Thread by @WalkingGround

Welcome to the #LiveTweet of BATTLEGROUND (1949). It is H-hour 2100 EST (GMT -5) and it is time to join the Bastogne Bulldogs of 327th Glider Infantry Regiment. Join us on our #WarMovie adventure.

The hashtag for this live tweet is #Battleground101st.

BATTLEGROUND (1949) was originally an RKO script, but the production was taken to MGM by studio executive Dore Schary. The movie's $2 million budget is approx. $51 million in today’s money. Filmed in California, Oregon, and Washington. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

BATTLEGROUND premiered on November 9, 1949 - barely 4-years after the events depicted. Studio boss Louis B. Mayer was worried the public were tired of war movies. It would be MGM's highest grossing movie in 5-years. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

Staring Van Johnson as Holley. In 1949, Johnson was at the peak of his career - staring in A GUY NAMED JOE (1943), THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO (1944), COMMAND DECISION (1948), GO FOR BROKE (1951), and THE CAINE MUTINY (1954). #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

Co-stars include: John "DESERT FURY" Hodiak as Donald Jarv is, Ricardo "WRATH OF KHAN" Montalban as Johnny Roderigues, George "later elected US Senator" Murphy as Pop Stazak, and James "SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION" Whitmore as S/Sgt. Kinnie. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

'And the original "Screaming Eagles" of the 101st Airborne Division, who play themselves.' Twenty veterans of the 101st were hired to train the actors - putting them through Hollywood boot camp - and appeared in the film as extras. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

Lt. Col. Harry Kinnard, G3 for 101st Airborne Division during the Battle of the Bulge, served as technical advisor for the movie. Post-war, Kinnard developed the airmobile concept by which troops are flown into combat by helicopter. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

"Bastogne must be taken. Otherwise it will remain an abscess in our lines. We must clean out Bastogne and then march on."
General Heinrich von Lüttwitz
47th Panzer Corps
#Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

"This story is about, and dedicated to, those Americans who me General Heinrich von Lüttwitz and his 47 Panzer Corps and won for themselves the honored and immortal name -- The Battered Bastards of Bastogne." #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

We open at "a US Army camp somewhere in France, December, 1944." A tobacco-chewing S/Sgt. Kinnie is putting the platoon through its paces. Some good period cadence with, of course, reference to that despicable guy back home, Jody. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

The new guys. Recently arrived in the ETO and volunteers for the 327th Glider Infantry Regt, 101st Airborne Division. "So you go in gliders instead of trucks. That's the only difference." See tropes.org for Naive Newcomer. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

“Take care of that gas mask, soldier. It might save your life someday.” Most GIs in the ETO ditched their gas masks and used the bag for carrying additional personal gear. Reproduction available here: atthefront.com/Lightweight-Ga… #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

Holley returns to the platoon full of joie de vivre. A "slight scratch" landed him in hospital for a month with hot-and-cold running champagne and nurses. He returns in time to join the platoon on a 3-day furlough in Paris.... maybe. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

The platoon is a fictionalized “3rd Platoon, I Company” of 327th Glider Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. The 327th were veterans of Normandy (Overlord) and Holland (Market Garden). Hey there @101stAASLTDIV. How you doing? #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

Any ex-GI watching this movie who was a veteran of the ETO would know that Holley’s eulogizing of the Quartier Pigalle and Piccadilly Circus is a reference to areas in Paris and London infamous for prostitution. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #HaysCode #LiveTweet

George Murphy as Ernst J. "Pop" Stazak. Pop has good news. He's awaiting a dependency discharge to return to the US and take care of his sick wife and kids. All he needs is the paperwork. Uh huh. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

18 December 1944. James Whitmore as S/Sgt Kinnie with the good news. "Nobody's going to Paris. We're moving up." Where to? "Beats me. The Krauts made a breakthrough someplace." The 101st were on their way to Bastogne. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

The 101st was in SHAEF reserve at Reims, France. The division moved out on 18 Dec 1944 headed 107 miles north to Bastogne, Belgium. The first elements arrived shortly after midnight on 19 Dec with the entire division in place by 0900. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

"Chewing gum? Cigarette for mama? Chocolate?" The platoon responds with nothing but affection for the two waifs, but then... "Woo hoo! Get a load of mama!" We meet Denise who will be, to some extent, Holley's love interest. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

"This is the United States Armed Forces radio service broadcasting from London." The first AFRS broadcast was 4 July 1943 using equipment borrowed from the BBC. The service continues today as AFN. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet myafn.dodmedia.osd.mil

Lascivious soldiery! Van Johnson plays this scene perfectly. It’s all done with his eyes. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

Jarvess is on sentry duty outside the platoon billet when battle-weary troops pass through Bastogne as part of a "strategic withdrawal." These are men of the Dutch Cota's battered 28th Infantry Division. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet historynet.com/battle-of-the-…

Holley and his eggs - the beginning of a saga in and of itself. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

“Drop your packs and rolls.” The platoon moves forward to clear a treeline with fighting load only. Most men are equipped with the M1 Garand rifle. The lieutenant has a M1 carbine. Sarn't Kinnie has a M1928A1 Thompson SMG. No BARs? #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

Kinnie’s Thompson has two 30-round magazines taped together “jungle style” for a quick magazine change. The technique was also used with the M1 carbine (notably by MoH recipient Audie Murphy) and the M3 “Grease Gun” SMG. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

If you are a U.S. citizen and desire a M1 Garand rifle of your own, you can obtain a surplus rifle for between $750-$1000 from the Civilian Marksmanship Program, provided if you meet eligibility requirements. thecmp.org/sales-and-serv… #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

2nd Squad digs in. The new guy, Pvt Layton, gets to dig a 3-man fighting position while Sgt Wolowicz and Pvt Hansan conveniently visit the lieutenant. Yet another indignity for Layton. Do the rest of the platoon even know his name? #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

While Pvt Bettis (Richard Jaeckel) digs a 2-man fighting position, Pfc Holley decides to use a M1 helmet as a cooking pot for his eggs. Helmets were also used for heating water and as washing bowls. Improvisation in the field. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

We are 31-minutes and 45-seconds into the movie and this is the point where I lose my temper with Pvt. "Kipp" Kippton (Douglas Fowley) and his clicking false teeth. Ugh! It's becoming annoying. Enough! Is this really necessary? #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

But here’s the scoop on actor Douglas Fowley - he really did have false teeth. One story says the Navy veteran lost his teeth in combat while serving in the Pacific. Another story says he never left San Diego. I genuinely don't know. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

Layton finishes digging his hole just in time for Wolowicz to return and announce the platoon is moving out. Holley won’t get his eggs cooked now. Will this become a running gag #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

Cpl. Staniferd (Don Taylor) begins to exhibit signs of pneumonia. Running gags - Layton digging a hole, Holley trying to cook eggs. Is pneumonia enough to send a man back to the hospital? It would leave 2nd Squad a man short. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

Roadblock duty. Layton hears something in the fog. Are the advancing figures American or German? They know the password so they must be American... right? They couldn't be Skorzeny's Einheit Stielau commandos... could they? #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

Waffen-SS commando leader Otto Skorzeny formed a 150-man detachment, Einheit Stielau, of English speakers wearing US uniforms and carrying GI equipment to conduct "Operation Greif" - the infiltration of the American rear area. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

The effectiveness of Skorzeny’s operation is a matter of debate. Rumors of infiltrators sowed paranoia among the Americans, but the commandos failed to seize key points and his supporting 150 Panzer Brigade failed to capture Malmedy. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

Skorzeny’s commandos feature heavily in BATTLE OF THE BULGE (1965) which seems to be on @tcm every Memorial Day, 4th July, Veterans Day, and Wednesdays when there's an R in the month. Why are we still watching that garbage? Why? Why? #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

"Oh no!" Holley wakes to fresh snow covering the platoon. During the battle, American troops had to contend with snow, freezing rain, and fog. Field Marshal Von Rundstedt noted “weather was a weapon the German army used with success." #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

Layton learns his buddy in K Company was killed, and, as the new guy, nobody knew his name. He wants to make sure Sgt Wolowicz knows his name... just in case. American forces suffered 75,000 casualties during the Battle of the Bulge. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

"This is what G2 calls a patch of woods. A whole division could be hiding in that forest."
"Nice job for a 3-man patrol."
"Yeah, if we don't get back that's how they'll know we ran into some Krauts."
#Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

Fear of German infiltrators led to suspicion of strangers. This scene is based on an actual encounter with BG Bruce Clarke, 4th Armored Division, who was held at gunpoint for incorrectly saying the @Cubs were in the American League. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

Holley has a bad feeling about the "Americans" they meet in the woods. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

The semi-automatic rifle, caliber 30, M1. Described by George S. Patton as ""the greatest battle implement ever devised." During the war, 5.4 million were produced, becoming the principal US infantry weapon. amazon.com/M1-Garand-Weap… #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

The look on Van Johnson's face in this scene. Holley has killed a man hand-to-hand with a boot knife. He has to leave a wounded buddy behind. There are Germans hard on his tail. It's not fear in his eyes. It's a desperate realization. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

US airborne infantry were lightly armed and poorly equipped to face German armor. As S/Sgt. Kinnie dryly points out, the platoon doesn't even have anti-tank grenades. These *would* be M9A1 rifle grenades - if they had any. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

Kinnie calls for artillery to deal with the German armor. They all know their wounded buddy Roderigues is sheltering near where the barrage will strike. Kinnie calls it in anyway. He and the lieutenant don't give it a second thought. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

Chain of command. With Sgt. Wolowicz wounded and Cpl. Staniferd down with pneumonia, Pfc. Holley becomes squad leader. So it goes. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

Holley leads a 4-man patrol to bring in the wounded Roderigues. He survived the artillery barrage, but succumbed to the cold weather. During the Battle of the Bulge wounded men could freeze to death before a medic arrived. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

The platoon receives news that the division is surrounded. The 101st Airborne was "officially" surrounded on December 21, 1944. The division could not be resupplied by air, nor receive tactical air support, due to weather conditions. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

As 3rd Platoon struggles to hold a railway embankment., the men struggle with frozen rifle bolts and frozen cartridge pouches. There are reports from the battle of GIs urinating on frozen bolts to thaw them. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

Holley panics and runs. Layton mistakes his move for a flanking attack and follows. "I'm with you, Holley." Now he has no option except to be a hero. "Come on." A remarkable scene in that it portrays the leading man as afraid. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

Holley and Layton are reinforced by the surviving members of 2nd Squad with Jarvis manning a Browning M1919A6 gun light machine gun. Interestingly, nobody in the platoon seems to have a BAR. Prop masters oversight? #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

In the aid station at Bastogne. Medical supplies are running out. There is no more morphine. A similar situation occurs in Episode 6 of Band of Brothers. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

I love this scene. Layton with the half loaf of bread and cognac, ingratiating himself with Denise, much to Holley's surprise. The transition from fresh-faced new kid to crafty veteran has taken Layton just a few days. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

For the purposes of the movie, 2nd Squad meet the German plenipotentiaries. In reality, the German negotiators were met by T/Sgt Butler, S/Sgt Dickinson, and Pfc. Premetz (a German-speaking medic) of F Company, 327th Glider Infantry. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

The German plenipotentiaries were Major Wagner (one of von Lüttwitz's adjutants in 47th Panzer Corps), Lieutenant Henke (a Panzer Lehr Division operations officer), and two enlisted men from 901st Pazner Grenadier Regiment. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

Nüsse? #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

The padre asks “Was this trip necessary?” Then he lays it out. Why America has to fight. Because it *is* necessary. “And don't ever let anybody tell you you were a sucker to fight in the war against fascism.” Amen, padre! #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

"Do you think there's anything to those stories about Krauts shooting prisoners?" Eighty-four US POWs were murdered at Malmedy on December 17, 1944, and eleven African-American POWs were murdered at Wereth the same day. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarCrime #WarMovie #LiveTweet

Belgian civilians were not spared during the Battle of the Bulge. The Luftwaffe bombed Bastogne on Christmas Eve 1944. We hear Denise praying to the children. Then a bomb. Then a scream. Then nothing. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

Cooks, clerks, mechanics, walking wounded - everyone is now a rifleman. The siege of Bastogne was a backs to the all" moment for the 101st. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

The grim faces of 2nd Squad as they fix bayonets to await another German attack. The M1 Garand bayonet was the 10-inch M1 (US Army classic "everything is an M1"). You can, of course, buy a reproduction. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet atthefront.com/product-p/usgw…

S/Sgt. Kinnie notices his shadow. It's not Groundhog Day in Belgium. What it means is that the weather is clearing and the 101st will receive supply drops and tactical air support at last. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

The climax of the movie. Great montage sequence of supplies being opened, weapons being fired, and Germans dying/surrendering. Too many images to capture and tweet. This is fantastic. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

The platoon’s survivors sit at the side of the road and watch mechanized reinforcements move up. At my count, there are only 19 men left in 3rd Platoon. The lieutenant has gone. S/Sgt. Kinnie is left in command. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

The look on Kinnie’s face as he orders the survivors to fall in. The looks on the faces of the men as they realize they’re being asked to go back into the line. And yet… #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

“About face!” S/Sgt. Kinnie was joking. That's some dark GI humor! The platoon is headed out of the line. Exhausted, missing friends, but unbeaten. And as reinforcements move up, the platoon breaks into a spirited cadence. #Battleground101st #WW2 #WarMovie #LiveTweet

Thank you for joining this #LiveTweet of BATTLEGROUND (1949).

See you again with another classic #WarMovie soon.

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