Sharpe surprises Lieutenant Colonel Girdwood by taking him into a battle. __ In the Peninsular War, a British sergeant is field promoted to a lieutenant in charge of a disrespectful rifle company.
"... and there was this wierd British officer that kept shouting 'God save Ireland' like a Man posessed. I maybe the stress was too much for him..." - Diary of an unknown french officer.
How polite to remain those lines in readable english. At least those french officers weren’t completely arrogant as often portrayed. Thanks for charing Mister.
It helps that after the initial clashes, the spanish theatre really was mostly about smaller actions, with few of the massive field battles seen elsewhere during the napoleonic wars.
Mr Ross, pray you count me that cocktail crew over there. Looks to be forty odd men, what are you getting at Sharpe? WHERE'S THE REST OF THEM, DAMN YE! Come on Sharpe we're doing our best, this isn't bloody Lord of the Rings.
Lynch shouted "GOD SAVE IRELAND" during ALL the boat trip from England to Spain, ALL the way up to the french border because Harper never ordered him to stop.
That's not cold blood, that's in the heat of battle, basically, there are two types of killings, warm blood and cold blood, warm blood killings are typically when in a rage or other un-controllable situation (as seen here), an example of a warm blood killing would be a husband walking in on his wife doing things with another man, and then killing that man, cold blood is when you did it in a situation that was under your control entirely, so this is not a cold blood killing.
@@konstantinosnikolakakis8125 Sorry, I thought it just meant efficient and ruthless, you have taught me something new, cold blooded cruel, warmblooded efficient and doing the job. In a soldiers context.
I actually like it that he killed him with efficiency, but takes a moment afterwards to realize what he just done. In WAY too many films and series (basically every single one) characters are way too casual about their first kill.
@@benedictjlarkin9296 in proper English it would be "Hot Blood" not warm blooded, describing Killing in a "Passion" or high excitement. "Crimes of Passion" are "Second Degree Murder" (or Homicide, a lesser crime such a during a fight). Implying a person would not have killed, if they were not so emotional. "Cold Blooded" Murder is Premeditated. With Malice aforethought.
Lynch getting stabbed reminded me of Sharpe talking to the Irish regiment a few episodes. “We don’t care what colour his tunic is, or what king he serves. A bad officer is better off dead and a good soldier had better learn to kill him”
not really. They knew those who try to turn back would be punished severely In fact British Army was one of the lenient ones where even Wellington tolerates routing in the face of much superior forces as long as these routed men only ran as far as the next British regiment lines to regroup
The idiomatic term "Jerry Can" still exists for a container of gas/petrol, because the German containers in WW2 were of superior design and durability, and so would be "appropriated" at every opportunity by the Allies. "Looting" is a fundamental part of every conflict.@@jonathanbaron-crangle5093
@@jonathanbaron-crangle5093 'looting' military supplies is different from looting civilian goods and possessions...but since it's Napoleonic battle, they did that to, it was considered part of the pay.
@@justicar5 Most armies of the Napoleonic era looted civilians; the British didn't. At least, not officially. It happened, of course, but British soldiers caught looting were hanged. During the Peninsular War, Spanish civilians were astonished that the British army paid for everything, but the Spanish army just stole.
This series was so well done, especially considering the budget they had to work with. Can you imagine this cast and crew but with a Game of Thrones budget?
If I recall rightly Lynch (in the book, the show doesn’t really mention this) is Irish himself but hates his fellow countrymen and affects an English accent. At the books equivalent of this battle Sharpe puts Lynch with Harper and most of the other Irishmen in the battalion into a single unit and sends them off virtually on their own in a flanking attack. Lynch exaggerates his Irish accent to try and illicit camaraderie with them but after the battle is over is found behind the French lines having been virtually torn apart by bayonets. By comparison this version of Lynch got off very mercifully.
@@skvader4189 it's one of Sharpe's more brutal acts of revenge but not undeserved. Though when one of his captains D'Allombord figures out what Sharpe and Harper did he's not too happy about it even though he doesn't say as much.
*The Martian* Mitch Henderson, Flight director at NASA: Survived He drove a desk so not much chance of him dying to be fair but would be a touch ironic if a satellite fell on him.
A show that is generally critical of the prevailing social structure of the day, yet literally has the main character stand in front of a waving flag because it can still revel in the badassery of the common infantryman? Now that’s soldiering!
There is no way to do it safely with a reenactors semi sharp (as is used in France and Spain) or the Eastern European nations and even with an English reenactors blunt (which look shit on screen especially as curved sabres) they aren't a particularly safe move because burrs and such.
Seeing combat for the first time and dying ten seconds in after being tricked by your recruiting officer and sent into battle by some zealous colonel. Now that's literally soldiering.
Yeah Sharpes Peril! Funniest scene seeing shape not having a bugger idea what to make of simmerson at the end lol I really hope that the channel owner keeps up the videos into the two later episodes also as they have plenty of story to tell as well!
@@konstantinosnikolakakis8125 there would be witnesses for that and the rule book would demand that justice be handed out for that if not by courtmarshal and all then the family of the decied would demand that.
@@TheManofthecross Yep in the eye of the law at the time, he is considered a coward and not obeying an officer's order so he's deserved to die, the coward!
To be fair. When I was attached to the Light Dragoons, there were an awful lot of 'hard' SNCO's who didn't have any 'bling' (i.e. campaign medals) and who all came up with convenient excuses whenever we had to go on tour.
Triple-skewering the soldier who screamed "God save Ireland!" all the way from England to the battle and just turned around to ask for some cough candy... Now that's soldiering!
He didn't do the opposite. Girdwood wanted to show that he was in charge by telling Sharpe he was in the wrong place and should be 2 steps back to be in position. Sharpe moved the regiment forward so he was now in the correct position, whilst also showing that he was the one in control of the regiment, and making Girdwood in the right place. He effectively did what Girdwood asked.
I think Girdwood had a mental breakdown, and this final battle snapped his mind. I'm of the view that Sharpe brought him along and said he would serve under him because he knew the Colonel couldn't handle it. Notice despite Girdwood being the superior officer, Sharpe is the one in control, giving the orders, directing the men. Girdwood is left a simpering mess. Dishonourably discharged! One would wish :)
In the books, he brought Girdwood because his incompetency meant Sharpe had effective control of the Regiment, rather than having another Regimental Commander who Sharpe would actually have to serve.
In the book; on the trip over Girdwood stays locked in his quarters loudly composing epic battle poems to the point other officers make mention of it. On the march. Sharpe allows that dogs are to be considered suitable companions for the Regiment, Girdwood is terrified by dogs. The battle is a frontal assault against fortified trenches, and the book goes into how Girdwood completely unprepared for the smoke noise and chaos, as he considers war to be perfect formations and maneuvering. When he does snap he's sitting in a trench surrounded by the dead, talking to them, weeping and trying to recite poetry while a dog chewed on a corpse next to him. One of the other Officers states that, back home, they could charge a penny for people to view him. He's carried away quietly and never mentioned again,
A mate of mine...well okay, it was me, in a dark hut and freezing while trying to sleep off a massive gutful of booze, opened up a cupboard and found a blanket. Early next morning I woke and found I was wrapped up in the Regimental colours...and covered in spew. Never before was I so silent and stealthy as I was in that moment. *Now that's soldiering!* In my defence, this was the Royal New South Wales Regiment, linear descendant of the New South Wales Corps aka The Rum Corps, established for guarding convicts and the only unit to have: a. Overthrown the government of Australia (the Rum Rebellion 1808) b. Ruled for two years as an illegal military junta, with rum as the actual currency c. GOT AWAY WITH IT, because i. The Governor was William Bligh, starring in his second mutiny, and ii. If they hanged the perpetrators they would end up with the convicts in charge, and iii. The French would have laughed their derrieres off. And this ends my Show And Tell presentation on my family history.
Bits of fabric lodged in the wounds of injured men who were struck by musket balls. Doctors in the early years of the 19th century were unable to treat subsequent infections. Requiring soldiers to fight in their shorts, or completely naked, could have prevented hundreds of deaths. Also, the savings in wardrobe costs would have allowed the producers to hire more extras.
3:28-3:36 I know just how awful Col. Girdwood really is, and that he deserved everything that happened to him. But damn... you just want to hug him in that moment, he sounds so broken; like a kid witnessing something horrible for the first time.
@@Gothic7876 that's how all armies were in that Era. Even in the US I had hands put on me by my drill sergeant in 2005. About the only bad thing was the whole hunting people thing
@@Beowulf-eg2li Irl, if it penetrated the body. it would probably meet some bones. In addition, it's never a direct thrust - there's always some twisting and bending. Plus, the steel wasn't so great. So yeah, it would pierce a guy or two and kill them, but after that it's likely to bend.
@@VerkingKerng No. He's not. Real british bayonets were dull and thus it was hard to penetrate with them and there's real historical pieces where the bayonet bent upon contact with possibly bone or someone's canteen.
That extra got off easy. I was watching a clip from a different Sharpe Movie, and Sean stabs with his sword, and kicks the guy in the cods while pulling out the sword. I hope that extra got an extra Fiver in his pay packet.😉😁
to watch this series youd think that the entire British army consisted of 50 men, who then changed unforms to form the french army also of the same 50 men. (now, THAT'S soldiering)
3:17 It's four on four, they've all just missed their volley and won't have time to reload, your squadmates are readying their bayonets and you're leading the charge. What do you do? _RUN AWAYYYY_
I love the continuity.. Sharpe calling Weller 'Charlie, Lynch shouting 'God Save Ireland!' (did he ever stop? *lol*) and the one who stabbed Lynch 'shouting 'Filth!' at him :)
@@GaryGrumbles In the books it's explained that the French packs are much better than the British ones. And their trousers and boots iirc, which is why Sharpe gets mistaken for a French soldier every time it suits the plot.
In that era of warfare the flying colours was to be held at times to boost moral and to allow others to identify your unit of men. In alot of war movies of this era you'll see a flag bearer go down and the nearest solider would drop his rifle pick up the flag and run tonthe front of the line don't forgot you also got drummers and other instruments being played in battle that's to help keep a beat to march to. Although I don't believe they where picked up after the man was killed or wounded. Look up movies like the patriot. Or war and peace They have examples of the flag being picked up
I use to hate Sharpe My parents use to watch it But now I’m older and I can see what all the fuss was about I am in absolute awe of Sharpe I now love it 🥰
May I ask, what did you hate about it? Was it because it was "boring grown-up stuff", or simply that your parents insisted on watching it, possibly when you wanted to watch something else? (Ah, those pre RU-vid and iPlayer days!)
Lt Colonel Girdwood sobbing like a baby on the battlefield! Sergeant Lynch got bayonetted for attempting to run away like a little girl! Now that's a sweet soldering revenge!
Tv artillery is pretty much like using Stormtroopers from Star Wars, they couldn't hit a barn door in a month of sundays, and the one or two hits they do manage makes you wonder why they employed it in the first place. Never mind Cannons don't fire like that anyway. Cannons were shot below the intended target, so as to bounce and skim across the ground, ploughing into ranks of infantry or cavalry, and doing horrendous damage hacking off limbs or heads, and moving on into any units marching behind too. The accuracy would always be off for the first few shots in the beginning of a battle, but as the cannons warmed up the gunners would always find their aim. It's why cannon was so feared on the battlefield, especially if a battalion was formed up in square to avoid a cavalry attack. One cannon ball could sweep away a whole side of the square if it was aimed right, taking out 100 men or more. For this very reason, and to hide where his troops were, Wellington kept his battalions below the ridge at Waterloo, although it didn't stop the odd perfectly aimed cannon ball bouncing just right on the crest and arcing over into the men below. It must have been terrifying, especially knowing that if you did survive a cannonball you had to face the gruesome prospect of the surgeons behind the lines, with their bone saws, pincers and poor hygiene.
