"The Pacific" Band of Brothers for the Pacific War

[cutiger83]

I agree with you Nathan. So pleased with the series thus far.

The one thing I have not understood throughout this whole thread is that there as been Hanks and Speilberg bashing. I see the interviews with them and these two men really care and have done more than just about anyone to preserve the memory of what our servicemembers did during WWII.

Cheers,

Capa

 

I totally agree. Last night's episode left my Dad and I speechless at the end. We always watch the previous weeks episode before seeing the current weeks. We always catch something new the second time around and can't wait to buy the series to watch even closer. For instance, Leckie did not ask where Chuckler was as was mentioned on here. He actually said "Chuckler is still on that #$%& island".

 

...Kat

[Matthew]

The past three episodes have been the strongest of the series, and last night's was very intense. It really makes me wish the entire span of 10 episodes was based solely on Sledge's book.

[giconceptsjw]

I agree that Part 7 was very good if not the best so far. It was a pretty heavy dose of reality. I also like Snafu. He’s an odd guy but I’ve known guys like that in real life. He’s definitely not a one-dimensional character. I actually heard Eugene Sledge talk about the gold teeth incident in his own words. As he told it, it was only a brief conversation between him and a corpsman. He said, in his very thick Alabama drawl, “Doc, I think I’m gonna start collecting some gold teeth (from the dead Japanese). The corpsman replied, “Sledgehammer, you don’t wanna do that, think of the germs.” That was it. According to him, it was just a casual conversation. I guess the way they showed it last night was more dramatic but still not too far from the truth. The scene at the bunker actually happened and was described by Sledge like that. The bunker is still there on Ngesebus Island in Palau. A friend of mine went there, took photos and measurements of it and made a scale model of it a few years ago. They copied it down to the last detail for the show last night which was pretty impressive.

 

It looked to me like the female personnel on Pavuvu were women marines. They had them in the USMC green seersucker uniform with female USMC rank and 1st division patches which is authentic. They showed the girls handing out refreshments but I’m not sure women marines really did that. Historically their role was clerical and logistical; they did paperwork, drove trucks, etc. The women weren’t navy nurses since they didn’t have any navy insignia and they weren’t Red Cross or “Donut Dollies” so I’m not sure why they showed them as women marines.

 

The only other thing I think is strange is how they show the marines getting off the ship on Pavuvu. The trip by transport ship from Peleliu in the Palaus all the way to Pavuvu in the Solomons would have taken days or even weeks. During that time the men would have showered, shaved and received new hbt utilities or washed out their old ones in salt water. Last night they showed the men getting off the ship like they just got off a 20 minute bus ride direct from Peleliu. They did the same thing when the men came to Australia from Guadalcanal. After a week on board ship they looked exactly the same as the day they got on board at Guadalcanal. Oh well, I guess it’s not dramatic to show them coming off the ship clean and refreshed.

 

Well, according to the previews, it looks like the next stop is Iwo Jima. Should be interesting.

 

J.

[Kurt Barickman]

Last night as well as all the episodes on Peleliu, powerful. For those who like to see raw combat and the effects of brutalization on the men suffering through that hell, you probably have your episode last night. If you like that type of thing, I am confident you will see more on the Okinawa episodes if you have read Sledge's book.

 

Kurt Barickman

[Cobrahistorian]

It looked to me like the female personnel on Pavuvu were women marines. They had them in the USMC green seersucker uniform with female USMC rank and 1st division patches which is authentic.

 

I agree, it was quite an impressive episode. Things really are picking up!

 

The donut dollies were, however, wearing Red Cross insignia (ARC collar brass and red cross cloisonne pins on the opposite collar). I assume the 1st MarDiv patches they were wearing were probably for a morale booster to the Marines they were serving. Technically, it could have been done better, but the dramatic effect was SO well worth it!

 

Jon

[kammo-man]

This was better for me .

Not too much Disney land and a lot like combat.

Good to hear they got the Bunker right Jeff, we know a lot of thought went into the sets.

The dirty thing is over done IMHO also but its pure Hollywood on that front.

Good to see men crack,as pressure gets to the best of us sometimes.

 

Its a Very solid 9 out of 10 for me on this complex segment.

 

 

owen

[fortworthgal]

I agree, ep 7 was the best so far! I think Snafu's character adds a lot, and I agree he is a dead ringer for Peter Lorre.

 

It looked to me like the female personnel on Pavuvu were women marines. They had them in the USMC green seersucker uniform with female USMC rank and 1st division patches which is authentic. They showed the girls handing out refreshments but I’m not sure women marines really did that. Historically their role was clerical and logistical; they did paperwork, drove trucks, etc. The women weren’t navy nurses since they didn’t have any navy insignia and they weren’t Red Cross or “Donut Dollies” so I’m not sure why they showed them as women marines.

 

They definitely were not WRs. If they had been, I'd be throwing a fit! Women Marines never went overseas during WWII other than Hawaii, even that was very late in the war. Those ladies were not wearing the seersuckers or rank, and WRs didn't wear division patches on their uniforms.

 

The ladies were Red Cross - the only accurate possibility for handing out donuts, and you could see the ARC insignia on their collars. I just thought the white dresses with the patches were not particularly accurate, as I've never seen any documentation of that being done. The ARC ladies weren't really issued field clothing, and most photos of the women working in the PTO show them wearing men's khakis or other private purchase items (basically whatever they could buy, swap for, or scrounge), a few examples of the nurse style white dress in canteen/club type situations - almost always these uniforms were with no patch, or the appropriate ARC patch. There are photos of the Clubmobile drivers wearing division patches on their right sleeve, but even those aren't particularly common.

 

I certainly don't know everything, but I have done pretty good research into women's WWII uniforms and when I saw that, I had a "KFC?" moment. I also cringed because I knew that 48 seconds of TV footage was going to result in both dozens of confused male collectors/reenactors, and lots of mysterious farby female impressions at WWII reenactments. I swore I wasn't going to gripe like this, but it is really frustrating when even the big-budget Hollywood productions get the women's stuff wrong. I guess I should be hiring myself out as a uniform consultant for these things!

[cutiger83]

I swore I wasn't going to gripe like this, but it is really frustrating when even the big-budget Hollywood productions get the women's stuff wrong. I guess I should be hiring myself out as a uniform consultant for these things!

 

This is just my opinion but I think except for a few collectors like the ones on here, most people don't really bother researching about women in the war. I don't think many of them really care if the women's items are historically correct in a movie. Look at how many people collect women's items. Look at how long it took for women like the WASPs to be included. They were finally awarded a medal last month. Look at how many posts were on here because of the wrong rifle being used in the first episode and compare that to how many people really know which women's uniforms were correct. Bottom line, I don't think many men will know of even care that the uniforms were not correct.

 

And I am by no means slamming any of you men on here. I hope that none of you take this that way. I am speaking in general about men who watch war movies not the ones who are collectors or historians.

 

....Kat

[ptogi]

The dirty thing is over done IMHO also but its pure Hollywood on that front.

Really?!?! Have you looked at any Pacific War photos, film footage, talked to vets, or read accounts of guys who were in prolonged combat in the PTO? War is very dirty. Peleliu lasted over two months, and IMHO Hollywood did not make it dirty, filthy and nasty enough and add to that the actors never have any facial hair... Again look at the original photos, Hollywood can never overdo the dirt and filth of Pacific War combat... In reality the guys portrayed in episode 7 would have been more dirty, filthy, ragged, torn, beat-up, and they would have had some facial hair. This is a very famous photo of Marines after two days and two nights of fighting on Eniwetok.

http://www.corbisimages.com/images/67/15DA...CF/NA001895.jpg

Look at how they look just after a couple days...can you imagine how guys would have looked after months of being in the field/combat.

 

Episode 7 only touched the tip of the iceberg. IMHO though, despite the absence of facial hair on the majority of the guys, I think episode 7 stands alone as the finest depiction of Pacific War combat ever put on film. I think in terms of closely depicting the feeling and nature of the Pacific War to date episode 7 of "The Pacific" ranks #1 in my book, followed by "Kokoda" and "The Thin Red Line."

[giconceptsjw]

I agree, ep 7 was the best so far! I think Snafu's character adds a lot, and I agree he is a dead ringer for Peter Lorre.

They definitely were not WRs. If they had been, I'd be throwing a fit! Women Marines never went overseas during WWII other than Hawaii, even that was very late in the war. Those ladies were not wearing the seersuckers or rank, and WRs didn't wear division patches on their uniforms.

 

The ladies were Red Cross - the only accurate possibility for handing out donuts, and you could see the ARC insignia on their collars. I just thought the white dresses with the patches were not particularly accurate, as I've never seen any documentation of that being done. The ARC ladies weren't really issued field clothing, and most photos of the women working in the PTO show them wearing men's khakis or other private purchase items (basically whatever they could buy, swap for, or scrounge), a few examples of the nurse style white dress in canteen/club type situations - almost always these uniforms were with no patch, or the appropriate ARC patch. There are photos of the Clubmobile drivers wearing division patches on their right sleeve, but even those aren't particularly common.

 

I certainly don't know everything, but I have done pretty good research into women's WWII uniforms and when I saw that, I had a "KFC?" moment. I also cringed because I knew that 48 seconds of TV footage was going to result in both dozens of confused male collectors/reenactors, and lots of mysterious farby female impressions at WWII reenactments. I swore I wasn't going to gripe like this, but it is really frustrating when even the big-budget Hollywood productions get the women's stuff wrong. I guess I should be hiring myself out as a uniform consultant for these things!

 

My bad about the women shown in the last episode. It did look to me like they were wearing the USMC seersucker women’s uniform which is very pale green, almost white from a distance. Up close it has very thin green & white stripes. I also would swear I saw at least one of them with corporal or sergeant rank on the sleeve. On the other hand I didn’t see the ARC or Red Cross insignia at all. It was over in just a few seconds so I didn’t get a very good look. I could be completely wrong of course so I’m glad those of you with a better eye than mine caught it.

 

I’m not completely ignorant about women’s uniforms in WWII. I wrote a book about it which some people say is actually pretty good. You can take a look here;

 

http://www.amazon.com/U-s-Uniforms-Insigni.../ref=pd_sim_b_3

 

I’m also hired out as a consultant to do these kind of things too which is why I tend to be a bit hypercritical sometimes. Anyway, here’s some of the WWII women’s projects I’ve done in the past from my website;

 

http://www.giconcepts.moonfruit.com/women-...form/4514149933

[Cobrahistorian]

I thought I saw one of them with SGT stripes too, which threw me.

[CCA]

I thought I saw one of them with SGT stripes too, which threw me.

Peleliu was a never ending nightmare. I think Eugene Sledge would even say they got it right. Wonder why the U.S. Army 81st Infantry Division is totally overlooked as they relieved the 1st Marine Division. If Iwo Jima and Okinawa are considered more difficult campaigns involving more manpower, then the planned invasion of Kyushu, Honshu, and the rest of Japan probably would have been a blood bath. Thankfully, it did not come to pass.

[vintageproductions]

In the costume house that has the vast majority of the uniforms from the Pacific, the only women's uniforms that are really visible are the USMC seersucker sets.

[giconceptsjw]

In the costume house that has the vast majority of the uniforms from the Pacific, the only women's uniforms that are really visible are the USMC seersucker sets.

 

Bob, you mean Steve's stuff? I hear he will be bringing some of it to sell at Pomona next weekend. I've seen it before and it all looks very good, especially after it was well used on the show.

[vintageproductions]

Jeff-It is actually Eastern Costume. They bought all the uniforms that were used in the film. They sold off some of the "Star" items, and still have a 60 foot container full of battle uniforms. A large chunk of items are S&M Wholesale, but there is also some At The Front & WWII Impressions pieces mixed in.

[giconceptsjw]

Jeff-It is actually Eastern Costume. They bought all the uniforms that were used in the film. They sold off some of the "Star" items, and still have a 60 foot container full of battle uniforms. A large chunk of items are S&M Wholesale, but there is also some At The Front & WWII Impressions pieces mixed in.

 

Gotcha. I knew a lot of people were involved. Jerry Lee made some for them as well. I know Steve (S&M) had some of it at the last Ft Mac so I assumed he still had a bunch of it. I didn’t know Eastern ended up buying it. Good to know if I ever need to rent a ton of that stuff.

[normaninvasion]

My question is: " Where are the beards?" :think:

[rmoore456]

I liked this episode also, but where is the Japanese brutality? In a way they made the Marines blood thirsty killers and the Japanese as soldiers doing their duty.

 

Ray

[cutiger83]

I liked this episode also, but where is the Japanese brutality? In a way they made the Marines blood thirsty killers and the Japanese as soldiers doing their duty.

 

Ray

 

Sorry but I do not agree. I never saw anything that suggested the Japanese soldiers were doing their duty. There were several subtle instances of how blood thirsty the Japanese were without having to show actual brutality:

 

1) The entire bunker scene.

2) Sledge sitting on top of the bunker asks "Why don't they just surrender?" Another soldier says "Because they are Japanese.

3) A sick soldier runs into a cave right beside everyone to go to the bathroom. A Japanese soldier chases after him right in the middle of all of the American soldiers. This shows how close the Japanese were and how crazy they were to chase one soldier in the middle of 20 others

4) The Japanese soldier running straight to Sledge with Sledge shooting him so close that the Japanese falls on top of him.

 

...Kat

[VeeVee]

I liked this episode also, but where is the Japanese brutality? In a way they made the Marines blood thirsty killers and the Japanese as soldiers doing their duty.

 

Ray

 

The movie The Great Raid needs to be a companion bonus movie in the DVD set Japanese brutality... there you go. Gobs of it.

 

 

Heck there needs to be a movie remake of Bataan...

[ClaptonIsGod]

Sorry but I do not agree. I never saw anything that suggested the Japanese soldiers were doing their duty. There were several subtle instances of how blood thirsty the Japanese were without having to show actual brutality:

 

1) The entire bunker scene.

2) Sledge sitting on top of the bunker asks "Why don't they just surrender?" Another soldier says "Because they are Japanese.

3) A sick soldier runs into a cave right beside everyone to go to the bathroom. A Japanese soldier chases after him right in the middle of all of the American soldiers. This shows how close the Japanese were and how crazy they were to chase one soldier in the middle of 20 others

4) The Japanese soldier running straight to Sledge with Sledge shooting him so close that the Japanese falls on top of him.

 

...Kat

 

To be fully honest, I thought point 3 was really quite funny. Sure in real life he could've been killed in there but when I saw him get up and start running there, I saw it coming and then when I heard the scream and saw him sprinting out it seemed a bit comedic, and all the marines started laughing.

 

And to add another point:

5) When they are preparing to move and you hear a BANG and then a yell for "COREMAN!!" and then the Captain coming back on the stretcher, dead, shows quite a bit of brutality/reminding that the Japanese are the enemy.

 

In that scene, I was expecting:

A: Someone to start reciting "O Captain, My Captain"

B: When they pulled the blanket over him, since earlier he said his father made cloth, I was expecting it to focus on the QM tag and it would say Haldane Products or something.

[Linedoggie]

To be fully honest, I thought point 3 was really quite funny. Sure in real life he could've been killed in there but when I saw him get up and start running there, I saw it coming and then when I heard the scream and saw him sprinting out it seemed a bit comedic, and all the marines started laughing.

 

And to add another point:

5) When they are preparing to move and you hear a BANG and then a yell for "COREMAN!!" and then the Captain coming back on the stretcher, dead, shows quite a bit of brutality/reminding that the Japanese are the enemy.

 

In that scene, I was expecting:

A: Someone to start reciting "O Captain, My Captain"

B: When they pulled the blanket over him, since earlier he said his father made cloth, I was expecting it to focus on the QM tag and it would say Haldane Products or something.

That bit with the Captain reminded me of Ernie Pyles Captain Henry T. Wasko story from Italy

http://journalism.indiana.edu/resources/er...captain-waskow/

[ClaptonIsGod]

That bit with the Captain reminded me of Ernie Pyles Captain Henry T. Wasko story from Italy

http://journalism.indiana.edu/resources/er...captain-waskow/

 

I was thinking of that as well, just couldn't put a name to it.

[giconceptsjw]

In that scene, I was expecting:

A: Someone to start reciting "O Captain, My Captain"

B: When they pulled the blanket over him, since earlier he said his father made cloth, I was expecting it to focus on the QM tag and it would say Haldane Products or something.

 

The scene where Ack-ack was killed is very similar to one shown in “The Story of GI Joe” (1945). Burgess Meredith played Ernie Pyle and Robert Mitchum played the captain.

 

They didn’t zoom in on the blanket tag because it would have said:

 

“This is an army blanket and looks nothing like a WWII Marine Corps blanket which is forest green with “USMC” in 6” black letters on the center and a 6” wide black stripe 12” from the top & bottom edges.”

 

It would have been a really big tag but that’s what it would have said.

[fortworthgal]

In the costume house that has the vast majority of the uniforms from the Pacific, the only women's uniforms that are really visible are the USMC seersucker sets.

 

These must be coming in episode 8. I've seen several shots of Lena Basilone in her USMCWR service greens, as well as in her mess working white uniform.

 

They didn’t zoom in on the blanket tag because it would have said:

 

“This is an army blanket and looks nothing like a WWII Marine Corps blanket which is forest green with “USMC” in 6” black letters on the center and a 6” wide black stripe 12” from the top & bottom edges.”

 

It would have been a really big tag but that’s what it would have said.

 

LOL yep we were wondering when (if?) any USMC blankets will make it in. So far I've only seen Army!

 

I’m not completely ignorant about women’s uniforms in WWII. I wrote a book about it which some people say is actually pretty good. You can take a look here;

 

http://www.amazon.com/U-s-Uniforms-Insigni.../ref=pd_sim_b_3

 

I’m also hired out as a consultant to do these kind of things too which is why I tend to be a bit hypercritical sometimes. Anyway, here’s some of the WWII women’s projects I’ve done in the past from my website;

 

http://www.giconcepts.moonfruit.com/women-...form/4514149933

 

Jeez, I really should be hiring myself out as a consultant for women's stuff! Somebody needs to be putting the proper information out there. I can't tell you the number of reference books I've seen with wrong info and pictures (not saying yours is - I haven't read it). Some of the most respected USMC reference books have errors and modern pieces used in the women's uniforms, most of the patch books mis-identify some of the patches attributed to the WASP, etc. The lack of accurate information (and good sources for information) on women's stuff is a real frustration for me. It appears your book focused on the Navy, but really, you thought they were WRs?

 

I'll have to watch it again to see if the women are wearing rank (Lord I hope not).

 

This is just my opinion but I think except for a few collectors like the ones on here, most people don't really bother researching about women in the war. I don't think many of them really care if the women's items are historically correct in a movie. Look at how many people collect women's items. Look at how long it took for women like the WASPs to be included. They were finally awarded a medal last month. Look at how many posts were on here because of the wrong rifle being used in the first episode and compare that to how many people really know which women's uniforms were correct. Bottom line, I don't think many men will know of even care that the uniforms were not correct.

 

And I am by no means slamming any of you men on here. I hope that none of you take this that way. I am speaking in general about men who watch war movies not the ones who are collectors or historians.

 

You are right. Many men don't know, or know just enough to be dangerous (even worse).