Saving Private Ryan: Help settle a bet.

[Dace]

As Karaya said, Upham kills "willie" at the end because he saw him shoot Captain Miller.

[Huskee]

I hoped and believed it was the same guy.  Nuff of that - Diablo would you please slow down your avatar?  I'm trying to get a better look at two of the pictures.   (with respect)

<S>

[ODBAL]

I had always believed it was 2 different people.  To me they didn't look anything alike, and the obvious uniform changes were a give away.  I felt that not having him kill Upham sent a more powerful message than had he slit his throat as he walked by.  Maybe to show even the most hardened SS Soldier would be effected by such a powerful moment in life?  Don't know, all I DO know is they are different guys and I got a free lunch today!

[ROX]

The "Steamboat Willie" guy was in a wehrmacht uniform...the other guy who stabbed Fisch was in an SS cammo uniform top.

2 different people.



ROX

[JB88]

Well now, this sort of changes the whole dynamic of Upham shooting Willie at the end.  I had thought Willie was the same guy that stabbed Millich and Upham's shooting of him seemed like justified revenge.  It seemed when Upham released Willie, to me Willie had taken the uniform of another German soldier therefore hiding his SS status, and acted like a squirming rat to get spared, Upham let Willie go back to his unit.  Willie did what any soldier worth his salt would do, re-joined his unit and went back to the fight, and that's all he did.  Upham's singling him out in the end now seems unjustified, or in the very least, unnecessary.  Maybe Upham thought the same thing we did, "Must be the same guy!"

upham witnesses him shooting the captain.

[-tronski-]

And Upham vouched for Steamboat Willie - perhaps if he hadnt the Capt Miller may have survived etc, so when Willie appeals to Upham again its too much for him..

As for the bloke who killed Melish - I've had this conversation myself with someone - and to me they don't even look the same but theres so much to take in during those scenes I guess its easily confused

 Tronsky

[USRanger]

Posted by AWwrgwy:

I think this is one of the reasons the military gives everyone buzz cuts.  Takes away your individuality.

You are correct sir.

[stodd]

Its the main reason the Germans come in force to that bridge because the German that was in their custody learns where they are going and why.

Really? Im pretty sure it was said by one of the soldiers in the airborn unit that was in charge of defending the town/bridge that the bridge was a key crossing to the germans retreat.

Then again, i havent seen that movie in a few years, *turns on dvd player* *starts to scan the dvd rack*

[EagleEyes]

Your right stodd, ive seen the movie a million times....

They must defend the bridge and hold it at all costs because the road leads directly to the beaches and the armor could roll over the beach heads.....


Now im curious, is this battle real, or was it something made up for Hollywood?? Ive tried looking it up many times on the internet, and have gotten no where!!

[Guppy35]

Your right stodd, ive seen the movie a million times....

They must defend the bridge and hold it at all costs because the road leads directly to the beaches and the armor could roll over the beach heads.....


Now im curious, is this battle real, or was it something made up for Hollywood?? Ive tried looking it up many times on the internet, and have gotten no where!!

The story is fictional.  The premise of "Saving Private Ryan" is based on the story of the Niland Brothers.  They were four brothers from New York.  Oldest brother Edward was a gunner on a B25 in the CBI and was shot down, posted as MIA.  Robert Niland, was a paratrooper with the 82nd.  He was killed north of St. Mere Eglise on D-Day.  On June 7, 44 another brother, Preston was killed fighting with the 4th Division northwest of Utah Beach.  Fritz Niland was a paratrooper with the 101st.  He was not pulled from combat during the Invastion.  Father Sampson, a chaplain with the 101st passed on the story incorrectly starting the idea that Fritz Niland was removed from combat because of the loss of his brothers.  He in fact finished out the Normandy campaign and was with the 101st right up until Market Garden when he was in fact transferred back to the states.

There was no unit sent to find him etc.  While the Nilands lost two sons, it turned out that oldest brother Edward had infact survived his shoot down and he returned from a Japanese POW camp at the end of the war.

[Larry]

Dan you sure about that? I think I remember hearing that the Sullivan brothers were the inspiration for SPR saying that what if one of them were able to survive and come home but I may be wrong.

[DiabloTX]

Yeah, it was the Niland bros.

[Delirium]

Now im curious, is this battle real, or was it something made up for Hollywood?? Ive tried looking it up many times on the internet, and have gotten no where!!

It does have some things in common with Pegasus Bridge, the Brit glider troops had to hold off several counterattacks and some of these had German armor. The capture of Pegasus bridge wasn't so much to slow the German as much as it was to prevent its destruction, slowing the Allied advance.

One of the main objectives of D-Day was to reach Caen and not having that bridge intact to cross the canal would of made that objective much tougher. Even with Pegasus Bridge taken intact, they didn't take Caen (the vast majority of it) until early July with Operation Charnwood.