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Meet "Cliché Company"!


Sabrejet
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The goldbricker: knows how to avoid KP or anything resembling work!

Who normally had close personal relationships with the supply warehouse.

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Ah yes...and with whom they share their rations...especially chocolate and candies! :lol:

 

AND CIGERETTES FOR MAMA :naughty:

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How about The Gentle Giant? A seriously big guy with an uncharacteristically "gentle" nature....afraid of his own strength and what he might be capable of. But...force him into a corner at your peril!! :o

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The super scrounger, that can find anything they need either by trade or stealing it. I had two of those guys in my unit at the same time. If it wasn't nailed down it was gone in the blink of the eye, if nailed down it took a few seconds and they were senior NCO's.

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bunkerhillburning

Isn't there usually some ' tough ' guy who brags about how he can't wait to get into battle and mix it up only to be found a coward as soon as the bullets starting flying?

 

" Whay, those dirty Krauts! I'll kill a million of 'em, see? Not like that lumox Kowalski! "

 

 

SHTF - Kowalski takes the hill while ' tough guy ' is sucking his thumb in a fox hole.

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The Good ol' boy from the deep South. Always has a mouth full of chawing tobacco, speaks with a "Y'all" drawl and, back home, had the reputation of being able to shoot the tail off of a squirrel at 200 yds when he was only knee-high to grasshopper. Thus, he's the squad's sharpshooter. (His grandaddy fought against "them damn Yankees" in the Civil War!)

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Ian,

 

You had a good idea to start this topic. The Hollywood producers ought to read it as an educational material for the future. They produce their war movies also for us -- experts, amateur fans of history, publicists etc. Our judgment is often devastating for Hollywood... :think:

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Ian,

 

You had a good idea to start this topic. The Hollywood producers ought to read it as an educational material for the future. They produce their war movies also for us -- experts, amateur fans of history, publicists etc. Our judgment is often devastating for Hollywood... :think:

 

 

Thank you Gregory!

 

Dear Mr Spielberg,

 

When casting your next war movie I urge you to consult with the members of the USMF beforehand.....etc

 

:lol: :thumbsup:

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The City-Slicker: A street-wise, fast talker who cut his teeth on the mean streets of Chicago/ New York/Brooklyn etc. Gives just a hint of a possible hoodlum past. Useful with a blade...often cast as an Italian-American.

 

He's from flatbush ave in New Yawk! A ran of dem bums from Brooklyn.

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The martinet. An officer...either a Captain or a Major...who hides his ineptitude behind his persona as an overly strict, mean-spirited disciplinarian. He chews his men out for the slightest thing and will bust his NCOs down to Privates at the drop of a hat. The men hate him. He talks a good fight. But...when the bullets start flying he freezes and is unable to lead his men....so a busted NCO steps forward and saves his butt and also saves the day!

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How about the Callus Maniacal Senior officer, here is a French WWI example, the notorious Genearal Mireau with his henchman and lackey Aide DeCamp, Major Saint-Auban.

post-34986-1343791375.jpg

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Steindaddie
The fact is that Kowalski belongs to the group of the most popular Polish surnames -- it is a counterpart of the Anglo-Saxon Smith. At present we do have more than 140,000 Kowalskis in Poland.

 

I checked the National Archives online: they have records for 885 Kowalski's serving in the US Army during WW2. (You figure there were probably a few hundred in the navy too) So there seem to be almost as many Kowalski's in the movies as the number that actually served!

 

Another military movie cliche: The woman of ill repute/easy virtue who actually has a Heart of Gold, and, always, always has a good reason for her current "professional status".

 

The transformation from "the girl next door" to strumpet is usually based on one of the following:

 

1. Fiancee was KIA and now she has done gone astray.

2. The one Love of Her Life turned out to be a weasel that left her for some bimbo thus shattering her ideals of love and fidelity for the foreseeable future.

3. She truly was a virtuous woman, but after being treated like dirt by not just one, but all the men she ever loved, resulted in her having zero self-esteem.

4. She's doing her part for the war effort. (Not as commonly seen as the previous situations)

 

One thing all these movie scenarios have in common is the fact that this "working gal" always manages to meet the one soldier/sailor that is able to ignore her fallen status by being even more heart of gold than she. He pays, not for her 30 minutes of affection, but to help her get back on her feet (both figuratively and literally) He will fight any man for her, be true and faithful, be that one-in-a-million swell guy that ends up marrying her, whereupon they both live happily ever after.

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How about the Callus Maniacal Senior officer, here is a French WWI example, the notorious Genearal Mireau with his henchman and lackey Aide DeCamp, Major Saint-Auban.

I like the gentler side of that character.......Inspector Renault, from "Casablanca" ! :lol:

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I checked the National Archives online: they have records for 885 Kowalski's serving in the US Army during WW2. (You figure there were probably a few hundred in the navy too) So there seem to be almost as many Kowalski's in the movies as the number that actually served!

Hello Steindaddie,

 

Thank you very very much for this interesting information.

 

On the Eve of WWII there was 5.6 million Polish-born Americans living in the USA. They have always served in the US military and the American-Polish military relations have always been extremely good and friendly. No wonder that the US movie industry sees it and from time to time honors in its WWII-dedicated movies also the Polish-born Americans who were everywhere then in the US combat actions. "We" were in the US Army -- for example -- from the first minutes of Normandy invasion. Such 101st pathfinders then as Pvt Robert Miliski, Pvt Stanley Suwarsky, PFC Stephen Pustoła and PFC Edmund Łojko were the Polish-born Americans.

 

Thanks a lot for your post! :)

 

Best regards

 

Gregory

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have just realized that... :w00t: ... Charles Bronson twice in his career played the roles of the Polish-born US GIs of WWII era:

- in "The Dirty Dozen" he was Władysław T.

- in the "Battle of the Bulge" he was Major Woleński

 

:)

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shrapneldude

Great posts, everyone!

Very funny, and true observations indeed. War movies are almost comical sometimes.

 

 

How about when someone gets shot? He always clutches his stomach, makes a face, and falls forward.

 

...Kat

 

Kat, I don't usually do this, but your comment reminded me of this video.

Others may get a kick out of it as well. Pay no attention to the ridiculous usage of toy rifles and non-military costumery.

 

 

18+ only -- strong language on this video.

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vostoktrading
I have just realized that... :w00t: ... Charles Bronson twice in his career played the roles of the Polish-born US GIs of WWII era:

- in "The Dirty Dozen" he was Władysław T.

- in the "Battle of the Bulge" he was Major Woleński

 

:)

Gregory,

Wasn't he also a Pole in the Great Escape?

Jon.

post-7885-1345175585.jpg

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Gregory,

Wasn't he also a Pole in the Great Escape?

Jon.

 

Thats right, Danny the Tunnel King was Polish Fighter Pilot with the RAF, no last name is given, at least as far as I can remember but we know he Polish because there's is that scene were he freaks out after the tunnel collapses and he buddy and fellow tunnelman Willie the Tunnel King the Englishman reasons with him and tries to clam him down, he mentions something to the effect that you didn't escape from Poland to continue Flying just to sit in a POW camp for the Whole War, etc, PLUS Bronson had a thick accent when he talked :D

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vostoktrading
Thats right, Danny the Tunnel King was Polish Fighter Pilot with the RAF, no last name is given, at least as far as I can remember but we know he Polish because there's is that scene were he freaks out after the tunnel collapses and he buddy and fellow tunnelman Willie the Tunnel King the Englishman reasons with him and tries to clam him down, he mentions something to the effect that you didn't escape from Poland to continue Flying just to sit in a POW camp for the Whole War, etc, PLUS Bronson had a thick accent when he talked :D

I think at the end of the movie he was one of the few that actually escaped, by row boat to a Swedish ship or something like that?

Now I want to see that movie again... I miss those old war movies just jam packed with stars like Great Escape, Longest Day, Bridge Too Far etc...

Jon.

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Ha! :lol:

 

You are right friends. Charles Bronson is a "full-time Pole" in the US movie industry when WWII-related films are produced. :lol: I forgot his role in "The Great Escape".

 

BTW -- the Polish Air Forces PoW aircrews in Stalag Luft III had a dilemma "to escape or not to escape" (i.e. to wait for liberation by any Ally or not to wait) because that camp was situated close to Poland at Sagan. Today this town belongs to Poland and it name is Żagań. The town is a home of the 11th Armoured Cavalry Division. They have a nice WWII stylized Sherman in their divisional museum.

 

Best regards

 

Gregory

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General Apathy

post-344-1345199156.jpg

 

 

Hi everyone interesting topic ...................... and many memories

 

It's sad to say that most of these characters being the real actor's and the characters they played are no longer with us. They were very much the stars of my childhood ( 1963 ) and even now watching the Great Escape and many other period movies they are all still there, they never age and never will as the film goes on forever.

 

Earlier on in this topic Jon ' Vostoktrading' added a photograph of Charles Bronson looking at the peak of his life and still does in the memory................ ^_^ Born Nov 1921. Charles Dennis Buchinsky to Polish / Lithuanian parents. Died August 2003, won the Purple Heart for wounds WW2 served USAAF B-29 crew.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Bronson

 

Below is the list of actors and the parts they played in the Great Escape, taken from the Wiki profile of the film.

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Escape_(film)

 

Steve McQueen as Captain Virgil Hilts USAAF, "The Cooler King"

James Garner as Flight Lieutenant Bob Hendley DFC RAF, "The Scrounger"

Richard Attenborough as Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett DFC RAF, "Big X"

James Donald as Group Captain Ramsey DSO MC RAF, "The SBO [senior British Officer]"

Charles Bronson as Flight Lieutenant Danny Velinski DSC DFC RAF, a "tunnel king"

Donald Pleasence as Flight Lieutenant Colin Blythe RAF, "The Forger"

James Coburn as Flying Officer Louis Sedgwick RAAF, "The Manufacturer"

Hannes Messemer as Oberst von Luger, "The Kommandant"

David McCallum as Lieutenant-Commander Eric Ashley-Pitt DSC RN, "Dispersal"

Gordon Jackson as Flight Lieutenant Andy 'Mac' MacDonald RAF, "Intelligence"

John Leyton as Flight Lieutenant William 'Willie' Dickes RAF, a "tunnel king"

Angus Lennie as Flying Officer Archibald 'Archie' Ives RAF, "The Mole"

Nigel Stock as Flight Lieutenant Denis Cavendish RAF, "The Surveyor"

Robert Graf as Werner, "The Ferret"

Jud Taylor as First Lieutenant Goff USAAF

Hans Reiser as Kuhn, Gestapo

Harry Riebauer as Hauptfeldwebel Strachwitz, "The Security Sergeant"

William Russell as Flight Lieutenant Sorren RAF, "Security"

Robert Freitag as Hauptmann Posen, "The Adjutant"

Ulrich Beiger as Preissen, Gestapo

George Mikell as SS-Obersturmführer Dietrich

Lawrence Montaigne as Flying Officer Haynes RCAF, "Diversions"

Robert Desmond as Flying Officer 'Griff' Griffith RAF, "The Tailor"

Til Kiwe as Frick, "The Ferret"

Heinz Weiss as Kramer, "The Ferret"

Tom Adams as Flight Lieutenant 'Dai' Nimmo RAF, "Diversions"

Karl-Otto Alberty as SS-Obersturmführer Steinach

 

Long may they live on in film ;)

 

ken

 

 

 

:blink:

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It's sad to say that most of these characters being the real actor's and the characters they played are no longer with us. They were very much the stars of my childhood ( 1963 ) and even now watching the Great Escape and many other period movies they are all still there, they never age and never will as the film goes on forever.

That's right. I remember from my childhood (1960s/70s) such movies as among others the Guadalcanal Diary, Air Force, Action in the North Atlantic, American Guerrilla in the Philippines, From Here to Eternity, Attack, The Enemy Below, Hell Is For Heroes, The Devil's Brigade, Hell in the Pacific. That was good old era. I am not sure if I prefer modern, theoretically better and more realistic WWII related films.

 

:huh:

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