Band of Brothers Epi 4 "Replacements"

[@krisfrederick5001]

Winters: "Never put yourself in a position to take from these men" Buck: "Alright...I'll throw left handed then..." 🎯

[@joseancheta4681]

He took his lesson

[@wattsnottaken1]

“George Luz what would I do without you?” “2 packs gentlemen, 2 packs!”

[@Bar-Lord]

The number of A list actors that appear early in their careers is crazy to me. It’s a great showcase for a lot of talent.

[@afewsnakes]

Except for Jimmy Fallon who somehow brings down his scene despite having like 2 lines. He’s the worst.

[@aweebunny]

Yeah. He is to film what Sammy Hagar is too Rock and Roll. I can't take him seriously.@@afewsnakes

[@alanholck9845]

Some of them became A-list actors because of BoB

[@LordOfAllusion]

@@afewsnakes honestly, he’s only there for a cameo, he does a satisfactory job, and doesn’t break the scene for me, so I never minded. He’s better than Pete Davidson at least.

[@Thunderer0872]

@@afewsnakes Coming from the UK and never seen Taxi it wasn't so bad at the time, I later found out who he was from watching KZbin stuff on him, hence I still haven't seen the Taxi film with him and Queen Latifa. but I get what your saying if you knew him and saw this though.

[@jurgenkersjes2150]

Eindhoven. Whoop, whoop. There is where I live

[@theendistheend123]

"What a dream role." I love how you see the little kid eating chocolate and get jealous.

[@alaneskew2664]

Knowing production, that kid probably had to eat about 5-10 bars of chocolate to get the right take.

[@lawrencewestby9229]

Orange is the national color of the Netherlands after the royal House of Orange. A little detail that not many notice is when in the newly liberated Eindhoven, Winters and other officers can be seen turning up their jacket collars. They did this to hide their officer insignia in case there were snipers who would consider officers to be high value targets. The American soldiers had the advantage of having a semiautomatic rifle, the M1 Garand. It held an eight bullet clip that with each pull of the trigger would fire a round and then the automatically chamber the next round, ready to be fired. The Germans and British mainly used bolt action rifles that would require the soldier to operate the rifle's bolt to chamber the next round. You could see in the scene in the barn where Randleman surprises the German soldier, the German starts to fumble with the bolt of his rifle giving Randleman time to attack him with his bayonet.

[@YN97WA]

We don't include spoilers because we remember the first time we watched it. We are reliving our experience vicariously through you. This series is hard to watch, yet you can't turn away from it. The bravery of these men has to be experienced. We must never forget the price that was paid for the freedom we enjoy. Great reaction, young lady. 👍👍

[@canadian__ninja]

No spoilers but we are legally required to have at least one mention of Blythe's fate and other very common things per 3 comments.

[@DirtnapJack]

For me, the Pacific had more of the shocking to see moments.

[@SuperLuminalElf]

AYE; here HEAR!!

[@numbersasaname2291]

Ames, now that you have THIS episode under your belt (AND having been to Eindhoven), this is a good time to watch “A Bridge Too Far”. Huge All-Star cast, and it explains what this episode was about regarding the war. I saw it the weekend it came out while I was at Ft. Bragg (now Ft. Liberty), Home of the Airborne. The testosterone was high that weekend. They showed it on every screen in every theater in Fayetteville, even at the drive-in. The lines were incredible. I saw it first in a theater, then the next night at the drive-in that use to be on Bragg Blvd. The drive-in was packed! Guys having piled into cars were everywhere. I won’t give away a spoiler, but when you see the movie, you will immediately know the scene where the cheering became deafening. “Market Garden” was an abysmal failure. It was a horrible plan t thought up by British General Montgomery and allowed to happen just to stroke his ego. Years later I participated in the Nijmegen Marches which celebrated the operation and had the opportunity to have dinner with members of the Dutch Resistance who participated in the operation and had fought the covert war against the Germans. The Dutch like to portray themselves as gentle people, which they are until you piss them off! 🫡 5:53 - the Lt (platoon leader) was colorblind, which he had to hide to be in the Airborne. That’s why he ordered Martin to tap him, he couldn’t tell red from green. I saw your expression and thought you might like to know. Oh, and if you want to experience the Eastern Front (plus gain some insight on the current Russian way of fighting), add “Enemy at the Gates” to your list. It is a Soviet telling based upon Soviet “facts”, but I think it is Judd Laws’ best performance (and Rachel Weiss is wonderful).

[@tomw324]

Agreed about a Bridge too Far if you want to learn more about what Market Garden was all about. However it is a looong movie and although I still really love it, it can drag a bit in parts. But if anyone wants to learn about the larger picture going on in this episode it is essential viewing. Col Sink is also featured in it however after seeing Dale Dyle portray him in BoB, Elliot Gould was a pretty poor choice. Otherwise a Bridge too far has an excellent all star cast of some of the biggest actors at the time. Directed by Richard Attenborough who played John Hammond in Jurassic Park.

[@blakerh]

I watched that movie recently, and it isn't great. It is really slow and long. Wouldn't be a great movie to react to.

[@Anon54387]

It does make one wonder why she would go to Eindhoven. I've been to Eindhoven isn't something one hears every day. It's not like saying I've been to Chicago, Toronto, London or Paris.

[@phraggers]

@numbersasaname2291 Not sure about the colourblind fact, confusing red and green, it's usually adjacent colours/shades. Correct me if I'm wrong, just sounds like heresay. As for A Bridge Too Far, I completely agree! I love that film, great cast, black humour, sad that it's based on a true story. Must have been amazing at a drive-in cinema (we don't have those here in the UK).

[@Willis92]

Market Garden wasn't about Monty "stroking his ego" at all. You forgot that Britain had been fighting for 5 years already at this point and tens of thousands of British civilians had been killed by the Germans bombing Britain. He, like all the British were desperate to end war ASAP at this point. Eisenhower approved it because he liked the idea too. It could of worked too, but the Intelligence on German strength was off

[@Dimetropteryx]

The Tiger tank was a model of heavy tank fielded by the Germans. It gained a legendary reputation for its firepower and armor early in the war. Some Allied troops were so worried about it, due to the stories they had heard, that they basically misidentified any German tank they saw as a Tiger. Nowadays opinions are split on how good it ultimately was. Some people consider it one of the best tanks of the war, others consider it one of the worst due to the weight and countless technical issues it had. There are still a lot of myths surrounding it.

[@motorcycleboy9000]

I hear this debate about the Japanese Zero, too. I guess, ultimately, they lost and we won, so the Tigers and Zeros couldn't have been that invincible.

[@evanbondonno5209]

Like all weapons it's situational. I know that sounds really wishy-washy but let me explain: when the Germans had air superiority on a battlefield and could engage enemy armor at long ranges, with infantry support, the Tiger was a fantastic weapon. When you're retreating, running low on supplies, tactical support, and terrain advantages it could easily be outmaneuvered by armor or infantry. It's the same as my big diesel Surburban: great for climbing a mountain without roads, really REALLY bad in the city.

[@luftwaffles274]

It's not that simple, Just because you won doesn't mean whatever the enemy was using was bad. So much factors contribute to ones downfall and ones success. The most important factors are Tactics, Strategy, Logistics.. that's why the Allies won. Aside from Hitler keeping his Generals in a stranglehold during much of the war and Japan's extremism in not surrendering. Newer, more modern Vehicles/Aircraft will always have the upperhand till they are beat by the next generation.

[@budwilliams6590]

I believe it was generally understood that we needed 3 Sherman's for every tiger.

[@Dimetropteryx]

@@budwilliams6590 It's my understanding that it's a misinterpretation of the fact that the entire platoon of 5 was counted as being involved, whether or not they all assisted in taking down an enemy tank.

[@aweebunny]

21:02 Nixon is the intelligence officer. Winters occasionally jabs him about the accuracy of the collected intelligence.

[@Thunderer0872]

The intel was old and young in Holland, the higher ups had no knowledge that there were a couple of SS Panzer groups just assigned to the area that month. that intel was never passed on, or never known at the time of the jump.

[@ronweber1402]

@@Thunderer0872 Wasn't there also battle hardened soldiers who had been rotated out of the Eastern Front for some lighter duty in relatively quiet Holland and not the "old men and boys" that they were told were going to be there?

[@Anon54387]

Nixon wasn't responsible for that bit of bad intelligence, that came right from the top.

[@ronweber1402]

@@Anon54387 Yes but everyone grumbles or pokes fun at the cashier not the CEO

[@jessehill9357]

There was also supposed to be a Jedburgh team operating in the area.

[@kbob9625]

He wanted to be tapped when it was green because he was color blind.

[@will9134]

That was my takeaway as well. Color Blindness is disqualifying for Airborne and potentially any other combat role.

[@9999bigb]

​@will9134 a lot of guys used to memorize the answers to the color blindness test, and pass that way.

[@Thunderer0872]

No I think he was scared and wanted to be tapped because his eyes would be closed, there are two lights red then green even if he were colour blind he know which is which as red comes on first for get ready, green is jump after a period of the red being displayed, so it has nothing to do with colour blindness, if he had been colour blind he would have failed the medical for his position, nor did he cheat the tests I think it was because he was a new Sargent and was scared of the being the first to stand at the door. p.s Colour is the UK spelling I know US is color.

[@xxchaos315xx6]

Don't know how it was during ww2 but in 2004 when I went to airborne school, they specifically test you to make sure you can see red and green specifically. He mustve dodged the test somehow or maybe they didn't test for it back then.

[@denistardif6650]

​@@Thunderer0872in french it is couleur. Also I don't think it is because he was scared. If he would be that tarrified of Heights he would have never joined the paratroopers let alone get is jumping wings were you have jump training from a plane lol. Also paratroopers were not drafted it was volunteers so he would be very stupid to volunteer jumping out of a plane if he was an acrophobe or areophobe.

[@careycarson7629]

This episode, plus A Bridge Too Far, gives you every angle on Operation Market Garden.

[@neilgriffiths6427]

A Bridge Too far was filmed from entirely the Yank perspective, and full of distortions - thanks, Hollywood.

[@blakerh]

Not a great movie. Pretty boring and too long.

[@citizenghosttown]

@@neilgriffiths6427 Yes and no. There are distortions in the film (as with most war films) but it's not really told from an U.S. perspective. Sir Richard Attenborough, who served in the Royal Air Force, directed the film (based on the book by Irish journalist, Cornelius Ryan) and it's actually more focussed on the British experience.

[@lyndoncmp5751]

@citizenghosttown The film literally ignores two Americans very much responsible for the failure. Brereton and Williams. They are literally not even mentioned. Instead Browning on screen and Montgomery off screen, get the disrespectful treatment. The film then shows the US 82nd Airborne taking the Nijmegen bridge and British tankers drinking tea. This is ridiculous.

[@citizenghosttown]

@@lyndoncmp5751 As it happens, I just reread Ryan's book. I literally JUST put it down. (And I've read Beevor's account) And you're absolutely correct. I only meant that the film wasn't solely the creation of Americans in Hollywood. But your criticisms are on the mark. I can appreciate that in any war movie, characters have to be "condensed" but I had forgotten that Brereton had overall command of the First Allied Airborne. He bears at least as much responsibility for the operation as Monty or Browning. As for the tea-drinking, yeah, you're right. There are a lot of reasons why XXX Corps didn't reach their objective. I don't think stopping for tea for was one of them. And there's a similar scene in Band of Brothers -- though it's not quite as bad. When Sgt. Martin tells a British tank that there are German Tigers ahead, the tanker refuses to listen and stubbornly proceeds into an ambush. It's not exactly stopping for tea -- but it felt, I don't know, a bit like a stereotypical depiction of a stiff by-the book Brit as seen through the eyes of a rough-and-ready American. And uncharacteristic, because overall the Series is amazing.

[@theevilbeard]

Seeing so many young actors in this series. Seeing McAvoy looking so very young, Tom Hardy, young Fassbender. It's just so stocked with amazing talent.

[@przemekkozlowski7835]

Tom Hardy was still in film school when he was cast in this.

[@paulhewes7333]

Stephen Graham, Simon Pegg, Dominic Cooper...and those are just the ones you have seen...

[@Farbar1955]

It makes you wonder what future superstars are going to be in "Masters of the Sky" coming out early next year.

[@Sloppygator9309]

You're very observant. Alot of people don't notice most of the details you notice (like the dutch man saying "away away" because the Germans were waiting to ambush). Glad you're enjoying the series. It is a rough ride, but the end will leave you in tears from happiness :) Enjoy!

[@kerryferguson2400]

When my father died, I found a September 28, 1944, copy of the Detroit Free Press he saved for 50 years with the Front-Page Headline, “SKY TROOPS CUT TO PIECES: ONLY 1,800 OF 8,000 ESCAPE”. The entire issue is filled with articles about the actions and failures of Market Garden and Arnhem. It was incredible. I wish he would have talked to me about it when he was alive. Like so many others, he never thought of himself as doing anything amazing. War was just something that had to be done and it was his turn to do it. I am so glad Band of Brothers has this episode and the next to shed a little more light on what my father went through as a 20 year old.

[@andersthomsen3409]

The big one that was hiding was a Tiger I Tank, the one at 15:56 with the "stripes", I think is an SdKfz.221 scout car. And the one behind it is a StuG (Assult Gun), up-armored with track linkages on the front (the spikey things)

[@branden3785]

Or least some modern tank they doctored up to look like a Tiger. They did the same thing in Saving Private Ryan. There is only one Tiger still running, so they had to do the best they could and make modern tanks look the part. They did a pretty good job with it, IMO.

[@wkanost]

There was a movie made in 1977 called “a Bridge too Far”. It had an all star cast and was exclusively about this battle. Operation Market Garden. This series was great in that it hit in so many important points related to the war. The Dutch and French underground resistance was living in occupation for five years when we invaded France. Once that occurred, the resistance fighters came out of hiding and joined the fighting in open conflict. The women that slept or collaborated with the Germans were in some cases, put to death. Some were shaved and sent packing. There were also “Vichy” French that were actual fascist accomplices to the Germans. They were also executed in many cases.

[@jwoo1800]

Came here to say this 👍

[@krisfrederick5001]

"Quit looking at me like that! Am I alright??" Is one of my favorite moments. Between Winters and Nix, the care is there. Not bad for Nix, with bullet holes in his helmet, having never fired his weapon in combat. ♠

[@cardiac19]

That line is my second favorite in the whole series. Joe Toye in episode 2 has my third favorite with "Jesus that's twice." My favorite comes later in the series during "Breaking Point".

[@Pandaemoni]

When this series first aired I watched it with my grandfather who served in WWII. He never talked about his service prior to our watching this, and it just brought back so many memories for him that he started sharing his own experiences. (I also think he was shocked at how little I knew about the war, but he was too kind to call me a dumbass.)

[@Ernwaldo]

My father, his 3 brothers & 2 uncles from my mother’s family all served during WWII. Usually if any of them spoke at all about their time in, it was funny stories about time with their comrades. Rarely, if ever, about any combat.

[@roger3141]

My dad was in an anti-aircraft artillery battalion. He did not do direct combat, but they still had to go through hardships. My mother had to go back to live with her parents until he came home. He was born in America, but my grandparents were all born in Germany and came to America around 1900. God bless all who serve or have served.

[@MrFrikkenfrakken]

Nice reaction! Do not prejudge, enter each episode and experience them as they are presented to you.

[@GreyDoofus88]

The film "A Bridge Too Far" further portrays how much of a calamitous blunder Operation Market Garden was. The British and Polish paratroopers tasked with securing the bridge at Arnhem, which was the last hurdle for General Horrocks's 30 Corps before crossing into Germany, were expected to hold for two days. They held on for ten at Arnhem, where they were pitted against 2 SchutzStaffel Panzer divisions under the command of General Bittrich. Pitting light infantry against tanks and mechanised infantry without support, is simply a recipe for disaster. Especially when it's the SchutzStaffel, given that their fighting prowess coupled with their duty and devotion to the Fatherland, exceeded far beyond that of an average Wehrmacht soldier. But such was the arrogance of Field Marshal Montgomery, he just wanted to be the first one into Germany before his American rival General George S. Patton at any cost. General Browning who oversaw command of the airborne element of the operation, was so determined to make this work for Monty, that he wilfully ignored intelligence reports from both the Dutch resistance and Allied reconnaissance. Bittrich's men were meant to be resting at Arnhem, ready to face down Patton in the south, who intended to smash through the Siegfried Line to get into the Fatherland. Gerd Von Rundstedt who was commanding Germany's defence of the western front, believed that General Eisenhower (commander of the Aliied forces on the western front) wouldn't be dumb enough to let Montgomery make his move.

[@budwilliams6590]

A bridge too far is a star studded movie. From 1977.

[@neilgriffiths6427]

Yup, it sure was written from a US perspective - even blamed the Brit tanks for being a day and a half late to Nijmegen (they were an hour late), when in reality it was the US para general who cluster-f*cked the operation by not sending troops to capture the bridge until 10 HOURS after they landed - check the bloody history, not Hollywood.

[@corn4722]

Honestly every time i watch band of brothers I can’t help but think of sabatons cover of “1916” it’s a tribute to all soldiers “16 years old When I went to the war To fight for a land fit for heroes” “We all volunteered And we wrote down our names And we added two years to our ages”

[@gregsteele806]

Sting's "Children's Crusade" always chokes me up.

[@ElJefe-if8ov]

This series should be shown in every high school when our youth believe they have a hard life

[@Knight-Bishop]

More that they're expected to do 3 times the work for half the reward in comparison, than actually "hard", but sure.

[@alanholck9845]

There was a real Easy Co Vet as an extra in the Eindhoven scene

[@FrenchieQc]

His nickname became Hollywood after that.

[@frost3193]

Edward "Babe" Heffron

[@NigelIncubatorJones]

The movie "A Bridge Too Far" covers the entire Market Garden operation, and does so pretty well. It would be a good follow-up reaction for you after you're done with Band of Brothers.

[@neilgriffiths6427]

Absolutely - if you want the British portrayed as nincompoops and the Yanks as nothing but heroes.

[@NigelIncubatorJones]

@@neilgriffiths6427 I don't know, they seemed to present the British 1st Airborne as very competent, and very brave, soldiers.

[@branden3785]

Gene Hackman, Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Anthony Hopkins, Robert Redford, James Caan...what a cast!

[@branden3785]

@@neilgriffiths6427 ugh, the classic America strawman argument. "A Bridge Too Far" depicts the British soldiers in tremendous fashion, but the British leadership who planned the Market Garden as arrogant asshats, which was true to real life. Montgomery pushing that Operation had a lot to do with his ego and it cost the Allies dearly.

[@marcelleroux9172]

To be fair, how can a man kill Germans with dust on his jump wings?

[@davidperkins6752]

true fact there!😆😆😆

[@chuckfinley4292]

Bulls bayonet clearly didn't have any rust on it either. Otherwise he'd be dead

[@matthewirwin6134]

Just get me another drink Luz.

[@saberx08]

Probably why the guy with 200 prophylactic kits didn't have enough strength to fight the rest of the war! 😄 ...just kidding. Pretty sure that was Talbert, and he's still here in this episode.

[@natecloe8535]

That is his most inaccurate impression but it's still the 2nd funniest. The funniest is obviously hiding behind the trees pretending to be General Horton. I was super impressed the very first time I watched that, and I am still equally as impressed by it today. That was an absolutely perfect impersonation.

[@seanahern9511]

Often overlooked, the guy at 5:47 is ordering to be told when the green light comes on because he's colorblind. He probably lied during enlistment because being colorblind would often prevent individuals from serving.

[@kieronball8962]

Loved your reactions to this fantastic episode, Ames. And isn't it great to see so many amazing American and British actors, working together, to create tv gold.

[@allbies]

Damien Lewis has long been one of my favourite actors. He has such an amazing prescence in his leadership in this show, calm but calculated and has the priority of the mission and his men at heart. Loved him in Homeland too. As a fairly young British guy that saw him playing these American roles, I had no idea he was British until around ten years ago.

[@davechandler4704]

What's really crazy, besides the number of young actors in this who went on to bigger and better things, is how many of them (to this day) still feel a deep attachment to this series. There's numerous videos online of them revisiting the actual battle sites with Col. Dale Dye (the series military consultant) as well as a few of the remaining members of Easy Company. I'd highly recommend watching any of these videos or listening to the recent interviews with the actors on the Reel History channel here on KZbin.

[@jeffreywettig5302]

I always suggest the WW2 symposium from summer 2022, the history hacks zoom from 2020 with almost all the actors, and the ongoing We Happy Few 506th podcast/YT channel with Matthew Lietch who played a role in the series. Wait till it's over though.......

[@BoricuaTaco]

Winters’ comment to Nix at the end where he says “As long as it’s only old men and kids” was always funny to me because you can see Nix is kinda taken aback by how blunt he’s being. Nixon was in the intelligence division and his group were the ones who gathered the intel for this operation, and clearly their intelligence was faulty because the whole thing went belly up, so Winters is taking a little dig at them lol

[@Thunderer0872]

The intel was old and young in Holland, the higher ups had no knowledge that there were a couple of SS Panzer groups just assigned to the area that month. that intel was never passed on, or never known at the time of the jump.

[@davemac1197]

That intel was on the units local to Arnhem and it turned out to be very accurate but nothing to do with the 101st Airborne. Nixon would have been given information disseminated down from SHAEF to 1st Allied Airborne Army, British I Airborne Corps and then to 101st Airborne Division, and down to sub units like the 506th PIR and its three battalion S-2 officers like Nixon of 2nd Battalion. The often quoted "old men on bicycles and Hitler Youth" referred to known units at Arnhem, specifically Sicherungs-Infanterie-Bataillon 908 of WW1 veteren logistics troops deemed unfit for combat duties in 1914-18 and SS-Panzergrenadier-Ersatz-und-Ausbildungs-Bataillon 16 which was finishing up training some Hitler Youth recruits for 12.SS-Panzer-Division 'Hitlerjugend'. The security battalion had two companies guarding Deelen airfield north of Arnhem and companies guarding the River Ijssel bridges at Doesburg and Westervoort. The SS panzergrenadier training battalion had been on the Dutch coast but as the Allies entered Belgium the Reserve Army was mobilised under the 'Valkyrie' Plan and used to man river defence lines in the Netherlands, so the SS-Pz.Gren.Ers-u-Ausb.Btl.16 was withdrawn to their depot at Arnhem as a reserve for the River Waal line. Intelligence that II.SS-Panzerkorps had withdrawn to the Netherlands was known to higher headquarters and was not faulty. It prompted Montgomery to cancel Operation COMET, involving British 1st Airborne and the Polish Parachute Brigade landing at Arnhem, Nijmegen, and Grave, on 10 September and propose an upgraded operation by adding the two American airborne divisions. With the US Airborne holding the corridor at Eindhoven, Grave and Nijmegen, it would allow the British 1st Airborne Division and the Polish Parachute Brigade to concentrate at Arnhem with their considerable anti-tank weapons against armoured counter-attacks. Specific intelligence on the identification of II.SS-Panzerkorps with the 9.SS-Panzer-Division 'Hohenstaufen' and presumably its sister formation '10.SS-Panzer-Division 'Frundsberg' (not confirmed by the Dutch resistance), was not made known below Army Group and Army level because it was based on 'Ultra' code decryptions, and not even the existence of Ultra was disclosed below those levels. This created the myth that the intelligence was at fault. The commander of the 1st Airlanding Anti-Tank Battery at Arnhem, supporting the 1st Parachute Brigade, was briefed to expect heavy armoured counter-attacks from the first day, and that these might include Panther and Tiger tanks. These types of tank were used by 1944 Panzer-Divisions and the schwere Panzer-Abteilung of Panzerkorps respectively, so it was a 'sanitised' dissemination of the 'Ultra' intel briefed to the people who needed to know it. This episode of Band of Brothers shows a conflation of two separate actions at Opwetten and Nuenen, east of Eindhoven on 19 and 20 September, where they encountered elements of Panzerbrigade 107. This unit was on its way to Aachen to fight the US 1st Army and was diverted to Venlo in the Netherlands after the MARKET GARDEN landings. It had a Panther abteilung with 33 tanks and 11 Jagdpanzer IV/L70 tank destroyers, and a panzergrenadier abteilung in armoured half-tracks, so most of the German vehicles used in the episode were incorrect and just the same selection of vehicles available in England for the production. The British Shermans also incorrectly had the same markings as the Cromwells, as only the Cromwell was used in Reconnaissance Regiments indicated by the blue and green [45] unit flash. Shermans in British service also ommitted the .50 cal MG on the turret roof to streamline the MG ammunition logistics to .30 cal only. This is television folks, and in this episode only about 80% of what you see is historically accurate. As for the whole thing going belly up, that was due to the 508th PIR failing to send their 1st Battalion directly to the Nijmegen highway bridge after landing, as General Gavin had instructed before the jump. Colonel Lindquist of the 508th was not a good field commander, like Captain Sobel of E/506th, but unfortunately Lindquist was never removed from command. Neither Matthew Ridgway (82nd CO in Normandy) or Gavin trusted him in a fight, according to Gavin's interview with Cornelius Ryan for his book A Bridge Too Far (1974), but Gavin assigned the 508th to the critical Nijmegen mission instead of the more experienced and aggressive 505th, which he assigned to the Reichswald sector on the German border instead. The city of Nijmegen was deserted by the Germans and the bridge guarded by an NCO and seventeen men until after dark on the first evening, when it was reinforced by the 10.SS-Panzer-Division. The opportunity to move quickly and seize the bridge without hardly firing a shot was lost in the first vital hours, and that compromised the entire operation and sealed the fate of the British Airborne at Arnhem. Not the story you will ever see in a Hollywood production made for an American audience.

[@jessehill9357]

Market Garden was run by the British who are normally very good at acquiring intelligence, however, at this point I think they were getting desperate for a British planned offensive to succeed and ignored the fact that there was a Panzer division within a weeks travel to Holland.

[@davemac1197]

@@jessehill9357 - "Market Garden was run by the British" - not entirely. Operation COMET, the original airborne operation aimed at supporting a British 2nd Army advance on the axis Grave-Nijmegen-Arnhem, was an all-British plan involving just the British 1st Airborne Division and attached Polish Independent Parachute Brigade for the airborne component. Originally scheduled for 8 September, it was delayed by bad weather to 10 September, and then cancelled by Montgomery in the early hours of 10 September as troops were boarding their aircraft. The reason for the cancellation was that Montgomery had received reports that II.SS-Panzerkorps, with 9.SS-Panzer-Division 'Hohenstaufen' and presumably its sister division the 10.SS-Panzer-Division 'Frundsberg', had moved into the Veluwe and Achterhoek areas north and east of Arnhem. It was the knowledge that these divisions, estimated to be reduced to regimental battlegroups of 3,000-3,500 men each with few if any tanks, were refitting in the area that persuaded Montgomery the plan needed to be revised and proposed to Eisenhower an upgraded operation (provisionally called SIXTEEN) by the addition of the two US Airborne Divisions to secure the corridor between Eindhoven and Nijmegen. This would allow for the concentration of the 1st Airborne Division and Polish Brigade, with their combined 83 anti-tank guns, at Arnhem instead of split between Arnhem-Nijmegen-Grave. So the intelligence was definitely not "ignored" and this is a myth perpetrated by Cornelius Ryan's incomplete book A Bridge Too Far (1974). The inclusion of the American divisions meant that the planning had to be turned over to Brereton's 1st Allied Airborne Army because all of its assets would be involved, and Brereton combined Browning's COMET objectives and landing zones with his earlier three-division air plan for cancelled operations LINNET and LINNET II in Belgium. Brereton immediately compromised the COMET airborne plan by deleting the double airlift on the first day and the dawn glider coup de main assaults on the Arnhem, Nijmegen, and Grave bridges. It should be noted that Browning had previously warned that COMET should not go ahead without the coup de main assaults, but now could not object to their removal from Brereton's expanded MARKET plan because Brereton had politically neutralised Browning over his objections to the LINNET II plan. Browning had threatened to resign over LINNET II's too short notice to print and distribute maps to the troops, and Brereton planned to accept his resignation and replace him with Matthew Ridgway as his deputy and his US XVIII Airborne Corps for the operation. LINNET II was fortunately cancelled and both men agreed to forget the incident, but Browning was under no illusions of what would happen if he objected to the MARKET plan. The only thing he could do was ensure his British I Airborne Corps HQ was moved up to the first lift - this was a last minute change to the glider towing schedule - in an effort to influence events once they were on the ground. The 82nd Airborne's James Gavin further compromised the plan by toying with, and eventually dismissing, a British request to drop a battalion north of the Nijmegen highway bridge, and instead instructed his most problematic regimental commander - Roy Lindquist of the 508th PIR - to send his 1st Battalion directly to the bridge as soon as possible after landing. This latter pre-flight instruction is well-documented, but has been overshadowed with a later instruction from Browning on D+1 not to go for the bridge after the initial failed attempt until armour from XXX Corps arrived. The first attempt to take the undefended bridge was conducted too late, Lindquist had failed to move quickly as Gavin had instructed, allowing 10.SS-Panzer-Division to win the race to reinforce Nijmegen and its bridges. It turns out from Cornelius Ryan's 1967 interview notes with Gavin that neither he nor Ridgway (82nd CO in Normandy) trusted Lindquist in a fight. Gavin was responsible for his divisional plan and its failure at Nijmegen in the first vital hours had profound implications for the entire operation and the fate of the 1st Airborne Division at Arnhem. I've just finished reading a series of new booklets on the 1st Airlanding Anti-Tank Battery, which supported 1st Parachute Brigade at Arnhem, and its commander, Major William Arnold, was briefed to expect "heavy armoured counter-attacks" at Arnhem from the first day, including Panther and Tiger tanks. No one below Army Group (Montgomery) and Army (Dempsey) level headquarters had knowledge that 'Ultra' code intercepts even existed, so below those levels troops could only be briefed on 'sanitised' intel in vague terms without unit identifications. Arnold's briefing was coded information that a 1944 panzer division or panzer brigade (Panthers) and a corps heavy tank battalion (Tigers) were expected to intervene from the start. In fact, they didn't arrive until later, and they had to come from Germany because II.SS-Panzerkorps had few assets of their own surviving from Normandy. It should also be noted that Ultra only became public in 1974, the same year Cornelius Ryan's book was rushed to publication unfinished, because of his terminal cancer, so the full intelligence story was unknown to him. Sources: Letter General Gavin to Historical Officer Captain Westover, 17 July 1945 (cited in Little Sense Of Urgency, RG Poulussen, 2014) James Maurice Gavin, Box 101 Folder 10, Cornelius Ryan Collection, Ohio State University. Notes on meeting with J.M. Gavin, Boston, January 20, 1967. The MARKET GARDEN Campaign: Allied operational command in northwest Europe, 1944 (Roger Cirillo PhD Thesis, 2001 Cranfield University) Lost At Nijmegen, RG Poulussen (2011) September Hope - The American Side of a Bridge Too Far, John C McManus (2012) Put Us Down In Hell - A Combat History of the 508th PIR in WW2, Phil Nordyke (2012) 1st Airlanding Anti-Tank Battery: A-Z Troop volumes, Nigel Simpson, Secander Raisani, Philip Reinders, Geert Massen, Peter Vrolijk, Marcel Zwarts (2020-2022)

[@SuperHns]

In Nixon defense he had to work with the Brits which denied the fact they were told about those Germans and SS being in NL at the time

[@Robmcil]

Episodes do get harder but they also get better. Keep up the great work.

[@NYUK-x-4]

I cant remember if band of brothers touched on it, but one of the WWII stories that has always stuck with me was the Malmedy massacre.

[@citizenghosttown]

Band of Brothers doesn't address Malmedy. (And that happened in December in the Ardennes in the opening stages of the Battle of the Bulge --- in this episode, we're still in Septmember).

[@jackmessick2869]

No, but there is a film that touches on it entitled "Saints and Soldiers."

[@sabrecatsmiladon7380]

The 8000 British paratroopers were cut off and surrounded, killed and taken prisoners THIS IS REAL HISTORY =(

[@raymondamador1487]

Partly due to how the British promoted their ranks. Family name and title. Not merit. The United States only lost 750, cause we know how to train our people.

[@kkkelp7346]

In defense of the Brits under Major General Urquhart they landed on top of 2 SS Panzer divisions as lightly armed Paratroopers - they were told they would have to wait 2 days but instead had to hold for 9. The 101st Airbourne got the support of XXX Corps (armour) so arguably they had the easier objectives. The Red Devils were amoungst the most battle hardened and well trained divisions taking part in the Operation. Market Garden failed for numerous reasons but it's their training which saved lives. @@raymondamador1487

[@griechland]

@@raymondamador1487 Oh sod off with that arrogant BS. The British lost 8000 men because their objective (Arnhem) was at the very end of the advance and they were completely cut off from any kind of armored support.

[@bikes02]

@@raymondamador1487 Yeh you yanks was that 'good' that it was you yanks that caused one of the failures of Market Garden. If General Gavin of 82nd Airborne had actually taken Nijmegen Bridge at the beginning when there was minimal German troops at the bridge instead of taking the high ground. So yeh don't blow your trumpet too hard because you're not as good as you think you are 🙄

[@raymondamador1487]

@@griechland British excuses are legendary. Sounds like you're making those points to justify their inferiority. I love British culture and folklore. That doesn't excuse having a shite military.

[@BillO964]

Ames, you are doing such a great respectful job watching this. It is hard but worthwhile learning.

[@Ross__A]

Found your channel recently and I'm really liking your content. Band of Brothers is such an incredible series. Looking forward to more, thanks for sharing!

[@jackal1221]

So when it says the British "lost 8000 men" they mean loss in a military sense of not fighting anymore, not necessarily dead. Of those 8000, 6400 of those were taken prisoner and 1400 died. In military terms, loss, or casualty means dead, wounded, taken prisoner, or missing. They do that a lot in this show, to the confusion of many people.

[@kanjoracer4914]

Those that served in this war truly are the greatest generation

[@dougearnest7590]

Dear sir, I can now report with some certainty that the eve of battle is near at hand. Toward this end, I have ordered the evacuation of Manhattan and directed our defenses to take up stronger positions on the Brooklyn Heights. At the present time, my forces consist entirely of Haslet's Delaware Militia and Smallwood's Marylanders, a total of 5,000 troops to stand against twenty-five thousand of the enemy. And I begin to notice that many of us are lads under 15 and old men, none of whom could truly be called soldiers. One personal note to Mr. Lewis Morris of New York. I must regretfully report that his estates have been totally destroyed, but that I have taken the liberty of transporting Mrs. Morris and eight of the children to Connecticut and safety. The four older boys are now enlisted in the Continental Army. As I write these words, the enemy is plainly in sight beyond the river. How it will end, only Providence can direct. But, dear God, what brave men I shall lose before this business ends. Your obedient, G. Washington.

[@pershingii2424]

This is why I consider those who fought in The American Revolution to be the greatest generation, for without them we would have no country. Every veteran from WWII that I met over the years agreed. They don't consider themselves to be and really shun the idea of being considered as such .​@dougearnest7590

[@jamesbye6251]

Love your videos and your genuine reactions. Great movie and series choices. I’m British and a movie geek, would be good to see you react to something from this side of the world, could you maybe do Snatch?

[@Ernwaldo]

Love Guy Ritchie. Great suggestion. Cheers! 🇺🇸🇬🇧

[@billbabcock1833]

I absolutely love this series. So much that after first watching it I bought the box set on DVDs. Those were the days BS. Before streaming. 😂 I'm really enjoying taking this journey with you. Oh, when Bull took something out of the butt of his rifle in the barn, it was a cigar that he used as chewing tobacco. The attention that they put into small details makes the show so real.

[@duanetelesha]

Tiger was the name of the tank, TigerI and Tiger II tanks was one of he largest produced by the germans. the episodes get rougher now. I do love your reactions.

[@ulisesmagana4413]

5:50 the officer is Colorblind can’t tell the difference between the Red and Green light.

[@jackray333]

Yes mam. 8000 men lost by the British. Not to mention 750 Americans. Yes. These men are absolutely beasts. The Greatest Generation of our age. An keep going , so worth it in the end. Well done.

[@MarcoMM1]

Great reation Ames like always, i love this serie i have seen it duzens of times and, one detail that you miss that unnamed leutenant says the line "Tap my leg when the light turns green, Sergeant." sergeant Martin maybe its becouse that he is color blind and he was terrified of jumping and just needed to feel someone push him. In the end of this episode ends with Winters watching from a distance as Eindhoven is bombed by Germany. This grim scene a turning point in the tone of the story. While D-Day combat was tough, and combat in the weeks following it was certainly no walk in the garden, up 'til now Easy Company was always on the winning side. Here they had to make their first painful retreat. "And now stuff gets really hard" becomes the tone of the next few episodes. Keep up the good work.

[@alanlaw1050]

Bob is one of favs tv-shows of all time, def in my top 10 (and Ive prob at this point seen several hundreds) and seen all the entire season from beginning to en over 20 times. This episode, replacements, most likely ranked near bottom, 9th or 10th.

[@DRAONWEED]

Operation Market garden is the mission my grandfather was injured in & spent the rest of the war in a British hospital, he suffered parachute failure courtesy of German bullets injuring a few vertebrae but not severing his spine. He lived to the age of 65 & passed away in Feb of 81.

[@melbeasley9762]

The tank commander was right not to open fire. You need to be able to see the target, but it was foolish to ignore the report. He should have deviated from his route to outflank it. He has a troop under his command and it should have manouvered into hide positions.

[@KPA78]

For all your comments about you not knowing anything about this war, I do appreciate your reactions as being honest, sincere and heartfelt, and not clouded or persuaded by any preconceived notions of historical events. Very refreshing and entertaining! 👍

[@grumpyoldman7562]

Great reaction! 15:55 A lot of German tanks were named after big cats (Panther, etc). The Tiger was given that nickname by Ferdinand Porsche, yes, the same guy who founded the car company. It's official name was Panzerkamfwagon but almost everyone used Porsche's nickname instead. It was by almost every measure the best tank of the war. It's huge gun was a beast, and its armor was so thick that American tanks couldn't penetrate it. It took on average 4 Sherman tanks to take out a single Tiger. The movie Fury has an excellent tank battle with American Sherman tanks taking on a single German Tiger. It's a good movie. I highly recommend it. As good as the Tiger was, it is often listed as the classic example of why the best weapon doesn't necessarily win wars. For the same amount of resources, we could make 10 Shermans for ever 1 German Tiger. Germany would have done a lot better to produce their less capable and less expensive tanks in higher numbers. In the end, we were able to simply overwhelm them with sheer numbers, as were the Russians. The Tiger was also a very complex machine that required a lot of maintenance. Also note that the Tiger intentionally shot the 2nd tank and not the lead tank. Not only did that split the tank column, it also effectively trapped the lead tank so that it couldn't escape. I've been enjoying your reactions to this series. Looking forward to more!

[@kelalia]

almost everything you said about the tiger's capabilities is wrong. the tiger was a shit tank.

[@chrisbolliger5717]

All German tanks were Panzerkampfwagons. Hence the PzKfw moniker. Early war were the Pz I’s and II’s then the III’s and the IV’s. The Pz IV was the most manufactured of the German tanks and was an all-around solid tank. The Pz V and VI’s were the Tiger and Panther. Both were great tanks when they worked but were plagued by issues and were, more or less, a waste of resources that could have been put to better use. The movie Fury is an action movie set in WW2 and is not a good representation of historical tank tactics. Kelly’s Heroes actually does a better job of addressing Sherman vs Tiger tactics even though it is pure fiction.

[@johnshull2454]

This is a great series to review. I am looking forward to you doing more series reactions.

[@buddystewart2020]

Well, of course it's gonna be hard because, it's war. You're hangin' in there though.

[@chrispyle2942]

Another great one! I love that the celebration in 1944/1945 of liberated Countries/Cities is still honored today. A bit off topic but the graveyard in Normandy, France full of Americans is a great example. I think Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter captured it best in "US Blues" "Wave that flag, wave it wide and high. Summertime done, come and gone, my, oh, my. I'm Uncle Sam, that's who I am; Been hidin' out in a rock and roll band. Shake the hand that shook the hand of P.T. Barnum and Charlie Chan. Shine your shoes, light your fuse. Can you use them ol' U.S. Blues? I'll drink your health, share your wealth, run your life, steal your wife. Wave that flag, wave it wide and high."

[@sabrecatsmiladon7380]

Another great reaction, Ames! *I was told there would be refreshing beverages and tasty snacks being served for this reaction....???*

[@richardvarnish8506]

Regarding the 'occupation' by the Germans and the collaborators treatment it's refreshing to watch a reactor who understands what's going on, I'd say you know more than you think you do.

[@melbeasley9762]

No Tigers (Panzer Kampfwagen Tiger Ausf B) aren't called that because they have stripes on them. The vehicle you were looking at wasn't a Tiger. What looked like stripes were extra track links attached to the vehicle to act as extra armour.

[@raymondamador1487]

Love your reactions. Liked the vid. 🌹☮️🌹

[@aweebunny]

Next comes ep. 5 'Crossroads'. So good.

[@MotorcycleImaging]

One thing you may or may not not have noticed is when Winters and other officers turn up their collars so as not to identify themselves as officers. there were still many snipers in the area and officers were the first targets to disorganize the men if the leadership fell. This is why I love the accuracy of this series. This practice continues today which is one of the reasons why rank is no longer displayed on the collars or shoulders of all men in the field

[@SuperHns]

Too but they were also making out with the women that was no secret

[@kissmy_butt1302]

Jimmy Fallon, Simon Pegg (Who was fairly established) Michael Fassbender, and Tom Hardy are the ones that were in supporting roles that are now well known. The Germans stripped all food and fuel from the Dutch near the end of the war. Thousands died of starvation and the elements. The Dutch don't get a lot of attention but they were treated the worst of the occupied countries. The scene with the boy and chocolate is a very sanitized way of how they were treated.

[@neilgriffiths6427]

They also supplied the biggest contingent of SS soldiers, and too many were totally complicit.

[@dougearnest7590]

To choose between fascism and communism, or to do nothing. Pretty much a no-win situation most of Europe was in.@@neilgriffiths6427

[@SuperHns]

Poland and Netherlands both were treated real bad

[@christophernessmith2376]

There’s a great film called “A Bridge Too Far” all about Operation Market Garden that I highly recommend!

[@paulcollinsyoga]

Keep going. It's war. You know it's going to be hard to watch at times. But this series is such an important document of WW2. To me, this and Schindlers List are the two productions that EVERYONE should watch from a purely historical perspective. No surprise that Spielberg was involved in both.

[@Zemzam]

For what it is worth...it WAS just old men and kids until literally a day before the invasion. Germany rotated some of their elite units to Holland for a break the day before the invasion. Instead of facing secondary units, the allies were facing battle-hardened veterans.The movie 'A Bridge Too Far' also depicts this, as well as the documentary 'The Victoria Cross: For Valour'

[@davemac1197]

Not exactly. "Old men on bicycles and some Hitler Youth" was the often quoted remark and referred to specific intelligence on the local security unit and an SS training battalion in the Arnhem area. The units were Sicherungs-Infanterie-Bataillon 908 and SS-Panzergrenadier-Ersatz-und-Ausbildungs-Bataillon 16 respectively. SIB 908 was a unit of WW1 veteran logistics troops deemed unfit for combat duty back in 1914-18, with companies deployed to guard Deelen airfield and the bridges at Doesburg and Westervoort. SS-Pz.Gren.Ers-u-Ausb.Btl.16 had previously been designated '12' until August as it was finishing training replacements for 12.SS-Panzer-Division 'Hitlerjugend' and had changed designation to '16' in anticipation of receiving 1,600 recruits to train for 16.SS-Panzergrenadier-Division 'Reichsführer-SS'. It had been deployed on the Dutch coast, a potential invasion coast, until the Allies entered Belgium and the need to construct river defence lines in the Netherlands stripped some units from the coast and redeployed them inland. SS-Pz.Gren.Ers-u-Ausb.Btl.16 was divided in two, with three companies left on the coast and the battalion HQ, and companies 2 and 4, returned to their permanent depot in Arnhem as a reserve to the River Waal defence line. The II.SS-Panzerkorps, with the 9.SS-Panzer-Divission 'Hohenstaufen' and the 10.SS-Panzer-Division 'Frundsberg' under command, had moved into the eastern Netherlands after withdrawing from Normandy, arriving on 7/8 September, about 10 days before MARKET GARDEN started. In fact, 8 September was the day that Operation COMET was scheduled to land British 1st Airborne Division and the Polish Parachute Brigade at Arnhem, Nijmegen and Grave, but it was delayed by weather to 10 September. Montgomery received intelligence II.SS-Panzerkorps had moved into the area and cancelled COMET in the early hours of 10 September as troops were boarding their aircraft, and in a meeting with Eisenhower later that day proposed an upgraded Operation to be called MARKET GARDEN with the American divisions added, enabling 1st Airborne and the Poles to concentrate at Arnhem with their substantial compliment of anti-tank guns. The film actually creates a false impression that their opponents were all regular SS field units, when in fact it was a myriad number of training and reserve units attached to the depleted SS divisions as a command structure. The film deliberately sets out to serve the director's intent to make an "anti-war film" by making the operation seem futile, when in fact most of the German units were substandard or understrength and greatly disheartened by their own casualties. It was frankly a battle the Germans did not expect to win and they were quite surprised that they prevailed. The Allies simply made too many mistakes, the worst blunder being at Nijmegen, when the undefended bridge was not seized in the first vital hours, allowing the 10.SS-Panzer-Division to reinforce it, delaying XXX Corps' advance and sealing the fate of 1st Airborne Division at Arnhem.

[@eddietorres1000]

In 1977 Hollywood Made A movie about this Operation Market Garden it's a Very Good Movie called "A Bridge Too Far" it Stars a Lot of Famous British and American Actors of that Time of the Late 70's

[@tehawesomeface1337]

The episode ‘Replacements’ took place during ‘Operation Market Garden’, at that time the biggest deployment of allied airborne troops. If you are interested, check the 1977 film about Operation Market Garden ‘A Bridge Too Far’. This film was almost 3 hours long with an incredibly large cast that included Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Gene Hackman, Robert Redford, James Caan. As mentioned in the end credits, it didn’t have a good ending. Only two of the three target bridges were captured. Over 8,000 British paratroopers were lost trying to hold the ‘bridge too far’. Only about 2000 were able to survive and get out. When the film was released in my home country of the Philippines, the last third act of the film was REMOVED from the theatrical release, ending with the capture of the second bridge so it could have a triumphant ending! It wasn’t until I moved to Canada and saw it years later on TV that I saw the original ending.

[@davemac1197]

Actually 24 target bridges in the operation, only three featured in the film in any detail, and a fourth bridge at Grave glimpsed briefly for just ten seconds! None of the rail bridges in the operation were shown, and many of those were blown up because they were prepared for demolition with a 'sprengkommando' stationed on them for months ssince the Allied invasion in Normandy. A number of canal bridges were also blown up very promptly as these were on canal defence lines, already prepared for demolition and with standing orders to detonate if threatened. Only the large bridges at Arnhem and Nijmegen, which were behind these defence lines, were unprepared. The Arnhem bridge was quickly captured by the British Airborne and held for four days, while the US Airborne failed to move quickly on the Nijmegen bridge while it was undefended, allowing the 10.SS-Panzer-Division to reinforce the bridges and the city of Nijmegen and impose a delay on the advance of the British tanks that sealed the fate of the Airborne at Arnhem. That's crazy about the film being cut in the Philippines like that. I can only add that if the full story had been told, it would never be in a Hollywood film made for an American audience. It's the reason the first day in Nijmegen is not shown in the film, but most people don't notice it.

[@EastPeakSlim]

As father of two daughters and grandfather of one granddaughter, I am always freaked out by the scene where the Dutch women collaborators are punished. That kind of treatment makes my skin crawl, deserved or not.

[@Ernwaldo]

As a single 60 year old with no descendants (m or f), it makes mine crawl, too. I also understand why it was done. Probably why those scenes were there.

[@Robalogot]

As a grandson of a woman whose father and two brothers were executed for fighting for the resistance in Belgium because the girl living next door to them ratted them out so she could party with the Germans, they got off too easy.

[@JustinWillisDevil240Z]

This episode covers Operation Market Garden. I highly reccomend the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far which also depicts the same operation. It has an amazing cast and some of the best cinematography and special effects the 70s has to offer. It rivals Star Wars A New Hope which came out the same year.

[@Lue_Jonin]

Another outstanding reaction video 👍 📹 ❤ 🇺🇸

[@woeshaling6421]

I was born in Geldrop, grew up in Son, spent my teens in Oosterbeek and live to this day in Arnhem. All these places were involved with Market Garden and all have memorials to the soldiers. I attended the 50th memorial at the Airborne cemetery in Oosterbeek with prince Charles and queen Beatrix attending. Market Garden and WW2 are inextricably linked with my life, as I was born on Dutch liberation day (may 5th) as well

[@Kevin-fn9zx]

My dad fought with the 5th Canadian Armoured division liberating the Netherlands. When I was younger I was on a train to Amsterdam the police threw me off but would never say why. And yet the Germans treated me great. Hahahaha. life can be strange.

[@RichardJohnson-GW]

Excellent reactions to this series. Thank you for your thoughtful approach to this series. Your hard work is appreciated!

[@Curraghmore]

Episode 5 coming up next might be my favorite. There's a great 1977 film about Operation Market Garden called 'A Bridge Too Far' with one of the most stacked casts ever. Sean Connery, Robert Redford, James Caan, Anthony Hopkins, Gene Hackman, Michael Caine, nearly everyone who was anyone at the time is in it.

[@philiponeill6903]

A "Tiger" was a specific model of German tank. They were built in lesser numbers, because they were considered over-engineered and too resource-hungry, but one-on-one on the battlefield, they were one of the toughest tanks of the war. They carried a heavy gun that could punch through the armour of just about all Allied tanks, while their own frontal armour was heavily resistant to the guns carried by Allied tanks (with a few exceptions).

[@ryanhampson673]

If you want to watch a movie that covers the Market Garden operation you should check out “A bridge too far.” It’s older, made in the 70’s IIRC but it had a star studded cast for the time and goes into pretty good detail on how flawed the operation was from the start. Also the mini documentary “How to win a Victoria cross” covers British paratrooper Major Robert Caine’s ordeal during the operation and battle outside of Arnhem.

[@Doug.Dimmadome]

As a Dutchman, veteran Marine from Eindhoven itself: You've been in Eindhoven, or NL as a whole? :-D That's so cool Yea we in the South, if anyone in NL, know and remember all about WW II (or we should. Maybe not the youth...) Market Garden played a MAJOR role in WW II and Dutch lives. We still have the memorials especially for the Canadians, the biggest concentration in Eindhoven / Arnhem It's where the Tulip festival comes from

[@SuperHns]

Ahum. I am from Heerlen and my grandparents were in the war we are even further south than you are lol Germany is literally in walking distance

[@patmurray9730]

A GREAT movie that TOTALLY focused on Operation Marketgarden, "A Bridge Too Far," came out in the mid 70s. It was the first movie I saw where the allies lost. I was kinda pissed when I first saw it. I was there to be entertained, NOT educated. The funny thing is I went to college a few years later and became a History major. My perspective on that movie did a 180.

[@victorpena9824]

Watching you, Ames.. Your reactions, facial expressions and pertinate questions are enjoyable to behold. Keep it up! There are five more episodes, you will believe you're on a roller coaster of emotions. Love from Texas.❤

[@Kal-El1938]

There's a good movie from 1977 called A Bridge Too Far, it's about this same operation. They do a good job of portraying from the British, American, and German perspective.

[@lukasismael430]

Operation Market Garden had a lot of casualties, many not even depicted in this episode. To put things in perspective, you might want to watch a movie from the 70's "A Bridge Too Far" that was all about operation Market Garden on an epic scale. It had top notch actors of the day such as Robert Redford, Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Anthony Hopkins and many more. There was even Elliot Gould portraying Colonel Robert Sink from this series, although for some reason his name was changed to Robert Stout.

[@davemac1197]

Virtually Gould's entire performance was fiction, so there may have been an objection to using Sink's name. A lot of the names in the film were changed and the thing they all have in common is a fictional performance. Sink was nowhere near the Son bridge site when the Bailey bridge was being constructed and was not involved - almost the whole 506th Regiment was in Eindhoven (apart from one platoon left for bridge security) and Sink was where he should be, commanding his regiment. The attempt at taking the bridge intact was led by Company commanders - A and B Companies from 1st Battalion along the canal bank and D Company leading 2nd Battalion down the main street in the village towards the bridge when it was blown. Regiment commanders down't lead the entire regiment from the front like Gould did any more than battalion commanders fire their rifle or throw grenades like Redford's Julian Cook. Cook was annoyed by Redford's performance because it was mostly fiction. Leading the river assault was accurate, but the rest was pure Hollywood. Also, Sink was not from Yugoslavia, as Bobby Stout claims in the film, he was born in North Carolina, although he may have had Yugoslavian ancestors.

[@lukasismael430]

@@davemac1197 I did think it was a bit odd that Gould's Sink (or "Stout") was leading an assault on a bridge, because you never see Sink do something like that in this series; and being a regiment commander he would not have. I was never able to get enough logistical info on operation Market Garden when it came down to individuals, so I just assumed that the movie added in personal details that we weren't aware of. Thanks for clearing up the details, a lot of things make more sense now.

[@davemac1197]

@@lukasismael430 - I think where band of Brothers scores is showing the correct relationship between senior commanders and the men they command - the scene in Episode 7 in the attack on Foy where Winters wants to get involved but is ordered by Sink to stay back, and then Winters sees Speirs (who was in another company, not Easy) standing there, so Winters orders him to take over Easy Company's attack. That scene is accurate and that did actually happen the way it was shown, as far as I know. If you compare that scene to Robert Redford's personal attack on the Nijmegen bridge, firing his rifle and throwing a grenade, these were things Julian Cook did not do because he was doing his proper job of commanding his whole battalion, not leading a Company or Platoon action. The film was financed by Hollywood producer Joseph Levine by pre-selling the distribution rights to United Artists on the strength of the A-list cast being virtually guaranteed box office. That means that the stars had to have things to do, not just giving orders from a safe position, and that's where the dramatic licence comes in. Another interesting story about the film was that James Caan was offered the role of the Captain (Captain LeGrand 'Legs' Johnson, CO of Fox Company, 502nd PIR), but he preferred the role of the Sergeant, Charles 'Eddie' Dohun, because it was more heroic. Dohun was actually Johnson's Jeep driver, runner, and general gofer (I think like the character of 'Radar' from the TV classic M*A*S*H), and it was Johnson that was the tough combat veteran awarded the Silver Star for bravery in Normandy. People who knew both of them said that Johnson was ten times the man Dohun was. So they reversed the characters just to get Caan on board, and changed the name of the Captain to 'Captain Glass' in the credits, although his name is never used in the dialogue. The irony is that the true story of Charles Dohun is even more heroic, because what he did was so out of character, and it would have made an even more unbelievable scene.

[@LordOfAllusion]

This show has James MacAvoy, Tom Hardy, AND Michael Fassbender in it as bit parts.

[@Knight-Bishop]

Simon Pegg, too.

[@LordOfAllusion]

@@Knight-Bishop and Jimmy Fallon

[@Knight-Bishop]

@@LordOfAllusion Idk if future cameos count as spoilers, but careful now 😜

[@Ernwaldo]

@@Knight-Bishop Agree.

[@martensjd]

Every time I see the friendly crowd surrounding Easy in Eindhoven, I get nervous because of how easy it would be for someone to snatch a grenade.

[@cbruggeman25]

I was in the 101st from 06 to 12. I meet maj. Winters a few times. A great man. Soft spoken. I have a 101st flag signed by him right before he passed. I would suggest to watch the pacific and generation kill next.

[@McBrannon1000]

Market Garden was a classic example of "No plan survives first contact." Extremely low flexibility, an intricate timetable, and several fuck-ups along the way (the Brits at Arnhem all got radios, but no batteries, the tanks were supplied with not enough gas because somebody calculated in kilometers instead of miles, etc). An awesome movie about what happened is A Bridge Too Far.

[@davemac1197]

Extremely low flexibility and intricate timetable are nonsense. 24 bridges with a minimum of 10 required to get to Arnhem on the main supply route has a great deal of flexibility, and the timetable was notional, two to three days to get to Arnhem - there were no set timings like a train timestable - that would be ridiculous. I've been reading on Market garden since 1977 and this is the first time I've heard about no batteries for radios delivered and fuel calculated in kilometres - that sounds like nonsense because Britain still uses miles even today. What are your sources? The radios at Arnhem were functionaing normally but at great reduced ranges, due to the terrain. It was not appreciated until after the war that the Veluwe region was glacial moraine with a high iron content, and this affected radio reception. There were two special VHF sets belonging to two teams from from the USAAF 306th Fighter Control Squadron for contacting aircraft that was organised in haste and had their radios delivered with the wrong crystals, but this only affected two sets. Th Royal Artillery used more powerful radios and although also affected by reduced ranges, they were still able to provide support at the gun ranges, for example at the bridge from the batteries deployed in Oosterbeek. Market Garden did not fail at Arnhem - the Arnhem highway bridge was secured on the first evening and held for 80 hours - it failed at Nijmegen, where a regiment commander failed to follow the specific instruction of the division commander to send his first battalion directly to the highway bridge after landing, which turned out to be guarded by just an NCO and seventeen men in a city otherwise deserted by the Germans. The plan would have worked if it had been followed, in spite of all the other problems.

[@rayvanhorn1534]

Thank you for the respect you show these men. This generation I hold on very high esteem, not only for what they accomplished in WWII but going through the Depression as well. Generally speaking they had such tremendous character & fortitude. I hope you can familiarize more & remember their names, you'll have more of a connection I believe. Thank you

[@Lord6]

For what its worth, I very much appreciate your empathy in these videos. Saw you first on your hacksaw ridge reaction and then I think the saving private ryan reaction, and now this series. It's very nice to see a woman go through different emotions while watching these than I did.

[@aljosapetkovic69]

The British First Airborne also known as the Red Devils was the most elite fighting unit in the western Army, they were sent forward the furthest to secure the bridge across the Rhine and make it to Arnhem before German reinforcements could arrive - the story of their brave sacrifice is only briefly touched on in this series as its mostly based on the American perspective. In the 1977 film "A bridge too far" they show Operation Market Garden from the American, British and German side its a very very good movie and also super star studded - Redford, Hopkins, Connery, Caan, Hackman just to name a few.

[@michaelhartsell6566]

When this is over you will be so glad you watched this terrific series. Job well done with this reaction!!

[@roniedias1991]

Love your reacts...my grandpa was himself a veteran in the Brazilian Expeditionary Force and they fought in Italy...lots and lots of stories...and you are right...they are/were really braaaaaave men...Saudações do Brasil😘🙏

[@skaweevil]

One of my favourite war films 'A Bridge Too Far' is an epic portrayal of Operation Market Garden from all different perspectives, definitely worth a watch!

[@csnow414]

Such a little detail, but I love the exchange between Sgt Martin and Lt Peacock, where the Lt tells him to tap his leg. There's a popular theory that the LT was red/green color blind and needed to be told when the light changed. Being color blind would put you out of the service, so he couldn't make his issue known to anybody.

[@4nthr4x]

I'm glad that you took your time to read the sobering message at the end with casualty figures. Most reactors seem to read too slow and miss the especially tough fight and sacrifice of the British (and Polish!) at Arnhem. Well done. So far I've watched more than a dozen reactions to this amazing series. Men, women, adults, teens, elders, couples, from many different countries or level of WW2 knowledge. Your reaction is compassionate and heartfelt, so I'm all in for the rest of it with a sub. Thank you!

[@bigguncannon1]

One movie that is amazing and focuses on Operation Market Garden is A bridge to far. It had a ton of world class actors at the time it came out. It sheds a lot of light on why this operation failed.

[@davemac1197]

It doesn't shed any light on why the operation failed because it was based on the book by Cornelius Ryan, which was very biased in its criticism of the British commanders and completely ignored or missed the critical failure to secure the Nijmegen highway bridge on the first day, which fatally delayed the advance of the tanks to Arnhem. There's no way the true story would ever be made into a Hollywood film financed by American money - A Bridge Too Far was unusually financed by pre-selling the distribution rights to United Artists on the perceived box office of its A-list cast, and didn't do as well as hoped, released just two years after the end of the Vietnam War. Most people in the US chose to spend their money seeing Star Wars for the 19th time instead of going to see A Bridge Too Far. Ironically, the only character who came close to blaming the right reason at the church tower scene at the end was Ryan O'Neal's General James Gavin, when he said "it was Njmegen", although in truth he took some responsibility for a command failure by one of his regimental commanders - a character and unit not featured in the film at all, but it was conflated post-war by a priority to seize the high ground of the Groesbeek ridge in order to avoid publicly throwing a subordinate officer under the bus.

[@hokiedoo]

Market Garden was a nightmare for the allies 😪

[@michaelstach5744]

A complex plan that depended on everything going right. Unfortunately a lot of things went wrong, a lot of things.

[@mariuszpudzianowski8400]

@@michaelstach5744 One positive was that British paratroopers *really* proved to be an elite force, fought like lions till the very end

[@lyndoncmp5751]

It was actually less a nightmare and with far fewer casualties than the Hurtgen Forest and Lorraine campaigns that same autumn.

[@mariuszpudzianowski8400]

Oh definitely, they didn't call it Murder Forrest for nothing, plus Nazis really did throw everything they had at allies and were pretty succesful for the first few days@@lyndoncmp5751

[@kentbarnes1955]

Operation Market Garden is covered in the movie "A Bridge Too Far". Not as good as BoB...made in the day when they really couldn't "show" the reality of combat. But a big name cast. Yes...the tension ramps up from here. Thanks for covering.

[@johnstrickler2238]

As a Vet, I just want to say thank you for these reactions. Obviously, I'm not a veteran of WWII, but there is a continuity in the heart of those who come before us, who pave the way for us. This series is phenomenally important to see. Thank you for watching and remembering.

[@arwiviv]

Im appreciating your reaction to this GREAT series. Ive seen it MANY times since it first debuted, and it still never fails to deliver a huge emotional impact after all of these years. I look forward to your reaction of EPI 5.

[@trottheblackdog]

There's an amazing film from the British perspective on this battle called A Bridge Too Far. It's a classic.

[@davemac1197]

It's from the American perspective and has a distinct anti-British bias. The film crew and director were British, but the producer and screenwriter were both American, so the film was made very much for an American audience. It's highly entertaining, but it's not history.

[@trottheblackdog]

@@davemac1197 I don't know about an anti British bias. It shows Frost's heroism, in fact all the Paras.

[@justsmashing4628]

Great reactions to Bob 😊

[@bradlymiller4936]

A future good follow up movie to this episode would be “A Bridge too Far”. It’s a long movie but it’s pretty good and covers the whole Market Garden operation.

[@americandad8903]

“I don’t know why I’m whispering “ Just shows how invested you were in the moment!

[@sabrecatsmiladon7380]

Most military vehicles are named after animals, often predators. The Germans called some of their tanks after big cats- the TIGER, PANTHER, PUMA, etc. Tiger tanks were the baddest tanks on the battlefield! Let me draw an analogy with cars. The Tiger tank is a Mercedes, the Panther was a BMW...the US tanks were used 4 door sedans that Parents drive and are NOT cool.

[@Knight-Bishop]

Applies oddly enough to the comparative numbers they existed in, too. Waaay more uncool family sedans.

[@michaelstach5744]

There are weird conventions for naming military equipment. The US would name tanks after generals, Grants, Sherman’s, Stuarts. The UK had Churchills and Cromwells. Our battleships were named after states, cruisers after major cities. The German tanks were better, better built, better engineered. Even if one Tiger was equal to three Shermans, the US could produce four tanks for everyone one Germany made. Having factories out of the range of long distance bombers was important.

[@TomCat777]

Market Garden was a cluster F. Monty was not as good as he thought he was, but refused to take any responsibility for the screw up

[@neilgriffiths6427]

Except the blame for not taking Nijmegen bridge in time, the last bridge before Arnhem lies with who, exactly - not Monty . Don't talk about responsibility, Yank.

[@davemac1197]

Hollywood is not history. Try reading books instead: September Hope - The American Side of a Bridge Too Far, John C McManus (2012) Put Us Down In Hell - A Combat History of the 508th PIR in WW2, Phil Nordyke (2012) The 508th Connection, Zig Boroughs (2013), chapter 6 - Nijmegen Bridge

[@cbearabc]

I am not ready to watch this series over again, it is such a gut punch. It is a lot easier to watch it though eyes and missing out on of some of the punching. Thank you for this? 🤕👍