As a veteran, I can tell you that discipline is everything. They care about the stupid stuff so you can pay attention to detail. Paying attention to detail can be the difference between life or death. That being said, Sobel in the series took it to a whole another level.

In 1942, $50 had about the same buying power as $1000 right now.

The reason they're hyper concerned about creases and rust is to emphasize perfection and attention to detail. If you're on the battlefield, one little mistake or missed detail can get you and a lot of your friends killed.

not bro saying "woah is this about the battle of normandy... its a famous battle in history" and then says "oh this is ABOUT d-day?!?!?" lmao

As a Marine Combat Veteran and leader of some very highly decorated Marines, let me share some insight into the character of Captain Sobel. There are many types of leaderships styles and many people have strengths in certain aspects and weaknesses in others. Some leaders are selfless, some leaders are selfish. Strict discipline is a component of all good war time military leadership, but the intent behind it makes all the difference as to how people respond. Sobel is a bad leader, and portrayed as such, because he is selfish, not mean or too strict.

Part of the reason for the disappointment when they couldn’t jump that first night, is the emotional or psychological preparation you need to get ready. Your adrenalin is pumped, you mentally are ready, just like athletes have to get ready for a performance, and then you have to stop, and then get ready all over again the next day.

This isn’t a shot at you guys but I’m amazed at how little of world history is taught in the schools anymore. I remember learning about a lot of this in World History that was mandatory back in the late 80’s. I’m excited to see your journey through this incredible series

These are paratroopers. Their job is to be dropped behind enemy lines and fight on their own. Their motto is "Currahee", which is Cherokee for "We stand alone". That is why Lieutenant Sobel says "Do not help that man". At this point in the training the idea that they will be isolated is being drilled into their minds. They are being trained for a situation where they will be alone, and help may be far away. They will have to fight on their own or they will die.

This miniseries is definitely a roller coaster ride. All of these people were real soldiers and their exploits were all real. What they went through, all of it is portrayed in this miniseries. What happened with Guarnere was that he grabbed Sgt. John Martin’s jacket by accident and read the letter inside the pocket. Sgt. Martin’s wife was keeping track of the casualty lists back home and this was how Guarnere found out about his brother, who was killed during Battle of Monte Cassino, one of the most bloody battles of the Italian theater. Regarding, D-Day and the Normandy invasion, you’ll see Easy Company’s contributions, but that’s it. Operation Overlord was a massive undertaking involving not just the Americans, but also the British, Canadians, and French resistance in order to help liberate France from Nazi leadership. Before the infantry landed on the beaches, paratroopers were dropped behind enemy lines to soften up enemy defenses inland. Band of Brothers follows Easy (E) Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. While Easy Company technically no longer exists, the 101st Airborne division is still very much an active unit and plays an important role in our nation’s defense.

Never even hearing of Normandy is WILD

Just to clarify about the beginning when they say “no jump tonight” and the men are upset. That is definitely NOT because they were 4-F. Being considered 4-F meant you could not even be in the military. These men were just annoyed they got all set to jump and then had to get out of their gear. Men who were 4-F were stuck back in the states and felt useless if they couldn’t fight. Some to the point of committing suicide over it.

$50 in 1942, is almost $1000 today.

Good reaction. One bit of advice I would give would be to try and pay close attention to all of the dialog in the episodes as the show is really good at presenting information to the audiance through 3rd person conversations. Many reactors miss out because they are talking over it.

Keep in mind, this is the most fact based, realistic show about WW2 you can possibly watch. If you wonder if something is true, it is. Also, things have changed A LOT since basic training in ww2. They could do things to soldiers then that they would be jailed for now. Sobel is known for his pettiness. He did a lot of wrong things, but he also trained the F out of e-z company and they give him props for his training later. If you have not watched Saving Private Ryan, you definitely should. It shows the attack on Omaha Beach and it is unbelievable... while that is happening "Band of Brothers" Airborne is dropping down in parachutes to attack from behind.

You two are slow as molasses.

Sobel was giving the men experience in situations that can happen in war. You are eating and then get attacked, nobody cares that you were eating. If you hurt yourself when running and nobody is there to help, you better push thru and run. There aren't many weekend passes in war. Yes, he was tough but that toughness was transferred to the men and it was displayed throughout their lives.

"If you can't do the little things right, you will never be able to do the big things right." - Admiral McRaven, Commander of the Navy Seals. In the Military you are expected to pay the utmost attention to the smallest details, no matter how insignificant they may seem. This is drilled into you from day 0 of training. It is designed to instill discipline and pride in ones work. The following is a breakdown of ranks in the US Army, as well as what role they play: Enlisted: Private, Private First Class (These are the low end ranks, the regular troops who do most of the manual work essentially). Corporal, Sergeant, Staff Sergeant (These are your Non-Commissioned Officers or NCO's. They fill a Supervisor role, ensuring the jobs get done and will often take part in doing the job as well, but they are in charge of the servicemen under them). Sergeant First Class, Master Sergeant, First Sergeant, Sergeant Major, (These ranks are essentially Manager advisors. They are the most experienced of the NCO's and will be assisting the Officers in command of units). Officer: 2nd Lieutenant, 1st Lieutenant, Captain (These ranks are local managers. They command Platoons, Companies, and on rare occasions a Captain can command a Battalion. These ranks are the ones advised by the senior NCO's). Major, Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel (These are your Branch Managers, in charge of multiple units that work independently from one another, but form a Battalion or Brigade). Brigadier General, Major General, Lieutenant General, General, General Of The Army (These ranks command Divisions, Corps, or Armies, and are the highest of the Officer ranks. This is the top of the top as far as military rank goes, and only a single one of these ranks even makes an appearance in the show). Now for organizational structure: Squad (9 men), Platoon (usually 3-4 Squads), Company (usually 3-4 Platoons), Battalion (usually 5 Companies), Brigade (3-5 Battalions), Division (3-4 Brigades), Corps (2-5 Divisions). Hopefully this is informative for you both going forward, and I'm excited to watch your reactions!

Please dont take this the wrong way , As a veteran and someone that is only 55 years old , it is shocking to me how little you know about WW2 ... I mean even if you only had seen movies about WW2 you should know at least a little bit about it. Do they not teach this in school anymore? I would suggest a few documentaries on youtube before continuing the series. Just type in D day or Battle of the bulge. Very important battles. other than that all I can say is the series is very accurate and you will learn a lot ..

I have a box of rocks that is smarter and more understanding than you 2.

“You never gonna be ready to experience war until you experience it.” As a combat veteran, I can safely say that, that’s a very uninformed opinion. When ur on a deployment cycle, you train year round. Its purpose is to create “muscle memory.” Meaning, even if you freeze up, given direction under high stress is all you need for your body to continue fighting.

Most of these (probably all of them) guys were kids during the great depression. $50 xtra dollars a month WAS HUGGGGGGEEEE to them. And also being picky about every little thing makes you pay attention to details.. which matters Also 21:58 Gaurnere is the one who grabbed the wrong jacket and read that his brother died.. the dead brother the 2 guys were talking about (20:03)was Gaurnere's brother..

You probably know by now, but to clarify: John Martin's wife kept up with news about casualties, and sent him a letter about Wild Bill Guarnere's brother's death in Italy. Rather than personally tell Bill, Martin made it so that Guarnere "accidentally" found that letter. Guarnere read it and found out his brother got killed right before jumping.

In 1942 when they signed up the base pay for a new soldier was paid $50 per month which is the rough equivalent of $985 today. To put that extra $50 for becoming a paratrooper into perspective. Or, from a different point of view, a new house was roughly $3,800 and a new car was $920, and a years tuition at Harvardwas $420. They were just coming out of the great depression and doubling your pay would be HUGE. LOL it wasn't just the cost of one steak dinner.

Guys, you talk too much. Just watch and listen. How would you understand when you keep talking and miss the dialogues.

You asked what they can do to prepare you for actual combat? I was in the army and in basic training one of the things we did was crawl under barbed wire like they did in the show, while several machine guns are firing live rounds over your head. Live rounds, not blanks. If you stood up, youd be dead. Also they throw artillery simulators which are almost like sticks of dynamite. So youve got machine guns firing over your head and explosions going off all over the place while your face is in the dirt and youre low crawling with your weapon and gear on. Its pretty crazy. Nothing can really prepare you for the real thing but this kinda let you feel what its like to be taking fire.

The show follows Easy company of the 101st from D-Day through all the big battles they were involved in, until the end of the war. Enjoy your journey. Episode 1 is the last one you get to relax in. If you saw Saving Private Ryan, which focused on the beach invasion, this was the air arm of the battle. The invasion got cancelled at the last moment a few times due to weather. The soldiers were on edge. The reason Eisenhower said yes on June 6th is because the tide and moon would not meet the conditions the navy, air force and para drops until late July. You will notice a lot of actors that you know today but where young in this: Simon Pegg Jimmy Fallon Michael Fassbender Tom Hardy Colin Hanks James McAvoy

Just came across your channel due to this magnificent series. Think I’ll stick around to see your commentary. These men of that Greatest Generation I have so much respect for, as I grew up with the stories of my great uncles service during WWII.

D-Day was the Allied invasion of Normandy, France when it was held by the Nazis. Some soldiers made an amphibious assault on the beaches, as portrayed in Saving Private Ryan, while paratroopers, like Easy Company, parachuted behind enemy lines to prepare the way for the Allied advance from the beaches.

You're in for a ride. This series is incredible and really highlights the work, coping skills, intelligence and dedication it takes to survive in warfare. Paratroopers jump BEHIND enemy lines. So Easy Company, along with the rest of the 101st and 82nd airborne are jumping in the middle of the German defenses while the landing fleets hit the beaches of Normandy.

The guys had to do 5 jumps to earn those silver ”wings” which makes them official paratroopers, so they had the celebration dinner.

If you’ve ever watched, saving Private Ryan, the beginning battle is D-Day. So while those troops took the beaches, easy company and the other troops parachute in from the other side of Frances.

The discipline about things like not drinking from their canteen, is because when you are involved in real life war situations, you have to be able to sacrifice, and do your job even despite unexpected problems, like not having food, water, warmth, rest, etc.

WOW! Y'all need to read more or something. This is about the entire war and what Easy Company's role was in fighting it. This company was part of the 101st airborne division. This is a true story and the characters were real people. Hopefully after watching this will inspire you to learn about WW2. It's well worth it.

Sobel always reminds me of General George B. McClellan during the Civil War: great at training his men, not so much at leading them in the field.

Really enjoying going through reactions with you, already watched band of brothers many times before but it feels like sitting down with good friends who haven't watched it before 🤘😊

An older movie that gives the big picture for D-Day is The Longest Day. An all-star international cast in a documentary style movie, well worth your time.

Heya Mair & Sophie. Good choice on the new show. This series will show you what it was like to fight in the largest war in human history from the perspective of the men of Easy Company. @Sophie: The military focuses on "petty" things like cleanliness and creases to reinforce *perfectionism*. For example: 1) If you forget to fold all your clothes, 2) You'll forget to count all your ammo before combat.-> 3) You get killed. That's the logic. Is it perfect? Probably not. But you can't just put people in real life-threatening situations for the sake of training, so you gotta prepare them using EVERYTHING else, including being organized all the time. Also, +$50 per month back in 1943 is getting +$900 per month today. Nothing to scoff at, considering soldiers don't usually get paid much to begin with. Question for the both of you: Have you seen Saving Private Ryan(1998)? This series is like the follow-up to that movie. You NEED to watch it sometime, for the sake of really learning your history. Maybe watch it while you watch Band of Brothers. They both show different perspectives of the same war. Also, I was curious how much you guys already know about WWII and how old y'all are (if you wanna tell us).

No one could wrong you if you at least read up about Easy Company..You seems to be a bit dense about world history.. specially the significant kind..You will end up making a lot of faux paux if you are not updated about WWII.

You are correct, Dwight D Eisenhower eventually became President of the United States....

Being in training is difficult. When I was in the US Navy, our instructors made us do 8-count body builders in the field outside the mess hall. They started spraying the grass which had turned to mud. Lunch that day? Ribs. We had to pick up the ribs with our muddy hands, move it forward, up and then into our mouths. The good thing was that the recruits bonded over it.

This is the best series/movie done on WWII. You guys are going to love it!!

Some words on Capt. Sobel, as he's portrayed: A leader has to be three things; a boss, a persuader, an educator, and when to be each of those. He cannot be just one of them all the time. Sobel chose to be the boss, and only the boss. While he would have passed Officer Candidate School, he should never have been put in a position where he would lead men into battle. His harshness and abusive manner is a thin veil over his insecurities. His ego is battling his humility. He's also petty and spiteful. Making Winters serve spaghetti & then forcing the men to run, was intended to get the men to despise Winters instead of himself. All he succeeded in doing was to get the men to gel together and in the process made himself redundant -- the men didn't need him anymore. Sobel's reality didn't match his expectations and he threw up a shield. Without the moral fiber to be a combat leader, he decided to beat his men into submission rather then shape them. Listening to their subordinate leaders -- NCO's -- is something all good leaders do. They don't have to heed the advice, but they should listen to it. But Sobel is none of those things. He is the epitome of a bad and dangerous leader. (Vet. I used to train infantry officers)

Everything after the first episode is gold. I love this series.

Don’t mind the mean comments! It’s great you guys are reacting to this series. By far one of the best things ever put on television. You’ll get the hang of it and just look for the more informative comments that help you with historical context and explanation.

Schools no longer teach history worth a damn do they?

Eisenhower was president from 53-61 during which he introduced the Interstate Highway System which is named after him. During the war he oversaw the invasions of North Africa and Sicily. Then he oversaw the liberation of Western Europe as Supreme Allied Commander (i.e. he was in charge of the armies, navies and air forces in Western Europe of the US, Britain, Canada, the Free French and Poles etc ). In case D-Day failed he had written the following press release "Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based on the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone." Sadly we don't have leaders like that today.

Yes this about D-Day. More specifically its about one if the companies of the 101st airborne, Easy company. D-Day was June 6th 1944 but the night before the 101st and 82st airborne units parachuted in behind the beach to try to destroy and wreak as much havoc as they could to help the beach landings. They jumped right into the middle of enemy territory totally surrounded. The series is based on a book of the same name, Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose in which the author interviewed the members of Easy company extensively, it is one of the most detailed histories of a military unit in war.

The old man wouldn't have been afraid because 1 he wouldve been a veteran himself of the first world war 2 Britain by this point had already been at war for almost 5 years being bombed daily and 3 the entire country was basically a giant base for all the allied forces at the time so seeing soldiers on exercise was extremely common.

Sobel got them all on the same page, outstanding training officer. Much Respect to all that served.

I wish people knew more history. You guys will learn alot

Part of what we learn from the first episode is to get introduced to the main characters we will follow in the series, and a sense of their personality, and how we will see them grow over the series.

Ok I'm Nigerian and quite well versed on both WW1 and WW2. I didn't learn it from school but by studying history. Not everyone is into that. The people in the comments section need to chill out and stop throwing insults and just let these two watch this incredible show. If the schools didn't teach them or they didn't pay attention, you cant blame them either way. .as that kind of history probably isn't their thing. But even if you didn't study common/important world history growing up, it doesn't mean you can't learn it older- through documentaries and movies.

There is a big difference between a boss and a leader. Sobel was a boss; Winters was a leader.

banding as brothers starts in training. these are also real people and you get insight into not just the characters but the character they have. i love this ep!

Sobel is training them to be bad asses, and they have to be able to physically rise to any situation. He doesn't mean you shouldn't help your fellow soldier in battle, but at the training stage, you'll never be good enough unless you're forced to meet the most difficult situations. Because actual war, will be so much worse than whatever you experience in training. If you are going to function as a unit, you have to follow all the rules and put aside your individual desires for the good of the company. Sobel was a very difficult, vindictive, deeply imperfect person, lots of faults, but he made them tough and instilled esprit de corps even if part of it was against him.

You get yelled at for little details in basic training, cause in war, the little details can save your life and your mens life.

best series ever made, enjoy!

Eisenhower was made Supreme Commander for the Allies in WW2, and became one of only 5 star generals. After the war, he was President for 2 terms, from 1953 to 1961. The national interstate road system we have today, was partially inspired by him, and his experiences during the war, where he saw how important it was for a country to have one unified system of roads using the same signage and connecting together.

This an amazing series! This is about the 101st airborne who did jump in in D Day and Eisenhower was a 5star general during D Day.

As many others said, this attention to the small details is to create a discipline where nothing is left unchecked, because it can be a question of life and death on the battlefield. But also, the whole point is about putting the recruits under heavy pressure physically and mentally so they can operate in any conditions, cause whatever you do in training, the pressure will never be as high as on the battlefield. Instead of asking why it's important to take care of rust and creases, you should ask yourself "is being reprimanded for rust and creases the worst thing that can happen to me in the army?" And you'll know the answer pretty quick.

The troopers were jumping behind enemy lines to take out the guns that were focused on the beaches where the American troops and Allied troops were going to land on, and they were going to try to destroy them and help those troops land on the beach.

smh. you have A LOT to learn, especially Sophie, she's already starting to piss me off.

BoB is the airborne 101 paratroops, specifically e company. They were deployed on DDay but they were not on the beaches. They deployed behind enemy lines and this is what the story is about.

You just got introduced to E Company of the 101st Airborne Division in WW2. You will be following them through the entire war and it is very good. My dad served in 10th Armor which was by the side of E Company from Bastogne thru the end. I can't wait for you to see what these brave men went through. P.S. Please dont let anyone deter you from watching this series and hopefully will inspire you to learn more about WW2. There is a second series called The Pacfic and now pkaying Masters of the Air about the airwar against Germany.

It was Bill's brother that was killed in Italy at Monte Casino. He was the one that read the letter in the 'wrong' jacket.

The scene where Capt Sobel first makes the mistake in the field, where they would have been captured because he made a wrong decision, had a caption on the screen saying it was in June 1943 in Camp Mackall, North Carolina, so it was still part of their training.

Looking forward to watching u guys enjoy this wonderful series!

What happened to all of your BCS reactions?

No, Band of Brothers is not about D-Day. Episode 2 in Band of Brothers is about D-Day. The series as a whole is about their entire war time experience. Regarding the jacket… Bill Guarnere somehow accidentally got a hold of Johnny Martin’s jacket. That’s the jacket that had the note in it that said Guarnere’s brother had been killed at Monte Cassino. Bill found the note, read it, and that’s how he learned his brother had been killed. For the record, Monte Cassino was 90 miles southeast of Rome.

This episode is meant to lay the foundation for the rest of the mini series. To determine why the men of Easy Coy were called Band of Brothers, you need to know the beginnings of these soldiers, which is initiated in episode 1.

Amazing choice of shows Mair and Sophie! Didnt watch Band of Brothers in years, but i remember being really really good. U gonna like this one for sure.

Already subbed within the first 3 minutes watching you guys talk about it. This is gonna be good.

im excited yall started this.

Eps 2 &3 are D-Day.... then war goes on, No spoilers, but have a blanket ready.

The letter was not for garnier, but in it they wrote that his brother died. They didn’t know whether to tell him or to even tell him. But he found the letter.

More younger people should watch things like this....

Excellent series, you guys are in for a ride.

Yes, the next episode will be about D-Day. Another film which features D-Day is “Saving Private Ryan” but focuses on soldiers who were making landings from the sea, altho it is mentioned in the film about the Airborne, who jumped behind enemy lines to help support the troops who made the land assault on D-Day. Both this series and Saving Private Ryan involve Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. The film is excellent and recommended. The D-Day assault, also known as Operation Overlord or the Battle of Normandy, (that was the invasion of Normandy in France that had been occupied by the Nazi troops,) is still the largest invasion ever made and took years to plan, build equipment including modernized planes, ships, weapons, etc. for, and train soldiers, pilots, sailors, etc for. Once Japan attacked the US at Pearl Harbor, the allies of Japan- Germany and Italy, also declared war on the US, so the US was dealing with 3 areas of combat: Japan in Asia and all over the Pacific, Germany all over Europe, and Italy(with backup from Germany) in southern Europe and parts of Africa, especially Northern Africa.

WW2 started on 3 Sep 1939 for Britain. The USA joined WW2 on 7 Dec 1941. On the morning of 'D Day', 6 Jun 1944, troops from USA, Britain and Canada invaded the beaches of Normandy in northern France. The Airborne troops parachuted into France during the night before the landings at the Normandy beaches had started.

Maybe a briefest history of WWII in Europe and particularly on the western front is in order. On September 1, 1939 Germany and Russia invaded Poland. A couple of days later both France and the United Kingdom declared war on Germany. By mid-1940 the Germans had overrun most of Europe including France and they also invaded North Africa. For the next couple of years there was some small battles, but very little major incidents or battles, as the United Kingdom and the French forces that had escaped, geared up to fight the Germans. It took that time to train soldiers and to re-arm themselves, mostly with help from the United States, who was not yet in the war. This is sometimes called the Phoney War as there was really not much major fighting. In early 1941 during the Phoney War, Germany betrayed Russia, who have been their ally, and invaded and took over a substantial part of Russia. This was coupled with Japan attacking Pearl Harbor which led the USA to enter the war. In late 1942 the allies (other than Russia) began to undertake major invasions against Germany. They started by the invasion of North Africa. In mid 1943, the Allied forces, invaded Sicily and then a short time later Italy, to begin the march toward Germany from southern Europe. On June 6, 1944 the western invasion of Europe began with the Invasion of Normandy, often called D-Day. This was the largest invasion and military operation in history. So there would now be Russia fighting Germany on the eastern front but now the other allies attacking from the south and the west. Germany was then being attacked on three sides. Not only was the French coast of Normandy invaded from the sea with landing craft, airborne troops/paratroopers were dropped behind the front lines into the rear areas and almost always landed surrounded by the enemy. They were to disrupt German reinforcements, cause confusion and capture (or protect) key points such as bridges. This was the history as depicted from the perspective of one unit, the 101 Airborne, 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment, Easy Company. It started with the invasion at Normandy and continued through the invasion of Germany and the Victory in Europe. That’s about a short as I can figure out how to give 5 years of war history. 🤔😳👍🏼

The letter regarding Bill’s brother being read is not told exactly how it happened in this episode for whatever reason. But Bill Guarnere did find out his brother had been killed by reading that letter after putting on the wrong jacket. He actually threw the jacket on to walk to the restrooms and discovered and read the letter while sitting on the toilet

Im gonna keep trying to watch this but its hard watching this shit with dumb people that get confused every 5 minutes.

in 1941 that 100 a moth they were making would be equivilient to 2,094.07.

Great series! Not that Saving Private Ryan is needed, but I'd be down to see yall react to it seeing as it inspired Tom Hanks, etc. to go ahead and create this series

Wooo! So pumped you guys are watching this.

It is called Basket ball because the original "net" was a bushel basket with the bottom cut out, nailed to a backboard.

Nothing can prepare a person for going to war, which is exactly why the training is as difficult as possible. No one benefits of the training is easy. It’s just like sports, you practice as hard as possible, so the games feel easier They also hassle you about little things in training, to break you, and weed out the weak links. If you can’t handle small things in training, you will never cope with big things in combat.

Look at it from private ryan, during that movie they focused on the beach storming , the airborne job was to jump behind enemy lines

Hello there, I enjoyed that first episode reaction, looking forward to your journey through it. Some stuff I like to post for context, I hope it is usefull information : The interviews at the beginning are veterans of Easy company (2nd Battalion, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne). They don't show you their names until the very end so you don't know who survived. Operation Overlord, D-Day and the following battle, is indeed the invasion of Normandy in 1944. It is the largest naval invasion in human history (in fact WW2 as a whole is packed with actions on a scale never seen before or after in human warfare), nothing since has even come close. From what I gathered over the Internet, the airborne component of Overlord had two Divisions, the 82nd Airborne Division (All Americans, 6418 men) and the 101st Airborne Division (Screaming Eagles, 6638 men), carried into battle by over 700 airplanes. The 101st was composed of 4 infantry Régiment, 327th GIR (Glider Infantry Regiment), 501st PIR (Parachute Infantry Regiment), 502nd PIR and 506th PIR, plus a number of smaller support units: a Parachute Field Artillery Battalion, two Glider Field Artillery Battalion, an Engineer Battalion and a medical company (NB I may be missing a few, not all sources agree with each other). Each regiment had an insignia on their helmet: 327th Clubs, 501st Diamonds, 502nd Hearts and 506th Spades. Each regiment was composed of 9 fighting company of around 150 men, named A (Able) to I (Item), grouped into 3 battalions of 3 company. Easy company was part of 2nd battalion, 506th PIR. The 506th was commanded by Colonel Robert Sink, he's the one giving the speech after they get their jump wings, and dressing down the NCOs after their mutiny. The 2nd battalion of the 506th was commanded by Lt Colonel Robert Strayer, he's standing at the right side of Sink during the speech, and he's the one dressing down Sobel after the fence incident. The 101st Airborne Division was commanded by General Maxwell Taylor, he's mentioned in the show but I don't think he's ever on screen. Also, Major Oliver Horton (that Luz is imitating during the fence incident) was 2/506PIR (2nd battalion 506th PIR) Executive Officer, basically second in command. He's mentioned a few times in the show but never seen on screen. Hope you enjoy the rest of the show !

There is a very thin line between providing discipline that is useful and that which is not. It takes a master of the are and very few people are terribly good at it. But the results are very impressive. Consider the 1980 Olympics ice hockey coach, Herb Brooks. He was so hard on the players that, for a while at least, they hated him. But, it brought a bunch of rival players together as a team, even if the common link was, "we all hate this guy." Then he eased off, they started to trust him, and they played above the level that they should have been capable of. I was in a unit that had a bad commander. The unit itself started to go bad before he was fired. The captain that was brought in to replace him was very strict ("you will come to parade rest when speaking to me"). . He kept that up till he saw the unit was turning around, then he eased off. He got it, you can start strict and ease off (the other way...start relaxed and then try to adjust to the strict side never works. That just makes people think, "Man, X use to be a cool guy but he turned into a jerk".) Sobel only knew one approach, which is fine for short term training. He might have even got away with it if people recognized he was highly competent (see "Admiral Ernest King"....as his wife said, "Daddy was very even tempered. He was angry all the time.") across the board. But, when the people above him recognized he was a martinet AND incompetent, he as out of there.

Not taking a drink from your canteen is hard, but charging a machine gun position is harder. You have to learn to deny yourself or you'll never win a battle.

One of the best mini series ever...

Sophie isn’t very good at comprehension.

Technically, Sobel got a promotion, he got reassigned to command an entire training school rather than command a single company. What the series omits is that Sobel actually was a part of D-Day and parachuted into Normandy along with the 101st, albeit as a supply company rather than a combat unit. The army treated him right. He was a terrible combat leader but a proficient training and logistics officer.

Train hard, fight easy! CPT Sobel was very good at the hard training part. Every little thing that can add more stress during training will make combat less difficult.

The paratroopers jumped in behind enemy lines at night, so that they would be able to attack the Germans from behind, and provide advance support for the all the thousands of guys landing on the beaches (as seen if Saving Private Ryan).

Within the context of what they intended to show was that Sobel was an incredible training expert. Some of the men in the books themselves attribute Easy Co. being as tough as they were initially bc of their united hate for Sobel. Unfortunately for him they only didn't respect him entirely because Sobel was a poor tactician which is something that's extremely necessary in war time. Hence Sobel's fate through the war. He did his job in getting them ready for war, he just couldnt lead them in it.

i'm excited for this journey with you guys! Best tv show ever made (next to the Wire)

I really hope this show gets a 4k ultra HD release

You have to remember, everything in bands of brothers is based on historical fact, all the characters you're watching were real people and their actions you're watching were documented fact. This is not a movie, this is more of a documentary. Not everyone is a history buff like me, so I appreciate when people watch this for the first time as much a learning experience as anything else. You see what these did and sacrifice, it is extraordinary.