Spanish Catalan Spinach: Espinacas a la Catalana

This dish is from the Spanish region of Catalonia (main city: Barcelona). The use of raisins in some Spanish dishes is from the long presence of the Moors, who once ruled over a large part of Spain for centuries. Most recipes call for black raisins for this spinach, but I used some of both golden and black. (NOTE: The Moors were Muslim Berbers from North Africa, whose incursions into the Iberian Peninsula saw them conquering an increasing amount of territory there, primarily in Spain. Their rule in many Spanish regions didn't end until 1492.)

 

It's important to try not to cook the spinach into oblivion, but to remove it from the heat as it collapses. When I was a kid, spinach was often sold in cans; and also, there was frozen spinach in small square waxed boxes covered with a wrapper (quite a number of frozen fruits and vegetables were sold in such packaging). Popeye was, and had been, a popular cartoon in those times, and if you've seen any Popeye cartoons, you know that, when in trouble, Popeye would pull out a can of spinach, squeeze the can until the spinach went flying into his mouth and he gained super strength to overcome whatever adversity he was facing. In spite of Popeye's spectacular feats, spinach was not popular with everyone, especially (?) kids. Just think of it. Mothers opened cans of spinach, plopped the compacted mess ... I mean, mass, into a pan, heated it, put it onto a plate with some other items, and expected their kids to down it to the last bite. I always viewed spinach in that form, as something a cow had already eaten, which was only confirmed by one of the local slaughter houses, where you could stand and watch the butchers kill, skin and disembowel the cows, as the "spinach" spilled out onto the floor. This brought me to say to myself, "Gee, Popeye has a lot of explaining to do about a cow with so much spinach being unable to save itself from becoming someone's hamburger or beef noodle soup." Anyway ...

   

Now that I've stimulated your desire for spinach, this is a good side dish. hahaha

Ingredients (4 servings):

10 ounces fresh spinach

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted

1/4 cup raisins 

1 or 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (depending upon your lemony preference)

ground black pepper to taste

salt to taste

 

It's a good thing to let the raisins soak in a little warm water for about 5 or 6 minutes, so that they soften and plump up. Rinse the spinach and drain it of most of the water. In a small skillet (no oil), I toast the pine nuts over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, while shaking the pan as they roast to prevent sticking and burning, then remove from the heat. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat, then add the minced garlic and saute for no more than one minute. Drain the raisins and add them to the skillet along with about 1/3 of the spinach, and keep mixing the spinach with the garlicky olive oil until it begins to cook down, then add another 1/3 of the spinach and do the same, and then add the remainder of the spinach and the toasted pine nuts, and continue mixing as before. Add salt and ground black pepper to taste, and add a tablespoon or two of freshly squeezed lemon juice and mix well until all is heated through; remove from the heat and serve. (Note: Leafy greens, like spinach, can look intimidating if added to a pan all at once, as it will form a "heap;" but, when it cooks down, it only takes a relatively small amount of space compared to when it was raw. I chose to add the spinach in thirds, as that makes it easier to mix it, because if all the spinach is added at one time, you will likely have spinach falling from the pan, and you will have difficulty mixing it in well.)    

 

WORD HISTORY:

Candle (chandelier, chandler, candelabrum)-These words are related to "candor, candid, candescent (and incandescent), candidate, incense and some others (all are Latin derived words borrowed by English from Latin, except "incense," was came into English via Latin-based French). The words go back to Indo European "kand," which had the meaning, "to glow, to shine brightly." This gave Latin "candere," meaning, "to shine brightly," but also, "to glow white," and this produced the Latin noun "candela," which meant "torch, a kind of torch made of tallow or wax." This was borrowed into Old English as "candel" (later spelled "candle"), likely borrowed because of the Christian religious practice of using candles, as opposed to torches and oil lamps. Latin "candela" was also the basis of Latin "candelabrum" (singular, with "candelabra" as the plural), which meant "candelstick," and this was borrowed by English with the same meaning in the latter part of the 1300s. The meaning carried the implication of a candle standing on some base or holder. The Latin "candelabrum" passed into Latin-based Old French as "chandelier," which carried a somewhat difference in meaning, that referred to "a group of candles that hang from a ceiling and are situated on types of branches (often ornate). This was borrowed by English in circa 1300 (?), initially as "chaundeler," with the French spelling of "chandelier" prevailing somewhat later. French "chandelier" had others meanings: "candle maker;" thus also, "candle seller," and also, "one in charge of providing candles for the lighting of religious facilities or of large households." This gave English "chandler" in circa 1300 for "one who makes and sells candles," which replaced the fairly recent English compound "candleman." Later (by mid to late 1500s), the word had an expanded meaning of "a merchant who deals in specialized products, especially for ships."    

Salisbury Steak

Salisbury steak was the invention of James Salisbury in the 1800s. Salisbury believed that many human afflictions were the result of poor diet. He theorized that ground beef was better for a person than large chunks of meat, as it didn't require as much digestive effort. Salisbury was from New York (state), but he lived in Cleveland, Ohio for a number of years after the Civil War; and indeed, he and his wife are buried in Cleveland at Lake View Cemetery, where President James Garfield, federal law officer Eliot Ness and John D. Rockefeller, the super wealthy founder of Standard Oil, are also buried.

Salisbury Steak has long been one of the selections of frozen meals, including the well known "TV Dinners," and that continues right up to the present. The gravy that goes along with Salisbury Steak makes mashed potatoes a common side dish in Mom & Pop diners, as well as in frozen dinners. 

 

Ingredients (4 servings):

 

For the beef patties:

 

1 pound ground beef (85/15 meat to fat)

1/4 cup very finely chopped onion

1/4 cup panko (coarse and somewhat chunky) breadcrumbs

1 egg

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon seasoned salt 

1 tablespoon oil (I use sunflower oil) for frying

 

Put the ingredients into a bowl and then mix them (I use my hands) until everything is mixed together well. Form the meat mixture into 4 patties (traditionalists would likely say the patties should be oval shaped). I use a 10 inch nonstick skillet to fry the "steaks." Add the oil to the skillet over medium heat. Place the patties around the skillet and let them cook for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes on each side. Remove the patties to a plate and make the gravy (the patties will cook further, in just a bit).

For the gravy:

 

2 tablespoons butter 

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups beef broth

1 teaspoon ketchup

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

 

Set the heat to low, then melt the butter in the same skillet, add the minced garlic and the sliced mushrooms. Saute until the mushrooms are softened, then sprinkle the flour over the mushroom/garlic mixture, and mix it in. Add 1/2 cup of broth to the skillet, stirring constantly. When the mixture thickens, add another 1/2 cup of broth, and repeat the process until the beef broth is all mixed in and it has a thickened consistency. Stir in the ketchup, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire and pepper. Now add the patties back into the skillet, cover the skillet with a lid or foil, and let the patties cook in the gravy on low heat for about 6 minutes. Check the patties after about 2 or 3 minutes and stir the gravy as best you can (you want to make sure nothing is sticking to the pan, but if it is, remove the skillet from the heat and turn the heat to very low; put the skillet back on the heat after about one minute). After the patties cook for 6 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat, but keep the lid in place. Let sit for about 2 minutes before serving.   

  Salisbury Steak with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, corn and cottage cheese ...

WORD HISTORY:

Adore-This verb, with derived noun "adoration," and adjectival forms: "adoring," "adorable," is related to "oral," "oration," "orator" and some others. The "ad" part of "adore" is related, through Indo European, to English "at," as they go back to Indo European "ad," meaning "near, at, toward, to," which gave Latin "ad," with the same basic meanings, with the spelling and pronunciation shortened at times in Latin's offspring to simply "a." The origin of the main base of "adore" is disputed. Dutch linguist Michiel de Vaan^ believes the origin is Indo European "os," which meant "mouth," and which gave Latin (via Old Italic) "os" (genitive case: "oris," dative case: "ori"), which then gave Latin "orare," which meant "to speak in public," with the secondary meaning of "to plead, to beg, to pray."^^ The two parts combined to form "adorare," with the meaning "to plead, to beg, to ask for, to pray," and then also, "to worship," which brought the broader meaning, "to honor, to revere," and this sense lessened somewhat in the 1800s to, "to like highly, to hold in high regard." The Latin form passed to Old French as "aorer," meaning "to worship, to give praise," which then became "adorer," which saw the Latin spelling influence. English borrowed the word in the latter part of the 1300s as "aouren," which later became "adouren/adoren" (also with the restored 'd' from Latin spelling), with the French meaning, and with the later meaning "to like highly, to hold in high regard," being applied beyond religious deities or figures; as in, "The couple frequently dined at the seafood restaurant, as they adored Oysters Rockefeller." 

 

^ "Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages," Volume 7 of the Leiden Indo-European Etymological Series, by Michiel de Vaan, Brill (Publishing), Leiden (Netherlands), Boston (U.S.), 2008 

 

^^ Others believe the possible source of origin to be Indo European "or/er," which meant, "to speak a ritual, to speak solemnly," and some believe that this was the basis of the Latin verb "orare."       

Deviled Eggs

 "Deviled eggs," or sometimes simply "Devil eggs," have been around since ancient times, and recipes have varied down through the centuries, as they still do today. "Devil" or "deviled" came from the yolk mixture being "spiced up," although not necessarily to the point of eye-watering heat, as spiced eggs have long been served to party and dinner guests. Out of superstition, some people prefer to call the eggs "stuffed," rather than use the name of that evil caricature with the arrow-shaped tail and the horns projecting from its head. I dare not enter the name, or I might turn into Vladimir Putin.   

 

I like the filling to be a little "mounded" above the egg cavity; so, I boil a dozen eggs, but I only fill 10 eggs, and I add the yolks from the extra two eggs to the other yolks for the filling. You can always vary the amounts of the seasonings; for instance, if you like "heat," add more cayenne pepper, if you like a creamier filling, add a bit more mayonnaise.

 

 

Ingredients (for 10 deviled eggs):

 

12 hard-boiled eggs

5 tablespoons of mayonnaise

3 teaspoons Dijon mustard

4 pitted green olives, drained and then finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground white or black pepper

1 teaspoon celery salt

1/4 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika, for sprinkling on the tops

 

Hard boil the eggs, cool them, and then peel the eggs; cut the eggs in half lengthwise, scoop out the yolks and put them into a bowl; mash the yolks with a fork; and then, add mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, finely chopped olives, cayenne pepper, white or black pepper and celery salt. Mix everything together well. Use a fork or a spoon to fill the egg white cavities with the mixture, and sprinkle some paprika over the tops of each egg half. 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Part (Party)-This word is related to a large number of words using "part" (sometimes with varied spelling) as a portion of the word; such as: "parcel, apartment, compartment, department, partial, portion, particle" and others. This goes back to Indo European "per," which had variants, but the basic notion was "distributing;" and thus the idea of "dividing" and "portioning" comes out. This gave Latin the offshoot noun "pars" meaning "a piece, a share, a portion," and this passed into Latin-based Old French as "part," and this was borrowed into English, circa 1250, with those general meanings. (Note: Old English had its own word "part," borrowed directly from Latin, and meaning "a piece, a portion," but also, "a segment of speech." It is assumed by some (many?), that the Old English form died out before the borrowing from Old French arrived in England, and that the borrowed form from Old French is the actual ancestor of our modern word "part," but it is possible that this French borrowing combined with, and reinforced, the Old English form.) The Latin noun "pars" produced the verb "partire," which meant "to divide up, apportion, split up," which passed into Latin-based Old French as "partir," meaning "to divide, to apportion, to separate," and its past participle was "parti," which was used as a noun, with the spelling "partie," and literally meant "that which is separated or divided," giving it the meaning "a piece, a part, a segment, a portion." English borrowed the word as "partie" circa 1300 with those meanings, which are now obsolete, but are meanings used for the word's close relative "part." "Party" was also used in legal matters with the expression "party of the first (or second) part," which came along with the judicial system established by the Normans in conquered England, and that expression endures to this day, with frequent usage in legal cases and formal agreements. Use for "political party" is from the idea of "a group (a segment, a part) of people advocating for particular laws and governance or for those who represent those ideas." The meaning "people gathered for some celebration or enjoyment" seems to come from circa 1700 (perhaps a little earlier?). Circa 1920 saw the use of "party" as a verb meaning, "to have a party," and "to have frequent parties," both uses referring to "party" meaning "enjoyment or celebration."

Band of Brothers: Episode 10/Final, Points

NOTE: "Band of Brothers" is a highly realistic World War Two miniseries from HBO in 2001. 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.

 

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. The series does present events and actions that the men of Easy Company related to Stephen Ambrose, the historian who wrote the book. In the book's "Acknowledgements and Sources," Ambrose writes that he "circulated the manuscript of this book to the men of Easy Company." He goes on to say there were criticisms, corrections and suggestions offered by the men, and that Richard Winters and Carwood Lipton were heavily involved in reviewing the book, the original publication of which was in 1992, while the first airing of the miniseries was in 2001.

As I wrote about this series, I used the mens' army rank on occasion, but for the most part, I used last names, just as the men did. 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. Believe me, the whole cast is likely 8 or 10 times as large as those I list here, and everyone did a great job.

 

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 "Doc" 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 as Technician 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 Fifth Grade Joseph Liebgott

Neal McDonough as Lieutenant Lynn "Buck" Compton

Nicholas Aaron as Private Robert "Popeye" Wynn 

David Schwimmer as Lieutenant, then Captain Herbert Sobel 

 

Here is the link to the previous article as Episode 9: Why We Fight

https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2023/10/band-of-brothers-episode-9-why-we-fight.html

 

The name of this episode, "Points," is in reference to a system of "points" used by the U.S. Army to demobilize (discharge and send home) enlisted men. When the war in Europe ended, men of a rank less than commissioned officers had to have 85 points in order to be able to be sent home. The calculation was determined this way: a soldier got one point for every month in the service, dating from September 1940; they got another point for every month they served overseas; they got five points for every combat decoration they received (for example, Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and others); and they received twelve points for dependent children under the age of 18, and limited to three such children. So for example, when Germany surrendered, Corporal John De Snickerdoodle had entered the service in May 1944, giving him 12 points. He was sent to Europe in September 1944, giving him 8 more points for a total of 20 points. He was wounded in November 1944 and received the Purple Heart, giving him 5 more points, now a total of 25 points. He has a 2 year old daughter at home, giving him 12 additional points and a final total of 37 points ... get used to occupation duty, Private, you're not going home. You may even be sent to the Pacific to fight the Japanese. This system of points is very impotant in the episode, because the men naturally calculated their points to see where they stood, and because as the war in Europe was ending, the talk about redeploying the 101st Airborne Division to the Pacific against Japan was commonly heard.

 

This episode opens in July 1945, as Major Winters prepares to take a morning swim in Lake Zell at the city of Zell am See, Austria (it is about 35 miles from Salzburg). Captain Nixon comes by and asks his friend Winters what he plans to do after the war ends (this is one of those scenes that starts in July, but then goes back to early May to present the events that had occurred; so, to set the situation, by July, Germany had surrendered, but the Allies were still at war with Japan). Winters tells Nixon that the regimental commander, Colonel Sink, had spoken to him about staying in the Army and making a career of it. He says he told the Colonel that he would think about it. So now Nixon, who is from a wealthy family, offers Winters a job at a family-owned business in New Jersey (Winters was from Pennsylvania). Winters thanks his friend and says he will think it over. Winters dives into the lake for his swim, and he narrates as the scene shifts back to early May, as the men of Easy Company want to capture Hitler's villa, known as the "Berghof," located in the mountains above the Bavarian town of Berchtesgaden. High above Hitler's villa is the "Kehlsteinhaus," known to many as simply the "Eagle's Nest," a kind of chalet that was completed as a gift to Hitler by the Nazi Party in 1938. Hitler seldom used the "Eagle's Nest," but it survived the war and still exists today; however, the "Berghof" villa was heavily bombed late in the war, and its remains were later demolished.

The Nazi SS had blocked the road up one side of the mountain to Hitler's "Eagle's Nest," and French forces also wanted to capture this Hitler possession, but Colonel Sink, the commander of Easy Company's regiment, the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, tells Winters to get there ahead of the French. So, Easy Company heads into the town of Berchtesgaden, where they take over the "Berchtesgadener Hof," an elaborate hotel used by guests of Hitler and other Nazi leaders who were visiting Hitler's villa (Britain's prime minister in 1938, Neville Chamberlain, stayed there when he went to see Hitler at his villa about the then crisis over Czechoslovakia). The hotel provides Winters, Welsh and Speirs the opportunity to take some Nazi souvenirs. Winters then tells Speirs to take Easy Company and go up the mountain and capture Hitler's Eagle's Nest, which they do. Later, Nixon, Welsh and Speirs are on the balcony of the "Eagle's Nest," when they are joined by Lipton and Winters. Winters tells them the news that Germany has surrendered, and he takes his friend Nixon by jeep to a huge wine cellar with thousands of bottles of expensive wine and liquor at the nearby vacation home of Nazi leader Hermann Göring. 

The war in Europe is over, but the 101st Airborne Division is assigned to occupation duty in Austria. A German colonel (played by Philip Rham) surrenders to Winters,  and the Colonel wonders what he and Winters will do "without war to occupy our time." He removes his pistol from its holster and offers it as a show of his personal surrender to Major Winters, so that he won't be forced to surrender to a person of lesser rank, but Winters tells the Colonel he can keep his pistol (Note: Actually, in real life, Winters accepted the pistol, but why such a thing was changed in the script, is beyond me, although things like 2+2 are also beyond me. Winters later said the pistol had never been fired by the Colonel, and that was how he too kept it for the rest of his life ... unfired.)

 

A number of troops from the 101st Airborne watch newsreels from the still ongoing war in the Pacific. Winters tells Speirs, Nixon, Lipton and Welsh that the divisional commander, General Maxwell Taylor, has said the 101st Airborne will be sent to the Pacific to fight the Japanese. Winters tells them that training has to be maintained to keep the men ready to fight. We then see several of the men cautiously walking through a forest, but they are hunting deer. When they finally come upon a male dear with a large rack of horns, Shifty Powers, the great sharpshooter, can't bring himself to pull the trigger, and the deer runs off (Shifty has had enough killing). We then find out that Shifty will be required to remain in the army, because he lacks adequate points to be discharged and sent home (he's from Virginia). Easy Company is assembled and Captain Speirs, the company commander, tells the men that General Taylor has authorized one man from every company in the division to be sent home, who otherwise lacked the points to go home. So, a drawing is held for Easy Company, and Harry Welsh draws a piece of paper from a helmet and hands it to Speirs, who reads out the man's serial number and name... Darryl "Shifty" Powers. We see the helmet had only contained Shifty's name and no others. The whole company is happy for Shifty, and we see him go to Major Winters to say goodbye. An emotional Shifty searches for the words he wants to say to Winters, but he can't get them out, although we can tell the high regard he has for Major Winters. Shifty tells the Major that he doesn't know how he will explain all of his experiences when he's back home in Virginia, but Winters tells Shifty, "You're a hell of a fine soldier, Shifty, there's nothing more to explain." Shifty salutes Winters, and the Major returns the salute, but he then reaches out to shake Shifty's hand. As Shifty leaves, he wipes away a tear. We go from being happy for Shifty, to then learning that the truck carrying Shifty and a couple other men was hit head on by a drunken soldier from another American unit, and Shifty spent months in the hospital recovering from a concussion, a broken pelvis and a broken arm. Life sometimes leaves us little time to celebrate.

Winters, Nixon and Welsh are together when Nixon tells Welsh that Winters has put in to be transferred to the 13th Airborne Division, which he believes will be deployed to the Pacific soon. Nixon tells Welsh he's going with him, jokingly adding, "Somebody's got to go with him, he (Winters) doesn't know where it is." Welsh wants to go home and marry his long time sweetheart, and he says to Winters, "You're leaving the men?" Winters replies, "They don't need me anymore." We then see Winters seated in front of Major General Elbridge Chapman (played by David Andrews), the commander of the 13th Airborne Division. Chapman goes over Winters' combat record, asking some questions or making comments at times, and at the General's mention of the various places Winters has served, the Major's mind flashes back to those locations and to the action he and his men saw there. The General then asks, "Why do you want to leave the men?" In the end, the General tells Winters he needs to stay with the 101st Airborne, and if that division is deployed to the Pacific, that Winters should be leading one of the battalions. The General says to him, "Let me tell you something son, you've done enough."

We next see Liebgott, Sisk (played by Philip Barantini) and Webster riding along a dirt road toward a small farmhouse. We find that Liebgott wants to see the man at the house, as some of the freed prisoners of a concentration camp said this is the man who was the camp commandant (Note: Speirs ordered this). Webster is hesitant, but they go inside and see a burly man who asks them in German what they want. Liebgott speaks in German to the man about the camp, and he then pulls his pistol and puts it to the man's head. As the heated exchange takes place, the reluctant Webster goes outside trembling, and he lights up a cigarette. Sisk comes out and says the guy is guilty, but then there is a shot, and the man runs from the house with a wound on his neck and with Liebgott following. Liebgott tries to fire, but the gun jams, and he yells "Shoot him!" Webster makes no move to fire, but Sisk shoots the man as he runs away.

Next, at a crossroad checkpoint, Janovec (played by Tom Hardy) is on duty, but Webster is his relief and Janovec tells him he has 75 points, and that makes him 10 points short to go home. Webster tells him that he has 81 points. Janovec gets into a jeep to go back to where the company is staying. The jeep sets off, but a barrel from a passing truck falls off the truck and Janovec is killed in the ensuing accident, but the actual accident is not shown. (Note: Ambrose's book says Janovec had been leaning on a door of a truck, when it flew open. Janovec hit the pavement fracturing his skull.) Just before Janovec's accident, a German soldier on crutches hands Webster a document. It's the man's discharge, and Webster looks around, then he goes over to a German field gendarme, who is being used to help control traffic and check identification information. He speaks English too. He has just checked the papers of a private citizen's car with a husband and wife and Webster asks him where the couple are going, and the gendarme says they are going to Munich. So, Webster asks the German soldier on crutches if he'd like to go to Munich, and he gladly accepts. Webster opens the back door, tosses a couple of suitcases to the side of the road, and lets the soldier get in; all as the couple protests (Note: I take the point to be that Webster feels much in common with the injured German soldier and he figures the civilians can make the sacrifice of a few personal belongings to give him a ride. In a previous episode, Webster wondered if American civilians realized how much their troops have sacrificed to win the war.)

Winters narrates that, with the war in Europe over, the men had plenty of three things: weapons, alcohol and time on their hands. One night, Sergeant Grant (played by Nolan Hemmings) has two troopers in a jeep he is driving. As they approach a checkpoint, they see a dead German officer lying in the road and an American soldier standing nearby with a pistol in hand. Grant tells the two men to stay in the jeep while he goes to see what is going on. When he approaches the man with the gun, it's obvious the guy is drunk and the guy cracks that the German officer wouldn't give him any gas. There is another jeep nearby (the jeep that had been driven by this American soldier), and then a dead British officer, and then that officer's jeep. Grant asks the soldier for his weapon, but the guy totally ignores Grant and says that he is going to take the British officer's jeep, and Grant steps forward and the guy fires the pistol in Grant's direction, and the bullet hits Grant in the head. The man takes off in the jeep.

The scene shifts to the aid station where an Army doctor tells Speirs and Doc Roe that Grant needs brain surgery, but that he doubts he will live. Speirs and Roe head out with Grant on a stretcher to find a German brain surgeon, and when they go to the home of a doctor, Speirs points his gun at the doctor and orders him to come along. The doctor briefly looks at Grant and he tells Speirs to put the gun away, and they leave for the hospital. The men of the company had gone out to find the shooter, and they get him, and then in a room at the headquarters they begin working him over. A visibly angry Speirs comes in, draws his pistol and asks the man where the weapon is that he used. When the man cockily says, "What weapon," Speirs uses his pistol to smack the man across the mouth, saying, "When you talk to an officer, you say 'sir.' " Speirs points the gun right at the guy (if you have followed these articles, you know the reputation Speirs has), the men move away out of caution, but Speirs doesn't pull the trigger. He orders them to get the MPs (military police) to "take care of this piece of s--t." Sergeant Talbert (played by Matthew Leitch) asks, "So Grant's dead?" Speirs tells them Grant is expected to live.

Everyone knew the points system wasn't perfect, so Winters and other officers try to get the long time veterans away for a while. Winters talks with Malarkey and sends him as an "advisor" to an airborne exhibition featuring Allied aircraft on display in Paris, where he will stay at a nice hotel. When Malarkey salutes; instead of returning the salute, Winters reaches out to shake his hand. Carwood Lipton is waiting to see Winters, who tells him that because the war is over, that the Army policy about battlefield commissions is to transfer the officer to another unit, and Lipton says he was expecting this. Winters says that he was given the job to reassign Lipton, and he thought he would move Lipton to the battalion headquarters; that is, Lipton is really not going anywhere, he just won't be with Easy Company on a continuous basis. This is really what happened with Winters back in Holland, he gave up total hands on control of Easy, but he was right in the battalion headquarters keeping his eye on the men. Winters tells Lipton his first assignment is to accept the surrender of a German general and his men, because the general doesn't want to surrender to Private Babe Heffron from South Philly (for those unaware, Philly is a common shortening of Philadelphia). So, Winters tells Lipton, "I figure 2nd Lieutenant Carwood Lipton of West Virginia will soothe the general's feelings."

Winters drives the jeep that takes Captain Nixon and Lipton to the surrender. When Winters stops the jeep, Captain Sobel and another soldier come walking by. The soldier salutes Major Winters, but Sobel turns his head. Winters calls Sobel out by saying, "We salute the rank, not the man," and Sobel stops and salutes, with Winters returning the salute. There is a large number of German prisoners and the General (General Theodor Tolsdorf, played by Wolf Kahler) comes to Major Winters, who motions for him to go to Lipton. He asks Lipton for permission to speak to his men, and Lipton agrees. The General walks to the front and speaks a few lines to his men, but the sentiment is the same as for the American troops. Liebgott translates for Winters and Nixon: "Men, it's been a long war, it's been a tough war. You have fought bravely and proudly for your fatherland. You are a special group, that has found a bond in one another, that can only develop in combat. We comrades have shared foxholes and have supported each other in terrible moments. We have seen death and suffered together. I am proud to have served with you. You all deserve a long and happy life in peace."

The scene shifts to a baseball game among the men, as Major Winters narrates a bit about the postwar lives of several of the men. This miniseries was filmed in 2000 (first shown in 2001), and a fair number of the men were still alive, but Winters' narration tells when some had passed away. Winters tells about his own life and how "there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of the men I served with who never got to enjoy the world without war."

 

 

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

WORD HISTORY: 

Shrapnel-This word is from the family name of Henry Shrapnel in 1806. He invented an explosive device that was filled with metal balls (commonly lead), which were then the "bullets" of the day. When it exploded, the "bullets" went in all directions, causing numerous injuries and deaths to those exposed to the blast. "Shrapnel" was a member of the British Royal Artillery. The name "Shrapnel" is thought to be from French "Charbonnel," the diminutive of "charbon," meaning "charcoal" (perhaps in reference to hair color), from Latin "carbo" (meaning "coal, charcoal"). It's origin is unclear, but it may be from the same Indo European form that gave English "hearth," a word from the Germanic roots of English.

Scrambled Eggs & Smoked Salmon Wrap

There are various ways to scramble eggs; so, use your own method. Some people add water, some add milk, some add cream, and some see the addition of any of these liquids as heresy. Then, some people draw in the edges of the cooking eggs, some start in the middle and move them outward, some just start stirring. None of this will end civilization, unless we choose to make it the next silly thing we say we will fight to the death over. Four ounces of cream cheese is simply half of a typical "block" package of cream cheese. In the U.S., smoked salmon is more typically sold in flat small packages with one or more thin slices of smoked salmon per package, but you may also find it in pieces that you can slice yourself. I added the optional red chilies for chili pepper lovers, but if you love the taste of smoked salmon, you should probably leave the chilies out of the recipe, as they will likely overwhelm the other flavors. Finally, if you haven't worked with avocados, once you cut them open and remove the seed, you can the scoop out the flesh in one piece, with a large spoon, and then slice it, but you must squeeze some lemon juice over the avocado, or it will begin to darken.

Ingredients (4 wraps)

1/4 pound smoked salmon, cut or torn into bite size pieces

2 tablespoons butter (more if needed)

4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt 

(Optional) 2 to 3 small red chilies, chopped

4 tablespoons evaporated (canned) milk

4 ounces cream cheese, cubed

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 avocado, sliced with some lemon juice squeezed over it

4 slices tomato, chopped (remove the seeds, if you'd like)

hot sauce to taste

4 flour tortillas (8 inch diameter size)

Crack the eggs into a bowl, add the evaporated milk, ground black pepper and salt; then, whisk the egg mixture well, until there is a little foaminess in the eggs, set aside briefly. You can heat the tortillas in the oven, but I run some water onto a paper towel, wring it out, then cover a tortilla with the paper towel on a microwave safe dish, then zap it for about 20 seconds; repeat individually for whatever number of tortillas you are using. In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter over low heat. Whip the eggs again briefly, and the add the eggs to the skillet and, if using chilies, quickly scatter the chopped chilies around to prevent them from piling up in one or two locations, and creating a flamethrower for the person getting them (of course, if you or others love the heat, pile them on). Then spread around the salmon pieces and cream cheese cubes. While this has only been a few seconds, the eggs will be motoring right along; so, scramble the eggs by your own method, but I begin to draw the edges of the eggs in toward the middle, then keep moving them around (swirling motion, I guess is best to describe it). You can lift the skillet off of the heat while you're moving around the eggs, but if there isn't much "liquidy" egg to be seen, turn off the heat. Remember, the residual heat of the skillet will help cook any remnant of uncooked egg. When finished, divide the cooked eggs and place a portion that runs through the middle of each tortilla. Top the eggs with a little raw onion, a couple of slices of avocado and some chopped tomato. Sprinkle on a few drops of hot sauce (or more than a few, for those who like some sizzle). Fold the tortilla around the filling and you're ready to eat.

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Fawn (Fetus)-"Fawn" is the noun for a baby deer (the verb, often used with 'over,' in 'to fawn over,' is a different and unrelated word). "Fawn" is related to "female" and to "feminine," Latin-derived words borrowed by English from Latin-based French. "Fawn" goes back to Indo European "dhe(i)," which meant "to suck, to suckle." This gave Old Italic "fetos" (the Indo European form rendered as "f" in Italic), which gave Latin "fetus," meaning "an offspring, the production or fruit of a plant" (fruit in the general sense, not the specific classification). This gave Latin the noun "fetonem," with the meaning "young animal." This passed into Old French as "feon," meaning "a young animal," with more of a tendency to usage for "a young deer," and also with the spelling "faon." English borrowed the word in the mid 1300s, with the spellings "foun," "fowne," "fawne," before the modern form, and by which time the usage for deer type animals had become pretty much the exclusive meaning.

Band of Brothers: They Helped Defeat Hitler (Episode 7: The Breaking Point)

NOTE: "Band of Brothers" is a highly realistic World War Two miniseries from HBO in 2001. 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.

 

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. The series does present events and actions that the men of Easy Company related to Stephen Ambrose, the historian who wrote the book. In the book's "Acknowledgements and Sources," Ambrose writes that he "circulated the manuscript of this book to the men of Easy Company." He goes on to say there were criticisms, corrections and suggestions offered by the men, and that Richard Winters and Carwood Lipton were heavily involved in reviewing the book, the original publication of which was in 1992, while the first airing of the miniseries was in 2001.   

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. Believe me, the whole cast is likely 8 or 10 times as large as those I list here, and everyone did a great job.

 

 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 "Doc" 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 as Technician 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 Fifth Grade Joseph Liebgott

Neal McDonough as Lieutenant Lynn "Buck" Compton

Nicholas Aaron as Private Robert "Popeye" Wynn 

David Schwimmer as Lieutenant, then Captain Herbert Sobel 

Here is the link to the previous article as Episode 6: Bastogne:

https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2023/09/band-of-brothers-they-helped-defeat_12.html

 

 

This episode opens with the men of Easy Company advancing through the forest outside of the village of Foy (rhymes with 'toy' in English, but is pronounced as if "fwah" in French, and the company is stationed in the French speaking part of Belgium, with Belgium having three official languages: Dutch, French and German). This forested area is called "Bois Jacques" (Jack's Wood or Forest), and Sergeant Lipton's narration tells us that the company cleared the forest of any German troops, but that the men had not met much resistance. For much of the remainder of the episode, the company's men will be in defensive positions just outside Foy, until they are told to capture Foy itself. (Note: Foy and a few other villages are all part of the Bastogne area, and Bastogne is only about 2 miles away.)

 

Hoobler (played by Peter McCabe) shoots a German Waffen SS soldier riding a horse. When Hoobler gets to the man, he finds the man has a Luger on him. Hoobler has long wanted a Luger, and now he has it. Hoobler shows off the gun to his Easy Company buddies and he puts it into his pocket, but a little while later, the gun goes off, with the bullet tearing open an artery in Hoobler's leg. The men all have on any extra clothing they've got to get them through the cold weather, and Hoobler's clothing prevents the guys from seeing how bad his wound is. The men try taking care of him and getting him to an aid station, but Hoobler dies from loss of blood.

 

One of the continuing threads of this episode is about Lieutenant Norman Dike (played by Peter O'Meara), the then commander of Easy Company, who had replaced Lieutenant Frederick Heyliger when Heyliger was accidentally shot by a sentry (Heyliger had been the replacement for Captain Winters when Winters was moved up to 2nd Battalion Headquarters). The series has Dike played as an officer who has connections to a higher level officer in the 101st Airborne Division, and that he was given command of Easy Company to gain some combat experience for his resumé, before his next military career advancement. (Note: The men were not really connected to Dike, who seems to have generally kept a distance from the men.) Throughout much of the episode, we hear the men talk about Dike being absent for long unexplained periods of time, and the men call him "Foxhole Norman," as that's where he pretty much stays when he is around. For the most part, everyone just tolerates Dike, as they're all stuck in defensive positions in and around Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge; however, once the Germans are stopped, then comes the shift to offensive operations by the Americans to drive the Germans back from any ground they had taken. Now the men worry about any inexperience or incompetence in Dike and how it could get them killed. Captain Richard Winters and his friend Captain Lewis Nixon talk about Lieutenant Dike on a couple of occasions, and Nixon, who sort of adds some blunt, non emotional points to Winters at times, tells Winters, "We all know who you'd like to have running Easy (Company), but the problem is, it's not your job anymore, Dick." More on this shortly ...    

 

We see Sergeant Lipton and Lieutenant Compton often talking with the men, and the men have strong and comfortable ties to both Lipton and Compton.

 

The Germans unleash periodic artillery barrages on Easy Company, and the ferocious bombardments take a toll: Muck and Penkala are killed by a direct hit on their foxhole by a German artillery shell. Part of one of Joe Toye's legs is blown off and when Guarnere is trying to drag Toye to safety, another artillery round explodes nearby, and Buck Compton, who is coming to help them, is thrown back by the explosion, and Guarnere loses a leg. Compton gets to his feet, but his struggles with "shell shock" hit the "breaking point" (of the episode title) when he sees Toye and Guarnere lying there on the ground badly wounded, and he removes his helmet and drops it to the ground. Compton is pulled from the front line and sent for care elsewhere. Don Malarkey is under lots of stress, as Penkala and Muck were two of his best friends, but when offered a chance to work with Captain Winters for a couple of days to get a break, he turns the offer down and chooses to stay with the others. Lipton and George Luz are in a foxhole as one of the strong artillery barrages ends, and a dud German artillery shell lands in the dirt at the edge of their foxhole. Luz takes out a cigarette and lights it, but Lipton reaches over, takes it and starts puffing away. Luz says, "I thought you didn't smoke," and Lipton replies, "I don't."

 

In what is one of those lighter scenes, even though the subject is serious, Private Kenneth Webb (played by Jordan Frieda) hears from a couple of the guys about Lieutenant Speirs (played by Matthew Settle) having possibly shot one of his own men, and about Speirs giving 20 to 30 German prisoners cigarettes, just before he turned his Thompson sub-machine gun on them. So, who walks up to the foxhole just as the stories end? Speirs! The guys don't say anything, but their faces show, "I hope he didn't hear any of that!" Speirs asks what the men are doing and tells them how they should improve their foxhole. With the stories about him, the men are all uneasy around Speirs, and as he walks away, he turns and asks them if they want a cigarette. The men just look at him and nobody says anything, so Speirs specifically then asks Webb, who doesn't speak, but who just shakes his head no, his helmet moving from side to side. It's a pretty funny scene.

 

The time has come for the capture of Foy, and the day before, Sergeant Lipton meets with Winters and tells him how he is confident the men are ready, but that he doesn't have confidence in Lieutenant Dike to lead the company into battle. He tells Winters that Dike "is an empty uniform," and Winters listens, but because Dike has a friend in the upper levels of the 101st Airborne, he can't do anything about Dike, and Lipton knows that too. The next day, we see Winters giving final instructions to Dike, ending with, "Get it done!" The attack proceeds across a field in front of Foy, and there are storage huts and such scattered around, as the area is rural. All is going well until Dike orders the advance to halt. Many of the men are out in the open, and such a pause allows the Germans to zero in on the men with their artillery, and they do! Dike is confused, and he has no plan on how to advance. Winters is watching, as is Colonel Sink, and the casualties mount, including Frank Perconte, who is wounded in his backside, and Private Webb is killed. Winters starts to go out to the men to lead them himself, but Sink orders him back, so Winters calls on Lieutenant Speirs to go in and lead the attack. Speirs dashes into action, has the men focus on a building with a sniper, which they do, eliminating the sniper, and Speirs charges forward with the men following him, and with the Germans now abandoning vehicles to flee. Many Germans surrender and the men begin to celebrate the victory, but they are premature, as another German sniper shoots and kills some of the men before sharpshooter Shifty Powers (played by Peter Youngblood Hills) takes him out with one shot. The battle is over, but the ranks have been thinned.

 

That night, the men are entertained by the choir at a convent, as they finally get to be inside, instead of out in the cold. Lipton narrates again, telling us all the casualties the company suffered (the company had 145 men when they first arrived in Belgium, and as they spend the evening in Foy, they are down to 63.) In condensed form, Speirs figures that Lipton wants to ask him about the stories he has heard about him (Speirs), but Lipton tells him that because Speirs has never denied the stories, the stories continue, which brings Speirs to tell him that having such a fearsome reputation is not necessarily a bad thing. In a great moment, Lipton tells Speirs that the men aren't worried about the stories, they are just happy to have a good commander again. Speirs then tells Lipton that it's his understanding that since Winters moved up to the battalion headquarters, Easy Company has always had a good leader and a man who held the men together in tough circumstances. He tells Lipton, that man is Lipton, and he tells him that Winters has put in for a battlefield commission for Lipton, and it will be official in a couple of days. Lipton will be a lieutenant. 

 

The company does not get the time off they had thought they would get; rather, they are off to Hagenau in Alsace to help counter a secondary German offensive (compared to Hitler's Ardennes attack) called "Northwind" (German: Nordwind).                   

 

 

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

WORD HISTORY:

Boot-The spelling "boot" has various meanings when used as a noun or as a verb, and these forms are not all related (I intend to do other meanings too). First, the noun for "a foot covering, the top of which goes above the ankle," with the singular certainly used, but I'd say a bit more common in the plural, "boots." The origin of the form with this meaning is shaky, although it "seems" to go back to Indo European "bhud/bhut," "seemingly" with the notion of "to beat or strike," which then gave Old Germanic "buttaz," which adjectivally meant "short, blunt," and the noun form meant "blunt end, rounded end" (the idea being, "something that is shortened or blunted as a result of striking it"). This gave Frankish, a Germanic dialect/language, "butt," meaning "blunt," with the Frankish verb form "buttan" meaning "to strike or hit." Forms of these words were absorbed by Old French as "bot," meaning "a hit, a strike/striking," and "bote," meaning "shoe that covers the foot and lower part of the leg," perhaps from its appearance of being blunted or shortened (not extending the length of the leg?). This was borrowed by English in the first part of the 1300s meaning, "shoe extending to the lower leg for horsemen," but the meaning then expanded to all such "high shoes." "Boot" is related, through Germanic, to "buttock" and "butt" (thick end piece), both from the Germanic roots of English, and it is also related to French "butte" (mound or small hill), which also is from Germanic Frankish. None of the other Germanic languages have forms of "boot" in the English sense, rather they have words that fit with the original Germanic meaning "blunt." "Boot" meaning "compartment for stowing things" (seemingly a shortening of "boot locker") and in British English meaning what Americans call "the trunk of a car,"^ is from the same sources of "boot, the high shoe." It came from a few hundred years ago and the use of a chest by a coachman to both store his boots, and to then provide a seat for himself on the closed chest. Later, such storage compartments were built into a coach, and later still, they were included in motor vehicle designs, and the term carried over to such in British English.

 

^ I'm never quite sure about the terms used in Canada, but my "guess" is, they may well use "trunk." Unlike the U.S., Canada has maintained an official connection to the British throne; and thus, the British monarch is also the king or queen of Canada.    

Indonesian Tofu Omelettes: Tahu Telur

Sambal oelek is an Indonesian relish or paste of ground red chilies; although some other countries have their own versions, including the U.S. In the U.S., it is easy to find in supermarkets, and likely even in some smaller grocery stores, and especially, of course, in Asian grocery stores, and it is not terribly expensive, although imported brands likely cost somewhat more. 

Tofu has had an increasing popularity in the U.S., and not just in Chinese restaurants, where it is typically listed as "bean curd," but as a distinct product itself, typically sold in rectangular cakes or blocks. Tofu by itself is not an exciting food, but it is good prepared with other flavorful food items, as tofu absorbs the flavors of these foods. In this dish, the tofu gets help by first frying it lightly, including it in an omelette, then adding a tasty peanut sauce. Nowadays, tofu is easily found in supermarkets, and, it isn't expensive. 

 

Ingredients (4 servings): 

 

To make the omelettes: 

 

1/2 of one firm block of tofu, drained and cut into small cubes (about 2/3 inch square)

4 large eggs, beaten

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2/3 teaspoon salt

5 greens onion, chopped

2 tablespoons oil (peanut oil is good for this)

 

To make the sauce:

 

2 teaspoons peanut oil

1/4 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)

1/4 cup finely chopped onion (red or yellow)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 medium Roma tomato, chopped

1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon sambal oelek (according to desired heat level)

1 tablespoon brown sugar (or palm sugar)

3 tablespoons kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1/4 cup water

 

3 or 4 chopped green onions, for garnish

 

In a bowl, beat the eggs, then add the pepper, salt and chopped green onion; mix well. Heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a large non-stick skillet (I use a 12 inch skillet) over medium heat. Add the tofu cubes and saute until just lightly browned. Add the egg mixture, pouring it to cover all of the tofu. Brown the omelette on both sides. For the sauce: In a separate pan, add the 2 teaspoons of peanut oil, then add the onion, then after 1 minute add the garlic and chopped tomato and saute everything until softened (use a fork to mash the tomato as it cooks). Lower the heat to low. Add the peanut butter, sambal oelek, brown sugar, kecap manis, soy sauce and water, stir very well to mix everything together. Heat until bubbly (if the sauce is too thick, add more water, a tablespoon at a time, and mix well after each tablespoon, until you get the preferred consistency). Serve each omelette with some of the sauce spooned over the omelette, then top each serving with some chopped green onion as a garnish. 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Sort-This word is related to "assort," "consort," "sorcery" and "desert" (the verb meaning "to leave or abandon a place, position or duty"), all Latin-derived words borrowed by English from French, and to "assert" and "series," also Latin-derived words borrowed directly from that language. "Sort" goes back to Indo European "ser," which had the notion "to put or join in a line;" thus also, "to put one after the other;" thus, "to put together, to connect." This gave Latin "sors," which had a wide range of meanings like: "allotment, lottery, share/portion, category, classification, status/class." This passed into Latin-based Old French as "sorte," meaning "classification. type, kind," and English borrowed the word in the latter part of the 1300s as "sort(e)," with the meaning "a kind or type of something, "originally seemingly used of people and animals, but then expanded. The verb also is from the same ancient origins, and Latin "sors" produced the verb "sortire/sortiri," meaning "to share, to apportion, to divide (up), to draw lots," which passed to Old French as "sortir," meaning "to categorize, to classify, to allot," and English borrowed this verb as "sorten" in the mid 1300s, which was earlier than the noun. Interestingly, German borrowed the word too, as "Sorte," but from two sources; first, from Dutch/Low German, which had it from French; and second, southern German speakers borrowed the word from Italian.       

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.

_________________

      

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.