Webster was wounded badly enough in the Crossroads battle that he was sent back to England. Others who were able to recover in field hospitals in France were sometimes able to get back to the unit more quickly. Popeye Wynn and Bill Guarnere probably didn't have to find rides all the way from England to get back to the Company after walking away from the hospital. Incidentally, in his book "Parachute Infantry" Webster describes Bill Guarnere as the bravest man in the Company. Webster was not one to volunteer or seek glory, but he had education and family connections that probably could have gotten him a nice cushy rear echelon job or he could have been an officer. Instead he volunteered to be an ordinary soldier in a hard core combat unit. He deserves as much respect as anyone else in the Company.
You're correct, but there is one thing about Webster that's brought out in the book, and that is that he never volunteered to do anything extra. He also turned down promotion because he'd have more responsibilities. Webster was determined to experience the war as a private, to do his duty and no more. Perhaps the other soldiers' reactions were meant to reflect their reaction to that.
It's interesting how many reactors think that Jones is going to report him. I don't remember thinking that the first time I watched, I saw him grasping what true leadership was, and seeing the sanity and competence in Winter's actions. He gives a little nod, with almost a smile. Like, it's shocking to a West Pointer, but having seen real combat, he gets it, and approves.
From what I understand, the real Jones was with Easy for a few weeks already by the time the patrol happened. So he would have bonded with the men and Winters would have known that the guy would not inform.
You're right about how many reactors seem to think he's a rat. I felt the same way you did about Jones' reaction to Winters' decision. He's intelligent and thoughtful, and realizes good leadership when he sees it.
Approaching this from a cynical point of view, there is no benefit for Jones to report Winters. Jones is a West Point grad who is being groomed as one of the future leaders of the US Army. He is probably familiar with the way Army politics works. Winters is a war hero with an impeccable record. If his misconduct comes out, the Army will not want the bad PR of court martialing him. Winters might get a reprimand or get shifted to a desk position. Sink would be embarrassed (he just promoted Winters to Major) and shit could roll down on Jones for making the matter public. Way safer to pretend you are too green to understand what is going on and not rocking the boat.
I love how when the mission is going to plan, its one long smooth tracking shot. And then when things go wrong, its just cut after cut after cut to show the chaos going on.
Webster was wounded by machine gun fire in Holland and evacuated to a hospital in England. Where Popeye Wynn and Bill Guarnere were on the continent when they went AWOL to rejoin the Company, it would have been practically impossible for Webster to do the same from England. In reality, the company welcomed him more heartily than depicted in this episode. But, you can't have drama without conflict, right?
Webster gets too much shit, but I guess I get it for the show. He Jumped in Normandy and Market Garden. Hard to think he would be treated like shit, but who knows.
So Webster, fresh back from a few months in the hospital, dives for cover at the sound of incoming shells, while the Bastogne vets hardly react at all. I used to assume, like Jaqui said, that their experience had desensitized them to the fear of incoming rounds. But looking at it again, I don't think they had become desensitized. I think that at this point they had survived enough mortal and artillery attacks that they could tell whether an incoming round would hit danger close or if it would hit a safe distance away. If that's what it is, then they didn't react the way Webster did because they could tell by the pitch of the incoming round that it would not hit near them.
There was actually an interesting constellation in the 2nd platoon: they were without an officer after Compton left, Malarkey was a sergeant, but was made an acting platoon leader nevertheless (a position normally held by a 1st/2nd lieutenant). When Jones came, Malarkey still stayed the acting leader, and Jones was made his assistant.
The other thing about Pvt. Jackson's death is not only that it was in the process of a patrol that may or may not have made sense at all, he actually died because of the blast from his own grenade because he rushed in too quickly after throwing it in.
You are so kindhearted Jacqui. I appreciate you taking the time to watch this series and learn about real-life heroes. David Kenyon Webster wrote a memoir about his time with Easy Company called “Parachute Infantry.” He said that when he returned to his platoon, he noticed that there were only 11 men left. He was stunned thinking “Where’s the rest of the platoon?” Because there were suppose to be 40 men. It then dawned on him how much of a terrible toll that the Battle of the Bulge had inflicted on Easy Company. Standing in the middle of that muddy road in Hagenau, he said he could have cried. This episode of the series exaggerates the depth in which Webster was viewed as an outsider. In his book, Webster talked about being warmly greeted by a number of the men in Easy Company, who were glad to see him, and vice versa. They weren’t as cold towards him as depicted in this episode. Now in real-life, Webster didn’t go on the patrol. He was perched atop a balcony in Hagenau overlooking the river, while manning a heavy machine to provide support for his comrades who went on the patrol. Also, Sergeant Martin wasn’t the one who led the patrol. It was entrusted to another very dependable Sergeant named Kenneth Mercier, who unfortunately isn’t a character featured in the series, but he’s mentioned frequently in Webster’s memoir. You were afraid that Lieutenant Jones would snitch on Easy Company for not doing the second patrol. I don’t believe that’s the kind of person he was. In his West Point yearbook, Lieutenant Henry Jones was described as someone who “preferred to gain most of his education outside the academic course, through his diligent study of men and books. His knowledge of tactics, firearms, and judo, as well as his open and inquisitive mind will enable him to become a valuable and resourceful officer. His companions will always know him as an original thinker, and a sincere and unselfish friend.” He had a promising career ahead of him in the US Army. In 1947, he was severely injured in an automobile accident while stationed in Germany. He was sent to Berlin to undergo an operation for his injuries, but it was unsuccessful, and he tragically died of complications on July 21, 1947. At the end, Nixon was telling Winters that he’s being promoted to Major. Gold Oak Leaf’s worn on the collar or helmet signifies the rank of a Major. The next episode “Why We Fight” is going to be very hard. So please be prepared. Sending my very best wishes out to you Jacqui!!
I've said this in other reactions but they did Webster and the men of Easy dirty in this one for "drama." Webster of "They got me!" fame was far more seriously injured than he or the men of Easy realized. His injuries were so severe that he was sent back to England to recover. The fact that he was able to return to Easy company at all was a miracle. During his time recovering he obsessed over the casualty reports, so he knew exactly which of his friends were dead or not except the most recent. And the men of Easy company were glad he survived, returned, and didn't have to go through Bastogne with them.
Something I've come to appreciate in watching your reaction is the difficulty in watching a story from a film making perspective while experiencing the story. Most of us just get to just watch it. What made this exceptionally exceptional was that it's masterful adaptation that stayed true to a great book that accurately recounted an amazing story. Too many times, adaptations turn into a vehicle for people to express their "creative genius" at the expense of the story. Regarding Cobb's bit at 15:48, recall in ep4, when he was criticizing a replacement for wearing the unit citation for Normandy, and Bull told him, "Shit, Cobb you didn't fight in Normandy, neither." When Winters told them the plan for the second patrol, Jones gave a little nod that I think represented filing away a bit of real-world knowledge you can't get in a classroom at West Point.
After you get through all of the Hanks war series, please check out "From Earth To the Moon", which is his series about the Apollo program. It's outstanding.
it's so crazy, that hand reached out in the end is one of the most emotional parts of the entire episode, at least for me. The small things are so important!
Something you said at the end (about these guys seeing Europe) made me think of my grandmother’s husband, George. He was twice wounded in the ETO and when grandma told him she wanted to see Europe, his response was something like, “I’ve seen it - it’s not that great”
Seeing this situation firsthand, it really is an interesting dynamic. I was on a 30 man outpost in Afghanistan for a year back in 2011, and for the first 6 months we went through pretty heavy fighting. When someone would leave for medical or to go on leave, the replacements would come in and they would receive the same treatment until they saw combat. Once they had, it was like they had been there the whole time. Then when we came home we’d feel the same about the new soldiers coming in that hadn’t deployed yet
Notice that Lt. Jones is wearing his West Point class ring throughout the episode, and at the end of the episode, despite limited action he's promoted almost immediately to 1st Lt. It was thought that West Pointers with the class rings looked out for one another.
@@wwoods66 They apparently also knew that the occupation of Germany post-war was going to require almost an entire standing army itself. And so many pre-invasion officers had died during 44-45 that it seems like West Point graduates were highly prized as they would be crucial in handling the logistics of the occupation force and rebuilding efforts. So they would have wanted a guy like Jones to get his feet wet in combat and then immediately yank him off the front line so he could use his skills in the post-war work ahead.
Hopefully, Jacqui, this re-upload will stay. As a songwriter, I understand copyrights but there is also a limit as to how aggressively it's defended. What Winters does when he tells the men to not go on the mission is to directly disobey and order from a superior officer. The men of Easy Company are relieved they are spared a second patrol, they also see that Winters has put his career on the line for their lives. He could easily have been court martialed had Colonel Sink found out about it. The same with Nixon for writing the false report. Despite his rank, he is still one of them. I do love and appreciate your filmmakers viewpoint on the shows you react to, Jacqui. You're one of the best. ♥
So glad you've done this series. It's one of my all time favorites. And yours might be one of the best reviews I've seen thus far. Best. Much love. God Bless
I think its understated how incredibly risky it was for Winters to forge the report and lie about the patrol. He could have been in a ton of trouble. Disobeying an order is a big no no.
With your commentary about not getting attached, I'm reminded of the 3 part series "Generation War" (a fictional story of 5 Germans during the war, two soldiers, a nurse, a singer, and a Jewish tailor). There's a scene of new recruits introducing themselves, and the veterans telling them not to give their names until they've survived for 2 months.
I remember that too. That was at the beginning of the 2nd episode. The protagonist, who have been a 2-year combat veteran at that point, in contrast to his innocence in Episode 1, named the new guys as number 1 and number 2. He only learns the name of one of those 2 recruits in a bonding moment later after a rough battle. Thank you for bringing it up. That series also is really good and have many good and memorable scenes like the one you mentioned.
Well Jaqui this is the first time I comment on your videos and it’s because I wanted to see where the series took you, I see that it really took a toll on your nerves. I really do appreciate the way you look at the subtle stuff like the background, music, lighting, dialogue, and direction. The 7th episode really hit hard. I’m glad you enjoyed the series. Hope to see your take on the Pacific, I haven’t seen Masters of the Air, so I’ll have to wait until I see the series. Well until next time take care and God Bless
They were keeping it kinda real with the late war episodes, especially in Germany itself in episode 9...compare with the trash movie "fury" if you may and you get a glimpse on how Hollywood screws up history to fit it's narrative. After the battle of the bulge in the fall of 44 the German army in the West was in complete disarray and the main focus was on stopping the soviets pushing from the east on Berlin. They did a good job in band of brothers with showing how the fighting in the West basically dies down and they take hundreds of thousands of prisoners in the process because the Germans for the most part were not willing to die for a lost cause after fighting for 6 years. As a German myself, I can appreciate the humanization happening here. If the war was hell for the allies, it sure as hell was for the Germans, fighting almost every battle against greater odds and lacking men and material of all kind. Most of em were just people after all
Well, that and the Germans would much prefer to be occupied by the Western Allies rather than the Soviets (and for good reason). If anything, it's in Germany's best interest to speed Western Allies advance along and use all resources to hinder the Soviets as long as possible. Nuts to Bolshevikism.
Way to hard on Jones. No, it is not presumptuous for a platoon commander to know who the men in his platoon are; so as long as he walks that fine line of command and mentoree with Malarkey. Jones wasn't going to rat out anyone; I don't know why almost all reactors seem to make this conclusion. Jones went to West Point, is thoughtful, intelligent and knows the doctrine. However, what he learned from Winters is that the leadership and care of fighting men is nuanced, and he got a Master Class lesson.
I studied TV and Film in college a Looooong time ago (I'm 60) GREAT catch on the intro/Exit shots! I didn't catch that. Really enjoy your insight from a cinematographic perspective
Lost the comment from the previous video - about how at 19:30 here, you can see Cobb in the back of the Jeep with MP's, in custody for his drunkenness - as a bit of "cinematic justice". A nice detail, even if it didn't happen exactly that way in reality.
The second death the mail clerk private Jackson died because he was inexperienced. He threw a grenade through the window and didn't wait for it to go off . another important point in this episode is that Lt. Jones nods his head in agreement when Winters tells them to fake the report.
Dang those RU-vid robots! I really enjoy your reactions, insights and edits on this series. They are unique and I always learn or see something new with you.
These are stories based on true events... but some are sensationalized for the show. Look into what really happened with those we disliked the most on this series.
Webster is a very interesting if complicated character. Most of the books I've read from the surviving Easy Company men tend to portray him as someone who shirked responsibility. Even he, in his own memoir, describes himself as doing only the job he was assigned. No more, no less. In particular, never volunteering for dangerous actions. Which sort of goes against how a lot of the other soldiers are portrayed. So when he mentions to Spiers about not needing two interpreters on the patrol, you can hear Liebgott mutter "always trying to get out of everything". As if Webster was hoping to be told to stay behind on it. And unfortunately Webster wasn't around to comment on his portrayal here. Is it cowardice? Is it pragmatism? Or is it, like they said in the beginning, trying to step carefully and just maybe get home in one piece? Like, even Winters is sick of it at the end. He's so not interested in another patrol he has them fake it. Is that so different than Webster mentioning you don't need two interpreters?
If sentimental content gets you grabbing the tissue box, the ending of ep. 10 will get to you as well. As for this episode, cross line patrols to capture enemy soldiers happened all the time - the info gained could be valuable, if the subject talked. So, it wasn't necessarily a worthless patrol. That they were asked to repeat, at least at some point, was expected.
In truth Webster was welcomed back. He and Johnny Martin were good friends. Also, he couldn't just leave the hospital and rejoin the gang like Popeye. Webster was in a hospital in England.
Tom Hanks even enlisted his own son into the War...that's epic. This is when Winters essentially "Dad arms" and protects his men of Easy Company in anyway he can, even by lying to command. I love the way they express so visually the soldiers experiences by the appearance of their uniforms. Webster's guilt is what leads him to volunteer for the patrol and earn respect from the men again...and he gets it. " We few, we happy few, we band of brothers, For he today who sheds his blood with me shall be my brother" Currahee ♠
Loving these reactions to one of my favorite series. Wondering if youve considered reacting to Haunting of Hill House from 2018. I think youd be very impressed by Flannigan's slow burn, character-first horror. Its the only show that makes me weep as much as Band of Brothers. It also has one of the most impressive long shots I've ever seen in television.
One of the things I notice is people wondering about the grenade, grenades have a 5 second fuse. He ran in right after throwing it meant he walked directly into the blast. I find it odd that he lived as long as he did. Also I'm from Tacoma, WA, I went to the war memorial here and the name of that spider is up on the wall. This means a lot to me as a Desert Storm, and had an uncle on the Indianapolis, also being of gypsy descent, we must remember all of those that served.
Hi Jacqui thoroughly enjoy your reactions. I appreciate that you seem to bring a bit more technical analysis, and an understanding of story more than some reactors. I noticed a point that I haven't heard mentioned by anyone else, and that is we notice the absence of Guarnere and the others we lost at Bastogne. I think the viewer feels the absence. You still know Luz, and Perconte, and Liebgott, but there seems to be an emptiness that you feel when Webster approaches the truck.
Damn! They really seem to be messing with you on this series. I watched the original, but will let this one play for the algorithm (Chorus: For The Algorithm). Once again, Winters is my favourite "character", and his response to the idea of a second patrol (which would have been suicide) is a big reason why. Also, after the chaos of the previous couple episodes (and the somewhat expected "gut-punch" coming next), it was nice of them to give us one that's (mostly) a bit more chill. Cheers and Happy Weekend Jacqui. 🥃☮❤
Not sure one box of tissues will enough for Ep9!! On an aside, but totally related to BoB there is a great documentary on the History Hit You-Tube Channel called Digging Band of Brothers -(An archaeological dig on the site where the 506 PIR were based in Aldbourne UK). Some great finds unearthed, that's all I'll say 😄
Episode 9 is a tear jerker but not in a way you expect it to be. For me, the tear jerker is episode 10. Kind of like the end of "The Pacific" The end is when you get more personal information and, for me, I needed the tissues.
😊 Intel officer Capt. Nixon 7:30 wouldn't be carrying a sack of 🥔 potatoes from one building to another. If anything, for a moment, he looked like Sergeant Martin, who would lead the night mission. I'm always about to say and could be the YT editing, that you're almost missing that one moment or other, and then you catch these small moments yourself in editing 8:40! 🎯 26:20 interesting thoughts! 🪖
I've seen it, though I wish I could experience it for the first time again! It's an incredible movie! I actually filmed Skyfall recently, which was the same director/cinematographer duo, and commented how much it reminded me of 1917 😊
@@movienightwithjacqui And side note, though you've probably already seen/recorded it, I am excitedly awaiting you're take on Episode 8 "Out of Gas" of Firefly as it is, by far, my favorite of the series. Enjoy. :D
It's a shame so many people felt the need to tell you to watch out for episode 9 instead of just letting you go in cold. I have no idea why people are so enthusiastic to throw out soft spoilers.
Webster was trying to get out of the patrol, that is why he said both he and Liebgott spoke German. He wanted to use the fact that they wouldn't send two of their translators on the same patrol in case they both got hit, but it backfired on him and they let Liebgott sit out.
Whatever the writers may have intended as a motivation for their fictional version of Webster, the actual historical Webster was not on the patrol, but was rather one of the guys tasked with covering fire for the returning patrol. He described it in his book "Parachute Infantry" which is well worth the read for a different perspective than the series.
@@TheMrFu Yes. There is the part where Martin asks Webster if he can speak German and he says ''A little''. Liebgott under his breath says ''his German is as good as mine''. Webster didn't want to be on that patrol. Liebgott's reaction to being told to sit out makes it even clearer with the little wink he gives Webster, because he knew Webster was trying to get out of it.
