History Professor Breaks Down Band of Brothers Ep. 1 "Currahee" / Reel History

(I had to modify this video for copyright reasons. It should be free of any issues now. Sorry for any confusion.)
Reel History delves into historical films to separate fact from fiction. These engaging episodes explore, contextualize, and clarify stories related to the most famous historical movies. In contrast to the more prevalent "reaction" videos, these installments seek not only to entertain but to educate and inform.
For host Jared Frederick and video editor Andrew Collins, these Reel History episodes are a labor of love and a means of expressing passion for the past as well as cinema. Courteous viewer feedback is always welcomed. Contact information for the hosts is available on the homepage.
HBO's 2001 series Band of Brothers brought television to a whole new level. Produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, it brought cinema quality story telling and production to the small screen and has become a classic historical mini series for many.
*Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. All rights belong to their respective

[@ReelHistory]

My horrible editing coming in hot at 11:26. Sorry folks, I was still learning when we had 37 subscribers! - Andrew

[@andrewshepherd1633]

As a point on Sobel and his faith here is something to consider- My roommate graduated from Culver Military Academy in Indiana- the same school Sobel graduated from. He tells me (this may need to be investigated further but it certainly happened back then) Jews were not admitted into Culver at the time he attended. I'm curious to see what you can bring to that take.

[@allanlgeorge]

I'm a professional video editor *hint* *hint*.

[@mattlau95]

How come being assigned to mess hall officer a negative thing?

[@danballe]

understandable

[@AlexSwePR]

I thought that was just a thing to prevent copyright

[@MikeKilo1969]

“Never put yourself in a position to take from these men”, this priceless advice served me well during my career in the Army.

[@danballe]

Thank you.

[@richardlahan7068]

Exactly.

[@glisuni]

Ditto for me in my 27 year career in the Coast Guard including operational command on the morning of 9/11 in the op area immediately adjacent to CG Activities NY and New York harbor…

[@richardclifford003]

I was in numerous leadership positions during my time in the US Army (1975-1998). Never have your men do anything you would not personally do; lead by example; completion of the mission and welfare of the troops; always keep your men informed; always stress integrity and character in everything you do; and, the strength of the pack is the wolf, the strength of the wolf is the pack. What I brought back from my time in service is a whole different issue.

[@JLKB-1947]

For those good military officers , I salutes to both the ranks and the persons .

[@RGC-gn2nm]

Dick Winters, in a very old interview, presented letters of authenticity for every claim in the book. The publishing house had a roomful of lawyers freaking out over things like looting, scrounging, fraternizing and prisoner executions. Winters had filing cabinets full of documentation for every incident in the book. Spiers readily supplied a letter admitting to killing prisoners. Most of the veterans figured they were all old enough to not get in any kind of legal trouble for actions in combat.

[@vega1824]

sounds interesting, does this interview exist on youtube?

[@edschermerhorn5415]

Yes, I just did a search “Dick Winters Spiers” and it came up posted by a Patrick Johnston…

[@edschermerhorn5415]

Just did another search, look for “RepPayne winters Tribute”

[@frankphillips7436]

I’ve seen that interview. Sparky! Lol

[@Chris-lh7wj]

I was just listening to one of the podcasts that Roger Bennett with HBO Max did as part of the 20th anniversary of BOB, and one of the guests mentions that Spiers kept a low profile after war for pretty much the remainder of his life because he was afraid of getting prosecuted for war crimes. I don’t recall anyone ever getting in trouble for such things, other than nazi guards who took part in genocides.

[@KibuFox]

I had a small part on this movie. Camp Toccoa was located not far from where there is currently a Milliken textile mill. In fact, the mill rests on part of the camp's location, and has some structures that date back to the war. When the production scouts came to do some of the early work, in preparation to start filming, they asked the mill to give them permission to measure and photograph the old buildings. I got to help with that on one of my days off, and then later played a background extra part in several of the scenes showing the camp itself. Specifically, I played a lieutenant from Charlie Company. I had the pleasure of meeting Major Winters a couple times on the set, and remember him being rather shocked that some of the original buildings not only stood, but were still in use. He claimed, though I could never verify it, that one of the more permanent buildings for the camp, the kitchens, which we used for storage; had some "Fuck Sobel" or something similar graffiti carved into one of the walls.

[@benhaney9629]

I just love Nixon’s and Winters friendship. They were so different yet their friendship lasted throughout the war and for the rest of their lives. Winters did really go to work for Nixon’s dad after the war...

[@mattrushing5573]

They were opposite personalities and balanced each other out.

[@timf2279]

BROMANCE

[@ericjustice5742]

Everyone, who has ever served in a combat ready unit, knows that when you get served Surf-n-turf and ice cream it's time to BOHICA.

[@benhaney9629]

Ambrose wanted to write a relatively intimate story of a rifle company from D-Day to VE Day. I think it’s interesting to understand that he chose Easy not necessarily because of what they did in the war (at least not at first) but because of the connection they shared after. He chose Easy because he was so impressed with the comradery they shared decades after the war had ended.

[@stellashepherd3229]

That’s beautiful, I really like hearing that. I think it’s what makes the miniseries so special to so many people.

[@SportstalkwithMac]

Ambrose also chose them because one of them, I believe Walter Gordon, was his neighbor so he had easy (no pun intended) access to them.

[@macmcleod1188]

I got the impression that they had a lot more historical material about themselves as well due to the journals Winters kept and the over 500 photographs of their activities over the entire War that Winters got from another member of easy company for a Luger at the end of the war.

[@wam78ta]

Being a Georgia resident, and have watching Band Of Brothers in the past, coming across your channel gave me a real want to go visit Camp Toccoa. This past weekend, I did so. They are in the process of renovating it currently, and while there isn't much there just yet, I was thinking of how many heroes walked those hallowed grounds. I also thought of how many never made it back. May the memory of the 501 PIR, 506 PIR, 511 PIR, and 517 PIR never be forgotten. Three miles up, three miles down! They stand alone, together. Thank you for your service, gentlemen.

[@rodritchison1995]

Was there is 2021, passing through. Ate lunch at a diner on Doyle St. Too much of an old fart for the "Three miles up, three miles down."

[@sergeantpeppers8858]

You can drive up Currahee Mountain. Back in 2006, I was working with Georgia DOT cutting limbs off trees overhanging power lines. We were eating lunch at the gas station/convenience store near the mountain. I was looking up at the mountain, at the antenna array at the top, and smoke started wafting up. Then a fire engine came roaring by, lights and sirens blaring. But it's just a dirt/gravel road twisting around the mountain with some kind of deep ruts in places, so it took a few minutes for that truck to get to the top. By then, I could see flames licking at the brush. I don't know if it was just a brush fire or if something with an antenna caught fire. I've been up to the top a couple of times. Been to the museum. Got a shirt and a plaque made from a piece of original barracks with 2 "challenge coins." They have pictures of the real Easy Company with many named.

[@GAJake]

I'm in Georgia as well. Band Of Brothers made me join the state defense force. Volunteer group that supports the national guard in training and homeland operations like disaster response and search and rescue. Purely a civilian thing in your free time, but I wanted to do something to thank these men and those still serving.

[@aidensanders5506]

For some reason whenever Winters tells Nix “should’ve been born earlier” and the music heightens right when he says it, I get all fired up to watch the series again

[@JCmacDavid]

My Dad loved BOB, especially the interviews with the veterans. My Dad served in the army 1953-1980 in the airborne and some of his NCO's were 101st veterans of WWII. He had great respect for these men.

[@rockstarJDP]

Theres an hour long compilation of every interview done for BOB on KZbin, it's called "We Stand Alone Together" :) I believe its an extra from the box set, but if he hasn't already seen it, check it out!

[@kamikazemelon787]

@@rockstarJDP It's the included documentary with the box set, yes, and it's INCREDIBLE. Sometimes I go back and watch that rather than the entire series (again) because it's fascinating and just great.

[@jimsmith8797]

As we all should and for your father

[@johnschuh8616]

We have equal respect for your Dad.

[@theworldwariioldtimeradioc8676]

Yes. The veterans interviews made the difference between BoB and The Pacific.

[@mattrushing5573]

I love the symbolism of Dick Winters helping each man off the ground prior to the invasion. It was an action that told his men, "I've got you."

[@mathewm7136]

Great Vid and thanks! My dad was a MP guarding Italian POWs at Jefferson Barracks, MO. He would say (repeatedly) "Everyone knew the invasion was coming. So, being soldiers, there was a betting pool that had been going on for over a year and had grown to over $1,200. My date was 5 June. I screamed and yelled that my date should win, but to no avail." To his dying day, he never got over it.

[@ZBLDS]

That's kind of ridiculous that you, of all people on youtube, had to edit and re-upload your video for copyright flagging. In the context of literal thousands of "reaction" videos that come nowhere close to the level of transformation, analytical commentary, carefully selected clipping, and unique personal research that you put into your own content. All I can do is applaud your persistence since your break down series for band of brothers has been one of the most interesting and historically relevant I've had the pleasure of watching.

[@ReelHistory]

Thank you for the very kind words.

[@dash4800]

Put countless hours of research into a historical commentary and you get flagged. Put a video of you just making crazy faces while you watch a show and its all good.

[@Sshooter444]

If this isn't fair use, then what is?

[@anthonysanlucas6437]

As a veteran, I appreciate your commitment to sharing your analysis of this segment of history and this amazing generation. I always seem to well-up every time I watch any of these episodes that captures the amazing brotherhood of sacrifice.

[@ov1994]

@@ReelHistory Do you have any info about what happened later with the soldier at 7:41 of the video? Did he get to graduate as a paratrooper or was he kicked out?

[@Activated_Complex]

As someone who watched the HBO premiere of this series when it debuted, I was delighted to come across this playlist. Thank you for the background info and for your perspective on this all-time classic.

[@333Alastair]

This is a really excellent analysis of the greatest miniseries ever produced. I can’t thank you enough for adding so much historical reference to it!!

[@NESninja1982]

I watched BoB when it first aired. I loved it but had no one to share it with. Now that the show has grown in popularity and the internet has exploded in popularity and ability since 1999, I'm so glad I can talk about this amazing series with others that were as moved as I.

[@tracyfrazier7440]

I thought I had watched all episodes with you. A nice treat to see I had missed one. Thank you for reposting!

[@sfbfriend]

This series just popped into my wanna maybe watch films. I really enjoyed you takedown of this excellent program. I watched this when it firs aired on HBO, have watched it several times since and have also read the book and others by Ambrose. He was an excellent history teacher, he made history excellent. In I believe his final book "To America" I think was the title, he said his original major was going to be medical. Until he has a specific teacher that lit his fire, so to speak to history. He had told this professor that history had always been dull or boring! His professor replied that was because who was teaching it, history is never boring, its the story of US! I certainly agree with this, I am a student of history, specifically American History plus I also am into genealogy. When asked what is so interesting about that, my response is it is fascinating when you look at how many people it took to get to you! Plus all their stories. Sobel committed suicide, I don't know why you didn't mention this, as it, to me, is possibly what contributed to this deadly decision. Also, the Actor portraying Col. Sink is also a retired Colonel! I have seen his name in a few war/military movies. I am looking forward to watching the rest of your series, wish I had seen it sooner..Thanks

[@ReelHistory]

This video had to be adjusted and re-uploaded for a small copyright issue. It turns out my editing skills weren't up to par. (see 11:27 for proof) Sorry if this confused or inconvenienced anyone, I'll make sure it never happens again. -Andrew

[@bronsonstrange3827]

Aside from giving me a slight case of false hope (I can't use the term I actually want to use), it's no harm. I'm just glad to have these episodes reviewed by people who know more than the show tells. All other reactions I've seen are just first-timers that know little of WWII and nothing of the men of E Co.

[@ReelHistory]

I feel you, I hated to do it. But a new episode is scheduled for Saturday at 8am EST!

[@oolillemyoo4099]

Don’t be so hard on yourself, Andrew :) Even people who have been making content for years, can get in a copyright clinch and have to re-upload. And trust me, even when you get all your stripes, when it comes to being a creator on YT, they’ll change some algorithm and force you to do some things in a whole new way. Yay?! I’m just grateful for all your wonderful content :)

[@oolillemyoo4099]

@Bronson Strange - does the word consist of a colour and a shape? Because if so, I’m on that team - despite being a woman and it being before 6am, lol.

[@bronsonstrange3827]

@@oolillemyoo4099 Yes. You have it right lol.

[@BoomyNation]

Having watched Band of Brothers and reading the books, ill say that Sobel was the trainer they needed, but Winters was the leader they deserved.

[@TaTa-pe9gd]

I too have read the books, and just finished another viewing of the series, which I've probably seen now at least 3 times now through the years. I disagree Sorbel was "the trainer they needed." I think Sorbel was a petty, venomous, and vengeful personality who achieved his position certainly through ambition and intelligence, but a lot of bad "leaders" find themselves in positions of authority via their ambition. He didn't need to train them as hard as he did. I think Easy Company would have prospered with any other "tough" squad leader, they didn't need a cruel trainer to become the men they became. D-Day and all that followed did that. Sorbel was universally hated by his men and most of them came to the conclusion they would not follow him into battle as their leader because of his demonstrated incompetence in the field; as a leader he had already gotten them "killed" or captured in a number of situational war games. He seems to be me to have been a profoundly unhappy individual who acted as he did because he was deeply insecure, not for any strategic training tactic. He was a bully. One need only look at his life's path after the war. He never went to any regimental reunions although he was always invited. He never communicated with any of the men of Easy Company. He became and remained isolated. Just look at how the men flowered under Winters' command. He was a truly inspiring leader, genteel, kind and measured in his judgment. He could be "harsh" also, but when a point needed to be demonstrated, never gratuitously cruel. I think Sorbel did certainly "toughen" the men of Easy. I also think Winters was being charitable when he said Sorbel was one of the reasons Easy Company excelled. It was probably true to an extent, but any competent leader could have had the same results without the excessive and unnecessary hardships created by Sorbel. Winters was the leader they deserved. Sorbel was the "trainer" they were forced to tolerate.

[@GreenEyedRogue]

I disagree. Sobel was a pedantic taskmaster who lacked the empathy, humility, and flexibility to an effective combat leader. Col Sink was smart enough to understand that if all of the NCO's of one of his company commanders were willing to risk imprisonment (he threatened to have them shot which was angry bluster) then he needed to intervene. Repurposing Sobel to command the jump school for support troops was a wise move and Sink handled it as tactfully as could be expected. Assuming Sobel was portrayed fairly he wasn't a bad man, just a poor leader. The military is full of men exactly like Sobel--the best slavish adherence to "the book" can hope to achieve is task competence. That's important but not nearly enough.

[@rollastoney]

That story about winters and the British family was great to hear. I would hope that one day winters gets his own full feature film.

[@jacktattis]

Why? Only in action from D Day

[@thomasbuttny732]

Like so many others, I have been a fan of BoB's since its original broadcast. So much so that my dear wife gave me a boxed set as a gift years ago. And like others I took a deep dive into the 506th history. It eventually dawned on me that episode 1 greatly telescoped the training from Tocoa to the opening scene at the airfield. I realized that 22 months elapsed between Easy Company's basic training to D-day. The episode skipped 6 months training in NC and compressed the 8 months from Easy's arrival in England to boarding the planes for Normandy. This isn't criticism, but just the realization that the 506th was an elite regiment. Well prepared for combat. And we must admire the Marines who landed on Guadalcanal in August 1942 and the army troops who landed in North Africa in November 1942. Most of whom had been in uniform for less than a year.

[@gib59er56]

That was very nice of your wife to get you the box set of the series, I assume on Blu-Ray DVD. And you then dove deeper into the history of the 506th. As far as the Marines go, Holy God the horror of the island hopping campaign is something I cannot even to begin to grasp. The Lapanese were far more fanatical than Hitler in the Bushido cods and torture of men that were captured was staggering. Why did they not have to face a war crime tribunal as the Nazi`s did? Some say that it was the bombs dropped on them that prevented that from becoming real. I don`t know the real reason. And No. Africa is a part of thet war that I know very little about. But Rommel was there and he was one hell of a warrior. He was a soldier, and I do not thionk he was even a Nazi, though I might be wrong there as well. If there is one German that I have any respect for, and the list is very, very small, I would say Rommel was a good soldier, and a brilliant tactician. Great comment on your part sir!

[@fredbays]

all too true but when u look at the men who hit the beaches June 6 many had now done this three time if not four and for those who did so for the first time they too could of had up to 22 months of training Ya most of them had only a yr wroth and it was their first time

[@georgepeach5430]

This is fantastic! As a history teacher, and grandchild of two WWII veterans, I fell in love with this miniseries. To get a further understanding of the real events is priceless to me!

[@ReelHistory]

Thanks!

[@timkeenan7419]

They got along so well ibecause they trained together. Mutual suffering breeds great friendship. I personally am closer to some of my old army buddies than I am to friends I've known since childhood.

[@krisfrederick5001]

The first is my favorite episode in some ways if not for the simple reason that...Army noodles with ketchup and Captain Sobel were their most pressing concerns. Whilst knowing what lies ahead. Nix: "I think it's clearing up, do you think it's clearing up?" Winters: "Nope" Nix: "I think it's clearing up" Again one of the greatest moments, visually, situationally and contextually within the series to me. Along with the Brit trying to ride his bike...hilarious.

[@hx9783]

The Brit on bike scene was so hilarious. Also a well demonstration of Winter’s combat strategy worked, trapped your enemies from three different directions.

[@wattsnottaken1]

“You’ve done it now Yank, you’ve captured me.” Winters: 😏

[@danballe]

@@wattsnottaken1 Hehehe

[@USSBB62]

Professor, I had always heard the stripes were called "Invasion Stripes". You're never to old to learn new things. Thanks

[@akiheavenly6]

I just started Band of Brothers last week and I'm glad to find your videos. It's a great help to have a bit of background info about the events that take place in this show. I had some trouble with the timeline in this show. I really should have paid more attention in my history classes during high school. 😅 Thanks for the video and keep up the good work 👍

[@ReelHistory]

Thats why we're here! Cheers

[@johnashleyhalls]

About Sobel. The idea of leadership by example takes two main forms; 1 When someone makes a mistake, the leader makes an example of the subordinate who errs to intimidate the rest, 2 The leader demostrates how the task can be accomplished by doing the task, letting the subordinates see how to complete the task. Choice two allows the entire team to understand that everyone must be able to complete any task, no matter what there rank or job assignment. So which kind of military force do you think can win?

[@CaseyinTexas]

Captain Sobel is an example of the perfect training officer. He made the training regime much worse than what it was in reality, which made Easy Company the best trained company in the battalion. However, his petty, vindictive and inhumane attempts to demoralize the company in order to make himself look better in the eyes of his commanders, had the unintended result of creating a dedicated corp of NCO's who looked after the welfare of their men resulting in creating a cohesive unit who were the actual leaders in Easy Company. On the other hand, he would have been a horrible combat commander who would resulted in numerous unnecessary casualties, again, to feed the ego and desire to impress his commanders. By sending Sobel to that jump school for noncombatants, Col Sink showed the perfect example of "The Peter Principle," which promoting an individual to their maximum level of their incompetence. Basically Sink demoted Sobel by promoting him in a way that allowed Sink to save face.

[@wjohnsonism]

This is exactly what KZbin should be for. Thanks for doing these, subbed.

[@hopewings18jones4]

Hey Jared! As a fellow history teacher (though I’m not a professor; just high school) I can’t thank you enough for your insight. My students watch BOB every year, (except during COVID) and unlike most videos, BOB is actually one they are totally focused on 100%. Thanks again.

[@sangbeom6245]

You should add in The Pacific

[@stevepowell6503]

Never say "Just high school". You provide an incredibly valuable service teaching the young men and women about the sacrifices made that allow them to live the way they do. Thank you.

[@rabbit251]

Did he research what Winters said about Sobol? After the war Sobol tried to kill himself but succeeded only in blinding himself. When Winters was told he replied, "He can't even do that right." Winters really didn't like Sobol.

[@chrisforsyth8323]

I think you might be conflating that with Josef Stalin and his son.

[@rabbit251]

@@chrisforsyth8323 Sigh... I searched the internet. I found several sources and interviews. You can check yourself.

[@TehFrenchy29]

@@rabbit251 Did misspell Sobel's name three times in your allegedly well-researched comment though

[@rabbit251]

@@TehFrenchy29 If you go through the internet you will find both spellings of his name. I picked one.

[@andymiller6661]

@@rabbit251 It's Sobel.

[@brianhum8765]

The show's choice of entrance was great; transitioning from that right to their first day at Tacoa immediately makes you notice how large a transition they made if you notice certain details and then ask "how did it happen?". Which is what the first episode touches on.

[@oldtop4682]

I found a later episode of your series yesterday, clicked subscribe and got this in my feed this morning. I'm a huge fan of Band of Brothers, and had a friend who worked on the series last couple of episodes as a cameraman. Will be watching all of them this weekend. A couple of notes. Dick Winters wasn't alone in moving from 2LT to MAJ in a short period of time. My father did too, BUT the promotions had a time frame attached, so you had to serve successfully at that rank for 1-2 years before it was permanent. Many folks (like my father) left the service at a lower grade than they actually wore at the end. 110 pounds is about what is strapped on to modern paratroopers too. Exiting the aircraft is a whole lot safer now than it was then, but it seems the weight stayed pretty constant (much to my dismay btw). Figure the chute and reserve weighs in at about 35 pounds of that, and to say it is cumbersome is an understatement. We are lucky that this group of men opened up in a public forum. Most WWII vets didn't talk about the war much unless they were with others who have made that journey. My father didn't talk about his service with me until I was an E6/SSG. I guess he figured I could understand it at that point. I firmly regret not recording his experiences before he passed.

[@sebastianmelmoth7331]

Thank you, enjoying these videos!

[@christophercarter6801]

We had a Corporal on our training who acted like Sobel. We all hated him on training and all he would do is scream and shout and get in your face. I feared him like no other but once training was done he was the one instructor I had the highest respect for and him being the way he was made us realize if we could deal with him we could deal with anything. When it come to combat phase because you didn't want to mess up you remembered your drills and that in part was due to him.

[@todd3205]

Thanks for this great work. May I humbly suggest in making the point very early in this opening of the series that this thing called 'paratroopers' was brand new when these guys were learning. I think that the Germans used paratroopers for the first time in Crete. So, somebody, somewhere had to get his ass in gear to figure out how to create the Airborne, then train these fine kids to do something they barely new themselves. Thanks for keeping history alive!

[@ReelHistory]

You have a good point that we didn't mention that. However it was plainly stated in the first episode by Col. Sink (Dale Dye) himself

[@MrElliotc02]

Outstanding job! Many thanks for your efforts.

[@ReelHistory]

Many thanks!

[@ericharmon7163]

BTW, if anybody wants further reading, Hang Tough, by he and Eric Dorr, is a good read. Very insightful to see how Winters thought on a personal level. He was like some stoic free spirit. A very unusual mix of carefree and thoughtfully serious.

[@billshelton9147]

Him not he!

[@michael7324]

Fun fact. Nixon moved to East Brunswick New Jersey after the war. Had a very nice house on a lake. That house later became an Elks Lodge, to which I was a member. Very nice home.

[@bkaz1919]

Doing my annual rewatch and I found your videos. Thank you for your knowledge and breakdowns for the regular Joe. 5stars!!!!!

[@jacobmcdaniel2819]

great video and excellent breakdown of one the all time best shows!

[@jeffausbun]

So glad I stumbled across your channel.

[@gilbertogonzalezr9353]

Love your video, very informative!!

[@CAARaeed]

i rewatched all of Band of Brothers after it showed up on Netflix, and I discovered your channel afterwards. There were no KZbin channels breaking down episodes back then, and I am happy to go through the entire playlist to learn more about a show that made quite an impression of me as a teenager. I am happy to see this show was deeply personal and influential to so many other people, not that an entire generation of Call of Duty games wasn't proof enough of that.

[@Whykickamoocow]

Thanks, that was awesome. I saw BoB age's ago but I've just started watching your show's. Hope the rest are like this. 🙂

[@RaReVapory]

Excellent video definitely going to keep going on these videos.

[@AnHonest_ConMan]

Glad I came across this. Very interesting watch. Thank you.

[@bucksdiaryfan]

I absolutely loved the Curahee episode. One of my favorite episodes of any television show I've ever seen

[@jakec947]

Hearing about Sobel’s life after the war was depressing. May he rest in peace.

[@nyykSIUUU]

Ahhhh it‘s so great to hear all of these facts about a story that I already know very well and yet I’m still able to learn a lot more about it

[@roanapurtactical3153]

Great video!!! If you ever happen to find yourself in Georgia I highly recommend taking a day trip down to Toccoa and getting to the top of currahee (the run sucks but it's worth it). The 506th still send soldiers down there yearly and when I went it was one of the best weekends I've ever had. The best part was after the regiment ran the mountain we were treated to a spaghetti dinner AFTER the run.

[@mikegrebe536]

Driving up Currahee is bad enough.

[@TRWilley]

I had to chuckle at the first shot of Toccoa being accompanied by the sound of insects - I attended Toccoa Falls College in the early 90's, about a 15 minute drive from Camp Toccoa, and the gnats during the summer and early fall were such a nuscance that swatting them from your face was known as "The Toccoa Falls Wave." 👋

[@axze2751]

Great and educational video glad to see there are people keeping these facts and details being taught

[@michaelwright9585]

Great insights! Thanks for sharing.

[@Thorsten753]

Thanks, for putting together all this interesting background information!

[@ReelHistory]

Thank YOU for enjoying it!

[@ToyotaPete]

@ Reel History, Thank you for your time in the research you did for this. You have a new subscriber. Thumbs up

[@ReelHistory]

Thank you!

[@altonbunnjr]

According to Sobel’s son in “We Who Are Alive and Remain” he tried to kill himself in 1970 not the late 80s as Ambrose wrote. He said the family even his wife didn’t know why. He ended up blinding himself and he spent the next 17 years in a VA assisted living facility In Illinois. He died there of malnutrition and the VA was lax in informing the family of his death. He also stated the family was never contacted or involved in any way with BOB as the veterans were and they were disappointed by that.

[@altonbunnjr]

@Ace Feely Ambrose got a lot of things wrong, period. The vets were sent proofs of the book to fact check for him and their big complaint was a lot of things they pointed out (and he promised to fix) didn’t get corrected when it was published.

[@coleparker]

@@altonbunnjr Probably because of a time line.

[@LordCandyDish]

@@coleparker Ambrose has a bit of a reputation of playing fast and loose with history. His books always get the highlights right, but there's usually a fair bit wrong in his details.

[@coleparker]

@@LordCandyDish I can believe that. As I have not really read a lot of his work I cannot really make an accurate final assessment of this issue.

[@ctirre]

Thanks so much for your military history acumen. I enjoyed the additional information and details

[@ReelHistory]

Thank you for visiting.

[@Tommy-qk6fs]

You mentioned that Bill Garnier said that the primary mission of the camp was to weed out the weaklings. I served in the 3rd Ranger Battalion and went through the Ranger Indoctrination Program (RIP). It was intense and quite a few candidates dropped out. I remember one of the cadre saying that it didn't mean that the ones that quit were weak, it just meant that they weren't Rangers. They could have moved on and been the best damn Water Sewage Treatment Operator that ever served in the Army.

[@ReelHistory]

Lead the way!

[@charlesgantz5865]

A lot seems to be made of the attrition rate, starting out with about 7000 men and ending up with 2500. Col. Shames, who was the last surviving officer of Easy Company, mentions something about this I found interesting. While the intense training, as well as the piddling excuses to dismiss people from the regiments, was used as a filter to remove people, the primary reason for going from 7000 down to 2500 were Army regulations. A Regiment had 2500 men, period. One way or another those 4500 men were going to be removed from Col. Sinks Regiment. While some, obviously did not meet the standards of the PIR, or were slackers, many were excellent soldiers that just needed to be transferred. And probably ended up hitting the beaches on D-Day.

[@andymiller6661]

Guarnere.

[@fearfx2562]

It’s funny you talk about the finding out of the characters at the end. Honestly I’ve rewatched this so many times that i don’t even realize but I can look at the old men and be like oh that’s obviously winters that’s obviously buck, that’s obviously garneir etc lol

[@lawrencemay8671]

Being a History Buff, and a paratrooper myself I’m naturally attracted to paratrooper history. But I’m also a Medieval history Buff. There are a lot of Army Airborne units that were in WWII. For instance 13th and 11TH Airborne units in the Pacific. I would like you to do a session on The Devil’s Brigade. Famous in The Italian Campaign.

[@johnschuh8616]

The incident with Sobol getting lost reminds me of my son’s experience in Iraq. He was a cavalry officer for the leading a column out of an ambush. He was an Lt. who had to show two captains how to use a map out of a town that the army column was passing through. The attack was thwarted by a cool-headed officer who got the tanks down from the trucks and showed the Shhites what was what.

[@howardoller443]

A very good presentation done in a history professor manner.

[@Knobstock]

Enjoying this and will follow the entire series. Please consider doing a similar historical analysis of "Deadwood," which I find to be one of the best shows of all time.

[@stevepowell6503]

Absolutely agree. Such an amazing cast, paired with a brilliant writer.

[@Thetruthhurts708]

Don't forget these guys are doing that running without the benefit of $200 athletic shoes like they're issued today. Can only imagine the injuries such as stress fractures etc and being told "tape an aspirin to it".

[@tay-dor7147]

My great-uncle was Sgt Evans played by Simon Pegg in the show.

[@bigwoody4704]

I've watched 4 of your videos thanx for keeping it real.Will get the book when time alots

[@saucyjk6453]

I spent several. Years watching this series on repeat, studying it. Though a college music teacher and musicologist I know this series well, and enjoy your observations . I’m from Philadelphia but live in Carlisle pa

[@tonyguerra1273]

Running Currahee was something that these young, vigorous, full of you-know-what-and-vinegar men often did on their own, own their own time, from what I understand. From my own 20-plus years in the military (enlisted man, then a commissioned officer), I can attest to the crazy things young military service members will do, just so that they don't let their foxhole or battle buddies down. :-)

[@wattsnottaken1]

19:32 Simon Pegg such a funny moment // “All weekend passes are cancelled, officers included.” I’ll admit: Captain Sobel was a good trainer but he was not meant to lead men into battle. Good video. New sub here. Random thought but I wish they would’ve named the episodes in The Pacific just like they did with BoB and Generation Kill. It’s gives the episodes more soul and makes the episode more compelling, also a good title makes you connect with the episode more.

[@saldiven2009]

My uncle was an infantryman in Patton's Third Army when it liberated Bastogne. A few years after Band of Brothers had come out, I asked him if he had seen the series. I asked him how realistic he thought it was. He said, "Some things were pretty realistic, and some things weren't." That is the only thing I remember him ever saying about WWII. Edit: And, oh yeah. My uncle (and brother, etc.) grew up in Toccoa, GA, just a few miles away from Camp Currahee. He went back there after the war, and lived in the area until his death about ten years ago.

[@stevepowell6503]

My grandfather served on a troop transport in the Pacific Theater; specifically on a landing craft. He was a very quiet man. My grandmother said he had always been that way, but far more so after he got back from the War. At family gatherings it wasn't uncommon for him to sit without saying anything for hours. He only talked about the War once to me, and I don't think he ever talked about it to any of my siblings or cousins. He talked about it the day I told him I had joined the Army. I got the feeling that he felt he was somehow a coward for landing troops and then being able to go back to the ship. He said, "I always wondered how many of those men lived."

[@davidkimmel4216]

Fantastic job. Thank You

[@luckyfil006]

Love your reviews.

[@VernonWallace]

Great video. Love the series.

[@stevefowler2112]

As a U.S. Recon Marine Vietnam vet., one of the biggest issues I had with the screenplay/Direction was how petulant the soldiers seemed to react during this first inspection...like the inspection was untowardly cruel. If anything, the inspection was jovial and very meek compared to the many very serious inspections I participated in, on both sides.

[@gooner72]

The fact that Stephen Ambrose, who was the author of the book "Band of Brothers", had these interviews with some of the men, it definitely makes this a much more credible series......... I loved the interviews, the book, the fantastic series and the men who were actually the real characters in this series.......Well done Stephen Ambrose and well done to the makers of Band of Brothers!!!!

[@omalleycaboose5937]

These videos I just discovered make me feel validated in my decision to read every memoir I could find by every member of Easy. Webster is probably the most extensive but my favorite was Malarkey

[@ericharmon7163]

Me too. I tell people the exact same thing. Websters was the first one I read, and the best written. But Malarkey's is the most raw.

[@chardaskie]

Where do you find/read them?

[@ericharmon7163]

@@chardaskie online, a library, etc. I don't do ebooks, so if you are looking for that, I don't know. Generally, all the main guys that are house hold names have a book. Ed Shames is a great read to. Websters is very well written.

[@omalleycaboose5937]

@@chardaskie I mean Amazon, i listen to books on audible as I work. I think all the major ones are there I know Babe and Guanere is on audible, as is Winters, Compton, Malarkey, Webster, there is one that has a bunch of mens memories don't remember the name off hand. Shifty Powers, Also a book by Bob Welsh, but it's not a memoir or even about himself, I haven't read it yet it's about Malarkeys lifelong friendship with a german he met in Europe who was born in America, the german he talks to episode 2. Turns out the pow Malarky talked to was not in the group Spiers shot, they just combined them for drama sake

[@chardaskie]

@@omalleycaboose5937 thank you brother 5 months later no time to reply

[@fixfalcon2628]

Wonderful insight into this series.

[@samgott8689]

I loved the anonymity of the real life men too; but to be honest, I think it was obvious who Bill Guarnere was. The actor was a dead ringer for him and nailed that old school Philly accent.

[@kbob9625]

Nothing unites a team more than a common enemy. No one easier to be the common enemy than Commander Sobel. He can both understand and leverage that and take pleasure in it. It’s not mutually exclusive and I think it’s probably a bit of both.

[@robertwilliams2850]

While the air sickness pills may have contributed to the drowsiness of the Troopers, there’s a phenomenon noted in skydiving When you’re on the plane as you’re climbing to altitude, you become lethargic/drowsy. Near the time to jump that wears off and you return to normal. Unsure why, adrenaline fatigue? AMSR effect from the rocking of the plane and droning of the engine?

[@alswann2702]

American paratroopers going into Sicily came under horrific friendly fire from naval vessels with devastating consequences. German paratroopers carried far less gear, actually jumping with sidearms only as their gear was parachuted separately. In a famous late war jump a group of Fallschimjagers was captured after being unable to find their weapons.

[@direwolf6234]

so where any paratroopers from those earlier drops integrated into the companies jumping on d-day...??

[@LordCandyDish]

@@direwolf6234 the 82nd Airborne jumped into Sicily, and Normandy, but no they didnt transfer guys from the 82nd to the 101st, so there were men who jumped into Normandy with combat experience, but the 101st was as green as grass.

[@RandallLeague]

Great video series, I look forward to watching them all! Could you talk about the problems you had with youtube and copyright? I'n an English teacher and want to use some tv show clips to teach certain phrases but I'm a little hesitant. I assumed the videos would be OK if the clips were short and the video wasn't monetized. In your experience uploading these videos what are the rules as you have found them?

[@juanlans272]

Hey this is really great. Thanks

[@claud1961]

I just found your channel due to my interest in BOB and the book. It is a good primer for those that are wondering if they might be interested in other materials related to Easy Co. or the war in general- a 'gateway' if you will.

[@jaredf2773]

Awesome video. Hope you will do a set on The Pacific.

[@jonathanbaron-crangle5093]

I thought David Schwmmer played Lt, later Capt, Sobel very well. He sure pulled off the pettiness & nastiness that underpinned his character, but that was driven by his overwhelming desire to physically get at the Germans, as he himself was Jewish. He seemed to enjoy the new role vs sappy soppy Ross from Friends Awesome show this was, should be required for schoolkids to watch.

[@914Rocky]

This is an exceedingly well done video. Very interesting.

[@ReelHistory]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@sqike001ton]

Still have to say meeting winters was a big thing for my 12ish year old self after BOB came out I meet a friend who attended the same church as winters at church I came down to see my friend with the hopes of meeting winters and I did he was a nice man kinda taken back that someone so young he bought me ice cream he told me some stories about his time in easy company and his life after the war

[@Nordy941]

An interesting point about Sobel: Losing command of Easy company saved his life. He would’ve died on D-Day with the rest of the men in the company HQ aircraft. Even if all the NCO’s hadn’t refused to serve under him. Fate had determined he wouldn’t lead easy company into battle.

[@gooner72]

As an extremely proud Englishman, I can definitely confirm that during our summers, it does indeed stay light til about 10-ish......

[@beerbrewer7372]

Great video! Liked and subscribed.

[@lizs4796]

20.33…..the old man on the bike in the country lane is one of my favourite scenes❤. My maternal Nan was a land girl back then. She said that all they loved the gi’s…you can imagine they already had 3 to 4 years of war, then these guys come over , all fresh and handsome…..with chocolate 😂😂 My paternal grandad was RAF ground crew. He said they watched the planes go …and then waited. They stood and counted them back in one by one😢. From what he described, I imagine it was exactly as portrayed in BOB. And yes he said the sound was tremendous and the sky was black with aircraft. I loved how they showed England in this series.

[@danielkoerner7127]

Another great 101st book written by a DDay alumni: Donald R. Burgett Currahee!: Currahee! is the first volume in the series "Donald R. Burgett a Screaming Eagle" (Volume 1)

[@ladycplum]

With regards to Sobel's religious upbringing, I have a book by Marcus Brotherton called "We Who Are Alive And Remain", in which his son Michael Sobel was interviewed. He confirmed that while his mother was Catholic and he and his siblings were raised in that faith, his father was Jewish, attended synagogue, and never converted.

[@mitchellsmith4690]

I did jump school in 1980, class 12-80. We had to have an acceptable PT score to get in, after finishing BCT and AIT, and there was much less harrasment. We still had a 30% failure rate.

[@cm-pr2ys]

What was airborne school like back then compared to now?

[@mitchellsmith4690]

@@cm-pr2ys i have no idea...haven't nee there.

[@brettwolf]

Thank you for this, I love Band of Brothers, and always watch it when it airs. You are very adept at this style of breaking down shows and history. On this particular episode, you solved the mystery of Major Horticultural n, which had been plaguing me for years. My big confusion, is that the accent and language used to impersonate major Horton, sounds remarkably like Col. Sink. I thought Simon pegs Character was confused about the identity. Anyway cheers, I will watch the whole series, and subscribe

[@TheYabuk]

Hey man before i even mention this episode , i watched the episode about spiers and the shooting of the trooper who was high. Im not a service man , never been in war. But the episode i watched you gave factual information and made it very interesting to watch. Thank you for your knowledge and the way you teach us non collage men about history. Its very soul shattering but yet elegant. Okay with the praise out of the way i will proceed to watch this KZbin video. I just wanna say thank you and thanks for the real knowledge about the situation .

[@ReelHistory]

Thanks for tuning in. Please subscribe!

[@TheYabuk]

@@ReelHistory I will man thank you agian, i love history dude

[@dponzi56]

I've watched this series probably 10 times. I've had it on VHS and DVD. I still get chills when I hear that music. These are probably the bravest men our country has ever produced. Now we have men who want to wear dresses. Its sad to be in the middle of the death throws of a civilization.

[@davidhoward4715]

Go away, troll. You want to destroy the free and democratic society that these men fought and died to protect. You will fail as your lot did 78 years ago, just as your cult leader Putin will fail to destroy the American Republic.

[@sandylukemarsden7160]

"We're Paratroopers. We're supposed to be suŕounded."