Question: I have a question about the sergeant in the beginning of the film who had to kill himself after his tank was shot with a panzerfaust. Being younger than all the other sergeants of the tanks, how did he get a higher rank compared to them?
Question: Why did Gordo bring up the horse thing at breakfast?
Answer: Gordo was making a point to Norman that the crew of the "Fury" had seen some horrible things during the Battle of the Falaise Pocket. After wiping out an entire German army there, they were tasked with putting wounded horses out of their misery. The point was that Norman was not there, and did not experience what they had, so Norman could not judge the tank crew's actions.
Gordo brought up the horse thing because him and the other (original) crew members were not happy with Don and Norman enjoying a nice, quiet meal without them. He even say's "You weren't there" meaning Don sharing this with Norman when he hadn't yet been through much war time like all of them had, together. They also say "We weren't invited", "Why weren't we invited." The horse story was to get at Don for not inviting them and sharing it only with Norman.
Question: What exactly did it take to get Norman to become brave and more willing to fight?
Answer: Although he starts out afraid, awkward and hesitant, Norman gradually becomes battle-hardened throughout the film. But there is one event that probably changes Norman more than anything: When his one-night love interest, Emma, is killed during a German attack. After that, the tank crew realises that Norman has changed, become harder and more focused, and they finally accept him as a team member with the nickname "Machine."
Question: Are we to believe that an entire battalion of SS troops with a lot of panzerfausts (as shown when they march) are unable to kill one stationary Sherman? Even if there would be many inexperienced soldiers drafted at the end of the war they can't be that bad right?
Answer: The quality of German weapons at this late stage of the war was quite inferior to the early and mid part of the war due to incessant allied bombing of weapons and munitions plants, and the Germans' use of slave labor to manufacture the weapons and ammunition plants, which invited inside sabotage. There are many accounts of German weapon and ammunition failing on a regular basis, so most of the panzerfausts not scoring a kill on "Fury" due to their low and questionable quality is quite plausible.
Question: I read on a Youtube video comment that, under real life circumstances, the crew of Fury should've died during the battle with the Tiger because of a mechanical issue. Is this true? If so, why? What, in terms of mechanics I'm assuming, would've caused them to lose?
Answer: There were tank engineering issues on both sides: The German Tiger was underpowered, heavily armored, incredibly heavy and slow moving, but it had a main cannon that could blow Allied tanks to pieces; The M4 Sherman was lighter, faster and more maneuverable, but the Sherman's armor was far too lightweight to withstand a one-on-one confrontation with a Tiger. On the other hand, the Tigers were so heavily armored that the Sherman's cannon fire would actually bounce off the Tigers, even at close range. Supposedly, the weakest part of a Tiger's armor was behind the turret; unfortunately for Allied tanks, they were seldom able sneak up behind Tigers. In reality, the only way for Shermans to successfully engage Tigers was with heavy ground artillery and air support. The Tigers have been called "the most feared weapon of WWII" in North Africa and the European theatre of operations.
Question: Can someone please explain War daddy's quote "Ideals are peaceful, history is violent?"
Answer: There are probably a number of ways to interpret the quote, to be debated in a different forum. He's just saying thoughts about how to make the world a better place are peaceful. Rarely do people see war as a means to bring about peace. but as history shows us, war and violence often occur as a result of wanting change. Think about the 60's Civil Rights movements. Ideally, all men should be treated equally and there should be no segregation, but opposition to this resulted in violence (and to the opposition, ideally it would be better if races kept to themselves).
Answer: The soldier who killed himself was not a sergeant, but a brand-new second lieutenant Platoon Leader straight out of college. We do not know the ages of the other NCO's in the film, so, with the exception of Brad Pitt's character, Wardaddy (supposedly a WWI veteran), the other sergeants could be in their early to mid-twenties- not much older than a new lieutenant, but they look older as combat has physically aged them.
Scott215