What you didn’t know about ‘Saving Private Ryan’

Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan” has been hailed as one of the greatest war movies ever made and one of the most iconic cinematic masterpieces of all-time. It even earned Spielberg a well-deserved Oscar for Best Director. But the movie itself had a lot of fun secrets. Here are some of the things we’re sure you didn’t know about “Saving Private Ryan.”

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The script

Through sheer providence, the script, written by Robert Rodat, was sent to both Spielberg and Tom Hanks on the very same day. They phoned each other and realized how much they wanted to make the film. It was all decided in a single day. It was also Spielberg and Hanks’ first outing together.

Spielberg’s tribute to Spielberg

Spielberg directed the film because he was inspired by his dad, Arnold Spielberg. It turns out that the older Spielberg fought for the U.S. military in the Signal Corps and saw action in Burma in World War II. Arnold was also instrumental in helping his son make movies at a young age.

Robin Williams’ role

Robin Williams, who had worked with Spielberg in “Hook” had also starred alongside Matt Damon in “Good Will Hunting” when “Saving Private Ryan” was to start production. It was Williams who introduced Damon to Spielberg. Eventually, Damon was cast in the titular role.

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Hello there! I’m John Eilermann, and I fancy myself a historian of sorts. I’m obsessed with World War II. I find that one can learn a lot of things from that event. Follow me on Facebook for more on the stuff I love.

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Dwight Eisenhower: WWII Hero

Dwight Eisenhower’s career as a person of influence culminated in his election as President of the United States of America. However, he reached this success because of what he achieved as a military man. Here are some interesting facts about him.

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1. He came from a religious family, his mother being born a Lutheran, marrying as a River Brethren, and joining the International Bible Students Association later on.

2. Eisenhower graduated from West Point in 1915. During World War I, he requested to serve in Europe. However, he was denied and instead he was made to handle a unit that was responsible for training tank crews.

3. After WWI, he found himself under the service of very notable generals. By 1941, he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General himself.

4. When U.S.A. entered World War II, Eisenhower headed the operations that resulted in successful invasions of North Africa, Sicily, France, and Germany.

5. By 1951, he became the first Supreme Commander of NATO.

6. In 1952, Eisenhower entered the presidential elections as a Republican. His two main objectives were to contain the expansion of the Soviet Union, and to reduce the nation’s federal deficits.

7. Eisenhower was an influential world leader too. In the Suez Crisis of 1956, he condemned the Israeli, British and French invasion of Egypt, and he had a hand in their eventual withdrawal.

8. He was voted as Gallup’s Most Admired Men a total of 12 times, and to this day, he is still widely considered as one of the greatest presidents to ever lead America.

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John Eilermann is passionate about World War II stories. He is inspired by his own father, a World War II veteran. For more on WWII, follow him on Facebook.

The M1 Garand: The Ww Ii Warrior’s Weapon

The M1 Garand is probably the most historical weapon of the US Armed Forces as it played a fundamental role as the weapon of choice for many American troops during the war.

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The rifle was the result of the work of Canadian-born John Cantius Garand. Among a huge number of inventors at the time, he was the one who was quickly employed by the US because of his ingenuity in creating a mechanism that made use of propellant gases from a fired bullet to cycle the rifle.

This meant that finally, a rifle mechanism was created such that expelling a spent cartridge from a firearm and subsequently loading a fresh round became automatic. This was a huge advantage, because the gun no longer needed to be manually reloaded after every shot.

In war, a split second advantage makes a world of difference, especially when the enemy combatant is out to exterminate you as a threat.

From there, the M1 Garand has solidified its role in saving as well as claiming lives. In WW II, it was the most basic requisite arm provided to the ground troops. When bullets were no longer available, it was even light enough to sport a bayonet, to be used conveniently in close combat situations.

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The M1 Garand may not be the best rifle of all time. But it was because of its ingenuity that other players tried to outdo it, making the most dominant rifle today undoubtedly a result of what the M1 started.

John Eillerman is passionate about World War II. He is inspired by his own father, who used to serve under America’s armed forces. For more on WWII, follow him on Facebook.

Movies you’d be surprised are about World War 2

A lot of movies have been made about World War 2. Most of them have been classics, while very few have been… *cough* Pearl Harbor *cough* …horrible. Amidst the classics, there have been a few historical films that have broken the mold. These films were still set in World War 2, but were not of the war movie genre.

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Casablanca

Possibly one of the greatest Hollywood romantic dramas of all-time, Casablanca had the tragic love story between Rick and Ilsa at its core, and World War 2 all around them. What makes Casablanca great is that it still resonates today ,with many of its great lines still being quoted. No other movie has more quotable lines than Casablanca.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

The third and arguably the best of the trilogy (the fourth movie doesn’t count), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade had Indy, Henry Sr., and their friends racing against the Nazis in search of the Holy Grail. Nobody does adventure like the Joneses.

Top Secret

From the makers of Airplane! and The Naked Gun, Top Secret is one of the most clever slapstick movies of all-time. It centers around a young rock icon named Nick Rivers who travels across Europe during World War 2. Hilarity ensues as he tries to get away from German soldiers and ends up with the resistance.

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Top Infantry Weapons Of WWII

World War II devastated half of the world. World powers worked to develop firearms that change the tide of warfare, from sub machine guns to nuclear weapons. World War II saw the introduction of many weapon designs that would serve beyond the days of the colossal conflict. The following are some of the most popular guns that emerged during World War II.

Thompson Submachine Gun

Caliber: .45 ACP
Barrel: 10.5 Inches
OA Length: 32 inches
Weight: 10.6 pounds (empty)
Sights: Front blade, adjustable or fixed rear
Action: Select fire or full-auto
Capacity: 20+1, 30+1
Rate of Fire: 600-800 rpm

Model 1921 Thompson .45 ACP was first used by U.S. Marines in Nicaragua during The Banana Wars. The M1 assault rifle was modeled after this submachine gun. Approximately 1.5 Million Thompson Submachine guns were manufactured during the war.

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M3 & M3A1 Grease Gun

Caliber: .45 ACP
Barrel: 8 Inches
OA Length: 23-30 inches
Weight: 8 pounds (empty)
Sights: Fixed
Action: Full-auto
Capacity: 30+1
Rate of Fire: 450 rpm

The submachine gun was issued to the U.S. and certain Allied Troops. The M3 got its design from the British Sten gun. The M3 was cheaper and simpler than the Thompson Submachine gun. Over 600,000 M3s were produced during the WWII.

Reising m50 & M55

Caliber: .45 ACP
Barrel: 11 Inches
OA Length: 31-38 inches
Weight: 6.2-6.8 pounds (empty)
Sights: fixed
Action: Select fire
Capacity: 12+1, 20+1
Rate of Fire: 500-550 rpm

The Reising M50 was adopted by the U.S. Marine Corps because there was a shortage of standard-issue Thompson submachine guns. At first, the Reising appeared to be worthwhile because it was lighter and more compact than the Thompsons, and very accurate when fired on semi-auto. But maintenance problems relating to corrosion surfaced when the Reising M50 was exposed in sand and water.

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Hi, I’m John Eilermann. My fascination with World War II started with stories my father, who was a U.S. Army veteran, told me when I was growing up. For similar reads, subscribe to my blog.

How To Honor a Veteran

American veterans gave their lives to serve and protect our country. They have done all that were asked of them in their missions. We may never understand what they’ve gone through unless we were there, the least we can do is to honor them and let them know how much their service means to us.

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Here are just some of the things you can do to honor our veterans.

1. Give them opportunities to tell their stories and be genuinely interested.
2. Thank them when you have a chance.
3. Visit a veteran at the hospital.
4. Attend a Veteran’s day event.
5. Be sensitive to what the veteran and his family, and be ready to listen to what they may share about the situation they’re dealing with.
6. Almost, if not all veterans are kind-hearted, be honest and sincere around them.
7. If you have a veteran co-worker, take the time to thank him.

My father was a WW2 veteran; he was my hero. I’m sure all veterans out there deserve our deepest and most sincere gratitude. After all, it feels good to express gratitude for someone.

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John Eilermann here. I am a huge sports fan. I’m very interested in everything WW2. Follow my blog to get more updates.

The Greatest Cardinals In History

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The St. Louis Cardinals have had a glorious history in American baseball. The franchise has had formidable teams over the decades, with dozens of legends wearing the team colors. Here are the three greatest Cardinals in history.

Stan Musial: Stan the Man, as he was called, is the greatest of all Cardinals. He won three World Series with the team, the Most Valuable Player awards, and a staggering 24 all-star nods. When it comes to all-time statistics, he leads in hits, doubles, triples, runs scored, home runs, RBIs, and walks. He is by far, the face of the franchise, for all time.

Bob Gibson: When it comes to pitchers, no other Cardinal is more revered by peers and fans alike than Bob Gibson. He was a big part in the World Series victories of the Cardinals in ’64 and ’67. His stats are nothing short of stellar. Gibson’s won 251 games with a career ERA of 2.91. He won Cy Young twice, the ’68 MVP, nine Gold Gloves, and pitched a no-hitter back in ’71.

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Albert Pujols: Pujols lead the Cardinals to two World Series victories (’06 and ’11), and was awarded the MVP thrice. He had 445 homers in 11 seasons as a Redbird. And although his legacy will be forever tainted by how he exited the franchise, people can never deny Pujol’s greatness.

John Eilermann is a huge St. Louis Cardinals fan. Ask him on Twitter anything about the Cardinals and be amazed.