Genuinely thought this was a picture of Ron Livingston at first

25 years of this gem, and what a series it is! Still relevant, still emotional, and still hammering!

Watched “Band of Brothers: Legacy” yesterday afternoon, then binge-watched the entire 10-part series. And it was more riveting and devastating than my last rewatch. Guess age makes you see things differently and gives you the wisdom to understand how wars affect most commoners and those facing the heat on the ground or in the air.

The retrospective documentary makes us familiar with interesting aspects. I loved the account of the real-life heroes, from Winters and Nic to the Bull, Guarnere, and others. It’s clear to see why and how these men bond so tight. The world may call these “men” brave, but the reality remains that many were just teens, and yet they showed exemplary courage.

The storytelling, the camerawork, the images, and the actors are so f$%^ing good that you feel you’re witnessing all the action standing right beside them. The raw fear of Blithe, the mangled and injured bodies of soldiers, the silent long gaze of Winters, the malnourished bodies of the Holocaust survivors….they all come together to give you an unmatched cinematic experience.

Didn’t know the Band of Brothers premiered on 9/9, just two days before 9/11. And they decided to keep airing the episodes, as they thought the story needed to be told, and the account of E Company was like a warm hug for parents and everyone else doing their job despite the devastating attacks.

I feel sad that they don’t make shows like these anymore.  

Think about it you got Band of Brothers (Army), The Pacific (Marines) and Masters of the Air (Air Force). It only makes logical sense to do a miniseries around the Navy to properly round out all the combat branches. Thoughts?

Disclaimer: Before you mention it yes I know the Air Force as we know it didnt exist until 1947 but humor me; if that branch existed in WWII it would have covered bomber crews.

Question in the title.

Did Ed Shames actually write his own book. I know a lot are ghost written.

Ed Shames' book seems kinda, a lot of energy and emotion. But when I watch his yotube videos, he seems like a very old, wise, and erudite older man.

Here goes another re-watch. I’ve honestly lost count at this point of how many times I’ve watched this incredible show. For me, fall/winter are my favourite times of year to binge.

Do you have a particular time of year you like to sit down for a re-watch?

Was John Hall really killed at the assault on Brecourt manor ? Or was that just movie theatrics to make the seem more war time like for the movie . I’ve not found any info on him dying . He was the guy that landed right beside Winters when they made the jump . Radio operator Abel company I do believe .

I was at the Kehlsteinhaus yesterday and it feels so surreal seeing that it burned down shortly after.

I saw many tourist sights across the globe, but few had such a profound impression on me than this place and the Obersalzberg as a whole.

I’m generally the opposite of esoteric but this whole place has such a dark/gloomy aura. When I was driving up the Obersalzberg on the first foggy, rainy day it just felt that this place has really a dark history that it carries with it forever.

I had never watched Band of Brothers. I decided last week to watch it. Finished it last night and I thought, I wonder what happened to that place? I searched it up and saw that it was on fire. Such a weird coincidence.

And it was the second weird one while I watched that show. There is a scene where a GI finally gets his coveted Luger off of a dead Nazi. He then later dies from an accidental shot that hits his femoral artery.

In 1992, I was 20 years old. I had a neighbor that was always out in his yard working on stuff. I heard him yelling one morning so I got up to see what the issue was. I was just in boxers and a t-shirt. I went out on our screened-in porch and asked if he was okay. He said to help him. I went over and saw blood on his hand.

I said, "What happened?" He replied, "I shot myself." I asked where because couldn't see a wound. He said, "In my stomach, lay me down I'm going to pass out."

I lifted his shirt and nothing. I pulled down his waistband and a stream of blood squirted all over me. I took my shirt off and it was soaked in seconds. I grabbed a blanket off his couch and used it to apply pressure. He was fading fast. His wife called 911. When they arrived they threw him on the gurney and ran down the drive.

He had a .22 Luger in his duffle bag and threw it in the back of his Blazer and it went off and hit his femoral artery. Had the hospital not been around the corner and a surgeon at the ready he would have died. He lost almost 8 units of blood.

It's so weird that I'm 53 now and never watched that show, but had two crazy coincidences while watching it over twenty five years after it came out.

This just in, from a local group. It looks bad. I'll keep you updated.

The only silver lining is that the season was almost over, but this is going to be a disaster (and jobs are currently scarce even in Berchtesgadener Land and Salzburg, so... )

Edit Friday evening (CET): so far, nothing is certain except that it's been burning for an hour and a half. Some people say the fire started in the historical exhibition.

Edit Saturday morning (CET): arrest of one suspect on a motorbike confirmed by police and the public prosecutor in Traunstein, Salzburg24 and other local newspapers say (check also Salzburger Nachrichten, Berchtesgadener Anzeiger, Reichenhaller Tagblatt). The locals are discussing whether it was a Russian agent or a left-wing extremist, but to me they are just suppositions shared by locals and nothing based on facts. Also, the fire brigade is still fighting the fire.

Edit Monday morning (CET): yesterday, the fire briefly rekindles. The Bavarian Government announced during the press conference on Saturday that it will be rebuilt. The Carrara marble of the fireplace looks chemically transformed, so basically "lost". The exibition was a few panels and pics about the place itself (construction, Mussolini giving the marble as a present to his new buddy Hitler) and the 101st. I will know more as I am teaching this evening in Bad Reichenhall ("province" of Berchtesgaden)

June 3-6, 2027 in Austin, TX. No date or panelists announced yet. Bonus for those interested. There’ll be a “Freaks and Geeks” script reading. And a 30 Year Retrospective for “Oz”.

https://atxfestival.com/programming

As we know, Private Ed Tipper was wounded in Carentan from a mortar round while clearing out a boutique. At the end of the show we get to know that one of the veterans interviewed was indeed the real Ed Tipper. I decided to take a look into his story and his recovery is unbelievable.

Like in the show EP3 he was brutally mutilated all over his body, and his leg was disfigured. At the aid station they had to remove his eye and half his face was destroyed. Even more brutal was that both his legs were broken and he was still walking. Looking back at the interview I've never noticed that he had a glass eye or that the right side of his face was mutilated. Also not having those legs amputated was a real MVP job from the surgeons.

Most astounding thing is that Ed played handball and was a skier well into his 80s!

Ed died at the age of 95 in 2017. 73 years after he cheated death in France.
Rest In Peace

I wonder if it's a coincidence?

What a moving day, I'm quite exhausted.

Ask me anything, it might take me some time to reply back!

Edit: link to tour https://www.viator.com/tours/Bayeux/Omaha-and-Band-Of-Brothers-Full-Day-Tour/d909-59799P6?pid=P00002191&uid=U00035227&mcid=58086&currency=USD

Just below the map, you will see the full itinerary.

My phone or the website won't let me copy and paste it. That or I am a moronic lizzard, and Winters would be glad i wasn't in his company.....lol!

There were other memorials and short stops along the way, but you also pass a handful of museums, and there are dozens or different package tours that dive deeper into other areas.

One tip I heard from someone was not to pick all beaches in one day. They tend to blend together.

The scene in which the soldiers are watching the Chaplain calmly walk through a hail of gunfire while he gives last rites to the dying men. It’s a quick scene but incredibly badass and a true testament to how strong military Chaplains are in their faith and courage overall.

Time for my umpteenth watch of both series. Haven't watched in a while. Being slowly upgrading my entire DVD collection to BluRay. The frame rate is different and the details on the faces especially you can make out, instead of looking pixelated on the DVD.

Last weekend, we followed in the footsteps of Easy Company. We visited various places: Son, Nuenen, Koevering, Uden, Landgoed Schoonderlogt, and Heteren (Crossroads). It was a truly wonderful trip, with Crossroads as the ‘highlight’.

Heard some good stories and ofcourse BoB is a lot of Hollywood, but that didn’t matter. Great experience.

I use them as wallpapers for my desktop.