History Professor Breaks Down Band of Brothers Ep. 9 "Why We Fight" / Reel History

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 owners.

[@johnorloff3738]

Excellent break down. FYI, the script had the following as a superimposed title over the "Hitler's dead" location: "Thalem, Germany, May1, 1945." I will never know why it's wrong in the episode. Sigh-- that's what happens when you have 700 people work on something. Stuff falls through the cracks! Cheers!!

[@ReelHistory]

Thanks John! Appreciate your work!

[@gettysburgguy]

Thanks for that input, John. You are indeed right. Can't catch everything!

[@iammanofnature235]

@@ReelHistory Colonel Edward Seiller, of the 12th Armored Division, who was the one who ordered civilians from Landsberg am Lech to bury the dead also ordered it to be filmed. Though it's not the best quality, that film can be viewed here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hISTY3anaLGcnMU

[@ginjamutha]

John - the episodes you wrote are two of my favourites in what I consider to be the best tv series ever made. A small error that was not in your control means little in the grand scheme of things. I listened to a podcast you were in recently and the fact you had so little to work with for this episode makes what you achieved all the more amazing. The way you passionately spoke about your work was truly moving. Thank you for representing the experiences of Easy Company so brilliantly. I can’t wait for Masters of the Air 😊

[@danballe]

@@iammanofnature235 Jezz with NO Audio I dont know if it makes it less bad or worst! Thanks for sharing that.

[@aaronseet2738]

I cried when the prisoner hugged and kissed one of the troopers knowing they've been liberated.

[@IcedEarth426]

Any time I see a scene where a definitely not Nazi says that they didn't know about what was going on I think about the scene with Spencer Tracy in Judgement at Nuremberg. "As far as I can make out nobody in this country knew." Even if they didn't know the full extent, many of them didn't want to know. Obviously their neighbors weren't disappearing to be sent on a luxury vacation.

[@gabepoling3536]

not saying it was right but think of it from your average German citizen. All the benefits after hitler taking power. unemployment drops to almost nothing, paid vk, and best economy in decades. so of course these people over looked the decimation of the Jewish populous. the towns surrounding the camps were forced to clean up what they enabled. but should have they been further punished? i dont think so but some did

[@JohnBrownsArmory]

It was easier for the people to just accept being told "They're being sent east to work." While they may not have known the full extent, they knew.

[@IcedEarth426]

@Ms Bliss What gets me is that once Germany lost the war, suddenly everyone who had been a fervent supporter of the regime now conveniently claimed that they had been a secret anti-Nazi the whole time. None better represented than in someone like Albert Speer, who should have been executed. If you're interested, I recommend listening to talks given by Niklas Frank, where he talks about how a lot of people from that era either downplay or avoid discussion of family/personal involvement in the regime. It's fascinating, because he's not only the son of Hans Frank, but he grew up in post WW2 Germany and saw those social issues all up close.

[@kkpenney444]

@@gabepoling3536 so *of course* they overlooked the decimation of the Jewish populace?? Hey, what's a genocide compared to a paycheck.

[@douglassnyder214]

There is an interesting video on KZbin about movies taken by Germans during this time period. Germany was becoming wealthy in the late 30's. There was a blossoming industry making home movie cameras during that time, and it became a status symbol to own one. More than any other European nation, citizens of Germany made home movies documenting daily life in pre war and wartime Nazi Germany. After the war, most of these video were hidden away, as the people who recorded the movies were ashamed by the content. But, after all this time, these videos are coming out. The people in the videos are dead now, and the inheritors of these videos are making them public. And these videos are forcing historians to change their opinions of the German populous. These videos show openly racist and hostile attitudes to others, not by Nazis, but by average Germans. They show that there was probably much more widespread knowledge of the Haulocost than thought. Racism and Aryan supremacy was widespread and embraced by most in the general population.

[@SpookyDeer]

Webster's portrayal in the series I think is so fantastic. His book, Parachute Infantry is a recurring re-read for me.

[@guyjperson]

I'm going to have to find that book, (and maybe the one about sharks). I quite liked Webster in this show, and was told, while saying I admired him, that he wasn't well liked in the Company and was always thought of as an outsider. Eion Bailey always raises the caliber of any character he portrays

[@m1m3rmedia]

Incredibly hard to watch episode, but a very important one. These crimes against humanity must never be forgotten.

[@hand3and3]

We hear about the holocaust constantly. The real history that gets forgotten are the japanese atrocoties (unit 731, rape of nanjing, sex slaves from korea, cannibalism, etc...) We also never hear about the communists killing 20 million christians, or raping all of germany as they pushed in. Soviet commanders ordered men to rape all german women, no matter the age. I'm sick of hearing about the holocaust. Its always paired with violin music to really make u feel sad. The victors write history tho

[@blakebergquist5436]

The world agreed to never let it happen again, yet here we are in 2021 and there’s currently a genocide occurring in China.

[@krishkrish8213]

The British had the bower concentration camps , thousands of people died but its never talked about in British schools I didn't even know it happend and to this day probably wouldn't know it happend if it wasn't for clicking on a KZbin recommended video. We have MPs that downplayed the camps and the atrocities that were committed.

[@jasonb9562]

These should all be remembered in case we find ourselves or others going down that same path. Trail of tears, African slave trade, etc should be in that conversation as well.

[@jacktattis]

Deniers state they never happened

[@Red-km1cc]

The US soldiers knew they were fighting a tyrant, but they didn't knew the magnitude of the evil they were about to put a stop to it, yet they fought through all kinds of hell all the same. Excellent episode, amazing video, keep up the good work.

[@veramae4098]

The war time series "Why we fight" directed by Frank Capra and Anatole Litvak are available on the 'Net. These were produced and distributed to the public at the time of the war. I've never understood why the U.S. was so surprised at the concentration camps. There were plenty of people who came to U.S. from Germany telling us what was happening. There's a movie, called I think ... darn now I can't remember. Anyhow it's about a passenger ship full of refugees before the U.S. entered the war, and they could not get permission from any place in the New World to dock and unload. Ended up going back to Germany ... My mother talks about a teacher she had in this small village high school who would talk about what the Nazis were doing (she was a refugee). The kids all thought she was just crazy.

[@johngingras]

I can't watch this episode without ending up in tears. The horror, the evil, the inhumanity of what was done just hits so hard.

[@brovold72]

Is very clever/jarring that they use the most generous "we could've been pals/just doing their jobs" veteran intro monologues for this one.

[@johngingras]

@@brovold72 Agreed!

[@L1VE3V1L]

If you don’t shed any tears, it’s almost inhuman

[@simples7758]

Thanks for mentioning the 12th Armored division. This cleared up a bit of confusion I had in the episode as I had always had the impression that it was an armored unit that had liberated the camp. My grandfather was a survivor of the camps and most of the congregation in his synagogue were survivors with numbers on their arms. I still recall, over 60 years ago, one of them saying that the most wonderful thing he saw in his life was when tanks with white stars appeared outside the camp. I will never forget.

[@matthewhull5876]

It’s entirely appropriate that these scenes make you sad. That is the right reaction. They need to be shown though. So the next generation will remember.

[@bwianbiccus]

When that old POW hugs that soldier and breaks down crying. I did cry me self.

[@thebigitchy]

I had relatives who served in the infantry of the 442nd and in the MIS. The 522nd is far less known than the other Japanese American battalions, and I’m glad you gave them the recognition they deserve. The irony was not lost on the soldiers that while they liberated prisoners in a German concentration camp, their families were still imprisoned in American concentration camps back home.

[@godlikemonolith]

Yes the white washing of history for them should still be upsetting. This was opportunity to show that irony…I am a fan of BoB but this is not good film making or truthful storytelling in this instance.

[@buxadonoff]

@@godlikemonolith The japanese deny their war crimes to this day, what white washing are you talking about ? It's a damn shame the US didn't hang most of the japanese high command like they did with the germans. It's a shame because with the bombs they punished the citizens and forgave the leaders. The leader of Unity 731 was forgiven for their bioweapon findings, a damn shame, that pos should've been burned on the stake. Their crimes were far more heinous then the germans. All the worse that not only they never apologized, they don't even assume them. And comparing the concentration camps they had the japanese descendants and the german ones during holocaust is a travesty of history ... it's not the same thing, they didn't have the same reason to happen, they aren't anything alike.

[@godlikemonolith]

@@buxadonoff hey if you want to set the bar of civility to a session in whataboutery about the Nazis and Japanese during WW2 then have at it, but that’s a pretty absurdly low bar to set. So feel good you are better than Hitler. I personally think the bar to consider your humanity to a tad bit higher than those who engaged in the Rape of Nangking or the Holocaust. Pretending our behaviour was only honourable does no one any good and its bad history. Winners don’t go to military tribunals, they get medals regardless of the atrocity. All the best.

[@buxadonoff]

@@godlikemonolith Not setting any bars, just saying what it happened. Talking about concentration camps in the context of those in Germany, as if they are comparable, is dishonesty at best. There wasn't any mass execution of no one in the US that was comparable to what happened in Germany or Japan. And it's not whataboutism, it's a fact that Japan was way worse then Germany in terms of cruelty.

[@Yamato-tp2kf]

@@godlikemonolith Oh... Ok... Then go watch you King Jon Un of Xi Jinping propaganda movies... And have fun!!!

[@edwardwhite4015]

What I appreciate about your reviews is that you don't nit-pick a film to death and realizing that the film makers had to condense certain events and characters in order to tell a compelling story.

[@tracypolselli1464]

I’m proud to say my twenty six year old son just bought the book and he and his friends are binge watching this most important “show”.

[@ReelHistory]

Thats awesome, thank you!

[@77mpickett]

Silence is as lethal as violence. Well said sir...

[@SpecialK234]

You’re a very thoughtful and empathetic person. Thank you for your considerate, fair and thorough work.

[@ReelHistory]

You are very welcome. You're kind words are appreciated.

[@hvacrnortheastern2110]

One of my uncle was in the 11th armored division they liberated Mauthausen & Gusen overran two of largest concentration camps . He pass alway 10 years ago.

[@Rmasters33]

My wife's uncle jumped with the 101st, 326th AEB at Normandy His plane was hit, on fire, both pilots killed and he was wounded and/or broke his leg on landing on a fence. He thought about half the stick got out. He was made a POW almost immediately by an English speaking German soldier. The guy could have shot him, but he said he was a conscript and wasn't going to kill anybody. My father was in the 172 ECB engineers and came in through Normandy D-Day +60. His outfit built a 1400+ foot pontoon bridge over the Rhine in March, 1945, Dad was held over a year rebuilding things and received a commendation for his work in turning a Wehrmacht HQ building in Kassel into a hospital. I understand it's still being used.

[@savionsmith2204]

How long was he a POW?

[@lucasrokitowski8707]

My aunt is currently 99 years old and lived through a camp like this. She sometimes forgets what she's been doing yesterday, but she can recite the names of the concentration camp guards at any time.

[@tigqc]

God bless Ike for having the foresight that he did to make sure everything was documented.

[@mikloowl4899]

I never fully understood holocaust deniers or how they could be so until 2020 rolled around and being in health care ... now I get it.

[@randomlyentertaining8287]

@@mikloowl4899 Yes, despite all the evidence to the contrary that the virus wasn't as deadly as the media and fear mongers were claiming, that it was made in a lab in China, and that China was responsible for letting it getting anywhere near the level it did and still those people were told they were stupid, lying, and perpetuating a conspiracy theory even though everything they claim has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt to be true.

[@edmundscycles1]

A freind in my south Wales village was part of 22nd army group Royal Artillery. He discovered a death camp with his section . I never forget seeing him punch a guy in the face for denying the holocaust. He was 87 when he punched the guy out .

[@johnmassoud930]

Your friend is a great human being.

[@andreraymond6860]

Thank you. This is is an episode that hit me hard upon first viewing the series. I have watched many reactors since on You Tube and have become some what hardened to its impact, but your comments and analysis has brought me back to that first feeling of outrage I felt nearly 20 years ago. The quote from Stein 'these are my people' echoes Liebgott breaking down in the truck and crying after translating the announcement that the prisoners would have to remain in their 'enclosure'. It informs his actions in the last episode.

[@monitor1862]

In the 1960s my father worked with a WW2 vet who helped liberate one of the camps. He told my dad it was beyond belief that people were being treated that way. Lots of "medical" experiments.

[@Serenity113]

Stein: "They're my people." God, that hit my heart like sledgehammer. I can't imagine...

[@FlankerJackChannel]

And yet in 2021 we tolerate Nazis because they are a sizable voting block of a major political party. Who will stand against them?

[@direwolf6234]

@@FlankerJackChannel don't forget the confederates waving their flags too...

[@tzufbb]

I can imagine I'm both a Jew and an Autistic both were victims of Nazi genocide

[@jjones503]

@@direwolf6234 there are litterally zero logical colorations between the confederates, their flag, and nazi germany. Any connection you may fathom is simply delusional confirmation bias.

[@direwolf6234]

@@jjones503 enslaving people is the commonality ...

[@michaelw8262]

I only saw Thirteen Days once several years ago and I remember thinking it was just OK, but I find the Cuban Missile Crisis to be a fascinating moment in history.

[@Ponykeg53]

You should of lived though it.

[@morgainedepolloc4161]

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. My Dad gave me his copy. And yes, my Dad was a life-long reader. It now makes sense--it may have provided comfort during his wartime experience in WW II. And it continued to provide comfort later in life.

[@bennettroberts4155]

I've seen the series a million times and this episode makes me cry every time. If that's not a testimony to how good Bob is idk

[@hoozurmama883]

My son is in the 82nd stationed at Ft. Bragg. We live near Bragg. It gives you chills to hear the troopers singing Blood on the Risers at events.

[@Nitemare1989]

I worked with a very wonderful man almost 10 years ago (i lost contact with him) who was a survivor of a concentration camp he had the number tattoos on his arm. I never got the courage to ask him what camp though, I didn't want to bring up any bad memories. But he was one of the most kind hearted and selfless people I knew.

[@jaimevalencia6271]

He spit in the face of every nazi by being alive I hope he has peace and a long life

[@jasonb9562]

@@jaimevalencia6271 that’s a great way of putting it. The best revenge is a well lived life.

[@krisfrederick5001]

Imagine seeing the horrors of War...then questioning humanity even more. P.S. I love the Frank Capra reference in the title..."Why We Fight" is an amazing series.

[@emmen0]

I missed the analysis on the title of this episode 'Why we fight'. It goes all the way back to the recruitment and finding the will of the people and soldiers to fight for a free and democratic world, with the use of these film series. This moments exceeds any expectation of the soldiers for the horrors of the war.

[@robertsarasi392]

Only when I first saw this I realized that the world didn’t know at that time what we know now. It hit me like a truck. Thank you for this series of thoughts. I found it 2 days ago, but I cannot stop watching.

[@MBarne4908]

Going back through this show twice in the past two weeks and reading both Ambrose’s “BAND OF BROTHERS and “D-DAY” it’s amazing this series was done as well as it is, and still holds up. I watch it twice a year and visited the 101sr Airborne museum in Ft. Campbell last week. Thanks so much for providing extra details, and filling in some blanks. Greatly appreciated. Look forward to getting all your booksz

[@ronmaximilian6953]

Thank you for your observations and correcting some of the misconceptions and errors in this episode. I cringe every time they get Hitler's death wrong. But others like having the unit liberate Kaufering IV were made for very good reasons. I don't think any episode of any historical drama has affected me this way. The AHC documentary "Nazi Death Squads: Einsatzgruppen" came close. The only things that surpassed it were "Schindler's List" the Russian movie "Come and See." I am a son and quadruple grandson of Holocaust survivors and have known about it since I was 7. I watch the episode every year either on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz or Yom Hashoah.

[@morgainedepolloc4161]

Good mention of the discovery of the concentration camp. I had some interaction with US Japanese citizens who are very disturbed that their role in liberation is not consistently and accurately addressed---so much so that they reacted almost violently to mention of my Dad's role (my father and I perceived as "white," though of mixed heritage). An experience that almost comes full circle with regard to race/ethnicity---our struggles regarding inclusion/cultural identity continue today.

[@lowellwhite1603]

There were many concentration and work camps liberated, all over Germany and occupied Europe. This was, by far not the only one.

[@BlargeMan]

That's interesting, I didn't even know that. God bless those Japanese American troops, they showed incredible loyalty and grace when they really didn't have to and it wasn't completely deserved by our government at the time.

[@ibuprofriends]

@@BlargeManstill wouldnt be deserved tbh

[@christophercarrier2902]

@@ibuprofriendsIf the US is judged in comparison with other real countries, versus a hypothetical utopia, it doesn’t look that bad.

[@wattsnottaken1]

“Jews, Poles, Gypsies.” “Musicians, carpenters, lawyers, doctors.” This episode is just too much sometimes, get ready to cry if it’s your first time watching this episode.

[@SamTochelliDzn]

Holy crap, this series only has 4k views? It popped in my recommended feed so I assumed it was very popular. I've been listening to these on my drive to and from work every day this week after finishing my yearly rewatch of the series and it's wonderful getting this additional detail.

[@ReelHistory]

Thank you! This is a relatively new channel still.

[@SamTochelliDzn]

@@ReelHistory Well this is excellently produced content, and such a good addition to the series.

[@ReelHistory]

Thank you again! Feel free to share and help it grow. Its fun to put together and see peoples reactions.

[@bobrock80]

Thank you for your words at the end of this episode. It can´t be underlined enough, that silence was and still is interpreted as acceptance. I trully hope people will learn from history and never again stay silent when every voice of one´s conscience is needed.

[@jtfike]

If that town decided not to remain silent, they would have been buried in the rubble right next to them. The “silence is acceptance” is a quote only made by people living a cushy life. The army was upset because the town denied knowing what happened. Not because they remained silent in the face of oppression. A very distinct difference. No one is upset they were silent to survive. They were upset because they denied even knowing. That town had no power to change the outcome of that camp. None.

[@tracyfrazier7440]

Thank you for helping me learn more about WW2. Recently I saw a video about why the German people accepted these atrocities. It makes great sense to me because it is still with us and always will be I guess. Our human nature is to refuse to admit we are wrong. We go along with policies that maybe we aren’t really comfortable with because we are told, “yes, it is difficult, but it must be done for the good of society.” After being in total support of controversial policies, people do not draw a line in the sand and say, No further. They must continue to support the leadership or have to admit they were wrong-be seen as fools, idiots, and really, is there anything worse than shame? Yes, there is. I think this is the root cause of the apathy, ignorance, and unwillingness of the German people to stop the madness.

[@hannah_odette]

Hi! I'm just wondering, What was the video you watched? I'd love to see it sometime, if I can.

[@tracyfrazier7440]

@@hannah_odette I will check my usual suspects and let you know if I can find it again.

[@hannah_odette]

@@tracyfrazier7440 Thank you so much. I really appreciate this!!

[@tracyfrazier7440]

@@hannah_odette Here is the link to the video. I think the entire video is worth watching, but it crystallizes into the main point after the 20 minute mark. I’m glad you asked about it because I needed the reminder. Please let me know if you think it was insightful. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hWm4q6CCqL16iLc

[@hannah_odette]

@@tracyfrazier7440 thank you so much! I definitely will 🙂

[@doa75]

My first PT test at FT Bragg Blood on the Risers was playing on the PA as we ran the 2 mile along Ardennes Boulevard. It was glorious.

[@wedgeantilles4712]

I like Waterloo, Tora! ... Tora! ... Tora!, Zulu, Tombstone, Master and Commander, Gettysburg and Saving private Ryan.

[@BTVRhoenrad]

Thank you for your very exciting analysis of this fantastic series. I only moved to Landsberg two or three years ago and only learned through "Band of Brothers" that there was also a concentration camp here. I visited the locations after that. Professionally I have already visited some camps (I work for television) it is still very moving for me every time to enter such a place.

[@matevadas9739]

My favorite is Master and Commander from 2003

[@yadarehey1130]

The story of Norbert Freed felt like punch in the gut. Thanks for sharing

[@MrJJuK]

I brought this episode in to show in our RE class back when I was in year 7 I think I was 13. Was a very powerful episode

[@818Lakerplaya]

Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) is one of my favorites, the first film I saw that's from the perspective of the Axis army.

[@kyleshiflet9952]

Watch Stalingrad (1993) it can be a tough watch though

[@borismuller86]

It’s interesting that Letters From Iwo Jima is soo powerful, yet Flags Of Our Fathers is largely forgettable.

[@kyleshiflet9952]

@@borismuller86 I actually think both are powerful movies in their own ways

[@gravitypronepart2201]

Well done sir. Heart breaking, but needed. We must never forget.

[@iamnolegend483]

Regarding Dick Winters’ comment about the Germans getting their own medicine: My father served in the 95th Division and I recall my mother telling me he and his buddies were eating in a “liberated” German house. After they were done, they threw the dishes out the window.

[@joshualincoln7191]

This may seem weird but I was glad to see you get so emotional during this episode. I have probably seen this 25 times and every time I sob. I can’t help it. It makes me, in equal measure, sick and furious. I am a new subscriber and am loving your channel.

[@ZuperFlax]

Excellent and heartbreaking episode. Thank you for your lovely insights and your vulnerability that you share with us! Keep up the good work!

[@IrishTechnicalThinker]

Excellent video and thanks for sharing your thoughtful knowledge on this whole series. I got emotional, watching your emotions. This is a brilliant channel.

[@boosuedon]

I truly hope you plan to explore "The Pacific" as you did "Band of Brothers". The Pacific PTO stands in stark contrast to BoB. While the ETO had two years to train and form that special bond the Marines had a very short training period before they were loaded up on transports and sent to New Zealand and Australia to begin the long slugfest to Japan in August of 1942. No 48hr passes to a friendly city to rest, fighting a suicidal enemy one island at a time, living in the rain and mud fighting the demons of PTSD with little hope of respite. Based on several books that the actual participants published including; A Helmet For My Pillow and The Old Breed at Peleliue. Three years of fighting vs 11 months in the Europe Campaign.

[@nigeh5326]

Depends on your nationality Poles, the French and the Brits along with others fought from 1939 to 1945. 1 great uncle was killed outside Dunkirk, another 2 fought in N Africa, Italy, Normandy then across France into Belgium and on to Northern Germany. Another great uncle was captured in Singapore by the Japanese. Then tortured in a POW camp where he caught malaria and other diseases before being liberated. Until he died he used to suffer with ptsd and was always v thin and weak. All war is hell.

[@jacktattis]

2/2 AIF in Africa 1940 home again 1942 up in the SW Pacific until 1945 Discharged 1946 My friends Father was there So the Marines still late

[@jacktattis]

Oh and he fought in 25 battles in New Guinea alone

[@benballesteros6346]

Thank you for supplying such great information

[@FIDEL_CASHFLOW_]

@3:32 I recall reading an interview somewhere with one of the writers or producers and they answered the question why this scene is included especially because it feels so out of place. This individual said that they included it because he dies just a short while later and it was an attempt at giving some sort of contrast to his death, showing him full of life and every bit a human man.

[@ReeseMacalma]

Keep it up! Loved watching your videos after my latest rewatch this year.

[@ian_forbes]

While appreciated for all the past episodes, given the tragIc events specific to this one, thank you so much for the added historical context once again. Totally agree this may be the most impressive and important television ever presented. There is so much to learn from history; as they say, so we are not doomed to repeat it. Sadly, I feel like the recent rise of overt fascist ideology and activity is an example that not enough people take the time or interest to learn from the past and to want to ensure humanity doesn’t slide back into such depravity and horror. It’s up to all of us to do better and not just let the loudest voices be heard.

[@gravitypronepart2201]

Amen. And I add Marxism to that list.

[@High_Priest_Jonko]

Really cool idea, and so full of information. Nice work!

[@stevenwiederholt7000]

The thing people have to understand about this, is it didn't just spring up suddenly in Germany. The Nuremberg laws were based on the best thinking of the previous 30-40 years on Eugenics, and the Jim Crow/Segregation of America. Eugenics was very popular/mainstream at that time.

[@nikkio.9990]

Yes indeed, Hitler didn't invent this shit, he simply capitalized on it.

[@stevenwiederholt7000]

@@nikkio.9990 Exactly my point. Thing is after the war A Lot of people were trying to cover their asses about their views on eugenics.

[@aleksanderstrommer7677]

I've been waiting this video for 20+ years.

[@peinek]

I know I'm late and I just discovered this channel. My favorite historical movie is Midway(1976). Love the channel!

[@gregborchardt2547]

As a historian, I am surprised by your comment at around 28:30 that the Germans allowed the atrocities to happen. As a historian, you should know that the Nazi regime was a dictatorship and the first thing Hitler did when he gained power was kill everyone who had opposed him. That is what dictators do, and much more, and much worse (think North Korea, as a modern example). It was very common for people who voiced opposition to anything the Nazi regime did throughout their reign to be arrested and then never to be seen again (again, think North Korea). A common comment by people who survive a dictatorial government is that "half of the people were spying on the other half." Dictators rule their people with utter fear and are ruthless in controlling their people. There was no freedom of speech or freedom of the press, which was 100% controlled by the regime. As a historian, you really should know and understand these aspects of the Nazi regime. That being said, I am really enjoying your videos. I watched 7 of your BOB videos yesterday and now am watching the rest today before moving on to other movies you review. Thanks!

[@joek600]

You forget the part where most Germans felt that Hitler was actually fulfilling Germany's ''destiny''. As long as there was victory after victory everybody cheered feeling vindicated for the crushed dream of WWI. After the fall of the ''3rd Reich'' not a single nazi in Germany..... right....

[@Smuffleri]

The HBO war trilogy in general is great but I'd love to hear your take on Generation Kill, even if it isn't your historical forte

[@ReelHistory]

That is happening, its going to be interesting

[@Smuffleri]

@@ReelHistory Excited to see it when it comes out!

[@smccall817]

Best news I’ve heard in a while. Can’t wait to see !

[@WhackoMacko]

what a fascinating channel .. totally subscribing for more .. loved it .. cheers!

[@robertweeks4240]

watching Gettysburg directors cut right before my son and i went on a civil war battlefield road trip begining with gettysburg! absolutly my favorite!

[@TheFleahost]

Thank you for treating this with such reverence.

[@shaggycan]

4:00 is it really surprising a guy with Winter's upbringing thought a sex scene was gratuitous?

[@TheEvertw]

WW2 was responsible for many, many babies, so it is definitely relevant.

[@mosheshulman8305]

Thanks for mentioning the 12th Armored. That was my father's unit.

[@dbach1025]

Love the book. Great job and can't wait to check out Dorr's museum in Gettysburg.

[@rayharley597]

There are three images that stick with me from the camp scenes; Bull Randleman hunkered down almost unbelievably stricken by what he was seeing, the exchange of salutes between Perconte and the Jewish Veteran of the Kaiser's Imperial Army and Perconte calling O'Keefe by his name and the ghostly expression on O'Keefe's face, kerk

[@surferdude44444]

Never forget!

[@SNOOPY_-]

im always VERY critical to what people say. you're actually correct in what you say,thats extremely rare. well done

[@matori1901]

there is a scene in this episode in witch a man carrying old man, is speaking Serbian, he was saying "People help, please help him, he is still alive, you still can save him" i was in elementery school when i first watched this series to hear those words, to understand them, while everything else was subtitled

[@kellydavis1837]

Favorite historical film has to be Apollo 13, then mini-series is tied between these and From the Earth to the Moon, what can I say I love Tom Hanks and his history films. I'd love to see you do both of these actually.

[@borismuller86]

My great-grandfather, Colonel Charles King of the REME was the first British officer through the gates at Belsen Concentration Camp. He never spoke about it until one night with my mother, after he’d had a lot to drink. He showed her some photos he had taken, and told her about how he’d had nightmares for decades because of those days. At some point between that night and his death, he burnt all of the photographs. I once asked him (I was still very young) if he hated the Germans because of the war. He simply replied “No, all of the bad ones are dead.”

[@daylearceneaux4083]

The only drawback to portraying the camps is despite how great a job the production crews and the actors involved did, it still doesn't come close to the real footage and photos.

[@prettyokandy230]

i think they portrayed it about as well as one can expect without going back in time.

[@davidkimmel4216]

Your comments are wonderful. I really want to see the Band Of Brothers again. Thank You

[@guyjperson]

I watched this when it came out, and am going back through BoB again. I remember you stumping for your 1000th sub. Come a long way since then, it seems. Congrats.

[@ReelHistory]

It turns out that hard work pays off. - Andy

[@ReelHistory]

Don't forget to like and subscribe, but most importantly SHARE this video anywhere that you see fit! This was a difficult video to make but we here at Reel History appreciate you taking the time out of your day to watch. Thanks!

[@troyellis7489]

You guys do an awesome job at giving real context to this. I’d love to see you take a look at the Netflix series The Liberator.

[@FlankerJackChannel]

When 40% of the United States watch an episode like this and don't think something like this will happen to them or they want to be in the guard towers that is why we fight.

[@samuel10125]

He was right and despite the evidence there still a small group that believe it never happened and all the evidence is doctored and the film is acting

[@ramon1906]

But i live Close to Remagen, a Part of that Bridge still stands and there is a Museum in it now:)

[@saltynutsman1]

@@FlankerJackChannel fight who? Read Twitter? This could happen again easily. It’ll be a while till humans evolve to a point we think this is unbelievable.

[@heatherwheeler8330]

My first reaction to this was, just imagine being the people who find this, like what do you even think, how do you even begin to process what's in front of you

[@TheEvertw]

I am so glad the top brass took responsibility. It was so easy to handle these situations wrong, leading to even more suffering and death for the inmates. Like just throwing the gates open would lead to them wondering off into the woods and perishing there. Or giving them an unlimited supply of food would cause them to eat too much and die. Even sending them home would not always work out well, as their houses were usually taken over by others, and they had nowhere to go, their family also having been exterminated. These people needed to be nursed back to some level of health, then repatriated. The war was far from over for these people.

[@joshuasill1141]

You can't. In the early stages of Iraq we often had a group of Iraqi National Guard units or Iraq Police units we were training or interpreters with us. They all wore face masks so they couldn't be identified by the local populaces. Sometimes we would go out on patrol and find these guys and their families butchered and dismembered in their homes, or get reports that various officers or high ranking soldiers were being replaced because of what happened to them. You don't shake that.

[@thomasrocker7408]

My all time favorite movie is without a doubt, " Waterloo. "

[@patrickcarpenter4524]

really appreciate your valuable 'footnotes' to these films. i would love to see you address The Mission (dir Roland Joffee), the slave trade, the dynamics between church and state, Spain and Portugal... empire building.

[@marcelisujecki2362]

I recommend watching the films - Katyń, City 44. And the curiosities are programs on KZbin - Sabaton History. Episodes - Inmate 4859, Uprising, 40: 1 - Battle of Wizna.

[@Valkanna.Nublet]

Seeing the people in the town saying they weren't nazis reminds me of something I heard years ago, to paraphrase: There are 5 people sat around a table. One is a card carrying member of the nazi party. One owns a business that supplies food to the local camp. One enjoys the social status she gets from being married to a high ranking official. One runs a factory that makes vehicles for the army. One was happy to see the Jews arrested because he could finally find work. There are 5 nazis sat around a table. The premise being that you don't have to be an actual card carrying party member to be guilty, if you support the regime in any way you are complicit in their crimes.

[@bernardoolivas4581]

Love your breakdowns and learning more about the experiences of these men. You brought up something that sparked a question I had from an earlier episode. You said that a lot of soldiers heard of the atrocities of the Germans but didn't take them seriously, until seeing it themselves obviously. I remember in the crossroads episode, after finding that platoon of SS soldiers, one of the guys examines a dead German and goes "Jesus, they're SS!". Or something similar. What did they actually know or believe of the SS throughout the war before discoveries like this? That they were just a "special" unit or that they were just radical followers? Would be curious to know!

[@uglybobhere]

Glad you passed 1k subscribers '-)

[@DMUSA536]

Powerful

[@nextube_owner]

31:41 in Kamp Westerbork, Drenthe, The Netherlands, they have a speaker that says all names and ages of the ones that have gone on trains to Auschwitz, Sobíbor, Bergen-Belsen and more camps, over and over again. I was there with my scouts group, and it really hurt my feelings when i stepped closer to the wagon where the speaker was. I heard someone from ten years, another of seven. Shoutout to the news reporter who decided to volunteer to say all these names. Also, once in a year, EVERY NAME ever been in Westerbork, is being said, day and night, by various people in that foundation who does it. It takes a week to say all names! It’s incredible, we can’t let that happen again! (Unfortunately we do) 🇺🇦❤️

[@nextube_owner]

Can you imagine. There even came an old lady, 101 years old there, had her 102nd birthday in Westerbork, before being sent to a camp.

[@billdavis6900]

Band of Brothers was a great series but in some ways it has inadvertently obscured the roles many of the other paratroop regiments played in WWII. My great uncle Charles Woodruff was a paratrooper in WWII and was in the 11th Airborne Division and he served in the Pacific. Over the years when I’ve told people about him I always get the same reply, “I never knew there were paratroopers in the Pacific theater.” The 11th Airborne fought in the Philippines because they had trained for the European theater of operations which made them suited for urban warfare which is why they would be part of the recapture of the city of Manila. The 11th was also responsible for liberating the Los Banos POW camp that held survivors of the Bataan Death March.

[@kathleenmckenzie6261]

Bit of irony, perhaps -- Hitler built the autobahn prior to actually going to war to facilitate the movement of troops and materiel into other areas of Europe. That gave Eisenhower the impetus to initiate the construction of the U.S. interstate freeway system. I grew up in Wisconsin 30 miles west of Milwaukee and it was said by local civil defense volunteers that a long, straight stretch of the I 94 that we traveled regularly going into Milwaukee was heavily reinforced to serve as an auxiliary aircraft runway. Two movies that also deal with the Holocaust are 'Relief of Belsen,' a British production, and 'Sobibor,' wherein we see Alan Arkin and a young Rutger Hauer in major roles.

[@bennygerow]

My step mom (almost 80) was born in Germany, and she's never discussed too much about what life was like there. She discussed her dad being "a German Army officer" a few times, but that's it. I always wanted to know more, but I can't bring myself to ask the questions I may not get the truth about if I do.

[@ReelHistory]

If you go back through history and ask the people who wished they would have asked the hard questions you would be overwhelmed. Do what you think is right but there are thousands of questions I wish I could ask that can't be answered anymore.

[@joshuasill1141]

Here's another sick twist: German soldiers of the Wehrmacht that had breakdowns, suffering the effects of PTSD from fighting on the Eastern Front, the effects of methamphetamine addiction, or the combination of all the above and deemed unfit for service were all sent to the concentration camps too as the Nazis declared them unfit to return to "society". The twist is all of Himmler's SS troops who suffered the same thing from all the atrocities they were committing were given extra leave time, better lodgings and food, and a bump in pay for "fighting the good fight".

[@nicolehall694]

You said you had family who were liberators. I had family who were liberated. I think in some way that makes you and I family ❤ Thanks for the great breakdown of the series' most difficult episode

[@ReelHistory]

That is one of the most meaningful comments we have ever received. Thank you.

[@Machtyn]

Also, I would not have known (as a casual viewer of these episodes and very casual student of history) that it wasn't the 101st that discovered this concentration camp. So thank you for the insight! I know the show was designed in such a way to make several of the characters represent the experiences of many in one. Now that I'm thinking about it, I didn't know Japanese Americans were involved in Europe. About the only thing I know about Japanese Americans was their own roundup and incarceration by the US government after the attack on Pearl Harbor. (I do know there were a few who did assist in the Pacific. But my perception is that it was very few.)

[@williamsmith5549]

Hey Jared, discovered your incredible channel a few days ago, and am really enjoying it (I'm a middle school music teacher in Louisville, KY, so I currently have time on my hands for a few weeks still, lol...). I'm wondering if you have ever had to deal with Undergraduate students in your classes who were brought up as Holocaust Deniers, either because they were home schooled by such or went to one of those Charter Schools that teach such things? How do you shut them down, if you have had to encounter them? BTW, have you ever considered a breakdown of the movie Fury? Can't wait to enjoy more of your extraordinary work!

[@Guardian2A]

A young Bane getting the ladies and having a smoke before smoking Gotham

[@AllenalAllen]

Found episode 10 on a suggestion after watching a old interview of dick winters and I can say after almost 7 hours later after watching all of the other episodes this has been amazing.

[@richardcaves3601]

The feelings expressed in this episode were common to all Allied troops, American, British, Commonwealth and Soviet, who liberated camps in Poland, Germany and elsewhere in Europe, and in Burma, Thailand and elsewhere in the Far East. After the war, many service men and women had few, if any, forums where they could talk about their experiences, until many years later. Some never did, carrying their pain to the grave. Those experiences however did shape the attitudes of that generation towards the Soviet bloc in the subsequent decades. The lessons from those experiences still shape political attitudes today.

[@davemac1197]

Well done for getting through this episode! Unlike other You Tube channels that don't know what's coming and are left in a state of shock, you did know what was coming and that clearly doesn't make it any easier. I think the conversation that has to be had over this question of why we fight is about political ideology, and it's one that's not easy to have, especially on online forums. I think what happened after the war was over in Europe is particularly interesting in the way that other left wing political parties sought to distance themselves from German National Socialism and created this idea that it was nationalism and the nation state itself that caused the conflict. I would argue that it was an alliance of nation states that ended the war and destroyed the cancer of Nazism, which existed in other European countries as well as Germany. If you haven't already come across it, I recommend Sara Moore's book The Fourth Reich? The EU - An Emerging German Empire. I'll be the first to admit that it's a difficult read, in the sense that a history of German politics is incredibly dry and heavy going for a British reader like myself, but if you can stay the course the real value of this book is the way it puts the two world wars into a larger context of German imperial ambition that goes right back to Bismarck in 1870, which is where Sara's book begins. I suppose the argument is that Britain, France, Spain, and Portugal, had already done a pretty good job of carving up the world between them that the continent of Europe, in a sort of 'winner takes all' idea, was the only space into which Germany could expand. Bismarck's unification of the German states into a federal superstate by stealth in 1871 is, of course, the model for the present day EU, rather than the miltary misadventures of the first half of the 20th century. For American readers, I think the biggest eye opener (for me anyway) was the involvement of the American banks in Germany's history. If you wondered how Germany was able economically to re-arm in the inter-war years while pleading poverty and harsh treatment by the Versailles Treaty, the answer was apparently their money was invested in "the American dream" during the economic recovery after the Depression. (Incidentally, this reminds me of comedian and Oxford History graduate Al Murray's joke that the reason we don't have a "British dream" in the UK... is because we're AWAKE!) Again, you asked for favourite films. I mentioned last time that A Bridge Too Far is NOT my favourite film because it departs (mostly by omission) from my all-time favourite book. I am reminded by this Saturday afternoon's TV schedule here in the UK that one of my favourite films is The Bridge At Remagen (now playing as I write this). I'm not as familiar with the real history behind this operation but I understand that the timescale in the film was somewhat altered, the bridge location was found in Czechoslovakia for the filming, and the use of the M24 Chaffee light tank as stand-ins for the new M26 Pershing heavy tank, of which I believe 10 were deployed by 9th Armored Division in March 1945 at Remagen. The film was originally going to be directed by Stanley Kubrick (my all-time favourite film is 2001: A Space Odyssey) in Germany, but the West German authorities would not allow production to disrupt river traffic on the Rhine. It was then going to be directed by Irvin Kirschner (The Empire Strikes Back). Eventually, it was decided to film in Czechoslovakia to save money, and the M24s were provided by the Austrian Army (they were originally US Army surplus after the war). The Soviets and the East Germans were suspicious of the production and even thought this was a CIA-inspired operation to destabilise Czechoslovakia at the time! All credit to the Czechs that the film went ahead and got made. I also see that another favourite film of mine, Dances With Wolves, is also on TV this afternoon. The last time I saw it about a week ago I did some research, and I understand it is based on a novel by Michael Blake, but the opening scenes depict the Civil War battle at St. David's Field in Tennessee, in 1863. Fort Hays is an actual place near Hays in Kansas, and I was impressed that the Fort Sedgwick outpost was also a real place, it no longer exists but the site is now in Sedgwick County in the NE corner of Colorado. Thanks again for another interesting and informative Saturday afternoon.

[@shaggycan]

12:20 This is a nice touch; razing the windshield on the Jeep. A German tactic when retreating was to tie wire across a road at head level to slow the enemy advance for very little investment. While the windscreen didn't always prevent injury it was better than nothing, later in the war they started welding an iron beam perpendicular to the front bumper to cut these wires.

[@TTH247]

Raising

[@joek600]

wow I always wondered about those beams. I thought that they were working as somekind of guide for the machinegun in order to not aim too low and shoot the hood by accident. Thanks for the info!

[@ChrisMillerCrazyHouse]

As an artist Iam usually interested in special effects and how the production team recreated certain sequences. This is one that must have been extremely difficult for the production team to research and recreate.

[@vernonrabbetts]

They went to a Cancer Ward and asked for non-actors to play the parts of the inmates. When they explained what they were doing they had a lot of volunteers. The main actors never saw the camp, or the inmates until the day of shooting to make their reactions more realistic. Unfortunately, there were too many pictures from too many camps of too many victims, whether living or dead. It made designing the camp too easy... ...I read the testimony of a British Sergeant at Bergen Belsen. He was given a milk tank and a ladle to dish out to people as needed it. He described how a scarecrow of rags pushed her way to him and thrust a bundle of rags into his arms and gestured for milk. He opened the rag bundle and found a very dead baby in them. She wouldn't give in, she demanded milk and in the end he ladled a small amount of milk onto a mouth that had not been able to open for weeks at his estimate. The mother, the scarecrow, crooned with happiness - he used that phrase, I'll never forget - took the dead baby, turned and fell dead after three paces. She'd stayed alive only to get food for her baby, I still sob when I think of it and I only read it. What was it like to have lived it?

[@deborahflynn1708]

You Sir do an excellent job of presenting /reaction to this movie facts tidbits show complete clips you do not speak profanity /in your reaction also you allow the viewer to see the whole screen shot in other reaction movies I've had to use a magnifying glass thank you

[@texhaines9957]

Concentration Camp discovery: I worked with an Army vet that liberated one such camp. He was a 19-year old Staff Sargeant. He and my Army Air Force Dad discussed this in my presence. Dad recalled his friend who crashed his loaded P47 at the end of the runway and burned. None of them liked German or "Jap" stuff. Thanks