History Heartwarming / Sabaton

* ''The Last Battle'' is about the Battle for Castle Itter, commonly considered the "strangest" battle of World War II. How so? To start with, it took place five days into the week's time between when {{UsefulNotes/Adolf Hitler}} committed suicide in his bunker and when Germany officially surrendered. To continue, the Allied forces came out to a RealLife example of a RagtagBunchOfMisfits composed of troops of the 23rd Tank Battalion of the 12th Armored Division of the US XXI Corps led by Captain John C. "Jack" Lee, Jr., a number of Wehrmacht soldiers lead by Major Josef "Sepp" Gangl[[note]]Gangl and his Wehrmacht division had defected slightly earlier on , and threw in with LaResistance, with whom they were protecting the nearby town from any reprisal the SS would bring down for the slightest hint of insubordination.[[/note]], ''Hauptsturmführer'' Kurt-Siegfried Schrader a Waffen SS officer who defected, some local Austrian resistance, and recently freed French [=POWs=][[note]]Quoth TheOtherWiki, notable prisoners included tennis player Jean Borotra, former prime ministers Édouard Daladier and Paul Reynaud, former commanders-in-chief Maxime Weygand and Maurice Gamelin, Charles de Gaulle's elder sister Marie-Agnès Cailliau, right-wing leader and closet French resistance member François de La Rocque, and trade union leader Léon Jouhaux. Besides the French VIP prisoners, the castle held a number of Eastern European prisoners detached from Dachau, who were used for maintenance and other menial work.[[/note]]. Together, and with a little help from their Sherman Tank "Besotten Jenny", who was placed at the main entrance, they managed to defended Castle Itter against a 100-150 men strong force from the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division until relief from the American 142nd Infantry Regiment of the 36th Division of XXI Corps arrived. For his service defending the castle, Lee received the Distinguished Service Cross. [[TakingTheBullet Gangl died during the battle from a sniper's bullet]] [[HeroicSacrifice while trying to move former French prime minister Reynaud out of harm's way]] but was honored as an Austrian national hero and had a street in Wörgl named after him. It was also the only known battle where [[EnemyMine Americans and Germans]] fought alongside one another during the war. [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer Yes, you read that right]].

* ''The Last Battle'' is about the Battle for Castle Itter, considered the "strangest" battle of World War II. How so? Troops of the 23rd Tank Battalion of the 12th Armored Division of the US XXI Corps led by Captain John C. "Jack" Lee, Jr., a number of Wehrmacht soldiers lead by Major Josef Gangl, ''Hauptsturmführer'' Kurt-Siegfried Schrader a Waffen SS officer who defected, and recently freed French [=POWs=][[note]]Notable prisoners included tennis player Jean Borotra, former prime ministers Édouard Daladier and Paul Reynaud, former commanders-in-chief Maxime Weygand and Maurice Gamelin, Charles de Gaulle's elder sister Marie-Agnès Cailliau, right-wing leader and closet French resistance member François de La Rocque, and trade union leader Léon Jouhaux. Besides the French VIP prisoners, the castle held a number of Eastern European prisoners detached from Dachau, who were used for maintenance and other menial work.[[/note]]. Together, and with a little help from their Sherman Tank "Besotten Jenny", who was placed at the main entrance, they managed to defended Castle Itter against a 100-150 men strong force from the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division until relief from the American 142nd Infantry Regiment of the 36th Division of XXI Corps arrived. For his service defending the castle, Lee received the Distinguished Service Cross. [[TakingTheBullet Gangl died during the battle from a sniper's bullet while trying to move former French prime minister Reynaud out of harm's way]] but was honored as an Austrian national hero and had a street in Wörgl named after him. Popular accounts of the battle have dubbed it the strangest battle of World War II. The battle was fought five days after Adolf Hitler had committed suicide and only two days before the signing of Germany's unconditional surrender. It was also the only battle where [[EnemyMine Americans and Germans]] fought alongside one another during the war. [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer Yes, you read that right]].

** For at least one concert in Poland, they started with "40:1" instead of their usual ''Ghost Division''.
** Also in Poland with "40:1", they frequently replace the lyric "that land" with "''this'' land"
** It is completely unheard of for them to NOT play "Counterstrike" while in Israel.
** Tours of the United States have always included "To Hell and Back," a song about American soldier Audie Murphy from the state of Texas.
** Tours in Russia will always see the band playing "Panzerkampf." Also, Joakim frequently introduces the song by talking about how Russia "kicked Hitler's Nazi ass all the way back to Germany."

* ''The Last Battle'' is about the Battle for Castle Itter, considered the "strangest" battle of World War II. How so? Troops of the 23rd Tank Battalion of the 12th Armored Division of the US XXI Corps led by Captain John C. "Jack" Lee, Jr., a number of Wehrmacht soldiers lead by Major Josef Gangl, ''Hauptsturmführer'' Kurt-Siegfried Schrader a Waffen SS officer who defected, and recently freed French [=POWs=][[note]]Notable prisoners included tennis player Jean Borotra, former prime ministers Édouard Daladier and Paul Reynaud, former commanders-in-chief Maxime Weygand and Maurice Gamelin, Charles de Gaulle's elder sister Marie-Agnès Cailliau, right-wing leader and closet French resistance member François de La Rocque, and trade union leader Léon Jouhaux. Besides the French VIP prisoners, the castle held a number of Eastern European prisoners detached from Dachau, who were used for maintenance and other menial work.[[/note]], Together, and with a little help from their Sherman Tank "Besotten Jenny", who was placed at the main entrance, they managed to defended Castle Itter against a 100-150 men strong force from the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division until relief from the American 142nd Infantry Regiment of the 36th Division of XXI Corps arrived. For his service defending the castle, Lee received the Distinguished Service Cross. [[TakingTheBullet Gangl died during the battle from a sniper's bullet while trying to move former French prime minister Reynaud out of harm's way]] but was honored as an Austrian national hero and had a street in Wörgl named after him. Popular accounts of the battle have dubbed it the strangest battle of World War II. The battle was fought five days after Adolf Hitler had committed suicide and only two days before the signing of Germany's unconditional surrender. It was also the only battle where Americans and Germans fought alongside one another during the war. [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer Yes, you read that right]].

--> Always remember, a fallen soldier
--> Always remember, fathers and sons at war

-->''Sometimes war is killing''
-->''Sometimes it's saving lives''
-->''Thanks to one single man''
-->''A dozen more survived''

-->''He risked his life two times that day''
-->''To save an unknown enemy''
-->''Escort to safety out of the kill zone''
-->''A short salute then departed''

-->''Fly, fighting fair''
-->''It's the code of the air''
-->''Brothers, heroes, foes''

-->''Killing machine''
-->''Honour in the sky''
-->''B-17 flying home''
-->''Killing machine''
-->''Said goodbye to the cross he deserved''

-->''It's the end, the war has been lost''
-->''Keeping them safe until the river's been crossed''
-->''Nicht ein Schlacht, ein Rettungsaktion''[[note]]It's not a battle, it's a rescue operation[[/note]]
-->''Holding their ground until the final platoon''
-->''"Hurry up, we're waiting for you"''
-->''Men of the 9th and civilians too!''
-->''Dispossessed, surrendering to the West''

-->''Who'll survive and who will die?''
-->''Up to Kriegsglück to decide''
-->''Those who made it 'cross without a loss''
-->''Have reason to reflect''
-->''It is not about Berlin, it is not about the Reich''
-->''It's about the men who fought for them''
-->''What peace can they expect?''
** Also the line "''Who can now look back with a sense of pride''", a recurring one toward the end of the song. It possibly evokes a sentiment expressed in Saving Private Ryan, a film which the band has referenced before, referring to something as "The one decent thing we were able to pull out of this whole godawful, shitty mess."

* The band frequently recieves military memorabilia from fans with military background (usually in Israel). According to Joakim, they have a special archive for it back home.

** For at least one concert in Poland, they started with ''40 to 1'' instead of their usual ''Ghost Division''.
** Also in Poland with ''40 to 1'', they frequently replace the lyric "that land" with "''this'' land"
** It is completely unheard of for them to NOT play Counterstrike while in Israel

** For at least one concern in Poland, they started with ''40 to 1'' instead of their usual ''Ghost Division''.

* During the 2011 USA tour, a veteran of the 101st Air Force unit asked to hear "Screaming Eagles", since it was about his squad. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf012GrrIzo&feature=feedu They added it to the program mid-concert without hesitation]].

* Similar to ''The Ballad of Bull'', ''No Bullets Fly''. It's about the Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler incident. Charles, the pilot of a B-17 Flying Fortress received heavy damage and several of his crew was wounded. As the B-17 was limping back, attempting to reach the safety of England, Franz, after his Me-109 was restocked and refueled had initially been ordered to bring the B-17 down. When he reached within striking distance, Franz noticed the casualties involved and the extensive damage to the bomber. Remembering something he was told as a recruit, he felt it would be dishonorable to shoot the bomber down, as it seemed akin to a man with his parachute deployed. Franz Stigler risked death in three ways that day: Friendly fire, getting shot down by the bomber, or being executed for disobeying an order. The bomber crew survived that day, [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming and 47 years later Brown and Stigler met and became good friends until their deaths within several months of each other in 2008 (22 March for Stigler and 25 November for Brown)]]

-->''Nicht ein Schlacht, ein Rettungsaktion''[[note]]It's not a battle, it's a rescue[[/note]]

* Similar to ''The Ballad of the Bull'', ''No Bullets Fly'' is really, really heartwarming. It's about the Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler incident. Charles, the pilot of a B-17 Flying Fortress received heavy damage and several of his crew was wounded. As the B-17 was limping back, attempting to reach the safety of England, Franz, after his Me 109 was restocked and refueled had initially been ordered to bring the B-17 down. When he reached within striking distance, Franz noticed the casualties involved and the extensive damage to the bomber. Remembering something he was told as a recruit, he felt it would be dishonorable to shoot the bomber down, as it reminded him akin to a man with his parachute deployed. Franz Stigler risked death in three ways that day: Friendly fire, getting shot down by the bomber, or being executed for disobeying an order. The bomber crew survived that day, [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming and 47 years later Brown and Stigler met and became good friends until their deaths within several months of each other in 2008 (22 March for Stigler and 25 November for Brown)]]

* ''Hearts of Iron'' is a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming. During the battle of Berlin the General of the 12th Army, Walther Wenck realized that the Red Army was closing in and so was the demise of his soldiers. [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight Instead of holding his post and fighting the incoming Soviets as his orders were, he instead used his Army to create a "escape-corridor" to get himself and as many people as possible out of Berlin]]. For this he'd surely be sentenced to death for treason, however in doing this he saved the life of up to 250,000 Germans by safely escorting them out of the burning city.

-->''[[YouShallNotPass Holding their gro]][[LastStand und until the final platoon]]''

-->''Dispossesed, surrendering to the West''

-->''Up to Kriegslück to decide''
-->''[[EverybodyLives Those who made it 'cross without a loss]]''

-->''[[TheMenFirst It's about the men who fought for them]]''

-->''It's about the men who fought for them''

* Similar to ''The Ballad of the Bull'', ''No Bullets Fly'' is really, really heartwarming. It's about the Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler incident. Charles, the pilot of a B-17 Flying Fortress received heavy damage and several of his crew was wounded. As the B-17 was limping back, attempting to reach the safety of England, Franz, after his Me 109 was restocked and refueled had initially been ordered to bring the B-17 down. When we reached within striking distance, Franz noticed the casualties involved and the extensive damage to the bomber. Remembering something he was told as a recruit, he felt it would be dishonorable to shoot the bomber down, as it reminded him akin to a man with his parachute deployed. Franz Stigler risked death in three ways that day: Friendly fire, getting shot down by the bomber, or being executed for disobeying an order. The bomber crew survived that day, [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming and 47 years later Brown and Stigler met and became good friends until their deaths within several months of each other in 2008 (22 March for Stigler and 25 November for Brown)]]

-->''Holding their ground until the final platoon''

* ''Hearts of Iron'' is a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming. During the battle of Berlin the General of the 12th Army, Walther Wenck realized that the Red Army was closing in and so was the demise of his soldiers. Instead of holding his post and fighting the incoming Soviets as his orders were, he instead used his Army to create a "escape-corridor" to get himself out of Berlin. For this he'd surely be sentenced to death for treason, however in doing this he saved the life of up to 250,000 Germans by safely escorting them out of the burning city.

* ''Hearts of Iron'' is a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming. During the battle of Berlin the General of the 12th Army, Walther Wenck realized that the Red Army was closing in and so was the demise of his soldiers. Instead of holding his post and fighting the incoming Soviets as his orders were, he instead used his Army to create a "escape-corridor" to get himself out of Berlin.
For this he'd surely be sentenced to death for treason, however in doing this he saved the life of up to 250,000 Germans by safely escorting them out of the burning city.

* "The Ballad of Bull". Sabaton is a band full of songs about bloody battles, gruesome conflicts, and harsh sacrifices, but then comes this song, which is not about the loss of lives, but about the ''salvation of lives'' by Bull Allen.

* "The Ballad of Bull". Sabaton is a band full of songs about bloody battles, gruesome conflicts, and harsh sacrifices, but then comes this song, which is not about the loss of lives, but how he lives ''were saved'' by Bull Allen.

--> Always remember, fathers and sons at war

* Sabaton has always listened a lot to their fans and have given them an even amount back. Quite literally, as in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj32UrF84gM this clip]] singer Joakim gives his trademark glasses to a kid in the front row, while praising him because he knows all the lyrics.

Sabaton has always listened a lot to their fans and have given them an even amount back. Quite literally, as in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj32UrF84gM this clip]] singer Joakim gives his trademark glasses to a kid in the front row, while praising him because he knows all the lyrics.