MovieChat Forums > The Bridge at Remagen (1969) Discussion > Question about the bar in front of the j...

Question about the bar in front of the jeeps

posted 16 years ago by jgroub
12 replies | jump to latest

The trivia section says:

"Some of the Jeeps in this film have a vertical bar on the front. This was to cut invisible wires set between two trees by the enemy to decapitate the soldiers."

I came to this board precisely to ask the very question about the purpose of those bars. But wouldn't keeping the windshield of the jeep in the up position accomplish exactly the same thing without needing a bar?

I asked the doctor to take your picture so I can look at you from inside as well.

[–] mel_jism 16 years ago

Maybe they wanted the windshield down for better visibility? Or because of the breeze? I didn't even notice the bars. This is interesting.

[–] jgroub 16 years ago

Next time you see it, you'll see a big black bar in the jeep scenes, like when the General drives up to show everyone the bridge on the map, or when the Captain goes off and takes point and gets himself killed. I have never seen this bar on any other jeep in any other WW II movie, so I find it interesting that it has a historical basis (or supposedly it does), but was never depicted anywhere else, ever.

I asked the doctor to take your picture so I can look at you from inside as well.

[–] sublimesting 16 years ago

A wire could break a windshiled or knock it down or slide over it. The bar would snap it (notice how thick it is and has an "L" hook at the top to ensnare the wire so it doesn't go over the top of the bar.

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[–] jgroub 16 years ago

Ah, good point.

But why is this missing from every other WW II movie, let alone that I've never seen it anywhere else, ever. (Not that I am the authority on all things "jeep," but still.)

I asked the doctor to take your picture so I can look at you from inside as well.

[–] Budaus 16 years ago

Its not shown in alot of films because most of the jeeps used in modern WWII films are from private collections, private collectors prefer their jeeps to fit the "norm" and dont have them, companies dont install them on those vehicles. I have seen a couple other films (cant remember anything but A Midnight Clear) that have the bar on the front end. It is an accurate portrayal of alot of WWII jeeps.

[–] layton59 14 years ago

QUOTE:

But why is this missing from every other WW II movie, let alone that I've never seen it anywhere else, ever. (Not that I am the authority on all things "jeep," but still.)

I am sure that many directors don't want the jeep bars on because they think it it is too distracting to the audience.

Another thing to watch for in other movies and TV shows is how seldom the rear-view mirror is in cars when close ups through the windshield are shown.

Also, space movies nearly always have silly lights on INSIDE the helmets. This is so the audience can clearly see the STARS faces. In real life, a light on inside the space helmet would result in poor vision.

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[–] jimprideaux2 9 years ago

It's not in a lot of WWII movies. I remember watching a WWII movie with my Dad, a WWII vet, back in the 60's where driver and passenger in a jeep were caught by a wire strung across the road. At the time my Dad said that would not have happened as jeeps he was familiar with had ramped bars with cut-off hooks mounted on the fronts to raise and cut the wire.

[–] R011DaveAAA 16 years ago

Windshield glass is highly reflective and therefore visible. It also raises the profile of a jeep which again, makes it more visible.

The problem isn;t just wires set by the enemy, but other wires, like from old fences or field phones, and similar obstacles that might be in a vehicle's path. The wire cutter also provided a small amount of protection in the event of a roll over.

[–] bradford-1 15 years ago

The Jeep bar appears in the cable film NUREMBERG. Every Jeep I see in that flick is equipped with one.

[–] Dennis_Cooper 14 years ago

The Allies kept the bars on their Jeeps long after the fighting ended because their was an insurgency during the first year or so of occupation in Germany and one of their favorite tricks was to string razor wire at head level across roads and bridges.

The insurgency in occupied Germany really wasn't well-publicized or taught in many history classes but there was one. It was mostly led by fanatical members of the SS who didn't acknowledge the surrender of the German Army in general.

[–] moviegeek71 13 years ago

I have watched too many documentaries on The History Channel to give the specific show it was mentioned on but the "SS Werwolf" squad were the ones putting up the wires.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werwolf

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[–] gary_w_trott 9 years ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire_cutter_(jeep)