Band of Brothers Ep. 6: About the Battle of the Bulge
I mentioned in my previous blog about Band of Brothers that Ep. 6, "Bastogne", told the story of the Battle of the Bulge from a different perspective. That difference is captured in a bit of text shown on screen over the closing scene:
On December 26, Patton's 3rd Army broke through German lines, allowing supplies and evacuations to flow. The story of the Battle of the Bulge is of Patton's army coming to the rescue of the encircled 101st Airborne. No member of the 101st has ever agreed that the division needed rescue.
The 101st was given a really tough job. They had to hold a position, as infantry, against enemy artillery bombardment. Oh, and they were woefully under-supplied. But they undertook the mission with confidence that their superior training, skills, and confidence in their fellow soldiers (i.e., their band of brothers) would see them through.
There's an apocryphal quote from the same campaign that became a calling card for the 82nd Airborne, a counterpart similar to the 101st Airborne at the time, showing the men's courage:
Why it's Called Battle of the Bulge
You can pick up from dialogue in the episode a bit about why the battle for Bastogne became known as the "Battle of the Bulge" in history books. To understand more it helps to study a bit of history beyond just what's in the miniseries.
The Allies took Bastogne and the areas around it. Then German forces managed to surround them, cutting them off from overland support. Ally field command was centered in the town. Various units like Easy Company deployed in the forest around the city, establishing a perimeter. Germans units attacked that perimeter at numerous places. Many of the Allied units fell back or were overrun. The perimeter of Allied control shrank... except for places where units in the field held their ground. There the perimeter line seemed to bulge outward. Easy Company of the 101st was one of those units that held its position. They were the "bulge" in the line.
"Nuts"
The Germans felt they were winning the battle of Bastogne. They were shrinking the allies' perimeter in towards the town center, inflicting heavy casualties, and they knew the Allies were under-supplied. The German commander sent a supercilious request for their surrender on Christmas Day, 1944. General McAuliffe (US Army) sent a stern reply. The miniseries incorporates this little gem of history:
The surrender offer and McAuliffe's one-word reply are documented history. Here it's related by Col. Sink when he visits Easy Company in the field on Christmas Day.
Great stuff.
On December 26, Patton's 3rd Army broke through German lines, allowing supplies and evacuations to flow. The story of the Battle of the Bulge is of Patton's army coming to the rescue of the encircled 101st Airborne. No member of the 101st has ever agreed that the division needed rescue.
The 101st was given a really tough job. They had to hold a position, as infantry, against enemy artillery bombardment. Oh, and they were woefully under-supplied. But they undertook the mission with confidence that their superior training, skills, and confidence in their fellow soldiers (i.e., their band of brothers) would see them through.
There's an apocryphal quote from the same campaign that became a calling card for the 82nd Airborne, a counterpart similar to the 101st Airborne at the time, showing the men's courage:
Why it's Called Battle of the Bulge
You can pick up from dialogue in the episode a bit about why the battle for Bastogne became known as the "Battle of the Bulge" in history books. To understand more it helps to study a bit of history beyond just what's in the miniseries.
The Allies took Bastogne and the areas around it. Then German forces managed to surround them, cutting them off from overland support. Ally field command was centered in the town. Various units like Easy Company deployed in the forest around the city, establishing a perimeter. Germans units attacked that perimeter at numerous places. Many of the Allied units fell back or were overrun. The perimeter of Allied control shrank... except for places where units in the field held their ground. There the perimeter line seemed to bulge outward. Easy Company of the 101st was one of those units that held its position. They were the "bulge" in the line.
"Nuts"
The Germans felt they were winning the battle of Bastogne. They were shrinking the allies' perimeter in towards the town center, inflicting heavy casualties, and they knew the Allies were under-supplied. The German commander sent a supercilious request for their surrender on Christmas Day, 1944. General McAuliffe (US Army) sent a stern reply. The miniseries incorporates this little gem of history:
Click to viewThe surrender offer and McAuliffe's one-word reply are documented history. Here it's related by Col. Sink when he visits Easy Company in the field on Christmas Day.
Great stuff.