Several of the events shown from Red's perspective in Earned in Blood seem like a Continuity Snarl at first sight, such as the contrasting account he makes regarding how the fighting at Hill 30 went. note Several details don't match, such as Paddock being present in Earned in Blood's version of the battle while Zanovich is absent, Baker having already gone searching for the 2nd Armored Division by the time Red makes it back to American lines, etc. The reverse is true in RTH 30. It then falls under Fridge Brilliance when, upon viewing Baker's narrations in Road to Hill 30 as his accounts of the battle during his interview with Col. Marsall note The ending of Earned in Blood heavily implies that Baker was interviewed just minutes before Hartsock. , then it becomes clear that Fog of War is in effect, as the stress of combat can cause different people to have differing accounts of how things went during a battle.
Hell's Highway is an unintentional Foil to Valkyria Chronicles, especially Valkyria Chronicles 4, which even features a similar plot setting. Both feature WWII (or WWII-esque) technology and themes, specifically the horrors of war and the importance of relying on your squadmates to survive, and both focus on a squad of soldiers in the midst of a potentially war-winning operation, which goes horribly wrong, and the squad leader is forced to confront old demons from the past that threaten to erode the trust between the soldiers he is charged with leading. However, Valkyria Chronicles 4 focuses on the Power of Friendship and making nice with people who are different to get through the war; oftentimes the protagonist has to deal with conflicts between his teammates, conflicts that are usually solved by the characters put into situations where they are forced to work together and resolve their differences, and/or air out their secrets and insecurities. Hell's Highway on the other hand completely deconstructs tropes of that nature, showing how trying to be "friends" with your squadmates is no replacement for actually acting as their leader. Baker tried to be A Father to His Men and a mentor figure, especially Leggett and Frankie, and was more or less in the same position as Claude or Gunther. However, BiA shows the realistic effects of trying to substitute leadership with friendship in a squad that must trust their squad leader with their lives; namely, discipline breaks down, people get killed, and the squad leader's psyche begins deteriorating badly due to it. And, when Baker finally did air out the demons he was keeping, instead of bringing everyone together, it severely erodes the trust of the men under his command, to the point that Corrion outright declared he would never fight alongside Baker again. Baker manages to just barely restore morale and get the trust of most of his men back, but Corrion looks to be a completely lost cause, renouncing his trust in and friendship with Baker even after his speech.
