Hand-motions

Eisenhower · #1 (**permalink**) November 3rd, 2003, 07:32 PM

Anybody have a list or a website one could go to for WWII squad hand motions?

De Vlaamse Leeuw · #2 (**permalink**) November 3rd, 2003, 07:39 PM

What are WWII squad hand motions?

Eisenhower · #3 (**permalink**) November 3rd, 2003, 07:41 PM

Hand motions squad leaders used to position their squad when they did not want to be heard. Excellent example is in Band of Brothers (if you've ever seen it).

Eisenhower · #4 (**permalink**) November 3rd, 2003, 07:53 PM

nevermind...here they are.

This website is pretty neat. Anything you want to know about a soldier's life in the early 20th century, from basic training to officers.

Eisenhower · #5 (**permalink**) November 3rd, 2003, 07:54 PM

nevermind...here they are.

This website is pretty neat. Anything you want to know about a soldier's life in the early 20th century, from basic training to officers.
http://www.hardscrabblefarm.com/ww2/ww2_home.htm

Eisenhower · #6 (**permalink**) November 3rd, 2003, 07:56 PM

here's the other half.

Leitung Panzer · #7 (**permalink**) November 13th, 2003, 12:21 AM

What about the motions for Easy, Item, and Dog companies? And alot of the motions in BoB are not listed there, but Winters said in an interview he had no idea what they were, they almost never used hand signals.

Eisenhower · #8 (**permalink**) November 13th, 2003, 05:03 PM

Leitung,
The sole purpose of this thread was to find the hand motions that you were talking about. When I found the ones listed I realized even more the Hollywood has a way of changing things from reality.

Though BoB did an excellent job in capturing the essence of combat, the accuracy of the series as well as the book is questionable.

Capt.Spiers · #9 (**permalink**) November 19th, 2003, 07:48 AM

surely there are heaps more hand signals then just those eight or ten??

Eisenhower · #10 (**permalink**) November 19th, 2003, 05:16 PM

Probably, but they were hardly used, I imagine. Like I said before, BoB is a product of Hollywood and therefore cannot be trusted to give information. All those hand motions used by Winters in the series are probably not real. [img]graemlins/moh.gif[/img]

Capt.Spiers · #11 (**permalink**) November 21st, 2003, 12:02 AM

i perfect example what you're on about eisenhower is in Saving Private Ryan. In the last battle on the bridge when that guy in using his hands to say to Tom Hanks he can see 50 infanty 2 tiger tanks ect or i'm i wrong

KnightMove · #12 (**permalink**) November 21st, 2003, 04:47 AM

Hopefully no squad leader was photographed in the wrong moment when showing 'forward'. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Capt.Spiers · #13 (**permalink**) November 21st, 2003, 08:19 AM

why would that be bad nightmove

KnightMove · #14 (**permalink**) November 21st, 2003, 08:28 AM

Well, look at the image and it should become clear. [img]smile.gif[/img]

BratwurstDimSum · #15 (**permalink**) November 21st, 2003, 10:11 AM

There has been a lot of speculation over this, by no less than the 101st vets themselves.

Like Eisenhower, I question the authenticity of BOB, although I really like the "oral history" books that are now out as they tell history from the ground level instead of a Historian's comfy chair.

I have commented on this before in a previous thread with regards to the swearing in BOB. Both this and the advanced handsignals according to:

"A Historian's Critique of the HBO Miniseries-Overview"
http://www.101airborneww2.com/bandofbrothers3.html

are hollywood's efforts to make WW2 more modern, much like watching a vietnam film.

I quote from the above website:

On Handsignals:

Quote:

The WW2 101st vets have also puzzled over the many hand signals used by actors in the series. I have to suspect that those are Vietnam era USMC devices brought to the series by Mr Dye. You can also see a lot of that in Saving Private Ryan. Pee Wee Martin of G/506th told me recently that he was totally puzzled by all of the hand signals used in these films. The only hand signals he recalls using in WW2 was the raised open hand by a scout-(now called a 'point-man'), to signal the enemy is in sight, and a raised clenched fist, pumped up and down to mean "start doubletiming."

And Swearing:

Quote:

Regardless of the actual profanity level of the day, most WW2 vets I know will argue like all getout that there was LESS cursing in the 40's than is common today. At first I was skeptical, but after 30 years of hearing this from so many individuals, I tend to believe them. The film would have been just as good with less profanity. My friend historian Bill Warnock wrote me the following observation on this:

"The 'F' word was used by GIs of the WW2 era, but I think the BoB writers overdid it. They portray a degree of profanity typical of Vietnam and today, not WW2. This was (also) the case in 'Saving Private Ryan'. Several vets commented to me about this."

The above website is very very detailed in its episode by episode critique of BOB, it does not spoil the series, it is important to recognise this, surely, I didn't lose any respect for the members of easy company after reading all this, however, it did ram home to me the influences of hollywood and its shrink-wrapped attitude of making history palitable to the masses.

[ 21. November 2003, 04:17 AM: Message edited by: BratwurstDimSum ]

Eisenhower · #16 (**permalink**) November 21st, 2003, 01:24 PM

*gasps*
Vietnam? That makes sense though...the film-makers run out of material to fill in all that running and stopping, so they add some dramatic music and put in some stuff from VIETNAM! it all fits...

Capt.Spiers · #17 (**permalink**) November 22nd, 2003, 01:46 AM

i get it now knightmove im a bit slow. good joke [img]smile.gif[/img]