Historian Breaks Down D-Day Movies and TV Series | Deep Dives

[@HavocParadox]

god hearing that band of brothers intro music even for the quick moment.. i rewatch the entire show every few years and i still get teary eyed hearing it

[@TheOffertonhatter]

One of the most interesting things about "The Longest Day" film, to which I am fascinated, is that Richard Todd Played Major John Howard in the film, and yet he was a Captain himself during D-Day and actually played a part in capturing Pegasus Bridge himself, even joining forces with the real Major whom he played in the film. Another actor - Patrick Jordan - Played Todd in the film.

[@colinthomas5462]

Great actor in Dambusters, and Longest Day, and a D-Day hero.

[@TheGiantKillers]

Was a bit surprised Dan Snow didn't mention it. Todd actually wanted to cameo himself.

[@olengagallardo8551]

Perhaps he shouldve played himself as did Audy Murphy in To Hell & Back

[@chipparmley]

​@@olengagallardo8551 Richard Todd said, "I don't think at this stage of my acting career I could accept a part 'that' small."

[@magpiesfan]

​@@TheGiantKillers Yes, very surprised Dan Snow didn't mention Richard Todd's role in Pegasus Bridge. I've seen an analysis where they do a freeze frame showing Richard Todd, with the actor playing him standing next to him.

[@osrizzo9219]

Two things about the Saving Private Ryan part: 1: Those German soldiers that were surrendering were telling the Americans that they weren't German, they were Czech. Which is awesome storytelling. When I first saw it, I had assumed they were trying to say that warfare isn't black and white, but rather shades of grey (showing the "good guys" actually commit a war crime), but when you dive a little deeper it also shows the very real history of men being conscripted against their will to fight for a Germany. 2: The bit about the real family that the Ryan's were based one, the Neiland family, that third brother who was shot down over Burma actually survived and was able to return home after the war, alongside his brother, the paratrooper that Matt Damon's character was based on.

[@MJ-we9vu]

As Dan pointed out it's tough to take prisoners during a pitched battle. After you've spent half the day crawling across that beach under heavy fire and watching your friends get slaughtered mercy isn't the first thing on your mind. And whether those soldiers were volunteers or conscripted against their will doesn't matter much. Even if all they did was clean latrines (and they didn't because they were carrying weapons) they freed up someone to man the machine gun. There was also no place to hold prisoners since control of the beach was still contested and not enough manpower to guard them.

[@raedwulf7623]

@@MJ-we9vu Just an excuse it was still a war crime, if they were Americans being murdered it would be classed a war crime. Allies also committed war crimes but theirs were mostly forgotten or forgiven.

[@johnreed2278]

Yeah, History Buff said the same thing. Very cool insight!

[@whos-the-stiff]

Another great small detail in SPR is the medic who gets shot through his canteen, water comes pouring out the hole, then it turns to blood. Such a small detail and so realistic.

[@whos-the-stiff]

Another amazing detail about SPR. is the medic who gets shot through his canteen. First water pours out followed by blood. A tiny blink and you'll miss it detail, but it's amazing in it's attention to detail. Sorry if my comments appear twice. KZbin keeps removing my comments the instant I post them.

[@kolinajane4691]

Thank you for this. My Granddad was there; he was a commander of one of the landing craft for the Canadian Navy (HMCS Ottawa III). I had the privilege of seeing his personal maps of Juno beach and accompanying notes and am forever blown away by their strategy and sacrifice.

[@nanabutner]

Thank you for sharing your memories! What brave heroes your grandpa and my dad truly were! We owe them so much!

[@dickface9157]

What did your grand dad think about trans rights?

[@IdeologieUK]

Thanks for this! My father landed on Sword Beach 6 June 44. He died when I was only two years old so I don’t remember him, but I remember him through his war record and shows like this. 👍

[@DSWL_]

heavy

[@malcolm5514]

I'm sorry to hear that. He died during the war, I assume?

[@Cybop-xd9mm]

Ahh damn. I was thinking about how The Wall album must resonate with you on some level. Sorry man :/

[@jean-marcperreault3432]

Storming juno is smaller budget but excellent

[@IdeologieUK]

@@malcolm5514 no, he made it through the war (from Europe to Al Alamein etc). At the end of the war he was part of the repatriation of POW’s to various countries and upon landing in Durban, South Africa, he met a young lady, married her and had six children (I’m no 6). He died in 1970.

[@Bnio]

23:50 When I was a teen, my grandpa was talking one of his war stories. He was stationed in Scotland during WWII as a telephone technician. He was in his barracks one morning before the sunrise when, "I was wonken up by the loudest rumble I ever heard. I went outside and looked up and the sky was nothing but planes, all heading south. Turns out it was D-Day!" He was in Normandy three days later. Not part of the first assault, but did help liberate a concentration camp later like Episode 9 of Band of Brothers shows. He only talked about it once, as a lesson to never, ever celebrate violence.

[@etherealtb6021]

Sounds like my friend's grandfather, who was in something similar to Easy Company. He only talked to her about it once, while they were watching the History Channel together. He wouldn't talk about it to his kids. 😊

[@Xirpzy]

Kinda happy my granddad managed to dodge this. He did however get captured by russians and had to survive as a prisoner in the cold east for a while. Funny story, one time he managed to get a bus ride instead of walking because the russians would look at the prisoners asses to see who had enough mass to endure walking from one camp to another. Because my grandfather naturally was skinny he got to take the bus eventhough he definitly could have walked. I think because he worked with communication rather than being a machine gunner or something the russians where more lenient towards him as well. I also think it helped that he never really had a big mouth so to speak. Just did what he was told basically which is a good way to endure as a prisoner. Not trying to be a hero and get shot.

[@etherealtb6021]

@@Xirpzy Holy 💩! He's so damn lucky! Most Russian prisoners were never heard from again.

[@altosanon]

My Dad was on leave from the army, he had just completed his basic training and was in Suffolk with his grandparents. He remembers seeing wave after wave of planes going over for most of the day.

[@history_loves_anime8927]

From what I've been told, my great-granddad was a cryptographer and came ashore a couple days after D-day at Juno and would be out with the scouts mapping the terrain especially in Holland and the Netherlands where he was stationed for the rest of the war. I don't think he really talked about his experiences, at least, my mother and grandmother haven't said anything about it but there were little things like never wasting food and having terrible PTSD. He ended up dying in the early 80's from a heart attack, but the abdo wound he got in the war certainly wouldn't have helped either.

[@akaToeB]

In the surrender scene @7:57 the soldiers are actually trying to explain that they aren't German and are in fact Czech. Many Czech men were conscripted to the German army and many died never firing a bullet, after being mistaken for Germans. One of the many small details which I think takes Saving Private Ryan to another level of realism.

[@lyndoncmp5751]

Saving Private Ryan starts off great. Sadly it becomes Kelly's Heroes Part II (but without the entertaining characters and dialogue) with all the historical nonsense facing Tigers in the Cotentin Peninsula..... on the same day the Tigers were in reality facing the British at Villers Bocage a hundred km to the southeast. Plus, that nonsense dialogue about Montgomery is just plain odd.

[@jacktorrance3522]

@@lyndoncmp5751 I love the movie but as a Brit that little jab at Monty does my fucking head in.

[@brendanmatelan2129]

Dan, interesting fact about the Niland brothers. Frederick Niland, who served in the 101st Airborne during WW2, was brought back home under the “Lone Survivor Policy” and assumed his brothers Preston, Robert, and Edward all died while serving. But Edward, a B-25 Bomber Crewman survived and was in a Japanese POW camp in Burma. Edward was eventually reunited with his parents and Frederick.

[@richardvernon317]

Fun Fact, the Niland Bother's Father served under Teddy Roosevelt in the American / Spanish war (and there is a photo of the two together during the war). The Niland Brothers who were killed on D-day are buried together in the Cemetery at Omaha and are within spitting distance of the graves of two of Teddy's son's who both died in France, one as a fighter pilot in 1918 and the one who died of a heart attack as a Brigadier General in mid July 1944 after landing on Utah Beach on the first wave on D-day (Theodore Roosevelt Jr who is played in the Longest Day by Henry Fonda).

[@ericbecker7249]

@@richardvernon317 to add another element, Fritz Niland was best friends with "Skip" Muck of Easy Company since they were both from Tonawanda, NY. Don Malarkey talks about this in his book, which I highly recommend reading.

[@richardvernon317]

@@ericbecker7249 It is mentioned in the Band of Brothers book!!

[@ericbecker7249]

@@richardvernon317 Oddly enough, I actually haven't read it yet. I read Dick Winters' book Beyond Band of Brothers and the aforementioned Don Malarkey book. I really should get me a copy 🤔

[@richardvernon317]

@@ericbecker7249 Seen their Graves!!! Went to Normandy on a four day battle field tour in 2008 and the tour guide show the party both pairs of graves.

[@lorenfranz3173]

The Longest Day is one of my favorite WWII movies for many reasons: One: several of the cast members were actual veterans of the Normandy landings. Two: it tells the story from the perspectives of the Allies and the Germans. Three: you get a more accurate description of what happened on that day.

[@collin1401]

I agree! It’s one of my favorites to watch.

[@ClancyWoodard-yw6tg]

For sure. It's one of the best depictions of that day Ever to be Turned into a film.

[@willtallis5275]

I haven’t seen it. Is it defo worth watching is it actually a good movie

[@davidmacy411]

My biggest complaint from both LD and SPR is that neither of them show the destroyers going so close to the shore that they practically beached themselves to give accurate support fire to the troops making the assault. Its a big missed opportunity to properly show the bravery of those on the ships who became targets for the heavy artillery.

[@chanhjohnnguyen1867]

Accurate is laughable

[@Snorlax_il]

One of the best lines in Band of Brothers is just before they entrench outside Bastone Capt. Winters simply says "We're paratroopers. We're supposed to be surrounded" as if it's the simplest thing there is

[@richrdfieroii]

ACTUALLY, he said, if they do have us Surrounded I PITY them ! it's just not FAIR for them !

[@tihomirrasperic]

In fact the D-Day paratrooper attack was a total fiasco that brought victory with its own fiasco what happened? Paratroopers were dropped literally everywhere, 13,000 paratroopers were dropped in Normandy the fact that they totally missed the drop zones is a fiasco, but since they were scattered all over the place, they literally forced the Germans to search for them at night all over Normandy If the attack by the paratroopers had gone according to plan, the German command would probably have realized very quickly what was happening As it is, the paratroopers are everywhere, far from the key points, and none of the German units have any idea what is really going on. In this way, the Germans were totally confused and scattered throughout the region, instead of defending the key points and the coast

[@petewest3122]

@@richrdfieroii OP is correct. I re-watched the entire series this week.

[@history_loves_anime8927]

@@petewest3122 Best part is, the actual Major Winter said that while talking with the script writer and used it in the show.

[@BwInNewJersey]

I remember going to a matinee in Los Angeles to see Saving Private Ryan. Because of the time of day there were a lot of elderly in the audience. Ill never forget the quiet weeping at the end. Most of the audience didnt stand up to leave until the credits were well over. It was a haunting experience ill never forget. I joined the Navy not long after and as part of the Color Guard spent a lot of time at Veterans homes. It was a privilege to spend time with WW2, Korean War and Vietnam vets and hear their stories. They appreciated being able to share their stories and I will never forget those experiences.

[@timcolivet7343]

I like the opening of SPR but the film gets far too sentimental for me. The part with the general quoting Lincoln's letter just really doesn't do it for me. IMO the film really drags after the opening sequence. The opening sequence is brilliant though!

[@kenglasson2920]

My grandfather never spoke about the war (one) until I had been in the army for over a year and was home on leave. He spoke and I was stunned. He died a week later so I guess he wished me to hear these things before he passed.

[@LiveDonkeyDeadLion]

I love that one of the glider pilots was the first member of the allied forces to be physically on French soil on D-Day when he went through the windscreen, and when he came round joined the fight. Once the rest of the allied forces relieved them, he made his way back to the U.K. and was flying another glider back soon after. As for the longest day, they used real soldiers to climb the cliffs to attack the guns that weren’t there, and one of them had done it once before on D-Day

[@javasrevenge7121]

The guns were moved and they were concuered.

[@richardvernon317]

If you watch the clip of them getting of the Horsa, you can seen the nose of the glider all broken up. Never noted that before.

[@mameux]

Those glider pilots,HUGE balls!

[@mcz1945]

Spec-Ops who helped the partisans, pathfinders and such were on the ground first.

[@LiveDonkeyDeadLion]

@@mcz1945 yes,they were on the ground. SOE, the SAS, and a few others, but not as part of the invasion of Normandy in Operation Overload, as part of other operations

[@KravKernow]

As everyone will no doubt know, they trained for Pegasus Bridge on what is now Marsh Barton industrial estate in Exeter. The relevant bridges are still there. I occasionally have to go across them. And whenever I do I have to yell Ham and Jam as appropriate. Also check out fluffy pink novelist Barbara Cartland's connection with the D Day gliders.

[@johnkacin1500]

It wasn't just D-Day veterans whom were affected by Saving Private Ryan. Me, my dad, and my sister went to see this movie back when it first came out. He had fought along the DMZ in Vietnam.. and i could see this look on his face. I started waving my hand in front of him asking him if he was okay and he whispered " You wanted to know what combat is like. This is it". I thought he was going to have an episode right there in the theatre and those weren't pretty.

[@BobGeogeo]

My dad was USAF flying C-130s in Vietnam. His preference is for the pre-Ryan films that were PG or milder. "I saw enough of that in person. I don't need to see it again."

[@history_loves_anime8927]

@@BobGeogeo My dad was a sniper in the 90's before moving into communication in the CA army and he refuses to watch any war movies now whereas it used to be no moves from Iraq and Afghanistan. I never asked why, I just had a feeling that he didn't want to re-live the memories.

[@erwalkerca]

I found it very interesting that the actor who played Maj. John Howard, Richard Todd, was himself at the Pegasus Bridge and wore the beret he wore on that day in the film The Longest Day. The film had another actor in the role of Lt. Richard Todd.

[@anthonyhastings5961]

My Nan’s Brother in Law filmed most of the aerial footage you see in D Day documentaries the day after D Day. There’s a special section to him with a load of his camera gear at the Utah Beach museum. His name is Clarence Robert Greenawalt. Uncle Bob. He’s now interred with my Nan’s baby sister, Auntie Molly, in the same cemetary in Dayton as the Wright Brothers

[@stevecagle2317]

I have a tradition of watching certain movies on holidays and anniversaries. Over July 4th, I watch "1776" and "Gettysburg." June 6th, I watched "The Longest Day." Yes, these are fictional accounts of events but they dramatically send home the feelings and emotions about these events to me in way that straight documentaries can't. Just today I talked about D-Day with a young man in his early 20s who is interested in learning the history that sadly, is taught so poorly in schools. I recommended TLD, Ryan and Band because of how well they tell the story.

[@marka351]

The one complaint I have with "The Longest Day" is that they did not film any scenes of the Canadians on Juno Beach.

[@mbogucki1]

We always get the short end of the stick when it comes to film portrayals in WWI and WWII. Where is our "Saving Private Gordie" or something.

[@ageingviking5587]

@@mbogucki1 and Pachendale.

[@simongarthwaite7695]

Not half great film but bizarre they didn't feature yet the French who's contribution was miniscule by comparison(on D Day itself at least) did.

[@ziploc2000]

Agreed, and there ought to be a movie about the Dieppe raid in 1942 which used almost exclusively Canadian troops, but it was a disaster (not the Canadians' fault) so it hasn't been made.

[@steveforster9764]

​@@mbogucki1Watch The Dambusters Battle of Britain Reach further Sky. British movies Canada gets big mentions

[@janerkenbrack3373]

Another detail about The Longest Day, is that many of the actors were WWII veterans. That last clip showed Eddie Albert, who ran landing craft in the Pacific Theater. Even better, the actor who portrayed Major John Howard was a paratrooper who took part in the D-Day invasion.

[@nicholasayres3265]

Richard Todd actually served in the Ox and Bucks, the unit that took the bridge! He told the directors what actually happened, where and when during the taking of Pegasus Bridge. He played his own commanding officer. The couple who owned the cafe are absolutely adamant that no German stayed in the cafe.

[@janerkenbrack3373]

@@nicholasayres3265 I don't know anything about the cafe, but I have looked up Richard Todd. He served in the 7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion. The Red Devils. They did meet up with the Ox and Bucks at the bridge, and he was portrayed in that movie by another actor. This is pretty extraordinary. But he wasn't in the Ox and Bucks, though the confusion is understandable.

[@JJPARISCAL]

The two scenes from longest day you might have covered are (1) Utah Beach, where they land fortuitously at the wrong place, away from most defenses, and General Teddy Rosevelt Jr declares “We’ll start the war from right here ….the reinforcements will just have to follow us”; and (2) the scene where Luftwaffe Ace Priller makes one strafing pass in his FW190, which shows how depleted the Luftwaffe was due to Operation Argument, the bombing offensive that forced the Luftwaffe to defend the homeland. The resulting attrition gave the Allies the overwhelming air superiority needed for D Day

[@brettfromla4055]

My dad said his experience with combat was 90% bordom, and 10% sheer terror. He wouldn’t really speak of his experiences until he turned 80, and even then his anecdotes were redacted. He took his real feelings and experiences with him to his grave.

[@Maazzzo]

My grandfather wouldn't talk bout his experiences in Vietnam unless I was watching an episode of M*A*S*H that reminded him of something that happened. He could talk about it, then. But not really any other time-- and for some reason, only to me? Maybe because I watched M*A*S*H with him so much.

[@rob_in_stowmarket_uk]

Small point: The Niland brother in the Pacific Theatre, thought to be dead, was actually a POW who was returned home after WWII ended.

[@MatSpeedle]

I will never forget watching Saving Private Ryan as a young man with my Grandfather and turning to him to ask, was it really that bad? Much worse sonner he replied, never cried so much in my life. Thinking of my grandad, one of the kindest people I knew suffering through that. I will never forget what these men sacrificed for the following generations. Learning about all he did and all the friends he lost was the most important education I've ever had.

[@4thamendment237]

​@@danielcombs3207Wild Bill Guarnere was 23 years old.

[@Andy_Babb]

Band of Brothers, for me, is the gold standard of WWII movies or series.

[@lyndoncmp5751]

Pity Episode 4 is nonsense.

[@Andy_Babb]

@@lyndoncmp5751 Ok? My grandfather fought most of the battles portrayed in the series (as well as 200 combat days prior to DDay) and the series does a pretty great job of conveying what life was like for men like my grandfather.

[@Xhw3288]

@@lyndoncmp5751why is it nonsense?

[@kingerikthegreatest.ofall.7860]

Canadians seemed to be left out in most movies. They played a big part at Juno beach .

[@glastonbury4304]

A lot of countries are left out, especially the British Commonwealth countries...that's the power of Hollywood...

[@DonAbrams-hq7ln]

They were also massacred by the12th SS Hitler Jugend . My Onkel Rudy was with Lieb Standarte SSAH according to my Mother who lived in Berlin when it fell in1945.

[@t5ruxlee210]

CBC reporter/NFB movie crews had shot the only authentic film of any of the initial infantry D-Day landings. It was promptly shipped out to London for processing and then lost for many decades. Some things never change...All real D-Day stuff has poor weather as its main feature.

[@ericsierra-franco7802]

@@glastonbury4304 You cannot tell everyone's story in any film.

[@glastonbury4304]

@ericsierra-franco7802 ... true but Hollywood loves to re write history as long as its favourable to the US ...this is why Americans feel they saved the allies in WW2 as they learn history from Hollywood...🤦

[@fgb3126]

Credit must, I repeat, MUST be given to Steven Spielberg. This movie was his baby. His ability to project all of these details was unmatched. He broke the mold on how to portray battle scenes at close quarters.

[@ellentrimming9190]

I would love to see HH do a video on the history of the London Docks. Fascinating but very hard to find quality content on. Keep up the great work guys. Brad

[@brettfromla4055]

My World War II European Theater vet father scoffed when I said that Saving Private Ryan seemed realistic. He said if you really made a war movie realistic, you’d have to turn the volume so loud it hurt your ears, and have the smell of 3 day-old dead bodies in the theater.

[@ukmediawarrior]

Would be hard to have three day old dead bodies in the movie though when it takes place over a few days :) When I went to see this movie two veterans were sitting in the front row in blazers and berets and one even had his medals on. A few minutes into the landing scene one broke down and started to cry and his friend led him out of the theatre, so no offence to your father, but it seems to me it was real enough.

[@etherealtb6021]

Truth. 😔

[@brettfromla4055]

@@ukmediawarrior I didn’t see Saving Private Ryan in the theater with my dad. However, the movie scene that did disturb him was from Robocop, when the OCP employee gets shredded by the ED-209. He had to go outside and have a smoke to gather himself.

[@guypierson5754]

I remember when Saving Private Ryan was in theatres we took an older friend, a veteran of the Pacific Campaign, to see it, we were worried it might upset him. After, we asked him "Was it that bad?" He scoffed, cause he landed on Iwo Jima, and said the film was nothing, the real deal had been so much worse for him. He was a tough old dude. RIP to that man.

[@cannae216]

Funnily enough this is how I watch Ukraine footage or other combat docs. I'm not a soldier but have fired plenty of guns and know how loud they are. I turn the comp/earbuds up to max until my ears hurt to get a better sense of it. Makes it much closer for me, though still nothing like being there, I'd imagine. Hearing Ukraine footage when a Russian tank was somewhere nearby sounded a lot like the last scene of SPR, actually. Can't imagine how scary that must be.

[@LocoJunius]

Can we just appreciate of legendary of a Historian Dan Snow is

[@spitfire4sergi]

Oh my dear Dan, how bad did you want to punch Ridley Scott in the face after actually seeing Napoleon? I know you’ll never be able to say because you interviewed him before the movie came out… And this video about D-Day isn’t related at all… Just letting you know, we all love and seriously respect you… And know inside you’re probably as pissed or even more so at than movie than all of us.

[@gussiejives]

I certainly did.

[@lyndoncmp5751]

I love Jaws but I wanted to punch Spielberg in the face after Saving Private Ryan.

[@iankerridge5720]

Its a bit of a shame that Dan doesn't mention the reason the last Nyeland boy was sent home: the Five Sullivan brothers who went down with USS Juneau

[@etherealtb6021]

Yes, my mom told me about the Sullivans when the movie came out.

[@formallyknownasj.a.2074]

The two things about the D-Day landing in Saving Private Ryan that gets me is; bullets don’t travel through water and the long wooden polls on the beach were faced the wrong way. Great movie though.

[@moomoodylan]

Honestly its crazy how much detail saving private ryan had

[@gavindick2629]

you missed Richard Todd actually fought on Pegasus Bridge in 1944.

[@pfranks75]

A few weeks ago I stood on Omaha Beach and was emotionally affected by what I saw. People don’t realize there is a cemetery close by the beach. I felt proud to be an American that day!

[@lik_doyaya]

Yikes. Imagine feeding your pride with something you had zero contribution in. Where your only qualification is coming out of a sad womb whose owner wasn't smart enough to educate you any better.

[@hedgehog1965uk]

Did you go to the cemetery itself, that is sovereign US territory, being gifted by the French so that the fallen US solders would be technically buried on US soil? It's the cemetery shown at the beginning and end of Saving Private Ryan.

[@pfranks75]

@@hedgehog1965uk Thanks for that piece of information, I did not know what the French government did for fallen. France was our 1st ally during the War of Independence.

[@hedgehog1965uk]

@@pfranks75 TBH I only learned this myself when watching the D-Day commemorations live the other day, which is what brought me to THIS video.

[@williamrobinson7435]

Certainly the cellular nature of the combat within the grand vision of D Day comes through in these films. A considered and well presented review! Nice one Dan and team. 🌟👍

[@michaeltelson9798]

My great uncle was in the first wave for Omaha in an engineering battalion. they got hit by artillery about a mile out and the current drifted north to either the Canadian or further north to one of the British beaches. His Captain, a sergeant and himself were the only non casualties on that barge.

[@JessCausey]

My Grandfather was part of the first wave, 20th Combat Engineers. My uncle shared his D-Day story on the 20th Combat Engineers page. Warren Causey was my Grandfather's name. He was a Sergeant, First Class.

[@adamkahn8645]

love these deep dives with experts that actually know their history

[@lorenfranz3173]

Saving Private Ryan is another personal favorite of mine, and has a much more coherent narrative than The Longest Day, with characters you care about and want to see survive and when someone dies, you feel their loss. Plus the cinematography is excellent, with the camera work immersing you into the action. Every gun shot and wound feels authentic, like this could've happened to you.

[@timphillips9954]

In both films there was next to no mention made of the Brits or Canadians who made up the majority of the troops who landed on D Day.

[@ziploc2000]

They're on a different scale. The Longest Day is trying to tell the overall story from many viewpoints, with many famous actors of the day taking part, while Saving Private Ryan is mostly fiction after the beach landing.

[@AudieHolland]

American paratroopers capturing and defending a vital bridge? Never happened during the actual D-Day. Sounds to me as if Spielberg was trying to pull another 'U-571' or *rewriting history.* EDIT: Tom Hanks' character telling Ryan that he's actually an English teacher, a reservist. From his looks and wisdom Tom Hanks' character is even older than Major Rudder, the oldest US Army Ranger on D-Day who scaled the cliffs of Pointe-Du-Hoc during D-Day. One of the characters in SPR is a non-combatant, who turns out to be a real wimp. His name: Upham. Funny that there was a real Upham, from New Zealand, fighting for the British Common Wealth, who received the Victoria Cross for his heroism. Sounds to me like Spielberg was trying to rewrite history again. *It's like giving a fictional Scandinavian warhero the name of Quisling.* Remind me to name a fictional American warhero in my first ever movie as *Benedict Arnold.*

[@ziploc2000]

@@timphillips9954 In The Longest Day there's a couple of sequences with Roger Moore and a friend as British troops landing on the beaches, and Kenneth More as a Beachmaster helping get a Bren gun carrier vehicle started, also on the British beaches. In a movie of the scale of The Longest Day, that's enough. I wouldn't expect the British/Canadian beaches to be covered in Saving Private Ryan, which was focused on an American squad. Agreed the Canadians don't appear much, they seem to get short shrift in all the war movies I've seen.

[@timphillips9954]

@@ziploc2000 So who did put the American troops on the beach and a couple of Brits were shown on the longest day. Let us not forget the Americans were in the minority iin this operation.

[@Sapherzz]

Saving Private Ryan is my favourite film of all time. Band of Brothers, my favourite TV series. Both iconic in their depictions.

[@lukehanson_]

Watched the longest day (again) yesterday in memory of D-Day. Anyone else?

[@timcolivet7343]

I didn't watch it yesterday but I love the film. Saving Private Ryan has a good opening but gets too sentimental for me. The film really drags to a halt after the first 25 minutes. I don't massively like the film.

[@barrytipton1179]

I will soon

[@cannae216]

@@timcolivet7343 Sad to say I gotta agree with you. I went to the rerelease a couple months ago and really wanted to stay for the final battle scene, but I left halfway through because I was really there for Omaha and the middle part is just so corny at parts. Spielberg's sentimentality getting annoying at times. Saying it's "one step between us and the almighty" when you're under fire? Give me a break. I feel like "No fucking way" might've been more authentic there but I'm not a soldier.

[@jeffbosworth8116]

I did. I like John Wayne, but he was too old and too fat for a DDay paratrooper )as said by the real person he was portraying).

[@BrightonandHoveActually]

Dan is the historian, not me but I have a query. At 34:25, we see gliders being towed. It has always been my understanding that the bombers that towed the gliders were Halifaxes. The tail fins on the towing bombers in the clip of The Longest Day look more like those of Lancasters than Halifaxes (both had twin tail fins but they were a different shape). That is not to detract from the story and even if I am right (which I may not be) it is hardly a significant error as I have never noticed it before. Also, they set off from Sussex too. Both Shoreham and Newhaven were used as embarkation points whilst a small plaque on Pagham beach notes that it was the setting off point. Pagham is close to Selsey Bill, the closest point in Great Britain to any of the invasion beaches.

[@castlerock58]

The Longest Day is good but it omits the Canadians on Juno Beach. One of the five invasion beaches. They played a major role in the invasion but were missing from the movie.

[@philipcoggins9512]

33:20 The ironic thing from this scene is that John Wayne is playing a Colonel in the 82nd. The Division, having made two previous combat jumps in Sicily and Salerno, decided not to use the crickets. Only the 101st were issued the items.

[@mk8530]

Also those "cricket devices" were getting people killed .

[@fromadhdtodndtomtg]

Richard Todd, playing his boss.

[@nanabutner]

What I find most astonishing is that an operation such as D-DAY IS IMPOSSIBLE TODAY! With all the satellites and constant surveillance there could never be the surprise factor needed for success! My Dad was a glider pilot on D-DAY and did see the movie SAVING PRIVATE RYAN and it did affect him, but what made even more of an impression of memories was the PBS SPECIAL “SILENT WINGED WARRIORS” which was about the glider pilots. He always smiled when he saw the part about the “clickers” the pilots used to identify “friendly” vs. enemy, because he said he had forgotten that. “THE COURAGE THOSE HEROES HAD IS UNIMAGINABLE TODAY” and we are so much the worse off because of that loss, IMO!

[@mohammedashian8094]

Plus d-day was pretty much all or nothing. Eisenhower himself had written an apology letter taking full responsibility if it failed.

[@nanabutner]

@@mohammedashian8094 I have read both the letters Eisenhower wrote just before D-DAY and found them amazing! Can anyone imagine the majority of today’s leaders saying “THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR FAILURE IS ALL MINE”?

[@mohammedashian8094]

@@nanabutner which is why I always think to myself “the man was literally born to be a president.” He pretty much had ALL the qualifications of being a leader to back it up.

[@nanabutner]

@@mohammedashian8094 Actually--he wasn’t that good a president. He was used to giving orders and having them unquestionably followed. Life outside the military is not like that, compromise, listening to the opposition, letting people have credit and ideas of their own is difficult for most high ranking military personnel. I was alive during his presidency and I must state that his treatment of President Truman was abominable!

[@111oooo]

The Longest Day: Canadians (Juno) pretty much ignored

[@laperted56]

One thing "Saving Private Ryan" fumbled big time were the log ramps with mines that were placed inverted on the beach. It really surprised me because they were very meticulous with details.

[@frankm2588]

Yes, they had them backwards. If the point faced outward the boats would have just rammed them. They wanted the end of the long pole facing the beach so the landing craft would ride up it and trigger the mine at the end.

[@cheften2mk]

The bunkers also look nothing likey actually did on omaha beach

[@carloshenriquezimmer7543]

@@cheften2mk Not the whole beach, but at a specific sector they were just like that. They visited the actual bunkers to copy them for the movie. It was not at the actual DOG GREEN sector, BTW, it was near the edge of Utah beach.

[@βιτψηασσνιγγα]

And the distance from the bunkers to the beach. Though I suppose that is because its more visually exciting for viewers to see the machine gunners fire away at clear targets, instead of far away barely visible silhouettes

[@Gunnar001]

@@carloshenriquezimmer7543Except those were observation bunkers. The big, blatantly obvious machine gun bunkers that we see in the film simply did not exist. In reality, the German machine guns in that sector were set up in well camouflaged positions up in the bluffs and fired at long angles down the length of the beach, instead of straight on toward the water like the movie. Most of the first landing troops didn’t exactly know where the MG fire was coming from until later on.

[@sirboomsalot4902]

7:54 On detail in the execution scene is that the “German” soldiers are speaking Czech. A lot of the guys on the Atlantic wall weren’t German, but came from the countries occupied by Germany. Theres even a known case of a Japanese guy who had been in the IJA, been captured by the Soviets, and was captured again by the Germans and sent west.

[@SaturnCanuck]

Excellent. A great overview. Now, you did mention Major John Howard and in the film “The Longest Day” he was portrayed by Richard Todd. What you didn’t mention is that Richard Todd was actually a part of the 7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion that attacked Pegasus Bridge, so he was there. In the movie he plays his own commander, Major John Howard.

[@Uncle_T]

In Saving Private Ryan for some reason the log ramps are the wrong way around and not working like ramps at all unless you go into the water from the beach. Such a weird mistake to make in a movie like that.

[@ninus17]

The bunker also looks like an observation bunker. The actual machine gun bunkers were of the Tobruk type. Which is buried so that only the gunners head and shoulders are exposed above the ground with the machine gun mounted in a ring round the opening where the gunner sits

[@carloshenriquezimmer7543]

I heard that they did this in purpouse, because they looked more intimidating that way. Like a lance or cannon pointed at the landing troops. Since most people would not know the rigth way that made sense.

[@jimfesta8981]

You're right. Also, the Germans placed mines on many of those logs

[@Gunnar001]

They also screwed up the challenge “Flash” and response “Thunder” that the U.S. troops called out to identify friendlies during the invasion. They incorrectly reversed it during the rainy sniper town scene, with Sergeant Horvath first saying “Thunder!” as the challenge and a U.S. paratrooper replying with the password “Flash!” It’s kinda weird that not a single person in the entire production noticed this, but, I guess it happens. They did get it right later on with _Band of Brothers_ though.

[@lyndoncmp5751]

Saving Private Ryan starts off great. Sadly it becomes Kelly's Heroes Part II (but without the entertaining characters and dialogue) with all the historical nonsense facing Tigers in the Cotentin Peninsula..... on the same day the Tigers were in reality facing the British at Villers Bocage a hundred km to the southeast. Plus, that nonsense dialogue about Montgomery is just plain odd.

[@CarterElkins]

I love the way Band of Brothers and The Longest Day take time to explain the plans before they go into action. The older Call of Duty games do this as well. Providing the context for these operations extends the lifespan of these titles dramatically. Here we are 80 years after the fact, and assuming people know the nature of D-Day, or even World War 2 at all, becomes much less reasonable. It also enables them to show nighttime fights with more clarity.

[@Emsworth377]

I love saving private Ryan's opening scene. Shame that they felt the need though to replace the British landing craft driving them in with American ones though.

[@Jasperdog3329]

Unfortunately there just aren't really any small landing craft of any nationality from the war left. They had to use British post-war LCVPs with some light modifications for the film. There is such a thing as a budget in movie-making and building a half dozen craft just isn't worth it.

[@Emsworth377]

@@Jasperdog3329 it was rather the fact that the British crews were replaced that I feel was unfortunate

[@lyndoncmp5751]

They also mock Montgomery in the dialogue, then the story steals the SS Tigers that the British were facing at Villers Bocage and shows the Americans stopping them in the Cotentin Peninsula some 100km to the northwest 😅

[@jonfallis305]

All yank ww2 films miss out uk contribution

[@jeremyd1869]

Great video, great narration. History Hit rocks!

[@jimmyrb007]

You missed my favourite the big red one

[@geraltofblivian104]

Dan Snow is my favorite history hit expert!

[@kevinrichardson8761]

My grandfather lance corporal carr thomas irwin Pritchard 2nd east Yorkshire regiment was a medic at Dunkirk and sword beach on d day his landing craft opened in front of a German machine gun all except him were killed or wounded he was wounded minutes later

[@kevinrichardson8761]

He carried his wound upper left arm that made 3 fingers unusable surgeons removed 3 fingers in the 1980s shortly before his death

[@nanabutner]

I am so sorry.

[@Andy_Babb]

My grandfather landed on Utah Beach… he’d already seen nearly 200 combat days in the ninth infantry after they landed in North Africa, so he was selected to go on D-Day +4 due to his experience and skill as a forward observer. It’s really hard to grasp what these men went though and fought through.

[@garandguy101]

The log beach obstacles in Saving Private Ryan are facing the wrong direction.

[@paulwee1924dus]

I had another list: 1: Breakthrough aka Steiner 2 (1979) 2: Overlord (2018) 3: Code Name: Emerald (1985). 4: D-Day the 6th of june (1956) 5: The War I Knew (2014) 6: Rommel (2012) 7: The night of the generals (1967) 8: The night of the fox (1990) 9: The Devil's Rock (2011) 10: Les Uns et les Autres (1981) , this one has a great little D-day para scene in it. All movies are operation Overlord related.

[@AudieHolland]

EDIT: 38:45 Von Rundstedt breaking the fourth wall. If the Allies had attacked at Pas de Calais, *all invasion beaches would have looked like Omaha Beach* In my opinion, most of the men killed in action at Omaha Beach actually drowned. 1. They had almost all been given a luxurious breakfast, including steak, mashed potatoes and even icecream; 2. All who had enjoyed this breakfast became extremely seasick; 3. Those who had lost their breakfast and jumped into the deep water, simply disappeared underwater and drowned (their bodies washing up on the beach)

[@charlesgantz5865]

The problem was that they hadn't been told how to use their life vests. They wore them around their waists, but all their equipment was in the upper part of their bodies. So, when they went into the water and inflated the life vests, they just turned turtle and drowned.

[@RC19786]

one of the best stuff i have seen this year on D-Day and pop culture, superb stuff Dan!

[@TheRedBaron2010]

Happy 80th anniversary. thank you German and allied soldiers for your service on D-Day.

[@Gabbo695]

German??

[@o__o6452]

​@@Gabbo695 Was Germany the bad guy on grand scale? Yes without a doubt. But most of the soldiers serving in the German forces were 20 something year old men, who either had no choise but to either fight or be executed/imprisoned, or they had been force fed with propaganda for a decade to make them want to fight in a war. These things aren't black and white.

[@ralph0149]

@@Gabbo695 "Forget it. He's on a roll."

[@asbhm2024]

Dan Snow never misses. Great channel. I sometimes think it would be good if on April 1st the show get's introduced as 'Dan Snow's History Shit" where he talks about history while on the toliet.

[@jeffry1961]

The greatest inaccuracy in the Longest Day is John Wayne as a war hero.

[@tripsaplenty1227]

well he was more believable in that than when he played Genghis Khan

[@TerrellThomas1971]

​@@tripsaplenty1227Truly

[@macmcleod1188]

Yes he was not well received by military men on his uso tour. He was viewed as a poltroon. I think his shame over his wartime actions led him to be such a war hawk later in life. His friend John Ford, begged him to serve and he avoided it nonetheless while many other fathers went to serve starting in 1943. I'm okay watching him in westerns and non-war movies. He's a decent actor.

[@jeffry1961]

@macmcleod1188 I do like some of his westerns. Rio Bravo is one of my favorite movies. More for Dean Martin and Angie Dickinson's performances, though.

[@ianlove1215]

The real inaccuracy was he was supposed to be Dutch

[@bertieb7811]

The fact Normady veterans could smell diesel in the cinemas when watching SPR is insane. Some left the theatre during the opening scene too.

[@karlsheldon2758]

I thought the defenses on Omaha weren't actually like that and that the mined wooden poles should be facing the other way? If so, surprised that wasn't mentioned on a video about the accuracy

[@kraeuterzucker9863]

Because such minor details are not important, it‘s about communicating a correct idea of the historic event. Like the Czech soldiers wanting to capitulate. This event surely did not take place like that, but it communicates something real and important about the Wehrmacht.

[@jasonclarke9026]

The actor who playing the officer in that glider actually took that bridge on D-day and the officer he playing was also in the longest day with him to playing the actor

[@mvic81818]

Saving private Ryan has maybe the best opening 30 minutes in cinema...after that it's just a good movie. If I'm going to take a WW2 film Schindler's List is next to perfection. I know it's more Holocaust than war but I've never seen a more gut wrenching, perfectly produced film about WW2 than Schindler's List.

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

The eldest brother, Technical Sergeant Edward Francis Niland actually survived the war. He was captured on May 16, 1944 and remain imprisoned in a Japanese POW camp in Burma until his liberation on May 4, 1945. After the war, Edward lived in Tonawanda until his death in 1984 at the age of 71.

[@mvic81818]

The best TV shows ever... The Wire and Band of Brothers. For whatever reason I couldn't get into the Sapranos or Breaking Bad (which i know are up there). But I have never seen such perfection in television from those two shows.

[@Maazzzo]

Of D Day? Okay. But he said Private Ryan was the best representation of warfare in film and television. I'd say it's M*A*S*H. It's not D Day but it is warfare and I vehemently disagree with him saying Private Ryan beats out in all of film and television.

[@mvic81818]

@@Maazzzo Yah I disagree with "best depiction of war" part.You need more than a great opening scene for that title. Most would not say this is the best depection of war but my favorite movie and a great depection of war (US Civil War) is Glory. The fact it includes the struggle of the black soldiers just makes it the best war movie ever made although I know most would disagree. The fact it lost Best Picture to Driving Miss Daisy was an abomination. I'd take Band of brothers as an overall depection of warfare over Private Ryan even if it doesn't have a 30 minute match to it's opening. Start to finish though B of B all the way though.

[@mvic81818]

@@Maazzzo Also regrettably I have not seen MASH so I cannot comment on it.

[@Maazzzo]

@@mvic81818 I don't really care for US Civil War stories, but Glory was good as people so rarely focus on Black soldiers throughout history. Band of Brothers was better, in my opinion, than Private Ryan .

[@Maazzzo]

@@mvic81818 I would highly recommend it as it focusses on the Korean War. When they were on, Korean War vets would tell them that M*A*S*H was the only memorial to Korean War vets in America. I don't think there was an official one until like 1995. I would happily argue that M*A*S*H is the best television representation of war. some of it has aged poorly-- particularly the first year. But they also did things that really hadn't been done much on network tv at their time-- an entire episode with very gothic nightmares, an episode where the camera is from the perspective of a patient, one where they have a clock running and are going in real time, etc. And it's a lot more queer than people realised as well. It became especially great at combining the humour and relationships that people develop during high stress situations like war, as well as the fear, anger, and exhaustion as well. I would highly recommend you watch-- but don't watch any version with a laugh track. it was a thing that CBS forced for American audiences-- luckily, the rest of the world got it as it was meant to-- no forced tinned laughter. If you don't want to watch the whole 11 years, let me know if you want some of the cherry-picked episodes where they do what they do very well.

[@LornaBall]

A fascinating insight 😊🌸🧡

[@kentgrady9226]

A real stickler for historically accurate detail can poke a number of holes in SPR. For example, the Rangers depicted by Tom Hanks et al, did not land at Dog Green. They were tasked with taking Pointe du Hoc, further west. In fairness, the capture of the pill box in the film was meant to replicate the difficulty of the actual mission with which the Rangers were tasked. There were specific details of the German defenses which were not wholly accurate. And finally, the scene seemed to portray the beach assault in more or less real time. The reality is, it took hours. Obviously, a film cannot capture the landing in its entirety. However, a few directorial cuts with notation of time elapsed from initial landing might have done the trick. With all that said, SPR is probably the most *authentic* portrayal of a real battle that has ever been put to film.

[@Gavintageous]

Not all Rangers were tasked with taking Point du Hoc. Plenty of Rangers went ashore at Omaha Beach along with the 1st and 29th Infantry divisions. It was only 3 companies or so of the 2nd Ranger Battalion that landed at Point du Hoc. The other 3 landed at Dog Green.

[@ukmediawarrior]

Some Rangers did land with the other units on the beach. The plan was that if no message asking for reinforcements came from the initial Ranger attack force by a certain time then the rest of the Rangers would go in with the other units. That message was not received so they hit Omaha beach.

[@kentgrady9226]

@@Gavintageous Yes, I have read that as well. I remember researching this detail shortly after having seen the film for the first time many years ago. Please don't ask me to repeat verbatim, but I recall quite clearly that the specific unit (down to company level) of Rangers depicted in the film, were indeed tasked with the assault on Pointe du Hoc. Other Ranger units, as you say, were mixed with conventional infantry at other points at Omaha, although none landed at Dog Green. It's a very minor gripe about a brilliant, important film. Other small details were likewise missed - again, only things a true nerd (I have been thus accused) might catch. Example: the piping on a specific German's uniform was the wrong color. One thing I've read is that the steel beach obstacles were facing the wrong way. That seems so blatantly obvious that I can't believe I cannot confirm for myself. But for the life of me, every time I watch the film, I forget to make a note of it. Like I said, the details they didn't get 100% right, are by no means glaring enough to detract from the quality and importance of the film.

[@lyndoncmp5751]

Shame they went total comic book with the rest of the film.

[@kingkongkungkwang]

WE WANT THE DITCH MAN But we love Dan too.

[@rflameng]

WW2 was won on the Eastern Front of course. When Operation Bagration annihilated Army GROUP Centre. The most important important contribution the Allies made was the bomber offensive. Not because of the damage it did, but because it obliged Germany to withdraw all its fighter aircraft from the front and use them for home defense, ceding air superiority to the Allies and the Red Army.

[@cheften2mk]

15 years ago everyone said the US won the war alone, no they say the soviets did

[@lyndoncmp5751]

Actually there was far more German armour deployed to and lost in Normandy than in Bagration. 2,400 vs 1,300 including 5 of the 7 Waffen SS panzer divisions. Around 400,000 German troops were lost in Normandy. Normandy was a more significant defeat for Germany and by the start of September the western allies were close to the German border. In fact, some units crossed into Germany in September. After Bagration the Soviets were still east of Warsaw.

[@thechriswhewell]

Very well put together. Thank you.

[@Maazzzo]

Saving Private Ryan is 'the best depiction of warfare on film or television?' No. You can have film, I don't care. I don't agree, but I don't care. But M*A*S*H is still the best depiction of the realities and horrors of war, as well as what it takes for people to get through it in television history. I’m not bending on this. M*A*S*H is still the gold standard and I have never seen its equal on television.

[@RickL_was_here]

Dad was born in Holland June 2, 1944. His family managed to escape and emigrated to Canada. These films certainly do a good job in showing the intensity of it all.

[@timphillips9954]

Saving private Ryan total nonsense. Not a Brit to be seen in the whole film. The Brits got them to France in the first place.

[@gibson617ajg]

They're not seen - but Speilberg and Hanks managed name- check Mongomery - calling him 'overrated'.

@@gibson617ajg i just put a commnet about that speilberg hates the english because we never took more jews in ww2 and dint bomb auschiwitz.while 35 ,000 r af lads died liberating europe the man is a disgrace

the british blew the whistle in 39 and tha yanks heard in 41

[@jeremyd1869]

In fairness, the movie was about a small unit of American soldiers. Their war was far from the British sector.

@@jeremyd1869 still a slur on the english lads who gave their life

[@Exploiting.History]

Your episodes are very engaging and in fact I was inspired to start my own channel as a result! Keep up the great content :)

[@111oooo]

Saving Private Ryan: The sailors who brought them in were British not American as they knew the craft the best. Bullets lose velocity quickly when they hit water so an inaccuracy there. Those were not Germans trying to surrender who got shot with their hands up

[@ericsierra-franco7802]

That's not true. I knew someone who was a Higgins Boat pilot on D-Day and he was very much an American.

[@111oooo]

@@ericsierra-franco7802 I've seen a few history guys say they were British like this guy kzbin.info/www/bejne/nGbXf6qEZqtnkNUsi=aaUQjXOMlh_BGygv

[@111oooo]

@@ericsierra-franco7802 Check out History Buffs take

[@kirkj101]

Dan Snow on D-Day, perfect - always appreciate your content

[@lonesheepdog6337]

I wonder if the squaddies would have got on to the landing craft knowing their grandkids would use their vote to hand our country over to the EU/German subterfuge

[@edwardshaw4345]

Yes they are all traitors in fact this whole country is a big traitor

[@Alex-cw3rz]

Churchill supported the EU. The EU is designed to help it's members, it's made up of it's members no one else.

[@darrenmorgan4034]

What are you sniffing mate?

[@lonesheepdog6337]

@@darrenmorgan4034 reality. Are you one of those traitors who would use your vote to subvert our democracy?

[@RealRailfan]

Love this! Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers and Dunkirk are my all-time favorites!

[@jeremyd1869]

Which Dunkirk? I prefer the one from the late fifties. I thought it did a much better job portraying the retreat and evacuation than the more recent version.

[@RealRailfan]

@@jeremyd1869 never seen the original one… I like the newer one because it does a good job portraying the emotion, helplessness, fear, horror and so on! I’ve watched it MULTIPLE times and it still gets me! Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers are still the BEST though!

[@colinthomas5462]

​@@jeremyd1869absolutely agree with your comment. The 1950 movie with John Mills far better than the rubbish of the later movie. Even the 3 part docu drama by the BBC is far better

[@RealRailfan]

@@colinthomas5462 I'll definitely have to watch that older Dunkirk! One of the few WWII movies I still have yet to watch...

[@colinthomas5462]

@@RealRailfan definitely worth a watch, classic British made movie with a totally accurate history lesson of operation Dynamo.👍

[@bridgetbreitzmann4721]

I watched Saving Private Ryan 1 time. It was all I could do to sit through it. Can not ever bear to watch it again. God bless all our soldiers. Rest in Peace . God help us to never go to war again.

[@srellison561]

The pigeon communication attempt in the Longest Day was actually the press Corp trying to send a story back home. One of the most amazing things about the Longest Day was that officers and soldiers from all countries involved were technical consultants, so some of the behind-the-scenes story telling was authentic, although probably somewhat modified by Hollywood in some cases. Also, some of the roles were played by the actual people. I'm pretty sure some of the German officers played themselves, and I know General Omar Bradley played himself on the American side (although he didn't have any lines).

[@scottleft3672]

My grandfather couldn''t take 5 min of the original MASH movie, the opening scene of an opreating theater with blood spurting from severd ateries, was a shock for him and brought it all back..he had to go outside to throw up...and never went back in.

[@squashyhex9818]

Interesting to note Tom Hanks as a common through-line in most of these depictions. His world war 2 movies, whether starring or producing, are always stellar examples of research been done. His Greyhound is one of my favourite depictions of a less glamorous theatre of the war.

[@lifeschool]

Memphis Belle was a great film. As was all of the Dawn Patrols. Sands of Iwa Jima has a great beach assault btw, and was filmed also with John Wayne.

[@vtbmwbiker]

Follow up to your Brecourt Manor trip--- was just there and had a wonderful tour. They've found evidence of the gun pits stretching along the tree line facing towards Utah. No "L" shaped position at all! They've found commo wire at the 2nd gun pit, indicating that this was the position that was the CP and where Winters found the maps. They've also found brass at various locations indicating the defensive positions. Maisy Battery was --- incredible. Still sandbags in positions and a great study of an artillery emplacement. Still only 1/3 excavated.

[@HistorysRaven]

We watched The Longest Day in my high school freshman world history class.

[@AuntieTrichome]

Awesome! 😀

[@tommonk7651]

The first 30 minutes of Saving Private Ryan are just chilling....

[@blue2sco]

Dan Snow you left out some context about those carrier pigeons, they where carrying dispatches from War Correspondents. Plus Richard Todd was at Pegasus bridge and some of the extras going up Point Du Hoc had fought there on the day.

[@nightstormgaming14]

The one thing that sort of bugged me about Saving Private Ryan was the position of the German bunkers. The ones we see are supposed to be observation bunkers hence them facing directly out. In reality, the bunkers were either completely hidden or at an angle towards the beach head. I visited Omaha and was actually shocked to find that the bunkers were angled but it made perfect sense. For example I visited an intact artillery bunker on the beach head and it was directed along the beach. This was so that when armor was on the beach, they could attack the weak side armor of the Sherman tanks and also cut down men focused on going straight up the beach. Also close to the spot of the real “location” of where that opening scene would’ve taken place, my private tour guide asked on the road leading up the beach, if I could see any MG nest. I said no and then he pointed out at least 2-3 which were elaborately hidden which would’ve been deadly.

[@stephenlabbe8715]

I served in an Air Guard unit in Battle Creek. One of our dentists worked in the local VA hospital. One of his patients was on Omaha Beach and while getting dental work they discussed "Saving Private Ryan". He was asked how the movie was in showing realism. Everything but the smell.

[@youyou3671]

Ox and bucks were legends during D-day. Often the parachute regiment claims many of these infantry units battle victories

[@MonsterDeplorable]

The longest day is a classic, but Band of Brothers is special to me. I’ve watched it gotta be, 15 times already and itching to watch again. I have the utmost respect for ww2 vets

[@mastersenna11]

When I worked pharmacy, I took care of a WWII veteran. Didn’t know where he served, wasn’t my place to ask, but he had the shakes so bad he could barely sign his name. He was so sweet but he jumped at loud noises or if someone moved too quickly, like a jumpy cat. According to my former coworkers, he’s still doing well.

[@ichputzhiernur2829]

i still watch "the longest day" 3 times a year or so... if you think about that they had 0 cgi, it makes it even more epic. all these people for example, at the beach scene are real people. just an insane scale.

[@Heathcoatman]

What I find amusing in The Longest Day is the language and mannerisms of the actors. There is a lot of 'early 60s' phrasing and cadence, and several of the younger actors have a sort of beatnik manner of speaking, which wasnt a thing in the mid 40s. This happens in modern movies quite a bit, but we rarely pick it up because it's the way we talk. But watching the 60s speech from characters from the 40s is interesting.