Watching *BAND OF BROTHERS* For the First Time! (Episode 3-4)

[@DosCavazos]

Watch our reactions to the next FOUR edited episodes of Band of Brothers RIGHT NOW on Patreon: www.patreon.com/posts/band-of-brothers-82035554 Watch our reaction to Saving Private Ryan: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bonKnnmZra51ibM Watch the full-length watch-a-long reaction on Patreon (We are finishied with the ENTIRE SERIES in our full length format): www.patreon.com/posts/band-of-brothers-79623001

[@tahnadana5435]

well, michael fassbender is also in this... you didnt notice him in the first episode

[@jungbinsong9698]

@@tahnadana5435 Yep, he was the one who had to repeat all 12 miles of the march for drinking from his canteen.

[@amaansiddique1780]

Reaction 3 decade of srk

[@BSN_Hammer65]

Cool fact, there was one mistake that the show made, and they admitted later. In the end, they say that Blythe died, but it was incorrect. Blythe lives, and no one heard from him for years after the war; that's why it was believed he was dead.

[@hellowhat890]

Blithes family actually reached out when this episode premiered to say that they had gotten it wrong. Blithe did indeed survive his wounds. The showrunners did in fact apologize and manage to communicate that to his family. But odd how there was not a correction or revision done to the end of Episode 3.

[@Thegoat152]

Not only that, but according to Winters he served in Korea and was awarded for bravery.

[@saltwatertaffybag]

The episodes were written from the direct memoirs of Steven Ambrose and interviewing the men of EZ company. They were the primary source. By all accounts, Blithe did die from his wounds. You have to remember this was in the 40s. The telephone, television, and radio were new technologies. The Interstate highway system would not even exist for another decade. There was very little you could do to reach out to people, or reconnect with old friends. Everyone thought Blithe was dead for 50 years until he randomly showed up to a military reunion in 1996. This miniseries went out of its way to get things right, and used nothing but primary sources of information. That being said, even firsthand accounts can be wrong. (The other huge inaccuracy is Lt. Dyke, who got a complete hatchet job in episodes 6-7. Again the result of primary sources and witness testimony being sometimes unreliable)

[@ianlavalley1803]

@@saltwatertaffybag he died in 1967 he went to the first annual reunion of the first airborne they just forgot or he was quiet and left early

[@Vegeta900X]

@@saltwatertaffybag Lt. Dyke deserved much of the criticism he got from the men of Easy, but not all of it. He was a flawed man, but not the coward he is portrayed as. During the attack on Foy he got shot in the right shoulder and was panicking because of the wound until he was evacuated by medics and Spears took command. And during the war he received 2 bronze stars for acts of valor. The first one in Holland on September 23 1944 for organizing and leading scattered paratroopers in defending an important road junction on the supply route against superior and repeated attacks while completely surrounded. And the second at Bastogne on January 3 1945 for personally removing from an exposed position, in full enemy view, 3 wounded members of his company, while under intense small arm fire.

[@krisfrederick5001]

Someone had to say it

[@19McCloy91]

No one shot the family. Dont know why so many reactors come to this conclusion. The Allies invaded France to liberate it, not to kill French civillians. I mean sure some where killed accidentally but no one was coming across them and murdering them.

[@Yarpon]

The way the show cuts to the next scene doesn’t help the issue to be fair.

[@jamesa4793]

Luz and Hoobler were just in shock cause if they had fragged the room they would have killed those civilians

[@catherinelw9365]

@@jamesa4793 True. In reality, it was Malarkey who was going to throw the grenade but he heard a voice tell him to not do it. When he opened the door, he saw the family. Saved him from terrible grief.

[@mariuszpudzianowski8400]

Nah, americans set up concetration camps in europe after "liberating" it. They were killing everything that moved because to them everybody who's not american was either a nazi or a commie.

[@アキコ2003]

you sure?

[@BiggySn1p3r]

FUN FACT: The Father/Priest that was walking around checking the bodies was actor Doug Cockle, who voices Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher games.

[@hellowhat890]

12:04 This scene actually is accurate. Talbert had scavenged and picked up a German soldier's raincoat as a souvenir. So when he got stabbed by mistake, it was because be did seem to look like a German when he startled Smith.

[@FrenchieQc]

That's exactly what Smith says. "He looked like a Kraut!"

[@chrispittman8854]

The way "Winters" handles "Blythe's" hysterical blindness is text book. I wish it were actually IN the training manuals in ALL the academies and candidate schools, but it's just being a good human being and recognizing when one of your men needs guidance with either leadership or medical assistance. "Look after your troops."

[@DanielConwayRacing]

I’m sure someone else has already answered this, but orange is the color of the Dutch royal family, so it’s basically their national color. Many Dutch sports colors are usually orange. But essentially the orange blanket in the window was like a “we’re on your side, thanks for coming to liberate us” sign

[@SNOOPY_-]

im dutch. orange is the main colour of our traitor royals who broke constitutional laws. since under no circumstenes were they were allowed to leave the country. secondly: they were were heavily involved with the nazi's prior 1940. infact one of the biggest bastards was prince bernard who WAS a SS-member. the hubbie of our former queen beatrix served IN the german army! queen wilhelmina even wrote letters to hitler,on their boat they had a swastika flag. so no those pricks arent innocent and should be shot for treason.as for our english,i dunno back in the days,but present day we rank 1 as in nation who speaks the best english as second lingo. also our royals are NOT from orange-nassau,its simpley NOT possible since that bloodline died out back in 1890. anyone after that is most definetly NOT from orange nassau

[@stephenweaver7631]

The Dutch were under German occupation. Being a Germanic people, the Germans thought they would join forces with them, but the Dutch were not having anything to do with the Germans, so Germany was very brutal toward the Netherlands. The Dutch were ecstatic when the Allies drove the Germans out.

[@davemac1197]

The Netherlands had their own National Socialist Party called the NSB that collaborated with the German occupation and there were some Dutch troops, a regiment called SS-Grenadier-Regiment 1 'Landstorm Nederland' and an SS guard battalion called 'Nordwest' previously used to guard Dutch concentration camps, that were fighting on the German side, but they were very much in the minority. The Allied forces in Market Garden included the Dutch Prinses Irene Brigade, made up of troops that escaped to England in 1940 and was transferred from 1st Canadian Army to British 2nd Army for Market Garden, since they would be liberating the Netherlands first.

[@Honkeydoodle]

such a nonsense 🙄 Germanic people has absolutely nothing to do with Germany and noone thought about the Netherlands as an ally. It was a piece on the map, which had purely strategic reasons. Noone cared what the Netherlands wanted. They oppressed the Netherlands just as much as any other occupied country, and every other country was no less relieved at their liberation.

[@Yora21]

Soldiers did get drafted (I think), but the paratroopers are volunteered because that job was particularly dangerous. Blythe actually ended up in another hospital and didn't contact anyone, but later he volunteered again to fight in Korea where he did get a bunch of medals.

[@alcor4670]

Yes, there was a draft back then. But it sure didn't seem like it, seeing how there were far fewer documented instances of resistance to it than, say, the Vietnam War. Different times, different mindset.

[@bluebird3281]

soldiers were drafted

[@m_v__m_v]

@BLUE BIRD32 not all soldiers in WWII were drafted. Many many of them volunteered after Pearl Harbor. They literally talk about it in thr very beginning interviews of this series.

[@bluebird3281]

@@m_v__m_v Yes I know, I was merely pointing out to the OP that "soldiers were drafted" because they stated they (I think). The beginning of series also mentions guys who were 4-F that lethally harmed themselves because they couldn't enlist. They had enlistment centers, recruitment films and big ol' poster saying "Enlist". I know people enlisted and I know it was "many, many of them" but they did have a draft as well. Which was the only point I was making. You "literally" jumped to conclusions about my statement.

[@RandomStuff-he7lu]

Being drafted didn't mean you were just in the infantry. Drafted ended up everywhere. Paratroopers being volunteers meant that you couldn't be ordered to be a paratrooper and not that you couldn't be a draftee. Draftee could, and did, ask to be assigned to the paratroopers.

[@hellowhat890]

Fun fact: The amount of pyrotechnics and ammo used in the filming of episode 2 and 3 combined was the same amount they used in the filming of Saving Private Ryan. This series used a whole lot more.

[@richardsiegel5793]

Some notes/fact for yah: - No, they did not kill those French civilians in house in episode 3 - There are two guys that want a Luger: Malarkey (dude who ran into the field to try to grab one in Ep. 2, AND Hoobler, who checked out that British soldier's Luger in Ep. 1 and had the funny conversation with him) - German tanks have heavy armor in the front and on the sides, so they're most vulnerable in the back and underneath - Lipton, the "new Easy Company 1st Sgt." is not new, he's been there the whole time - Michael Fassbender is ALSO in this show - he's Sgt. Christenson - General Rule: don't read too much into things - they do a good job displaying and explaining - No, they didn't wander into a Dutch celebration, the Dutch are celebrating the Allies liberating them from the Germans - No, McAvoy's character's name is NOT Mack, nor is it Mack Miller (RIP) - American vehicles are usually olive green with a white star on it - American planes have a start on it - Allies planes, at least during part of the series, all have white and black stripes on it

[@SG-if8iw]

Holland was occupied brutally by Germany for 5 years. The liberation by the Americans and British was celebrated enthusiastically. The bombing of Eindhoven at the end of episode 4 was not by the allies, but by the Germans.

[@pliny8308]

Gosh, guys! Holland had been invaded and occupied by the Germans. The Americans and the British were their liberators and the people were thanking them. The color orange is the national color for the Dutch, as the Prince or Princess of Orange is one of the titles of their royal house. The British rules of engagement were part of the problem in that campaign.

[@jackson857]

3:05 That's a different guy. 44:04 You are getting all of them completely mixed up. Two of the guys you mentioned are not new. And the guy with the scar is Donnie Wahlberg and he is not currently a Lieutenant. 48:26 He quite literally introduced himself as "Private Miller, Private James Miller" and you called him Mac because he's played by McAvoy. 49:37 You haven't caught it? Then pay more attention because they've said it at least half a dozen times already. 50:07 He's not a Lieutenant. That's Lipton, he's played by Donnie Wahlberg and he's the company first sergeant. They literally introduced him as the new easy company first sergeant, because he got promoted, at the start of the episode.

[@rangerscloud]

at the 8:35 mark, that was Edward Tipper, he was the one who was handling the map for Sobel in episode 1 in training. He lost his left eye and had 2 broken legs from the blast. He survived and his daughter Kerry Tipper was a politician in the Colorado House of Representatives. She was recently appointed Deputy City Attorney of Denver.

[@michaelstach5744]

He is the vet wearing the peach/salmon colored shirt in the intros.

[@charlize1253]

At 13:30, the officer that you call "crazy" -- the guy with the reputation of executing prisoners, capturing enemy soldiers all by himself, and who tells Blithe that war is about learning to kill without feeling or remorse -- is Lieutenant Ronald Spiers. Remember him, he has his moment coming in a later episode.

[@ungenerationed9022]

Nicknamed "Sparky." Perfect. 😏

[@MaxStone289]

the only other thing I've seen the actor in is I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, were they making a reference to that?

[@nickmitsialis]

@@MaxStone289 The Chicks should know Matthew Settle from 'Gossip Girl'.

[@overanDownUnder]

They need to watch the actual documentary for bob where they go into more detail on the stories told.

[@Arizona1776]

He did kill thr germans, told them they could tell it that way. they choose to leave it ambiguous.

[@keno31186]

Love the way you guys didn't notice micheal Fassbender has been in this since episode 1. This show was the launch of so many great actors careers. James mcavoy & Tom Hardy to name a few.

[@hellowhat890]

Actually, here's an amazing fun fact: 8:24 Tipper actually survived the explosion. He was immediately sent to a hospital back in England. He lost his eye and had severe burns on his legs from the blast and was sent back to the U.S. and spent the rest of the war in the hospital. He got out of the hospital in 1945. About a year later after the blast. He had to use a cane for the rest of his life but he lived and passed away in 2017.

[@Farbar1955]

Tipper's daughter...he was married at age 60!...was elected as a representative to the Colorado legislature. She adored her father.

[@hellowhat890]

The little boy tasting chocolate for the first time is pretty iconic. Because that kid was most likely a baby or born just before the war began. His whole life until he got to taste chocolate, his family had to endure the German Occupation of Holland.

[@dioghaltasfoirneartach7258]

And, as Holland 🇳🇱 is a major producer of chocolate 🍫

[@colinjones360]

@@dioghaltasfoirneartach7258 Well, perhaps will be first taste of the lousy US stuff. Amazing how little some know about the world.

[@dioghaltasfoirneartach7258]

@@colinjones360 Yeah, you've proved yourself at just that. Repeatedly. Why such an exhibitionist to constantly display your stupidity? 🙄

[@jeh58]

The ribbon he had the replacement take off was a unit citation. Once you are assigned to a unit you are authorized to wear it. In fact it is mandatory to wear it when in dress uniform, which they are in that scene. Individual ribbons are personal decorations, unit citations are for everyone in that unit, while you are assigned to that unit. BTW, my background is I am a retired US Army (20 years) NCO.

[@joerhea9340]

How do you all edit out the best line of the whole series? When Spears tells Blythe, “you still think there’s hope…”

[@C-Russ]

Man I’ll be honest I’m struggling to finish their reactions bc the editing is killing me! Lol. They’re rarely letting the scenes pay off.

[@kevinwheesysouthward9295]

Last episode, they edited out “Guarnere, I’m not a Quaker”. My head almost exploded

[@kriswelanetz9537]

@@C-Russ yeah, I gave up

[@ibuprofriends]

28:11 idky people assume they shot the family but that’s not what happened. the look the two soldiers share is relief that they didn’t simply toss a grenade through the window like they did in the previous building.

[@patrickflanagan3762]

McAvoy's character was actually named Miller. When somebody called him "Mac" in the beginning that was just slang from that era, like saying "buddy" or "sport." I guess today somebody would say "bruh" or something just as stupid

[@legendareNz]

I feel like you are missing the point a little bit. In episode 4 they are being dropped in the Netherlands (Holland), to free Holland from Nazi/German occupation. Only Germany was the enemy. The people celebrating were celebrating being liberated from being occupied by Nazi Germany.

[@pinsandneedles3]

Germany was allied with Italy and Japan. The Axis also had other pacts with various countries. But yeah. I'm surprised these reactors don't seem to have looked up even the most basic of facts about WW2 before (or during) watching this series... But hey, maybe watching this series will make them want to learn more 😊😊

[@buddystewart2020]

Man, you guys are cutting out some serious good dialog. I would have liked to see your reaction to Speirs comment about accepting the fact you are already dead. I wonder how many comments have already told you Blithe didn't die. Oh, and Speirs 100% killed those German prisoners. That was D-Day. They didn't have the manpower to guard them or the facilities to keep them in. It happened a lot that day, on both sides. My favorite t-shirt I own is black with a Thompson submachinegun on it and it says, Lt. Speirs last stop smoke shop. And the guy your saying is the Lt. there near the end isn't a Lt. That's First Sergeant Lipton.

[@joeyk2604]

I was gonna comment on this as well. I couldn’t believe they cut that!

[@edwinbekedam1845]

I don't think they got full understanding of the dialogue. So would be very hard to make good cut ,when they don't got clue what there exactly watching.

[@catherinelw9365]

Glad I saw this. I’m not going to bother watching if the editing is that poor. ☹️

[@Variableh]

Yeah that Speirs conversation with Blithe is one of the most important ones in the entire series and it reveals a lot about how he's able to do what he does in battle. To cut it out like it's nothing.....is kinda ridiculous.

[@Variableh]

@@edwinbekedam1845 I don't think they have an understanding of much of anything to be honest. Even the common sense stuff. They actually thought that town was just in the middle of a celebration when Easy Company dropped. It's like......what? They're celebrating BECAUSE they're there to liberate them. They've been under Nazi rule for years at that point.

[@Jordashian93]

Gotta thank Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks for creating this critical acclaim series, and also serving as executive producers to it.

[@MaxStone289]

for sure, they did The Pacific and an upcoming mini-series I heard that is it about B-52 bombers and the people who flew the Memphis Belle.

[@goatcheese4me]

@@MaxStone289 called "Masters of the Air" and will debut on Apple TV+ sometime in 2023 (HBO turned it down after the production cost was too high). Back in Nov 2022, one of the producers said it'll arrive on Apple TV+ by "mid-spring 2023" but at this point, there haven't been any trailers for it, so it's assumed it'll be late summer, fall or early winter.

[@hellowhat890]

40:58 Fun fact, if you look carefully, some of the Easy Co. Old veterans are also participating as extras in the background of the Eindhoven celebration.

[@CR055FIRE]

quit spamming bro it's out of control

[@bigwezz]

@@CR055FIRE Bore off pal.

[@CR055FIRE]

@@bigwezz no it's unacceptable

[@bigwezz]

@@CR055FIRE No, you aren't the comment police. Bore off.

[@CR055FIRE]

@@bigwezz yes i am

[@bertpunkaficionado8357]

Carentan: Blithe did not die until the 1967. It's possible the veterans telling their story confused him with another man. Blithe's family found out they thought he was dead in the 40s upon watching the episode. He also served in the Korean War, got a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and Silver Star, and made Master Sergeant (same rank as Lipton is in this episode). He's buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Replacements: The orange flag symbolizes national pride in the Netherlands/Holland. They'd been occupied by the Nazis since 1940. They loved us showing up because it was liberation.

[@matlacka7x4l]

That moment when the little boy smiles while eating chocolate makes me tear up every time. To be a child during a major conflict, to not experience life as care free as other children.i couldn't begin to imagine it. I get that they don't know what's going on, but the horrors of war are something no child should carry with them. It's so good to seem him in that one moment of pure happiness.

[@ExUSSailor]

Albert Blithe was sent back to a hospital in the US to recuperate, where he remained until his discharge from the Army in October 1945. He was then recalled to serve in the Korean War, where he was awarded 1 Silver Star, 3 Bronze Stars, and, 2 more Purple Hearts. He then chose to remain in the Army, where he eventually reached the rank of Master Sergeant. He died, from complications of a burst ulcer, in an Army hospital in Weisbaden, Germany in 1967.

[@TexArizocan]

Yeah that's one thing I don't like about episode 3 but even his platoon thought he died because he disappeared.

[@rayvanhorn1534]

Okay, love that y'all are watching this fantastic series, & I'd like to point out a couple of things. Good that you have questions, but it seems you talk over dialog that would answer them. I know its difficult to figure out the men, but perhaps writing down names would help some? Some critical moments have included recurring men of Easy. Let. Spiers for instance; he was the officer who shot the German soldiers on D-Day. This was due to a no prisoners policy at that point (no where to contain them). Malarkey was guy riding in side car on motorcycle & witnessed it (&went to pick up laundry). Nixon is Winters fellow officer & friend as is Lt. Welsh. Tipper was the fellow hit by blast & had his face & legs injured (Liebgot held him). Talbert was the guy accidentally stabbed & then making out with the woman who was them apprehended for being a Nazi collaborator. Lipton took a hit at Carentan that almost took away his "privates" & is Company 1st Sgt. Anyway, not trying to be ugly just trying to help.

[@BriBryBriBry]

There are way too many reactors that talk over dialogue and I will never understand it.. it’s annoying when people are laughing at something or talking about something that was just said and then they end up missing everything that they should’ve been watching while they were yapping.. i’m just glad I don’t have a laugh like this guys.. reminds me of a kooky clown 🤡

[@michaelstach5744]

One good thing is the makeup people gradually show Lipton’s scar healing over the episodes.

[@freefall945]

There is a grand tradition of commenting on Reactions to Ep. 3 that Blithe in fact survived; the series is based on a collection of reports from soldiers who had heard he died, but they lost track of him and he actually kept on serving. So a little bit more hope there in the real story than is captured in this retelling!

[@CR055FIRE]

quit spamming the channel bruh jesus christ

[@TheIronDuke9]

Yes - he went on to serve in Korea, earning a Silver Star and Bronze Star for bravery after fighting behind enemy lines. He stayed in the military until his death when he was stationed in Germany in the 60's. Major Winters himself stated many times that he wanted it on record that Blithe was depicted poorly in this series and that it was undeserved

[@freefall945]

@@CR055FIRE 2 posts is spam to you? Are you crazy, or were you trying to reply to hellowhat890?

[@CR055FIRE]

@@freefall945 yeah sorry about that

[@cardiac19]

Wait did Viggo Mortensen really break his toe?

[@woeshaling6421]

i lived in Geldrop, Son, Oosterbeek and Arnhem. all these towns have been involved in operation market garden. every town has a memorial of some sort dedicated to the US and British airborne. every year veterans and their family are welcomed to Arnhem to commemorate the battle. Oosterbeek has a British military cemetery where they hold a service for the veterans and family members. i was present at the 50th anniversary and queen Beatrix of the Netherlands hosted prince Charles.

[@angelrogo]

We use to say that "almost everything in the Band Of Brothers TV show is true"; the Blithe final explanation at the end of the 3rd episode is the reason we say "almost everything".

[@Jesusisking2785]

It's kind of hard for me watching this knowing so much about easy co and the 506th seeing you groping for answers I just want to scream out no it's this or that but this is how people learn our history it is very important to learn history please keep learning you two are great thank you on behalf of my grandfathers who fought in ww2 for watching this watch the pacific next

[@Snuschips]

I agree. It frustrating how little people actually know about history.

[@rdramos13]

I remember when the The History Channel, Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel, had all kinds of documentaries about this war, WW1, Korean War, Vietnam, Gulf War, etc etc. A lot of times when doing chores or homework, I'd have the TV on for background noise, and was amazed how much I learned from that. Yes I want to scream at them with ya 😂

[@AreYouKittenMeRtNow]

I mean, if they didn’t talk over the dialogue so much they might learn more 😂🤦🏼‍♀️. My grandfather was 509 gliders 🇺🇸

[@Jesusisking2785]

@@AreYouKittenMeRtNow that's awesome gliders where very dangerous they should do a show on glider crews and the hell they went through

[@catherinelw9365]

@@AreYouKittenMeRtNow Yeah, I noticed they tend to talk when there's a conversation going on and then they complain that they can't figure out who is who. If they actually listened and paid attention, they would know better. How many times did they not recognize Guarnere even when people were calling him by name and his nickname, "Gonorrhea"? Not paying attention.

[@swtrooper42]

40:45 The national color of the Netherlands is orange. At this point they had been occupied by Germany for four years and so they're pretty excited to finally be liberated.

[@generalsaufenberg4931]

45:00 the really crazy part is, the amount of people from so many countries that joined the german side. i mean, even i did not know that we had a muslim unit, and a british free corps that joined our military ... in school, they only talk about the axis nations, no word about the volunteers from so many other nations.

[@katezobel3335]

These men are not drafted. They volunteered

[@mithroch]

Lipton (the "new" guy with the scar) isn't new. They were saying he was the new First Sargent because he has just been promoted. He was the one that lead the other sargents to protest against Sobel in the first episode and the one that had a piece of shrapnel almost hit his balls.

[@Strongeyez]

"Mac" was a 40s name you called someone you did not know. Like "hay dude"

[@cittamattic3236]

It comes up a lot, especially ep. 9 (stg grant asking "mac" for his sidearm). Also at 37:38 the character they're referring to, Miller, making them think his name is Mac Miller. Perfect.

[@hellowhat890]

48:00 Yes, in World War 1, tanks were big game changers. World War 2 actually was airplanes and controlling the skies as the gamechanger. Most of my historical papers and essays in college were about how far air warfare contributed to a lot of advances in technology and provided the edge in a lot of historical moments.

[@rockytopgaming6820]

The helmets that they wear don't actually protect you from bullets. They were designed to stop shrapnel but rifle rounds will go right through.

[@Farbar1955]

The family in the house was not shot. It was just showing how the US soldiers had to be aware of civilians being in the houses. It was as terrifying for them as for the families.

[@bluebird3281]

The guy didn't shoot the family @6:59 he had a funny feeling and double checked to make sure it wasn't civilians.

[@bryanblack526]

Winters became commander, in case you missed it, in episode 2 the pilot yelled to the co-pilot, "Tell Mehan to get em out of there" just before fire consumed the plane and it hit the ground. A marker with the name of everyone aboard stands at the crash site today.

[@hellowhat890]

9:50 Blithe went through a form of "Hysterical Blindness." Under certain circumstances, it can make you blind for a few hours or up to a few years.

[@Robalogot]

My grandmother lost her father and two brothers because their neighbor had a relationship with a German soldier and she knew they were part of the Belgian resistance. The women being shamed got off way too easy.

[@aussiejed1]

General Maxwell Taylor, commander of the 101st Airborne, supposedly instructed his paratroopers to ‘take no prisoners’ during the Normandy Invasion. Paratroopers, by their nature, don't have the ability or facilities to handle prisoners - surrounded by the enemy with no support structure, there is very little they can do with them and it was considered taking prisoners could interfere with completing objectives. There are stories and allegations of German prisoners being executed in the early days of the invasion. It was never official doctrine though. When they linked up with the main invasion force, then prisoners could be taken to the rear (though you just know it still happened, people are people).

[@catindigo9907]

I'm a Desert Storm vet, i think everybody should watch this show. What i experienced was no where near what they went through, but it gives a representation of what we volunteer for.

[@ryanhampson673]

If you want to learn a little bit about Operation Market garden there's an older movie called "A bridge too far". It has an all star cast, its a little dated want to say it was made in the 70's but it's pretty good and covers a lot. Band of brothers simplified Market garden, in reality they took several bridges and had a lot more fights. The brits got completely cut off and lost a lot of men.

[@davemac1197]

1977 was the release date, based on an incomplete book by Cornelius Ryan (he had terminal cancer), directed by a British director who wanted to make an "anti-war film" and the American producer only intended to entertain the mainly American market, not make a historical epic. It's only about 50% accurate historically. Band Of Brothers follows the story of one Company and they had minimal impact on Market Garden. Perconte was wrong on this occasion - they were "in the middle" for much of the time, and in this action in the Nuenen area it was a flanking probe and had nothing to do with the main advances to the north - Nixon's comment at the end was a general one about the operation and did not refer to Easy's engagement at Nuenen.

[@paulhewes7333]

the bullet that hit Nixon's helmet came at an angle and went in and out. His helmet did nothing to stop it. The story told by Winters to Ambrose about the incident was that he turned and saw Nixon on the ground with a mark on his forehead from where the bullet barely grazed him.

[@jayman58016]

Abraham's name in this is Bull. He's pretty much like the big brother everyone wants to have.

[@chrispeel3123]

Denver "Bull" Randleman

[@Dimetropteryx]

Offering someone who is about to die a last cigarette was a thing. A final courtesy, a final taste of a vice, luxury or comfort, depending on how you look at it. There are a lot of scenes in older movies with people being offered cigarettes just before they die or are killed, and I've noticed a lot of younger viewers are confused by it.

[@jjack-zm4sr]

This is why they are called and always will be called the greatest generation ever, they literally save the entire world from evil

[@jjack-zm4sr]

Don't forget there were so many drops missed that different airborne units were scattered all over the place and they're all scrambling to find their units like Blyth

[@jjack-zm4sr]

Temporary blindness from trauma or fear is a real thing

[@GaryTulacz]

The Lieutenant who was shot in in the butt and carried away on a barn door was Buck Compton. The bullet traveled sideways, through one side of the buttocks and out the other side. So he had the distinction of having four bullet holes in him caused by only one bullet.

[@shantodas8184]

A title card at the end of the episode reads that Blithe died of his wounds in 1948. This is not true as he lived for another 20 years. The reason it was assumed by his fellow soldiers that he had died was because he chose never to attend any reunions and didn't keep in contact with any of his battalion.

[@catherinelw9365]

@@highcountrydelatite He attended a 101st Airborne reunion, not an Easy reunion.

[@art2736]

Yes, the episode is about fear. Lt. Welsh dealt with it by likening it to a game "just moving the ball forward one yard at a time" Lt. Spiers said you have to accept the fact that you're already dead. Blythe was "born again" with his first kill.

[@BasedPoliwhirl]

"This episode is so brutal" The descent has only just begun

[@nickscholz6559]

The reason why Randellman( Abraham) was crawling from the tank instead of running was that there were German soldiers on the other side of the road flanking the tank. All he could do was crawl as fast as he could to safety.

[@hellowhat890]

0:26 Actually... this is not a spoiler especially with the end of episode 3. They showed Meehan's plane going down in the the beginning of Episode 2. They believe that his entire airplane burned up and crashed. It was that scene where the engine caught fire and lit the rest of the plane ablaze. 😢😞

[@benschultz1784]

They found where it crashed because a farmer found 1Sgt. Evans' dog tags in a tree some years later. There's a memorial there now.

[@dawnfallon6812]

@@benschultz1784 Yep. The army tried cleaning the site, but there is still some debris there. The site itself is on private property, so you cannot walk it. The memorial is close by, if I recall.

[@ginjamutha]

I heard an interview with Blithe’s only surviving relative about ten years ago. It was an interview with Blithe’s son and also with the actor who played Blithe. Yes the show got Blithe’s fate wrong, but his son said they portrayed his father really well, managing to show the sensitive and sweet man he was. He was deeply traumatised by his experiences during WW2 and Korea and he became an alcoholic. He died from complications arising from alcohol abuse mere months before he was due to retire from the army. His son said he loved the show but couldn’t watch it anymore because he missed his Dad so much. Utterly tragic.

[@randallshuck2976]

As for the battlefield being in their towns you are right. A large part of Western and Eastern Europe were leveled. That was why the Marshall Plan was considered essential. The Western Allies and the civilians basically rebuilt Europe after the war. Russia largely left the vanquished to their own devices to dig out and rebuild since they were also destroyed by the war. The Western allies largely fed most of Europe for 5 years following the war.

[@nezfromhki]

This has probably been said in Patreon comments already since you're so much further ahead there, but it's really important to remember that most of these European countries the Americans fought in like France, Holland and Belgium were under Nazi occupation. So yeah, most of the civilians weren't big fans of the Germans, and it's why many welcomed the Americans like in that one town celebration. Obviously it's more complicated than "Americans good, Nazis bad" as any kind of foreign force coming to your country would understandably be met with some reservation. Especially when early on people couldn't have known for sure which side would win, so there's always a risk in aiding either army in case that side loses, because then you could be outed for being a collaborator. So it's often safer for civilians to simply stay neutral to protect themselves and their family.

[@JHO777]

historical note: most ww2 parachutes were made out of silk. As silk was rationed in the States, parachutes became a highly valuable commodety and many servicemen sent them home. Many a girl in the 40s was married in a dress made by parachute silk!

[@tome2294]

Beer drinking game. Every time " All Quiet on the Western Front" is mentioned take a drink.

[@jjack-zm4sr]

French hedgerow country, this is where the most casualties occurred trying to move inland through those thick French hedgerows and the Allies were making slow progress. This is when general Bradley activated Pattons third army operation Cobra, to bust through and carry out their famous end around sweep across France

[@kevinfrank5527]

The Episode 3 battles were the taking of Carentan which was the key town the 101st needed to secure to connect the beaches of Utah and Omaha. The second battle was called the Battle of Bloody Gulch and was just outside of Carentan. These 2 fights were the biggest fights for the division in Normandy. At Bloody Gulch, the 101st ran into a German counterattack which included paratroopers (like the guy with the flower) and armor. This is know as a meeting engagement which is when both sides are advancing and literally run into each other unexpectedly.

[@mrs7195]

I just realized after several years that the German soldier Bull killed at the end of E4 was likely also a replacement. He was so nervous and unskilled.

[@amtrak7394]

“What if the backup chute fails?” Well, like the Airborne running cadence says… “If my main don’t open wide… “I got a reserve by my side… “If that one should fail me too… “Look out ground ‘cause I’m comin’ through… “Tell my girl I did my best… “And bury me in the leanin’ rest!”

[@jeremyfagner6808]

Floyd Talbert, the one who was mistakenly stabbed with the bayonet, was from the town that I live in. Kokomo Indiana.

[@brentp2306]

They may be less informed than the Normies, and that is quite a feat.

[@Cert1f1edM1dget]

lol I couldn't watch Normies' reaction AT ALL. I had higher hopes for these guys since I have been following them since Better Call Saul. Was pleasantly surprised that they're doing BoB. Unfortunately, they're just like the Normies when it comes to war stuff but with better personalities.

[@allengrant]

Weird editing also.

[@jeffsherk7056]

Ronald Spiers is not crazy at all. He is a soldier who understands his job, and who has no sentimentality about it at all. He is also very kind to the men he leads. Notice that he does not rebuke Blythe or make him feel bad, but he tries to help him. There is a new biography of Ronald Spiers that I would like to read. He stayed in the army for a long time, and led well.

[@jeffsherk7056]

@@DistractedArachnid Very interesting, Thanks.

[@luciolamonica]

the only major goof in this great series is the information that Blithe succumb to his wounds in 1948! it was assumed by his fellow Easy Company soldiers because he never attended any reunions and didn't keep any contact, which is also not accurate! after the mini series, relatives of Albert Blithe came forward with information, documents and he actually died in 1967 while on active duty in Germany, he was buried with full military honors. his son personally thanked actor Marc Warren for the portrayal of his father! pour it on them, Private Blithe!

[@keito9158]

Do you know what WWII was and was about? Sometimes I'm not sure when watching your reactions here. Why were they celebrating? Well why the hell do you think they were celebrating? Just some random fun that day?

[@MWSin1]

The Dutch practically invented modern chocolate, so there's something distinctly sad about a Dutch child that had never tasted it.

[@Augustus087]

The point is that Blythe climbed the mountain of killing another man in battle. That's why he put the flower on his uniform. The series is incorrect about the final matter regarding Blythe. Blythe actually survived his wounds and lived for many years after the war. There is no doubt he had many mental scars to accompany his physical ones, however.

[@bryanblack526]

You can learn more about Operation Market Garden in the movie A Bridge too Far.

[@charlize1253]

This series cast a number of young unknown actors who later became famous -- James McEvoy, Michael Fassbender, Simon Pegg, and Jimmy Fallon (shows up in episode 6), among others. There's a Band of Brothers drinking game in which you take a drink every time you see an actor you recognize.

[@patrickflanagan3762]

Tom Hardy too.

[@QuinlanLJ]

How about you refrain from spoilers and let them get surprised?

[@RandomStuff-he7lu]

You'd die if you've seen it before.

[@tduffy5]

What works best for mosqitoes is Purple Martins or Barn Swallows. A few years ago I had a large house on a small acreage. It had a big covered porch, like a verranda. Barn swallows started nesting there. They left a lot of shit on the siding, but, they came back every spring. Their babies came back and nested there. We got to sit on the porch and watch them feed their ravenous babies. We never had a mosquito while we lived there. When I mowed, they would follow the mower and feast. But, you need much less for Purple Martins. Get the specialized PM bird apartment house and a pair of PMs, and watch them relieve you of your problem. And you can watch their babies.

[@jayeisenhardt1337]

30:42 Ya never heard of a smoke and blindfold before firing squad? Well no blindfold but still.

[@BriBryBriBry]

Of course, the Purple Heart is a real thing.. 🤦‍♂️🤣🤯 and God damn do you guys love to say “I FEEL LIKE” & “LIKE” you’re gonna make my head explode! 🤯

[@joeyk2604]

That wasn’t just a random celebration, they were under German control and the Americans liberated the town, so they celebrated These guys also weren’t drafted into the airborne. The paratroops were volunteers. You’d also pick up names faster if you didn’t talk over so much of the smaller dialogue Nice reaction though guys, the long videos are good for this series

[@pinsandneedles3]

Yeah, I'm new here and I kind of wish they would write notes. Like quick ones that would help them remember names at least, since they know they struggle with that

[@MichaelPower212]

Suggest you consider another angle to this drafted or not drafted question. Yes, paratroopers are all volunteers for the airborne. However, initially some may have been drafted into the army prior to volunteering..

[@Variableh]

Yeah a lot of what they're saying is kind of embarrassingly wrong to be honest. Not all of Europe is Germany lol. Holland was occupied by the Nazis, that's why they were happy to see the Allied and why they were celebrating. This is not just "huh huh, muh Amurica education failed me" this is like common sense stuff that just....isn't there for them or something. Not good.

[@rollomaughfling380]

Many of them were initially drafted, and then volunteered for Airborne training. You haven't paid attention to detail, and don't know what you're talking about.

[@joeyk2604]

@@rollomaughfling380 paratroops was all volunteer. They made the choice to be a paratrooper. That is the point here.

[@Lue_Jonin]

Just to set the facts straight, Blithe survived . he died in 1957.. He had also fought in the Korean war w I th the Airborne.... He recieved the bronze and silver star.... besides the purple heart in WW2. Seen a interview with Major Winters where is explained this discrepancy. about Blithe and the HBO series.

[@rodritchison1995]

Harry Welch (1st platoon commander) was a transfer from the 82nd Airborne. He had already jumped into Sicily and seen combat. Albert Blithe survived, stayed in the army and died of a heart attack as a first sergeant (1967) in the 82nd Airborne in Germany.

[@vegvisir9276]

i love how reactors just think its so simple for these soldiers in these situations to take the enemy out like this guy here, the amount of times he said "Grenades will handle this" "they're shooting over there this guy can take them out" really not that simple pal, it isn't Call of Duty

[@shbs0819]

There are more than a few lieutenants in the company. Each platoon had one and some had two. There are several platoons in the company.

[@sarkae0405]

"Abraham" is Denver "Bull" Randleman.

[@prollins6443]

Actually, Blithe didn't die in 1948. He survived quite a while, served in Korea, and passed away, I believe, in the 70's. He had just lost touch with his squad mates. I am really glad you guys are going thru this series. It is one of the first things I look for on reaction channels. You two are climbing up my list of favorite channels! Keep up the good work.

[@andrewcharlton4053]

Passed away in 1967

[@MRIRONLAK]

Yes we dutchies mostly say that we speak a bit of english, while we proceed to almost speak it fluently😂 9 out of 10 people in the netherlands speak good english next to our own language.

[@Vendrix86]

if you guys do the pacific after, y'all need to pay attention more. I've seen the reactions to the later episodes and you guys missed a lot of stuff as you were watching.

[@nicholasotto3282]

Who ever edited this. Did A terrible job, left out the best parts of the episode.

[@Rocket1377]

Yeah, cannot believe they left out Spiers' talk with Blithe.

[@Ultimateutfan316]

26:27 So remember Lieutenant Meehan is the one who was picked to lead easy company after they got rid of Sobal.Hes the one at the very first episode saying”No jump tonight”as well as with Winters in that tent going over battle plans.His plane,though dark,was one of the planes that went down with no survivors and that’s why Winters automatically moved up in rank to lead Easy Company.And a quick add when in episode 2 and they were destroying those guns,that’s exactly why.Those are the same guns that were shooting their planes down and since more planes were coming they wanted to make those guns unfireable

[@buzbom1]

46:50 Infantry Anti-tank weapons. America had the M1A1"Bazooka". Great Britain had the Mk I "PIAT". Germany used the Panzerfaust aka, "Tank Fist". Russia used super rifles, the PTRD 41, and PTRS 41. Like Saving Private Ryan and this show by the same people who did SPR, Hanks and Spielberg were WWII buffs and paid attention to weapons used. I love watching these shows as well as classic 50's 60's and some 70's WWII flicks to see if they got the weapons accurate. I own several US issued fire arms from this show and SPR. People love getting to fire them at a couple of my firing ranges, especially a US military/public shooting range. The range officers, some in their late 30's have never fired an M1 Garand, or M1 Carbine. This show is a great history lesson, with real life vets talking to us at the beginning of each episode. I had the pleasure of growing up knowing half a dozen through my grandad in the late 60's, early 70's. To see some of their stories being depicted in this show as well as SPR beach landing, and village to village taking was heavy to say the least. Thanks to all who have served to protect our freedoms.

[@hellowhat890]

47:18 Actually, the reason why Bull wasn't able to stand up was because of two possible reasons. He saw the Germans approaching him from the front. So he had to stay down. If he tried to retreat, there was enemy fire from above that he had seen that tried to shoot him. He managed to avoid getting hit by running next to the burning Sherman. Also, it was for a brief second and also not in the reaction so I don't know if you both saw it. But when the Sherman exploded and caught fire, a piece of it blew off and actually struck Bull from behind. Not enough to kill him but it was most likely painful for him to stand hence why he desperately dragged himself forward as fast as he could.

[@hellowhat890]

16:18 They aren't called wheels. They're tank treads. 16:40 The spot that they hit on the tank is actually where the driver sits. The underside of the tank and the rear are where the armor is usually weakest. But yeah, once they successfully took out the driver, they disabled the tank and it got stuck there.

[@GrumpySoth]

You guys are good people doing this series with respect and thoughtfulness. It shows the character of people watching this.

[@GrumpyOldGuyPlaysGames]

Lieutenant Robert Brewer, the officer shot through the neck while standing in the middle of the road, actually got off pretty lucky.. He was shot through the fleshy part of the neck just under the jawbone and just ahead of the larynx, which meant the bullet -- while appearing messy -- hit absolutely nothing of importance. Brewer never lost consciousness and was still able to talk normally to the medics who assisted him. He would later return to Easy Company after recovering from his wounds.

[@TheWindcrow]

Well that sucks. I would have liked to see your reaction to Spiers speech to Blithe.

[@Rocket1377]

Agreed, poor editing decision.

[@TheWindcrow]

@@Rocket1377 he/she didn't know so I understand how it happened. I just like to see that part and then compare it to how they think of him towards the end.

[@catherinelw9365]

@@TheWindcrow Didn't know what? How can they not notice that it's an important scene in this episode? What he said was profound. Flew right over them, I guess.

[@TheWindcrow]

@@catherinelw9365 I doubt that b/c he mentions it as they are watching the next scene. It happens, but I'm not in their shoes to know why it was cut out.

[@Nokdu.]

14:01 That's what I'm saying!! I LOVE WINTERS SO MUCH

[@bigguncannon1]

A movie that ties in to this time period and is really good is “A bridge to far” it focused on the failed Market Garden operation.