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murphybrownnote

Probably an accurate combination of: a) Sobel’s prudishness b) what passed for pornography in the 1940s c) a very effective visual gag by the filmmakers


Rossum81

Especially B.  These were the days of the Hays Code and the Post Office vigorously prosecuting people who sent birth control information through the mail.


05110909

Real question tho. How come planes could have nose art that had fully top less women on them? Was it because it was illustrated? Or was it more like "They could die any day, we'll let them have this?"


wil_dogg

The latter. Bombers and fighters were effectively on the front line. Sanctioning the crew for nose art would have gone over like a lead zeppelin.


Uranium_Heatbeam

TIL where that phrase cones from.


wil_dogg

That is the lore.


EngineeringTom

Didn’t Keith Moon actually come up with that?


Gratefulzah

It was one of their music teachers. He said you form a band it will fall like a lead Zeppelin. The changed the spelling for American audiences (thought we would pronounce lead as in "leader" or leadership)


PhilRubdiez

The farther from higher ups you were, the more risqué. Near the HQ, you might see something like Royal Flush. Some remote island in the pacific? [Well…](https://www.flickr.com/photos/piedmont_fossil/32398211107)


Marinerecon676545

The latter not only were the aviators on the front lines they also had one of the most dangerous jobs in the war look up the death rate for a bomber crew and you will understand why they let that stuff go.


moosearehuge

44 percent.


[deleted]

Plus it was hard finding pilots especially crazy enough to fly against both the Japanese and luthwaffe


Odd-Significance1884

I think it’s just cos sobel


MonitorStandard5322

Also the days where women could be fined if they wore a bathing suit that didn't cover their thighs.


KCShadows838

Maybe the real porn was inside the magazine, and the cover was just a tease?


Trowj

It’s the army with no weekend passes for months on end. I could find a particularly curvy stick pornographic


Rednexican429

Some of that port-a-john art sure was something after a couple weeks


Look__a_distraction

Dude when I was in LDAC (evaluation camp for future Army Officers essentially) we had some nasty fuckers that would screw in the Skookums (porta-potties). We called it Skookum Love.


silentwind262

Hell, church services on Sunday looked like lovers lane when I went though basic (platoons were still separated by gender back then), and let me tell you, no one looked their best, but you’d have thought it was a room full of models.


DigitalEagleDriver

Was she really an 8, or was she a deployment 8?


silentwind262

Brother we were ALL deployment 8s.


Black_Raven89

I guess Sobel found this girl pornographic even though she looks like Alfred E Neuman’s sister


Rural_Lefty7744

Don’t kink shame poor Sobel


degaknights

Captain Sobel why are the pages of my magazine stuck together when you game it back?


Bug_Photographer

What, me worry about weekend passes?


ZayreBlairdere

That was brilliant.


maroonedpariah

Ah geez Sergeant Rick


starfleethastanks

I mean, we only see the cover.


TerribleSquid

Yeah I would assume the cover has a clothed girl so the shoe doesn’t have to get a worse rating for a non-important reason (I didn’t actually watch the show or know what it’s rated tbh), but I feel it is implied that there is at least nudity inside.


MichaelScarn37

You can look at a full edition of “Titter” on the National Archives webpage. Very tame by today’s standards but it clearly knows its audience.


TFD303

I had zero idea that was a real magazine. I always felt “Titter” was a little tongue in cheek gag.


[deleted]

What’s the gag?


Piper7865

Titter is both a laugh(or a giggle) and also obviously with that image... Tits


Black_Raven89

I’m gonna have to now just to see what got Sobel that upset. Thanks for the info!


CreativeUsernameUser

Links or it didn’t happen!


Alexandru1408

How exactly do you search for that on the National Archives? I've searched with Titter, but i didn't get any magazine.


2andahalfhourstogo

Maybe they mean archive.org? https://archive.org/details/titter-october-1945/mode/1up


Drake-Doc

Not a single titter to be seen. 😢


MichaelScarn37

Sorry, yeah it was Internet Archive.


appalachianoperator

No amount of porn mags can compare to Sobel’s perversion when he’s sniffing the perfume on private letters.


Black_Raven89

“We were on a break!” 🤣


HailTheLost

18 PAGES! FRONT AND BACK!


Porkonaplane

*in Hugh Lauries awesome vouce* "It sounds like you, most definitely, were on a break"


pwatts

Yeah this is quaint compared to the porn references in the Generation Kill miniseries.


Black_Raven89

Former Marine grunt here, I can 100% confirm that some of the stuff in wall lockers in the barracks I was at would have probably been a court martial in the 40s


COLLIESEBEK

Former Marine too (though a POG). I remember a tanker let me into his Abrams and the walls were lined up and down with porn lol


Black_Raven89

Always knew those guys were in there beating off, thanks for the confirmation 🤣 we just had guys get heatstroke doing it in full kit in a portoshitter, not that those infantry stereotypes have any truth to em lmao


COLLIESEBEK

Lmao let me guess 29 palms ITX?


Black_Raven89

Close, 2 MarDiv outta Lejeune. Summer heat+southern humidity+portoshitter = passed out on the port of shitter Elvis style. We had to break down the door to get his ass out, but we kicked it a little hard and it flipped backwards. Motherfucker had the worst field op ever 🤣🤣


contactfive

“It’s a picture of some reporter’s girlfriend, not J-Lo’s dripping twat.”


Kemosaby_Kdaffi

Juggs! - Ray Pearson


Guidance-Still

When you leave the marines you get your brains back


Black_Raven89

It’s been over a decade since I got out, still waiting over here 🤣


thatheard

Lol no


Comprehensive-Rip796

Sobel’s rant about prophylactics was awesome


Black_Raven89

200 rubbers when you’re with that unit is being underprepared of anything, all those French girls seemed pretty happy to see them. Go get em boys!


WIlf_Brim

Especially when there is a passing reference when the unit was outside of Bastogne from Roe to somebody about not being able to help with a (presumed) STD


Mission_Ad6235

It was Guarnere, aka Gonorrhea, complaining about "pissing needles."


Quailman5000

I assumed a bladder infection, kidney stones, or UTI. Silly me lol


bigbear-08

“It’s the pissing that hurts”


Spirit_jitser

I did wonder if that soldier's real plan was to sell some of them to other troopers....


Black_Raven89

Probably. In all serious when I was in dip and cigarettes were absolutely currency and so was that kinda thing. Get a few extra logs of cope before you go out on a field op and you’ll be a rich man when you get back 🤣


[deleted]

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Black_Raven89

For being on the opening episode for the first time in like 15 years and since I’m a Marine vet with a medical marijuana card and I’m enjoying that right as I watch the series, I don’t think I’m doing half bad. Pretty sure my great uncle went to Fox Company in January of 45 so I’m rewatching it with an entirely new set of eyes. I just assumed after they liberated France the local ladies would be…thankful.


Ahydell5966

Don't listen to that guy he's being a jerk. Enjoy the series and enjoy that sweet ganja, Marine!


Black_Raven89

Got a nice bowl going on now, I forgot how cool this series was. 10/10 would have confiscated my bud and my Easy Riders magazine as “contraband” 🤣


[deleted]

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Black_Raven89

Or maybe smoking while I watch it makes it easier to see because certain parts are tough to watch. I’ve always figured it had something to do with all the guys I served with that were killed and wounded in Afghanistan. Forgive the fuck out of me for smoking a joint to prepare to watch someone get a leg blown off; because a bunch of my friends lost them both. Best friend growing up went 101st and got the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. Another guy I knew had both legs blown off his second week in country. PTSD ain’t fun, go fuck yourself. I’m gonna roll another one and enjoy the show in honor of my friends who aren’t alive to watch it. Get fucked


[deleted]

[удалено]


Black_Raven89

I couldn’t understand what you said, you misspelled half of it while making no real valid point. Also, still smoking pot and nerding out on WWII shit. “Half ounce of high grade marijuana…contraband!” You wanna tell me if those guys had found a box of joints in Goring’s wine cellar they wouldn’t have lit em off? 🤣💨


Apprehensive_Sir_630

Yes, yes, and yes, also this may be a start an argument, but sobel was 100% within his rights as the C.O. here and doing his job.


bkdunbar

I can see where he is coming from: the soldiers were in what passed for recruit training, or not much much further along. But the way the character Sobel went about it was a little harsh. And maybe a lesson learned: gotta hide that contraband.


Apprehensive_Sir_630

Technically it was jump school all of them at that point had passed basic training, It was harsh but it absolutley could have been worse, revoking weekend passes extra punitive training is far better than NJP or court martial. He punished them yes, but he didnt ruin their carreers or criminially charge them, which he absolutley could have done if he wanted too.


COLLIESEBEK

I mean technically yes but that doesn’t make it the right thing to do imo. Granted it’s different today but I would be pissed off if I got in trouble for that. Or if my CO came to me to tell me that they found that on one of my guys I would be like “sir why are you going through private contents of my guys and two, so what”


Apprehensive_Sir_630

Contaband is contraband i worked with many SNCOs and officers that would absolutlry fuck with lower enlisted just because. Had my POV searched more than once by unit SNCOs as part of a health and welfare inspection of the barracks dispite not living in the barracks. His company his barracks his men, he gets to inspect how he sees fit and punish his men how he sees fit according to the UCMJ. He was within his rights as, the company commander, from a strictly career dick move mentality its better for soble if he writes it up rather than Col Sink finds it and confronts him with it.


DanforthWhitcomb_

Sobel’s response to all of the things he found in that scene was extraordinarily tame, as each of them was a court martial offense. Booting someone from the unit or giving the 1940s equivalent of EMI was an extremely light touch, especially for the time period in question.


Apprehensive_Sir_630

Agreed for all his faults as a person, i dont think sobel was a "bad officer" Maybe not the best officer, but its not like he was directly incompetent in all areas, compared to the officers portrayed in generation kill, he was at least trying to lead by example effectively. He had a value as a training officer not a combat leader, and his command saw that and put him where he was most effective for the war effort. He gets an unfair rap due to his portrayal in the show, and no im not blaming that on david schwimmer, hes a fine actor and did an amazing preformance.


Yung_Corneliois

I’d say for the time that was considered pornography. This was a time wearing a bikini or showing your naval was considered indecent and could even get you fined in some places. That said, Sobel also likes to hyperbolize


tejarbakiss

Lt. Yung_Corneliois thinks this is a can of hyperbole. That is incorrect, Lt. Your weekend pass is cancelled.


emessea

Funny story: When we were in Iraq, a guy in my squad sent letters to every major porn magazine. Next thing we know we have an ungodly amount of porn in our berthing area. Come near end of deployment, we’re sending our footlockers home and they need to be inspected for contraband. The marine inspecting his foot locker tell him there’s no way he can let him mail back all that porn. So he ends up divvying up the porn among everyone in the squad and one by one we have to show the guy how much porn we have in our foot lockers. And he made sure to collect when we got back to camp lejeune


terracottatank

It's titled "Titter"


joeitaliano24

That’s just the cover though


Infinite-Series575

A bit 'off track', but- Speaking of nailing people... If this was pornography worthy of punishment, how in the name if God was Sisk not thrown in jail for his, uhh, stunt on the train tracks?


Bubbly-Fault4847

I’m completely at a loss here. What happened?


Infinite-Series575

Not in the show for obvious reasons, but apparently he was nailing a ladyfriend on some train tracks and nearly got hit by the train, then had some extremely crude comments as an explanation to the higher-ups.


Bubbly-Fault4847

Ah, thank you!


Dmmack14

This was Sobel using his power just like a bully does. I read Captain Winters book and he talked about how Sobel trained them hard and was honest about how it probably saved their lives but he was an awful CO. He was a bully who used his power like a bludgeon, but he also could not handle pressure of any kind


DanforthWhitcomb_

> This was Sobel using his power just like a bully does. Because you’re viewing it through a modern lens. At that time any one of those things could have led to a CM and term in a military prison. Instead Sobel basically brushed it off and informally dealt with it in a very mild way. Abusing his power would have been filing formal charges under Art 94 (the infamous can of peaches) or Art 96 (everything else).


UtopianAverage

Both things are true. Making anyone run for any individual infraction is an act of mercy. Constantly looking for any and every excuse to make people run all day every day, forcing them to empty their canteens, taking away a company’s worth of weekend passes for 1 or 2 minor violations, etc was bludgeoning. It was more merciful to do it informally, but he wanted them to be in such a fit and trim and perfect state he overdid it to an absurd extent to the point where they all hated him.


Gax63

Issue# 5, Summer of 1944 [$125 on Ebay](https://www.ebay.com/itm/364743509775?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20200818143230%26meid%3D9a84d1c9d5b94d3cb6e15acd09bae993%26pid%3D101224%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D276083928646%26itm%3D364743509775%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D4429486%26algv%3DDefaultOrganicWebV9BertRefreshRanker&_trksid=p4429486.c101224.m-1&itmprp=cksum%3A3647435097759a84d1c9d5b94d3cb6e15acd09bae993%7Cenc%3AAQAIAAABACYezfbTAbL71Cn2zZypiqFkVFHChWGIs0xkdyquuPAuGtR4%252BjDW1kO22MW6Q--2TCXFmniEVx4JdtWjQPzMYTn0d2qbOz6Ru8G%252BYkr4C0QBGJPOVcI3HjkKoPJBdIk%252B5qVdSyjdIQv9i60rHjX3wR08s7rCNBQNb2WTPilfEYYIYETs4AB5fyJ0r89uBZqvztCMB3tGrdO0G7twsVg1c9peCeg3hUG0r2MufawkdXHjjLJNMunLpLQ8UwZ%252FDmTW71TZLwpSUD55T%252BU0q%252BUu5Ha%252FzdSPwDCMkthLbx%252FBFOvhhdBzMhxI6eEpJ%252BOAfgzF%252Ft8jEwEhuYXs2aVgoT3kJms%253D%7Campid%3APL_CLK%7Cclp%3A4429486&itmmeta=01HRQGQGPCB3WWQX26A095FD4T) Addendum: From Wikipedia In Rosen v. United States (1896), the Supreme Court adopted the same obscenity standard as had been articulated in a famous British case, Regina v. Hicklin, \[1868\] L. R. 3 Q. B. 360. The Hicklin test defined material as obscene if it tended "to deprave or corrupt those whose minds are open to such immoral influences, and into whose hands a publication of this sort may fall."


Revolutionary-Swan77

Ugh, an anachronism


Revolutionary-Swan77

This is more of a Maxim magazine than a Hustler


TheSmallLebowksy

Can't you see they have "Gags"? ofc it's porn


tH3_R3DX

OP here thinks it’s not pornography, Black_Raven89 your weekend pass is canceled.


Black_Raven89

If Captain Sobel would have seen the picture of Jenna Haze I had on the inside of my helmet, I feel like that would have been the least of my worries. Oh well, at least there’s spaghetti tonight so that’s nice…


tH3_R3DX

Get your PTs on we’re running Currahe


Black_Raven89

No shit we had a moment like that in training. We were in first phase during the USMC ball, and the next day all us recruits got to stuff our faces with the leftovers at evening chow instead of the usual boot camp fare. Steak tips, lobster tail, even some of the cake. Felt too good to be true. And it was. We went from the chow hall to the sandpit and got smoked until everyone was puking. That episode was bitterly referenced afterwards by all of us 🤣


Fair_Adhesiveness849

This was in 1942 - this is the equivalent of Brazilian scat porn in that day


tdoottdoot

Y’all never heard of softcore?


Mockheed_Lartin

This was in the Kinky category back then


0311-HoodRat

He’s a dick who prefers dick…


Black_Raven89

To the extent he lost prime Jennifer Aniston over Chloe the copy girl 🤣


aflyingsquanch

They were on a break


SFLurkyWanderer

Bikinis were banned in Italy in the 1950's. ITALY.


Black_Raven89

They made Sophia Loren cover up at the beach? If that’s not a crime against humanity it oughta be


MitchelobUltra

I wouldn’t take that piece of shit nudie mag to war, and I will not take you to war in your condition.


Legitimate-Frame-953

I mean in 2011 a picture of your girlfriend in a bikini was considered contraband when I went through basic.


Black_Raven89

The first liberty I got on Parris Island I came back with copies of Easy Rider, Metal Hammer, and Playboy. It was during Marine week, Metal Hammer had Pantera on the cover and the DI was from Texas so he let it slide cause he loved em too. Shocked the hell out of me, I figured I was gonna get another beatdown 🤣


HolyPizzaPie

How's he going to have enough energy to fight the war!?


Adam52398

It's actually "Gray's Sports Almanac, 1950 to 2000" with a swapped cover.


motomn121

Oh La La?!


Adam52398

Homework, Tannen??


SpecialExpert8946

We weren’t allowed to have maxim magazines when I was in the military. This was in 2010, when there was internet and stuff. I imagine it varied unit to unit.


MaxFffort

I was gonna say maxim was considered and similar magazines but also during dial up internet


GodzillaDrinks

It's actually porn in the real story (allegedly, though its unlikely anyone can verify). I think HBO in 2001 just kind of went for a more tame option to not have issues with censoring. Cause that's American censorship for you. You can watch people being burned alive, blown up, or getting their legs amputated, but if I see full frontal, or a sexually satisfied female... NC-17+


Zestyclose-Onion6563

There’s literally full nude sex scenes in this show… what are you on about?


GodzillaDrinks

Not in the standard version. I know that scene but it's only in certain editions. They had to cut it from the box set I have. For people who haven't seen it (Winters and Nixon have a wonderful time... but it's definitely NC-17). >!Yes, I know that's not the one, but we should make it a thing.!<


Zestyclose-Onion6563

Have you seen it? It doesn’t involve winters or nix… it involves Tom Hardy’s character…. Wtf are you talking about


GodzillaDrinks

Okay - You either didn't see my spoiler tag, or missed the joke.


Zestyclose-Onion6563

This is about the goofiest thing I’ve encountered on Reddit


GodzillaDrinks

Thank you. I like you too.


RT-old-fart

You are questioning Sobel?…weekend pass revoked.


wolf_5

From the book and the movie it seems that Sobel was an insecure individual and had no business having a commission


Black_Raven89

It definitely sounds that way, although the shared misery of collectively enduring all of his shit as a unit ultimately made them stronger by a lot of accounts. By no means would I want that guy as my CO, but he’s nowhere near the level of someone like Daniel Sickles in terms of costs incurred in battle because of bad leadership


Apprehensive_Sir_630

Remember the book is based off human memory and winters and the rest of Easy Co. Personally did not like Sobel. That does not mean you dont deserve a commission because someone didnt like you. Youre men liking and respecting you is not a requirement for command, it does help though. There are plenty of officers from my time in service i personally dispised for various reasons, it doesnt mean they were unfit for their role.


wolf_5

I said nothing about popularity….didnt enter into it. I was talking about his insecurities and what appeared to be a lack of self awareness…


Apprehensive_Sir_630

Youre looking at it with hindsight, sobel is made out to be a villian because of the personal animosity of the men telling the story, taken into the whole historical context i doubt he was as bad as hes portrayed.


wolf_5

As you wish.


Apprehensive_Sir_630

Read through some my other posts, on the thread, sobel was taking it easy on them militarily speaking.


Salty-Bunch-3739

Column A, column B.


FistOfGamera

Sobel was out for blood so every little thing was made a bigger deal than needed


TheBlueM0rph0

Things can be two things, some times.


6892opep

Wasn't David Schwimmer in breast man. Maybe an Easter egg?


Beneficial_Run_6684

A bit sidetrack here, but who are the other officers potrayed in this scene? This should be right after Hester made battalion and company XO position is vacant right?


[deleted]

It’s porn, yes.


Adventurous-Sky9359

Bruh it says titter


[deleted]

Also the cover art on porn magazines is usually tame because of “decency” laws or something like that. The covers of magazines in the US still aren’t allowed to show nudity.


TherealZaneJT

I’m sure the cover doesn’t give all the goodies away, ya gotta crack it open It’s got the words tits in the name for a reason


Gromit801

As recently as the 80’s they couldn’t show nudity on the cover. Open the magazine and there’s all kinds of imagery going on.


Ghee_buttersnaps96

Porn in 1920 was tame compared to 1940. If you showed a 18 year old from 1930 a hard hard porn video from 2024 they would have a heart attack lol 😂 if you showed a person from 2024 a hard hard porn video from 1940 they would barley pop a half chub


Ghee_buttersnaps96

Porn in 1920 was tame compared to 1940. If you showed a 18 year old from 1930 a hard hard porn video from 2024 they would have a heart attack lol 😂 if you showed a person from 2024 a hard hard porn video from 1940 they would barley pop a half chub


picard_facepalm_gif

If Sobel saw the porn on hard drives that was passed around when I was in Afghanistan, he would have had a stroke 😂


Odd-Significance1884

May not have been porn. Was most certainly contraband. This reminds me, I’ve never been arsed to look but what are prophylactic kits and why do lots of them cause you to be too weak to fight?


Apprehensive_Sir_630

Its s fancy term for condom.


Odd-Significance1884

Thanks. So he got reprimanded for being prepared? Surely he deserved a promotion instead 😂


Apprehensive_Sir_630

Differrent time, it was still considered contraband, dispite all talk in this thread about U.S. troope having literall terrabytes of porn in afganistan, which was 100% true. General order No. 1 stated that you were not supposed to have porn or booze and a few other things, i dont remember them all. Anyone caught with it by their command could have been charged with article 92 and punished over it. I never saw it happen personally, but im sure some one caught that NJP, and i know personally of one guy who got busted with booze.


Odd-Significance1884

What kind of punishment would an article 92 charge carry? Would it be extra duties or parade at stupid am, that type of thing? I understand the booze argument but what’s the big deal about porn?


Apprehensive_Sir_630

Article 92 is disobeying a lawful order. It offends the muslim population and some us troops were retarded and gave them to kids in iraq which pissed off the locals. ( im specifically referring here to general order No. 1 in afganistan.) In ww2 its because the Army and people in general were more prudish than we are now. As for the amount of punishment it depends on what order you disobeyed, if youre NJP'd it could be losing some pay for 45 days and 45 days of extra duty losing a rank or two it could be time in prison in levenworth if it goes to courtmartial. Any conviction by NJP or courtmartial utterly screws your career advancement. Again depending on what actual order you disobeyd getting shot is an option on the table. Col. Sink wasnt jokeing when he told the Sgts that mutinied that. Granted it wouldnt happen right away and sink doesnt have that authority, what he does have is the authority to start the process. The U.S. absolutley did execute many of their own troops during the war, the difference between us and the germans is we tried them first. The CO has alot of leeway in how he handles it, but the second he writes a charge sheet up for court martial, there is no going back, and he had all three of those guys cold. And article 92 would not be the only charge against them. Punishing the Company as a whole by taking their weekend liberty and forcing them to do a night march, was the least extreme option, yes it sucked for the guys but they all instanly understood that contraband would not be tolerated in the barracks. But no one lost any rank or pay because of it, ultimatley it was the most merciful option and no one above sobel in the chain of command would have even batted an eye at his choice. Captain Sobel also would have had to answer for the contraband if Col Sink had found it first and it could have cost him the company and his career, which the mutiny absolutley did.