Saving Private Ryan Wiki
Advertisement
Images-2

Ramelle during the skirmish.

Ramelle was a small town on the Mederet River in France, during World War Two. The 101st airborne were defending the town when Captain John Miller (Hanks) arrives. The paratroopers were defending a small bridge that was critical to the Allied offensive.

The Waffen-SS came to attack the small town and capture the bridge before the Allies could take it. Miller and his small team of US Army Rangers were on a different mission but are pulled into defending the bridge from the Germans. As the highest ranking officer, he formulates a plan for the defense of the town with the few Rangers under his command and what is left of the Airborne.

As he lays out the strategy to the men, he describes the worst case scenario, in which they are overrun by the enemy and forced to pull back to the other side of the bridge. He describes this location as "The Alamo", referring to a famous battle where a small number of Texas volunteers held off Santa Anna's army in 1836 at a mission called "The Alamo".

The Battle for Ramelle was a huge conflict that resulted in many soldiers' deaths and more damage to the town.

Everyone, except three, died defending the Alamo mission and Miller's use of this term makes it clear to his troops that their cause is hopeless if they are forced back to this position. The men banded together to defend.The remaining men were about to die when planes came and bombed the Tiger Tanks.

Then the 2nd Rangers Battalion came and took out the rest of the Germans. In Ramelle, Miller was mortally wounded and slowly died. Upham killed a German that he had previously saved. Reiben took a letter that had been passed from dead man to dead man that was supposed to be sent to Caparzo's dad.

Advertisement