The movie's highest merit is in showing a typical tank crews' lives during the ETO. The reality was as the movie script introduced. Our tanks were technically inferior in every way except reliability, numbers, and speed during the last 12 months of the war to most of what the German military fielded.
Consequently, things were quite dangerous for American and British tank crews, and no tank was introduced during the war to significantly alter than reality. Once in the movie early, a tank NCO says that with their losses, it was hard to believe the Allies were winning the war.
Truth is, the allies were winning the war despite losing nearly all tank on tank battles, until fuel shortages and reliability issues turned German tank units into paper units.
The ending as many have pointed out was a bit fantastical, but my personal view is it was plausible given the situation. The NCO tank commander was given the situation that if that German unit advance past the road intersection, that it would be able to flank attack the supply lines for the entire division.
Given this, making the decision to risk certain death to attrite as much of the German unit as possible is a militarily rational decision, but clearly heroic.
A German unit well trained and equipped would have not allowed itself to be so chewed up as shown in the final scenes. But, keep in mind that even so-called elite units of the German military were, by April 1945, filled by poorly trained and grossly inexperienced troops. So, getting the men to know how to flank a tank would have been a challenge.
The movie did an outstanding job of showing how American tank crews coordinated their actions with fellow tank crews as well as supporting infantry.
Consequently, things were quite dangerous for American and British tank crews, and no tank was introduced during the war to significantly alter than reality. Once in the movie early, a tank NCO says that with their losses, it was hard to believe the Allies were winning the war.
Truth is, the allies were winning the war despite losing nearly all tank on tank battles, until fuel shortages and reliability issues turned German tank units into paper units.
The ending as many have pointed out was a bit fantastical, but my personal view is it was plausible given the situation. The NCO tank commander was given the situation that if that German unit advance past the road intersection, that it would be able to flank attack the supply lines for the entire division.
Given this, making the decision to risk certain death to attrite as much of the German unit as possible is a militarily rational decision, but clearly heroic.
A German unit well trained and equipped would have not allowed itself to be so chewed up as shown in the final scenes. But, keep in mind that even so-called elite units of the German military were, by April 1945, filled by poorly trained and grossly inexperienced troops. So, getting the men to know how to flank a tank would have been a challenge.
The movie did an outstanding job of showing how American tank crews coordinated their actions with fellow tank crews as well as supporting infantry.