Carentan | BAND OF BROTHERS | Episode 3

[@BPhillips2000]

Real quick: Albert Blithe did not die of his wounds in 1948. He recovered & continued to serve in the Army until he passed away as a Master Sergeant in 1967.

[@GreyDoofus88]

I like the way that Marc Warren had portrayed Albert Blithe in this episode. Especially when taking the Edelweiss flower from the dead paratrooper, it was if to say that he had climbed his own mountain to become a soldier.

[@SentientGaming]

My favorite part of Band of Brothers reactions is people rushing to the video to tell the correct facts :P

[@BPhillips2000]

@@SentientGaming I felt really terrible my first watch when I read the card at the end of the episode. Felt a lot better when I found out the statement was inaccurate, and Blithe recovered from his wound... (also kind of surprised they never corrected it after the initial airing. I get wanting to preserve the original, but...)

[@slearl]

@@BPhillips2000 That's because outside of his inner circle, no one knew he didn't die. His comrades, the author of the book, or the writers at HBO. It is my understanding that he did not attend any reunions either.

[@edm240b9]

@@BPhillips2000there was some confusion regarding the status of Blithe because a different Albert Blithe that served in the 101st, but not in E Company, did die in 1948 and two E Company members attended that guy’s funeral, not knowing it wasn’t the same Albert Blithe.

[@digitalbegley]

The guy blown up in the shop, was Ed Tipper, he survived the war although he spent the rest of it in hospital. He went back to the States and became a High School Teacher, married and had kids and lived a very full and worthy life.

[@Farbar1955]

Tipper had a daughter when he was 60 (he married late in life) and that daughter became a representative in the Colorado legislature. She is extremely proud of her dad and was very active in the Easy Company reunions.

[@dgpatter]

And it’s not a spoiler at this point to say Tipper was the man in the salmon colored shirt at the opening of this episode. The ladies didn’t include it in the KZbin edit, but he talked about believing that he would either be killed or come out unscathed.

[@cleekmaker00]

@@Farbar1955 Kerry Tipper is currently the Deputy City Attorney in Denver, CO.

[@jp1170]

@@cleekmaker00 Woah!! She totally is. Isn't that great

[@genghisgalahad8465]

@@dgpatter sorry to tell you, they've already gone far into the latter part of the series on patreon and have completed it and editing and uploading. All your spoiler attempts are wasted. Try other new reactors, you'll have better luck next time!

[@dentonholmgren4886]

They didn't kill the family. There was no reason to shoot them. They were just surprised that the family was there.

[@alexcraven925]

Yeah they’re just French civilians who couldn’t get away and had just lived 4-5 years under German occupation. The reason they had that look on their face was one guy was trying to tell the other guy to throw a grenade in (standard urban room clearing practice) but for whatever reason, Luz decided not to, thankfully. So they were just standing there in shock, realizing they had almost accidentally killed a family.

[@NoneYaBidness762]

And really glad they didn’t just frag the room.

[@jamesr9919]

@@alexcraven925 Yeah. I think it was subtle (maybe a little TOO subtle?) way of storytelling to show the previous room clearing with the grenade thrown in, beforehand. Sort of a foreshadowing for this scene. (edit - I think foreshadowing isn't the right term... can't think of the term...) I used to wonder why there was a difference in tactics/procedures. It didn't occur to me until a few years ago that Luz just didn't do it by chance.

[@SergeantKillGore]

You were both spot on at 11:11. Temporary blindness is a potential response to extreme stress. A lot of people assume Blithe was pretending to be blind out of fear.

[@baneh1329]

You can see he's not registering, thankfully people who actually think he's faking is rare or it would be annoying

[@FelipeGomesRX]

Blithe actually suffered from hysterical blindness after the 101st Airborne Division captured the city of Carentan. Doc Roe, who attended to Blithe at the makeshift medical station along with other wounded people, said that the stress and adrenaline of combat was so high that his optic nerve simply stopped working and he suffered. this temporary blindness that lasted more or less 30 or 40 minutes (in the miniseries he mistakenly recovers in a few minutes) only when the adrenaline gradually subsided did his vision gradually return.

[@m_v__m_v]

Man, when reactors get emotional in the first few episodes, you know it’s going to be rough in the later episodes.

[@vincentdesjardins1354]

Fact. Breaking Point and Why We Fight are gonna be a wild ride !

[@stevencass8849]

@@vincentdesjardins1354 Breaking Point has always been the hardest for me. The actual man (no spoilers) struggling at the beginning of the episode is enough for me.

[@stue2298]

Need tissues and sick bags at the ready.

[@babalaord]

That episode gave me ptsd

[@Jargolf86]

And you know if they watch The Pacific after BoB, it will get worse.

[@blakewalker84120]

17:10 "I can't even imagine Sobel out here." "He wouldn't have even made it out of the plane.." You're right about that. The Lieutenant who replaced him as Easy company commander died in one of the planes that was shot down - none of those men had a chance to jump. If Sobel had not been replaced, he would have been on that plane. Being replaced saved his life.

[@StarkRG]

Given how he ended up dying, he probably would have preferred not being replaced.

[@blakewalker84120]

@@StarkRG Maybe. The low point of his life was 26 years after d-day. Maybe some of those 26 years, including marriage and having children, were happy. Maybe he'd spend his last 17 years in the VA remembering those happy years. Maybe not. I had happy years. Right now, not as happy. No, I won't end up like Sobel. I'm not that unhappy. But if somebody offered me a chance to go back to before I got married and had kids just to die in a fireball, I wouldn't even consider it., and maybe he wouldn't either.

[@Ryan_Christopher]

You’re forgetting the Butterfly Effect. If Soebel had been on the jump, circumstances leading to that might have changed ever so subtly the a the flak gunners might not have hit his plane at all. Like, a little hesitation on the ground on his part might have caused the plane take-off to be late by seconds. Just one of a handful of things that might have changed.

[@blakewalker84120]

@@Ryan_Christopher Maybe. But the butterfly effect is not magic. Me sneezing in Los Angeles does not cause a woman having sex in London to get pregnant at the same moment. For the butterfly effect to have any relevance at all, there must be a connection between a causes b, even if it's a very long and unlikely connection. The moment the plane takes off is not contingent upon the exact second the soldiers boarded the plane - those men sat on the plane for several minutes before takeoff so a slight hesitation makes no difference. A long hesitation of say 5-10 minutes might have mattered but I think he'd have been dragged onto the plane long before that. You're right in theory. Sobel could have done something to affect the takeoff time of his plane and then not been shot down. But he had no more reason to do that than Lt. Meehan did and was no more likely to do anything like that. So invoking the butterfly effect here is pretty close to irrelevant, no matter how much we love Dr. Ian Malcolm.

[@amtrak7394]

Quick explanation about something… Easy Company was always at the front of an advance or at the far edge of the line because of all the companies (there were 9 altogether) in 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, Easy was the only one that was classified as an assault company. That, more or less, means they had more heavy weapons in their company (machine guns, mortars, bazookas) than the average infantry, line or rifle company and more training on how to use them.

[@Pedrogog]

As Guarnere said on the documentary "We were the cream of the cream".

[@Belleplainer]

A company has around 140 men, give or take. When they say that they lost 65 men, they weren't all killed. That 65 figure includes men who were wounded seriously enough to be put out of action, either temporarily or permanently. The KIA figure was around 20 to 25, I believe.

[@marinesinspace6253]

I think the total KIA for Easy in the war was 49.

[@stalhein62]

The scene with the chaplain giving fallen men their last rites, in the middle of a firefight - he's about as crazy as the medics.

[@stevencass8849]

Read about Fr Emil Kapaun. He was a chaplain in Korea, and refused to abandon a position when ordered, instead he stayed behind to care for the wounded. He died in a Chinese POW, and the stories the men tell about him in the camp are inspiring. He received the Medal of Honor in 2012.

[@shifty7629]

That actor is the same one that voices Geralt in The Witcher games too :)

[@randomlyentertaining8287]

I mean, if you truly and deeply believe you have God on your side, why be scared of enemy fire lol

[@Jay-j4w3x]

The process of canonization, or naming Father Kapaun a saint within the Catholic Church, began in 1993. It is a very long process and hopefully will be acted upon favorably by the Church.@@stevencass8849

[@stevencass8849]

@@randomlyentertaining8287 Way to miss the point. They don’t stay because they think they have God on their side. They stay to offer spiritual comfort to the dying. Fr Kapaun, the priest that I mentioned, offered both spiritual and medical assistance. It’s why he stayed behind.

[@deltabravo287]

I hope you all post these reactions really frequently. The way you react to this series is sweet and uplifting. It is beyond wonderful to see young people having an appreciation for what this generation did. They literally saved the world from tyranny.

[@kevinwheesysouthward9295]

I couldn’t agree more

[@Revolations68]

Thank you, Ladies. I’m an OEF veteran, member of a military family going back to the French and Indian War. I just discovered your page and watched all you Band of Brothers episodes. Watching you and listening you makes me tear up. I’ve had the high honor and privilege to grow up around these kinds of men and women from the WW2 vets to current day vets. I’m 48years old, 100% service connected combat veteran, I’ve never really been able to express myself very well but your words do it for me. Thank you for what you do and for helping me cope by knowing there is somebody out there that appreciates our sacrifices. Its people two Ladies that’s makes me wish I could serve. Thank you 🫡

[@brianmartin8700]

The theme song used for BoB is called "Requiem for a Soldier". The opening lines are "You never lived to see what you gave to me". Talk about feels...

[@Farbar1955]

First: US troops were instructed not to inflict civilian casualties if possible. I'm sure the family in the house were left alone. Second: The scene in the aid station where Winters talks to Blithe about his blindness is almost exactly as it happened according to Winters.

[@nicolasenotiades240]

Didn't the US bomb German civilian cities? And literally drop two nukes on civilians in Japan? Or do you mean specifically in France

[@qwerty30013]

@@nicolasenotiades240I didn’t realize us TROOPS were piloting bombers. I didn’t realize us TROOPS have the authority to drop the nukes.

[@ronmaximilian6953]

Soldiers aren't the Air Force. Although I guess it was actually the US Army Air Corps but they were still very separate. Also, we're dealing with French civilians, not those of the enemy in total combat. Germany created strategic bombing in 1915 and reintroduced it during the Spanish Civil War. ​@@nicolasenotiades240

[@emperorkane317]

@@nicolasenotiades240 Collateral Damage vs Directly Killing are two different things. They didn't exactly have guided bombs back then, so hitting civilians while bombing important targets while using entirely dumb bombs is nearly impossible.

[@Rex73777]

@@nicolasenotiades240Yes both sides participated in indiscriminate bombing of civilian cities. For the most part US bombing missions were trying to avoid civilians , and targeted key military infrastructure. The British were more likely to bomb civilian centers in discriminately, because they had been being bombed in discriminately for years.

[@MoMoMyPup10]

In reality, this isn't a series to be entertained from, per se, it's not for that. It's a theatrical lesson on the historical significance of a group of men who helped saved the world from Nazi occupation and tyranny. And it's a remarkably vivid depiction of heroism and bravery that only few know. Hang in there, it's worth it.

[@krisfrederick5001]

Yes, Blithe survives. One of the few mistakes Band of Brothers makes. Then went on to serve, with distinction in the Korean War. "The only hope you have is to accept the fact that you're already dead. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to function as a soldier is supposed to function: without mercy, without compassion, without remorse. All war depends upon it.” - Captain Ronald Speirs. He's more than a man of his word and will soon prove it for the entire company. Currahee ♠

[@gravitypronepart2201]

Why are you repeating what they said?

[@TheTsar1918]

Few? The show has multiple mistakes.

[@bluebird3281]

Loose lips sink ships! Please consider refraining to mention what people will soon do in future episodes. The element of surprise is key, all reactions depend on it.

[@pokeyerface]

​@@bluebird3281future episodes he says😂

[@bluebird3281]

@@pokeyerface "He will soon prove it to the entire company" Right then they had one opinion of him they would soon have another. It would be more of a surprise without foreshadowing. Was there more you needed explaining?

[@CrystallineGreen]

1:00 "intro gets me everytime" In 2019 I lost my parents in a car accident. New Year's Eve 2020, I was alone at home, when the countdown began on tv and 12 o'clock struck, the intro music of this miniseries began to play. I cried for hours.. 😢😢😢😢

[@tudors_down]

Sorry bro that's a tough burden. Hope you're doing a little better now.

[@CrystallineGreen]

@@tudors_down I'm much better now my friend, thanks ✌️

[@ExUSSailor]

Albert Blithe survived his wounds in Normandy, and, was sent back to the U.S. to recover. He stayed in the hospital until his discarge in October, 1945. He was then called back into the Army to serve in Korea, where he was awarded 1 Silver Star, 3 Bronze Stars, and, 2 additional Purple Hearts.After Korea, he decided to make the Army his career, eventually reaching the rank of Master Sergeant. He died as the result of complications of a burst ulcer in an Army hospital in Weisbaden, Germany, in 1967.

[@MrKINSM]

You ladies mentioned the age of the soldiers early in the reaction. Winters, who became the commander of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (after D-Day) was only 26 years old at the time...the majority of his paratroopers were about 21-22 years of age when they jumped into Normandy. Many of their future replacements were 18-20 and unlike the original members only had about 9 months of training instead of the 2 years training the original group received.

[@terryd757]

Yeah, and Richard Winters was a little more than 3 years older than Company Commander Lt. Thomas Meehan who was 22 when he was KIA on D-Day. He was about a month shy of his 23rd birthday. Col. Robert Sink was 39. It's misleading because Dale Dye who plays him in the show is much older than that. None of these were old men.

[@xersilusftw3245]

As a 26 year old this is fucking horrifying

[@davidleftwich-mk4xt]

I wish others showed your compassion for these great men. They sacrificed so much. Thanks for keeping them in everyone's thoughts. We should never forget.

[@AARONANKRUM]

The use of the laundry bundles to show the deaths was genius and so sad.

[@Jimbow-sz9kh]

As a 23 year old what always hits me like a train wreck in this episode is the line "if you haven't made out a Will yet, go get one made" (paraphrased lol). But it's like here we all are enjoying life really not thinking about death and these guys and soldiers nowadays are just faced with it. Men and woman a few years younger than me and my age have to face that reality just like these brave young guys did and that shit makes me so angry and sad when you think about it

[@Revolations68]

You said it, It was like about of body experience when I did my will before first deployment. Couldn’t make it comput.

[@Revolations68]

And thank you for your kind words. 🫡

[@Jimbow-sz9kh]

@@Revolations68 I know you always will cause it's in you and 99.9% of troopers DNA to be modest.. but please never thank a civilian again! Even enlisting in complete peace times... You're willingly signing your life away to be our line of defense. I'll never stop being thankful for our troops and all the Allied (Coalition they call it nowadays I guess) forces! Like I said, even in peace time you are making a huge sacrifice of your time and effort! Even if not being shot at, you are sacrificing yourself and your loved ones to keep the ones you love safe. It truly is admirable beyond description. I hope you and your loved ones nothing but the best. Thank you for your service 🐐

[@robhare1116]

I'm so pleased ..you young , new generations are learning this reality/history. (My father participated in WW-2). All that we enjoy...the disco age yet to come...and after to now, wouldn't have existed if it were to for them

[@vonkowskisoddities4164]

My grandfather commanded one of those 2nd armored division tanks at the hedgerows. He refused to talk about what he saw

[@rafaucett]

Excellent reaction video, Haylo & Kiss! I'm enjoying your exploration of this series. My father was a sergeant in the 3rd US Army during WWII. He was in France, Belgium, and Germany. Yeah, I'm an old Baby Boomer. I was born in 1954. Growing up, most of my friends' fathers served in the military during WWII. Cheers!

[@Silverhawk1776]

"What a scene that was!": The scene where the paratrooper shot the German with his pistol was a recreation of a famous still photo from the war.

[@roger3141]

Just as it is necessary that we watch these stories, it is just as necessary that we shed tears. That shows that we are still human with empathy towards our fellow men and women. Your reactions are genuine and true. Thank you for sharing this with us.

[@bobkatfan2013]

Tipper, the guy who is wounded in the house by the blast. Survived and lived into his 90s. Lost use of an eye and walked with a cane. Married later in life and had a daughter in his 60s. She was in the Colorado house a few years ago.

[@MoMoMyPup10]

"She was in the Colorado house a few years ago." -- is anyone supposed to know what that means?

[@goakiller900]

@@MoMoMyPup10 Colorado state house, the state of Colorado of the US, his daughter is a senator now there

[@peterireland4344]

And he's one of the interviewees!

[@prollins6443]

You girls are so kind and innocent. Please, remember to bring the tissues for the upcoming episodes. Especially, episodes 6-10 as they are the hardest (best) of the miniseries!

[@tkaki6029]

Obligatory “Blithe actually lived until 1969 and wasn’t a coward” post

[@marcelrenes2435]

The German soldiers with the Edelweiss flower were from the 6th Fallschirmjager Regiment. They were the German paratroopers and considered elite troops. Later when they were outside Carentan, the Germans attacked the 101st. They wanted Carentan back. The German armour you see are elements of the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division. This caused panic among the American troops and retreated. Easy company however did'nt. They held their lines. With their refusal to retreat, and reinforcements from the 2nd/506 Regiment of the 101st, they slowed down the German attack and gave the US 2nd Armoured Division enough time to fight off the Germans.

[@ph1shstyx]

The 2nd armored division was a significant participant in the invasion of sicily a year before d-day, so the tank commanders, not sure if they were going for this in filming or not, were quite used to combat by that point compared to the 101st and most of the soldiers that ended up as part of the normandy campaign.

[@bujin1977]

"Flash" "A-aaahhh... Saviour of the Universe!"

[@mattj2081]

DIIIIIIIIVE!

[@hawkeyegeorge]

He saved every one of us!

[@stevencass8849]

What do you mean Flash Gordon approaching?

[@vaughnroycroft999]

Watching reactions to this series has sort of become like a closet favorite thing. As a storyteller myself, and the son of a WW2 vet, I've found it reveals so much about the reactors' understanding--not just in their grasp of history, but in the depth of their empathy. Depending on those things, I don't always continue with every reactor's journey. All that to say, you two are aces--my favorite sort of reactors. Your existing grasp and curiosity about the actual history along with your empathy for character development reveals your humanity. In the best possible way. Kudos to you both... And to your parents.

[@luketimewalker]

totally agree!

[@MLawrence2008]

Great reaction ladies. Please don't be afraid or ashamed to show your true emotions (it is a rare thing these days). Please keep the reactions coming as I look forward to viewing them, I am sorry to say that there are much tougher episodes ahead. :/

[@user-kg7co9vi5r]

About Spiers and the PoW's. The paratroopers were behind enemy lines with no contact with regular army units, they had no facilities or manpower to handle prisoners. This is not meant to be an excuse but an explanation.

[@kevincameron8437]

I am loving watching the two of your appreciate the sacrifice and determination of these men. And yes, they were young when they went to war...As you are finding out, this is a great series and I'm glad you are appreciating it. Thanks for sharing..

[@pnwcruiser]

In Carentan they were being hit by artillery fire, not an air attack. During combat ops you routinely preplan your defensive position as an artillery target in case you get overrun then, after you fall back, your artillery can hammer the attackers very quickly when you call for fire support employing nothing more than the preplanned target number since the location is known precisely (zeroed) and firing data has already been calculated for the guns, a relatively slow process completed manually using paper charts and slide rules in those days. Of course that means if you are the attacker you better be ready to get hit hard when the enemy falls back, assuming the enemy has fire support available which is not always the case. Combat ops aren't rocket science but experience counts big time.

[@petercolson2990]

"Combat ops aren't rocket science" Artillery command is close, though ;)

[@Sloppygator9309]

Your smiles and personalities are so infectious :) Glad we get to experience the series again with you guys for the first time. If you think you're crying now, just wait until the final episode 😭

[@neko77025]

Its not air support , it Artillery ... but not only do they not care about the French Civilians ... their own men ...

[@diogocamara6375]

Its war, close artyllery support was a thing for both sides, dont pretend the germans didn´t care about their man and us cared.

[@Darkbribe09]

but to be fair that might most likely be artistic freedom. But even if not they had a pretty good understanding of the city and mapped it out in advance, so they could shell the city quite acurate especially with spotters nearby. They were pretty accurate overall. Also for civilians - ye it sucked. But to be fair the battle of carentan happened 4 days after the landing so barely enough time to evacuate civilians beforehand, I guess they were more busy with the fortification of that town. I think sometimes the common german soldiers are portrayed unfairly. Most warcrimes happened on the eastern front where the SS was more active and in control and it was more of an idiological war. On the western front they didn't really hate the french, americans, british troops or civilians. Look at Rommel on how he treated allied POWs or commanded his troops to never commit any crimes. Or look at the unfortunate bombing of Rotterdam. They knew there are many civilians and they asked the city to surrender before the germans would bomb it. In general I really think we may not look at this only as black and white. If you were a 20 year old male back then no one asked you if you want to go to war. You were just send. The SS though was voluntary and they were the hardliners. It is the same nowadays. It is easy to hate on the russians in the ukraine conflict. But if you got mobilized what are you supposed to do? You are forced to fight. Is every russian soldier now a bad person is the question?

[@TheGoIsWin21]

​​@@Darkbribe09So I'm actually a former artillery spotter and you're not far off the mark. It's pretty simple to pre-plot planned firing points to target areas you expect troops to be concentrated like that, things like certain crossroads and large squares, etc. Additionally, using artillery as a sort of shield while your infantry withdraws is a well known and often practiced technique. If I had to guess I'd say that's probably what it was, as the Germans in Carentan were massively outnumbered and forced to retreat pretty quickly. The Germans probably had prepared fire plans that got called in as soon as the leader of the holding force decided to withdraw.

[@CaesarSneezy]

Yeah I wouldn't ever want to defend Nazis, but their comment struck me as a little naive considering the US bombed plenty of civilians, intentionally.

[@MNM-lq9te]

Saying that the germans didn't care about their own men would be just false. Its highly a possibility in the fog of war that when an retreat order is issued that forces gets scattered around and then having to worry about us troops in an urban area makes falling back an problem. So most likly when the arty was called the command thought that the germans had evacuated but risking falling back when you know the yanks might be around the corner on the next street is a huge risk one would need to think about. If germans didn't care about their own men then why did they havw medics and field hospitals like every army had.

[@dave131]

The actor who played Blithe should've won an award. His portrayal of one who can't find a way past the fear is absolutely incredible.

[@simonmonk7266]

Winter's was an exceptional leader of men .

[@becketv1]

It gets super real in the next couple of episodes. All of the older gentlemen were surviving members of Easy. They worked hand in hand with the actors and also went on publicity tours with them.

[@tudyk21]

25:51 Those two guys from Philly, having grown up in the same city but not meeting before that moment, became friends literally until their deaths, both at a ripe old age. Gaurnere and Heffron. (Gonorrhea and Babe 😊)

[@DudeLongcouch]

Fun little side fact: the chaplain giving last rites to dying soldiers in this episode was played by Doug Cockle, who many know better as the voice of Geralt in the Witcher games

[@pokeyerface]

BASED

[@darrellyoung7662]

Always excited for a BoB reaction, but usually I wait for the reactor to finish the series and then binge watch all the episodes. But you're reactions are just so good, so much emotion and also very curious and informed, that I've watched each one as soon as it comes out. Keep up the great work! A few of notes... You seem to have figured out already that the veterans that talk before each episode are the really Easy Co guys. But you don't get to see their names because Hanks/Spielberg wanted the viewer to have some sense of anxiety and the uncertainty of war. If you saw their names, you'd know who lived through the war. By not knowing, you have no idea as the show goes along which "characters" will live or die or be wounded. It's insanely intelligent filmmaking. The scene where the guy got crushed by the tank, the stuntman actually got... crushed by the tank! BoB was made before major advances in CGI, so the effects were almost all practical. To film the scene, the stuntman fell "wounded" in front of an actual moving tank. It was much lighter, being a replica, but still pretty big. As the tank was about to crush him, you see him scramble forward to get try to get away, but in fact he was crawling into a pre-dug hole in the ground. When the tank rolled over top of him he was safely in the hole, and got the scene done with only some bumps and bruises. That's commitment to your craft! Also we're all hoping you'll include a reaction to "We Stand Alone Together", the documentary / unofficial 11th episode that can easily be found on KZbin. It shows a lot more of the interviews, and the vets talk about all the events throughout the war, it really puts a period at the end of this wonderful story that is BoB.

[@MrBananagrab]

"Lt. Spears scares me." Episode 7 really emphasizes what makes him so "scary"

[@michaelstach5744]

He is scary but he’s on our side!

[@JoseJimeniz]

It's nice to be able to share in your first watch of Band of Brothers. Thank you.

[@therickman1990]

I love the motorcycle scene at the end. Easy Company was pulled of the line and moved to Utah beach to wait on a boat back to England. While there, Alton Moore stole the bike from a supply depot, somehow managed to get it onboard the boat and he and Malarkey rode it back to camp while the rest of Easy got stuffed in a train. And yes as already mentioned by somebody else, Blithe did survive his neck wound. But after he recovered he transfered to another unit and never showed up to any Easy Company reunion so everybody in Easy thought he had died.

[@TheeYellowDart]

I love how you two started this one! 😊

[@steveg5933]

Something to remember, these men (the older men in the interviews) but at the time, they were kids 18-21 with "old" men in the units 25-28..... Sitting still during an ambush makes you a target Winter's knew this that is why he was shouting to move even as rounds whizzed by him. As for Spiers: Easy Company at that time was an assault force. They had neither the time, nor resources to handle prisoners. He choose the most expedient method available. Not saying it was right, but it was war. Spiers was the right man for the job. He will prove that to you soon enough. As for the stabbing, my uncle was a Vietnam veteran. Combat veterans learn quickly to be hyper vigilant to their surroundings. At 5 I nearly died trying to wake my uncle- I had startled him out of a sound sleep. Many years later, I would better understand after my service.

[@blakewalker84120]

34:05 "There is no way Blythe would survive that." He did. The end of the show says he lived for a couple years then died but that is the only major thing this show got wrong. PFC Albert Blythe actually got sent home, recovered fully from his neck injury, but never came back to WWII. He did re-enlist and served in the US army in the Korean War where he earned a Bronze Star and a Silver Star for heroism. After that war, he stayed in the army. He died in 1967, still in the army during peace-time, from an illness.

[@stephencarty]

The door kicked in "just dont kill the children" scene, he could have thrown in a grenade before kicking or just after to clear out possible German soldiers. The fact they didnt saved the french family's lives. There is no reason for him to be shooting civilians.

[@fakecubed]

Yeah, that's him looking stunned because he very much did not want to be killing French civilians, and he very nearly did by accident.

[@CoryGasaway]

Man. If you ladies are this into these episodes, the latter half of the series is going to freaking mess with your emotions 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 You're going to rank this as the best miniseries you've ever seen. No doubt. It's already obvious.

[@jamestoddjackson9655]

Girls, I love your reactions. It is hard to watch. But in my humble opinion this is the best thing EVER put on camera. So well done. Remember, this is only D-Day plus 26 right now. Long way to go

[@Theegreygaming]

you're only supposed to get a purple heart for each incident that results in wounds as a result of combat. the man with 3 purple hearts is basically filing several forms and passing off stuff like lanced boils as wounds sustained in combat, which is actually a crime.

[@ryanlow6901]

The theme song is call "Requiem for a Soldier" and I recommend listen to it being sung by Katherine Jenkins, you guys would enjoy it

[@larrypinkerton4445]

I really enjoy watching these young ladies' reactions. They're very sweet and sincere...you can see they're learning about the sacrifices of that generation.

[@scottski51]

I re-recognized Marc Warren, a top British actor, here cast as Albert Blithe (who goes temporarily blind). Recently saw him as the lead in detective series Van Der Valk on PBS Mystery Theater and the series Safe from 2018. Great actor!

[@marcoburg8500]

The soldier who was hit in the face while clearing the house was PFC Ed Tipper. He lost an eye and had burned legs. He was evacuated to England and did survive. Though other veterans at first thought he had died.

[@cyberdan42]

A lot of people will talk about Capt. Ronald Speirs (the officer rumoured to have killed the German POWs and who gave the "accept you're already dead" speech). As the series develops Speirs has more of a role to play, as you will find out. If you ladies read this then I ask you to consider the differences in the leadership of key officers you see related to Easy Cpy. especially Capt. Dick Winters (who you already know well) and the other officers who either led Easy (like Sobel, who you I think correctly see as flawed) and leaders from other companies like Speirs. Winters is an exceptional officer who has both empathy and tactical acumen and who inspires his men. Some of the other officers, while equally competent combat leaders use different skills and perspectives. For example, consider the speeches of Lt. Meehan "it's a game we're moving the ball forward" and Capt. Speirs "we're already dead, function without remorse". As many folks will state Speirs is an exceptional, brave combat leader (as he demonstrated by taking the fourth Gun at Brecourt Manor in Ep-2) but he is also very, very different from Winters in how he approaches leadership. Winters demonstrates you do not need to be callous and feared to lead.

[@AngelOfFire2906]

7:56 10.000 Civilians were killed through US and british bombings in the prelude of the invasion

[@moviewryter1985]

7:29: They didn't fire on the civilians in the house, they were just shocked at how were lucky they were that they didn't throw the grenade to clear the house first, or shoot through the door first, but they did just move on.

[@philstubblefield]

Hey, Kiss: *_Never_* apologize for having a heart! First of all, it makes you a great reactor. But much more importantly, it means that you're a compassionate person, which we sorely need in the world!

[@citizenghosttown]

The theme of the episode is fear - but we also see the different styles of leadership in the face of the fear and horror these men go through. We see the compassionate professionalism of Winters, the cynicism of Harry Welsh ("It's just a game") and the nihilism of Speirs ("You're already dead").

[@realisticphish]

They weren't considering killing the family (who are French, allied civilians). They were horrified because if they had done what they had done for the last place they cleared, they would have just tossed a grenade in there and killed them all. The basically random decision to do something different for this door saved those people, and they're freaked out by how close they came to murdering the family.

[@timcliffsmith]

The way you said 'Depressing!' at the end cracked me up. Reminded of Kevin Kline in A Fish Called Wanda: 'Disappointing!'

[@ElmStReactions]

It is such an impactful series, i done tours of iraq and Afghanistan but still cannot even think about how hard the wars back then where, and the size of the missions compared to companies nowadays

[@dallasgreen4660]

Tipper, the fella who was in the building that exploded and whose face got blown up, survived. He lost an eye and his leg was burned badly but he did recover and lived a long life after the war.

[@TheDarthSoldier]

Spears is exactly the leader you need in battle. Someone calm and collected who can also ground you in reality

[@MarcoMM1]

Great reaction like always. They really did Blithe dirty in this. I saw an interview with Winters and he was really angry about how the series depicted Blithe, in later research, after the series was made, they found out that Blythe lived. Blithe went back into the Airborne and jumped behind enemy lines in Korea as a Master Seargent. He earned the bronze star with 2 oak leaf clusters and a silver star. He never left the military. He died in 1967 from complications from a perforated ulcer and was buried in Arlington National Cemetary with full honors. I really wish they had updated BoB to reflect what actually happened to Blithe. By the end of this journey you're going to remember all of their names. Every time I watch this series I get more and more attached to every one of these men. I can't explain it, but it's like they're family. And Btw dont judge Spiers to quickly in later episodes you will see Keep up the good work!

[@m_v__m_v]

iirc, there was another soldier named Albert Blythe who was killed, that and the fact the no one from Easy was in contact with him led to the confusion.

[@Straydogger]

@@m_v__m_v Yes. He made it to the first annual reunion and then they lost track of him.

[@Plasteredpear]

Lipton yelling they got us Zeroed meant that German Artillery had the town Presighted too cover there infantry/paratrooper withdrawl, it was final "protective fire" to cover there retreat.

[@leepagnini6273]

I watch many reactions to BoB, and yours, with the tears and appreciation is one of the best I have seen, I have read some of the comments, and you have some great responders. Thanks.

[@MrRaposaum]

Blithe survived btw. The producers of the series presumed he died because at the time no one found out what happening to him. Then they found out about another american soldier that was also named Albert Blight that died on the hospital tents in Normandy and thought it was him. After the show was aired on HBO, the family of the Blight from Easy Company saw that and cleared the confusion.

[@justsmashing4628]

yep, Spiers is scary, but you’ll soon love him 😊

[@Fonny222]

Technically you’re correct that Sobel wouldn’t have made it out of the plane. The plane he would have been on went down on D-Day so being reassigned saves him from that.

[@Phantomgreen29]

Glad to see you girls are feeling all the different situations and feelings and really reflecting on them, lots of funny or emotional or introspective words from you two.

[@Moto_Pegasus]

It’s good to see souls such as yours. I wish the world had more like you! Keep smiling! 🙂 ❤

[@robgraham5697]

"They've got us zeroed' means artillery. The Germans had measured the battlefield so that their guns (Probably 155mm, 6 inch) could lob shells accurately. Artillery is not something to be on the receiving end of.

[@robgraham5697]

When the Germans attacked the vehicle that got hit with the bazooka was a Sturmgeschutz III, known as a StuG. Probably an F model judging from the gun. The front armour is too thick to be penetrated by the bazooka. Which is why Winters told the bazooka man to hold fire until the lower part of the front of the vehicle was exposed. This part is known as the lower glacis. There is usually very little armour there as it is generally not exposed in combat and hard to hit when it is. As you saw that penetrated and knocked out the StuG.

[@robgraham5697]

One thing missing from these shows is the smell. Propellant, explosive, urine, blood, faces, and the smell of BBQ pork. Burnt human flesh smells like BBQ pork.

[@MNM-lq9te]

​@@robgraham5697you have experience with smelling burnt human flesh since you say it smells like bbq pork?

[@robgraham5697]

@@MNM-lq9te No. But I've talked to veterans who have been in combat.

[@johnrost44]

As a veteran i love that u gals are reacting to this series keep up the great work

[@Pmjdp2001]

The tune at the opening credits is “Requiem for a Soldier”. The best rendition is by Katherine Jenkins. It’s moving, especially coming from a mezzo-soprano.

[@Jjack1392]

Once again credit Sobal and his Spaghetti running Curahee. Just came out of battle of Carentan , no rest maybe something to eat and on the move immediately . Remember he trained these men in the physical fitness part of training, this is not all Winters doing

[@robcanisto8635]

omg after I watched this weekend I looked up Blithe- the show made it seem like he lived in a bed for all those years but he recovered and served again but eventually passed after living well and being a hero twice over. dangggg

[@MoMoMyPup10]

They obviously didn't have many ways to keep in touch back then, and Blithe lost contact with Easy and they all thought he died. So that's the way the book wrote his story.

[@windfall35]

Its very heartening to see you ladies care so much…kudo’s…

[@MeatballCereal]

19:46 Lt Welsh's actor's British accent slips through. Makes me laugh every time. I wonder how many takes that took, if that was the best one.

[@billbishop8915]

You need to watch "Pacific". The war against the Japan in the Pacific was far difference then the war against the Germans in Europe.

[@j.j.h.atemycereal]

Malarky paying for the fallen soldiers' cleaning just DESTROYS me every time. Great video, ladies. Thanks!

[@randomlyentertaining8287]

Speirs did shoot one of his own men but it was in self defense. It occurred during a firefight and he did report it up the chain. He was determined to be in the right. As for the prisoners, yes, he killed them too. However, that was not because he was a psychopath or something. Many paratroopers from D-Day have basically admitted they did have orders to take no prisoners because as they were behind enemy lines and limited in number, they had no way of properly detaining them. So between the choice of allowing enemy combatants to return to their own side to possibly go on and kill their buddies and just killing them, most paratroopers chose to eliminate the threat completely. War fucking sucks. Hysterical Blindness is a right thing, though that name is outdated. It's now considered a form of conversion disorder. To quote Wikipedia; "It is sometimes applied to patients who present with neurological symptoms, such as numbness, blindness, paralysis, or fits, which are not consistent with a well-established organic cause, which cause significant distress, and can be traced back to a psychological trigger." If you believe there's a chance you'll make it, you'll be far too cautious. It's no so much thinking "I'm not going to make it back so whatever" but rather you accept the fact that you're likely going to die. However, you would still like to go home, however unlikely that possibility is. So you don't fear the bullets but you don't run headlong into them, if that makes any sense. "He (Sobel) wouldn't have made it out of the plane." You are correct. The plane that Sobel's replacement, LT Meehan, was on was hit and went down with all on board. So even if Sobel had been there on D-Day with Easy Company, he wouldn't have even had the chance to decide whether or not to jump. He did, however, actually drop into Normandy with the 506th as part of their service company (basically part of the Regiment's HQ). After landing, Sobel assembled four men and led an assault on a German MG nest, which I believe led to him being awarded a Bronze Star. So, he might not have been so bad after all. Still, Winters was probably the better choice for leading a company.

[@DanielRamosMilitaryWiz]

You girls are so sweet! Thank you for watching this amazing series. To answer some of your questions. (7:28) Luz was clearly not going to shoot those civilians. The French were America’s allies in World War II, and that family was unarmed, so they posed absolutely no threat. When his comrade told him to throw a grenade in to clear the room, Luz sensed that something was off, so he decided to check and see if there were enemies or friendlies inside. Luz was both shocked and relieved that he didn’t just kill a room full of innocent civilians. (7:46) No. That’s not aerial bombing, that’s German artillery. (9:00) Believe it or not, Edward Tipper not only survived his wounds at Carentan, he passed away on February 1, 2017, at the age of 95. A German mortar shell exploded near him when he was standing in the doorway of a building he had just cleared. His right eye was destroyed and his legs were broken. He was sent to a hospital in England, where his right eye was removed. Afterwards he was sent back to the United States. Tipper earned a Master’s Degree from the University of Northern Colorado and went on to become a teacher. He got married and had a daughter named Kerry. (11:56) This shows you how rumors spread, and legends grow. Such stories could be true, exaggerated, or false. There is an interview with Private Art DiMarzio, published on KZbin in 2012, which describes how he, Speirs and a sergeant from his Dog Company platoon became lost and disorientated as a result of landing far away from their intended drop zone - before encountering three German soldiers. With no means of managing the prisoners and needing to reach their military objective, Speirs gave the order to shoot them. According to DiMarzio, each man shot a prisoner. A few hours later four more German soldiers were encountered and this time Speirs shot all of them himself. These paratroopers on D-Day were outnumbered, outgunned, and fighting behind enemy lines, so they didn’t have the time, manpower, or resources to hold large numbers of prisoners. They could have let them go, but that would risk the Germans rejoining their unit to fight again, and potentially kill other Americans. Unfortunately there really is no easy solution. (21:00) No he’s not. The person you are referring to from earlier was a Chaplin and fellow paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division. The soldier talking to Blithe here was wearing the patch of the 2nd US Armored Division on his shoulder. So he’s not with Blithe’s division, and he looks like a standard US Army rifleman. (24:15) The Purple Heart is awarded to US Military service members who are killed or wounded as a result of enemy action. (25:28) They weren’t going back home. The 101st Airborne Division was sent back to England to rest, refit, train, and get replacements for the men who were killed and wounded in Normandy. After the Battle of Carentan, Albert Blithe was struck by Hysterical Blindness, also known as Conversion Disorder. It’s brought upon by significant distress which causes physical and neurological problems such as paralysis, numbness, blindness, deafness, tremors, and fainting. In many cases it relates to some past trauma. Now in reality, Blithe not only recovered from his injuries in Normandy, he went on to have a long military career. He served in the Korean War with the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team where he was awarded a Bronze Star and Silver Star for heroism. While serving on active duty in Germany, Blithe became ill and entered a military hospital in Wiesbaden where he was diagnosed with a perforated ulcer. He died a few days later on December 17, 1967. The men of Easy Company had lost contact with Blithe after Normandy, so they assumed that he later died from his wounds. This was later refuted by Blithe’s family after this mini-series came out.

[@Mousquetaire-du-Roi]

Great way to start the video! I'm so glad that we're not having to wait over a week to see you guys on this again! Good luck!

[@randallshuck2976]

The scene of the guys talking about Spears gunning down prisoners was an example of how rumors get expanded with each telling. You are supposed to get a purple heart from being wounded by the enemy during battle.

[@kraigthorne3549]

9:30 You are not the only one who thought that. Every one in Easy Company did, but he survived and was given a medical discharge. He went to visit some of his friend's families and when the families wrote to the men of Easy saying that they met their friend and the men of Easy wrote back and told them that he was an imposter, because they saw him die in France.

[@barry.m9681]

Requiem for a soldier (the opening theme, music lyrics,) You never lived to see What you gave to me One shining dream of hope and love Life and liberty With a host of brave unknown soldiers For your company you will live forever Here in our memory In fields of sacrifice Heroes paid the price Young men who died for old men's wars Gone to paradise We are all one great band of brothers And one day you'll see we can live together When all the world is free I wish you'd lived to see All you gave to me Your shining dream of hope and love Life and liberty We are all one great band of brothers And one day you'll see - we can live together When all the world is free

[@IIBloodXLustII]

When Lt. Welsh says "War is Hell", I am reminded of a saying I heard a few years back. "No, hell is hell and war is worse. Only the guilty suffer in hell, but the innocent suffer in war."

[@elih9700]

What we have is worth defending. God bless those that guard us whilst we sleep.

[@tacticaloutdoors7553]

It's sad many young kids today aren't being tonight..... What sacrifice was made and the men and women who held it together during war time.

[@PEPPER2323]

Dick Winters is played by a British actor using an American accent.

[@lidlett9883]

Lt Speirs gave Byght the advice of "consider yourself already dead." That personal outlook is what often gets these men through.

[@darrylw5851]

Also your question about Purple Heart Medals, you get one for every incident as a result of enemy action during a time of war.

[@Straydogger]

The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, which took the form of a heart made of purple cloth, the Purple Heart is the oldest military award still given to U.S. military members.

[@jschrauwen]

Go back and rewatch the scene where the guys talk about Lt Spiers supposedly shooting the POW's. In the replaying of that scene, Spiers is present at the gunning down of those POW's but he's shown with both hands occupied lighting a cigarette why someone else was gunning down the POW's. This will be important/relevant later on in the series.

[@EastPeakSlim]

I am touched by the way that Liebgott is so tender and caring with Tipper when he is wounded. No spoilers, but you'll see that Liebgott was one hard-edged individual.