Mel Brooks, the Veteran
In recalling his WWII experience decades later, Brooks observed that: “War isn’t hell. War is loud. Much too noisy. All those shells and bombs going off all around you. Never mind death. A man could lose his hearing“. He distilled his wartime experience to its essence when asked what he thought during the war about saving Europe and the world: “You thought about how you were going to stay warm that night. How you were going to get from one hedgerow to another without a German sniper taking you out. You didn’t worry about tomorrow“.
Aware of the jarring contrast between his comedic persona and his serious wartime experiences, Brooks once mused to reporters: “I was a combat engineer. Isn’t that ridiculous? The two things I hate most in the world are combat and engineering“. On a more serious note, though, as a Jew, WWII had a special meaning for Brooks: it mattered to him that he had played his part in freeing Jews from the horrors of Nazism. His unit did not liberate any concentration camps, but Brooks came across many Jewish refugees who had survived the Third Reich, and their plight affected him.
The end of the war in Europe came while Brooks and the 1104th were carrying out a reconnaissance in the Harz Mountains of northern Germany. Brooks, by then promoted to corporal, had survived the war, healthy and hale, and had grown up and matured real fast from the teenager who’d enlisted just a year earlier. He closed his days in Europe by taking part in organizing shows and entertainments for American soldiers, as well as for Germans.
Finally, the time came for Brooks to return to civilian life, and resume his quest to become a professional funnyman. After the war, Brooks was discharged from the Army, and he went back to entertainment. He played drums and pianos in Borscht Belt resorts, and gradually worked his way to earning a living as a stand-up comic. He eventually made his way into the then-new medium of television, writing for programs such as The Show of Shows and The Admiral Broadway Revue. From there, his career expanded into acting, producing, and directing. He eventually became one of the most successful comic movie directors of all time, with a long resume of hits that include The Producers (1967), Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein (1974), Spaceballs (1981), and Robin Hood, Men in Tights (1993). He is one of the few performers to have earned an Oscar, an Emmy, a Tony, and a Grammy.
Like most WWII veterans, Brooks never viewed himself as a hero, and went out of his way to downplay his wartime experience. He simply saw himself as one of the many millions from his generation who had answered their country’s call, donned uniform and did their part, then returned home, happy to be alive. However, decades after the war, Brooks took one last shot at the Third Reich with his 1967 Hollywood hit, The Producers, which satirized Hitler and the Nazis.
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Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources and Further Reading
Military dot Com – Famous Veterans: Mel Brooks
Military ID – Mel Brooks Talks About His Combat Experience in WWII
Vintage News – Mel Brooks Fought in One of WWII’s Most Famous and Horrific Battles
War History Online – One of the Funniest Men Alive, Mel Brooks, Spent WWII Clearing Land Mines
History Collection – 8 Famous People You Won’t Believe Are WWII Veterans
History Collection – 12 Tragic and Triumphant Teenagers Who Fought in World War II