MovieChat Forums > Band of Brothers (2001) Discussion > Anyone notice Tom Hanks posing as a Fren...

Anyone notice Tom Hanks posing as a French soldier...

posted 8 years ago by hillarytrump
9 replies | jump to latest

Offing those krauts hiding in a shed? I forgot what episode it was, but it when the allies where advancing the German border.

[–] blackhawkswincup2010 8 years ago

That was the final episode, Points, and those weren't Frenchmen, they were Russians, in authentic Russian uniforms and helmets. I seriously doubt Tom Hanks would play a perpetrator of an atrocity like that.

[–] nickm2 8 years ago

No dey was definitely French. Now whether they were shooting Frenchmen wearing German uniforms or just potting them out of sheer pique I don't know. The French post war treatment of German POWs was certainly the most vindictive of the Western Allies;

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[–] WhiskeyFudge 8 years ago

Certainly not Russians, they are wearing French style Adrian helmet! How you can call that "authentic Russian uniforms" is beyond me.

And yes, it is Tom Hanks, not only is it mentioned in FAQ on this page, but a google picture search (try "Band of Brothers french soldiers") will also show it.

WhiskeyFudge

[–] murph24 8 years ago

If you're referring to the scene at 29:27 of episode 9 ("Why We Fight"), in which two French soldiers are shown executing three German soldiers, that wasn't Tom Hanks. Similar look, perhaps, but not Tom Hanks.

http://www.imfdb.org/images/thumb/5/59/Bob9smle.jpg/600px-Bob9smle.jpg

The Tom Hanks cameo occurs at 31:47 in episode 5 ("Crossroads"), which is the episode he directed. He's one of the Red Devils toasting Easy Company after the Operation Pegasus rescue mission.

http://i.imgur.com/CMOGSHR.jpg

[–] DariusStrain 8 years ago

Webster described that shooting incident in his book in pretty gruesome terms. The ones who were shot were young Hitler Jugend soldiers.

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[–] murph24 8 years ago

Yes, it's in the chapter entitled "Hitler's Champagne" (about a dozen pages in). French soldiers executing 3 German soldiers who were clearly in their teens.

The last portion of the passage can be viewed here -

https://books.google.com/books?id=wG9nGZ9Ii1sC&pg=PA187&lpg=PA187&dq=david+webster+parachute+infantry+-+there%27s+your+goddamn+war&source=bl&ots=PnXPYt64t7&sig=Xt6VvpgfjN6C5L6smRuDdUwzICM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiOhab51e_NAhUL7YMKHdC7C0IQ6AEIHDAA#v=onepage&q=david%20webster%20parachute%20infantry%20-%20there's%20your%20goddamn%20war&f=false

[–] Hotrodder 8 years ago

What puzzles me about that scene is why they are wearing French uniforms. AFAIK Frenchmen who were fighting in the Allied forces wore US supplied OD uniforms and US M1 helmets, both with French insignia. Officers often wore kepis. So why are these soldiers wearing old French uniforms like they just stepped out of 1940?
I don't doubt that French soldiers may well have summarily executed SS men.

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[–] WhiskeyFudge 8 years ago

As mentioned above, yes it was Tom Hanks :-)

WhiskeyFudge

[–] kisdot 8 years ago

Yes but I wasn't surprised to see him considering his involvement in the series. I was re-watching and I just noticed Jimmy Fallon is in the 5th episode. I was like ??????? :D