Re: The Pacific and Band of Brothers
BoB was built around a small group, and centered on Winters. It allowed for continuity as well as better character development. BoB also was after the first one episode or 2, played out over less than a year, not all in combat. The 101st was out of combat from the first few day of July 44 until Sept 44, and after Holland not in action until the Bulge. The at the end of Jan 45 they were out again until like April 45.
The Pacific had really different characters in different units from August 42 until well after the war. It never really allowed the character development like BoB did.
I think the Pacific was filmed in Northern Australia, and Bob in England. They had one village for BoB, and depending on what direction they came in it looked like France, Holland, Belgium, or Germany. Europe also has a lot of reenactors who maintain vehicles that I am sure came in handy for filming.
I did like in the Pacific seeing the weapons and equipment and uniforms change from battle to battle. That was pretty accurate.
The war against the Japanese was extremely brutal and without pity. The Japs made it that way and our forces learned it right off the bat on Guadalcanal, with the Goette patrol. The Germans didn't like close combat much, and when our guys got close and they knew the jig was up they surrendered, often enmasse, at least in the Western front. The Japanese didn't, and were treacherous. I knew several former pacific war marines, and they never ever forgave the Japanese. They despised them until the day they died.
Nobody who actually fought in WW II, especially pacific vets who saw action, ever regretted the A bombs. I agree. the japs got off lucky because we had them. The would have had 20-30 million dead and half the country would be Russian. What the revisionist don't mention was that all civilians had been publically declared combatants by the japanese themselves. and they were training schoolchildren, and even Bhuddist monks, to fight. The bombs saved their country from total annihalation, but they would never admit it. They teach their kids that we forced them into bombing Pearl Harbor, the Chinese provoked them into war, and that they are the victims.
They have never accepted responsibility.
At least the Germans taught their kids how evil the NAZIs were, at least until the 70's, and that the Holacaust was real.