A brief moment, but still a moment, where Speirs got to be the coolest man in the world

Spiers doesn't even say anything just books it like a hunting dog

Winters didn't snap at people often so when he did, you paid attention

First time watching this series, your like "oh man, what's Winters gonna do?' Then he says that and its immediately "LETS GOOOOOOOO"

Speirs didn't chew bubble gum but chewed nails! That dude was a beast on the battlefield! Great episode here, and these poor girls will have some tough moments still to come. Especially episode 9 " Why we fight ".

I imagine the Germans had the same expression on their faces as Haley did when Spiers charged forward to link up with I Company - eyes wide and mouth open in disbelief.

In the 90s Winters confessed Speirs killed the prisoners, it was their first day of combat, everyone was full stressed, young men killing and dying, so Speirs did what he thought que should have done, not because he was a psycho, actually he was particularly a cool and funny guy.

@@Pedrogogthey were a paratrooper invasion force which was scattered alllllll over the peninsula. Taking prisoners wasn’t really a realistic option until the beach invasion linked up, especially if there were a big number of prisoners…

Almost the moment Spiers was on scene, they went from "we're getting torn apart" to "the Germans are getting away."

Every CO needs a right hand man like Nixon. Even if he wasn’t hands on like Winters, he was essential for every mission being successful with the right intelligence. Also Nixon was a good friend, which for someone like Winters, who’s is at the top of the chain of command and where it’s never more lonely, couldn’t be more essential. Band of Brothers really makes me appreciate the friendships I have. Im lucky enough to have guys like Nixon and Lipton in my life. I ran a fraternity for a year and these sort of relationships are all I thought about. I had a VP, who really didn’t do shit, but nonetheless I needed him and I couldn’t have done anything without him by my side. I also had my NCOs who stepped up and led the fraternity, even if it wasn’t their job to do so. Brotherhood like that really is a special experience that I think everyone should have, whether it’s in the military, a team sport, or a fraternity. Seek it. You’ll learn a lot about yourself and other people.

Thats cool i didn't know that

no way!! that's amazing!

My father, a navy vet. in the Pacific, worked for Owens-Illinois at the Oakland, CA Plant for 32 years.

I believe, sir, that you got to meet one of those men Winters talked about in that story that NEVER fails to bring a tear to my eye: “Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?” I’ll omit the response, let everyone who hasn’t seen it, enjoy it.

No spoilers, please.

All episodes are on Patreon, so it isn’t really a spoiler

Yeah this doesn't get any easier

Yeah there are about to be a lot of tears

And they still have episode 9 to look forward to. Invest in tissues, ladies.

Maybe "They like it hot" aka 'The Pacific' 😲 (naah, NOT for those 2!!)

Episode 9 has entered the comments

Yeah if I remember correctly they used Dike as a way to show what a incompetent leader acts like. Which I thought they were over exaggerated but after joining I found out it’s not.

Him being wounded is highly disputed, it was never mentioned in the book the series is based on nor the books that came out after the show written by E Company men, including the one authored by Winters. In all my studies I don't remember anything about a radio being compromised. Additional thoughts on the whole Dike thing. 1: He worked under Winters who had his concerns about Dike just like the men who worked under Dike that had their concerns. That's saying something when both the men above and below you have that. 2: If he was hit, that by itself shouldn't have stopped the charge into Foy unless he ordered it which everyone knows is idiotic and suicidal being exposed as they were. He also did order the flanking maneuver which was clearly a bad idea, and he wouldn't respond to Winters on the radio. 3: In the book written by Winters he was asked by higher ups what he wanted to do with Dike, he chose to immediately replacing Dike and met zero resistance. Ultimately, and regardless if he was actually injured or not, he failed the men at a very critical time. How many died because of that?

@@anthony92399 The 506th’s AARs mention that Dike was relieved due to wounds received in battle and the bit about the captured radios. Whether that is someone higher covering for Dike I don’t really know. I do know that he went on to have a full career in the Army, and his actions in Holland, for which he was awarded a silver star, and another bronze star for pulling 3 wounded men from an OP in Bastogne under fire just add more mystery. Either way, you are correct. Easy didn’t have effective leadership during the assault, and sadly men died because of it.

@@philipcoggins9512 Apparently, Dike was from a somewhat connected family. Later, he became an aid to General Taylor, Div HQ. I believe the Holland heroic action. However, if he did rescue 3 men in the same regiment, I find it hard to believe no one in Easy would have heard that. Dike did receive at least 2 Purple Hearts/clusters. Could he have been wounded at Foye? May be. That might explain his inaction but does not explain some of is other choices. Perhaps he was in shock!

@@anthony92399One thing that some mentioned as their opinion. Dike may have been decent, not great or special, platoon leader, but that is different than leading a company into battle. Unless he has told a squad to stay back or to move forward while the rest do something else, a platoon leader might expect to see all elements of his platoon. Perhaps why he was unnerved by not see a platoon, but he is commanding several platoons! Don't know if that opinion has merit, but found it interesting!

As a former Panzergrenadier i can agree to that. There is Decade old Rivalry between German Panzergreanadiere and Fallschirmjäger (Paratroopers) about who are the hardest Sons of B*tches. The Grenadiers who storm Head-On into the Enemy Lines or Counterattacks at the very Speartip, or the Airborne who jumps in behind them. I still to this Day have no unbiased Answer to this Question, and maybe thats good. Competition keeps the "Game" at high Quality.

I think the last members of Easy all passed but as a whole I think we are approaching the point of all these soldiers will be gone. I'm just glad that some of their first hand accounts are preserved.

@@nullunit correct, at least of the original Toccoa men. Back in 2022 if I remember

Thank you for your service!

@@PoolSiide24 thank you for the support

isnt USAJFKSWCS where they train the green hat soldiers? @@Romanowski129

Not only huge, but made of steel. You would think that would weigh him down.

In the 90s Winters confessed Speirs killed the prisoners, it was their first day of combat, everyone was full stressed, young men killing and dying, so Speirs did what he thought que should have done, not because he was a psycho, actually he was particularly a cool and funny guy.

LOL. Yeah. Episode 9 says "hold my tissues."

Agreed.

Natalie gold is pretty good as well.

@@TheDarkCow11Yes, she is.

@@TheDarkCow11 Yep. I like Natalie, too. These ladies seem more appropriately dialed in emotionally to what is happening, though. Also, they rarely cut the payoff line to a scene, which Natalie does too often.

I heard a story about a bomber that was hit multiple times in the gas tank by incendiary shells but did not blow up. One of the shells remained in the tank. In the part that would have exploded was a note in Czech that said we are doing what we can is this story true? I do not know but it fits the slave labor narrative to a T.

He was more of the wrong type of leader for Easy Company. Dike was not the type of leader who lead from the trenches. He was wounded at Foy whether he broke, became confused or what ever he did make the ill fated order to halt and attack by flanking. It was that order which lead to Winters having Spiers take command. As far as whether he was a good leader from several accounts about him especially from Lipton they did not have a high opinion of him. He was called "Foxhole Norman" and he did often vanish from the lines. Some accounts state this was because he thought he still had obligations to HQ where he came from. Getting medals just means your brave. Being brave doesn't make you a good leader. I think the main issue the men of Easy Company had with him was he did not lead by example and from the front. One thing to remember about Easy Company they were considered an assault unit compared to regular units. However Lipton's views on Dike is much reflected in this portrayal and it is being narrated by him.

@@arakuss1 He wasn't just portrayed as a poor leader though, he was portrayed as a socially inept coward. His so-called vanishing could easily be explained by him having no camaraderie in the unit. As an outsider given the task of leading a unit notoriously unwelcoming of outsiders he was likely well aware of the hostility towards him from the men, although he still should have been out walking the lines doing the tasks that got Lipton commissioned for doing in his place. The men not knowing where he was doesn't mean he was chilling in the rear echelon sipping hot cocoa while his unit got shelled, most likely "Foxhole" Norman just kept to himself. The events that led to his second Bronze Star occurred just ten days before the attack on Foy so he was out there with the men, just not leading them adequately. Also I flat out call bullshit on him ever telling anyone "Im going to go for help" and fleeing the line in the middle of an artillery barrage, and I seriously doubt he ever just wandered off in the middle of a conversation with someone either.

Agreed he'll of a time for the defenders of bastogne

I’ve read the book and other accounts. From what I understood, the problem was what was actually being described. Speirs, apparently, did shoot some German prisoners but, apparently it was within a short time after he landed. He was leading no more than a squad (handful) of men, they’d jumped some Germans and were holding them but German pressure forced Speirs’ element to withdraw from their position rather quickly and, if Speirs shot them, though arguably still a war crime, it was more in the vein of “we can’t take them with us, we can’t turn them loose…..” than assassinating a group of harmless, guarded prisoners. The reputation Speirs earned seems to support this narrative: he was brutal efficiency embodied. He was cut from the same military cloth as Sherman. You visited hell on your enemy as a means of shortening the end of the war. I don’t want to give any spoilers but consider his behavior in a later episode when every emotion tells him to kill a, sort of, prisoner in front of him and he refrains. This speaks to his ability to stay rationale and not act on emotion. From what I understand, Speirs was utterly ruthless and practical: execute men who are inclined to give away your and your men’s position? Without hesitation. Randomly execute a group of properly guarded prisoners in the light of day and with no immediate threat? Brutal, sure but pointless and that doesn’t jibe with the image the men who served with him painted. I’m not sure of your source material and you could be right, don’t get me wrong. It seems possible that Winters may have asked Speirs “Were the stories about you executing prisoners true?” Speirs says, “They were,” thinking Winters was describing the confused, night-time engagement shortly after landing not the scenario depicted. I did serve in the Army in combat and I can assure you of no shortage of instances where I was a direct witness to events a fellow soldier was describing but finding the account so embellished as to be almost unrecognizable. When the troops are discussing it in an earlier episode, I find that scene utterly precise in capturing how soldiers talk about these sorts of stories: “No, the way I heard it……” I think we might be dealing with a story with a kernel of truth under deep layers of fairly typical BS.

@@MrSmithlathe publisher of the book was worried about lawsuits so Winters called up Sparky and he wrote Winters a letter giving permission to tell the stories and use his name.

​@MrSmithla wartime, mid-invasion, they weren't hapless civilians, they were captured Enemy combatants so its no war cime like what would be the case for torture of POWs so forth. Doesn't count mid-campaign.

@@genghisgalahad8465 I’m certainly not versed in International Law. I’m pretty sure the Geneva Accords prohibit execution of prisoners. The debate would be, “What was the status of those German soldiers at that second?” I’m NOT anti-Speirs. I fought in a war, get it over with is, ultimately, the greatest mercy to the most number of people. Anyone in that situation would VERY reasonably argue that they, either, weren’t proper POWs at that point or there’s some wiggle room towards “I don’t have to allow myself or my men to be put in danger to care for you.” Otherwise you could argue that a guard couldn’t defend himself if attacked by a POW. My main argument is really that, from the articles I recall reading and my experience with ‘company stories/gossip,’ I find it possible that Speirs’ actions as depicted in the series are problematic. I’m actually arguing that there is a possible sequence of events where Lt Ronald ‘Sparky’ Speirs did intentionally end the lives of disarmed German soldiers in his custody and NOT be a war criminal, moral monster or sociopath.

@@genghisgalahad8465 I think what may have happened is that, in the telling and re-telling, the details of the story get muddled from a sound tactical decision during a withdrawal in the middle of the night to a homicidal and pointless mass execution in broad daylight surrounded by witnesses no one could ever find.

He is relly good in Oz

Agreed!!!!

I've been trying to look into that. I've seen mentions of 20's and low 30's °F (more or less -7 up to about 0 °C), with occasional dips to 0 °F (-18 °C), which seems more believable already. I'd very much like to see official records, but I can imagine the climatological institutions' record keeping was not as meticulous during the war. The thing is: I live in Belgium, though not in the Ardennes, but I've been in the Ardennes a few times in winter. I know december 1944 - january 1945 was exceptionally cold, and Bastogne can be colder than where I live, but some of the temperatures I see mentioned seem really implausible. -20 °F (-29 °C) is very hard to believe. Belgium is not Siberia or Alaska! I doesn't take all that much cold to get really cold of you're outside the whole time, day and night for weeks, without winter clothing or any form of shelter, sleeping on the frozen ground without camp bed or sleeping bag. 20 °F, seems bad enough, let alone 0 °F; -20 °F is ... I don't know, is that even survivable without appropriate clothing and shelter?

​​@@rschroevThat may have included wind chill. I think -20 Celsius, which is negative -4 Fahrenheit makes more sense. I've been outside at that temperature in a parka and didn't enjoy it. You're surprised with people can survive.y grandfather survived mining in a Soviet gulag in Kolyma, where It did hit -40 c/f. In time I was with him and complained about it being cold, he would laugh. He remembered it being so cold that if he peed it outside, the urine would freeze before it hit the ground And the steam coming from your mouth froze

@@rschroev I Googled the information and read an article that stated the temperature that winter, describing it as the coldest winter for many years. I don't know how accurate it was.

I think a lot of people miss the distinction of "made your peace with it". At its essence, that's what he was arguing in episode 3. A lot of people assume he means something hopeless or even suicidal, but really, it just means accepting that things are out of your hands. He absolutely embodied that state of mind, judging by the book/show.

Bulletproof balls of steel also helped him tremendously

Also, he killed the sniper before they captured the town, fighting was still happening and Lipton never acted as a diversion cuz he was a few blocks down the road. Shifty just outshot the sniper by himself. He also couldn’t see the sniper in the window, as he was a few feet back further in the room. Shifty aimed at the steam from his breath

On December 29, 1944, when Easy company was staying the woods, Powers noticed a tree standing there that had not been there the day before and reported it to his First Sergeant Lipton. The "tree" was discovered to be a part of a camouflage the Germans put up for there anti-aircraft battery. Lipton got permission to fire on the battery, despite low ammunitions. The area was evacuated within an hour.

That shot is on google maps, it's now a historical marker in Belgium near the town of Foy, to me it looked more like 50 meters, but a hell of a shot in any case

It's worse because you know these guys were hard as nails, so anything that makes *them* choke up must have been awful beyond imagination.

It’s actually Hashey (one of the replacements featured) who said that!

@@va3svd Agreed.

What a beautiful little bit of justice

That's some stylish poetic justice.

Thank you for your service.

I was to say the same.

Yep. Episode 9.

Everytime I watch a reaction to Band of Brothers, I scan the comments for new insights, and here it is. I always learn something new. Thank you.