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bluesbassman

(19,310 posts)
1. Well I don't know if they got it "right", but I loved Sgt. Oddball and his crew in Kelly's Heroes!
Wed Jun 25, 2014, 02:42 PM
Jun 2014




Looking forward to Pitt's new movie too. I have a feeling it'll be done well.

Aristus

(66,096 posts)
2. Yeah. They totally didn't get it right in "Kelly's Heroes".
Wed Jun 25, 2014, 02:55 PM
Jun 2014

Rather than explain it all over again, I'll just post the relevant thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1270544

Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the movie. And I've never not loved Donald Sutherland.

bluesbassman

(19,310 posts)
3. Yeah, I don't think they were trying to go for wartime realism in that film.
Wed Jun 25, 2014, 03:10 PM
Jun 2014

To be fair though, Oddball's crew weren't hippies they were Bohemians.

caraher

(6,276 posts)
4. Well, you should be pleased they made an effort to get authentic hardware
Wed Jun 25, 2014, 04:21 PM
Jun 2014

evidently including an actual Tiger!

I suspect the heroes' Sherman is going to be a bit more effective engaging German tanks than the historical norm... I can't say I know a lot about tank operations but I did read Belton Cooper's "Deathtraps," and if that memoir is remotely accurate the first rule in taking on a Tiger in a Sherman is - just don't, if you have any choice in the matter!

Aristus

(66,096 posts)
5. Here is my thread about that:
Wed Jun 25, 2014, 04:28 PM
Jun 2014
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1270595

I'm tickled to death that they're using a real Tiger for the film. That's going to be incredible! They do show a brief scene in the trailer about the Sherman going up against the Tiger. It looks as if their first shot doesn't harm the Tiger at all, which would have been realistic. It doesn't show the outcome of the slugging match, of course. That would ruin the suspense. But it seems to imply that the Sherman is trying to get around to the rear of the Tiger, where it was the most vulnerable to the Sherman's gun. But it's tough when there's only one other tank in the fight. The Tiger can traverse the turret to keep its rear deck protected, and also to keep fighting the Sherman. Ideally, the Americans would have three or four Shermans going up against the Tiger. To keep the Tiger focused on one tank while the others scoot around to fire at the rear. American WWII tankers said that such a maneuver could be successful in taking out the Tiger, but could still result in the loss of one or two Shermans.

caraher

(6,276 posts)
6. It's not clear how much help will be available in climactic battle scenes
Wed Jun 25, 2014, 04:37 PM
Jun 2014

The publicity makes a lot of the daring dash deep behind enemy lines aspect of the plot, describing them as "outnumbered and outgunned."

Certainly showing teamwork would result in a more realistic film. Maybe they'll do that...

Aristus

(66,096 posts)
7. There were few situations in the battles of Western Europe after the Normandy invasion
Wed Jun 25, 2014, 04:39 PM
Jun 2014

when the Allied forces were outnumbered and outgunned. Even during the Battle of The Bulge, the Americans, British, Canadians, and other Allies outnumbered the Germans, who achieved what they did due to surprise and a willingness to commit atrocities.

Yavin4

(35,357 posts)
8. When I first read the thread title, I thought that it was WillPitt's Tank Movie
Wed Jun 25, 2014, 05:04 PM
Jun 2014

I was going to say, "How in the hell did WillPitt make a tank movie?"

pinboy3niner

(53,339 posts)
11. For your sake and the sake of your brother tankers, I hope they get it right
Thu Jun 26, 2014, 05:19 PM
Jun 2014

I'm the same way about the Infantry. I cringe at dramatizations that get it all wrong. Even the little details can drive you nuts--like one movie that showed a soldier with his ribbon rack on his shirt upside down!

I won't be reviewing this tanker movie, though. In OCS I was sick and missed most of our Armor training block and did terrible on that portion of the exam.

I do, however, feel at least partially redeemed by the fact that I later attended an Army Organizational Maintenance Officer course at Ft. Knox in which my team had to diagnose a failure on a tank, pull the engine, and repair and re-install it.

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