Easy Company's Attack on Foy - What Really Happened?

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#history #reaction

[@VloggingThroughHistory]

@8:03 I meant Dike, not Shames

[@methbear2450]

I've read an account from a medic that Dike had been wounded in the abdomen, in addition to the shoulder, and had gone into shock. The medic said he confronted Winters at a gathering about the portrayal when the show came out. Dike had been previously awarded the Bronze Star twice, for actions at Arnhem and Bastogne. He went on to serve in Korea and made Lt. Colonel.

[@VloggingThroughHistory]

@@methbear2450 none of that explains a few things - 1) that almost to a man, the company already felt he was a poor CO, even BEFORE the attack on Foy 2) if he was wounded and unable to lead, why didn't Shames take over the company? and 3) after the battle for Foy, the Regimental leadership met to discuss Dike and agreed that he should be removed from command and replaced by Spiers. If he was wounded badly enough that he had to be evacuated, why would he need to be relieved? If he was wounded but able to serve, why would he be removed unless his ability to lead was in question? Sobel also continued to serve and ended up a Lt. Colonel. That doesn't mean he was fit to lead a company in combat.

[@Ozai75]

@@VloggingThroughHistory Dike may have had great personal courage but also been an ineffective and poor leader. It has happened before. As a main Civil War Historian yourself, you've seen it happen many times where a man is a great Brigadier General but cannot command a Division or a great Divisional Commander and he can't handle a Corps. So I think what happened was that Dike was an ineffective leader to start, was wounded, panicked and froze up completely and they had to send Spiers in to relieve him.

[@pickle4422]

@@methbear2450 I've known some extremely piss poor leaders who've made it WAY higher than they had any right to be. Rank does not always correlate to effectiveness as a leader. Rank can often correlate to how well your chain of command likes you.

[@happynowfarms]

Great analysis with current maps. I am a history buff and former US Army Infantryman who served in Germany twice at the end of the Cold War, Gulf War1 days. The reason the attack was successful after Spiers took command was because his orders and actions were to attack directly without hesitation. That is called "violence of action" in training US Infantry Soldiers, the enemy gets confused at the rush and is hard to react to. Near Ambush reaction is the same, push through the killzone. Don't become a standing target. Them standing around taking pictures after the battle would never happen in current times, there is always security and work to be done. Need to clear the objective and be prepared for counter attack.

[@jsmith3772]

Loved my trip to Foy about 10 years ago, to still the foxholes where they were entrenched, special place

[@coiboyify]

Can you do any of The Pacific scenes too? Maybe the John Basilone scenes, or the Peleliu field crossing?

[@Gatotsu2009]

Thanks for doing this, most of the times battle scenes are condensed and a very confusing for most viewers. I read about the (insane) "Spiers run" after the series. Honestly I cant understand how big your balls have to be in order to run under fire (and come back). As you stated good leadership it´s critical in the battefield. The best example (for me) is Julio Cesar in the Battle of Alesia, most commanders would have been defeated

[@nico8753]

If you ever need someone in Belgium to help go places, i can gladly help you. Im from Charleroi and iam a big fan of WW2 (im 23yo) and would love to help you visit Belgium. Have a nice day !

[@saintcynicism2654]

I always appreciate this kind of content from you, where you react to things like specific battles and provide some background context and additional information for us poor schleppers who don't have access to quite the same level of information and historical sources. By the way, I don't know that I ever actually left the name in the message at all, but I sent you a copy of Poilu since it's an incredible look into the life of the average French soldier during WWI. Hope you enjoy it :)

[@animalyze7120]

Sometimes it takes an uncommon act of valor and a bit of crazy to turn a bad situation around. Freezing will get you killed quicker than anything else. Out of all the War films this is still one of the most WOW moments I've ever seen and this is verified true not made up hollywood action. Total respect to all of them.

[@bg3297]

Great video, well done. I never knew Foley was from Pittsburgh. I live in Pittsburgh. In fact I did more research and he was from the same neighborhood I grew up in. Just one of the many reasons your videos are so fun to watch. BTW, I’m the one sent you the NASA cups and the soccer book.

[@VloggingThroughHistory]

Yeah he’s buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Penn Hills. And thank you so much for those!

[@bg3297]

I’ll go visit him for sure and you’re welcome.

[@joea2282]

This was a great discussion on the episode and what really happened. I would absolutely love to see more of these. I feel its important to understand what actually happened and not the portrayal of events of our history.

[@nataliem7719]

Really enjoying this new format (and bringing in the google maps data really added to it)!

[@richardvye9958]

I'm really enjoying your BoB extended coverage, thank you for your added insight 👍

[@JuiceBoxHero98]

I absolutely love your WW2 content. Always been my favorite war to study and I find myself learning more every time I watch your content!

[@knndyskful]

Awesome vid thanks for the coverage

[@donnythompson9233]

The physical condition of the men in Easy Company most certainly played a HUGE factor in their abilities (both collectively and individually) to achieve the seemingly insurmountable - but veritable - achievements that they accomplished throughout their time fighting in Europe. And, not only did their tip-top physical condition contribute to the success of the tactical scenarios in which they took part (the D-Day Jump, Brécourt Manor, The Crossroads, Foy, etc.), but also in contributing to their ability to survive the brutal winter conditions at Bastogne…and yet STILL being physically strong enough to be able to attack (and ultimately take) the town of Foy. By all accounts, Captain Herbert Sobel, who was Easy’s original CO during their training at Camp Toccoa, was highly unliked by the men in Easy, because of his often pointless and harsh discipline for even the tiniest of infractions, (which he himself sometimes instigated), and in that way, Sobel was known for his “chickenshit” form of leadership, a term that describes a ranking officer who makes military training and military life far tougher than it needs to be, and with no better outcomes than if he had just simply trained the men without instilling the pointless discipline and punishments that he did. But, in the years after the war, more than a few of the men in Easy Company admitted (some begrudgingly) that Sobel was largely responsible for having turned out one of the best physically conditioned companies in The 101st. That said, Major Dick Winters (who was the opposite of Sobel in every way, and highly respected and loved by the men in Easy), was largely responsible for Easy’s success in their achievements during the war, while also doing everything he could possibly do to keep the men alive. Major Winters led by example, and never asked (or commanded) any of the men in Easy to do anything that he wouldn’t do himself - or that he hadn’t already done himself -and his men knew that, and respected him for it. FWIW

[@kingkille123]

I always love watching your breakdowns and comments on videos, even on things i have seen before. If you're taking suggestions, i highly recomend checking out the history of Harald Hardraade, by some considered the last great Viking king, and who's death is considered the end of the viking era. You've already touched on him a bit in your videos about William the Conqueror, but Harald's life and accomplishments is really something else. The fact that no one have made a movie about his early life before becoming king of Norway yet is simply a crime. Invicta has an amazing documentary about him here on youtube that i definately reccomend checking out if you want to know about him and react to. It would also be a cool way to learn more about norse history, which there isn't that much about on your channel, but which is quite interesting.

[@ncwoodworker]

I visited Foy with my daughter back in July 2012 with Reg Jens. Great tour. Really enjoyed your perspective on this battle. Really good editing too.

[@VloggingThroughHistory]

Love Reg! That’s who I toured with the last two times I was in Belgium.

[@mcnultyssobercompanion6372]

I love this video. Please do more of these. Seeing bird's eye view depictions/presentations of these engagement is particularly interesting and valuable (such as what the KZbin channel "The Operations Room" does.) I feel compelled to add, my grandfather, part of the 550th glider infantry, was dropped somewhere in this same area of Belgium (I think WEST of Bastogne....?), but not until sometime later, just after New Year's 1945. He was part of the latter half of The Battle of the Bulge.

[@desvon1102]

Yes! Please more videos like this one. Love the channel!

[@SMTraz]

Great job! Love this new series and format. Well done.

[@mikepenny8940]

Go Raiders

[@HurricaneDitka55]

I love this idea for a series!

[@TribeTaz]

Great episode of Band Of Brothers. Thanks for doing this one

[@BHuang92]

I've been there years ago on a tour group and the tour guide made a Band of Brothers reference stating that the distance was much further away then what was portrayed in the TV series!

[@MarkARebuck]

I just did another rewatch of BoB a few weeks ago. Perfect timing!

[@ildar0709]

Great vid, well done

[@hoxyman]

Excellent video, Chris, I'd also love to see one on Carentan.

[@VloggingThroughHistory]

I’ll do that one after I visit Carentan this weekend.

[@josephkokernak1295]

Good stuff!! Thanks.

[@SteveFraserLewis]

An enjoyable analysis.. well put together, nice narration. BoB gets even better! Had to re-wind when seeing your WBA hoodie👍

[@calvincoolidge6627]

Great content!

[@korma9732]

Well done for getting the details right, I've visited many times, fascinating place.

[@mrmeowmeow710]

another great gem of a video loved it

[@simonlewis7253]

Thank for doing this!

[@RKGrizz]

This is a cool idea for a playlist of videos.

[@Thjestir]

Great video Chris

[@falloutnews5289]

I really enjoy your content and the way you will always find a new way for us to see what actually happened. Is there by any chance of you doing sabaton music reactions again?

[@mattcharriere1775]

Love this video. Can't wait to see more videos on band of brothers

[@Palasdin]

Spiers was a badass of a soldier.

[@kylew7930]

LT. Speirs taking over E co. Is probably my favorite sequence of the whole show.

[@kieranfrancke790]

I will be watching AMC all day tomorrow for just this series as I do every year. Starts at 9:00 AM EST!

[@mikerunkle8844]

Another great video! How about doing a reaction to the attack on Battery Wagner in Glory?

[@SMTraz]

Please do more scenes from Band of Brothers and also The Pacific!

[@Letterman0412]

The guys at Little Wars TV did an interesting video four years ago on this where they discuss Dike a lot and recreate the battle in a war game which I thought did a pretty good job showing the difficulty of the assault Easy was undertaking. They also remade the Foy wargame not too long ago because they thought their first war game wasn't very fun for the players but I like that first video a little better.

[@historyinyourhand1787]

Enjoying these BoB breakdowns

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Love you content man!😊😊😊

[@delaghetto123]

Love this series! Please do more from band if brothers! I was also hoping you could do a video on Douglas MacArthur, he has this reputation as a great general and genious but anytime I see videos on ww2 his actual contributions seem minor or more like he was a nuisance to the other generals. Can you please make a video making it clear. Thank you, big fan.

[@clearss1]

I really enjoyed this video you should do more like this.

[@stephendavis6267]

I definitely believe that Dike was wounded and that the shock and blood loss he sustained contributed to his indecisive nature in the opening salvos at Foy, but because he had already built up this preconceived notion among the ranks of being an inattentive C.O. and an unreliable combat leader, that just confirmed the bias that was already there. It's a shame, too, because I think that as great as "Band of Brothers" was as a text and ultimately a landmark series, Stephen Ambrose could play very fast and loose with the truth . . . or at the very least, wouldn't bother digging for alternative opinions. And it makes it a very lopsided portrayal of historical events that are nearly impossible to really clear up now, with all of Easy Company gone.

[@PalmelaHanderson]

Yeah, there was that whole thing where he said Blithe died, when in reality he enlisted 2 more times, reaching the rank of master sergeant and serving in Korea. His family was pretty pissed about that.

[@saintcynicism2654]

From what I've heard the biggest problem with Ambrose is less that he played fast and loose with the truth and more that he relied entirely too much on witness testimony. That doesn't mean that the veterans he spoke with were untrustworthy, only that it means it leaves him extremely vulnerable to missing out on the overall picture. Eyewitness testimony, even if their interpretation of events is 100% accurate (which is...rare, to say the least, there's a reason it doesn't mean much in court), a person can only speak to what they saw happen. If they didn't see it, they don't know. So you keep running into instances where he completely misses something or gets it wrong because the soldiers present didn't know it happened or only saw part of it, and Ambrose just erroneously assumed he had the complete picture. So you get things like Ambrose saying Blithe died when he didn't because he never checked Army records, Easy's left flank evaporating in a mass retreat in the same episode because the soldiers remembered seeing them fall back but didn't quite realize they reformed not far away and then started pushing back up (and, to be fair to them, Easy had a LOT more important things to be focusing on at the time), etc.

[@stephendavis6267]

@@saintcynicism2654 I am in agreement. I am not saying that the vets were untrustworthy, but they weren't also speaking gospel and were prone to mistakes (the Blithe one is a key example), especially as they were speaking on events half a century after the fact. Perceptions build up over time. People might have noticed that Dike had been wounded at Foy but if they hadn't bothered to keep up with him, they could've found themselves in an echo chamber to the point that maybe that detail was obscured in favor of them considering his inaction at Foy another example of incompetence. It's not their responsibility to be correct, but that's where Ambrose should've been more diligent in his fact checking.

[@nickbell4984]

Dike got misrepresented but Albert Blithe got absolutely misrepresented. It says in the series that Blithe never recovered from his injuries and died in 1948, but in reality he did recover and died in 1964. But could you imagine if he didn't die in 1964 and lived to see an episode of his own story on B of B, and at the end it says he died.

[@stephendavis6267]

@@nickbell4984 It's very infuriating because HBO knew full well that Blithe did not die in 1948, but never bothered to correct it for future airings/home video releases. It's contributing to historical misrepresentation.

[@Beandipforyou]

I think a lot of the things they change with Winters and his accounts were really needless considering that the actual story is way better, him stopping himself would have been better on screen similar to the ending when he receives the surrendered pistol

[@stephenparker6362]

Hi, Chris, very interesting. It would be interesting to do a similar review of .programmes ftom earlier wars.

[@RicktheCrofter]

It would be interesting to know when Winters was promoted from 2nd Battalion XO to 2nd Battalion CO. Recently watching this episode, I noticed Sink calls Winters the Battalion CO. You say this scene never happened, and mention that Winters was still XO, but acting CO. By the end of ‘The Last Patrol,’ I assume Winters is now CO, as he is unceremoniously promoted to Major. A more fitting rank for a Battalion CO.

[@pattonpending7390]

I enjoyed the comment about how different people say the name of landmarks. I live in NH, and our northernmost county is named Coos. It is a dead giveaway for 'out of staters' when you meet them and they talk about going to 'coose' county instead of the true two syllable 'co-awws'. Of course, we native New Hampshirites tend to find any reason to laugh at 'Maine-iacs', 'Vermontsters', 'Mass-holes', and 'Connecti-c*unts'. /sarc😊

[@anderskorsback4104]

About the overuse of the term "sniper", that's actually true for the "deadliest sniper in history", Simo Häyhä of Winter War fame. For much of the time, he wasn't even a sniper by official role, just an infantry squad sergeant who just had exceptional marksmanship and fieldcraft skills. He famously did not use a scope in order to remain better hidden, but that was probably not as much a stroke of brilliance as it was just a consequence of his experience starting out without a scope when just a rifleman, finding out that he doesn't really need one, and managing to bag enemy snipers due to the scope giving away their position.

[@coiboyify]

I actually never realized Webb gets killed, he was just "Peanut" during the wounded/injured conversation of the platoon. Every damn time you watch a video on this show man...

[@mrcpack17]

great video

[@someokiedude9549]

One of my favorite battles from the show though.

[@MeowingWhale]

Hey just wanted to ask if you’ve ever considered doing reactions to videos covering the Hussite Wars and/or the Proto-Protestant revolution in Bohemia. I think it would make great content not just from a military perspective like your Admiral Yi series but also with a social/religious angle as well

[@wallythewondercorncake8657]

Not sure if this would be within your wheelhouse but I'd love to see you do something on Black Hawk Down. Ik the Durant crash site battle scene is one of the more inaccurate moments of the film. Gordon and Shugart weren't really alone, they had a lot of air support

[@NoelG702]

I read that another reason for Dike freezing was they had no radio contact. Sink had ordered 48 hours of radio silence after the Germans had tapped into their frequency and gave orders in perfect English.

[@magnalucian8]

@Vlogging Through History What did the botanist say to his kid when he saw a line of logs affected by beech blight? "Wood row ill, son."

[@LoneStarVol]

Have you looked into a group trip to visit the areas from Band of Brothers?

[@IIBloodXLustII]

70 yards under pressure is still a really good shot. Especially with just irons.

[@actaeon299]

Yup. People forget that firing on a static line is WAY different than firing when the bullets are whizzing by.

[@phantomtitan9792]

Interesting video

[@KilroyDoesHistory]

Can you do something like this but with The Pacific?

[@ryanburgess4470]

Oh, I wonder if you could go over the one of Easy company against those german paratroopers in France when they're stuck in the hedgerows and rescued by 2nd armoured?

[@crusader2112]

Hey, can you do the scene of H**ler’s Rant from Downfall? Keep up the great work. 👍

[@jaycusandas2392]

I know this might sound odd, but you reacting to The Century: America's Time 1914-1950s would be cool

[@Logan-ly6nn]

Band of Brothers' first episode released 2 days before 9/11. Crazy to find that out.

[@neonhavok]

id love a episode of lt spears, that guy did some insane shit and would like to see you cover that character also maybe do saints and soldiers if it has anything to do with history and maybe the pacific

[@Rangerluck]

You should make a video about the HBO series the pacific

[@XaviRonaldo0]

Was Foley a battlefield commission? Seemed have it all together for a 2nd LT

[@VloggingThroughHistory]

No. He was ROTC.

[@TheWindcrow]

Glad you clarified things. I love BoB but I also want the truth. Or closer to it.

[@MiamiHeatClips]

You have to have a ticket now? That’s too bad, got there a few times before that I assume

[@billbliss1518]

Can you do a breakdown of when Winters and Easy took out all of those SS soldiers? From episode 5 crossroads.

[@VloggingThroughHistory]

Did that one about a week ago

[@ermine1448]

band of brothers episode 3 Father John Maloney is out there in the fire

[@TheWindcrow]

Human pride wells up inside me everytime I see this episode.

[@onepcwhiz6847]

I really appreciate this video, but how is it not blocked?

[@VloggingThroughHistory]

HBO actually cleared it from copyright claim when I uploaded it a few days ago

[@theanii_waffles3343]

You should play Hell Let Loose They have a Foy map there.

[@Newidhan]

How Spiers can run that fast with those brass balls of his is the real incredible part

[@gonnaenodaethat6198]

it was likely a marksmen of some sort and literally the only way we could tell the diferenmce is to see the scope ourselve to gage the verasity of the sniper claim. to me a marksmen with iron sights is slightly more impressive then a sniper that has a scope for a boon

[@2104dogface]

So with the debate about LT. Dike and the attack on Foy and him being wounded many go with the Clancy story who said that he noticed Dike being wounded but there is no mention of him being hit during the attack. so per the old CO E/506th living history unit who has copies of all the E co & 506th reports and spent alot of time with all the vets - "they hated him (Dike). The only thing they didn't like in the series is that it didn't show the absolutely massive foxhole he had the Co HQ guys dig for him. "It was as big as a hotel". (heard Wild Bill talking about that) so Dike wasn't hit during the assault on Foy. A lot of people think he was due to the miniseries and some comments Clancy Lyall made (even though he never saw Dike during the assault). There’s absolutely no record of him being hit or mention in the morning report copies." Also for Speirs run through Foy to make contact with Item Co. which was down too about 22 troopers and they were shooting into Easy's positions in town so he want to tell them to stop shooting.

[@Nick-nk6bp]

🤘

[@TeaMasterIroh]

Shiftys shot was damn impressive, idk what you're talking about lol

[@dannagy546]

My great uncle mentioned once that he sent Spiers in, simply because he was the first officer he saw when he turned around

[@VloggingThroughHistory]

Yep. That's what Winters said in his book.

[@dannagy546]

@Vlogging Through History thank god it was Spiers, he was a hell of a combat officer!

[@jimkelly7305]

Guarnere & Babe Heffron Philly boys

[@anathardayaldar]

I heard in another video that Dike had PTSD from a previous event.

[@shinygemsbro4896]

Early gang let's go

[@BostonBurner]

I love everything to do with Easy Company

[@BruhdudeJX]

Where comments

[@someokiedude9549]

Poor Dike. The guy was an idiot for sure, but I do feel sorry for the guy in some ways. I bet it haunted him for the rest of his life that he bungled the operation as badly as he did. I probably shouldn't feel bad for the guy, but I do.

[@Zederok]

200 feet or 66 yards with iron sights, unsupported and full of adrenaline on a target the size of a basketball is an awesome shot. Most infantryman wouldn't be able to make that in 3 or 4 shots let alone 1. Just thought I'd point that out.

[@VloggingThroughHistory]

Excellent point

[@stc3145]

Spiers didnt run across town, straight through the Germans like in the show. He ran to the right across the road where I company was.

[@VloggingThroughHistory]

He definitely did run straight through the Germans. At least according to Lipton in the book. "He just kept on running right through the German line, came out the other side, conferred with the I Company CO and ran back," Lipton recalled during a 1991 visit to the former battle site with Ambrose, Dick Winters and Don Malarkey. "Damn, that was impressive." As Band of Brothers suggests, Speirs likely owed his survival to the fact that none of the German soldiers expected a US soldier to do anything as suicidal as run right through the middle of them, and in the chaos many may not even have noticed him.

[@stc3145]

@@VloggingThroughHistory The Operations Room did a video on this battle where they claim he ran to the right

[@nickbell4984]

​@@stc3145 I would personally trust memoirs of multiple soldiers over some youtubers theory

[@mechaboy0226]

Idk how the Germans lose this one they had three tiger tanks, infantry plus guns We’re there any allied fighter bombers in the mix

[@VloggingThroughHistory]

No, but the attack involved several companies supporting Easy. I think they just overwhelmed them with tactics and with numbers.

[@shinygemsbro4896]

@@VloggingThroughHistory Soviet style huh

[@gloverfox9135]

@@shinygemsbro4896 nah if it was Soviet style, the Americans would have just sent a human wave attack and pray to god they don’t shoot them all down. Every 2 soldiers would have been sharing the m1 garand and the officer who froze up in the middle of combat would have been executed by the blocking detachment or be sent to the US version of Gulag.

[@TheWabbitSeason]

@@shinygemsbro4896 Tanks without infantry support is a dead tank whether WW2 or modern Ukraine. Tanks in towns/cities are far more vulnerable to AT weapons.

[@shinygemsbro4896]

@@TheWabbitSeason Your point being?

[@HistoryWorldWar2Channel]

🙌🙌🫡

[@jankusthegreat9233]

I'm the first to comment and the third to like

[@societalnormality2268]

First to like your comment and first to comment on your comment.

[@zoanth4]

Nobody cares

[@nunyabussiness4054]

That makes you the Spiers of the comment section. Great job. You are now in charge.

[@willsutton54]

Please do the whole episode in French or say FOY

[@georgemichaels3rdnut]

Imma have to check this video of you running out😂

[@VloggingThroughHistory]

There’s a video somewhere of me doing Winters’ run at the crossroads.

[@operationsearchgate3072]

Whatever happened between you and cpg grey?

[@orange88623]

In short, CGP Grey sent VTH two copyright strikes, VTH sent back two counter-notifications, the time for CGP Grey to take legal action elapsed and the videos were restored. VTH has made several videos, community posts, tweets and Instagram posts talking about the situation. CGP Grey has said nothing (public), afaik.