Band of Brothers: They Helped Defeat Hitler (Parts 1 & 2)

NOTE: "Band of Brothers" is a highly realistic World War Two miniseries from HBO. Part of the "realism" is the profanity used; so, if you are sensitive to such language, the miniseries is definitely not for you. Also, there are numerous highly bloody scenes of killed or wounded soldiers, and scenes of people in a concentration camp, who have been the subject of horrendous treatment. So here too, if you are sensitive to these kinds of scenes, it is probably a good thing if you skip viewing the miniseries. As for this article and those I'll be doing about the miniseries, I have tried to keep things from being too blatant.

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The U.S. 101st Airborne Division is likely the most famous divisional unit in American history. The HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers" focuses on the history of "Easy Company" of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, one of the components of the 101st Airborne Division during World War Two. Large scale paratrooper landings were a new part of warfare in World War Two, and the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment was an experimental unit, established in 1942, to take the U.S. Army into airborne operations.

 

When I was a kid and a teenager in the 1950s and 1960s, there were naturally a lot of documentaries, movies and television shows about World War Two, so many of us knew at least a little something about the 101st Airborne Division, primarily because of their stand at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. One day in like the mid 1960s, my dad stopped to talk with a guy walking toward us with a cane. Unfortunately I can't recall his name now, but besides walking with a cane, he was very thin. He and my dad shook hands (they knew each other) and they exchanged a few words before he went his way and we went our way. My dad then told me the man's name and that the guy had fought in the Battle of the Bulge and that he had been severely wounded and that's why he was so frail looking. It then made sense to me why the man was so thin and gaunt, even 20 years after that terrible battle. All I remember is that he was in the Army, but I don't think he was in the 101st Airborne, as I think I would have remembered that.       

 

This very realistic HBO series is based on the book "Band of Brothers" by historian Stephen Ambrose. Remember, this is NOT a documentary nor an actual reenactment, but rather a series with characters representing the actual men, with their real names, of East Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. Understand, when one of the men is killed or wounded, that was what happened to the real historical man, although there may be different recollections as to the details about what happened. So remember, some of the scenes and actions in the series are essentially reenactments of real historical events, but other scenes and dialogue have been created "to show the gist of historical events and to tell particular stories," but they aren't properly historical reenactments. Another thing to remember is, it can be hard to determine what "historical" means, as different participants may recall things differently. Further, the film industry has to manage scripts that fall within such and such an amount of time, and of course, within a budget. "It's my understanding," the survivors of the company who were still alive to see this series, generally liked it; however, that doesn't necessarily mean they agreed with everything in the series. The production people for the series chose to show, and to center attention on, certain men from the company, but not all, although some of the men get a mention or a line here and there, and some weren't mentioned at all. These men of the series represent millions of Americans who served in the armed forces back then, and also millions more from other parts of the world who helped to defeat Hitler and fascism. We owe all of these men, and women, for what they did back then. We owe them more than some people can even comprehend. Today, some people need a refresher course on opposing fascism; while others need to understand that "political correctness" is not the answer to everything. 

     

There are lots of characters in this series, all based upon the actual men who served in Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. It's best to watch the series more than once, because you'll become more familiar with the names of the men, so that when a name is mentioned, you'll be in a better situation to recall who that man is. Again, there are a lot of names and faces to remember, and it's tough doing that. The series does well with giving us information "on a number" of the company's men; thus, we feel for them, we worry about them and we are jarred when they are wounded or killed. You will love these men, and they love each other and support each other, and when one or more are lost, it hurts, but the company continues to fight, and we have to keep our composure and follow them in their efforts to defeat the evil of Hitler and Nazism. 

 

As I write about this series, I'll likely use a man's army rank on occasion, but for the most part, I'll use last names, just as the men do. The cast of this series is so large, I decided not to list it, as it would have been overwhelming, although I did decide to list just a few names of the cast who portrayed the men most seen, most heard and most heard about in the stories presented in this series. Some of the cast only appear briefly in an episode or two; so, I may well add their names in parentheses. Believe me, the whole cast is likely 10 or 15 times as large as those I've list here, and everyone did a great job. When I first watched the series on Blu-ray (I had already seen it on television previously), I didn't know that several of the actors were from the UK and Ireland. Then at some point, I heard one of these actors say some word, which caught my attention. "Where's that guy from," I asked myself. When I checked it, I found he was from England, but if it hadn't been for that one word, I would likely not have looked it up. That made me pay closer attention to any accents, but they were all just great, and I've got to believe that's not an easy thing to do. 

 

I have the Blu-ray edition of "Band of Brothers" which, besides having the entire series, has a couple of special features which allows you to watch the series with a time line at the bottom of the screen, with various "pop ups" that usually give information about the real life men portrayed at a given point or about historical information to add some background to the onscreen events. Then there is another special feature that has remarks from some of the actual men who served in the company, who tell about their experiences in the war as the series plays; so, when using this feature, it does block out the audio of the actual series during the times these comments are made.

 

Partial Cast

 

Damian Lewis as Lieutenant, then Captain, then Major Richard Winters

Ron Livingston as Lieutenant, then Captain Lewis Nixon

Scott Grimes as Private, then Sergeant Donald Malarkey 

Shane Taylor as Medic Eugene Roe

Donnie Wahlberg as Sergeant Carwood Lipton 

Michael Cudlitz as Sergeant Denver "Bull" Randleman

Frank John Hughes as Sergeant Bill "Wild Bill" Guarnere

Rick Gomez asTechnician 4th Grade George Luz

Kirk Acevedo as Staff Sergeant Joe Toye

James Madio as Technician 4th Grade Frank Perconte

Eion Bailey as Private David Kenyon Webster

Dexter Fletcher as Sergeant John Martin

Ross McCall as Technician 5th Grade Joseph Liebgott

Neal McDonough as Lieutenant Lynn "Buck" Compton

Nicholas Aaron as Private Robert "Popeye" Wynn

David Schwimmer as Lieutenant> Captain Herbert Sobel   

 

 

Part One, "Currahee" lets us begin to learn some things about the individuals in Easy Company, by seeing them during their training in Georgia, North Carolina and then their further training in England (they sailed for England in September 1943), as they prepare for the invasion of Nazi-occupied western Europe. The training is hard and strict and led by Lieutenant Herbert Sobel, who, regardless of his skill at training the company, lacks a connection with the men, some (perhaps many?) of whom actually hate him, as he is petty and seems to love humiliating others. (Note: While none of us like to be humiliated, if you are facing a German Tiger tank, "humiliation" is not likely to be the foremost thing in your mind at that moment. Perspective.) Sobel falls into a place that makes matters difficult for him. The men don't like him, but they seem to be able to put their personal feelings aside for the good of their comrades and the unit; that is, until Sobel's competence as a combat leader comes into question. In leading the men in training exercises simulating combat, Sobel's failings, like being unable to read a map properly, become so great, the men don't trust him to lead them into real combat. Further, Sobel is insecure and he concocts a silly charge against well-liked Lieutenant Winters, who then tells Sobel that he chooses to appear for court martial, rather than just accept Sobel's punishment. This worries Sobel, as he knows the charge is petty. There's no reservoir of good will from the men toward Sobel to help them forgive him somewhat; so, something has to give. The non commissioned officers in the company know the feelings of the men and most of them decide to protest by asking, in writing, for Sobel to be replaced, or to have their ranks downgraded. They are aware that such a protest could cost them severe punishment, even execution, but their feelings are so strong, they go through with the protest. Remember, this was military justice, not the much different civilian justice. The regimental commander, Colonel Sink, boots one man from the company and demotes a man or two, but underneath, while he respects Sobel's handling of the training, even praising Sobel for it, he knows there is something wrong to have so many men willing to risk punishment. He tries not to embarrass Sobel by reassigning him to lead training at a military school. (Note: Sobel had been promoted to Captain a bit earlier.) The court martial of Winters is set aside and Lieutenant Thomas Meehan is then given command of Easy Company in place of Sobel. Throughout much of the company's training, Lieutenant Winters has been second in command and he has a good relationship with the men, who trust him, and that trust only grows over time. Finally, the men are assembled and given all of their equipment. The time for their first action has come and a huge task it is; the parachuting of the men into areas behind the main German defenses along the coastline in Normandy, France. One of the men, John Martin, receives a letter from his wife, who tells her husband that Bill Guarnere's brother has been killed in the fighting in Italy (Note: Bill Guarnere is a non-commissioned officer in Easy Company and the guys often call him "Gonorrhea" as a play on his own name). Now Martin must decide if he should tell Guarnere about his brother as they are preparing to be dropped into combat with the Germans in just a matter of hours. A little later, Guarnere mistakenly takes Martin's jacket, which has the letter about his brother in the pocket, and he reads the awful news about his brother. The men are ready, but the weather is bad, with rain and fog; thus, the operation is postponed, but the men must remain prepared to board aircraft when the Allied commander, American General Dwight D. Eisenhower, tells the Allied forces to go, which he does and the men of Easy Company get into the transport planes for their jump into Normandy.   

 

Part Two, "Day of Days" has the men heading for Normandy on the transport planes in the early overnight hours of June 6, 1944. (Note: The Allies sent planes to Normandy ahead of the main drops to drop special teams, called "Pathfinders," to mark the drop zones and to position radio and special radar devices to help guide the transport planes to their drop zones. The plane with the Pathfinders tasked with marking the drop zone for East Company was shot down over the English Channel; thus, the company's drop zone was unmarked, so the pilots of the transports for the men were on their own. This information was provided in the time line special feature.) The German anti-aircraft (Flak) guns put up a terrible barrage of firepower, and with the drop zone unmarked, the low lying clouds make the aircraft fly lower and, thus, they are easier targets. Many of the planes are hit by German anti-aircraft fire, and we see a plane destroyed before its men can jump. This is the transport carrying Lieutenant Meehan, the company commander, but it takes quite awhile for the men of Easy Company to find out about Meehan and those others with him being killed. Easy Company's men jump, but the transports miss the drop zone and the men are scattered about and they can't form up as a complete unit in the first couple of days after the drop.

 

The first American paratrooper Lieutenant Winters finds after landing is Private John Hall of A Company (played by Andrew Scott), and as is said, Winters, Hall or both have been dropped outside their drop zones. They finally meet up with a few of the men, including two from the 82nd Airborne Division. Lieutenant Winters checks the map to see where they are in relation to where they are supposed to be. Winters and his few men head off, but they come upon a horse-drawn wagon with a group of German soldiers and the men ambush the Germans, killing all of them, with Guarnere at the forefront, firing before Winters gave the command. Guarnere keeps firing after the enemy troops are all dead and Winters has to yell at him to get him to stop, and he also tells Guarnere that the next time he'd better wait until he gives him the order to fire. (This is all heavy stuff, as we've seen American planes downed with their crews and paratroopers, the missed drop zones, the ambush of the German soldiers, and we know about Guarnere's brother's death, but now comes a small dose of lightness. We need it.) Remember, Private Hall isn't from Easy Company, as he hadn't found his own company. When he sees Guarnere's behavior, he asks Malarkey, "What's that guy's problem?" Malarkey answers, "Gonorrhea," and Hall says "Really?" Malarkey then explains, "His name's Guarnere,.. gonorrhea, get it?" Hall then asks, "So besides having a sh--ty name, what's his problem?" Guarnere hears this and shouts, "None of your f------g business, Cowboy!" (The first time I saw this scene, I couldn't stop laughing at this.) Guarnere's behavior during this action earns him the nickname of "Wild Bill." (Note: The Germans had much animal drawn transport like the wagon shown in this scene. Many of the German infantry units had only small numbers of motorized vehicles; thus, they had to rely on animal transport, with only German panzer divisions and panzergrenadier divisions equipped with large amounts of motor vehicles. American infantry divisions were transported by trucks supplied by each army headquarters, and they had mobile artillery and usually an attached tank battalion and a tank destroyer battalion or two; thus, in mobility, American infantry divisions were far more mobile than the average German infantry division stationed in France, where many of the infantry divisions were termed "bodenständig;" that is, "static, total ground units with few motor vehicles.")                      

 

Lieutenant Winters and his group of men arrive at the meeting point for the entire 2nd Battalion, and Malarkey meets a German prisoner who is from his home state of Oregon, but whose family had returned to Germany to help the German war effort. Just after Malarkey walks away from the group of German prisoners, he passes Lieutenant Speirs who walks into the midst of the prisoners and offers them cigarettes, which they take. The scene then returns to Malarkey as he walks away from the prisoner area on his way back to Easy Company. We hear machine gun fire and we see Malarkey turn and take a few steps toward the prisoners, and then, with a stunned look on his face, he says "S--t!" Malarkey gets back to Easy Company, but he is visibly shaken. He sees Speirs walk by, and Malarkey looks at the man with some fear in his eyes. (Note: There will be more on this incident in the next part.)

 

Winters represents Easy Company at a conference with the battalion commander, as no one yet knows about the death of Lieutenant Meehan and the men who were with him. Easy Company is given the assignment of taking out a German artillery battery that is firing down on the American troops on Utah Beach. Winters takes the few of his men who have found the battalion headquarters and they approach the German artillery positions. After Winters tells the men their jobs, they set out to implement taking and destroying the German guns (105mm guns). Firing starts and the first gun position is attacked with hand grenades, machine gun fire and rifle fire. Popeye Wynn is wounded in his backside, and they send him back to the battalion assembly area for medical treatment. The men capture the gun and Private Hall turns up (remember he actually belongs in another company) with TNT, and he and Winters destroy the German gun. The next gun is taken in similar fashion, and that gun too is destroyed. Winters sends another group, including Hall, to take the next gun, but Hall is killed in the German trench by a mine. Winters finds Hall's body and stops momentarily, as he is visibly affected, but the war doesn't wait, and Winters has to continue the fight. Lieutenant Speirs of D Company (also called Dog Company) and a couple of his men show up and Speirs asks Winters if he and his men can take the next gun, and Winters agrees. The men with Speirs fall, but Speirs captures the gun and that gun too is destroyed. Winters and his men head back to the battalion headquarters. 

 

Some of the men are in the back of a truck closed off with canvas flaps and Malarkey is heating some food for them. They have some Calvados, an apple brandy produced in Normandy (40% alcohol content). When Winters lifts the canvas and looks into the truck, he is asked if Lieutenant Meehan has been located, but he tells them Meehan has not been found. Gaurnere has been leery of Winters commanding, because Winters doesn't drink alcohol and Guarnere thinks Winters is a Quaker, but after the exemplary leadership of Winters that day, Guarnere accepts Winters wholeheartedly, as this scene shows, and it is another light moment amongst many tense or solemn moments. With Meehan missing in action, Guarnere asks Winters, "Doesn't that make you our commanding officer?" And Winters says 'yes.' Guarnere nods and one of the guys offers Winters some Calvados, but Guarnere says, "The Lieutenant doesn't drink," but Winters deliberately reaches for the bottle and takes a drink, which he has a hard time swallowing, and he asks if Guarnere will also have a drink, and Guarnere answers, "Yes sir." Winters starts to leave, but he then says to Guarnere, "Sergeant, I'm not a Quaker," and the guys all laugh, including Guarnere. Easy Company has its leader. (In some interview I heard somewhere with one of the actual veterans, he mentions that this was the first alcohol Winters had ever tasted.)   

 

Later, as the men get a brief rest, Winters struggles opening a can of rations and his friend Lieutenant Lewis Nixon helps him, but Winters, a quiet man to begin with, is unusually quiet, and Nixon asks why, and Winters tells him about Private Hall being killed. It's on his mind and he tells Nixon that Hall "was a good man ...  man? Not even old enough to buy a beer," Winters says. Winters is so affected by Halls' death, he then hands the opened can of rations back to Nixon and says, "I'm not hungry." Some lessons of life punch us hard in the gut.   

 

 

 Photo is of the HBO 2015 Blu-Ray Miniseries release ...

WORD HISTORY:

Turret-This word is related to "tower," the basis of which was borrowed from Latin into Old English. The ultimate origin of "turret" is unknown, but it goes back to transliterated Ancient Greek "turrhis," which meant "tower, elevated structure for observation and battle purposes," and this was borrowed by Latin as "turris," with the same meaning. This was taken into Latin-based Old French as "tour" (tower), and its diminutive form was "torete," meaning "small tower (as part of a castle or city wall fortification)." English borrowed the word as "touret, tourette," circa 1300, before the modern form. The second half of the 1800s saw the word used for "gun towers on ships," as metal became increasingly used on ships. The same terminology came to be applied later to tanks. It should also be remembered, there were still fortifications with gun turrets and machine-gun turrets in the 20th Century, with the French Maginot Line being especially noteworthy.