than The Pacific too. I don’t care about the romantic storylines. But the combat scenes were really good and worth suffering through the romance.

[@tomyoung9049]

Don't think you could say any of the episodes are 'easy' to watch but this one definitely shakes you up.

[@SangsungMeansToCome]

Ernest Hemingway was close to there too, and he later said of the slaughter in Hürtgen Forest that it would have been easier for everybody if they had just shot the GIs as they were getting off the trucks.

[@cerda8112]

Seeing speirs doing all that was awesome. That bit was my fav. Along with medic

[@fritziearago9518]

Im crying so hard in this ..specially when i saw some of them are leaving and then just after that most of them are dying next

[@andreaswidham3607]

Lieutenant Dike was a little more complicated then the show makes out. He was greatly disliked by the company and this colors how he is portrayed in the book that the series is based on. But he was no coward, he had been awarded for gallantry in earlier engagements. When he falls apart at then end he had actually been hit and was suffering from blood loss, which explains his sluggishness. This wasn't known at the time since his heavy clothing obscured his wound.

[@stevenbanks1548]

I can't wait for yall to get through these last 3 episodes. They're incredible, and the tone changes quite a bit.

[@MWSin1]

The story of Lt. Dike is a little more complicated than portrayed. He had served well earlier, winning battlefield commendations on two separate occasions, and while the men of Easy didn't have a high opinion of him he didn't really break down until Foy. Either he was overwhelmed with the new responsibility of commanding a company, his spirit was broken during the combat at Bastogne, or he was wounded and panicked at Foy.

[@MrSmithla]

On the impetus for wounded men to return to their specific unit. I know that after so many set number of days you are no longer in your unit and get assigned, when you come out of hospital, to the ‘Repple-Depple,’ Replacement Depot, to be then farmed our at random to a unit which suffered losses. In another Ambrose book he recounts the story of a green recruits assignment as a replacement to a unit outside Bastogne. He said he was trucked up to a unit, met his new sergeant for all of 2 minutes, was put in a foxhole, alone, in the dead of winter and told he’d be relieved in the morning. He said, “it was the coldest, loneliest night of my life.” That makes it more clear why wounded Easy company men would even “escape” from the hospital in the middle of the night and set off to find their old unit, with their arms still in slings or unable to sit down from the ubiquitous shot-through-the-ass wounds.

[@Alfaqwad]

My favorite episode (carentan is a close second)! You get to caring about these guys like family throughout the series.

[@Aviator-Chicken]

It’s insane to think about but just remember everything you’re watching really did happen

[@danielsalcido9309]

Shifty Powers was known to be the best scout and shot of Easy company

[@danielsalcido9309]

@ that's a good story lol, do you remember the documentary I'd love to give it a watch

[@benschultz1784]

The reasons for the winter clothing shortage during the Battle of the Bulge was that the US Army Quartermaster Dept. and the Chiefs of Staff were debating a universal uniform change across the service. The QMD wanted the 1943 model modular uniform, which Easy Company as well as most American paratroopers got prior to Operation Market Garden, while the Generals in command in the European Theater wanted a uniform similar to the British Pattern 1937 Battledress (the famous "Ike" Jacket General Eisenhower was fond of wearing) This debate led to uniform shortages come winter as most new and replacement units had a mix of 1941 and 1943 uniforms while some were needing overcoats and mackinaw coats. Veterans of the 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division were still wearing the same uniforms in December 1944 as when they stormed the beaches of Morocco in November 1942.

[@simontide6780]

Two Major Wars in History and Speirs still survived. A real MVP. Love him or hate him.