Thursday 2 April 2009

Band of Brothers, an American monologue



I have had little interest in watching this piece of work from the famed American directors and actors. They worked hard on this, perhaps in consideration of some anniversaries of Normandy landing or the end of war in Europe. Lest we forget, the Americans fighting in France and Germany deserve our remembrance and respect, as long as these not exceeding the limits of the sky. Through movies and television series, the Americans have indoctrinated the popular, and simple, rules of seeing the war of their way. Hence the depictions of American soldiers in Band of Brothers. That is fine, but just don’t get so cocky and selective that people receive information but not true information.
(Colonel von Heydte, 6th Parachute Regiment, Carentan)
I only tentatively watched two episodes of “Carentan” and “Replacements”. For other episodes I had a glimpse of the beginning of each episode and pressed fast forward. The main point I would like to make is that it is not real. People tend to say it is very real, better than many war movies. That impression is only partly true. As a renowned tradition of Hollywood and movie making in the US, many scenes are very real, in detail, down to buttons and handkerchiefs, to make people believe the actors are telling a real life story and you are the witness. With great help from FX, special effects, and computer simulations, war movies have become livelier, a gun shot sounds like a shot, you can hear the clicking of trigger and dropping of shells, and soldiers’ legs were cut off by shrapnel. The movie industry there has done a fantastic job to make these all up and make people believe the truthfulness of the scenes, and of the stories. Unfortunately, these efforts to make it real cover mostly details, some pieces, or realistic acting by people in the play. Some of the troubles are that what was on show is not real, say in the wrong age, wrong place. That can be pointed out and corrected easily and does little harm. The bigger trouble is that people believe it as a true and correct story, but in reality many come out not reflecting the true situation or story. This is the hard part, as people come to be influenced by the true state of all details and of the parts with truth. No one would tell them that behind the assumed real story are many faults and false information, which the directors and writers did not want to mention and clarify. The whole process is to produce certain impressions on the audience; if that is done, the movie makers feel no obligation to caution you that maybe they used partially correct interpretations, not the whole truth.

Band of Brothers follows Saving Private Ryan in many ways, and we now know the movie is typical of half truth, half fiction. The landing is real enough, as one element causing endless praises. What happens next falls back into the conventional ways of portraying WWII since the 1950s. And it is likely the whole story never occurred in real life. A detachment sent by General Patton, much larger than Captain Miller’s squad, to snatch his relative behind enemy line got what it did not want to face, losses of more men and equipment, coming back with nothing. The movie depicts a mission more like a patrol, storming through many areas controlled by the Germans and lost little. Even if Typhoons destroyed “Tigers” with their bombs, the surviving soldiers of this tiny squad still would not be able to suddenly rush back to their safety, unless the entire area was taken by the Allies in a major operation. Script writers tend to put separate scenes together to make a straight line story, but that does not often happen in real life, you have to get in and out in some ways feasible and can’t just disappear.
Back to Band, in the two episodes I watched, rather fleetingly, there are many places where you are given wrong impressions. In the real Carentan battle, the 101st was a much larger force than the Germans who counterattacked, and they were adequately supported by powerful artillery batteries. In fact, artillery barrages hammered German defence well before the troopers moved forward, including in the famous charge along the causeway. The German counterattack came from about two battalions of panzer grenadiers, hurriedly rushed in, and the surviving elements of the 6th Paratroop Regiment. The Americans had two regiments out of Carentan in defensive positions, again with their excellent fire support from artillery batteries and big naval guns in the bay. The Germans had no tanks, only a few tank destroyers, and mortars. In the end, they kept advancing and almost reached the town. In fire fights, two sides were equal, but the 2nd Armoured rushed in with 60 tanks, as a result of a rumour that the Germans sent in 120 tanks to take back Carentan. The 101st fought the battle with a force big enough in size, rather than an image of underdog projected in the series.
The episode does not want to tell you this, as it also does not want to tell you that through all battles in Normandy, the Allies had their numerical superiority in hand, often to an unbelievable margin. In the scenes, it looks funny that German soldiers did not advance behind or by the “tanks”, but stood in the open in a loose line to fire at the troopers, like having target practice. With such a tardy pace, how could they advance to the railway junction and the town, and some troopers even fled? It is also not real a scene when Shermans appeared, as the Germans had tank destroyers, specifically made for destroying tanks, especially vulnerable tanks like Shermans; they could pound through the armour of Shermans easily at that close distance. It was for the sheer number of tanks there that the Germans retreated. In this episode, only three or four Shermans came out the woods, actually from a wrong direction, and those American soldiers stood on tanks to fire, in the open, with no protection, are more like truckies than tankers. This is just for showing how brave they are, nothing else; in a real battle, they would be dead very soon.
The encounter in a Dutch town in the episode of “Replacements” is even more unreal. First, that is not a Tiger in the scene, at the most a Panther, from its sloped shape, or even an IV. There is no way that a direct hit on the front of a Sherman, at that close distance, would only produce some fire, rather than a big hole or a blown away turret. Tiger 88mm guns could knock out a Sherman at a distance up to 1800 metres. Also about these guns, when the Americans fled in their trucks, not far from the exit of the town, they had not got out of the range of effective Tiger shots yet. If a Tiger chased to the edge of the town and fired into the column, the whole column would be destroyed. German Tiger crews often lined up and fired into Russian T-34s one by one from a distance over 1000 metres. It is ridiculous to think once these troopers got into a truck they are safe. This is more like a battle scene set up by the director, to enter, fight, and retreat safely, not real at all.

The usual features of WWII movies remain, such as the Germans always missed their shots, no matter how intense their machine guns fired into a crowd of soldiers. On the other hand, an American machine gunner fired into German soldiers crossing a creek at a far distance and got them all. A trooper shot casually to the head of a German sniper upstairs, behind balcony bars, and killed him with that single shot. In a close wrestling fight, an American trooper won. Large numbers of German soldiers ran into open fields for no particular reason or purpose until they were all gunned down. It is always a sudden shot to some troopers and the whole team reacted to fire back and silenced the German soldier or soldiers. In fact, this routine repeats itself many times in these two episodes, and there are no real battle scenes except these skirmishes. Throughout the entire series, there are no decent fighting at defensive positions or taking positions, merely sneaky snatch missions or encounters. This looks more like special forces in action, in so many Hollywood movies of anti terrorism, than real battles of WWII.
The most disappointing part is what the director tried to tell you something and what not to tell. The scene that an officer suddenly announced canceling trip back to England and going to France is very untrue. After the battle of Carentan, the 101st had been a reserve and saw little combat, relieving this or that formation and then moving to the next. They did move back to England by the end of June and stayed there resting and rebuilding for nearly three months. The disappointment of those soldiers when hearing not going back to England looks real, but the following return trip is not mentioned, until the scenes of some new guys appeared to come to duty. The director is obviously trying hard to give an impression of hard fighting all the way, no break, and of being called up so close to Operation Market Garden. This makes audience miss that fact of the Germans in Normandy continuing their fighting while these Americans got their lengthy break. If the director made that point clear, then the impression would be a more persistent and tougher German force than this American formation. That simply cannot be implied in this series, despite it is a truth.

Like many war movies, this series has tried to show the human side of war, of soldiers, with a lot of talks, confusions, emotions, desperation, and fear. It is just that these take too long to end, leaving less room for real battles. Perhaps the writers are more familiar with peace time life or love, that they could hardly resist inserting some humane conversations about feelings, traumatised to the degree to need a shrink.

Some improvements in this series are worth mentioning. It acknowledges that American soldiers did kill surrendered German soldiers on the spot, and some units did run away from their positions being scared. These had not been possible in previous American movies or series, since that would infuriate their home audience and break those taboos. But old habits die hard, especially in this series specifically made for portraying and saluting those war time soldiers.

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

whoah this weblog is excellent i love reading your posts.
Keep up the great work! You understand, a lot of people are hunting
round for this information, you can aid them greatly.
Also visit my web-site ... cheap reborns

Anonymous said...

I was suggested this web site by my cousin. I am not sure
whether this post is written by him as nobody else know such detailed about my difficulty.
You are amazing! Thanks!
My web blog :: green coffee bean extract dr oz

Anonymous said...

Malaysia & Singapore & brunei ideal internet blogshop for
wholesale & supply korean add-ons, accessories, earstuds, locket, rings, bracelet, bangle &
hair add-ons. Promotion 35 % wholesale price cut. Ship Worldwide
Visit my homepage ; Malaysia necklace blogshop

Anonymous said...

If some one desires to be updated with most recent technologies therefore he must be go to see this site and be up
to date all the time.
Feel free to surf my webpage ... click through the up coming post

Anonymous said...

Whoa! This blog looks exactly like my old one! It's on a completely different topic but it has pretty much the same layout and design. Superb choice of colors!
Feel free to visit my web site :: Trick Photography

Anonymous said...

Howdy! I know this is kind of off-topic however I had
to ask. Does building a well-established website like
yours require a lot of work? I'm brand new to blogging however I do write in my journal daily. I'd like
to start a blog so I can share my personal experience and
views online. Please let me know if you have any recommendations or tips for
new aspiring blog owners. Appreciate it!
Also visit my web-site ... view business information

Anonymous said...

Hey! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I genuinely enjoy reading
through your articles. Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums
that cover the same subjects? Appreciate it!

Visit my blog post Spazio-kovan

Anonymous said...

Wow that was odd. I just wrote an extremely long comment
but after I clicked submit my comment didn't appear. Grrrr... well I'm not writing all that over again.
Anyways, just wanted to say superb blog!

Also visit my homepage; Spazio Kovan

Anonymous said...

We absolutely love your blog and find the majority of your
post's to be exactly I'm looking for. can you offer guest writers to write content in your case?
I wouldn't mind publishing a post or elaborating on most of the subjects you write concerning here. Again, awesome site!

my web site - silk scarf

Anonymous said...



Here is my page - web page

Anonymous said...

I used to be able to find good info from your blog articles.


my website; Cheap Louis Vuitton Bags

Anonymous said...

This site definitely has all the information I needed about
this subject and didn't know who to ask.

Look at my webpage ... Pure GCE

Anonymous said...

Wow, this piece of writing is good, my sister is analyzing these kinds of things, so I am going to
let know her.

my web page - Download Muscle Maximizer

Anonymous said...

If you wish for to improve your know-how simply keep visiting this web site and be updated with the hottest news
update posted here.

Feel free to visit my website; Saphire Electronic Cigarette

Anonymous said...

Howdy! Do you know if they make any plugins to protect against hackers?
I'm kinda paranoid about losing everything I've worked hard
on. Any recommendations?

Have a look at my web-site ... Lean Muscle X

Anonymous said...

Hello there I am so thrilled I found your web site, I really
found you by mistake, while I was browsing on Yahoo for something else, Regardless
I am here now and would just like to say kudos for a marvelous post and a all round thrilling blog (I also love the theme/design),
I don't have time to read it all at the moment but I have saved it and also added your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a lot more, Please do keep up the great job.

Feel free to surf to my web-site - Lean Muscle formula

Anonymous said...

This article offers clear idea in favor of the
new viewers of blogging, that in fact how to do blogging
and site-building.

My site - Lift serum pro reviews

Anonymous said...

Right here is the perfect website for anyone who wants
to understand this topic. You know a whole lot its almost tough to argue with you (not that I really
will need to…HaHa). You definitely put a fresh spin on a topic which has
been written about for a long time. Wonderful stuff, just wonderful!


my web page - Pure GCE REviews

Anonymous said...

I love reading through an article that can make men and
women think. Also, thanks for allowing for me to comment!

My web page; Muscle Rev Xtreme

Anonymous said...

Excellent blog here! Also your website loads up fast!
What web host are you using? Can I get your affiliate link to your host?

I wish my website loaded up as quickly as yours lol

Also visit my weblog - Le derme luxe review

Anonymous said...

Hi it's me, I am also visiting this web page daily, this web site is actually pleasant and the visitors are genuinely sharing good thoughts.

My website ... http://zorporno.com/category/385/teen-amateur

Anonymous said...

I have read so many articles or reviews regarding the
blogger lovers except this piece of writing is
genuinely a pleasant article, keep it up.

my web-site - xxx fuck

Anonymous said...

Hello! Would you mind if I share your blog with my facebook group?
There's a lot of folks that I think would really enjoy your content. Please let me know. Many thanks

Review my blog post; Free Teen Porno

Anonymous said...

Link exchange is nothing else but it is just placing the other person's weblog link on your page at appropriate place and other person will also do same in support of you.

Feel free to surf to my weblog www.jnmassage.info

Anonymous said...

Just want to say your article is as surprising.
The clearness in your post is just great and i could assume you're an expert on this subject. Well with your permission let me to grab your RSS feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please keep up the rewarding work.

Feel free to visit my homepage: www.sex-xxx-erotica.com

Anonymous said...

Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied
on the video to make your point. You definitely know
what youre talking about, why throw away your intelligence on
just posting videos to your weblog when you could be giving us something enlightening to read?


Also visit my blog; http://sexvideovoyeur.com

Unknown said...


These tapforyou with sensor carry an easy and a quick installation and posses durable ceramic valves. There is a small controlling circuit present inside the http://www.tapforyou.co.uk/ with sensor, and consumes minimum amount of power. The radio tube of the water tap with sensor stays clear from all kind of foreign impurities due to a built-in filter. For manufacturing shower mixer with sensor, Copper material is used and the installation type is basin tap.

CHEAPTAP.CO.UK -- Enjoy the water, enjoy your life! said...

All of our products are sold from factory directly, igorous manufacturing and testing processes. You must can find one suit for your house here. We also offering everyday update special price products. The more products you buy, the more discounts will be.Choosing from a large selection of high quality taps at http://www.cheaptap.co.uk/ . Find new design of antique taps, LED taps, waterfall taps and so on.

Amycarry said...

http://www.faucetsmarket.com/kitchen-faucets-pull-out-kitchen-faucets-c-22_26.html Engliand refers to pick out from the Shower faucet water drinkable and free restaurants and bars in the UK. From the mid-century, the British have worked on Bathroom accessories aspects of safe drinking water