A new Band of Brothers series

[C]

You can include the British in that. The RAF never learned anything from years of air combat in WWI & had to start all over again.

Well, to be fair the Royal Navy and Army did try and shut down the RAF in the years following WWI, and the RAF was mostly confined to "Policing the Empire" and a little bit of Home Defence/Aerobatics/Flying Club...

[Hagar]

Well, to be fair the Royal Navy and Army did try and shut down the RAF in the years following WWI, and the RAF was mostly confined to "Policing the Empire" and a little bit of Home Defence/Aerobatics/Flying Club...

Indeed but I feel there was no excuse for the top brass, many of whom had been combat pilots during WWI, insisting on peacetime fighter tactics that were more suited to air displays than combat. They were still insisting on these tactics during the BoB. The more experienced squadron commanders defied orders & followed the Luftwaffe's example, honed by the fighting in Spain but using similar tactics to those learned 20 years earlier during WWI.

[Pinchaser...]

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG

[Woodlouse2002]

It was more often the British soldiers who suffered the most, mown down by a few well-placed German machine guns. Literally thousands of them died on these assaults, often in a matter of minutes. Knowing how history repeats itself it wouldn't surprise me if the same mistakes were repeated in WWII.

Everyone suffered like that in the First World War. It's just that offensives such as the Somme and the Battles of Ypres cloud the British view so we miss travisties such as Verdun...

And Bjorn, in all wars, sometimes the only option is a frontal assault. No one has ever mounted one by choice as even the most lowly of generals know a flanking attack will be more successful.

[ATI_7500]

And Bjorn, in all wars, sometimes the only option is a frontal assault. No one has ever mounted one by choice as even the most lowly of generals know a flanking attack will be more successful.

But the way it's depicted in Band of Brothers is just ridiculous.

[Hagar]

But the way it's depicted in Band of Brothers is just ridiculous.

I must have missed that part. I can't comment either way as I didn't watch the whole series. What I saw of it seemed reasonably accurate but I can't comment on that either as I wasn't there at the time..

[dcunning30]

I must have missed that part. I can't comment either way as I didn't watch the whole series. What I saw of it seemed reasonably accurate but I can't comment on that either as I wasn't there at the time..

I agree.  I recall the one episode where the general wanted them to snatch prisoners to stroke his own ego.  Then upon a successful mission, he called for another mission for more ego stroking.  His callousness for needlessly endangering the lives of his men was totally believable.  And Winters told them to get a good night's sleep and he'll file a report that they went across but found no Germans to snatch.

I believe every army has it's Dick Winters, and also has it's share of these morons.

[Hagar]

I believe every army has it's Dick Winters, and also has it's share of these morons.

The more I learn about it the more I'm appalled at the behaviour of a few very senior officers criticising their own colleagues for their own benefit. This was pure jealousy & spite for the sake of glory & power for themselves with no thought of their country or the men serving under them. There are several instances of this in the RAF during WWII. I'm sure this is not restricted to the one service or the one nationality.

[dcunning30]

I can think of a few scenarios where leaders chose ego over prudence and the concern for their own troops:

Montgomery - Operation Market Garden
Halsey - Battle of Leyte Gulf
Stalin - race to Berlin


....he he he, let the debating begin!  

[Hagar]

[quote]I can think of a few scenarios where leaders chose ego over prudence and the concern for their own troops:

Montgomery - Operation Market Garden
Halsey - Battle of Leyte Gulf
Stalin - race to Berlin


....he he he, let the debating begin!

[dcunning30]

RE: Montgomery, that's where I expected to get a response.  It's debatable, I'm sure he had good intentions, but one wonders how much to play his enormous ego affected his judgement, expecially considering his well-known rivalry with the other enormous ego:  *cough* ol' blood-n-gut's himself, Patton!  ;)

[Hagar]

[quote]RE: Montgomery, that's where I expected to get a response.

[dcunning30]

His concern for his men was the main reason he & Patton didn't see eye to eye & that's an understatement.

I don't understand that.  What would Patton have to do with the men under Montgomery's command?

[Hagar]

[quote]I don't understand that.

[dcunning30]

[quote][/quote]

I just went on a google tour, and I could'nt find anything to cooberate Montgomery and Patton not getting along having to do with a concern for the troops.