Band of Brothers 1x7 REACTION!! "The Breaking Point"

[@BlindWave]

Ride the Wave and subscribe by clicking here: kzbin.info Raw Rider Patrons can watch the Full Length Reaction HERE: blindwavellc.com/band-of-brothers-1x07-full/

[@Yamato-tp2kf]

One historical detail: the Winter 1944/45 was considered to be one of the coldest in that decade, well, all winters in that decade were, according to meteorological records, the coldest ever registered!

[@Drummer4President]

“SPIERS!! GET YOURSELF OVER HERE” makes me feel so excited EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.!

[@asian123205]

lol

[@ladycplum]

The most badass moment in the entire series.

[@chaost4544]

Everyone's acting in this episode is top tier. Neal McDonough's portrayal of someone broken from the experiences they've been through is very memorable.

[@timothybrown5999]

Totally, his blank stare and giving non answers really stuck with me. Could just tell he was there physically, but mentally he was in another place.

[@insertgenericusernamehere2402]

2 more episodes till my personal favourite "acted" episode. Not my favourite episode because of how harrowing it is. But good god the guys/girls do incredible in it

[@TonyTylerDraws]

The actor said he can’t watch this episode because he’s haunted by the fact this happened to people

[@MWSin1]

The "m-m-m-medic!" always breaks me.

[@thechad4485]

It’s weird to see him in other projects. Especially ones that don’t take advantage of his incredible acting talents. For me, this is peak McDonough.

[@hifyn]

the whole sequence from Winters wanting to charge out himself, completing ignoring Sink to call Speirs, then Speirs charging out, is SO badass. What incredible men they all were.

[@krisfrederick5001]

Epic

[@GeekFurious]

The great thing about that moment (which I believe is pretty close to how it is written in the biography), is that it shows exactly how the chain of command works. Winters' commander is chewing him out for forgetting his place in the command structure. And while he's being chewed out, Winters goes into the mode expected of him and immediately finds a solution and orders a subordinate to action. His commander, respecting the chain of command which includes those below him, does not interfere, and does not admonish him further seeing the issue has been resolved.

[@tarinindell8217]

Iirc its pretty close, but Sink didnt yell at Winters. He realized he shouldnt rush in, so he just sent the first officer he saw in to send in the attack. Just happened to be Spiers, who actually shouldnt have been there. Also, a lot of the guys didnt realize it, but Dike got shot and freaked out. Also, Dike wasnt a coward. He had been awarded two Bronze Stars for some pretty heroic actions in the leadup to the attack on Foye. But like i said, he was already stressed, got wounded, and fell apart.

[@GeekFurious]

@@tarinindell8217 Dike freaked out BEFORE he supposedly got shot. I don't know why people ignore that but they do. He was a bad Easy Company commander the entire time he was with them. No one trusted him. He did nothing to prove he was good at his job. And I accept that he was likely suffering from PTSD when he arrived at Easy, but let's not pretend the reason he made such terrible decisions was because he was wounded. He was already making terrible decisions before he was wounded. There is a reason Lipton went to Winters.

[@dudermcdudeface3674]

@@tarinindell8217 Also, Sink was 39. Apart from the much older actor just being awesome, they brought him in to communicate to audiences just how extreme a difference even a few years of relative experience can make. He was an old man in Winters' eyes, and Winters was an old man in the eyes of the men despite being roughly a peer. In Winters' memoirs, he mentions how surreal it was to accept the surrender of German officers more than double his age.

[@shl4878]

Shifty is one of my favorites! And we've seen Shifty being an excellent shot in the show before - in the Carentan episode he was the one who took out the sniper and then shot one of the machine gunners in the cafe before Lt. Welsh ran in and threw a grenade in the window. I think in the reaction you guys even noted that was a great shot! One of my favorite bits on this episode from the book: Lipton and Popeye Wynn looked at the place where the sniper had held them up, the one Powers shot at. They found the sniper with a bullet right in the middle of the forehead. "You know," Wynn commented, "it just doesn't pay to be shootin' at Shifty when he's got a rifle." Another story from the book that didn't make it to the show was that while Easy was in Bastogne, Shifty came to report to Lipton one day and told him there was a tree in the forest that hadn't been there yesterday. Understandably Lipton was doubtful but Shifty insisted it wasn't there before. Lipton checked it out; turns out the Germans had set up some artillery camouflaged by some shrubbery. Command approved an artillery strike and took out the battery. From the book: "It all happened," Lipton summed up, "because Shifty saw a tree almost a mile away that hadn't been there the day before."

[@benschultz1784]

It was an artillery observers' position disguised as a tree, but yeah. Shifty Powers lived up to the "backwoods Virginia sharpshooter" legacy of Daniel Morgan

[@shl4878]

@@benschultz1784 No it was artillery at least according to Lipton & Ambrose. From the book: "Lipton studied the spot with his binoculars. He saw some movement near the tree and then more movement under other trees around it. Then he saw gun barrels - 88s by their appearance, as they were elevated and 88s were the basic German antiaircraft weapon as well as ground artillery piece. Lipton realized that the Germans were putting an antiaircraft battery in among the trees, and had put up the tree Powers spotted as part of their camouflage."

[@enigmadrath1780]

I always appreciated the detail that Winters actually swore (by his standards) when he went "Jesus Christ". Winters was a religious man and reportedly never swore or used vulgar language. In an earlier episode he specifically refused to take the lord's name in vain when talking to Nixon (when Nixon says "For Christ sake" Winters retorts with "For Pete's sake"), but in this episode the situation was going so wrong so fast it just slips out in disbelief.

[@reviewbomb85]

If I remember correctly, he described himself at this moment as "being fueled with rage" Even the best of us can act out of character sometimes I suppose.

[@OctoStar20]

Fun fact: When the book was first released, the legal department told the real life Winters that having the Speirs stories included (shooting prisoners of war, the charge we see in this episode, etc) was a risk, both due to possible lawsuits and believability. Winters then called Speirs and asked him if the stories were true, to which Speirs replied: "Yeah, they're true". After Winters explained the situation to him, Speirs offered to write a letter to the legal department, which he did, and after that, from what Winters recounts, the whole situation died down and there were no more problems regarding lawsuits. I like to think that Speirs offered them a cigarette in that letter. R.I.P. Ronald Speirs, in fact, R.I.P. all of these brave men, and bless this masterpiece of a show for telling their story so well.

[@Ethan-qp3co]

Whats the name of the book? I dont suppose the book is also called band of brothers?

[@OctoStar20]

​@@Ethan-qp3coit's the book the series was based on, and yeah, it's called Band of Brothers

[@johngage856]

I came here to say this as well. There is an old interview with Winters, looks like mid to late 1980s, where he is discussing this exact thing. Hearing him retell the way Spiers gave no fucks about anyone knowing about anything he did is amusing, it seemed even winters was still impressed by Spiers even 40 years later.

[@CagriAkpak]

Apparently what Speirs did was even more exaggerated in the books. The run was much longer. They did not want to show it because they thought it would look unbelievable.

[@FrenchieQc]

He ran longer, but not in the thick of it among german troops. He kinda skirted the battle, into no man's land. And once he hooked up with I company, the leader of I company got mowed down by machine gun fire seconds after Speirs had left him, thankfully someone else had been nearby and was able to relay Speirs' message.

[@gibsongirl2100]

I don't think you mean, "exaggerated" - that would mean that the event was built up or partly fictionalized for the series. Witness accounts say Speirs' run was longer and further, making it even more impressive than the series showed.

[@jackj9816]

They also didn’t show what he did in the events of the second episode where he helped them take out some of the guns

[@khalduras784]

Half truth there. He ran into buildings for cover time to time. He wasnt just sprinting in one open field

[@phj223]

Neal McDonough, the actor playing Buck, is just amazing in these episodes, he does so much with only his face and the blank, empty stare in his eyes. He had been in other stuff before this series, but his career wasn't really taking off, and he said in an interview that he actually considered giving up on acting when he suddenly landed this role.

[@Riel93]

Spiers' Captain America moment is one of my absolute fav moments in this amazing show! What an absolute badass!

[@LC__15]

Came to comment the same thing haha, Ronald Spiers in that moment was the real Captain America 🇺🇸🫡!

[@flaggerify]

It's the only scene from the show that I remembered 20 years later during rewatching.

[@WraithWTF]

Telling Shifty to not miss is like reminding water to make things wet. As one of the other members of Easy Co said, "It just don't pay to be shooting at Shifty when he's got a rifle in his hands."

[@krisfrederick5001]

When Buck's helmet hits the ground, it's as Earth shattering as the German artillery.

[@shl4878]

Also, fun little things you notice when you rewatch this series a few times: We've seen Lt. Peacock in action before - last episode he led the patrol in which Pvt. Julian got shot in the neck. Before they set off, you can hear Luz talking about Peacock, saying something like "that asshole couldn't find a snowball in a blizzard" - same guy who says that he's really glad he's going home this episode lol.

[@benschultz1784]

We first saw him in Ep. 4 telling Sgt. Martin to alert him about the lights because he was colorblind.

[@CSC52698]

​@@benschultz1784episode 5, Crossroads, "No, wait for the signal!"

[@catherinelw9365]

Webster hated Peacock because when they were heading towards Berchtesgarden, the enlisted men still slept in foxholes while officers got houses (taken from civilians temporarily), and Peacock made them come in and clean house like a maid service. Pissed off many of the men, shivering in cold, wet foxholes.

[@albinorhino6]

The story about Spiers running through the German lines is true. He actually ran a much further distance than depicted in the show, they cut it down to make it seem more realistic for the show. Shifty Powers also shot the German sniper. Shifty was an excellent marksman. Again, the actual shot he took was further than depicted in the show, and he did it while standing, and with iron sights. There’s another story about shifty spotting a German position. The Germans set up a new position in the night, and were using trees for cover. Shifty noticed that it looked like the forest had shifted, so they shelled the position, and took out the Germans.

[@jacquelinelaface136]

Ugh, that scene with Buck in the hospital tent crushes me every time. He is so broken and empty, it physically hurts my chest to watch it.

[@dlxmarks]

In his posthumously published memoir Parachute Infantry David Webster had some choice words about his platoon officer Thomas Peacock. In addition to disparaging his poor command ability, he related how in the Netherlands, Peacock woke him from a sound sleep in his slit trench to make him sweep the floor of the nicely furnished house which served as the officers' billet. By the way, Peacock did return to Easy but it was after VE Day so he was no longer a threat in combat although he still annoyed Webster with his petty martinet behavior. Peacock died in a 1948 car accident not long after completing law school. I highly recommend the book because it's sourced from Webster's wartime journals as opposed to so many other histories that are based on the decades old recollections of veterans.

[@Perseus7567]

I don't want to call Webster a liar, but I seriously doubt the validity of that story. As far as I've seen, I've not seen another single member validate this story, or mention anything similar. The closest we get is someone else calling Peacock an "idiot", but with most calling him a generic by-the-book officer who may be a little slow in combat. None seem to show the level of dissatisfaction that Webster had, which leads to me believe there was something more personal between those two.. especially as Webster's memoirs were written at the time, it's natural they'd be more biased if something did happen between them.

[@CBO4evr]

Its incredible to imagine that Joe Toye survived being blown up not once but 4 times. 2 seperate gernades in Normandy, the first mortar blast in which he lost his leg and the last mortar blast that hit him and Wild Bill.

[@Noone91875]

And he doesn't have a shoe in bastogne. A tough men.

[@CBO4evr]

@@Noone91875 I stub my toe and am down for the count 😂, I can't imagine having the bravery that they did

[@jean-philippedoyon9904]

That moment when Buck just see Garnarey and Toye blow up and he screams medic....What was left of his shattered mind was gone, you can't psychologicaly survive that !! That was a heavy moment...

[@Rmlohner]

Another person at this battle was a 17 year old minesweeper named Mel Brooks. One night the Germans tried to demoralize the platoon by blasting German patriotic songs at them, to which he played Al Jolson back.

[@mad_max21]

This Mel Brooks guy became a jazz musician or something?

[@paolom.6011]

​@mad_max21 Are you being serious?

[@diamondstud322]

Great reaction guys! One interesting story I saw in interviews with the actual Easy vets was that Garnier and Joe Toye would get together once a year after the war. They lost opposite legs, and had the same shoe size, so the would buy shoes together and split the pair between them.

[@tomtudorweaver1078]

I recently re-watched this series a few weeks ago with my brother who'd never seen it, seeing anyone's reaction to Speirs' run for the first time never gets old, it's just so mind-blowing. The buildup to it all with things like him running through the explosion, as well as the editing and timing of the narration is perfect; initially not drawing attention to what he's doing, then confirming that he did in fact run through them, then revealing he came back right before showing him do it, incredible stuff. This is by far my favorite episode of the series, it's got all the usual great stuff but the weight of seeing how many major characters are gone along with Speirs' run by the end just makes it for me. Toye's 'I gotta get up' moment is one of the most heart-wrenching of the series for me, then that initial period where Buck and the audience think both he and Guarnere are dead, so hauntingly well done.

[@knoober3756]

All of the performances in this episode are perfection! I’ve never really been drained by this show but this episode did it. This is probably the best episode of a show I’ve ever seen in my entire life. It’s so human it hurts

[@RowdyAndroid]

The universal manly joy that comes from seeing Ronald Spiers run straight through enemy lines without a second thought.

[@cardiac19]

My favorite line/scene in the whole series. Luz and Lipton in the foxhole staring at that dud arty round. Luz lights a cigarette and Lip takes it from him. Luz, "I thought you didn't smoke?" Lipton, "I don't." He then smokes for the rest of the War. RIP Muck and Penkala.

[@jmacmall]

Speirs' portrayal is always interesting. I remember on the official show podcast, one of the main writers who was tasked with collecting info and interviewing the men who were still alive (maybe Jendressen or Orloff?) stated that Speirs did in fact commit those crimes. The Band of Brothers Podcast really is a great, insightful listen. If you want to learn more about the background and making of the show, it's worth checking out. Writers, directors, actors, and Tom Hanks himself all appear on it.

[@CagriAkpak]

To be honest, he was ordered to not take any prisoners. He did not do it on his own. Generally, when you are following orders, the leaders would be responsible. That is why most of the nazi officers would not receive any prison sentences after the war. Only generals and specific horrible officers received jail time.

[@canadian__ninja]

Winters had to call him and get the answer so that HBO would ok using the cigarette scene in the show.

[@Binkley-rj6gf]

@@canadian__ninja It may have been that Winters had to call Speirs before the book was published. I believe there's video on YT of Winters recounting the story. IIRC, Ambrose couldn't get clearance to include the story because the publisher was worried it would get sued. Winters offered to call Speirs, and Speirs basically said he wouldn't sue and implied that the reason was because it was true - he really had shot those German prisoners during the D-Day invasion.

[@reviewbomb85]

@@Binkley-rj6gf That's right. The publisher was worried that if they said he did that stuff, and it couldn't be confirmed, that they could be sued. So Winters just gave him a call and asked him about directly.

[@antonstbar4994]

This is the best acted episode in the show. It’s so good. Also, the stories about speirs are even more nuts than what they show in the series. The man was a real life captain America.

[@josephagundez5336]

Every week I keep saying this is my favorite episode, but really the entire series is a favorite episode. Winters ordering Speirs to take charge is probably my favorite moment in the entire series.

[@juanitajones6900]

This is my favorite episode of the series. It's a minor epic on its own.

[@billmorris8358]

When l first saw this episode, the thing that totally astonished me was the production values. The cinematography is amongst the best lve ever seen. The mid winter cold felt real. I watched and actually felt cold with them. There is, however, an amazing video somewhere on KZbin which shows the behind the scenes of the filming of this night time artillery battery. I could scarce believe that the whole thing was filmed on an indoor soundstage. Even the trees were were studio fabricated, albeit each packed with explosives! Such is the genius of Spielberg and Hanks, to surround themselves with some of the best special effects, teams in the business. Little surprise when one of the producers is partly responsible for the creation of ILM. The uncomfortable gut wrenching isn’t over yet!

[@ttt2080]

Neal McDonagh does an incredible job in this episode. Donnie Wahlberg too.

[@batmanslarynx]

One of the best episodes of tv in history. I will never ever forget that Speirs scene.

[@willvr4]

This show is a masterpiece through and through. What I appreciate the most, is that it doesn't glorify or romanticize war like most movies/shows do. It's about the actual people, and the comradery they built while walking through the fires of hell together.

[@texasrattlesnake31637]

Just an incredible episode from start to finish. The acting is world class. The drama and music are just flawless. As usual, Wave Crew with another heartfelt reaction! Looking forward to the next one!

[@canadian__ninja]

Fun fact: Lt. Shames (mister hollywood officer) was the last man standing, the final man of easy to pass away. Second fun fact: This episode was completely shot indoors. Instead of freezing, the men had to worry about sweating too much because it was actually quite hot. Third fun fact: the lines by guarnere and toye were all direct quotes. And the line by Toye is especially crazy because he's the man that managed to avoid two grenades at Brecourt Manor.

[@vegvisir9276]

Bradford Freeman was the last surviving member but he was only a background character in this series

[@canadian__ninja]

@@vegvisir9276 It seems people keep turning up as for the longest time, and hell there are a lot of articles still saying it, that Shames was the last man.

[@moose2577]

This ties into your 2nd fun fact. In episode 9, when Perconte mentions to Luz that the forest they're in reminds him of Bastogne, it WAS the same stage. But filmed before they added all the fake snow and blew up the trees.

[@przemekkozlowski7835]

@@canadian__ninja Shames was the last officer. Freeman was the last enlisted and outlived Shames by a few months. Freeman was actually in the mortar platoon and would be wounded and taken out of combat a few days after the battle in Foyes.

[@jackson857]

24:17 In reality the run from Speirs was over an even longer distance than is portrayed here.

[@Perseus7567]

But in reality it wasn't over large open spaces, and he often took cover between and even inside buildings.

[@Chris-ImperialAerosolKid]

Haven't checked the comments to see if already mentioned but this entire sequence was filmed inside. Amazing really.

[@emilyrussell8847]

This is probably my favourite episode because it shows how amazing both Lipton and Spiers are. Spiers running through that line and back never fails to make me grin.

[@trev9168]

One of the finest pieces of television I’ve ever seen. This episode was truly a masterpiece. The story and our characters are at their absolute lowest and right when all hope seems to be lost captain spears is called upon and the moral of the characters and the story gets picked off their feet as if they were attached to a rocket

[@SkutterC]

I find it interesting how Buck gets a break for breaking down, but apparently that was what may have happened to Lt. Dike. The portrayal in Band of Brothers is from the view of Easy Company soldiers who did not know Dike before then. They saw him as an "incompetent and ineffectual leader". According to historical documents, earlier in September of 1944 at Uden, Holland, Lt. Dike organized and led scattered groups of parachutists in the successful defense of an important road... while completely surrounded" His actions merited him a Bronze Star. A second was awarded for his actions at Bastogne when "he personally removed from an exposed position, in full enemy view, three wounded members of his company, while under intense small arms fire" on January 3, 1945. Some believe by the time he took over Easy he was suffering from "shell shock' and the Battle for Foy was his breaking point. Afterward WWII Dike remained with the US Army Reserve and served during the Korean War, becoming a Lieutenant Colonel until resigning in 1957.

[@canadian__ninja]

Band of Brothers is not a 1:1 truthful retelling of history, it's the oral and written interpretation of how the soldiers saw things.

[@DevDog98]

he was actually shot but in the show its shown as a panic attack sort of thing.

[@canadian__ninja]

@@DevDog98 Yes, they didn't know he was shot because of how chaotic it was and how heavy his clothing would have been. Again it goes back to what I said in my reply, the men interviewed didn't know it at the time and they let their biases show. If the roles had been reversed and Buck was the one that seemed to fall apart they wouldn't have been so cool with it. Speaking of which, Nixon once called Buck a coward at a reunion for coming off the line so it's not all sunshine and rainbows even for him.

[@ronweber1402]

Apparently Dyke had been shot and was bleeding out which was why he was confused but because of the heavy winter clothing no one could see it.

[@davidwoolbright3675]

Dike had been shot and lost any capacity for reasoning at that time but…the men did not like him and thought he was a bad company commander even before that. You can be personally brave and be a bad commander at the same time.

[@cmbtking]

"Really glad that you're going home." cracks me up every single timez "All those who can't do, teach. All those who can't teach, teach gym." -Jack Black, School of Rock 😆

[@LC__15]

27:46 Me too Eric, me too 🤣, Lt Spiers is goated for that moment, the real Captain America 🇺🇸 🫡! So glad that you kept majority of the last Foy battle in this edit and also the key parts of convo between Spiers and Lipton at the end with the Tertius reference 35:39. Great reaction and deep discussion as always fellas 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽!

[@canadian__ninja]

Sad that they had to cut out the church scene with the list of the dead or wounded.

[@ThaAngelus1]

"The Operations Room" has a very good animated reenactment of this battle. Some things didnt happen like they made in the show of course.

[@loohdz1290]

My favorite episode. And I watch band of brothers over and over again just to watch this again. My favorite tv show ever.

[@flaggerify]

Spiers' heroic run is the only scene from the show that I remembered after 20 years.

[@candacewilson2497]

This is my favorite episode of the series. Donnie’s voiceover is so fantastic and the dialogue and performances in this episode are just superb. The next two episodes are hard to watch. But the last one wraps it with some good feelings.

[@-Knife-]

This is my fav episode next to the finale of this show. It really has excellent practical effects, lighting, and the narration by Donnie Wahlberg is soo good.

[@tylerasuncion3208]

One of the most impactful episodes of tv ever. This whole episode is an emotional gut punch.

[@cyberdan42]

It is necessary to remember that this show is based on the recollections of the men of Easy Cpy; they did not like Lt. Norman Dike, to a degree, for good reason. However, the portrayal of Dike in this episode is quite unfair. He did struggle as the CO of Easy, but he was notably personally courageous, and his performance in the Foy attack is widely thought to be connected to injuries he himself sustained during the attack. This show demonstrates the difference between historical facts - the attack on Foy did take place, and the perception of the experience - how different Easy men remember the attack and viewed Dike's performance. Interestingly in the episode itself, Spiers discusses the difference in fact and perception with his discussion of how Legionaries view a Centurion's reputation.

[@JonathanMonk21]

This episode is always the biggest gut punch of the series. So many man we've become familiar with throughout the the episode lost.

[@sethheasley9538]

Any of the interviews that have these old tough guys breaking down just crush me. What it takes to make these badasses crack is more than it would take for me.

[@cyberdan42]

It is interesting to compare Winters (a highly empathetic and gifted, calm CO) and Spiers (an intimidating, aggressive and ferocious leader); both were exceptional battlefield officers but approaching command from different foundational positions. Winters is a reluctant officer doing his best to achieve the mission and preserve his men, and Spiers is a fighting officer at his best in the chaos of battle and deeply protective of his men and duty. I believe many of the Easy veterans credit these two very different commanders as the underlying reason for the reputation and excellence of the company during the war, for the number of men that survived the ferocious fighting, and the camaraderie that persisted in the men after the war.

[@spiegel7608]

A few things to note: Dike was actually a very competent leader, he had just been suffering heavily from previous psychological damage. Dike had received medals for evacuating two wounded men on his own. Additionally, Dike was wounded during the run into Bwa Jack, causing his disorientation and failure to act.

[@fjvmunsterman]

I've known a guy who nearly ended like Hoobler did. He also stuck a gun in his pants waistband (while still holding the trigger, mind you, which is a big no-no) when it went off, ricocheted of of his pelvis, exiting the lower back, not to mention missing his femoral artery by about half an inch or so, i believe. This guy was lucky to survive.

[@Delta3354]

A cool little tidbit that came later, was that Joe Toye and Bill Guarnere both lost opposite legs, so after the war they would meet up from time to time and pick out a pair of shoes.

[@chaost4544]

Ronald Speirs earned a Silver Star, Legion of Merit, and three Bronze Stars. He also served in the Korean War.

[@kevenpinder7025]

All the scenes of the forest barrages were shot on a sound stage. They "built" the trees out of soft material so they could blow them up without hurting anyone.

[@spectre-8]

@26:49 Billy the kid Lawrence edits even flash on and off for on-screen quotes jfc. I can’t cope with his way of stretching out reactions to fit more in by flashing the source video on and off every few seconds. I’d rather more be edited out than it be done like this.

[@jimamos7984]

Trivia: Lt. Foley was played by Jamie Bambur (Lee Adama in the Battlestar Galactica remake).

[@pauldear6660]

Terseus was said to be a ranking officer in the Roman Legion during the Third Punic War. Speirs may have got the pronunciation of the name wrong.

[@Kragar01]

Speirs looked like he should have been carrying a Captain America shield charging through the lines like that.

[@falaramal3979]

Lt. Dyke gets a bad wrap in this episode. He had previously earned a bronze star during actions on D-Day and was sent to easy to fill holes. During the assault he was wounded early on but it wasn’t noticed until he was pulled off the line because the blood soaked into his winter clothing and he didn’t notice due to adrenaline. Most of the men of easy never found out

[@vegvisir9276]

yeh the show was from the Easy guys point of view, most of what was shown in this was from the mouth of the guys, since most didn't know most of the facts of some other guys (Blyth for example, the Easy guys thought he died of his neck wound but he lived a while after) some things were wrong and later proved wrong

[@kathyastrom1315]

I recently connected with my second cousin, whose contact info I had discovered while doing my family genealogy. While talking with him, he told me about his Uncle Elroy, who was drafted in 1942. When he went to the enlistment center in Brooklyn, he had the highest IQ score recorded there during the war. He went on to fight in Europe. The Battle of the Bulge broke him, and he had severe PTSD for the rest of his life.

[@SC457A]

My favorite episode of the series. It has a little of everything. Action, a small bit of funny, some serious scary moments, and some good dialogue.

[@jonnyp5586]

When they checked out the sniper that Shifty killed, they found that he shot him right between the eyes.

[@sdw2is]

Spiers run was actually understated to the truth.

[@flaggerify]

I wish more episodes had had narration. Especially the one with Winters at the typewriter.

[@canadian__ninja]

Hope you guys watch this again, on your own time perhaps. This series is a lot like a whodunnit movie in that you pick up so much on a second watch, especially who's who. Just being able to connect names to faces better enhances the experience even more than it already did.

[@Ethan-qp3co]

I dont know the actor that plays Lip. But he has an excellent Sargent shout. Felt like playing Big Red One

[@TheFacelessStoryMaker]

The sad part is in reality Lt. Dike wasn't as cowardly in real life as he was portrayed here. In one instance he braved machine gun fire to pull wounded members of E Company away and into cover and during the attack on Foy he wasn't simply just panicking for no reason. He was shot. I hate that those were omitted.

[@Chris-ImperialAerosolKid]

So just speculating. Ok

[@WraithWTF]

Dike was a competent soldier (he had to be in order to transfer into the paratroopers), and he was an effective squad leader, but that's about it...he got his rank before the war while in the National Guard, and he was woefully incompetent as a commander of a company-sized unit. He was likely given command of Easy because it was expected that all they'd be doing during the R&R period after Market Garden collapsed was drills and training, so it'd be a good way to hopefully get Dike up to standards for leading a company...unfortunately, the Bulge had other ideas. Award recommendations being greatly exaggerated was a routine thing back then (hell, it still is today), and it's very likely his were...especially the defense of the road during Market Garden; that action as it's described would've merited him considerably more than a Bronze Star. As for him allegedly getting shot, there's no record of him ever getting treated for a gunshot wound (none of the field medics treated him, and there's no hospital records for him), including no Purple Heart (which at this point, they were handing out Purple Hearts like candy on Halloween), so it's extremely unlikely that he was actually shot...more likely he simply hit his personal limit and had a breakdown, much like Blithe with his case of hysterical blindness, only Dike had a company of men looking to him for leadership and seeing him break down instead.

[@catherinelw9365]

He was not shot. Show proof. And if he was so brave, why was he transferred out of the regiment to an administrative position? He was a poor combat leader, and Winters couldn't wait to get rid of him.

[@Perseus7567]

@@catherinelw9365 "Show proof", what are you, six? Look it up, it's everywhere. The popular understanding is that Dike was shot, it's just that no one noticed at the time because of the thick clothing obscuring it. Yes, he was a pretty bad leader before then by Easy Company standards, but it's not like he broke down out of the blue in this battle.. I hate to break it to you, but Band of Brothers is full of historical inaccuracies, it isn't perfect. Do your own research, don't just blindly follow what a TV show is telling you.

[@markygstar1748]

Once again, this deadly fate is incorrect and worse, so is Dike's cowardice. In reality, First Lieutenant Dike was an impressive soldier who had successfully led several attacks, even earning Bronze Stars in Uden and Bastogne. Though Dike did falter during the attack on Foy, it was because he had been injured, not ill-equipped. Dike even survived the battle and went on to serve in the Korean War as well. It seems that Dike's negative portrayal was mostly a creative liberty meant to shine a light on Spiers.

[@goldenhedgehog9]

It should be noted that Lt Dike was not given the fairest treatment by the show. In real life he was awarded multiple times for bravery, including at Bastogne where he personally dragged 3 wounded men to cover while exposing himself to direct enemy fire. He was also wounded during the Battle of Foy, being shot in the shoulder. That shoulder wound is what caused him to start falling apart as he was starting to go into shock, which would hinder any man's judgement. This went unnoticed by the men around him due to the thick winter uniforms, so for them it looked like he just started to freeze up. He wasn't the greatest officer around, but he was not incompetent. Easy Company had just been so accustomed to having excellent officers lead them that an average officer seemed even worse by comparison.

[@tonygonzales3206]

The gallows humor in this episode is fucking amazing.

[@Ace-hz9dr]

So I feel like I have to say this, and the crew should hear this to. The portrayal of Dike in this is a bit harsh. As it’s said that during Bastogne some saw he was injured which is why he was “loosing it”, but I can’t blame a guy if he was just going through shell shock. Nevertheless he did however earn multiple bronze stars, one of which was at Bastogne where he personally went out of his way to remove three injured men while under intense fire. It is true that he was relived of duty, though I feel like it should be said that he wasn’t a coward.

[@coachred6872]

Its widely known that they give medals out like candy to officers, enlisted men not so much. yes though, Dike wasn't portrayed as faithfully as Sobel was.

[@catherinelw9365]

Dike was not shot. Dike was removed from the regiment at Winters' request because Winters was fed up with him. I'll take Winters' opinion over a Nobody on the Internet, Dike Fanboy.

[@DanVibesTV]

Oh look, it's Cpt. Lee Adama from Battlestar Galactica 😄

[@buddystewart2020]

Spiers did kill the German POWs, he told Winters it was true and did happen. I give you the circumstances of that after you finish the series. Also, Spiers said he didn't think he was going to make it during that run through the lines. He was just as surprised as everyone else.

[@RealRailfan]

Was I the only one who went back 4 times at around the 0:42 mark to see how each one of them reacted...?

[@hellowhat890]

Not sure why Hoobler's death was written the way it was in the series. What actually happened was he got caught on some barbed wire on a patrol. Unfortunately, the Luger was loaded and in his pants which is why it got set off and accidentally killed him.

[@Perseus7567]

Perhaps they weren't sure on how to portray him getting stuck on barbed wire without it becoming goofy and "unrealistic", and ruining the tone of the episode.

[@Kamenari37]

Gotta have some real supernatural respect for Joe Toye. The man the Germans simply could not explode. Takes two grenades in the gun assault on D-Day, and 3 artillery rounds in Foy before finally giving the Germans a break and deciding to go home.

[@christoperwallace6197]

Christensen, played by Fasbender, was also at basic. So was shifty, the sniper

[@WaywardVet]

Weapon familiarization is important. Before i left for Iraq, our platoon senior scout brought in a personally owned AK-47 and showed us how to disassemble it, reassemble it, and how the safety lever worked. He wasn't showing off, he was preparing us because "just in case you have to pick one up someday". I mean the Luger here was looted, but you never know when you'll get cut off (like Babe Hefferon did earlier) and have to pick up a new weapon from a fallen enemy. Know how to use it before you're forced to use it.

[@Perseus7567]

Yeah but weapon safety and control wasn't really a thing back then. They didn't even come up with the idea of not leaving your finger on the trigger until late in to the Vietnam war.

[@jameswg13]

The waterfalls story actually happened to muck or pencola they found his relatives or friends by chance during filming and they told the actor the story and he used it during the episode

[@duncancurtis5108]

Images of the struggle for Bastogne make clear the horror these men endured. 😮

[@KaoretheHalfDemon]

The actual distance of the shot Shifty made to take out the sniper was much, much, much further and he did it without a scope.

[@RickLacy-b3x]

Hard to believe Speirs can run that fast with balls the size of dump trucks.

[@So_Uncivilized]

I hope they watch the documentary at the end as well

[@strongereveryday8]

THIS!!

[@sgtfow10]

They are. Pretty sure the confirmed on their Twitter account.

[@jacobcrist3080]

"...when historian Stephen Ambrose wrote Band of Brothers about E Company, fact-checking the many Speirs stories proved almost impossible. One tale claimed that Speirs handed out cigarettes to German POWs before shooting them. Another said Speirs shot a sergeant just for being drunk. Simon and Schuster reached out to Speirs, concerned that publication would cause a lawsuit. Speirs had no problem with the stories, quipping, 'I’m 81 years old, what can they do to me now?'"

[@BajaJonny]

The part where Winters runs out onto the field to keep the attack moving--that did happen. But it wasn't Col. Sink that called Winters back. Winters himself remembered his place as CO and ran back to his position at the tree line where he ordered Spiers to relieve Dike. Sink (Dale Dye) was added to explain to the audience what Winters was thinking at that moment. The real Col. Sink was never there.

[@Perseus7567]

Yeah, in the show it's weird that Col. Sink is telling Winters to remember his role, whilst Sink is also not in the correct position and just chilling on the frontlines, something a Col. wouldn't do.

[@jeffhall2411]

he was the "Spear" of destiny LOL

[@aazo5]

Speirs is such an interesting character, and real person of course, because he would've never been in a position of power in today's army. Winters himself even said that Speirs would've been court martialed for his execution of the 6 German soldiers if it was today, but at the time, he was simply too valuable as an NCO who wasn't afraid of death, so higher command simply ignored the rumors

[@pliny8308]

According to things I've read and seen, Buck's "breakdown" was not sadness but rage. He was ranting at Dyke for leaving and not taking care of Bill Guarnere and Joe Toye, which was insubordination in the midst of a battle, and he left or was taken off the field to an aid station. Better than being court-martialed.

[@catherinelw9365]

Buck himself said he was taken off the line because he had very bad trenchfoot, and an Army doctor ordered him off the line.

[@mark-be9mq]

Good point, "The sacrifices made for us", and for nearly all Europeans as well. It's not hyperbole. No war is good & it makes what they did, going far from (a safe) home into danger w/so many killed at 18, 21, for others, a debt that we can't repay. Though we should try to, always.

[@Manolo0528]

21:28 In actuality Col Sink was not at Foy for the attack. Sink’s lines were in fact what Winters was thinking at the time. He couldn’t go out. He had an attachment to Easy. However you cannot portray on TV what a man is thinking so the put Sink there and had him recite Winters’ thoughts. Also Dyke did not freeze. He was wounded. He was not a coward. In fact he received medals for his actions in the days leading up to the Foy attack. So why did they portray Dyke as a coward? Because the script is based on the Ambrose book and the book is based on the memories of old men.

[@Perseus7567]

Dyke did freeze up and panic during the attack - it's just that he was shot. No one noticed at the time due to the thick clothing they were wearing. So he did freeze up, they just didn't portray why he might've froze up very well in the show.

[@matta2399]

Nice seeing Lee "APOLLO" Adama in this episode. 19:36

[@dawnfallon6812]

No one can imagine the level of bravery that Speirs showed. But if you read into the history, you find story after story of bravery bordering on self-destruction. My favorite story? The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors. A handful of destroyers going up against the largest battleship made by the hand of man. Common sense demands that those ships flee. Instead? They charged head on and won the most unlikely and impossible victory of the United States Navy, the Battle of Samar. Never forget the USS Johnston, USS Hoel and USS Samuel B. Roberts.

[@Kosh800]

From grass to brass. You love to see it.

[@morbidangel2424]

There was a interview with major winters where he confirmed that it was true about Spears and the cigarettes and such

[@jameswg13]

Speirs actually did kill those prisoners. Winters revealed it in an interview once. Also during i think either the writing of the book or filming of the show they were worried about putting it in as it was rumour. Winters got hold of spiers and he just basically said put it in. Or alony those lines

[@asian123205]

Spiers is the MVP and Shifty did a amazing job! Both are Legendary hero! They give a danm LOL I see why Winter chose him to do the Job! INSANE MEN!

[@Perseus7567]

I mean.. Spiers did execute a bunch of Prisoners..

[@codybraasch4232]

I love this show more than any other i really hope you guys do the pacific after this.

[@MoviesAndTvShowsAreSubjective]

pacific did not win the poll. Ted lasso won

[@Metaljacket420]

100 Germans saw the massive balls swinging on Spears as he was running and surrendered immediately.

[@FrenchieQc]

The tank even got out of the way to let him pass.

[@acdragonrider]

21:27: I love Winters for that