The radar tower assault
Across the internet there are many questioning the logic and reasoning as to why Captain Miller made the decision to assault the machine-gun nest in the bunker under the radar tower. While it is explicitly said by the Captain that they couldn’t go around it lest it wipe out another unsuspecting squad, nor leave coordinates for the Air Force to knock it out (as they weren’t going to spend ordinance on one MG nest), it is not immediately obvious to the viewer why Miller had the entire squad assault the nest from the field. Here I will attempt to clarify some misconceptions.
Why didn’t Captain Miller attack the bunker from the rear?
This answer isn’t immediately obvious, but upon further contemplation it seems Miller made the right tactical move. The bunker was situated on top of a hill, with a presumed 360 degree vantage point around it. They would see them coming from any direction. It’s also presumed there wasn’t adequate cover to assault the position from all sides at once, would waste valuable time getting into such a position and risk being spotted, or certain areas were potentially mined and/or blocked off with barb wire. However, while it’s not immediately apparent, Miller did make a sound decision to attack the bunker’s flanks, as explained later.
Why didn’t Private Jackson hang back and snipe the MG gunner from where Upham was?
This is another misconception peddled by the film in earlier sequences. We are shown Jackson to make almost impossible, bravura shots with his Springfield rifle, first up the cliffs of Omaha beach to take out an MG nest, and again in the village by putting a bullet right through the scope and into the eye of the enemy marksman. Both of these scenarios are impossible, mainly because there were no snipers making such miraculous shots on Omaha beach, and secondly there would be no bell tower in such a village for a sniper to hide in. Bell towers were usually the first structures targeted by enemy artillery for destruction due to this very reason. So it’s logically assumed that Jackson would have no trouble aiming for the nest in the radar tower scene, but in fact this is a moment where the film gets the details right. The MG-42 nest would have almost complete defilade from any sniper fire, especially when attempting to shoot uphill, and would likely spot any such attempt in a heartbeat and return fire in full force, thereby shredding Jackson or compromising his position. In reality, such an endeavor would be useless.
Why didn’t Wade stay in the back with Upham?
Most viewers would assume a dangerous undertaking like this would require the corpsman to linger in the rear, but Miller was actually using sound infantry tactics from the era. The Captain knew they stood little chance of winning a firefight against an MG-42 with mainly semi-automatic weapons. He realized their only chance was to advance up the hill, and split the assault team into three distinct regions — left, right, and center — with Reiben providing a base of fire with the BAR. It would be difficult for a machine gun to fire on three desperate advancing groups 180 degrees in front of them. While one section would advance, the others would take cover, and take advantage of the time needed for the MG Crew to reload and change out barrels: enough time to get in close and clear the bunker with grenades. These were standard infantry tactics of the era, straight form the handbook, and such an assault would require as many men as possible spread out across the front to draw the MG‘s fire, which is why even the Medic had to advance with them.
In the end, while Saving Private Ryan is notoriously inaccurate in many regards in terms of its depiction of World War II, the radar bunker sequence is one of the more faithful recreations of infantry combat in the film, despite the many criticisms found online.