Band of Brothers, Ep. 8: The Last Patrol
Jan. 26th, 2023 07:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerBand of Brothers episode 8, "The Last Patrol", makes another pivot in the tone of the 10-part story. After the grimness and heavy wounds of the Bastogne campaign in episodes 6 and 7, the German army has been pushed back on its heels. There's still fighting, but a sense pervades the Allied forces fighting in France that it won't be much longer now. Soldiers are sleeping in beds (in commandeered abandoned house) and taking hot showers. They're also helping themselves to valuable things left behind, like silver flatware and pieces of art, and sending them home to their families1. Instead of being titled "The Last Patrol" this episode could also be titled, "The Last Fuck Left to Give.'
Both of those titles also describe the main sub-plot of the episode.
Battalion has ordered Easy Company to take point on a risky mission under cover of darkness. The infantry are to cross the river in a divided city after midnight, infiltrate German-held territory on the opposite bank, attack what they believe is an intelligence command post, capture enemy soldiers as prisoners, and bring them back across the river to an Allied command post for interrogation.
Things go fairly well as the hand-picked members of Easy sneak across the river in inflatable rafts and infiltrate the city. Trouble erupts at the supposed intelligence post when an Easy man is wounded during the attack. It's really his own fault, but nevermind; it makes the mission suddenly way more dangerous. Now not only are the German soldiers awake, alerted, and starting to fight back, but Easy has to carry their wounded brother as well as one or two enemy soldiers they grab.
Back at the Allied command post it's discovered that the captured enemy soldiers are not high-value targets. They don't know anything useful. Many of Easy's officers register frustration on their faces. They were skeptical about this mission ahead of time, doubting the claim that the target was an enemy intelligence operation, but they kept their doubts fairly quiet— the mission was orders, not discussion. Now they know there's no value in saying "Told you so"... but their faces all say, "Told you so."
The next night Winters comes back to Easy Company's leaders with another set of orders from Battalion. Battalion wants another raid just like the night before, except this time on a different target building. Surely this one is the intelligence command post! Again, the commanders know better than to object out loud, but before they can even roll their eyes much, Winters adds additional instructions. He tells them choose their men... and instruct them to sleep all night. Winters will report to Battalion in the morning that the raid was unsuccessful, that the target building was unoccupied, and soldiers returned with no casualties.
For a total straight-shooter like Winters, that's... wow. Disobeying a direct order and lying about it to superiors is out of character for him. What that reveals (IMO) is that he's adopted a "short-timer" mindset. Although he's been an exemplary officer and is being groomed for more promotions, he knows the war is close to over and doesn't really care about a military career beyond that. His priority now is protecting the men he considers his brothers.
[1] I've got to say, I'm really disappointed to see this representation of widespread looting being tolerated.
Both of those titles also describe the main sub-plot of the episode.
Battalion has ordered Easy Company to take point on a risky mission under cover of darkness. The infantry are to cross the river in a divided city after midnight, infiltrate German-held territory on the opposite bank, attack what they believe is an intelligence command post, capture enemy soldiers as prisoners, and bring them back across the river to an Allied command post for interrogation.
Things go fairly well as the hand-picked members of Easy sneak across the river in inflatable rafts and infiltrate the city. Trouble erupts at the supposed intelligence post when an Easy man is wounded during the attack. It's really his own fault, but nevermind; it makes the mission suddenly way more dangerous. Now not only are the German soldiers awake, alerted, and starting to fight back, but Easy has to carry their wounded brother as well as one or two enemy soldiers they grab.
Back at the Allied command post it's discovered that the captured enemy soldiers are not high-value targets. They don't know anything useful. Many of Easy's officers register frustration on their faces. They were skeptical about this mission ahead of time, doubting the claim that the target was an enemy intelligence operation, but they kept their doubts fairly quiet— the mission was orders, not discussion. Now they know there's no value in saying "Told you so"... but their faces all say, "Told you so."
The next night Winters comes back to Easy Company's leaders with another set of orders from Battalion. Battalion wants another raid just like the night before, except this time on a different target building. Surely this one is the intelligence command post! Again, the commanders know better than to object out loud, but before they can even roll their eyes much, Winters adds additional instructions. He tells them choose their men... and instruct them to sleep all night. Winters will report to Battalion in the morning that the raid was unsuccessful, that the target building was unoccupied, and soldiers returned with no casualties.
For a total straight-shooter like Winters, that's... wow. Disobeying a direct order and lying about it to superiors is out of character for him. What that reveals (IMO) is that he's adopted a "short-timer" mindset. Although he's been an exemplary officer and is being groomed for more promotions, he knows the war is close to over and doesn't really care about a military career beyond that. His priority now is protecting the men he considers his brothers.
[1] I've got to say, I'm really disappointed to see this representation of widespread looting being tolerated.
