He participated in four amphibious operations, first leading men into combat in September 1943 as captain of E Company, 157th. ‎ _____ The true story behind the hit NETFLIX drama From the invasion of Italy to the gates of Dachau, no World War II infantry unit in Europe saw more action or endured worse than the one commanded by Felix Sparks. The idea that a teenager or anybody from 16 into their 20s wouldn’t be interested in these stories would be insane, because these stories are about them. But most of the actual camp guards had fled. It takes place during World War II and tells the story of the U.S. Army officer Felix Sparks and the 157th Infantry Regiment. The show is an adaptation of the book titled, 'One World War II Soldier’s 500-Day Odyssey from the Beaches of Sicily to the Gates of Dachau' that hints at the depth of drama that happened. The US Army 157th regiment,… It tells of exploits of the leadership of Felix Sparks (Bradley James), who eventually reached the rank of lieutenant colonel, of the 3rd Battalion of the 157th Infantry Regiment in the European theater of World War II. Get the military's most comprehensive news and information every morning. Finally, a fortunate trip allowed him to interview Sparks only months before his death in 2007. Sparks and his battalion of "Thunderbirds" were classic citizen soldiers, and for over 500 days they led a special group of American soldiers from Italy to France to the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp, through some of the most grueling battles of the war, becoming one of the most decorated American combat units of World War II. Sparks, and the regiment’s companies under his command, are now the focus of a four-part animated series released on Veterans Day on Netflix, “The Liberator.”. But from the beginning they fought as excellent soldiers. Upon returning to civilian life, Sparks attended the … Sparks had left Lt. Bill Walsh in command of soldiers in the coal yard while he went to inspect the rest of the camp. Sparks rushed back and ordered the guys to stop. Next, it was a friendship with a veteran of the 45th ID that drew him into the research. I remember my mom saying she saw me walking along a street and worried I’d run into a street sign because I had my head buried in these comics. Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Based on Alex Kershaw's eponymous 2012 book and developed for Netflix by Jeb Stuart, The Liberator released in November 2020. I’m a blatant booster for anything that gets people into history. Particularly, it focuses on Felix Sparks and his men, an eclectic mix of Mexican-Americans, Native Americans, and … The Liberator is a war story like you've never seen before. The Liberator premiered this Veteran’s Day 2020. Editor’s note: The following has been edited for clarity and length. The television show "The Liberator" was based on his command of the 3rd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment. The remaining SS were frontline soldiers recovering from wounds and hadn’t been involved in the camp. Summary: The four-part World War II animated series (using new patent-pending Trioscope Enhanced Hybrid Animation) is based on Alex Kershaw's 2013 book of the same name about U.S. Army officer Felix Sparks and the 157th Infantry Regiment from Oklahoma that included cowboys, Native Americans and Mexican-Americans as they invaded Italy and freed … Follow the 157th regiment from Sicily to the heart of Germany when The Liberator premieres this Veteran's Day. Mostly, though, 'The Liberator' is a story of the 157th’s noble White commander, Felix Sparks, voiced by Bradley James. It’s just fantastic to think of a 15-year-old in Italy learning about what happened there and who liberated their country. He memorized all the names of his more than 200 soldiers, their wives, children, where they were from. It was one of the primary Allied forces to enter the Dachau concentration camp and liberate its prisoners. That stays in the family. A: I hope and pray that’s the case. Those same men, the Army’s 157th Infantry Regiment, part of the 45th Infantry Division, had borne the war on their backs from Sicily to the heart of Germany during more than 500 days of combat in less than two years. The animated war drama is based on the Alex Kershaw book, The Liberator: One World War II Soldier's 500-Day Odyssey. Q: What did you learn from Sparks and your research about the incident at Dachau? One of the biggest battles highlighted in the series is the Battle of Anzio, which lasted from Jan. 22, 1944 until June 5, 1944. Alex Kershaw’s acclaimed WWII nonfiction book The Liberator is now a bold new animated project. They’d seen all sorts of horrific things, but that was very disturbing on a profound level. Q: Do you think that the series might appeal to people who might not normally look for books on World War II? Major General Henning Linden led the 42nd Division into Dachau at about the same time as Sparks did as commander of 3rd Battalion with the 157th Regiment. Years later he said it was something people couldn’t get their head around, something beyond what people could process. But with this they can really learn what America did at its best. “The Great Escape,” “The Dam Busters,” “Battle of Britain.” I remember Veterans Day, or Remembrance Day in England was always a huge deal. The Liberator is a war story like you've never seen before. They did a really, really fantastic job. They’d show it on the news, all these rows and rows of World War I veterans, and my dad would tell me about them because my grandfather had served in the trenches. In a ten-year active duty army career, Sparks rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. I’m still fascinated by him telling Maj. Gen. Robert Frederick, the division commander, “You just got my entire company killed. "[13] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 59 out of 100 based on 7 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Sparks led the US Army's 157th Field Artillery Regiment – part of the 45th Division – on a 500-plus day campaign, beginning in 1943 in Sicily and ending in … Observation Post articles reflect author observations. The universal fear in World War II for officers — and I think it’s still very common — was how they were going to perform. Those same men, the Army’s 157th Infantry Regiment, part of the 45th Infantry Division, had borne the war on their backs from Sicily to the heart of Germany during more than 500 days of combat in less than two years.. Sparks, and the regiment’s companies under his command, are now the focus of a four-part animated series released on Veterans Day on Netflix, “The Liberator.” I just devoured them. The four-part World War II series is based on Alex Kershaw's 2013 book of the same name about US Army officer Felix Sparks and the 157th Infantry Regiment … A: First I found the photo and learned some of the story, then I called up the 157th Infantry Regiment Association and met Jack Hallowell. According to its developers, L.C. The Liberator on Netflix tells the real-life story of the United States Army officer Felix Sparks, who commanded the 3rd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment. The show is trending really high in Italy now, where much of it took place. He lost his entire company other than one man at Anzio in February 1944 and almost all of his battalion to the SS in January 1945 in the Vosges. The Liberator premiered this Veteran's Day 2020. The project and He was a very outspoken guy. The Liberator on Netflix tells the real-life story of the United States Army officer Felix Sparks, who commanded the 3rd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment. He was a hard ass and a stickler for discipline. He actually demanded that he be given a leadership role. The Real Liberator. The soldier was 27-year-old Lt Col Felix Sparks, who led the 3rd Battalion of the 157th Infantry Regiment, one of three regiments that made up the 45th “Thunderbirds” Division. Sparks was a real army officer for the 157th Infantry Regiment from Oklahoma. Q: What do you think of the Netflix series? Then again, I became absolutely obsessed with World War II when I was nine or 10 years old and found a stash of comics about the war in my grandparents' house. The Liberator takes place during World War II where maverick U.S. Army officer Felix Sparks and the 157th Infantry Regiment fought for over five hundred days alongside the Allied forces during the Italian campaign. How did Sparks handle the additional burdens his soldiers faced both at home and abroad? The four-part Netflix series is based on a true story that follows Captain Felix Sparks and his regiment that is coolly named “Thunderbirds” — they were the 157th Infantry Regiment of the 45th Division who were in combat for an intense 500 days. But he wasn’t overly familiar. Known as "The Thunderbirds," the unit - as told through voiceover narration - was trained Fort Sill, Oklahoma and consisted of Apache, Seminole, … [5], The Liberator is a character-driven action miniseries based on the true story of World War II infantry commander Felix "Shotgun" Sparks (played by Bradley James), who led the members of the 157th Infantry Battalion of the 45th Infantry Division, an integrated group of white cowboys, Mexican Americans and Native soldiers drawn from across the west. Across four episodes, The Liberator revisits the gallant true-life tale of US Army officer Felix Sparks and his 157th Infantry Regiment as they play a … A: In the 70s when I was young we had only two or three channels on TV. [10] He also hoped that the company could be part of "bringing nuanced emotional drama to that broader adult animation push. The enthusiasm of an Englishman and a member of the Kiowa for a regiment only tenuously connected to either of them was an incredible tribute to the 157th … Alex Kershaw’s acclaimed WWII nonfiction book The Liberator is now a bold new animated project. Alex Kershaw’s acclaimed WWII nonfiction book The Liberator is now a bold new animated project. [2], On Rotten Tomatoes, the miniseries holds an approval rating of 64% based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 7.15/10. Particularly, it focuses on Felix Sparks and his men, an eclectic mix of Mexican-Americans, Native Americans, and cowboys. The Liberator One World War II Soldier's 500-Day Odyssey From the Beaches of Sicily to the Gates of Dachau (Book) : Kershaw, Alex : The true story of the bloodiest and most dramatic march to victory of the Second World War: the battlefield odyssey of a maverick U.S. Army officer and his infantry unit as they fought for over five hundred days to liberate Europe - … It was a desk role, and he hated it. Follow the 157th regiment from Sicily to the heart of Germany when The Liberator … The proudest point in his life was being a company commander. [citation needed], Announced in November 2018, the miniseries's production would be handled by A&E Studios and Unique Features with animation services by Atlanta-based studio School of Humans. What is it about the conflict and the stories that continues to bring you back? Army Times spoke with Kershaw on the eve of the series release. Yes, for the … Alex Kershaw's acclaimed WWII nonfiction book THE LIBERATOR is now a bold new animated project. Upon returning to civilian life, Sparks attended the University of Colorado Law School, graduating in 1947. They went through the complex and kicked out anyone in an SS uniform. He didn’t like people abusing their power. You’re aware of what it cost. The four-part, live-action animated series tells the story of Col. Felix Sparks and the diverse soldiers he led in the 157th Infantry Regiment. Post-war years. Walsh ordered the guys to start firing. Follow the 157th regiment from Sicily to the heart of Germany. The new Netflix miniseries The Liberator is a World War II story about brave men who bond through that terrifying experience. A chilling black-and-white photograph freezes Lt. Col. Felix Sparks in time. Fienberg concluded that people should check out the show for the animation, for a commemoration of Veterans Days but to be prepared for frustration over "how much more complicated, and how much richer" the actual history is and how the show could have been better. Starring Bradley James as Sparks, The Liberator centers on the U.S. Army's 157th regiment. The Liberator is an American adult animated war drama miniseries created and written by Jeb Stuart. Copy to Clipboard. For nearly two years, he and his group went from the invasion of Italy on … The irony is that before this if somebody told me they would turn one of my books into an animated TV series, I would have thought it was an odd choice. A: It was amazing. A move against Hollywood's cliches. Sign up for the Early Bird Brief - a daily roundup of military and defense news stories from around the globe. Aptly released on Veterans Day this year, “The Liberator” is a visually unique tale of the courage and heroism of U.S. Lt. Col. Felix Sparks and the 157th Infantry Regiment during World War II. 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Drawn from more than 50 Native American tribes and Mexican-American recruits, some who couldn’t speak English, the unit would see more fighting than almost any other in the war. Then I became a journalist after college, but in college I studied history and we read everything but World War II. directed by Grzegorz Jonkajtys starring Bradley James, Jose Miguel Vasquez, Bryan Hibbard, Martin Sensmeier, Ross Anderson, Billy Breed, Finney Cassidy, David Elliot, Sam Gittins, Kiowa Gordon, Tatanka Means, Matt Mercurio And if this does, that would be amazing. Sparks' pistol raised overhead, his other hand, palm open, signaling to stop the spontaneous execution. Lost among the fallout after the presidential election was the debut of a compelling four-episode on Netflix, The Liberator. But long before it was a Netflix series, it was a book by the same name. A: He’d grown up in a region where he knew the discrimination that Mexican-Americans and Native Americans had faced. 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