The Battle of the Bulge in TV/Film - Misleading?

How has popular culture affected the general public's understand of The Battle of the Bulge? Do excellent works like Band of Brothers risk enforcing myths that the battle was just the 101st at Bastogne?
Bibliography
Ambrose, Stephen E. Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2017.
Band of Brothers: HBO, 2001.
Battleground, 1949
Battle of the Bulge, 1965.
Caddick-Adams, Peter. Snow & Steel: The Battle of the Bulge, 1944-45. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2017.
Cole, Hugh M. The Ardennes: The Official History of the Battle of the Bulge. St. Petersburg, FL: Red and Black Publishers, 2011.
Eisenhower, John S. The Bitter Woods. New York, NY: Ace Publishing Corps, 1970.
Merriam, Robert E. Dark December. Yardley, PA: Westholme, 2011.
Nyssen, Leon. “The Battle of Elsenborn - December 44 (Part V).” Internet archive: Wayback Machine. Accessed December 3, 2022. archive.org/web/.
Staff. “News Reporter Was the Only One at Bastogne Battle .” The Buffalo News. December 18, 1994. buffalonews.com/news/news-rep....

Пікірлер: 411

  • @benjaminofperrin
    @benjaminofperrin Жыл бұрын

    To be fair to the Band of Brothers TV Series they weren't trying to capture the entire German counter-offensive, they were following the war through the eyes of Easy Company of the 101st Airborne. But thanks to this channel and the operations room for showing the scale and timelines of the battle. I also grew up thinking that the Battle of the Bulge movie was relatively accurate and channels like this have really helped dispel those myths.

  • @shingshongshamalama

    @shingshongshamalama

    Жыл бұрын

    Band of Brothers is a story about Easy Company, not a story about the Ardennes campaign, totally reasonable for that story to not go in depth on the broader front. It's just unfortunate that no _other_ media was there to pick up the slack in popularizing the rest of the campaign.

  • @SuperCompany007

    @SuperCompany007

    Жыл бұрын

    Yes and the show was made before the internet was a thing. They had limited sourcea

  • @aaronseet2738

    @aaronseet2738

    Жыл бұрын

    Exactly. Because it's purely about Easy Company's journey through the war, the beginning Operation Overlord conversely follows their actions behind _Utah beach_ instead of the overly-covered Omaha beach.

  • @dfresh93086

    @dfresh93086

    Жыл бұрын

    This is why Band of Brothers is rarely chastised for its depictions. The only episode that completely takes a dump is Episode 9, “Why We Fight” when Nixon mentions that Hitler killed himself. If you look at the date, it’s laughable that they screwed that up. It’s a strange dichotomy with how they screwed that up, but depicted Brécourt Manor in Normandy to perfection.

  • @aaronseet2738

    @aaronseet2738

    Жыл бұрын

    @@dfresh93086 They messed up Albert Blithe's later life story too.

  • @mastershake407
    @mastershake407 Жыл бұрын

    You don't give yourself enough credit. What you do on these two channels is just as instrumental in documenting the history and telling the story as the books and films. Keep up the exceptional work.

  • @happykillmore349

    @happykillmore349

    Жыл бұрын

    By doing exactly what they accused the media of doing? Focusing on a less significant battle, just because either was more popular? Instead of doing a video on Elsenborn Ridge?

  • @Leadcolt

    @Leadcolt

    Жыл бұрын

    @@happykillmore349 Cope

  • @Vito_Tuxedo

    @Vito_Tuxedo

    Жыл бұрын

    @@happykillmore349 Did you miss what the video says at 12:51? Or did you just not watch the entire series thus far, and thereby completely miss the carefully researched and superbly executed big-picture perspective provided by *_both_* parallel series on this channel and The Operations Room sister channel? I have watched them all, and your criticism doesn't square with the FACT that the series does exactly the opposite of what you claim it does. Clearly, you didn't pick up on the fact that the video does *_not_* make a blanket accusation of all media. For example, it praises the accuracy of _The Longest Day_ and _Battleground_ (film), and _Band of Brothers_ (TV). Of course, if you're just looking to find fault, then I suspect that none of that matters to you. It has been my experience that those whose focus is negative are generally blind to what is positive. I guess that might be somewhat justifiable if the negatives are real; however, that's simply not true in this case. This series has excelled in its devotion to accuracy, balance, and large-scale perspective. That's not a condition unique to this series; it's typical of all the content on The Operations Room and The Intel Report. They produce content of high integrity with first-class production values. There are a few other channels on KZread that produce content of equal quality, but there are none that do it better.

  • @bigdada018

    @bigdada018

    Жыл бұрын

    Aye, very informative!

  • @neilwilson5785

    @neilwilson5785

    Жыл бұрын

    True, both channels are a high quality experience.

  • @RMMilitaryHistory
    @RMMilitaryHistory Жыл бұрын

    A great run down of how pop culture helps skew/mold a narrative! Top work as always Op Room!

  • @ponchoremerize5508

    @ponchoremerize5508

    Жыл бұрын

    Thus we need not hate Russia or Russians based on biased information! It can take years and sometimes decades for the truth and facts to come out!

  • @hagalhagal9989

    @hagalhagal9989

    Жыл бұрын

    @@ponchoremerize5508 certainly not hate, especially when their access to information is limited and they are bombarded by propoganda. It is unfortunate that the seeds of hate are being sowed on both sides...

  • @spedepasanen7229

    @spedepasanen7229

    Жыл бұрын

    @@ponchoremerize5508 how many more years of russians being animals do you need

  • @ravenger2711

    @ravenger2711

    Жыл бұрын

    @@ponchoremerize5508 you dumbfuck communist rebranded as a russian federation

  • @michaeldunn1754
    @michaeldunn1754 Жыл бұрын

    I love how intentional you're being at providing a well-rounded account of these engagements. My grandfather's unit, the 254th Combat Engineer Battalion helped defend against Kampfgruppe Peiper south of Bullingen, Belgium in the early days of the battle. It's nice to see more recognition of the non-Bastogne fighting.

  • @HammerRocks
    @HammerRocks Жыл бұрын

    You're not wrong. I took the movie "Battle of the Bulge" as historically accurate, until I watched "Band of Brothers", and did more reading. And I greatly appreicate channels like yours that correct the narrative, and highlight the sacrifices & heroism of others that have been overlooked for decades. Great work.

  • @donb7113

    @donb7113

    Жыл бұрын

    Read books written by Donald Burgett his book were not plagiarized like Ambrose’s were.

  • @the1magageneral323

    @the1magageneral323

    Жыл бұрын

    I know that film was not accurate at all since I look at old historical documentaries all the time.

  • @Jedittee
    @Jedittee Жыл бұрын

    Waitin for a Hurtgen forest episode

  • @armoredhistory5811

    @armoredhistory5811

    Жыл бұрын

    Yessir

  • @Hillbilly001

    @Hillbilly001

    Жыл бұрын

    I'll second that!

  • @TheRandCrews

    @TheRandCrews

    Жыл бұрын

    Not gonna lie I hope for a Philippine Campaign episode

  • @Ralphieboy

    @Ralphieboy

    Жыл бұрын

    Sorry, I'm not the Hürtgen kind...

  • @MercurySnake

    @MercurySnake

    Жыл бұрын

    Yesss! I’d love some info on the 22nd Regiment

  • @NATO32Nations
    @NATO32Nations Жыл бұрын

    These are the kind of channels I look for. Those that not only talk about the battles that everyone knows, but other battles/skirmishes/incidents that are not on the general public’s radar. As someone who looks at military history regularly, I try and see all that has happened across a broader spectrum and not just wars that are talked about regularly. Both the Operations Room and the Intel Report have opened my eyes to what the battles were really like and allow me to see it from easier perspective than through a book. Keep up the good work, will always be a fan. Glad you’re feeling better.

  • @BillGarrett
    @BillGarrett Жыл бұрын

    The Battle of the Bulge series as a whole has been amazingly informative, not only about this part of the war, but about the ebb and flow of war in general. Having seen the animated re-enactment, as well as the live footage that was included at key points, I feel like I have a good understanding of what happened, and why. I would recommend this series, and both channels, to everyone interested in history and warfare.

  • @stc3145
    @stc3145 Жыл бұрын

    11:32 Pretty sure that is actually from Call of Duty *United* *Offensive*

  • @huntclanhunt9697
    @huntclanhunt9697 Жыл бұрын

    Would you guys consider doing WW1 battles? I've yet to find a good video that really visualizes things like The Somme, Verdun, or Argonne.

  • @desmond-hawkins

    @desmond-hawkins

    Жыл бұрын

    These would be amazing, but likely pretty challenging. It's hard to understand the brutality of WWI's artillery barrages, and although seeing it animated might help I don't know how you could really convey the intensity of the German bombardment of Feb 21, 1916 around Verdun. They fired an estimated 2 million shells over 9 hours and both sides fired 60 million over 10 months… how do you even begin to show that? This channel uses flags to represent fallen soldiers, how are they going to fit 305,000 of those? Don't get me wrong I'd love to see their take on it, but it might make sense to focus on smaller-scale engagements given the duration and the insane numbers involved (8 episodes for the 40-day Battle of the Bulge vs how many for ~303 days at Verdun?).

  • @johnmoreno9636

    @johnmoreno9636

    Жыл бұрын

    WW1 is essentially how do you cross No Man’s Land and reach the enemy’s trench to throw grenades into it. Small unit tactics might best illustrate this. For instance, by 1918 the British would send 5 guys to take down a machine gun nest. By 1918 the German front was more a series of strong points than a continuous trench. Because of the constant artillery Verdun was much the same - small groups of soldiers infiltrating around strongpoints, both for the French and Germans. So battalion sized battles would actually give a better understanding of how tactics evolved. And animation might do a better job of showing infantry vs the rolling barrages vs tanks vs flamethrowers.

  • @Aerakade

    @Aerakade

    Жыл бұрын

    There's a channel called The Great War that has a video covering each week of the war and events surrounding the war. It's quite an achievement.

  • @matheusimon7316

    @matheusimon7316

    10 ай бұрын

    It's really hard to find good channels don't not only focus on WWII or roman empire. Thereat war channel was good, but after they changed the guy I unsubscribed

  • @jamesklee
    @jamesklee Жыл бұрын

    Your series on this has been extremely enlightening. I came of age right around the early 2000s, the era of Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers. I hadn't seen (or even heard of, thankfully) that older travesty of a film. Even with these much better depictions of late WWII, I was definitely under the impression that Bastogne was basically the focal point and set piece, of sorts, of the entire Battle.

  • @ikari2000
    @ikari2000 Жыл бұрын

    Told my wife about the Battle of the Bulge, she said “not tonight I’m tired.”

  • @ErichHiller44

    @ErichHiller44

    Жыл бұрын

    Hahahah

  • @ISawABear
    @ISawABear Жыл бұрын

    I'll say it again, i really appreciated this series for talking about more than just Bastogne. But the final coup of talking about WHY everyone else talks about nothing but Bastogne is a greatly informative send off

  • @tomlade8143
    @tomlade8143 Жыл бұрын

    I'm so happy of the channel's take on the battle. My grandfather served in the first infantry division during the battle. He was wounded and evacuated in early January helping push the bulge back. I'm glad the American army as a whole is honor in this series.

  • @onylra6265

    @onylra6265

    Жыл бұрын

    The offensive failed principally because the Germans grossly underestimated the courage and fortitude of American soldiers. Your grandfather was a hero.

  • @KuK137

    @KuK137

    Жыл бұрын

    @@onylra6265 No, the offensive failed because Soviets destroyed 95% of nazi forces and what attacked Bulge was bottom of the barrel dregs, not the army of 1940. But funnily enough, no credit is given to the real heroes and instead inept clowns incapable of stopping the offensive cold as it started and being kicked around by vastly inferior force until the planes could bomb it to death are praised as "victors". Imagine being nearly KO by 10 year old kid and then gloating you managed to spank his ass in 12th round...

  • @Klajnepojken

    @Klajnepojken

    Жыл бұрын

    @@KuK137 You want a snickers?

  • @dwyerjones4542

    @dwyerjones4542

    Жыл бұрын

    @@KuK137 My father-in-law was one of a few hundred "clowns" that held the Fifth Panzer Army for five days. Pea-NUTS to you!

  • @dianecripps204
    @dianecripps204 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for these videos on the Battle of the Bulge. My uncle was killed on the first day of the Ardennes Offensive. I recently visited his grave in Belgium. I was struck by the magnitude of the loss of each individual soldier, ordinary men who had so much to offer.

  • @RenerDeCastro
    @RenerDeCastro Жыл бұрын

    Correction regarding 11:07. That picture is not from Medal of Honor: Allied Asault Spearhead, but from Call of Duty United Offensive. I've played enough of both games to know the difference. Also, a shame Hell Let Loose and Post Scriptum weren't mentioned, as both featured maps set in Foy during the Battle of the Bulge.

  • @robt6299

    @robt6299

    Жыл бұрын

    I noticed that, also the screenshot at 11:31 which is also from Call of Duty United Offensive but is labelled as Call of Duty Finest Hour

  • @ArrigoSacchi87

    @ArrigoSacchi87

    Жыл бұрын

    Company of Heroes 2 as well, which covers the Ardennes campaign in detail

  • @trager8933

    @trager8933

    Жыл бұрын

    Also no mention of Day Of Infamy which has two maps. One In Bastogne and one In Foy.

  • @trager8933

    @trager8933

    Жыл бұрын

    Editors mistake.

  • @leemail857
    @leemail857 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for the excellent work on this and other battles that changed the course of history. My father was Forward Observer during the Bulge. He won the Bronze star after calling in a fire mission which took out 5 tanks. He never talked of that only that it was bitterly cold throughout. He went on to serve 32 years, mostly in the Army Reserves and retired as a full Colonel. What a guy.

  • @theresaherman

    @theresaherman

    11 ай бұрын

    KUDOS to your Dad!

  • @JohnRodriguesPhotographer
    @JohnRodriguesPhotographer Жыл бұрын

    Whoever held Bastogne controlled the roads in and out. It was a communications choke point. St Vith gave time for the 101st to take up their positions. There were many other small and decent size units that fought their hearts out in that battle.

  • @Spinikar
    @Spinikar Жыл бұрын

    It's good to get more recognition for what happened across the front. The 101st did a heroic stand is Bastogne, but dam, got to take my hat off to those 22 guys just causally holding up an entire SS Division. I really enjoyed your series on the entire battle, learned so much I didn't know before. Good job mate.

  • @Bigrago1
    @Bigrago1 Жыл бұрын

    110:9 Hate to be that guy but the game is actually Call of Duty United Offensive, same at 11:31

  • @Randall1001
    @Randall1001 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for the shout out to "Battleground," which is pretty much my favorite war movie ever. I highly recommend the film to anyone who hasn't seen it--even if you're not terribly interested in this particular battle, it's a film with excellent characters and performances.

  • @JamesThomas-gg6il

    @JamesThomas-gg6il

    Жыл бұрын

    One of the very best war movies in general. But my daughters favorite scenes are the one where Holly keeps trying to protect, cook, eat the eggs. She giggles every time .

  • @Randall1001

    @Randall1001

    Жыл бұрын

    @@JamesThomas-gg6il Yes!

  • @iamnolegend483

    @iamnolegend483

    Жыл бұрын

    I agree absolutely. Battleground is a great movie.

  • @pdxbohica

    @pdxbohica

    Жыл бұрын

    "That's fer sure. That's fer dang sure."

  • @JamesThomas-gg6il

    @JamesThomas-gg6il

    Жыл бұрын

    @@pdxbohica Abner I thought I told you to stop saying that.

  • @Vito_Tuxedo
    @Vito_Tuxedo Жыл бұрын

    Superb work, as usual. The parallel and complementary perspectives of The Intel Report and The Operations Room reflect the very highest standards of well-conceived and thoughtfully detailed narrative, plus clearly illustrated supporting visuals. Your in-depth series on the Battle of Iwo Jima was brilliant, and the Battle of the Bulge series maintains the same standard of excellence. Thanks for your great work!

  • @jaredspencer3304
    @jaredspencer3304 Жыл бұрын

    I admit: I skipped your recent series on the Battle of the Bulge because I assumed it would be just another telling of Bastogne. But it sounds like that's not the case, so now I get to go back and binge the whole series straight through.

  • @WildBillCox13
    @WildBillCox13 Жыл бұрын

    Both this and the companion series are first class works of the historians' art. Good work.

  • @mdbizzarri
    @mdbizzarri Жыл бұрын

    What is interesting is seeing how modern historians, both academia, researchers, and hobbyists turned KZreadrs or Redditors are laying bare the facts, and insisting on the truth. This is the best of the internet and sharing knowledge, and hopefully keep the world from getting into another large scale war. Education is truly the only way to prevent corrupt politicians from making this happen. Keep doing the great work educating the world so we don't repeat our past mistakes!

  • @sirdarklust
    @sirdarklust Жыл бұрын

    You mean there was no final big tank battle between Pershings and Chaffees in the Spanish desert, like in Battle of the Bulge? I'm disillusioned!

  • @Kaiquintos
    @Kaiquintos Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for doing your part in creating accurate historical accounts. I absolutely love that you guys have this second channel dedicated to the source materials as well as extra bits of information surrounding these events. I'm always looking forward to your next set of videos!

  • @dwaynekoblitz6032
    @dwaynekoblitz6032 Жыл бұрын

    By far the best part about all of these videos is the spectacular comments section. So many family members and relatives leaving their loved ones stories as they can only be told. Personally and specifically. Thank you to both of these channels so much. My WWII knowledge almost feels doubled.

  • @flooreveraerts7091
    @flooreveraerts7091 Жыл бұрын

    How happy I am with your channels: Great work, clearly explained, accurate and easy to understand. Each episode is a masterpiece at its own. There are more forgotten area's , even at Market Garden there is an entire sector you don't hear about and was fought hard by Americans, British and Belgian soldiers. And so it will be with every battle. Keep up the good work!

  • @Imperial_Novatrooper
    @Imperial_Novatrooper Жыл бұрын

    The screenshot at 11:09 is from Call of Duty: United Offensive, as I believe is the screenshot attributed to Finest Hour at 11:30. Allied Assault does have a Battle of the Bulge sequence but only in the Spearhead expansion (naturally it portrays the defense of Bastogne). Finest Hour's European segments I think are in Holland.

  • @richardmcgowan1651
    @richardmcgowan1651 Жыл бұрын

    War isnt really an easy thing to translate to media like film and TV. Think Band of Brothers did a really good job with telling a good story while showing some of the horrors of war.

  • @PabloLaConecta
    @PabloLaConecta Жыл бұрын

    The work you do with these channels is astounding. Thank you.

  • @doctorseruzawa175
    @doctorseruzawa175 Жыл бұрын

    For what its worth I can't watch youtubes without captions. I'm not the only one who needs them.

  • @joeschenk8400
    @joeschenk8400 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you so very much for your telling of this battle on both your sites. The suffering and sacrifice must not be forgotten. Again, thank you.

  • @samadams2203
    @samadams2203 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for doing your part in excavating, cataloging and displaying history.

  • @the1magageneral323
    @the1magageneral323 Жыл бұрын

    As much as I like Band of Brothers, I knew that the entertainment were not entirely actuate factual on the battle. So it is a bit better to hear from the soldiers who were there. In fact that "We stand alone" documentary on the men of Easy company is better of explaining the men and the Battle of the Bulge.

  • @aloispoth9859
    @aloispoth985911 ай бұрын

    I think this video serves as a further illustration of a finding that people with academic education on military history will already have made: Many of the events and individual efforts that ultimately led to victories and decisive gains for any one side were, more often than not, the result of people doing a lot of e.g. organizational, logistical or productive work. Moreover the fact that actual fighting, when it takes place, is both less eventful, less easily discernible and much more physically and mentally painful for the people involved on the front lines, makes for a. chain of events that lends itself less to the medium of an evening-filling entertaining film and more to being written down in a comprehensive written account. Movies like the ones you spoke of serve the purpose of giving people without this background a more vivid and dramatized picture of the events so that they have at least a basic idea of how life looked for some of the people involved in these events. I therefore think that they have their place in our culture, regardless of how realistic or well-balanced their portrayal may or may not be.

  • @iamnolegend483
    @iamnolegend483 Жыл бұрын

    I appreciate the aspects this channel examines.

  • @CamoTheGuy
    @CamoTheGuy Жыл бұрын

    Great video and amazing detail and historical information content!! Please keep up the great work and have a happy new years!

  • @hashmat9467
    @hashmat9467 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for your part in providing a comprehensive, accurate and engaging view of history

  • @phillipjones3342
    @phillipjones3342 Жыл бұрын

    I’m so glad that the operations room and your channel have decided to pair up and present the factual information. Thank you for sharing. Happy new year.

  • @Thirdbase9
    @Thirdbase9 Жыл бұрын

    I highly recommend Battleground. While it does cover every cliché about the battle, it has an excellent cast and it conveys the conditions very well.

  • @petekaiser8856
    @petekaiser8856 Жыл бұрын

    Best video yet. Love this new channel and all your work!!!

  • @B0M0A0K
    @B0M0A0K Жыл бұрын

    Very good. It is commendable that you are trying to recognize all who served in this battle.

  • @Halo003qd
    @Halo003qd Жыл бұрын

    Wonderful video again Intel Report! Kind of wish you would have included "Hell Let Loose"'s Foy map in your discussion about video game portrayals of the Battle. As for the rest of the video Band of Brothers absolutely influenced my whole outlook on the battle and your whole series has really opened my eyes to the entirety of the the Battle of the Bulge. Thanks for your work in education!

  • @Qossuth
    @Qossuth Жыл бұрын

    You mentioned video games, but before that there were board wargames, and specifically Avalon Hill's 1965 Battle of the Bulge wargame. Avalon Hill got Anthony McAuliffe, the acting commander of 101st at Bastogne, to endorse their game. They put the German surrender demand and his famous "Nuts!" reply right on the box cover and used his image and testimonials in their promotional materials. (You can use internet search to find images of the box art.) The game didn't necessarily focus on Bastogne, I don't think possession of it was a victory condition, if memory serves you had to get X number of Panzer factors across the Meuse, but overall I'd say it added to the mystique of Bastogne.

  • @douglasstrother6584

    @douglasstrother6584

    Жыл бұрын

    Another Avalon Hill Geezer! Nice!

  • @Qossuth

    @Qossuth

    Жыл бұрын

    @@douglasstrother6584 LOL I played a lot of that one back in the day, even got the Operation Greif "DLC" (LOL) that Don Lowry published that added the 150th Panzer Bde, may have even purchased it from him at a wargame convention aboard the USS Massachusetts in Fall River as the dates seem to match up and my memory is that's where I got it. If you're an AH geezer as well, have you run across YT channel "Legendary Tactics"? Worth checking out if you're interested in AH games or history of the company.

  • @douglasstrother6584

    @douglasstrother6584

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Qossuth I have; that's a trip down Memory Lane. (Rather a march down Memory Lane!) "Blitzkreig" was mf first AH game. I also had a number of games from SPI, including "Wellington's Victory: Battle of Waterloo".

  • @questionmark05
    @questionmark05 Жыл бұрын

    3:10 I wonder if that's sped up. It looks very fast. Awesome content yet again. Thanks Intel report.

  • @ElRel
    @ElRel Жыл бұрын

    This is really excellent stuff. I like the way you are veering off the accepted/easy narrative.

  • @DENMAR411
    @DENMAR411 Жыл бұрын

    This (for me at least) is some of your best work to date. Well done!

  • @ArcturosX
    @ArcturosX Жыл бұрын

    Dude this content is amazing. You deserve all of your success.

  • @janhaanstra2245
    @janhaanstra2245 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for this well thought out and well executed video. I also really like it that you pronounce Bastogne, like they say it in Wallonia; something like "Bastonjuh". Best of luck in the new year, and keep 'm coming 😃

  • @dominantasmr578
    @dominantasmr578 Жыл бұрын

    I know others have said this but thank you so much for what you do on this channel and on The Operations Room, it's always such a joy to watch these. You really can't find other videos quite like what you make.

  • @CoDjunky
    @CoDjunky Жыл бұрын

    That Medal of Honor: Allied Assault screen shot is Call of Duty: United Offensive screenshot, whole expansion for original Call of Duty with the US campaign being just Band of Brothers - the video game

  • @generalfailure9730
    @generalfailure9730 Жыл бұрын

    Your serie on the battle of the bulge is to me the best vulgarisation work on this historical event on youtube, this is a fantastic job! My two cents if you want to go on obscure events, I think you should look into the actions of the French SAS during the battle of the bulge. Thanks to aggressive patrols in January 1945, they liberated the city of Saint Hubert that had been evacuated by the Germans, taking around 20 prisoners. Two US officers arrived later and asked the mayor to give the keys of the city to General Franck L. Culin of the 87th Infantry but the mayor refused arguing that the French SAS liberated the city alone. French Commander Puech-Samson (whose jeep will hit a mine on January 24 and where he will be seriously injured) received the keys to the city, which he hastens to give to General Franck L. Culin of the 87th Infantry, to avoid offending susceptibilities.

  • @michaelmanning5379
    @michaelmanning5379 Жыл бұрын

    As the video unfolded I was thinking of the movie "Battleground" . . . and then you mentioned it. What I liked about that movie was the honest portrayal of the stress combat puts on men, to the point where the main character, Van Johnson, actually bolts and runs, only to recover rather than admit cowardice in front of a raw replacement. I remember loving "Battle of the Bulge" when I was eight. I think that was the target age of the producers.

  • @Shaggy11152
    @Shaggy11152 Жыл бұрын

    I can't believe one game you guys didn't mention is Hell Let Loose. That game has the most accurate depiction in every aspect IMO

  • @davidnemoseck9007
    @davidnemoseck9007 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for doing all this work to bring all this detail to light, and to give the people who deserve the praise they deserve.

  • @slartybartfarst55
    @slartybartfarst55 Жыл бұрын

    An excellent series, and I'm really enjoying the "The Intel Report" Videos released alongside. Looking forward already to the next project. and Happy New Year.

  • @danzervos7606
    @danzervos7606 Жыл бұрын

    John Toland's book "Battle, the story of the Bulge." He keeps referring to the smell of diesel as the German tanks start up - however the battle tanks the Germans used (Mark 4, Panther, Tiger and King Tiger) all had gasoline engines.

  • @concerned1313
    @concerned1313 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for giving up a bit of the biography via a couple of book titles and movie titles. Excellent information from your videos!!!

  • @stephenconroy5908
    @stephenconroy5908 Жыл бұрын

    And now, this series enters the historiography of the battle, and a wonderful addition to it too. Eisenhower would be proud, I'm sure.

  • @austinbatey2846
    @austinbatey2846 Жыл бұрын

    So many of these men had iron spines and balls of stone. Its wonderful that their stories are finally becoming known to the world.

  • @hillbilly4895
    @hillbilly4895 Жыл бұрын

    Unlike popular culture, The Intel Report keeps it classy. Thanks guys, well done.

  • @edwardloomis887
    @edwardloomis887 Жыл бұрын

    I strongly recommend Charles MacDonald's "A Time For Trumpets." It's a comprehensive account that gives Elsenborn Ridge, St. Vith and other locations their due. MacDonald fought in the battle as a company commander.

  • @JoshuaC923
    @JoshuaC923 Жыл бұрын

    It's an absolute disgrace and an insult to the men that died to create total fiction and pass it off as real. Thanks to people like this and other channels they help us understand more on history.

  • @LiamDennehy
    @LiamDennehy11 ай бұрын

    A very well-rounded video - especially including video games that go unrecognised by reviewers and historians.

  • @chriskostopoulos8142
    @chriskostopoulos8142 Жыл бұрын

    Great pair of channels, excellent work as always.

  • @jackmcgovern
    @jackmcgovern Жыл бұрын

    I always look forward to watching these videos.

  • @waverlh
    @waverlh Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for clearing that up. I must admit, I never understood why my father hated that movie so much till now.

  • @robbabcock_
    @robbabcock_ Жыл бұрын

    Great video! I really appreciate what you do. Happy New Year!🥳🎉🎈

  • @connormcpherson9977
    @connormcpherson9977 Жыл бұрын

    Bro I just started trying to make KZread videos, and this shit is insane. Like these videos are crazy. So good! I just want to know what’s next?

  • @Thalweg
    @Thalweg Жыл бұрын

    In terms of video games the shooter hell let loose does a pretty good job of representing the battle of the bulge imo. The map foy whilst still only focusing on bastogne is based heavily upon modern satellite footage and even reconnaissance photos taken during the war making it ultra realistic and truly does feel like fighting in the real battle, if not that it certainly feels like the band of brothers portrayal.

  • @jeffkeith637
    @jeffkeith637 Жыл бұрын

    You omitted the movie "Patton" with George C Scott, released in 1970. The relief of Bastogne, and in particular the clear weather that allowed Allied air operations to resume are very well done. However, the problem remains that the focus is all on Bastogne. I've really enjoyed your coverage of the Ardennes.

  • @lgmmrm

    @lgmmrm

    Жыл бұрын

    To be fair though, in the case of Patton and Band of Brothers, that’s less a matter of not recognizing other parts of the front and more a matter of focusing on the subject matter of the movie/series.

  • @jeffkeith637

    @jeffkeith637

    Жыл бұрын

    @@lgmmrm oh absolutely - including everything then makes a story unwieldy. I guess it's when the audience then makes unwarranted conclusions about the scope of the pic that we get the movie = all of the history problem.

  • @colinboynton192
    @colinboynton192 Жыл бұрын

    Amazing overview of how battles meet pop culture. Also, a future focus on lesser known battles?! Yes, please!

  • @gbagaskoro2
    @gbagaskoro2 Жыл бұрын

    Great work. Love the channel and operations room.

  • @marcus7564
    @marcus7564 Жыл бұрын

    I love how youtube allows more content on lesser known elements of history. When I was young it was the same battles on TV again and again to get a broad appeal.

  • @fallryan
    @fallryan Жыл бұрын

    It's always seemed to me that the coverage of Bastogne during the war and the subsequent amount of media (especially in the post-Band of Brothers age) always kind of unfairly made the 101st overshadow the 82nd (and the 17th, whom I imagine if you asked someone who isn't the kind of person who'd watch this channel about they'd have no clue of their existence). On a larger scale, entertainment media has long made the Airborne troops as a whole overshadow the rest of the poor dogfaces who fought and died in this war- the really *good* movies either featured them heavily, or were solely about them. (The Longest Day, A Bridge Too Far, Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers and on...) I took an interest in the war very young myself, and went from the romantic version of fighter pilots to the romantic version of the Paratroopers and Rangers, My grandfather was in theater as a motor pool guy but I can't even say when and with who, other than he was in Germany in 1945. I always wonder if the public fascination with those kinds of guys made people like him feel bitter or unimportant, and wish that a more mature version of me could've asked him more about his war.

  • @edwardloomis887

    @edwardloomis887

    Жыл бұрын

    @lesscubes, if you have any information about your grandfather's units and period of services, some of his records may exist in the National Archives' National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. Warning: they had a big fire in the 1970s that damaged and destroyed a lot of records. However, it's worth checking to see what might still be there.

  • @lucasphilliperibeirosilva1674
    @lucasphilliperibeirosilva1674 Жыл бұрын

    A quite important battle no one talks about is the assault on Point du Hoc. Would love to see a review from you guys on those gruesome days, on this forgotten D-Day landing!

  • @chef-kiss
    @chef-kiss Жыл бұрын

    Thnx for all the cool things. I'm learning so much military history

  • @antonleimbach648
    @antonleimbach648 Жыл бұрын

    My dads description of WWII and the people who fought it are wildly different then the books and movies of today. Thank you for adding some reality to the discussion.

  • @sirwolfnsuch
    @sirwolfnsuch Жыл бұрын

    On a sidenote: Bastogne also happens to be a famous, tasty brand of coockies (made in the town since 1952). That makes the town all the more famous, basically by default.

  • @kurtdietrich5421
    @kurtdietrich5421 Жыл бұрын

    One of my favorite books is Battle: the Story of the Bulge by John Toland. Lots of personal accounts from all parts of the battlefield.

  • @jdelark6428
    @jdelark6428 Жыл бұрын

    Many thanks for this! I have to admit, when I was much younger Battle of the Bulge was one of my favourite films. It is only after the internet made information more accessible, and reading more on the actual battle, did I come to dislike the film for its flagrant disregard of factual events and historical accuracy (e.g. there is no town called Ambleve). I still would have been fine with this and the fictional characters, plots, anarchonistic props and storylines , if it made mention that this was a fictional film or indicated that it was going to be flight of fancy (e.g. Kelly's Heroes is of my favourites). In my view, no film is ever truly accurate because it has to, well, be moulded into something that makes sense as film.

  • @kevinzuniga4910
    @kevinzuniga4910 Жыл бұрын

    This is why I’m subscribed to both of these channels 👌🏽 bringing nothing but facts !

  • @michaelgj23
    @michaelgj23 Жыл бұрын

    Man, the Close Combat series doesn’t get enough love. That game helped fuel my childhood obsession with World War 2.

  • @TinyTNT463
    @TinyTNT463 Жыл бұрын

    "Medal of Honor: Allied Assault" - shows a screenshot of Call of Duty United Offensive..... either way great video.

  • @JumbalayahJihad
    @JumbalayahJihad10 ай бұрын

    11:10 The image isn't from the video game Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (2002), but Call of Duty United Offensive (2004) an expansion to the original Call of Duty (2003).

  • @francopesce1970
    @francopesce1970 Жыл бұрын

    Little mistake here, the game showed in 11:07 is the expansion Call of Duty United Offensive for Call of duty (2003), the frame portraits the player assaulting the town of Foy with a squadron of the 101st Airbone division And here, 11:29 , the game is the same, Call of duty United Offensive, the frame is from the start first mission Bois Jacques, with again a squadron of the 101st

  • @daniellee2343
    @daniellee2343 Жыл бұрын

    Bastogne (6) is my favorite episode of Band of Brothers but it does give the viewer a more hopeless/desperate feeling than The Operations Room did. It seemed like the Americans were far more outnumbered and no tanks are depicted on the American side. One battle cut short showed Germans attacking against infantry with armor which did happen in the battle but gives the impression it was like that all over.

  • @kencusick6311
    @kencusick6311 Жыл бұрын

    Loved the series on the Battle of the Bulge. Way back when I played board games, Ardennes by the Thegamers was a terrific simulation of the battle. You felt the frustration in trying to advance through the terrible terrain. They accurately depict the differences in artillery and air power.

  • @dsenebrecht

    @dsenebrecht

    Жыл бұрын

    what game are you referring to?

  • @kencusick6311

    @kencusick6311

    Жыл бұрын

    @@dsenebrecht Ardennes. Designed by Dean Essig. Published by The Gamers 1994.

  • @oneshotme
    @oneshotme Жыл бұрын

    Enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up as I always do for your channel!!

  • @geordiedog1749
    @geordiedog1749 Жыл бұрын

    Excellent, excellent work. Well done. Brave and accurate. History is complex because it’s a recollection. Well done.

  • @racer14glr91
    @racer14glr91 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you O.R. and I.R. for this great series of videos on this part of WW2

  • @phil20_20
    @phil20_20 Жыл бұрын

    I saw the movie at a drive thru when I was a kid. I don't think I ever associated it with the actual battle. For example, I assumed that fuel dump was in an entirely different place, which of course it was.

  • @lk_ludikruc8358
    @lk_ludikruc8358 Жыл бұрын

    What can we expect from this amazing channel and its sister channel in 2023?

  • @stevecoates8236
    @stevecoates8236 Жыл бұрын

    Absolutely fantastic series. Recently read a superb book by Max Hastings documenting Operation Pedestal, it doesn't seem to have had the coverage it deserves and would love to see you cover it.

  • @Lavthefox
    @Lavthefox Жыл бұрын

    love how youtube unsubbed me from both The Intel Report AND The Operations Room... I was like "Man, when are they going to finish the Battle of the Bulge series?!"

  • @dennisd7
    @dennisd7 Жыл бұрын

    Great work! On a similar note, I would LOVE to see more details on the mop up just after the defeat of Germany. What happened? How did they deal with local government, weapons, stories from German POWs etc.

  • @kennethtee5493
    @kennethtee5493 Жыл бұрын

    Though none of the movies I refer to didn't make the cut, I believe the 1970 movie "Patton" gave the Battle of the Bulge more accuracy in the area of the pivotal role of air power as well as his perspective on the counterattack. And a couple of low budget movies such as A Midnight Clear and Saints and Sinners captured the essence from the GI perspective akin to Battleground and Band of Brothers.

  • @Ralphieboy
    @Ralphieboy Жыл бұрын

    I was fortunate to have good high school history and English teachers who taught us that you need to check original sources and that film dramatizations often have little to do with the materials they are based on