DC Tom Posted March 31, 2010 Posted March 31, 2010 Anybody been keeping up with the show? I thought the second episode was pretty good, especially Basilone mowing down all those Japs. The third episode was kinda weak IMO. I did, however, enjoy all the Marines getting wasted and then getting woken up early the next morning in formation only to be throwing up and falling over, even the officers. I thought it was pretty comical. With a water-cooled medium MG. Fired from the hip. Yeah, okay... I thought the third episode was better, dramatically (not weak, just not combat-oriented...but important nonetheless; can't tell a story about the Marines in the South Pacific without saying a hell of a lot about the Aussies). But still unrealistic as hell - they got the damned AA outfit wrong on the transport.
dib Posted March 31, 2010 Posted March 31, 2010 With a water-cooled medium MG. Fired from the hip. Yeah, okay... Lets not forget about the air cooled stinger fired from the hip on Iwo.
DC Tom Posted March 31, 2010 Posted March 31, 2010 Lets not forget about the air cooled stinger fired from the hip on Iwo. No, let's. Because it wasn't the same gun.
John from Riverside Posted March 31, 2010 Posted March 31, 2010 That and U571 are two movies I absolutely refuse to see, as I could tell from the commercials that the complete unreality of them would bug the living hell out of me. The Thin Red Line at least was reasonably realistic...but my God, what an incomprehensible swamp of a film. Whoever thought externalizing Nick Nolte's internal monologue was a good idea has a seat reserved in the same circle of hell that Roland Emmerich's going to. I actually like Windtalkers.......it doesnt have to always be realistic and factual in order for me to watch it.
Frit0 Bandit0 Posted March 31, 2010 Author Posted March 31, 2010 Well I'm fairly certain now that Aussie girl is pregnant and gives birth to Eddie Haskell jr edit - Greek/Aussie...whatever. He still looks like Eddie Haskell.
dib Posted March 31, 2010 Posted March 31, 2010 No, let's. Because it wasn't the same gun. [/quote I think just for the halibut I'm going to research whether or not a water cooled .30 was ever hand held and fired
Trader Posted March 31, 2010 Posted March 31, 2010 I guess. I am still trying to figure out what this M50 was that look's like a M1 carbine is. Reising M50 Wikipedia has a photo. It jammed a lot looks like an m1 carbine.
WWVaBeach Posted March 31, 2010 Posted March 31, 2010 With a water-cooled medium MG. Fired from the hip. Yeah, okay... I thought the third episode was better, dramatically (not weak, just not combat-oriented...but important nonetheless; can't tell a story about the Marines in the South Pacific without saying a hell of a lot about the Aussies). But still unrealistic as hell - they got the damned AA outfit wrong on the transport. Eh who cares...the Greek chick was hot!
Frit0 Bandit0 Posted April 1, 2010 Author Posted April 1, 2010 Here is a great site to visit as a resource... http://www.usmarineraiders.org/
DC Tom Posted April 1, 2010 Posted April 1, 2010 I think just for the halibut I'm going to research whether or not a water cooled .30 was ever hand held and fired Okay, but you better not come back to me with some report of someone firing a .30 BAR or M1919A6...
Wooderson Posted April 1, 2010 Posted April 1, 2010 With a water-cooled medium MG. Fired from the hip. Yeah, okay... I thought the third episode was better, dramatically (not weak, just not combat-oriented...but important nonetheless; can't tell a story about the Marines in the South Pacific without saying a hell of a lot about the Aussies). But still unrealistic as hell - they got the damned AA outfit wrong on the transport. I'm really glad I never studied WWII or anything like that. I like to enjoy my shows, if I was critiquing everything in the episode I would probably really hate watching it. It's made for entertainment, and that's the way I look at it.
WWVaBeach Posted April 1, 2010 Posted April 1, 2010 I'm really glad I never studied WWII or anything like that. I like to enjoy my shows, if I was critiquing everything in the episode I would probably really hate watching it. It's made for entertainment, and that's the way I look at it.
DC Tom Posted April 1, 2010 Posted April 1, 2010 I'm really glad I never studied WWII or anything like that. I like to enjoy my shows, if I was critiquing everything in the episode I would probably really hate watching it. It's made for entertainment, and that's the way I look at it. I don't disagree. But "entertainment" is different for different people (and very different for me - if no one's figured it out by now, I'm kind of "out there"). I would caution people to not mistake it for reality, though. The reality is very different from what's shown on TV (for example: you won't see a friendly fire casualty on this mini-series, even though in the South Pacific roughly 30% of all casualties were from friendly fire - it's not a point you'd want to see in a drama, but people start to think it's accurate and then wonder why the competence they see on screen isn't present in Afghanistan, for instance).
Astrojanitor Posted April 1, 2010 Posted April 1, 2010 I don't disagree. But "entertainment" is different for different people (and very different for me - if no one's figured it out by now, I'm kind of "out there"). I would caution people to not mistake it for reality, though. The reality is very different from what's shown on TV (for example: you won't see a friendly fire casualty on this mini-series, even though in the South Pacific roughly 30% of all casualties were from friendly fire - it's not a point you'd want to see in a drama, but people start to think it's accurate and then wonder why the competence they see on screen isn't present in Afghanistan, for instance). there were friendly fire casualties in the very first episode. Remember the two or three guys got up to pee in the middle of the night and were lit up on their way back to camp? It was the first sequence of the series involving gun fire
WWVaBeach Posted April 1, 2010 Posted April 1, 2010 there were friendly fire casualties in the very first episode. Remember the two or three guys got up to pee in the middle of the night and were lit up on their way back to camp? It was the first sequence of the series involving gun fire You're right and I believe it was their Corpsman.
DC Tom Posted April 1, 2010 Posted April 1, 2010 there were friendly fire casualties in the very first episode. Remember the two or three guys got up to pee in the middle of the night and were lit up on their way back to camp? It was the first sequence of the series involving gun fire No, I think I missed that part. Must have got up to take a piss. That was actually sadly common, even more so on New Guinea. Between itchy, nervous sentries and Japanese infiltrators looking to collect a scalp (figuratively speaking), a head call in the middle of the night was a dangerous thing. I think a realistic rate would equate to a friendly fire casualty every episode - accidental discharges, confused and frightened Marines shooting blindly (though Marines had good fire discipline, but it did happen), short rounds from mortars and artillery, poor grenade fuses, inaccurate close air support. And then, of course, there's getting run over by friendly tanks, having a big-ass tree fall on your head, getting eaten by an alligator, getting up to take a leak and walking off a cliff in the dark...there's so many unbelievably stupid ways to die in war.
Max Fischer Posted April 2, 2010 Posted April 2, 2010 I'm really glad I never studied WWII or anything like that. I like to enjoy my shows, if I was critiquing everything in the episode I would probably really hate watching it. It's made for entertainment, and that's the way I look at it. For the "knowledgeable" viewer it's quite good. But it's rough going for the pompous, know-it-all, pretentious cranks.
DC Tom Posted April 2, 2010 Posted April 2, 2010 For the "knowledgeable" viewer it's quite good. But it's rough going for the pompous, know-it-all, pretentious cranks. "Pedantic supercilious anal orifice". Get it right, people.
Buftex Posted April 3, 2010 Posted April 3, 2010 If you have Time Warner, and you aren't as versed as DC Tom, you should check out HBO On Demand. They have 10 minute (approx) profiles of each of the men that the characters are based on. Kind of sent a chill down my spine... a lot of those guys reminded me of my father and uncles, who all were Marines in WWII or Korea. As pretentious as Tom Hanks might be, I give him props for taking it upon himself to make sure these stories are told. Their lives, their sacrifices make you really feel silly getting worked up over athletes, and the like... I wish I had enough wisdom, as a kid, to appreciate these men while they were still alive. My Uncle Ken served as a Marine, in the Pacific during WWII, and was a walking battle wound his whole post war life. He only occasionally came, with his wife, to family functions, because he was always in such debilitating pain. It was always such a thrill when he came around, everyone treated him like a king. He hated it. He never talked about the war. But, we all knew he had been through hell. He died pretty young (1981, at the age of 59), he and his wife were the first to move away from WNY. He got very reclusive. I wish I could have known him better...I always heard stories about him, before the war, from my mother and her sisters. He always seemed like the big joker, the way they spoke of him. But, the man I knew was very solemn. It is weird, we treated him so special, and he seemed special to me, but, in truth, I probably never said more than a few words to him my whole life. BTW- you think Liecke looks like Eddie Haskell? I say Lyle Lovett.
Max Fischer Posted April 3, 2010 Posted April 3, 2010 "Pedantic supercilious anal orifice". Get it right, people. I stand corrected. Good luck with all that.
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