Recently saw this pic on Facebook and started thinking about Peacock (second from right). He wasn't in the series much but Webster writes a lot about him. Reading Parachute Infantry, if there is one officer that is the 'bad guy', it certainly is Peacock and not Dike.
https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/13730934_945681128895013_871833473558204416_o.jpg
Washington Racists
Well, Webster certainly hated him, no question there, and based on Webster's stories, he was no prize. It did always strike me as curious that the series took it so easy on him, considering that Ambrose lifted so much of his book from Webster's writings. And especially when it unfairly slighted others, such as Ed Shames, Roy Cobb, and even Webster himself to a degree.
The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.
I don't know why Ambrose did all that. He was strange, although Winters seemed to like him.
Washington Racists
As a writer, certainly he seemed to have gotten some things wrong and not done the amount of research you would expect. I mean, after the series came out it was discovered that Joe Liebgott wasn't actually Jewish. It was Liebgott's son who revealed that. Did Ambrose not contact Liebgott's family while researching his book? In the series I believe they just took artistic license with Liebgott; to the filmmakers' knowledge he had been Jewish so they made him definitively so. But the mistake wouldn't have been made had Ambrose done proper research in the first place. Webster also described Liebgott as Jewish, but his book was a memoir while Ambrose's was supposed to be a factual account, so I think it's much more forgivable.
The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.
If you read Babe Heffron's memoir ("Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends"), you'll discover that Webster wasn't the only one who hated Peacock.
But who knows? He might have hated Dike just as much if he hadn't been in hospitals and replacement depots from late '44 to early '45; missing out on Bastogne also meant Webster missed out on Dike.
And while there's no question the series makes Peacock look like a clueless jerk, Dike really comes under fire (so to speak) because he was the company's leader; his incompetence resulted in a higher number of casualties for Easy.
So as irritating and exasperating as Peacock was, he wasn't as disastrous for the company as Dike. In the "bad guy" stakes, Peacock will always be in Dike's shadow.
Yes, about Dike being the "worst" bad guy, I'm still not convinced. There's just too much Ambrose's obfuscation there. Yes, as you said before and I believe you although I haven't yet read all of the E company memoires, many of the E company members had negative things to say about Dike.
However, Webster was the first one and his view is the one that IMHO is the 'freshest'. His journalistic skill is also undeniable. So I value his book the highest. He has A LOT of negative stuff to say about Peacock, like pure hatred - level stuff, and Webby was pretty laid back guy. Yes, he missed out on Dike who got medals for bravery for saving soldiers in Holland, was possibly wounded in that fateful assault, etc. So there is 'fog of war' there.
But don't worry, I won't go "Buddy Love" on you about this. You might be right. It's just that there is too much unclarity at play to say for sure one way or the other. Maybe one day, say, Nixon's unpublished diary about the war years will be discored and we'll finally find out the 'truth'.
Washington Racists
Yeah, it's the memoirs and/or biographies of Dick Winters, Shifty Powers, Ed Shames, Don Malarkey and Babe Heffron that really make it clear how Dike's incompetence as a commander resulted in Easy Company soldiers being killed.
I'm not doubting how much Webster hated Peacock; I've read "Parachute Infantry" twice, and he couldn't have made his feelings clearer. It's just that the other veterans had experience of BOTH Dike and Peacock, while Webster only knew Peacock. And they all felt Dike was worse for Easy, as he had the responsibility of leading the company - something Peacock never did (he was only in charge of a platoon).
Just to reiterate, Ambrose got it wrong concerning Webster (who's book he basically ripped off among other works without doing much proper historical research), Cobb, Shames, Blithe (very seriously), etc. The series is based on Ambrose's book, not the words of the individual soldiers you mention. The guilt lies on Ambrose and Spielberg/Hanks.
Washington Racists
First, let's look at what you wrote in your original post -
He (Peacock) wasn't in the series much but Webster writes a lot about him. Reading Parachute Infantry, if there is one officer that is the 'bad guy', it certainly is Peacock and not Dike.
Yes I know the other guys were involved with Ambrose and the series. However they didn't write the script or the book. Ambrose wrote the book and HBO/however wrote the script and are therefore responsible. Webster is IMO the 'main source' and I feel sad that his book wasn't used as the main source for the series. I don't care about a 'dramatic' treatment with 'good and bad guys' etc. hollywood bs, I want the facts to be correct.
shareWebster is IMO the 'main source' and I feel sad that his book wasn't used as the main source for the series. I don't care about a 'dramatic' treatment with 'good and bad guys' etc. hollywood bs, I want the facts to be correct.
To return to this old discussion for a couple of points. Well if the series had been based on Webster's book then yes, it would have been different. More factual and thus, IMHO, better.
The series doesn't cover nearly all members of E co. In the link below is a link of all the E co. members. Many not shown in the series.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_Company,_506th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)
I think the Germans raised the bar when it comes to realism with movies like The Downfall etc.
Washington Racists
To return to this old discussion for a couple of points. Well if the series had been based on Webster's book then yes, it would have been different. More factual and thus, IMHO, better.
Well, Speirs was clearly the worst, shooting prisoners and stealing silver.
Unless you were going into battle, then you wanted him leading the way, on your side.
I laughed out loud when they said what he was doing after the war (running a prison!)