Carwood Lipton

Lt. C. Carwood Lipton is a fictional character in the HBO series Band Of Brothers (he was based on a true person however). Lipton was the 2nd Lieutenant in Easy Company in WWII. Easy Company had made great strides through Western Europe with the American army and were known for being one of the strongest units. This came from intelligent leaders and courageous soldiers. However, due to the company’s success, their leaders quickly gained promotion and new captains were appointed.  Before the Battle of Foy, 1st Lieutenant Dike was brought in from another division. Dike came from a wealthy family and was undeserving of the position. His ineptness was quickly highlighted when the Germans opened fire on Easy Company and he had no idea what to do.

Despite Dike’s incompetence, 2nd Lt. Lipton held the troop together. He made good decisions in battle situations which helped keep the majority of the men alive. When the Germans advanced, and Dike froze under pressure, Lipton ordered the men and instructed them in how to defend against the Germans.

Dike was widely ridiculed by the men and no one trusted his decision making. Lipton however, reminded the men of Dike’s position and regardless of their personal opinions they were to be respectful of him. Lipton could have easily rounded up the men and began a mutiny against Dike, but Lipton recognized the importance of order especially in wartime situations. When the situation became untenable, Lipton approached Captain Nixon and expressed his concerns about Dike’s leadership as Easy Company were about to attack the city of Foy. He did it without the other men knowing in order not to raise fear. Throughout the whole sequence of events, Lipton never did anything in order to gain for himself but made decisions that were the best for the company.  In a difficult and perilous situation, he remained calm and kept the men together and on task. Many men owe their lives to 2nd Lt. Lipton.

Submitted by:
James Renton

Sources:

Wikipedia

Allmovie

HBO