Band of Brothers Ep.9 "Why We Fight" (2001) | First Time Watching | TV Reaction

[@therickman1990]

“If anyone ever tells you the Holocaust didn't happen, or that it wasn't as bad as they say, no, it was worse than they say. What we saw, what these Germans did, it was worse than you can possibly imagine.” Edward "Babe" Heffron

[@popculturallychallenged]

👍

[@mitzifrancis9843]

It's good that you and others see this. Thank you. You asked how soldiers dealt with these experiences. My dad, born and raised on a small family farm in Southern Minnesota, landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day+4. He was in a military police unit responsible for securing towns and villages as the Allies fought their way through France, then Belgium, and finally into Germany. One of his final assignments was at the Buchenwald concentration camp. He and a military photographer had to collect and document the evidence. He returned to my mom and their first child, and we grew to a family of seven. He become a police officer and then a Chief of Police. When he died, I found two well-worn black and white photographs in the drawer of his nightstand. Both were from Buchenwald concentration camp. One was of a pile of emaciated bodies and one of a few people still alive, but barely. . He carried them in his wallet for decades. During the years he was in law enforcement, he would show those two photographs to police officers. He'd tell them that when we start to believe any individual or group of people aren't worthy of dignity and respect, this is where it ultimately leads... but that it starts with us.

[@BajaJonny]

Thank you for sharing this. It's beautifully written.

[@TrequartistaFM]

May your dad RIP

[@Dej24601]

Thank you.

[@mitzifrancis9843]

@@BajaJonny Thank you! He, and so many others who experienced what we humans are capable of, went on to lead quiet lives of integrity and compassion. When it comes to parents, I'm well aware that I won the lottery! They deserve to be remembered.

[@nellabrown6190]

My Dad was a Ranger in WWII. He also had photos from Buchenwald. He never talked about the war. Except to say they could smell the camps from 2 miles away. The villagers had to know.

[@lizgreer6888]

My Dad was born September 1930. He survived the great depression, rationing and ww2, he went to Korea and fought in combat. Came home, got married, had kids, held down a job. I asked him once how he did it and he said: when the Chinese invaded I thought I was going to die. I made a promise to God that if I lived, I would spend the rest of my life doing good for others. And thats just what he did. He shoved a lot of memories in the back of his mind until he had a stroke. That's when a lot of memories came forward. He had horrible nightmares and we never ate Asian food of any kind. We tried it once and Dad had terrible nightmares the rest of the week. So we never went back. He was kind to everyone, went to church every week and tried to help as many people as possible. Refugee services, civil rights marches, advocating for people with disabilities, the rights for women, he worked on all of it. Fighting in battle made him want to be a good person.

[@jaydigshistory36]

It is said that many of the extras who played the prisoners did not live to see the show. Apparently a great deal of them were cancer patients undergoing treatments. It’s also said that the camp was kept secret from the actors so the reactions were real.

[@popculturallychallenged]

That's so sad about the actors. 😢

[@moose656]

That's all true.

[@philipcoggins9512]

9:40 The 101st was guarding the flank of a French Army. One of the units opposing them was the Charlemagne Legion of the SS, made up of mostly French collaborators. As a result, the French executed most of the prisoners from that unit for Treason.

[@alanholck7995]

Tom Hanks is the French officer shooting the prisoner. Only weapon fired in the episode.

[@cmbtking]

I've seen this show probably 30 times over since it came out and I have NEVER noticed the soldiers were in French uniforms in that scene until NOW lmfao, let alone it being Tom Hanks. Now it stands out like a sore thumb lmao.

[@iammanofnature235]

_The 101st was guarding the flank of a French Army._ The only French unit in the area was the French 2nd Armored Division, members of which would be the first to reach the Eagle's Nest. _One of the units opposing them was the Charlemagne Legion of the SS, made up of mostly French collaborators._ Nonsense. The 33rd Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Charlemagne had been virtually destroyed by the Soviets. In April 1945 the unit was only about 700 strong and was nowhere near the Landsberg region (Bavaria) of Germany.

[@philipcoggins9512]

@@iammanofnature235 In a couple of the members' memoirs, they mention witnessing French soldiers executing French members of the SS as collaborators.

[@iammanofnature235]

@@philipcoggins9512 _In a couple of the members' memoirs_ The memoirs contain claims that are not accurate. _French soldiers executing French members of the SS as collaborators._ The French were routinely executing members of the SS...it did not matter if they were French.

[@johngingras]

I've seen this series multiple times and watched lots of reactions. This episode still hits so hard every time. I'm always in tears. You did a good job getting through it. I think it's important to remember that the Holocaust was real. It's horrifying what people are capable of.

[@popculturallychallenged]

This was definitely the saddest episode. 😢

[@iammanofnature235]

@@popculturallychallenged Just to let you know, the liberation scenes shown in Band of Brothers are completely fictional. In reality, Easy Company was not involved in the liberation of any concentration camp. And the only units of the 101st who were, arrived the day after Kaufering IV (Hurlach) had been found and liberated by the 12th Armored Division on April 27, 1945. And there were only a few prisoners found alive (about 7; those who had been able to hide) and about 500 bodies. Colonel Edward Seiller of 12th Armored Division took control of the camp on April 27 and he is the one who ordered civilians to bury the dead. The producers of Band of Brothers decided it would be more dramatic to show Easy Company liberating the camp and to show a large number of emaciated prisoners. This is not the only instance in Band of Brothers that is historically inaccurate. From the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: _As US armed forces approached the Kaufering complex in late April 1945, the SS began evacuating the camps, sending the prisoners on death marches in the direction of Dachau. Those inmates who could not keep up were often shot or beaten to death by the guards. At Kaufering IV, the SS set fire to the barracks killing hundreds of prisoners who were too ill or weak to move._ _When the 12th Armored Division and 101st Airborne Division arrived at Kaufering IV on April 27 and 28, respectively, the soldiers discovered some 500 dead inmates. In the days that followed, the US Army units ordered the local townspeople to bury the dead._

[@Dej24601]

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is nostalgic memoir about a poor family and the growth of the main characters from childhood to young adulthood. The book was shipped to those serving overseas for free, so became one of most read books at the time. It was made into a film in 1945.

[@cmstone5178]

The first time I became aware of this book I was a small child. It popped up in the old cartoons.

[@boballen818]

Was required reading in small town Missouri. Lol

[@popculturallychallenged]

I might have to check it out! 😃

[@matori1901]

12:59 man carrying older man, he is speaking Serbian, he is saying "People help, please help, he is still alive, you can still save him, please" Man I was just a kid when I first watched the series, to hear those words to understand them, while everything was subtitled. I still get chills down my spine...

[@samanderson7745]

Dude, that's crazy man how close so many of those languages are to each other. An ex of mine had family from Poland and she spoke fluent Polish and understood what he was saying when we watched this when it was originally airing on HBO. Now I'm confused if he's actually speaking Polish or Serbian.

[@alanholck7995]

@@samanderson7745 My mother could speak Czech & understood Polish - so yes a lot of the eastern European languages are very similar.

[@MrTech226]

Sad so sad! Madman nearly wrecked the world!

[@matori1901]

@@samanderson7745 all Slavs pretty much understand each other, if taking slowly, differences are most in spelling, pronunciations and accenting words.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Thanks for the info! Knowing what he was saying definitely adds to the emotional impact of the scene! 😢

[@MLawrence2008]

The German Jewish poet Heinrich Heine (1797 - 1856) famously wrote that, "Those who burn books will in the end burn people!" In this modern world where so much hate is taken as truth and goes unchecked, where our political leaders are at best corrupt and at worst fan the flames to further their own agenda's and at the same time there is a concerted effort to 'cancel' history and restrict liberties and debate. I fear that Heine's warning is even more relevant today than ever. Please heed the warning!

[@popculturallychallenged]

I had never heard that quote before. Thanks for sharing it!

[@nailfanish]

Me as a German am glad that these series exist and this time of history is thought in German schools, also remembrance days and Stolpersteine are very important to remind over and over again of this dark time of history. Some years ago I was in Normandy to visit these places, as I am a history freak. It was so emotional to see the Landungsstrände from D-Day and how good care the French take of these sites and the graves. One quote in the museum will stuck with me forever: " They gave their future to preserve ours" I will never forget these lines as they not only freed France etc, but Germany too from terror. Thank you

[@arhickernell]

Don't worry, guys. The last 15-20 mins of the next final episode is some of the very best.

[@popculturallychallenged]

I hope so! 🙂

[@nokta7373]

I'm Italian. My grandfather fought on the Russian front. He eventually ended up in a nazi camp. Because he was Italian they put him in the kitchen instead of working him to death. He survived eating leftover potato peels that he'd steal from the kitchen trash. When his camp was liberated he walked the 800 or so kilometers back to his home. He was 25. They tried to feed him but his stomach had shrunk so much he couldn't keep more than a bowl of soup down and it took a long time before he could eat normally again. He had his prisoner number tatooed on his arm too. He then married had 3 kids and proceeded to be the most kind and benevolent man you could imagine, he'd never shout, raise his voice or fight with anybody. Everybody loved him. When he died, his funeral was packed with all the people which life he improved in some way. Some people touch the horror and it sinks them, some like him touch it and come back stronger. Rest serene granpa, wherever you are.

[@popculturallychallenged]

He sounds like he was an incredible man! 🥰

[@rodlepine233]

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a semi-autobiographical 1943 novel written by Betty Smith. The story focuses on an impoverished but aspirational adolescent girl and her family living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City, during the first two decades of the 20th century.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Thanks! I might have to check it out! 😃

[@Maderyne]

I bought the set Band of Brothers in part because of my father and uncles having fought in WWII. The most intense episodes for me were the landing on Omaha beach, and the finding of the concentration camp. Both always bring me to tears. The first for the stupidity of war, and the second for the cruelty of man. It's a shame we never learn.

[@popculturallychallenged]

This was a very powerful show!

[@duanetelesha]

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a novel, and made into a movie. I think that Vat 69 is still on the market. Episode ten and eleven lot of your questions will be answered.

[@kissmy_butt1302]

My generation may be the last one to read that in school. I wonder if the Catcher in the Rye, Of Mice and Men, Dante's Inferno, 1984 and Animal Farm are still part of the reading material.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Thanks for the info!

[@DongusMcBongus]

This and the next episode make me cry every time. This one out of sadness, the next our out of sheer happiness and pride.

[@popculturallychallenged]

This one was definitely the saddest one so far.

[@randomlyentertaining8287]

"How do you know it's whiskey?" "It said whiskey on it." I choked on my drink. First person so far I've seen actually point that out. Vat 69 was a popular high end brand back then. Can still find it today but much less often.

[@popculturallychallenged]

David can be funny that way.... LOL I went looking for a bottle of Vat 69 for father's day. I thought that would be a great Father's Day gift. It was hard to find and when I did find it, I couldn't afford. so no bottle for David. 😁 - Toni

[@spaghetti9845]

People who have been in combat do not forget the sights, sounds and smells they experienced. I turned to the bottle.. had a few rough years and am thankful to have friends who cared enough to intervene.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Thank you for your service. I hope you are better and still have those friends around. - Toni 🥰

[@MLawrence2008]

This episode always gets to me (sorry for the multiple posts). My father was a bulldozer driver at the Bergen-Belson concentration camp and was involved in clearing the site including 'Bulldozing' bodies into huge mass graves. He was a quiet loving man but this subject made him so angry especially when people denied this ever happend! Never, EVER forget this shameful page in history!

[@popculturallychallenged]

Oh man! I can only imagine how that would have impacted him! I can't imagine how hard that was to see firsthand. 😢

[@scottsutoob]

Bergen Belson was so infected with Typhus that he British ended up burning the camp to the ground to control the disease.

[@jimmyc3755]

They actually used cancer patients in chemo, and other sick patients for the prisoners. Note that the episode starts with great classical music, and it ended with it. I always thought that was very clever. We are capable of such wonderful things, as well as very horrible things. My daughter visited a camp, Dachau, at the end of a summer trip to Europe after high school. She left an innocent young lady, she came back from that trip laser focused on living a life of purpose. She said it was visiting the camp.

[@Rocket1377]

Sadly, a lot of the patients died before the episode aired.

[@heffatheanimal2200]

The cast were kept away from the set until they filmed it. Their shock and horror was only partly acted

[@iammanofnature235]

_My daughter visited a camp, Dachau, at the end of a summer trip to Europe after high school._ The camp shown in Band of Brothers, Kaufering IV (Hurlach), was a labor subcamp of Dachau. It was found and liberated on April 27, 1945, by the 12th Armored Division with units of the 101st arriving on April 28.

[@popculturallychallenged]

I can't imagine what it would be like to visit one of those camps. Are some of them setup like museums now?

[@iammanofnature235]

@@popculturallychallenged There are 7 concentration camps that have been preserved: Auschwitz-Birkenau, Buchenwald, Dachau, Gross-Rosen, Majdanek, Sachsenhausen, and Stutthof. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is located in Washington, D.C.

[@Curraghmore]

There are concentration camp survivors who said that they sometimes saw allied bombers flying overhead during the war and they wished they would bomb the camps even though they might have died as a result. The upper levels of the military and governments knew what was happening there of course through intelligence and information from spies, but the troops on the ground didn't know until they literally discovered the camps like this. Allied military leaders said they didn't bomb the camps to avoid innocent casualties and they had higher priority military targets, although some of the camp survivors would have preferred that they did bomb them. The camp pictured here was actually first discovered by another American unit in reality, although Easy Company were there to take part in taking care of the survivors and policing the clean up.

[@popculturallychallenged]

That’s so sad. 😢

[@brianstanton6026]

This was my favorite episode of the series. I just felt like it defined the whole meaning of Why We Fight. It hits hard with seeing the frustrations toward the end of the war and seeing one of the camps up close was just so well done.

[@popculturallychallenged]

This was definitely the saddest episode of the series. 😢

[@jimmyjohnson7027]

The British Army liberated Bergen Belsen camp near Celle, a camp that I visited when I was stationed at Celle. The local civilians were also made to clean up the camp, they were made to wear their day clothes and were not even permitted to wear gloves.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Oh wow!

[@stephenweaver7631]

When you see Speirs with that look of shock on his face it says volumes!

[@kenoconnell7730]

Those tears you shed, they're for compassion for the people who were abused and murdered, for the men who found and liberated it, and for the anger for that which men can do to their fellow man.

[@Dej24601]

A beautiful film which deals with 3 servicemen coming home is “The Best Years of Our Lives” (1946) directed by William Wyler (and incorporates some of his memories.) Highly recommended! (It won 7 Oscars.)

[@saberx08]

So few know of this film, which is sadly becoming a forgotten gem.

[@Dej24601]

@@saberx08 yes, outstanding cinematography by Gregg Toland (Citizen Kane), perfect performances all around, realistic & heartfelt script, piano playing by Hoagy Carmichael, and Harold Russell brings unusual depth to his role. One of those films that sweeps you up and involves you until you are surprised at the end that you want it to go on and on.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@VPortho]

I know practically nothing about cinema pre 80s... but this suggestion is interesting, gotta check it out

[@stevencass8849]

“Why would any woman leave her husband while he’s out at war?” Sadly, it happens all too often.

[@theKRUGMEISTER]

I think the Reel History channel explained that Nixon was also being unfaithful while he was away at war, and that people like Winters weren’t too surprised to hear when Nix was served divorce papers

[@GK-yi4xv]

The real Nixon was an alcoholic and a womanizer. He had at least a couple of mistresses in England, and I believe he even told his wife about them in letters. Nixon's own mother sided with her daughter-in--law and offered her a place to stay when she left Nixon. (and it wasn't his last divorce, as we learn later)

[@popculturallychallenged]

I suppose there's 2 sides to every story. I just seems like bad timing. 😢

[@iKvetch558]

Yes...that is Tom Hardy, who plays Venom currently...he also played Bane in the third of Nolan's Batman trilogy.💯 Those were French soldiers that executed the Germans on the side of the road...and as somebody else mentioned, the shooter was Tom Hanks himself.

[@WaywardVet]

No way. Now every time I hear Bane, I'm just going to say "Hey! F boy!". You single handedly made Bane laughable by unmasking him.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Thanks! I had to go back to check out Tom Hanks as the French soldier. Once I knew it was him I couldn't believe I didn't notice at the time!

[@lidlett9883]

I've watch Band of Brothers once every year since it first aired. I still weep at episode 9.

[@popculturallychallenged]

It was the saddest episode so far. 😢

[@bugfisch7012]

I'm German and the question "How could they not (know)" is the most grounded argument and basicly our modern society is build arount the statement: Never Again.

[@popculturallychallenged]

🙂 - Toni

[@daddynitro199]

9:32 That’s Tom Hanks playing a French (I think) soldier, doing the roadside executions.

[@grumpyoldman7562]

A lot of people say that, but from what I have read it's not actually true. I have also read that Tom Hanks is one of the background characters in the Red Devils scene in the Crossroads episode but I'm not sure if that one is true either. As for actual cameos, the real Babe Heffron plays a civilian in Eindhoven. He's off to the left side of the screen waving a flag when the woman in pink kisses a soldier and then is dragged off to have her hair cut off.

[@Rocket1377]

It definitely looks like Tom Hanks. He directed the episode with the Red Devils, so he was certainly on-set for that scene.

[@GK-yi4xv]

The helmets are French, yes. Thousands of French volunteered for the SS, and when they fell into 'Free French' hands, they tended to get executed on the spot, as the worst kind of traitors, not entitled to POW protections. Imo, that's what we're seeing here. I do wish one of the Easy Company men had a said a word or two here to make that a little clearer (like turning to the newbies and saying: 'Don't worry. They're French. That's what happens to traitors', or something like that). Otherwise, the scene just gives the impression of 'Our side's not much better than theirs.' (especially with what's about to happen next)

[@popculturallychallenged]

I went back and looked and I think it was him! Thanks for the info!

[@BlackDeathThrash]

and remember this was just 1 camp, there were thousands of camps scattered around Germany and occupied territories as far back as 1933. Institutionalized and systematic.

[@popculturallychallenged]

😢

[@davedalton1273]

"How could they have NOT known?" Simply and so well put. I wish more people would respond the same way. They knew, without a doubt, they knew. Thank you.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Thank you for watching with us!

[@iammanofnature235]

_"How could they have NOT known?"_ The short answer is they did know. Except for the civilians burying the dead at Kaufering IV, everything else shown in Band of Brothers related to the liberation of the camp is completely fictional. Easy Company did not liberate any camps. Without going into a long dissertation on German concentration camps I will just give some basic information and if you're actually interested you can conduct your own research. The first concentration camps in Germany opened in 1933 which included Dachau. Many other concentration camps would be operational before the war, which included other infamous camps such as Sachsenhausen, Buchenwald, Mauthausen, Flossenbürg, Neuengamme, Ravensbrück, and many others. There was no attempt to hide these camps from the local population or from the rest of the world. As the war progressed, forced labor became an important part of the German war effort and concentration camp prisoners became increasingly involved in construction, manufacturing, infrastructure repairs, and agriculture which brought them in direct contact with the local populations. The Camp depicted in Band of Brothers is Kaufering IV which was one of eleven labor subcamps of Dachau located in the Landsberg region of Germany known as the Kaufering complex. The prisoners of these camps were constructing underground factories for the production of ME-262 jet fighters, as well as building railway embankments and rail lines, constructing roads, and infrastructure repairs. The prisoners were often marched through the local towns and villages on their way to work sites. If you're interested in researching the Holocaust I recommend the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Arolsen Archives in Germany, and the national archives of various countries.

[@ExUSSailor]

The toughest episode to watch, but, the most important to watch. "If anyone ever tells you the Holocaust didn't happen, or that it wasn't as bad as they say, no, it was worse than they say. What we saw, what these Germans did, it was worse than you can possibly imagine." - Edward "Babe" Heffron

[@ExUSSailor]

The Nazi government didn't openly advertise what they were doing, and, for the average civilian, asking too many questions would result in a midnight visit from the Gestapo. So, for many of them, when Gen. Eisenhower ordered that civilians be forced, at gunpoint, to clean up the camps, it was the first time they were forced to accept that they were the bad guys.

[@alanholck7995]

Notice that you never see the women’s camps, even in newsreels. The men’s camps were horrific enough, but far worse happed to the women.

[@popculturallychallenged]

This was definitely the saddest episode.

[@williamjamesrapp7356]

I was in Germany Switzerland Austria and Holland in 1980 and although most all of those areas were back to normal you could still see scars on some of the remaining buildings and churches and castles were still being repaired from war damage .

[@popculturallychallenged]

Wow! Thanks for the info!

[@heschendk]

You should watch Schindler's list by Steven Spielberg. A movie EVERYONE should watch at least one time in their life.

[@popculturallychallenged]

We have it on our list. We'll watch it someday soon. 🙂

[@twomouse5572]

The European theater ended May 8th, 1945, not April 11th The Pacific side ended September 1-2 1945, but both wars wouldn't really end for months or into 1946. Stalin would keep invading into different countries on the eastern side of Europe. And the SS would kept fighting with self claimed Generals in the areas of Norway, Denmark, Sweden fighting both tasked British and American navy's and Stalins army. Finland fought the soviets to keep their independence, which was successful. Hiroo Onoda was the last Japanese fighter who held out in the Philippines islands and was finally found and taken into authorities hands in 1974. Strange but very interesting story on him.

[@popculturallychallenged]

I heard about him a long time ago. I need to research him! Thanks!

[@krisfrederick5001]

Imagine seeing all of the horrors of War then seeing this, and being speechless. "Why We Fight" is a throw back to the legendary Frank Capra film series that was released while the War was still on going, when there was no certainty of victory. I also believe the Nazi wife in the stark red coat was a direct connection to the little Jewish girl that dies in the Holocaust during Schindler's List. I don't think there are any coincidences in Spielberg's work.

[@krisfrederick5001]

TOM HANKS ALERT 09:27 🚨

[@krisfrederick5001]

I left my initial comment before your final reaction and you hit almost verbatim on the points. (no pun intended, next episode title) I'm still shocked at how many people don't see the concentration camps coming. You were not alone. And speaking to the soldiers not being able to get this out of their heads, just as the thunder sounded, imagine what they thought of hearing that. Probably took them right back to Bastogne or any battle.

[@popculturallychallenged]

I definitely did not see that coming. Everyone was warning that is was a bad episode but I expected something totally different. It was still heart breaking but I guess i was thankful that easy company was ok. - Toni

[@davedalton1273]

Those were French soldiers, executing the German POWs. The one on the left, who shot the German, was played by Tom Hanks. He produced Band of Brothers, along with Spielberg

[@popculturallychallenged]

Thanks for the info!

[@GrumpyOldGuyPlaysGames]

Over the past 20 years since it was released I have seen this series dozens and dozens of times. And every time I watch this episode, I weep, including this time. You were wondering about the effects of seeing all this. My Uncle Jimmy was in the 20th Armored and was part of the liberation of the camp at Dachau. When I knew him (he passed away in 2002) he was always a jovial, "hale fellow well met" type. Always a smile, always a joke, never met a guy he didn't like sort of person. Unless you were German and then he hated you with the passion of a fiery star. I never knew why until after his death when my Aunt Doris, Jimmy's wife, explained it to me.

[@popculturallychallenged]

That is sad. I can’t imagine how hard seeing all of that must have been. 😢

[@mikecarew8329]

Important episode for people to see. The salve for Toni’s emotional roller coaster is the accompanying HBO documentary “We Stand Alone Together,” whee she can see and hear from so many of the vets who survived and lived long, fruitful and happy lives. It is a perfect “episode 11” capstone to the miniseries. Also they give some context on many of your Qs including bedding down the men in German homes etc

[@popculturallychallenged]

Thank you. looking forward to it. - Toni

[@steveg5933]

I was a Navy Hospital Corpsman. Counterpart to Army Medics. My first duty station was Naval Hospital Bethesda in Maryland. I worked on ward 7West. Internal Medicine. One patient a retired Navy Captain, diagnosed with throat cancer. As it progressed it was necessary to put a tracheostomy in so he could breathe. This left him unable to speak. He communicated with pencil & paper. I was raised to respect my elders and anyone older than me was addressed as Sir or Ma'am as appropriate. I walked in as I was raised and as an enlisted sailor protocol demanded & said good morning Sir! He waved me off & wrote "Don't call me Sir I don't deserve it. " Frankly I got a little salty on him. Told him protocol demanded it and my grandmother (who raised 9 kids while grandpa fought in the Pacific) would come down here and kick my butt if I disrespected an elder. Then I pointed at his arm and told him that serial number burned into his arm by butchers ensured him that he EARNED the right to be called Sir. Permanently. He and his wife both had those numbers burned into them. One from Treblinka, the other Auschwitz. They met after the war the only survivors of their families. They made their way to the US, and to pay respect to and honor the sacrifices of so many he served in the US Navy 42 years.

[@popculturallychallenged]

That’s incredible! Thank you for sharing that story! 🥰

[@Stormspinner]

I love the genuine reactions from Toni, she's critical thinking and shows true empaty - I did feel bad for her this episode though!

[@popculturallychallenged]

Thank you for your kind words. - Toni 🥰

[@rodlepine233]

It was first made in 1882 by William Sanderson - a liquor manufacturer from Leith, Scotland. To create the perfect blend, Sanderson made up 100 different vattings of whiskey and hired a panel of expert whiskey tasters to select the finest one. They chose the 69th vatting, thus the name, Vat 69.

[@popculturallychallenged]

I'm not much of a drinker but I'd like to try it now. 😂

[@MrTech226]

I knew this episode hit Toni hard emotionally! "Camp Survivors" were cancer patients from nearby hospital. Hanks and Spielberg kept actors away from "Camp" until day of filming for their honest reactions. Soldiers shooting German POW's, I believe either the French or Dutch. I read that Tom Hanks played one of those soldiers shooting the POWs. After USA (Allies) liberated "Camps", Soviets (Russia) liberated "Death Camps" in Poland so average German Citizens doesn't know about Madman's plan. I believed a sympathizer in town alerts the "Camp" liberated by USA.

[@popculturallychallenged]

OMG, I think that makes it that much worse knowing that they were cancer survivors... I hurt for them and knowing that they were hurting also for different reasons makes my heart hurt. - Toni

[@ladyblabla3611]

Visited Auschwitz-Birkenau last week with a school trip. It will not forget it ever again. Every school should do this.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Wow! I can't imagine what that was like! 😢

[@kathyastrom1315]

That episode title is seemingly deceptive while watching the first half of the show. You start to think, well, why did they call it “Why We Fight”? Is it just because of stuff like Janovic’s article on how “the Germans are bad, very very bad,” or is it something that East Company is wondering themselves, like what Webster yells at the surrendering Germans, “Why did you drag us out here!” Then, they wallop you with exactly why they fight. BTW, I love the one older gentleman’s comment on how he and his German counterpart could have been friends outside of the war.

[@popculturallychallenged]

That comment about how they could have been friends was extremely moving!

[@OZAHS1959]

Dad walked into the Bulge with 55 guys in his platoon (17th Airborne, 193D GIR) on December 25th 1944. 45 days later he was one of only 5 left to walk out. He had PTSD bad for a few years, but tried to forget. But when he started going to reunions in 1992, the PTSD returned because he started retelling and re-living the stories. For a cool article about him, Google "Lynn Aas Hell Froze Over".

[@popculturallychallenged]

Oh wow! I found the article! He sounds like he was an incredible man!

[@b1blancer1]

So many, and that was Kaufering IV, one of the smaller satellite camps of Kaufering. By the time this liberation happened, it has been converted to a sick camp. It was where prisoners were sent to die when they could no longer work. Some of the extras playing the camp victims were cancer patients on chemotherapy. Many of them didn't survive to see the final results of their contribution. The actors were prevented from seeing the camp set beforehand so their reactions would be as genuine as possible. The looks of shock on their faces were pretty much real. Hardened WW2 combat veterans who survived D-Day and fought their way through Europe said nothing compared to the horror of finding a concentration camp. It was far worse than anything else they had experienced. Indeed, the Greatest Generation.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Thanks for the info!

[@iampapa318]

I was in the Army for 20 years, I'm 73yrs old now. There are things that I wish I had never seen, It never goes away! I don't sleep well as a result, one thing in particular.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Thank you for your service. If only we could go back and do things differently. - Toni 🥹

[@blueeyedcowboy8291]

I love how they did this series, like she was saying, this episode is not what you expect. Most people that watch this series know about WWII and the Holocaust, yet somehow by the time you get to this episode it's like you forget about the camps, because you are concentrating on the characters and the stories. Then it's like a huge "Oh yeah" moment when they reveal where they are at. Toni did much better than I thought. I can't wait to see the reaction to the ending of the next episode. I expect a different type of tears.

[@popculturallychallenged]

It definitely wasn’t what we were expecting. I think we were both expecting a massive battle and half of Easy Company being killed. This was the saddest episode so far though.

[@757optim]

The "greatest generation" is estimated to have been about 63 million people born approximately between 1901 and 1924. Virtually all of them have left us now, but they left us quite a legacy.

[@popculturallychallenged]

🥰

[@moose656]

Fun fact: at 9:31, the actor firing the pistol is Tom Hanks. No joke. Also no, that wasn't the Americans executing them, it was the French.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Thank you. We’ve gone back to see that. ☺️ - Toni

[@iammanofnature235]

_Also no, that wasn't the Americans executing them, it was the French._ Except they were wearing old French Army uniforms from around 1940 and using nonstandard weapons. Most French Army soldiers of 1944-1945 wore U.S. style uniforms and used U.S. weapons. A smaller number of French Army soldiers, such as French commandos trained by the British, wore British style uniforms and used British weapons.

[@SewnShutEyes]

There’s a brilliant and incredibly subtle bit of acting from Spiers. Just as the gates are being opened you see this ultimate soldier, the guy who ran through German lines in Foy, who everyone in Easy is scared and in awe of because he’s such a natural killer, is absolutely speechless and terrified.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Interesting. - Toni 🥰

[@jimmyc3755]

The Holocaust museum in DC is worth your time. The last room, with all the pictures, is chilling, when you understand why it is shaped the way it is.

[@as1anam3r1can6]

I've been there a few times, my late son's favorite museum. Its a sobering look into the past

[@popculturallychallenged]

If we ever get back to DC, we're definitely checking that out! Thanks!

[@DefStr8up]

Many episodes I felt Toni cries way too easy, so i was really wondering how she would do with this episode. I cried right along with you. This episode is so powerful. Great reactions guys.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Thank you and I hope I didn't disappoint. -Toni

[@marinesinspace6253]

Great reaction, and a lovely display of empathy from you both. About whether the German people knew about the camps, it's difficult to say, they knew that some people were rounded up and taken away, but they were never told where. The Nazis had had years to 'other' the people they thought of as undesirable, so the majority wouldn't ask questions when they disappeared. The people in the town nearby would have noticed something was different, there would be military shipments supplying the camp, and it was primarily a labour camp, so there wouldn't be clouds of smoke from crematoria, but the local citizens would not likely understand the real conditions of the camps.

[@iammanofnature235]

The camp depicted in Band of Brothers is Kaufering IV and you are correct that it was a labor camp, one of 11 labor subcamps of Dachau located in the Landsberg (Bavaria) region of Germany known as the Kaufering complex (Kaufering IV was located near the village of Hurlach). Kaufering IV had been designated a sick camp where prisoners too weak or ill to work were sent to die. Those prisoners who could work worked primarily constructing underground factories for the production of ME-262 jet fighters but also worked building railway embankments and repairing damaged infrastructure (roads, rail lines, etc.). The prisoners from this and the other camps were often marched through the local towns and villages on their way to a work site, and there was not attempt to hide them from the local populace. Contrary to what is shown in Band of Brothers, Kaufering IV was actually liberated by the 12th Armored Division on April 27, 1945, with some units of the 101st Airborne Division arriving on April 28 and Easy Company arriving on April 29. And there were only about 7 prisoners found alive, along with about 500 bodies.

[@popculturallychallenged]

WOW, amazing additional information from both. Truly appreciated. - Toni ☺️

[@Ceractucus]

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a real book. It’s about a girl growing up in Brooklyn, and her family. It’s quite good. After the war ended, the Marshall Plan went into effect with the purpose of rebuilding the infrastructure of Europe.

[@popculturallychallenged]

I may have to check the book out! 🙂

[@gordonduke8812]

When I first saw this episode, I cried like a baby. Even now as I watch reactors seeing this for the first time, I still shed a few tears. There is a big difference in learning about the Holocaust and seeing it depicted with a certain aspect of reality to it, and this depiction is mild, like rated G, compared to what they actually seen. And when you asked how they lived with these images of war and human evil after they got home, I will tell you, not very well at all. And they had no sponsored help or support groups, and they couldn't tell their families about these things so they silently, as possible, suffered alone.

[@popculturallychallenged]

That is so sad.... - Toni 😢

[@Mike-li5uv]

That’s not what they were expecting either and they saw it first hand, imagine how they felt? Not only PTSD from the war but also from that. Unimaginable.

[@conundrum9244]

You were asking around the 4:00 minute mark, Western Germany faired better than Eastern Germany. Western Germany had a economic recovery that started 1948. From what I remember, it took from September 2nd 1945, the end of the war, to 1980 and then to 1991 for Germany to be fully recovered as a whole. Both culturally, economically, and city-wise.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Wow! I can't imagine living like that for so long!

[@morbidangel2424]

Love this show,being a ww2 history nut, this episode barely scratches the surface of the holocaust yes it shows the horrors but thats a rabbit hole thats difficult to go down.

[@popculturallychallenged]

This show has definitely been eye opening. I think at some point we'll continue down the rabbit hole. 🙂

[@morbidangel2424]

@@popculturallychallenged kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4PPfmtpZ7J2qpI It's s 6 part series, from bbc

[@bamalady7314]

@@popculturallychallenged: Schindler’s List is a movie that all people should watch about the Holocaust at least once but be prepared to ugly cry.

[@rafaucett]

The letters from a wife saying she was getting a divorce happened frequently enough that the letters became known as "Dear John letters." From Wiki: "While the exact origins of the phrase are unknown, it is commonly believed to have been coined by Americans during World War II. .. As letters to servicemen from wives or girlfriends back home would typically contain affectionate language (such as "Dear Johnny", "My dearest John", or simply "Darling"), a serviceman receiving a note beginning with a curt "Dear John" when accustomed to a warmer greeting would instantly be aware of the letter's purpose."

[@popculturallychallenged]

That's so sad..... it truly hurts my heart. - Toni

[@deborahfletcher9003]

I am a big band of Brothers fan. I can’t get enough of it.

[@popculturallychallenged]

It was an amazing show! 😀

[@Ozai75]

Why we fight is certainly an appropriate title for this episode and a sobering reminder of what "Othering" groups of people will eventually lead to.

[@popculturallychallenged]

This was such a sad episode! 😢

[@chrischarlescook]

In answer to your question regarding recovery. The UK didn't stop ration cards until 1955!

[@popculturallychallenged]

Wow! I figured it had to be at least 10 years.

[@MLawrence2008]

My take on the scene with Nix and the German woman is this. In the house when Nix smashes the photo of her husband she looks at him with pure outrage and contempt as he has died in combat (the black band on the photo). When moving the bodies in the camp Nix looks at her with the same contempt and outrage as they both know that she and her husband are in some way or other responsible for the lies and deceits that led to mass murder. In other words, Nix knows they knew, and she knows it!

[@popculturallychallenged]

Good point. That was a powerful scene!

[@gwarne2304]

The woman is a metaphor the whole German nation

[@brianlanning836]

They do go over how they all turned out in the next episode. It's very satisfying.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Looking forward to seeing it!

[@jim8368]

The worst is over, your journey of seeing these difficult episodes will have been worth it in the end.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Looking forward to seeing how things turned out for them! 🙂

[@boballen818]

Love your heart! Tough episode. When I was stationed in Germany I got to visit 2 of the camps. Still sticks with me 40 years later. Make sure to watch the documentary We Stand Alone Together. No band-aids needed.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Oh wow! I can't imagine what it would be like to visit one of those places. 😢 We're planning on reacting to We Stand Alone Together too. 🙂

[@caras2004]

9:32 The French soldier that executed the German soldiers was Tom Hanks

[@popculturallychallenged]

I went back and looked and now it’s obvious. Can’t believe I didn’t notice before! Thanks!

[@dansmart3182]

They brought civilians so that it could not be denied. Not only the US/british/french/canadian military, the Soviet military, and the victims were direct witnesses, but the German Civilians themselves.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Good point!

[@spike11313]

I honestly think that every high school should show this episode everyone needs to see this

[@popculturallychallenged]

I would agree. It's not super violent and provides lots of information. - Toni

[@michaelstach5744]

Why We Fight was the name of a series of propaganda films made by Frank Capra. This episode is so well written. We start with the interviews with the vets. Their stories paint a kind of equivalence between the two side. Then we see the behavior of the Easy men. These are not the innocent guys we met in episode one. We like Luz and Perconte but we worry for the girl in the barn. Speirs loots without thinking. Our hero, Winters, evicts a family with a few minutes notice. French troops execute soldiers and Perconte shrugs. Nixon breaks windows to fuel his alcoholism. People warn you how hard this is; you get half way through and the worst thing that happens is that a dog barks at Nixon. Then we learn the difference between Easy and the Nazis. I use more Kleenex on episode ten but that’s just me.

[@popculturallychallenged]

I was really confused about halfway through this. So many people had warned that this was the hardest episode and I wasn't sure why. And then came the 2nd half... It was definitely the saddest episode. 😢

[@mtweiss01]

An old client of mine, the late Sgt Rudy Tomasik of Woodstock, CT (Silver Star, Bronze Star, TWO Purple Hearts) never talked about his time in World War Two. But one night, a bunch of us younger veterans, sitting around a campfire of guys at the local small airstrip he owned, he opened up, briefly - but it shined a a light into what he went through. He said, “we were a bunch of kids. We were buddies. They were young kids too, and they were buddies. When I killed a German soldier, I thought about his family and the fact that the German guys and us American GIs had more in common with each other than with the rich politician assholes who sent us all into that hell.” I never heard him talk about the war again.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Oh my goodness, It's so sad that so many had to go thru that..... not only that they serviced but their family and friends had to go thru the pain of what they had to go thru too. - Toni 😢

[@paulmolloy7206]

I had a friend back when the Cold War was happening. He was in the US Army stationed at Checkpoint Charlie between East and West Germany. He became friends with a guard on the other side of the border. They both had mutual respect for each other but they knew if it was war, they would kill each other

[@popculturallychallenged]

Oh wow! That must have been a tense relationship!

[@capenjck]

I try imagine what it would have been like for these young men going through different experiences as time went on. How many remember what it was like to be 18 and on your own for the first time away from everything you know. Now imagine enduring grueling trained and then being dropped in a place where people want to kill you. A lot of the men were hardened combat veterans by the time they found the camps but it must have been a new level of horror even compared to that of combat. Anyone living in the US now and probably anyone from the allied countries heard about, has seen documentaries, pictures or read books about the camps, but these men it was something unimaginable until they witnessed it for themselves. How did they wrap their heads around what they were looking at?

[@popculturallychallenged]

I can't imagine what these guys went through! 😢

[@carthos4402]

Fun Fact: The violin scene has a lot of symbolism to it. Both Mozart and Hitler were Austrian (not pure German), where as Beethoven WAS born in Germany.....so what the scene is depicting when Easy states "they know how to play Mozart", Nicks corrects them about it being Beethoven, and then the ending scene being of the violinist fading out and nodding approval as they end.....is that of "here is the true Spirit of Germany, not those that try to claim it, or the world 'thinks" it is....here is the TRUE Spirit of Germany".

[@popculturallychallenged]

That's cool! Thanks for the info! 😀

[@joefaber1381]

"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" was a very famous book at that time.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Thanks!

[@smallsparry]

So many people from my generation saw their parenys (Dads) wrecked by this War. The effects afterwards on families were devastating bc men men were expected to hold it all in. But it killed marriages and families😢

[@popculturallychallenged]

That’s so sad. I wish things would have been different. - Toni

[@BryonLape]

Growing up an Army brat and living in Germany, I visited Dachau a couple of times. I don't see how anyone can visit and say it never happened.

[@popculturallychallenged]

I was wondering about visiting those camps. Are they setup like museums now?

[@canadian__ninja]

Vat 69 is still made to this day, by the way. I'd imagine it saw a boost of some degree with this series.

[@johnstrickler2238]

In regards to the comment about "And that's why they were fighting the war." No one really knew a lot about the camps if they were in an Allied nation. For me, as a Vet, part of the reason that it's titled "Why We Fight" is because we refuse to let this happen again. Something that we make a promise to both the Jewish Nation, but Humanity in general. We will not stand idly by and let there be a repeat. Never Again. As for "how do we get it out of your head?" We don't. As Plato himself so wisely said, "Only the Dead have seen the end of war." and as Joe Galloway said "We who have seen war, will never stop seeing. In the silence of the night, we will always hear the screams."

[@popculturallychallenged]

Great points!

[@patrioticjustice9040]

The 300,000 Germans that surrendered was known as the Ruhr Pocket; the last major line of defense between the Allies and Berlin. Previously, a lot of major German cities were slated for air raids and bombings, including Hamburg. The German resistance had been fighting with Waffen-SS in Hamburg. Fortunately they won, and they were able to radio the Ruhr Pocket to stand down (they were mostly comprised of old men and boys who were barely capable of fighting anyway) This convinced the Allies to call off the bombings, sparing the cities. When Hitler found out that the Ruhr Pocket had surrendered, it was in that moment that he realized the war was lost, and began preparations to commit suicide. EDIT: The soldiers who killed the three German soldiers were French. When the Germans lost a battle, they were happy to surrender to American and British forces because they knew they could expect humane treatment. When they lost against French or Russian forces, they would choose suicide because the French and Russians would kill them out of vengeance. This particular concentration camp was known as Kauffering IV; a subcamp of Dachau. The stench was so overwhelming from outside Dachau that originally Allied troops thought they were going to storm a chemicals factory. They had no idea what was inside. Believe it or not, the vast majority of the German populace did not know about the camps. In 1938, brown shirts and political activists in the Hitler Youth Program struck out against Jews by destroying cars, homes and stores owned by Jews (similar to what ANTIFA had been doing in their riots in places like New York and Portland) This had the reverse effect the Nazis wanted; it created sympathy for Jews in the German population, which infuriated Hitler because it meant he didn't have the support he thought he did. So the Nazis moved the Jews out to the ghettos; with propaganda telling the population that it was for their safety and to help with the war effort. Once the camps were constructed, the Jews were sent there to begin the Final Solution. Most people did not know about the camps. The few who did was either in support of Hitler's anti-semitic fantasies, or they kept their mouths shut out of fear of being sent there. Most of the world does not understand that living under a dictators' regime basically means living with a gun pointed at the back of your head; any second, you could be killed for almost no reason at all. There were those, however, who did know about the camps and were actually able to use them to save Jews. One was Karl Plagge, who hid children who were slated for execution. Another was Oskar Schindler, who saved over 1100 Jews from Auschwitz by having them work in his factory.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Thank you for the great info!

[@patrioticjustice9040]

@@popculturallychallenged You're welcome. World History was my favorite subject back in school.

[@dnllrnt]

And to think there's a sliver of the population that deny this ever happened. 🤦

[@popculturallychallenged]

They should watch this show..

[@andreshernandez1180]

About the Rambo treatment Toni mentioned, this war was different, the US was attacked so no one back home saw returning soldiers as murderers like they did after Vietnam and other conflicts.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Good point!

[@veramae4098]

Marshall Plan. First time conquerors helped the conquered. Worked brilliantly. Episode might be called "Why we drink". It was French soldiers shooting surrendered Germans. 13:04 He's saying "He's still alive. Save him." Refeeding syndrome. Google it on Wikipedia. As Germany retreated, battling surrender, Hitler still prioritized the death trains and camps over anything else. They knew, they knew, they knew. Ethnic minorities, gays, political opponents, newspaper editors, priests and pastors, nonGermans, people whom their neighbors lied about ... Germans have done a great job teaching honest history so their young people know. Japanese are trying to pretend nothing happened. And the Japanese death, prison, and work camps were worse.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Thank you for the insight. - Toni 🤓

[@DESooner333]

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, 1943, written by Betty Smith. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is the story of a young girl's coming of age and, as such, it is inevitable that she will lose the innocence of childhood. As a young child, Francie is unaware of the family's poverty and of the devastating effect that her father's drinking has on the family.

[@popculturallychallenged]

I might have to check it out!

[@mikefixx7177]

You need if you can, cover some of the wars in Japan. Mid-way, Pearl Harbor., people need to know history, they are for sure not teaching this in school. Paton is a great movie too

[@popculturallychallenged]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@YoureMrLebowski]

Schindler's List (1993)

[@popculturallychallenged]

That one's on our list, just not sure when. I saw it when it came out but Toni has never seen it. I don't remember a lot of it but I do remember it was disturbing. -David

[@YoureMrLebowski]

@@popculturallychallenged Schindler's List is on your list. that's funny.

[@Mildcat743]

The woman who's house Nixon entered was a widow. The black band on the photo of (presumably) her husband was a marker of mourning. Assuming that that woman really existed, it's wodely believed she was the one who tipped off the camp personnel that the Americans were coming. This is one of the most heart wrenching episodes of television ever made, especially when Liebgott, who himself was Jewish, had to tell his own people that they had to re-enter that vision of hell on earth they were caged in. One scene you didn't include in here that's another major gut punch is Webster in the bakery confronting the baker at gunpoint asking him if he's 'a human being? Are you one of those, or do expect me to believe you couldn't smell the fucking stench?' Absolutely horrible to imagine everything that had gone on while these people just looked the other way as friends and neighbors were drug away for no other crime than being who they were.

[@bertpunkaficionado8357]

NOVEL: A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (1943, Betty Smith) was a major hit at home and definitely among soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. Many publishers actually gave servicemen smaller copies of books (pocket size) in the thousands free, the "Armed Service Edition". This book was one of the most popular because it's about immigrant families in the US. It was a bit of home for them. DIVORCE: The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SRCA) postpones civil lawsuits while people are serving in a conflict, and up to one year after. This allows them to keep their minds on their duty and allow them to prepare upon return. Nixon's wife was saying she will divorce him upon his return. She can't do anything yet. However, Nixon isn't innocent. He was having an affair in England and his wife found out. Even Winters said it would came back to bite him. EXECUTION: Those German soldiers are getting shot by French troops. Germans preferred capture by the Americans as French and Russian troops had a grudge for bombing their homes and occupying their lands. HOLOCAUST: the one trooper (played by Tom Hardy) is reading Stars & Stripes which regularly detailed Nazi war crimes, on the streets and in camps, but troops took it with a grain of salt. How can anyone fully understand unless they see it? They thought it was propaganda. Then they see it and know it's worse than what was written. Gen Dwight Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander of Europe, knew some people in the future would insist the holocaust wasn't as bad as people say, or didn't really happen as such, so he ordered everything be filmed and as many interviews be taken as possible to accumulate evidence for future generations. Another reason I LIKE IKE. DATE ERROR: The beginning with the clean up and Beethoven music reads April 11, 1945 and at the end, with the continuation of that scene, Nixon says Hitler killed himself. Hitler killed himself on April 30th.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Thanks for all the info! 😀

[@GreySphinkter]

That episode is a particularly powerful piece of work, it does not hold back in its portrayal of how the Nazi's mistreated those it deemed not worthy of life during the tyranny. A few years back i had the pleasure of meeting Eva Schloss, she was a childhood friend of Anne Frank and, like Anne, Eva and her family were sent to Auschwitz when she was fourteen years old. Eva related to us her experience of being separated from her male relatives on the concrete ramp at the railway station at Auschwitz - the last time she would ever see them. Along with with her daily fight for survival and the small miracles that seemed to make it happen, It was by far the most harrowing story i have ever listened to. Eva and her mother both survived the horrors and were liberated by the advancing Russians. After the war Eva's mother married Anne Frank's father, i believe he was the sole survivor from his family.

[@davidward9737]

Glad to see you both are okay. I was worried about Toni but it hit Dave hard. All im going to say is my great grandmother was Polish and was in a infamous place and that is how she met my great grandfather (russian) i know you probably wont do it but Schindlers List is a must. This is true life horror. Bless you both and thank you for letting me watch movies and shows with you, always love ❤

[@popculturallychallenged]

Thank you for joking us! 😀 Schindler’s List is on our list at some point. Probably not soon but we’re going to do it at some point. 👍

[@davidward9737]

@@popculturallychallenged don't know how I joked y'all. I understand about Schindlers List, look forward to when you do. Good to see you put up a comedy today, about to watch it. Have a great weekend

[@Dej24601]

Highly recommended: a 3-part series “Five Came Back” (2017) that goes over the wartime experiences of 5 directors- John Ford, John Huston, Frank Capra, William Wyler and George Stevens, and how they were changed. Stevens was one of the first people to film footage of the camps and when he was preparing to make “The Diary of Anne Frank” (1959), he got out the footage to review, which he had never watched, and after a couple of minutes, he put it aside and could not watch it. He never made a comedy after he returned from the war.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Thanks for the suggestions!

[@Dej24601]

A great film which shows some of the post-war devastation in Vienna is “The Third Man.” Also, a film that was shot in 1947 in Berlin, with most of the cast being local people and not actors, and shows the post-war devastation is Roberto Rossellini’s “Germany, Year Zero (1948.) Spoiler: it has some difficult scenes to watch. His other two films about the war were set in Italy: “Paisa,” (1946) which is set in many locations through Italy and shows a lot of the results of warfare and “Rome, Open City” (1945, filmed just a few months after the Nazis left Rome) which is considered a masterpiece.

[@popculturallychallenged]

Thanks for the suggestions!

[@johnmagill7714]

Guys getting letters from wives wanting a divorce while deployed is nothing new. I got one in 96 while deployed to the middle east. After the next episode, the last one. I highly recommend watching the Interview episode called We Stand Alone Together. It's the interview with the actual Easy Company guys.

[@popculturallychallenged]

That’s got to be hard. 😢 We’re planning on watching it. 👍

[@braxtonmoore9246]

That was Tom hanks dressed as a French soldier. Story goes he got in costume and just started ‘executing’ extras 😂

[@popculturallychallenged]

That's cool. - Toni ☺️

[@kenkonwick6660]

Yes, Toni, this is a tuff one to get thru. Some of the best cinematic interpretation of one of the most horrific events in human history

[@Mchiqa]

I think it gets lost on her - I don't think she knows enough about concentration camps to be affected. And one other thing, all though people in the comments don't spoil by telling what's about to happen - they spoil by giving them expectations - it would be better to see their reacting without any expectations. They should watch Schindler's list if they didn't get why this one is hard to get thru.

[@alanholck7995]

One of the Easy Co survivors said that this wasn’t particularly accurate- it was actually 100 times worse.

[@kenkonwick6660]

Yes I said cinematic interpretation. Nothing would ever approach reality

[@popculturallychallenged]

I feel like I was in shock. I haven't seen Schindler's List and was expecting something completely different by the comments. - Toni

[@Charles_Gaba]

Glad you guys made it through this. I’m Jewish so I’ve watched/read about the Holocaust since I was a little kid and thus tend to be a bit blasé about it, but it’s important that EVERYONE learn about it (as well as other atrocities like the Armenian genocide, the massacre of Native Americans, the slave trade and on and on and on…)

[@popculturallychallenged]

I'm interested to learn more now. - Toni

[@Charles_Gaba]

@@popculturallychallenged Schindler’s List should be at the top of your own list. An absolute must see.