Random Small But Poignant Details Fans Noticed In 'Band Of Brothers' (9 items)

• 

  (#1) Cobb Is Dishonorably Discharged

  From Redditor u/DiegoLapadula10:

  Is that Cobb been escorted by the PM? I Remember that the night before he was drunk and arguing with Lt Jones. So I wonder if he got punished or something. The episode is "The Last Patrol."

  Redditor u/miles_playvis answered:

  Private Roy Cobb was dishonorably discharged from service for assaulting his platoon leader, Lt. Jack Foley, whilst drunk on schnapps. Handing in the court martial papers, Colonel Robert Sink remarked, "Foley, you could have saved us all a lot of trouble. You should have shot him.”
• 

  (#2) Nixon Alludes To His Role In Operation Varsity

  Redditor u/JokingKamil asked,

  In the episode "Why We Fight," Nixon says that he and his squad were flying over Germany when some of them got shot down. I tried to find more information on this but can't find anything about Nixon flying over Germany or any Airborne jumps right near the end of the war. Could someone fill me up on the info. I rewatched the series over three times and I still don't know how they ended up there.

  Redditor u/Cross-Country replied,

  That was Operation: Varsity on March 24th, 1945. The 17th Airborne Division, with the 13th Airborne Division in reserve (which included the veteran 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team) jumped over the Rhine to aid in securing a crossing following the collapse of the bridge at Remagen.

  It was an overcompensation for the failure of Operation: Market-Garden. Rather than have the paratroopers seize and hold distant objectives, they jumped just across the Rhine with every AA gun on the Rhine pointed straight at them. The ground forces were so close that it has since been mostly regarded as a pointless waste of life for the paratroopers who served little to no meaningful role in the crossing.
• 

  (#3) A Soldier On The D-Day Jump May Be Colorblind

  From Redditor u/cokevanillazero:

  Early on, a soldier who is leading one of the jumps on D-Day tells another soldier to tap him on the shoulder when the jump light goes from red to green.

  It only took me like 15 years to figure out that he was colorblind and lied to join the service.
• 

  (#4) The Real Soldiers Who Are Interviewed Are Not Named Until The Final Episode

  From Redditor u/mymousu:

  Rewatching on Hulu and I’m noticing that none of the real (old) soldiers have their names shown on the screen.

  I couldn’t sworn they used to label the interviews so you know who was talking. This is driving me crazy! I can only remember the real Winters and Guarnere

  From Redditor u/SEMHFreya:

  Apparently the idea was so that the viewer wouldn't know "who made it through the war." If they labeled Dick Winters, Bill Guarnere, etc., then initially the viewer would know that they survived the war. By removing their names, they wanted the viewer to have the feeling that they wouldn't know who would make it through the war, much like the men.

  From Redditor u/Astronaut-Bread:

  I think it was more powerful to make you wait to see who was who until the end. Their words carried no less weight when I first saw their real faces in those early episode interviews.

  And at the end, finally matching up the "characters" we all got to know through the series with the words the real people were saying at the start of each episode all along made much more of an impact, I think. You got to apply context to what they were saying now. You saw what they went through instead of just hearing them talk about it.
• 

  (#5) Winters Keeps A Compass On Him

  Redditor u/Cookie4634 asked:

  What did winters use in Episode 2 as a compass with the map and how does it work?

  Redditor u/timehathnomatter answered:

  Pretty sure it's a compass. I'm sure I remember in the book he had a compass sewn into the lining of his trousers. It was tiny. In addition he had a map I think sewn into his fatigues somewhere - there's a decent documentary on YouTube with Winters where he explains the stuff in his home office, and he mentions the map in there.

  Memory is patchy, but yeah, pretty sure it's just a compass.

  Redditor u/Restless_native answered:

  Allied servicemen often [or] typically had a button on their uniform which contained a small compass hidden under a screw cap; that’s what he was using. Once you triangulate your position from visible landmarks you can use your hidden compass to help you evade the tens of thousands of heavily armed [Germans] who’re looking for you!

  Both my grandfathers (1 RAF & 1 Black Watch) told me about their respective “escape & evasion” kits, and button compasses were a main component, along with maps printed on silk which were hidden in paperwork or wallets, etc. Hope that’s what you were meaning
• 

  (#6) 'Why We Fight' Intertwines The Personal Narrative With The Grander Story Of WWII

  From Redditor u/Rosenwinkel92:

  So I re-watch Band of Brothers every couple of years, and each time I pick up on different things. This time around I was struck by just how much is going on in Episode 9, "Why We Fight." I've always thought it was the best episode in a series that doesn't really have any bad parts, but it's impressive to me how it blends the personal struggles and doubts of some of the soldiers (especially Captain Nixon, the main focus of the episode) with Easy Company's journey into Germany and their discovery of the concentration camp at Landsberg. Nixon, and many of the other men, express their frustration with the war, being stuck in it, and openly question why it's being fought in the first place, with Webster's outburst at the retreating German soldiers probably the most explicit.

  Conversely, throughout the episode we see scenes of German soldiers and civilians responding to the American soldiers with indignation, arrogance, and maybe even spite. Winters' remark about the retreating Germans "still marching with pride" sticks out, as does the baker's angry tirade at his store being cleaned out (at least until Webster shuts him up), but most impactful I think is the scene where Nixon breaks into an upscale house in search of a specific kind of whisky. He's confronted by the house's mistress after he breaks the portrait of a German officer (presumably her husband), who glares at him smugly without a word, as if to say, "How dare you break into my house, young man, and destroy the photograph of my beloved husband? Have you no respect? Have you no shame?" Nixon leaves, unable to maintain eye contact with the woman.

  This, of course, all changes when Easy Company discovers the concentration camp. And for many of the men, suddenly the question of "Why are we here?" doesn't seem all that hard to answer anymore. The penultimate scene shows Nixon (no longer giving a damn what kind of whisky he drinks) entering the camp and observing the local German citizens, who have been ordered by marshal law to clear away the [cadavers], forcing them to confront the evil done by their government. Here, none of the Germans are able to keep Nixon's gaze, and he finally comes to the proud woman from before who also averts her eyes from him in shame.

  Why did so many soldiers of Easy Company give the last full measure of devotion as they fought their way across Europe? To defeat evil, that's why. To me, that's I think what this episode is trying to say. That it was worth it; that they were there to defeat what Churchill called "a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalog of human crime."

  On a final side note: it's interesting to me that this episode is one that doesn't feature narration. I think it's a good choice, but I've gotta do some more thinking on it until I fully figure out why.
• 

  (#7) Webster Loses His Bond With The Other Soldiers

  Redditor u/freezyblanco asked,

  Martin is asked to assemble his squad for the river assault. Why does he go out of his way to pick Webster for the mission, while giving him the stink eye? Where does the ill will stem from? And why do the others snicker, "Webster... tries to get out of everything," after the briefing? I understand he missed Bastogne and as such he "got out" of that, but he doesn't protest being selected for the mission. Mind you, the snickering occurs before he goes up to Cpt. Winters and tries to get out of the mission by commenting on the fact that they have a translator already.

  Redditor u/onenight1234 answered,

  Mind you, the snickering occurs before he goes up to Cpt. Winters and tries to get out of the mission by commenting on the fact that they have a translator already

  He wasn't trying to get out of the mission, he was trying to get Liebgott out. It was showcasing what bastogne did to the guys, where they kind of "lost" the bond with Webster. The comment Liebgott initially says about him wanting to get out of everything, it wasn't true. They just didn't view him as one of them anymore even though he fought through D-Day and Market Garden etc. It was hammering home Bastogne was THAT bad.

  Redditor u/noodle_salad 9 answered,

  Martin is annoyed with Webster because it was Webster's meddling that got Martin pulled into the patrol. The initial plan was for Malarkey to lead the patrol, until Webster got Jones to talk to Speirs and Winters about Malarkey deserving a break. They agreed to give Malarkey a break, but since they still needed an experienced leader, Martin was pulled in.

  Also, Webster doesn't try to get out of the patrol when he talks to Winters. When Webster says, "There are two translators when only one is needed," it is left unspoken that he's advocating for Liebgott to be reprieved, not for himself.
• 

  (#8) Winters Obeys The Chain Of Command, Until He Can Bend It A Little

  From Redditor u/omega4444:

  Just finished watching Band of Brothers and I know hindsight is 20/20 but still can't get over the following:

  • ​Col Sink. should have reprimanded Captain Sobel's direct CO for failing to relieve Sobel of command of Easy Company during their training phase. While Sobel proved to be an able instructor (if somewhat of a martinet), he was incapable of grasping simple military tasks (e.g., reading a map) or inspiring confidence in the troops in his abilities. A good military commander does not have to be popular with the troops but he must be respected. Sobel accomplished neither of these tenets with his troops. The fact that it took the actions of non-coms to result in Sobel's reassignment is inexcusable. Sobel's CO should have know that Sobel was unfit for command if a readiness report was thoroughly conducted.
  • The non-coms should have gone directly to Sobel's direct CO with their complaints, not to Col. Sink. Doing so meant the non-coms skipped at least one level of command.
  • Lt. Winters chose to keep quiet about Sobel's mistreatment of the men and martinet behavior. As a reward for his obedience and adherence to the chain of command, Winters was promoted over the course of the war. It was only later as a Captain when Winters deliberately challenged his CO (Col. Sink) by lying to Sink about sending his troops on a second raid into enemy territory to grab prisoners (he told his troops to stand down). A younger Lt. Winters would have followed orders to the letter, even if it meant the deaths of his troops.

  Regarding the last point about Winters, as much as I would have liked him to speak up about Sobel's mistreatment of the troops, I understand why Winters chose to keep quiet. Obedience to the chain of command is everything in the US Armed Forces (especially during wartime). There was no "ethics hotline" for Winters to contact as a whistleblower. You did as you were told (right or wrong) or you would be charged for insubordination.
• 

  (#9) Why Shifty Puts A Flame To The Sight On His Rifle

  A Redditor asked why Shifty is shown holding a lighter up the sight on his rifle. Two Redditors gave possible reasons why, with the first specifying the military and hunting practice of "blackening" a rifle's sight.

  Redditor u/SirBigWater replied:

  Probably to make it darker, so no reflection in sun. And to keep it in sight easily at night.

  Redditor u/alsatian01 replied:

  He may have been sighting it. That point at the front and the one at the rear are adjustable. Everyone holds a rife differently and the sights are adjustable for what's called "zeroing." The front sight goes up and down, the rear sight goes left to right. It adjusts what is straight line down the barrel based on the way you hold your weapon. I always assumed he was heating it up to make it easier to adjust...

New Random Displays    Display All By Ranking