On Monday night, my youngest son and I went back to see "Fury" again. Third time for him, sixth time for me.
By this time we were quoting the best lines to each other just before the characters said them. On the way home the first thing we talked about was the point at which "Machine" got his nickname. We left before the end right after the final battle started. At that point the movie goes all John Wayne. But the moments before that, when Norman becomes Machine, are some of the best in the movie. It is in those moments that Wardaddy, Bible, Coon-Ass, Gordo and Machine each face certain death and each say, "Best job I ever had."
In that final battle, the other crewmen call Norman only Machine. Nicknames really stick. My first gunner's nickname was Merc. I don't remember his first name.
On the way home after the movie (at almost midnight) we had a long discussion of nicknames and what they mean. We also talked about thickness of armor and how the outnumbered Germans beat France and Britain early in the war with fewer tanks. The Germans invaded with 2000 tanks to 3000 for the British and French. The short version is Guderian's tanks were on a 20-mile front led by Rommel. The French and British spread their tanks like too little butter on too much bread from Switzerland to the Normandy Coast.
Happy New Year!
Other posts on Fury:
Fourth time watching Fury
Review
Faith in Fury
Memories
