- Sabaton has always listened a lot to their fans and have given them an even amount back. Quite literally, as in this clip
singer Joakim gives his trademark glasses to a kid in the front row, while praising him because he knows all the lyrics.- Joakim did something similar in a show on their Heroes tour, giving his shades to a kid. When the kid was asked if this was his first metal concert, the kid replied he had been to a dozen already, to which Joakim playfully admitted being jealous.
- These lines from 40:1:Always remember, a fallen soldier
Always remember, fathers and sons at war - The Ballad of Bull. Sabaton is a band full of songs about bloody battles, gruesome conflicts, and harsh sacrifices, but then comes this song, which is not about the loss of lives, but about the salvation of lives by Bull Allen.Sometimes war is killing
Sometimes it's saving lives
Thanks to one single man
A dozen more survived - Similar to The Ballad of Bull, No Bullets Fly. It's about the Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler incident. Charles, the pilot of a B-17 Flying Fortress received heavy damage and several of his crew was wounded. As the B-17 was limping back, attempting to reach the safety of England, Franz, after his Me-109 was restocked and refueled had initially been ordered to bring the B-17 down. When he reached within striking distance, Franz noticed the casualties involved and the extensive damage to the bomber. Remembering something he was told as a recruit, he felt it would be dishonorable to shoot the bomber down, as it seemed akin to a man with his parachute deployed. Franz Stigler risked death in three ways that day: Friendly fire, getting shot down by the bomber, or being executed for disobeying an order. The bomber crew survived that day, Franz moved to Canada less than 10 years later and 47 years later after the incident Brown and Stigler met and became good friends until their deaths within several months of each other in 2008 (22 March for Stigler and 25 November for Brown)He risked his life two times that day
To save an unknown enemy
Escort to safety out of the kill zone
A short salute then departed
Fly, fighting fair
It's the code of the air
Brothers, heroes, foes
Killing machine
Honour in the sky
B-17 flying home
Killing machine
Said goodbye to the cross he deserved - Hearts of Iron; During the battle of Berlin the General of the 12th Army, Walther Wenck realized that the Red Army was closing in and so was the demise of his soldiers. Instead of holding his post and fighting the incoming Soviets as per his ordered, he instead used his Army to create an "escape-corridor" to get himself and as many people as possible out of Berlin. For this he'd surely be sentenced to death for treason, however in doing this he saved the life of up to 250,000 Germans by safely escorting them out of the burning city.It's the end, the war has been lost
Keeping them safe until the river's been crossed
Nicht ein Schlacht, ein Rettungsaktionnote
Holding their ground until the final platoon
"Hurry up, we're waiting for you"
Men of the 9th and civilians too!
Dispossessed, surrendering to the West
Who'll survive and who will die?
Up to Kriegsglück to decide
Those who made it 'cross without a loss
Have reason to reflect
It is not about Berlin, it is not about the Reich
It's about the men who fought for them
What peace can they expect?- Also the line "Who can now look back with a sense of pride", a recurring one toward the end of the song. It possibly evokes a sentiment expressed in Saving Private Ryan, a film which the band has referenced before, referring to something as "The one decent thing we were able to pull out of this whole godawful, shitty mess."
- During the 2011 USA tour, a veteran of the 101st Airbourne Division asked to hear "Screaming Eagles", since it was about his division's history. They added it to the program mid-concert without hesitation.
- The band frequently tweaks their song list for a concert to include songs specifically about their host country, such as the rarely heard Talvisota for a concert in Finland.
- Playing Back In Control in Glasgow, Joakim introduces the song "For the Scottish in the SAS... Back In Control!"
- For at least one concert in Poland, they started with 40:1 instead of their usual Ghost Division.
- Also in Poland with 40:1, they frequently replace the lyric "that land" with "this land".
- Similarly, in Uprising, they replace "their" with "your" when performing the song in Warsaw. The blood you shed, upon your streets...
- It is completely unheard of for them to NOT play Counterstrike while in Israel.
- Tours of the United States have always included To Hell and Back, a song about American soldier Audie Murphy from the state of Texas.
- Tours in Russia will always see the band playing Panzerkampf. Also, Joakim frequently introduces the song by talking about how Russia "kicked Hitler's Nazi ass all the way back to Germany."
- In Brazil they always play Smoking Snakes. That song actually is now well known outside of the metal scene and has been played many times by military bands with more orchestral arranges.
- On a related note, on a concert on Juiz de Fora, one former soldier for the Brazilian force in World War II was called before the song and given a due homage, with the band thanking him for his courage and everyone in the venue chanting his name. With the lack of support to the military in Brazil, that may have been one of the times he got a recognition for his acts.
- On a related note, on a concert on Juiz de Fora, one former soldier for the Brazilian force in World War II was called before the song and given a due homage
- The band frequently receives military memorabilia from fans with military background (usually in Israel). According to Joakim, they have a special archive for it back home.
- The Last Battle is about the Battle for Castle Itter, commonly (and not without reason) considered to be the strangest battle of World War II. How so? To start with, the Battle for Castle Itter is the only known battle where Americans and Germans fought alongside one another during the war. To continue, it took place five days into the week lying between the day Adolf Hitler committed suicide in his bunker and Germany officially surrendered to the Allies. Furthermore, the Allied forces came out to a Real Life example of a Ragtag Bunch of Misfits composed of: recently freed French and Eastern European POWs and political prisonersnote , 31 combatants variously from the 23rd Tank Battalion of the 12th Armored Division of the US XXI Corps, led by Cpt. John C. "Jack" Lee, Jr., a number of Wehrmacht soldiers led by Major Josef "Sepp" Ganglnote , Waffen SS Hauptsturmführer Kurt-Siegfried Schrader who defected after talking to and befriending some of the prisoners, and a member of the Austrian resistance. Together, and with a little help from their Sherman Tank, dubbed "Besotten Jenny", which they placed at the main entrance, they held Castle Itter against a force 150-200 strong from the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division until relief arrived from the American 142nd Infantry Regiment of the 36th Division of XXI Corps. During the battle, Major Gangl was killed by a sniper's bullet while trying to get former Prime Minister Reynaud to safety, and was the sole Allied casualty. The Allied forces, for their part, took one hundred Waffen SS prisoners. For his service defending the castle, Lee received the Distinguished Service Cross. Yes, you read all that right. Readily doubles as a Moment of Awesome.And it's the end of the line of the final journey
Enemies leaving the past
And it's American troops and the German army
Joining together at last - A popular quiz show in Serbia asked the question "Which country does the group Sabaton hail from?" The female contestant readily answered 'Sweden' and didn't hide that she is a huge fan. The band heard of this, tracked the girl down and gave her tickets for their upcoming concert in Belgrade.[1]
- On that very concert, they stated that their usual drummer had to fly back home because "he is having a little Sabaton baby". The audience reacted accordingly.
- Just about any time Sabaton performs in the United States, usually right before they play Primo Victoria, they include a line to the effect of "If it wasn't for your fathers and grandfathers, we'd all be speaking German."
- "Inmate 4859" tells the sad story of Witold Pilecki, who ended up being executed as a result of Poland's Warsaw Pact. The song repeatedly asks "Who knows his name". The final chorus, however, states "Soldier in Auschwitz, we know his name", showing that his heroism will not be forgotten despite how tragically his story ended.
- Despite it's generally melancholy tone, Great War manages to be somewhat uplifting towards the end.And feet by feet
We pay the price of a mile here
Though men are falling, we see heroes rise
We face the heat
As we are fighting until the dawn
So follow me and we will write our own history! - Christmas Truce is about the event of the same name in the winter of 1914, showing both sides rising out of their trenches and coming together for one glimpse of happiness amidst the Great War.And today we're all brothers
Tonight we're all friends
A moment of peace in a war that never ends
Today we're all brothers
We drink and unite
Now Christmas has arrived and the snow turns the ground white
Hear carols from the trenches
We sing O Holy Night
Our guns laid to rest on the snowflakes.
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