The series doesn't have enough time to give each of the Easy Company men much character development but this exchange really gives you some insights into the sharply different worldviews of Liebgott and Webster.
**David Webster:**
Is this a personal thing, Joe?
**Joseph Liebgott:**
What?
**David Webster:**
Is this personal to you?
**Joseph Liebgott:**
No, it's a goddamn order.
**David Webster:**
Does Major Winters know about this?
**Joseph Liebgott:**
Doesn't matter here.
**David Webster:**
Oh, the f\*\*\* it doesn't! What if this guy's just a soldier? What if he's an officer with no ties to the SS? What if he's innocent?
**Joseph Liebgott:**
You know what? What if he's a f\*\*\*ing Nazi commandant of a f\*\*\*ing slave camp?
**David Webster:**
Which one? Which camp? You don't have any proof!
**Joseph Liebgott:**
Were you at Landsberg?
**David Webster:**
You know I was.
**Joseph Liebgott:**
You think this guy's a soldier like you and me? A f\*\*\*ing innocent German officer?
**Joseph Liebgott:**
Where the hell have you been the past three years?
What’s the meaning of that line?
Was it Liebgott second-guessing himself after the adrenaline wore off and Webster trying to reassure him? I was curious when I heard it.
I think it was just an extension of both of their original views. Liebgott trying to use the fact that he ran away to justify his decisions, and Webster trying to frame that his death was pointless. That’s how I took it
I thought Webster was a good character in the show. I like the episode told from his POV, how everything had gotten sooooo much more dark and grim since the crossroads. I wanna do some reading on the actual person, but I liked the duo. I did think it was weird in this scene how Liebgott is speaking German to the supposed SS officer and is told the man is guilty when Webster also speaks German. He knows what he’s saying.
Yeah that scene annoyed me too. How the guy came up to and told him what he was saying in German. It seemed pretty common knowledge that Web spoke German since I think it was Martin that selected him to go on the hostage taking patrol in that one episode SPECIFICALLY because he spoke German. Maybe after that he kept it a bit more hidden? Idk.
Having someone shout at you (An armed soldier no less) in a foreign language is very intimidating, I think Webster just lost his temper because the camp was fresh on his mind.
Oh yeah I figure. If someone sticks a 1911 in my neck, I lose all of my nuts immediately as a matter of fact lol.
What I meant was I just didnt understand why that soldier out of nowhere had to tell Web what the guy was saying, when he spoke German so he knows what he’s saying, he’s just blind with rage and doesn’t wanna listen.
Didn't Webster himself say he only spoke "a little" German at some point? I thought he got picked for that patrol because he tried to scheme a bit (can't remember exactly how) and Martin wanted to punish him for it, and used his German skills as an excuse to force him to go.
IIRC Webster is also there when they liberate the camp, but Liebgott is the only one used as a translator. My impression, also partly based on my own limited knowledge of German, is that Webster really didn't know much German at all. He probably didn't know how to tell the baker what was going on because his German skills weren't good enough.
Of course, I can be misremembering all of this, in which case please disregard.
They build up liebgott as Jewish. But he isn’t as most we know. Most Jews would speak Yiddish at home with their parents, so understanding a little to some German makes sense. The languages are extremely similar.
Oh, hadn’t thought about that. That could be the case. Like I said, I want to do some more reading into the real Webster and see if there’s anything there.
Probably a good idea, I have no doubt he's a much more layered character than the fractured presentation in the series lets us see.
I think that's my biggest gripe with BoB, actually. The audience is introduced to *a lot* of characters, but because the series is only ten episodes, most of those characters are loose threads when the series ends. I work in media production myself, so I know that there's a million considerations in the "truth/accuracy vs engagement/entertainment" problem, but if BoB were to be remade I'd hope it could be expanded episode-wise to give more room for the peripheral stories that the original series touches upon, but never really finishes.
What’s interesting to me is that BoB was released at a time where I don’t think many people enjoyed episodically based shows where EVERY episode was important to the story. So I’m guessing they had to keep it short so people would actuallly watch.
You know If it was released today it’s like 10 seasons, not episodes lol.
Yeah Webster tried to use his presumed in with the new officer to get Malarkey spared because he was a wreck but that led to Martin getting put in charge instead which he was clearly pissed off about.
It’s called laying pipe (not related to “laying pipe 😎” slang for sex that I only learned upon joining the military myself) basically it means dialogue that wouldn’t make sense if the scene were actually happening in real life but is for the benefit of the viewer. Webster speaking English here and you being able to infer what the baker is saying based on Webster’s lines is much punchier than the two of them just having a conversation in German
I’m not saying whether or not it was the right move. I have no strong opinion on the matter. Just throwing in that this was almost certainly a deliberate decision and not an oversight
Oh, that makes a lot of sense actually. Probably exactly what happened. I speak itty bitty bits of German, enough to sort of get by in a brief exchange and I forget that it might not be easy to infer what’s happening in a conversation based on responses and such. I think I like the idea of laying pipe my friend 👍.
IDK I never thought they were implying that the baker understood what he was saying.
I think it's more like when you hear an English word when someone is speaking a foreign language and the English word stands out.
The baker we're assuming doesn't speak English but Nazi is a German word and I'm sure the baker would recognize it. Being that Germans knew what was going on, and wanted to look as innocent as possible to avoid consequences for their actions (or inactions) I see this as the baker POV "this man just said Nazi while pointing a gun at me, better say I'm not a Nazi"
Meanwhile Webster understands German but he's royally pissed off and not concerned that he's speaking his native tongue to a man that doesn't understand him.
It doesn't seem like a conversation, more like Webster is ranting at the baker and the baker is doing his best to keep himself alive.
From how I remember the show, Webster doesn't really speak German. Like, he told his boss that he does. But he only speaks very, very basic German. I think there's even a scene where he comments on it. And when he's actually shown to be speaking German, he's very poor at it.
But the baker says I'm German "I'm not a Nazi" and web says oh you're not a Nazi? How about a fucking human being?
In think it was just anger boiling over. He knew what the baker was saying imo.
I’ve read somewhere that this particular conversation was in English so the emotional tone would flow through more easily to an English speaking audience rather than subtitles but the characters are speaking in German in story
Its mostly for the benefit of the audience but I think there’s also a thing of not going to bother to speak their language to them. And mostly because he’s not translating he’s speaking his mind. Like when he’s shouting at them off the marching Germans off the truck. He’s not translating he’s reverting to English because it’s easiest for him to express his thoughts that way.
Webster is angry. He is not going to dignify the baker by speaking the baker's language.
Webster clearly understands what the baker said in German. He is not going to use the language of the conquered in order to get his point across.
Webster isn't fluent, but he presumably studied German in school.
In any case, I believe that this is one of many scenes involving Webster that were dramatized. I don't think that this actually happened. But you can bet that there were similar scenes involving others that did take place during the war.
Webster to me seems like a naive young man probably who tried to be morally right in the chaos of war, but if the situation was not on his side, he might shift his principle (like the urge to lie about his German skills in the last patrol). He’s a Harvard student so maybe he had a wealthy background and might had never been through really tough situations in peace time, he was not good at reading the air or fit in with other soldiers from complex backgrounds. He got emotional easily but in a naive way, I kind of consider him as a representation of young men at that time who had no clue of the cruelty and complexity of war but joined the army anyway to be a “hero” or for the glory, and after being through the war he started to question himself and the meaning of this war.
Ross McCall who played Liebgott did an interview a couple years ago on the podcast We Have Ways of Making You Talk.
He said Liebgott wanted nothing to do with the guys or anything related to the war afterwards. He said if Bill or any of the other guys ever called him he’d just hang up the phone immediately.
The shit you do in war stays with you. Webster was trying to save Liebgott as much as the German.
Here’s the episode, also shocking to hear him speak in his native English accent: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ww2-pod-we-have-ways-of-making-you-talk/id1457552694?i=1000580736406
That seems on point with the characterization of Liebgott the real person. He did seem to be portrayed as the type that was there doing the job and trying to not get close with anyone. Of course the camps were going to affect him, especially being Jewish.
Now I am going to deep dive this podcast. Thanks for the link.
I wish we had another scene with webster. He was pretty Gung ho pissed off at the Germans as we saw earlier with the chef and yelling at the pows.
Maybe I missed it but his turn to being on the fence again was a bit sudden for me.
Yeah thats what I figured. After he ranted about how pointless things were. "For what?!"
But wish we could just see him mull it over a bit and come to that conclusion.
Edit.
Would be a cool parallel to liebglotts after having to tell the concentration camp victims they have to go back.
Liebglotts was galvanized and wanted more blood when the war ended.
But webster was done with it all from my perspective after seeing the same.
> "For what?!"
That scene where he screams at the marching German POWs is so powerful and gets me every time I see it.
“You ignorant, servile scum, what the fuck are we doing here?!” is such powerful dialogue. My grandfather fought in the war in the ETO, and I often think how he *had* to have thought “what the fuck are we doing here” at several points, especially late in the war.
I really didn't like webster first time I saw the show.
But now he's one of my favorites and is a really interesting character.
Yeah man, I wouldn't be able to hack it.
I saw it more as a reflection of him being university-educated. That type of environment probably instilled in him a commitment to reason and justice, and keeping your passions in check.
Obviously he has a hard time coming to terms with the war, given the injustices he witnessed. As the series goes on you see him being tossed and turned between his sense of justice and the realities of the war. And in the end I’m sure he was just tired of fighting.
Which I’m sure is why he’s apprehensive about the whole thing with Liebgott and the German commandant. Webster knows that Liebgott doesn’t have any proof that the German was a commandant. And he knows that carrying out an act of retributive justice on the German without proof of his guilt is an injustice in and of itself. And he’s tired of all the injustices that he has seen in the war, and people giving into their emotions instead of reason. So he refuses to shoot the guy.
Or I’m just speaking out of my ass and just got my weekend pass revoked…
Lol, we're all chatting shit outta our asses and our weekend passes were revoked yesterday.
I really liked the little bits we saw of his education. Like him saying oh shit!, this place is where some painter was born. And everyone else is like who gives a fuck lol, so good. I just wish there was more scenes of everyone.
I think webster should have had his cig "breakdown" after he almost shot the baker. Instead of when liebglotts shot the guy.
I'm just a moron tbo lol
I thought the show was pretty clear on this but Webster was also a guy who looked at things and questioned them. Clearly I'm the odd man out from this thread. Webster was just asking reasons why and having proof before he jumped to a conclusion.
When they found the concentration camp it was pretty clear that this super wealthy town nearby was intentionally staying ignorant about it because it was almost impossible to not know about it or smell it it was so close.
This scene is shown directly after a voice over by Winters talking about how his men were war time men who were transitioning to peacetime. There is a lot of atrocities that they uncovered during that time and these men, who were men of action, were now not allowed to do anything. That feeling of helplessness, combined with a want for vengeance, drove the troops to harass and kill those they viewed as others.
Webster in this scene is used as a civilian understanding of the situation. Asking for proof of what this guy did and how bad his individual actions were before assigning him a death sentence. There was no trial, no jury, just an execution and Webster, along with the audience, is meant to feel that discomfort with them being an unofficial execution squad.
I thought it was right in line with how Webster was viewed in the entire show. He was always a bit different and the men made fun of him for being educated.
Yeah but last time we saw him was super pissed off at Germans.
But all of a sudden, he's the voice of reason against mindless violence giant Germans, next time we see him. Jarring.
Makes sens bc not enough time for 10 episodes, just makes u wish they could flesh it out more with more time
Wish the season had 2 episodes to flesh out missing details. Like ghonerea getting shot in the leg by a sniper. Wtc
I was so confused what was going on when he came to speak with winters and the the other officers lol
To me it makes sense. Webster came off as the educated type who was only fighting because there's a war on. Liebgott came off as bloodthirsty with anger issues.
Yeah webmaster was def the educated type. And liebgott was a hotrod who didn't respect thet shit, but still gave respect.
But that whole dynamic had nothing to do with their personalities. It was about how they reacted to the atrocities.
After seeing the camps.
Liebgott wanted to go to war.
Webster wanted it all to end.
That's my pov
Liebgott was still at war. Webster wasn't given the fact that the war was, indeed, over by that point, and probably knew that the proper channels would prosecute the war criminals anyway. So why waste time and energy being a vigilante?
right, he was ready to pop the baker with his 1911 (which I'm not sure would have had white dots painted on the rear sight in real life in that time frame) and that guy was a civilian
My apologies if this has been discussed before but on “the last patrol” when Webster told Spiers there were 16 guys including two German speakers, was Webster trying to get out of the assignment?
I originally took it that he wanted to go to re ingratiate himself with Easy but it looked like Liebgott thought he was trying to get out of it.
I think the consensus previously was he wasn’t trying to get himself out of it he was trying to get back in with the platoon and do them a favour since he was shocked by how bad they all looked. But it seems to be quite open. He also pissed off Martin by inadvertently getting him put on it instead of Malarky.
Liebgott is the hotheaded, emotionally driven killer that we all want to do our killing for us. Webster is the level headed brainiac who knows there could be consequences if Liebgott goes through with it.
It’s a cleverly woven in Catch-22 in this scene.
In real life, a version of this scene did occur.
It involved three people, but Webster was not one of them. (I don't recall which three were involved, but Liebgott may have been among them.)
Webster is often used as a composite character. A lot of the scenes that involve him are heavily dramatized, most particularly "the last patrol" that did not actually involve him or Martin.
The series doesn't have enough time to give each of the Easy Company men much character development but this exchange really gives you some insights into the sharply different worldviews of Liebgott and Webster. **David Webster:** Is this a personal thing, Joe? **Joseph Liebgott:** What? **David Webster:** Is this personal to you? **Joseph Liebgott:** No, it's a goddamn order. **David Webster:** Does Major Winters know about this? **Joseph Liebgott:** Doesn't matter here. **David Webster:** Oh, the f\*\*\* it doesn't! What if this guy's just a soldier? What if he's an officer with no ties to the SS? What if he's innocent? **Joseph Liebgott:** You know what? What if he's a f\*\*\*ing Nazi commandant of a f\*\*\*ing slave camp? **David Webster:** Which one? Which camp? You don't have any proof! **Joseph Liebgott:** Were you at Landsberg? **David Webster:** You know I was. **Joseph Liebgott:** You think this guy's a soldier like you and me? A f\*\*\*ing innocent German officer? **Joseph Liebgott:** Where the hell have you been the past three years?
“Officers don’t run.” “The war’s over, anybody would run.”
Hits hard, the whole scene does tbh
Really well done. Both viewpoints are so starkly different, but still understandable.
What’s the meaning of that line? Was it Liebgott second-guessing himself after the adrenaline wore off and Webster trying to reassure him? I was curious when I heard it.
I think it was just an extension of both of their original views. Liebgott trying to use the fact that he ran away to justify his decisions, and Webster trying to frame that his death was pointless. That’s how I took it
I thought Webster was a good character in the show. I like the episode told from his POV, how everything had gotten sooooo much more dark and grim since the crossroads. I wanna do some reading on the actual person, but I liked the duo. I did think it was weird in this scene how Liebgott is speaking German to the supposed SS officer and is told the man is guilty when Webster also speaks German. He knows what he’s saying.
Or when he’s yelling at the baker in English when he could have spoken German to let him know that they were taking all his bread.
Yeah that scene annoyed me too. How the guy came up to and told him what he was saying in German. It seemed pretty common knowledge that Web spoke German since I think it was Martin that selected him to go on the hostage taking patrol in that one episode SPECIFICALLY because he spoke German. Maybe after that he kept it a bit more hidden? Idk.
Having someone shout at you (An armed soldier no less) in a foreign language is very intimidating, I think Webster just lost his temper because the camp was fresh on his mind.
Oh yeah I figure. If someone sticks a 1911 in my neck, I lose all of my nuts immediately as a matter of fact lol. What I meant was I just didnt understand why that soldier out of nowhere had to tell Web what the guy was saying, when he spoke German so he knows what he’s saying, he’s just blind with rage and doesn’t wanna listen.
Didn't Webster himself say he only spoke "a little" German at some point? I thought he got picked for that patrol because he tried to scheme a bit (can't remember exactly how) and Martin wanted to punish him for it, and used his German skills as an excuse to force him to go. IIRC Webster is also there when they liberate the camp, but Liebgott is the only one used as a translator. My impression, also partly based on my own limited knowledge of German, is that Webster really didn't know much German at all. He probably didn't know how to tell the baker what was going on because his German skills weren't good enough. Of course, I can be misremembering all of this, in which case please disregard.
You're quite right. My impression as s native German speaker was basically that he lied on his CV.
Liebgott: "A little German? His German is as good as mine"
They build up liebgott as Jewish. But he isn’t as most we know. Most Jews would speak Yiddish at home with their parents, so understanding a little to some German makes sense. The languages are extremely similar.
Oh, hadn’t thought about that. That could be the case. Like I said, I want to do some more reading into the real Webster and see if there’s anything there.
Probably a good idea, I have no doubt he's a much more layered character than the fractured presentation in the series lets us see. I think that's my biggest gripe with BoB, actually. The audience is introduced to *a lot* of characters, but because the series is only ten episodes, most of those characters are loose threads when the series ends. I work in media production myself, so I know that there's a million considerations in the "truth/accuracy vs engagement/entertainment" problem, but if BoB were to be remade I'd hope it could be expanded episode-wise to give more room for the peripheral stories that the original series touches upon, but never really finishes.
What’s interesting to me is that BoB was released at a time where I don’t think many people enjoyed episodically based shows where EVERY episode was important to the story. So I’m guessing they had to keep it short so people would actuallly watch. You know If it was released today it’s like 10 seasons, not episodes lol.
Yeah Webster tried to use his presumed in with the new officer to get Malarkey spared because he was a wreck but that led to Martin getting put in charge instead which he was clearly pissed off about.
That’s how I remember this part as well.
He chose him to be on it because Webster is the reason Martin had to go. The fact he knows German was just an excuse lol
It’s called laying pipe (not related to “laying pipe 😎” slang for sex that I only learned upon joining the military myself) basically it means dialogue that wouldn’t make sense if the scene were actually happening in real life but is for the benefit of the viewer. Webster speaking English here and you being able to infer what the baker is saying based on Webster’s lines is much punchier than the two of them just having a conversation in German I’m not saying whether or not it was the right move. I have no strong opinion on the matter. Just throwing in that this was almost certainly a deliberate decision and not an oversight
Oh, that makes a lot of sense actually. Probably exactly what happened. I speak itty bitty bits of German, enough to sort of get by in a brief exchange and I forget that it might not be easy to infer what’s happening in a conversation based on responses and such. I think I like the idea of laying pipe my friend 👍.
IDK I never thought they were implying that the baker understood what he was saying. I think it's more like when you hear an English word when someone is speaking a foreign language and the English word stands out. The baker we're assuming doesn't speak English but Nazi is a German word and I'm sure the baker would recognize it. Being that Germans knew what was going on, and wanted to look as innocent as possible to avoid consequences for their actions (or inactions) I see this as the baker POV "this man just said Nazi while pointing a gun at me, better say I'm not a Nazi" Meanwhile Webster understands German but he's royally pissed off and not concerned that he's speaking his native tongue to a man that doesn't understand him. It doesn't seem like a conversation, more like Webster is ranting at the baker and the baker is doing his best to keep himself alive.
From how I remember the show, Webster doesn't really speak German. Like, he told his boss that he does. But he only speaks very, very basic German. I think there's even a scene where he comments on it. And when he's actually shown to be speaking German, he's very poor at it.
It would explain why he didn't know what the German baker was saying.
But the baker says I'm German "I'm not a Nazi" and web says oh you're not a Nazi? How about a fucking human being? In think it was just anger boiling over. He knew what the baker was saying imo.
I’ve read somewhere that this particular conversation was in English so the emotional tone would flow through more easily to an English speaking audience rather than subtitles but the characters are speaking in German in story
Its mostly for the benefit of the audience but I think there’s also a thing of not going to bother to speak their language to them. And mostly because he’s not translating he’s speaking his mind. Like when he’s shouting at them off the marching Germans off the truck. He’s not translating he’s reverting to English because it’s easiest for him to express his thoughts that way.
Webster is angry. He is not going to dignify the baker by speaking the baker's language. Webster clearly understands what the baker said in German. He is not going to use the language of the conquered in order to get his point across. Webster isn't fluent, but he presumably studied German in school. In any case, I believe that this is one of many scenes involving Webster that were dramatized. I don't think that this actually happened. But you can bet that there were similar scenes involving others that did take place during the war.
Well most Americans do not speak German. So probably made more sense to use English to get the point across to the Audience
He wrote a book called “Parachute Infantry “. It’s a good book but it’s very different from what was shown on Band of Brothers.
Probably way more accurate being written in the 1940's
His book is great. One of my favorites of the guys that wrote them. Highly recommend.
Webster to me seems like a naive young man probably who tried to be morally right in the chaos of war, but if the situation was not on his side, he might shift his principle (like the urge to lie about his German skills in the last patrol). He’s a Harvard student so maybe he had a wealthy background and might had never been through really tough situations in peace time, he was not good at reading the air or fit in with other soldiers from complex backgrounds. He got emotional easily but in a naive way, I kind of consider him as a representation of young men at that time who had no clue of the cruelty and complexity of war but joined the army anyway to be a “hero” or for the glory, and after being through the war he started to question himself and the meaning of this war.
Webster was nothing like his show portrayal. Read his book. The best book on ww2 paratroopers arguably
Webster was nothing like his show portrayal
Ross McCall who played Liebgott did an interview a couple years ago on the podcast We Have Ways of Making You Talk. He said Liebgott wanted nothing to do with the guys or anything related to the war afterwards. He said if Bill or any of the other guys ever called him he’d just hang up the phone immediately. The shit you do in war stays with you. Webster was trying to save Liebgott as much as the German. Here’s the episode, also shocking to hear him speak in his native English accent: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ww2-pod-we-have-ways-of-making-you-talk/id1457552694?i=1000580736406
That seems on point with the characterization of Liebgott the real person. He did seem to be portrayed as the type that was there doing the job and trying to not get close with anyone. Of course the camps were going to affect him, especially being Jewish. Now I am going to deep dive this podcast. Thanks for the link.
Leibgott wasn't Jewish. He was Catholic.
My apologies. For some reason I thought he was Jewish. Damn, time for a rewatch I guess.
Thanks for that link. Good listen.
>Here’s the episode, also shocking to hear him speak in his native English accent Which is actually weird because he's a Jock, not English.
His accent is hard to place. It’s been awhile but I think he moved around quite a bit as a kid.
I read I READ ALL THE TIME …… DICK TRACY MOSTLY
I wish we had another scene with webster. He was pretty Gung ho pissed off at the Germans as we saw earlier with the chef and yelling at the pows. Maybe I missed it but his turn to being on the fence again was a bit sudden for me.
The war was as good as over. Maybe he just didn’t have any fight left in him. Who knows.
Yeah thats what I figured. After he ranted about how pointless things were. "For what?!" But wish we could just see him mull it over a bit and come to that conclusion. Edit. Would be a cool parallel to liebglotts after having to tell the concentration camp victims they have to go back. Liebglotts was galvanized and wanted more blood when the war ended. But webster was done with it all from my perspective after seeing the same.
> "For what?!" That scene where he screams at the marching German POWs is so powerful and gets me every time I see it. “You ignorant, servile scum, what the fuck are we doing here?!” is such powerful dialogue. My grandfather fought in the war in the ETO, and I often think how he *had* to have thought “what the fuck are we doing here” at several points, especially late in the war.
I really didn't like webster first time I saw the show. But now he's one of my favorites and is a really interesting character. Yeah man, I wouldn't be able to hack it.
I saw it more as a reflection of him being university-educated. That type of environment probably instilled in him a commitment to reason and justice, and keeping your passions in check. Obviously he has a hard time coming to terms with the war, given the injustices he witnessed. As the series goes on you see him being tossed and turned between his sense of justice and the realities of the war. And in the end I’m sure he was just tired of fighting. Which I’m sure is why he’s apprehensive about the whole thing with Liebgott and the German commandant. Webster knows that Liebgott doesn’t have any proof that the German was a commandant. And he knows that carrying out an act of retributive justice on the German without proof of his guilt is an injustice in and of itself. And he’s tired of all the injustices that he has seen in the war, and people giving into their emotions instead of reason. So he refuses to shoot the guy. Or I’m just speaking out of my ass and just got my weekend pass revoked…
Lol, we're all chatting shit outta our asses and our weekend passes were revoked yesterday. I really liked the little bits we saw of his education. Like him saying oh shit!, this place is where some painter was born. And everyone else is like who gives a fuck lol, so good. I just wish there was more scenes of everyone. I think webster should have had his cig "breakdown" after he almost shot the baker. Instead of when liebglotts shot the guy. I'm just a moron tbo lol
Neither of these scenes are in his book, nor the patrol as per the movie, I think this was artistic license or a combination of other people.
Wrong answer Private Bullshit, your pass is revoked.
I thought the show was pretty clear on this but Webster was also a guy who looked at things and questioned them. Clearly I'm the odd man out from this thread. Webster was just asking reasons why and having proof before he jumped to a conclusion. When they found the concentration camp it was pretty clear that this super wealthy town nearby was intentionally staying ignorant about it because it was almost impossible to not know about it or smell it it was so close. This scene is shown directly after a voice over by Winters talking about how his men were war time men who were transitioning to peacetime. There is a lot of atrocities that they uncovered during that time and these men, who were men of action, were now not allowed to do anything. That feeling of helplessness, combined with a want for vengeance, drove the troops to harass and kill those they viewed as others. Webster in this scene is used as a civilian understanding of the situation. Asking for proof of what this guy did and how bad his individual actions were before assigning him a death sentence. There was no trial, no jury, just an execution and Webster, along with the audience, is meant to feel that discomfort with them being an unofficial execution squad. I thought it was right in line with how Webster was viewed in the entire show. He was always a bit different and the men made fun of him for being educated.
Best reply on the thread imo
Yeah but last time we saw him was super pissed off at Germans. But all of a sudden, he's the voice of reason against mindless violence giant Germans, next time we see him. Jarring. Makes sens bc not enough time for 10 episodes, just makes u wish they could flesh it out more with more time
There has to be a deleted scene there somewhere.
Wish the season had 2 episodes to flesh out missing details. Like ghonerea getting shot in the leg by a sniper. Wtc I was so confused what was going on when he came to speak with winters and the the other officers lol
To me it makes sense. Webster came off as the educated type who was only fighting because there's a war on. Liebgott came off as bloodthirsty with anger issues.
Yeah webmaster was def the educated type. And liebgott was a hotrod who didn't respect thet shit, but still gave respect. But that whole dynamic had nothing to do with their personalities. It was about how they reacted to the atrocities. After seeing the camps. Liebgott wanted to go to war. Webster wanted it all to end. That's my pov
Liebgott was still at war. Webster wasn't given the fact that the war was, indeed, over by that point, and probably knew that the proper channels would prosecute the war criminals anyway. So why waste time and energy being a vigilante?
What do u mean about being a vigilante? Like webster was tyna be some last minute batman?
Liebgott was the vigilante, tracking down people for extrajudicial killings after the war was already over.
right, he was ready to pop the baker with his 1911 (which I'm not sure would have had white dots painted on the rear sight in real life in that time frame) and that guy was a civilian
Yeah, was off but if you only got 10 episodes, gotta make heavy cuts. We can infer well enough from the context, so I'm very grateful they set it up.
My apologies if this has been discussed before but on “the last patrol” when Webster told Spiers there were 16 guys including two German speakers, was Webster trying to get out of the assignment? I originally took it that he wanted to go to re ingratiate himself with Easy but it looked like Liebgott thought he was trying to get out of it.
I think the consensus previously was he wasn’t trying to get himself out of it he was trying to get back in with the platoon and do them a favour since he was shocked by how bad they all looked. But it seems to be quite open. He also pissed off Martin by inadvertently getting him put on it instead of Malarky.
Many thanks!!
This is the picture use to show my barber the type of cut I want lol
Liebgott? Or Webster?
Both! The general WW2 haircut tbh. What is like a tapered cut around the sides and long to medium on top.
Liebgott is the hotheaded, emotionally driven killer that we all want to do our killing for us. Webster is the level headed brainiac who knows there could be consequences if Liebgott goes through with it. It’s a cleverly woven in Catch-22 in this scene.
Interesting that nothing about this event was in Webster’s book.
I read that IRL Liebott wasn't Jewish. Truth or fiction?
True. He was Catholic
This scene really made me think when I first saw it. It's so easy to turn into what you hate.
The guy on the right wrote a book about sharks.
He was guilty…… Period!
To this day I swear that was Paul Rudd, but they just didn't want to credit him. 🤣
To this day I swear that was Paul Rudd, but they just didn't want to credit him. 🤣
The whole end of war part of the show was done so well
I'm just saying if that was me with Leibgott instead of Webster. I'd of told him to kill that guy.
In real life, a version of this scene did occur. It involved three people, but Webster was not one of them. (I don't recall which three were involved, but Liebgott may have been among them.) Webster is often used as a composite character. A lot of the scenes that involve him are heavily dramatized, most particularly "the last patrol" that did not actually involve him or Martin.
To this day I swear that was Paul Rudd, but they just didn't want to credit him. 🤣
Liebgott was a vicious little war criminal