All language subtitles for Mysteries.of.the.Abandoned.S06E11.Nightmare.at.Fort.Paranoia.1080p.DISC.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-DoGSO_track3_[eng]

Narrator: A CLANDESTINE COASTAL
DEFENSE NOW EXPOSED

BY VANISHING
ATLANTIC SAND DUNES...

IT MIGHT SEEM LIKE THE AMERICANS
WERE BEING PARANOID.

I MEAN, WHO'S GONNA ATTACK
THE U.S.

ON THE DELAWARE COAST,
THE JERSEY SHORE?

BUT IN FACT,
AMERICA WAS ATTACKED.

Narrator: ...THE STRANDED
REMAINS OF A TOWN

THAT ONCE APPEARED
TO HAVE IT ALL...

THEY MUST HAVE FELT LIKE
THEY HAD FOUND A GARDEN OF EDEN,

AN OASIS IN THIS DRY ZONE.

AN OASIS IN THIS DRY ZONE.

BUT SOMEONE WITH MORE AUTHORITY
WANTED IT FOR THEMSELVES.

Narrator: RUINS ON A TRANQUIL
JAPANESE BAY

WITH AN INFAMOUS TECHNOLOGY
AT THEIR HEART.

WERE THEY DOING
SOMETHING SECRET?

WERE THEY DOING SOMETHING
DANGEROUS?

THERE ARE STORIES HERE
IN THESE BUILDINGS.

Narrator: ...AND A NETWORK
OF ABANDONED STRUCTURES

THAT COVER AN ENTIRE COUNTRY.

IT LOOKS AS THOUGH THIS LAND
HAS BEEN CARPET-BOMBED

WITH THESE MYSTERIOUS-LOOKING
DOMES.

WITH THESE MYSTERIOUS-LOOKING
DOMES.

YOU FIND THEM IN THE ROADSIDES,
IN CHURCHYARDS,

IN PEOPLE'S GARDENS.

YOU HAVE TO WONDER WHO OR WHAT

WERE THEY PROTECTING
THEMSELVES FROM.

Narrator:
DECAYING RELICS,

RUINS OF LOST WORLDS,

FORGED THROUGH YEARS OF TOIL,

NOW HAUNTED BY THE PAST,

THEIR SECRETS WAITING
TO BE REVEALED.

THEIR SECRETS WAITING
TO BE REVEALED.

-- Captions by VITAC --
www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

ALBANIA --

A COUNTRY AT THE EDGE
OF MODERN-DAY EUROPE,

A LAND COVERED IN PECULIAR,
MUSHROOM-SHAPED STRUCTURES.

Barratt: THERE ARE THESE WEIRD,
LITTLE CONSTRUCTIONS

Barratt: THERE ARE THESE WEIRD,
LITTLE CONSTRUCTIONS

AND THEY'RE ALL OVER THE PLACE.

THERE'S NO PATTERN TO IT.
THERE'S NO RESTRICTION TO THEM.

Dr. Corum:
IT IS A BIZARRE SITUATION,
WHERE YOU HAVE EVERY VILLAGE

AND EVERY FIELD, ALMOST,
IS COVERED WITH THESE THINGS.

THEY'RE CARVED
INTO MOUNTAIN SIDES

AND SPREAD ALONG THE COAST
LOOKING OUT TO SEA.

THEY'RE EVERYWHERE.

LIKE, I MEAN, EVERYWHERE.

LIKE, I MEAN, EVERYWHERE.

Narrator:
THESE DIMINUTIVE STRUCTURES

APPEAR TO BE FORTIFIED.

Bell: THE SHEER VOLUME
AND POSITIONING OF THEM

TELLS YOU THAT A HUGE FORCE
OR POPULATION

WAS EXPECTED TO MOBILIZE
AND DEFEND THIS LAND

Barratt:
EVERY NOW AND AGAIN, YOU COME
ACROSS A BIGGER STRUCTURE,

ONE WITH MORE ROOMS,
MORE DEFENSIVE CAPABILITY.

SOMEHOW, THERE MUST BE A SYSTEM.

THERE MUST BE A WAY
THAT EVERYTHING IS LINKED.

Narrator: ALBANIA IS RIDDLED
WITH THESE DEFENSIVE STRUCTURES.

Narrator: ALBANIA IS RIDDLED
WITH THESE DEFENSIVE STRUCTURES.

BUT A POSTAPOCALYPTIC LANDSCAPE
AT THE HEART OF THIS NATION

SUGGESTS THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO
MAY HAVE COME TO PASS.

Caushi:
A VAST COMPLEX COVERING AN AREA

THAT GOES
AS FAR AS THE EYES CAN SEE --

ALL THAT REMAINS
IS JUST A GHOST TOWN.

THIS PLACE WOULDN'T LOOK OUT
OF SORTS IN THE DYSTOPIAN WORLD

OF MAD MAX OR BLADE RUNNER.

Narrator: SO, WHAT HAPPENED
BEHIND THE HEAVY IRON CURTAIN

Narrator: SO, WHAT HAPPENED
BEHIND THE HEAVY IRON CURTAIN

THAT ONCE SHROUDED ALBANIA?

ELTON CAUSHI, A LOCAL HISTORIAN
AND TOUR GUIDE, GREW UP HERE.

THE UBIQUITOUS STRUCTURES
MADE UNUSUAL PLAYGROUNDS.

YOU COULD FIND THEM EVERYWHERE.

IT WAS GREAT TO PLAY
OUTSIDE, ACTUALLY.

Narrator: BUT THERE WAS
A SERIOUS SIDE TO THEM.

Caushi: THIS IS WHAT WE CALL
MUSHROOM BUNKERS.

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF THESE

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF THESE

WERE BUILT ALL AROUND
THE COUNTRY,

MAINLY FOCUSING
ON THE COASTAL AREAS,

SINCE D-DAY STYLE OF ATTACK
WAS EXPECTED TO COME THIS WAY.

Narrator: THROUGHOUT THE 1970s,
THE ALBANIAN POPULATION

WAS READY TO MOBILIZE
AT A MOMENT'S NOTICE

AND USE THE MUSHROOM BUNKERS
TO DEFEND THE NATION

AGAINST THE MOST
TERRIFYING ATTACKS.

THERE WAS THIS CONSTANT,
GENUINE FEAR OF THE ATTACK

THERE WAS THIS CONSTANT,
GENUINE FEAR OF THE ATTACK

AND I DO REMEMBER THE TRAININGS
THAT THEY USED TO GIVE US --

THE ADULTS THROWING CHLORIUM
ALL AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD,

PEOPLE CLOSING OFF THE LIGHTS
IN THE HOME,

AND FAMILIES BEING FORCED INTO
SOME SORT OF MILITARY ACTION

AND FINDING SHELTER
IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD'S BUNKER,

WHERE WE WERE SUPPOSED
TO SURVIVE

IN THE CASE OF AN EVENTUAL
BACTERIOLOGICAL ATTACK.

IN THE CASE OF AN EVENTUAL
BACTERIOLOGICAL ATTACK.

IMAGINE GROWING UP AMONGST ALL
THIS PARANOIA --

THE CONSTANT DRILLS,

CONSTANT SENSE OF THREAT,

AN ENEMY THAT MIGHT ATTACK
AT ANY MOMENT.

Narrator:
THE ALBANIAN FEAR OF INVASION

DATES BACK TO THE END
OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

IN 1945,
MUCH OF EUROPE LAY IN ASHES,

TORN APART BY SIX YEARS
OF TOTAL WAR.

ALBANIA HAD SUFFERED OCCUPATION

BOTH BY FASCIST ITALY
AND NAZI GERMANY.

BOTH BY FASCIST ITALY
AND NAZI GERMANY.

Bell: IN MANY WAYS, THE CRUSHING
DEFEAT AND HUMILIATION

IN WORLD WAR II

PROFOUNDLY INFLUENCED
THE DIRECTION

THE COUNTRY WOULD TAKE
IN THE POST-WAR ERA.

Narrator: OUT OF THE FIGHT
FOR INDEPENDENCE,

ONE MAN EMERGED AS THE COUNTRY'S
DICTATOR -- ENVER HOXHA.

DESPITE HAVING ENJOYED SUPPORT
FROM BRITISH

AND AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE
SERVICES DURING THE WAR,

HOXHA, A STAUNCH COMMUNIST,

QUICKLY ALIGNED HIMSELF
WITH THE SOVIET UNION.

QUICKLY ALIGNED HIMSELF
WITH THE SOVIET UNION.

HOXHA IDEALIZED JOSEPH STALIN.

IN FACT,
THE ALBANIAN COMMUNISTS --

THEY WERE THE ONLY
COMMUNIST GROUPS

THAT OPENLY SUPPORTED STALIN
AFTER HIS FALL FROM GRACE.

AND LIKE STALIN, HE KEPT
A BRUTAL GRIP ON POWER.

THE LOCAL INTELLECTUALS,
MAINLY THE EDUCATED PEOPLE --

IT'S THE ONES HE CONSIDERED TO
BE THE WORST ENEMIES,

IT'S THE ONES HE CONSIDERED TO
BE THE WORST ENEMIES,

AND THE PEOPLE WHICH WERE MOST
DANGEROUS TO HIS BEING

IN POWER.

THE METHODS WERE NOT VERY
ORTHODOX, AND HE DIDN'T

HESITATE TO CUT ANY THROAT
WHICH WAS IN FRONT OF HIM.

Narrator: HOXHA'S DOGMATIC
ATTACHMENT TO STALIN

MEANT THAT, WHEN THE SOVIET
DICTATOR DIED IN 1953,

HE SEVERED TIES
WITH HIS SUCCESSOR

THE MORE PRAGMATIC
NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV.

Dr. Corum: KHRUSHCHEV WANTED
TO LIGHTEN THE HEAVY EFFECTS

Dr. Corum: KHRUSHCHEV WANTED
TO LIGHTEN THE HEAVY EFFECTS

OF THE STALIN REIGN.

AND HOXHA OF ALBANIA THOUGHT

THAT THIS WAS BETRAYING
THE TRUE COMMUNIST IDEAL.

Narrator:
HOXHA COULD NOW ADD THE USSR

TO HIS LONG LIST OF ENEMIES.

IN HIS INCREASING ISOLATION,

HOXHA'S FEAR OF INVASION
MOUNTED,

AND HIS PARANOIA PUSHED HIM

TO INITIATE
HIS BUNKERIZATION PROGRAM.

THE BUNKERIZATION OF ALBANIA

WAS BUILT ON
THIS SIEGE MENTALITY.

THE IDEA THAT ENEMIES
ARE EVERYWHERE,

READY TO STRIKE AT ANY TIME.

Narrator: THERE COULD BE AS MANY
AS 700,000 BUNKERS IN ALBANIA.

THAT'S ONE FOR
EVERY FOUR PEOPLE.

HOXHA PRESERVED THE BIGGEST
FOR HIMSELF

AND IT'S FOUND
BENEATH THE CAPITAL, TIRANA.

Caushi:
NOW WE'RE IN A COMPLETELY
DIFFERENT KIND OF BUNKER.

THIS MONSTER GOING FIVE FLOORS
UNDER THE GROUND,

BEING EQUIPPED WITH 106 ROOMS,

WAS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT HOXHA
AND THE COMMUNIST LEADERS.

AND THAT INCLUDED ALSO
THE WHOLE DIRECTORS OF THE ARMY.

THEY NEEDED TO BE SECURED HERE
AGAINST ANY NUCLEAR,

CHEMICAL,
OR BACTERIOLOGICAL ATTACK.

CHEMICAL,
OR BACTERIOLOGICAL ATTACK.

Narrator:
IT WAS A MONUMENTAL UNDERTAKING,

AND THE TINY ALBANIAN NATION
WASN'T ABLE TO COMPLETE

HOXHA'S MANIACAL
BUNKERIZATION PROGRAM ALONE.

Bell: EVERY NOW AND AGAIN,
ON SOME OF THE INSTRUMENTS

DEEP IN THESE BUNKERS,
YOU CATCH A GLIMPSE OF A CLUE

THAT TELLS YOU
WHO WAS BEHIND ALL THIS.

Narrator: HOXHA HAD GOT INTO BED
WITH A DANGEROUS ALLY.

Dr. Corum: HOXHA WAS A TRUE
IDEOLOGUE AND A TRUE BELIEVER,

Dr. Corum: HOXHA WAS A TRUE
IDEOLOGUE AND A TRUE BELIEVER,

AND SO HE TURNED TO A PURER FORM
OF COMMUNISM

WHICH THEY SAW IN MAO'S CHINA.

Narrator: RELATIONS WITH OTHER
EASTERN-BLOC NATIONS

WERE INCREASINGLY STRAINED.

AND HOXHA'S ALLIANCE WITH CHINA
WAS NOT WELL-RECEIVED.

DOES THIS OMINOUS-LOOKING
WASTELAND MEAN

HOXHA WAS NOT PARANOID
AFTER ALL?

*

Narrator:
DURING THE 1970s,

ALBANIA STEPPED UP
BUNKER PRODUCTION

TO STAVE OFF THE PERCEIVED
THREAT OF INVASION.

BY NOW, THE PARANOID LEADER,
ENVER HOXHA,

HAD CONVINCED HIS NATION
THAT NEIGHBORS SUCH AS ITALY,

GREECE, OR YUGOSLAVIA,

AS WELL AS NUCLEAR POWERS,
SUCH AS AMERICA

AND THE SOVIET UNION, WERE ON
THE BRINK OF ATTACKING THEM.

AND THE SOVIET UNION, WERE ON
THE BRINK OF ATTACKING THEM.

THEIR ONLY ALLY, CHINA,

POURED INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES
INTO THE SMALL COUNTRY.

AT ITS CORE WAS THIS --

THE METALLURGICAL FACTORY
COMPLEX AT ELBASAN.

Bell:
MORE THAN 500 OF THESE GIANT
BUILDINGS WERE CONSTRUCTED,

ACCOMPANIED ALL
THE INFRASTRUCTURE

A COMPLEX OF THIS SCALE
WOULD REQUIRE.

Narrator: GIANT MOLDS ALLOWED
PREFABRICATED BUNKER PARTS

Narrator: GIANT MOLDS ALLOWED
PREFABRICATED BUNKER PARTS

TO BE FITTED TOGETHER
LIKE A JIGSAW.

YOU CAN BARELY IMAGINE
THE AMOUNT OF NOISE AND SMOKE

THAT MUST HAVE EMANATED
FROM THIS PLACE.

Barratt: FRAMED BY THESE
BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAINS

IN THE BACKGROUND,
YOU HAVE A MAN-MADE

ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER ZONE --

THERE'S CHIMNEYS,
THERE'S FACTORIES,

THERE'S BUILDINGS IN ALL SORTS
OF DIFFERENT STATES OF REPAIR.

Narrator: THE METAL AND CONCRETE
FACTORIES IN THE INDUSTRIAL ZONE

SPED UP THE PRODUCTION
OF BUNKERS,

WHICH WERE ROLLED OUT
ACROSS THE NATION.

Barratt: BUT AT THE SAME TIME,
THE HOUSING WAS NEGLECTED,

THE REST OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE
IN THE COUNTRY

WAS FALLING BEHIND --

ALL AT THE EXPENSE
OF THE BUNKERIZATION PROGRAM.

Narrator: DOMESTIC ISSUES WERE
SOON EXACERBATED

BY INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS

WHICH THREATENED HOXHA'S
RIGID ALLEGIANCE

TO COMMUNIST DOCTRINE.

TO COMMUNIST DOCTRINE.

FIRST KISSINGER,
THEN PRESIDENT NIXON

WERE ALLOWED TO VISIT CHINA.

THAT WAS ALL TOO MUCH FOR HOXHA,

AND TO HIM, A SIGN OF CHINA'S
NEW, REVISIONIST DIRECTION.

Narrator:
CHAIRMAN MAO DIED IN 1976,

AND THAWING RELATIONS CULMINATED

WITH THE CHINESE
BREAKING OFF TRADE

WITH ALBANIA TWO YEARS LATER.

Bell: FIRST IT WAS THE SOVIETS,
THEN THE CHINESE.

HE WAS FALLING OUT
WITH THE VERY POWERHOUSES

HE WAS FALLING OUT
WITH THE VERY POWERHOUSES

THAT WERE BANKROLLING ALBANIA.

Caushi: HE PRACTICALLY
TRANSFORMED ALBANIA

INTO WHAT NORTH KOREA
STANDS TODAY TO THE WORLD.

THIS WAS THE MOST ISOLATED
COUNTRY IN EUROPE.

Narrator: AFTER HOXHA'S DEATH
IN 1985, THE REGIME CLUNG ON,

BUT THE PEOPLE WERE GETTING
WIND OF COMMUNIST COLLAPSE

ACROSS EASTERN EUROPE.

FIRST, YOU HAD HUNGER STRIKES
BY STUDENTS,

THEN THE PEOPLE ROSE UP
AND TOOK TO THE STREETS.

THEN THE PEOPLE ROSE UP
AND TOOK TO THE STREETS.

THEY'D HAD ENOUGH.

Narrator: ALBANIA'S
MARXIST-LENINIST GOVERNMENT

COLLAPSED IN 1991,

LEAVING BEHIND
THIS BIZARRE LEGACY --

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF BUNKERS
LEFT TO DECAY.

HOXHA'S BUNKERIZATION
PROGRAM HAS LEFT

AN INDELIBLE MARK ON
MODERN ALBANIA.

THE METALLURGICAL FACTORY

AT ELBASAN HAS A TOXIC
AND DEADLY LEGACY.

AT ELBASAN HAS A TOXIC
AND DEADLY LEGACY.

THIS COMPLEX HAS HAD
A DISASTROUS IMPACT ON

THE ENVIRONMENT,

AND THE HUMAN COST HAS
BEEN TERRIFYING.

BABIES BORN WITH DEFORMITIES,
CANCER AND DISEASES.

Narrator:
BUT MANY BUNKERS ARE NOW

BEING REPURPOSED FOR
A POSITIVE FUTURE.

ALBANIA IS TRYING TO BUILD
THIS FUTURE AND IMAGE

AS A TOURISM DESTINATION
AND IS DOING QUITE A GOOD JOB.

AS A TOURISM DESTINATION
AND IS DOING QUITE A GOOD JOB.

EVENTUALLY, THEY WILL HOST
CAPITALIST VISITORS,

AND THERE WILL BE NO BETTER
PUNISHMENT FOR THE DICTATORSHIP.

Narrator: AND ALBANIA IS NOW
LOOKING OUTWARDS AS

A CANDIDATE TO JOIN
THE EUROPEAN UNION.

ALBANIA, FOR SURE,
IS VERY

ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT
INTEGRATING THE EU.

THIS IS THE BIG BROTHER THAT
WE'VE PROBABLY BEING DREAMING,

AND IT'S FOR US LIKE GOING
BACK HOME SOMEHOW.

BEING A MEMBER OF THE BIG
EUROPEAN FAMILY IS LIKE REALLY

BEING A MEMBER OF THE BIG
EUROPEAN FAMILY IS LIKE REALLY

FINDING OUT THE PARENTS

WHICH WE LOST MANY
CENTURIES AGO.

Narrator:
ON AMERICA'S EASTERN SEABOARD

AMID DELAWARE'S
DRIFTING SAND DUNES,

A COLLECTION
OF COASTAL STRUCTURES

STARE OUT ACROSS THE ATLANTIC.

THE EAST COAST OF THE U.S.
IS FAMOUS FOR BEAUTIFUL BEACHES.

YOU HAVE PEOPLE PICNICKING,
YOU HAVE SURF CRASHING.

YOU HAVE PEOPLE PICNICKING,
YOU HAVE SURF CRASHING.

YOU COULD JUST BE OUT FOR A DAY
ON THE BEACH.

Bell:
THEN, IN AMONGST THE DUNES

AND THE SCRUB PINES,
YOU CATCH GLIMPSES OF SOMETHING

THAT LOOKS
COMPLETELY OUT OF PLACE.

Narrator:
CLOSER INSPECTION REVEALS
A CLEAR MILITARY PURPOSE.

YOU SEE REMNANTS OF BUNKERS
AND THESE CONCRETE TOWERS.

IT'S REALLY INCONGRUOUS BECAUSE
YOU'RE ON THIS LOVELY BEACH,

IT'S REALLY INCONGRUOUS BECAUSE
YOU'RE ON THIS LOVELY BEACH,

WHERE,
AS FAR AS MOST OF US KNOW,

THERE'S NEVER BEEN
ANY KIND OF A WAR.

Narrator: YET THERE ARE DISTINCT
SIGNS THAT HEAVY ARTILLERY

WAS ONCE DEPLOYED HERE.

Bell:
THIS LONG, DARK CORRIDOR CUTS

THROUGH THE CENTER
OF THIS HUGE BUNKER.

AND OLD, RUSTY CHAINS
HANG FROM RAILS.

THIS WAS CLEARLY USED

FOR HOISTING
SOMETHING OF SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT.

Narrator:
OUTSIDE, ABANDONED WEAPONRY
STILL LURKS BEHIND THE DUNES.

AND LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE
AT THIS SITE,

THESE GUNS ARE ORIENTED
OUT TO SEA.

*

BUT WHO WERE THEY AFRAID OF?

WHO WERE THEY EXPECTING TO
INVADE THE EASTERN SEABOARD?

Meigs: IT MIGHT SEEM LIKE THE
AMERICANS WERE BEING PARANOID.

I MEAN, WHO'S GONNA ATTACK
THE U.S.

ON THE DELAWARE COAST,
THE JERSEY SHORE?

ON THE DELAWARE COAST,
THE JERSEY SHORE?

Narrator:
IN FACT, AN INVASION DID COME.

WOULD THIS FACILITY BE READY
TO MEET THE CHALLENGE?

*

Narrator: THE DESOLATE RELICS
THAT CROWD THIS BLUSTERY OUTPOST

DATE BACK TO THE LATE 1930s.

FEW AMERICANS KNOW
WHAT WENT ON HERE.

FOR A LONG TIME,
THEIR USE AND FUNCTION

WAS KEPT
COMPLETELY CONFIDENTIAL.

Narrator: TODAY,
HISTORIANS ARE KEEN TO PRESERVE

THESE MILITARY MONUMENTS.

THESE MILITARY MONUMENTS.

LEADING THE CHARGE
IS DR. GARY WRAY.

WHEN THE MILITARY
BUILT THIS BASE,

THIS PLACE BECAME SUPER SECRET.

SO, YOU WEREN'T ALLOWED
ON THE BEACH.

MILITARY PUT THE WORD OUT THAT
NOTHING WAS TO BE TALKED ABOUT.

SO, WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT HERE

IS AMERICA'S
FIRST HOMELAND SECURITY.

Narrator: THIS CLANDESTINE
MILITARY COMPLEX IS FORT MILES.

IT GUARDS THE MOUTH
OF THE DELAWARE RIVER.

IT GUARDS THE MOUTH
OF THE DELAWARE RIVER.

WE DON'T USUALLY THINK
OF THE DELAWARE

AS ONE OF AMERICA'S
MAJOR RIVERS FOR SHIPPING,

BUT IT DOES LEAD

TO A VERY IMPORTANT
HARBOR IN PHILADELPHIA.

Narrator: A NAVAL SHIPYARD, AS
WELL AS ARSENALS AND REFINERIES

PREPARING HIGH-OCTANE FUEL
FOR COMBAT AIRCRAFT

WERE ALL LOCATED UPRIVER.

THIS WAS A KEY DEFENSE PLACE
ON THE EAST COAST.

THIS WATER BEHIND ME WAS
JUST SATURATED WITH TANKERS.

SO, IF A FOREIGN POWER CAN
GET IN AND STOP THE TRAFFIC

SO, IF A FOREIGN POWER CAN
GET IN AND STOP THE TRAFFIC

IN AND OUT OF DELAWARE BAY,

THEY'VE TAKEN A GREAT STEP
TOWARD VICTORY.

Narrator: THE U.S. MILITARY
TOOK OVER THIS 5,000-ACRE SITE

IN 1938,

WHEN THE FIRST LARGE
ARTILLERY PIECES ARRIVED,

JUST OVER A YEAR
BEFORE THE SECOND WORLD WAR

BROKE OUT IN EUROPE.

HITLER FANTASIZED
ABOUT SEEING NEW YORK CITY

ENGULFED IN FLAMES.

Meigs: HITLER USED TO TALK ABOUT
HIS DREAMS OF SEEING

Meigs: HITLER USED TO TALK ABOUT
HIS DREAMS OF SEEING

GERMAN LONG-RANGE BOMBERS
ATTACKING OUR COAST.

ONE OF HIS MORE
OVER-THE-TOP CONCEPTS WAS THAT

HE MIGHT ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO DO
A LAND INVASION OF THE U.S.

Dr. Wray:
THE THREAT WAS REAL.

WE THOUGHT THE GERMANS
WERE COMING OVER THE HORIZON,

AND WE WERE PREPARING FOR THEM.

Narrator: THE WAY THIS SITE
IS CONFIGURED SHOWS

THE U.S. MILITARY EXPECTED
THE GERMANS TO ARRIVE

IN THEIR POWERFUL,
SUPER-FAST BATTLESHIPS.

LOCAL HISTORIAN TYLER DREIBLATT
KNOWS

LOCAL HISTORIAN TYLER DREIBLATT
KNOWS

THE FORT MILES
OBSERVATION TOWERS

WERE THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE.

SO, THIS TOWER WAS HERE TO SPOT
FOR THE BIG GERMAN BATTLESHIPS

LIKE THE BISMARCK
AND THE TIRPITZ.

THAT'S WHAT WE WERE WORRIED
ABOUT HERE AT FORT MILES.

Narrator: WHEN CONSTRUCTION
BEGAN ON THESE TOWERS,

THE U.S. HAD YET
TO ENTER THE WAR.

BUT THEY WERE SENDING CARGO
SHIPS DOWN THE DELAWARE RIVER

AND OUT ACROSS THE ATLANTIC
TO SUPPORT THEIR ALLY,

AND OUT ACROSS THE ATLANTIC
TO SUPPORT THEIR ALLY,

GREAT BRITAIN.

THEN AFTER THE FALL OF FRANCE
IN MAY/JUNE 1940,

GREAT BRITAIN STOOD ALONE
AGAINST NAZI GERMANY.

THE BATTLE THEY LANDED IN WAS
AN ATTEMPT BY THE AMERICANS

TO SUPPLY GREAT BRITAIN

DESPITE THE PRESENCE
OF THE GERMAN FLEET.

Bell:
THIS WAS A TONNAGE WAR.

AND IF HITLER COULD CUT BRITAIN
OFF FROM HER SUPPLIES,

THEN VICTORY WOULD BE
WITHIN HIS GRASP.

Narrator:
THE REMNANTS OF GUN EMPLACEMENTS
INDICATE WHERE HEAVY ARTILLERY,

Narrator:
THE REMNANTS OF GUN EMPLACEMENTS
INDICATE WHERE HEAVY ARTILLERY,

THAT COULD
FIRE MILES OUT TO SEA,

WAS PLACED TO PROTECT THE BAY

AND THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC
HEADING TO BRITAIN.

AND BY LATE '42, EARLY '43, THE
FORT WAS READY TO ROCK AND ROLL.

Narrator: MADE OF 100,000
TONS OF CONCRETE,

BATTERY 519 HIDES THE JEWEL

IN THE CROWN
OF THIS DEFENSE SYSTEM.

THIS CORRIDOR CUTS THROUGH
THE CENTER OF THIS HUGE BUNKER.

THIS CORRIDOR CUTS THROUGH
THE CENTER OF THIS HUGE BUNKER.

OLD, RUSTY CHAINS
HANG FROM RAILS.

THIS RAIL LEADS YOU
TO THIS MONSTROUS GUN.

WHEN YOU SEE THIS,
THE TOWERS START TO MAKE SENSE.

Meigs: THESE LOOKOUT TOWERS
WERE INTENDED

TO HELP THE ARTILLERY MEN
TO FIND THEIR TARGETS BETTER.

THEY WOULD TAKE A SHOT,
SEE WHERE IT LANDED,

THEN THE GUYS IN THE TOWER
WOULD SAY

"TWO DEGREES RIGHT,
TWO DEGREES LEFT."

Dreiblatt: SO THIS TOWER WAS ONE
OF 15 UP AND DOWN THE COAST,

ALL WORKING TOGETHER TO TARGET
THOSE ENEMY BATTLESHIPS.

Narrator: THE TOWERS WORKED IN
TANDEM WITH THE BATTERIES ON

THE GROUND.

WHEN YOU GET INSIDE ONE OF
THESE BATTERIES,

YOU SEE TECHNOLOGY THAT IN
SOME WAYS HADN'T CHANGED

THAT MUCH SINCE
THE 19TH CENTURY.

THIS WAS A FACILITY DESIGNED
TO KEEP ENORMOUS QUANTITIES

THIS WAS A FACILITY DESIGNED
TO KEEP ENORMOUS QUANTITIES

OF SHELLS, HUGE QUANTITIES OF
POWDER TO PROPEL THE SHELLS.

Narrator: THE FORT'S SMALLER
GUNS ALSO REQUIRED

BOMBPROOF HOUSING.

THIS MIGHTY STRUCTURE IS
BATTERY HERRING.

HERRING WAS PART OF ONE OF
FOUR BATTERIES,

AND YOU CAN STILL SEE
THE TURNTABLES WHERE

THE SIX-INCH GUNS WOULD
HAVE SAT.

YOU CAN FIRE A SIX INCH GUN --
IT FIRED A 100 POUND SHELL,

ARMOR PIERCING SHELL,
ABOUT ONCE EVERY 15 SECONDS,

ARMOR PIERCING SHELL,
ABOUT ONCE EVERY 15 SECONDS,

AH, AND SO A BLIZZARD OF SHELLS
WILL START COMING IN

ON ENEMY SHIP.

Narrator: AND WITH MORE
ARTILLERY AND FORTIFICATIONS

INSTALLED 12 MILES AWAY ON THE
OTHER SIDE OF THE DELAWARE BAY,

FORT MILES WAS COMPLETE.

NOW THE AMERICANS BELIEVED
THEY WERE READY

TO TAKE WHATEVER THE GERMANS
COULD THROW AT THEM.

A LOT OF MILITARY EXPERTS HAD
THEIR MINDS IN THE MENTALITY

THAT WARS ARE FOUGHT BETWEEN
GIANT BATTLESHIPS

BOMBARDING THINGS ON LAND,

BOMBARDING THINGS ON LAND,

GIANT FORTS ON LAND
BOMBARDING THE BATTLESHIPS.

Dr. Wray: THOSE SHIPS ARE GONNA
APPEAR OVER THE HORIZON

TO ATTACK THE EAST COAST
OF THE UNITED STATES.

SO THIS FORT WAS BUILT
TO DEFEND AGAINST THEM.

THE GERMANS, UNFORTUNATELY,
OUTFOXED US.

THE PROBLEM WAS GERMANY
DIDN'T ARRIVE WITH BATTLESHIPS.

Narrator: THE GERMANS ARRIVED
WITH SOMETHING FAR MORE DEADLY

AND WOULD SOON CLAIM
THOUSANDS OF AMERICAN LIVES.

*

Narrator: DURING WORLD WAR II,
FORT MILES HAD BEEN BUILT

TO PROTECT DELAWARE BAY
AGAINST NAZI ATTACK.

BUT THIS STRATEGICALLY PLACED
MILITARY INSTALLATION

WOULD SOON REVEAL
ITS SHORTCOMINGS.

LOOK AT THIS ARRAY OF
FORTIFICATIONS AND CLOSING

DELAWARE BAY,

AND THEY'RE ALL DESIGNED TO
KEEP ENEMY WARSHIPS FAR

AND THEY'RE ALL DESIGNED TO
KEEP ENEMY WARSHIPS FAR

OFFSHORE BEYOND EFFECTIVE GUN
RANGE, AND ALSO TO THWART ANY

ENEMY ATTACK AT LANDING TROOPS
ALONG DELAWARE BAY.

AND JUST WHEN THIS DEFENSIVE
SYSTEM WAS COMPLETED,

IT SUDDENLY BECAME OBSOLETE.

Narrator:
DECEMBER 1941 --

HITLER DECLARES WAR ON THE U.S.

AND DISPATCHES FIVE
STATE-OF-THE-ART,

LONG-RANGE U-BOATS TO ATTACK
AMERICA'S ATLANTIC COAST.

LONG-RANGE U-BOATS TO ATTACK
AMERICA'S ATLANTIC COAST.

THE STEALTH OF
HITLER'S SUBMARINES

HAD ALREADY CAUSED DEVASTATION
IN EUROPEAN WATERS.

THE AMERICANS DON'T REALLY HAVE
GOOD SORT OF SUBMARINE SENSE.

THEY'RE STILL THINKING IN TERMS
OF BIG FLEET ACTIONS

AND THE OPEN SEA,
AND THEY DON'T REALIZE

THAT THESE GERMAN SUBMARINE
WOLF PACKS

ARE CREEPING RIGHT UP
TO THE AMERICAN SHORE.

THE LOOKOUT TOWERS DESIGNED
TO HELP AIM THE BIG GUNS

TURNED OUT TO BE BASICALLY
USELESS AGAINST SUBMARINES.

THEY STAY UNDERWATER DURING
THE DAY.

THEY STAY UNDERWATER DURING
THE DAY.

THEY SURFACE AT NIGHT.

THEY MOSTLY HUNT OTHER SHIPS
AT NIGHT WHEN THEY CAN'T

BE SEEN.

THE TOWERS REALLY WEREN'T
EFFECTIVE AGAINST THAT AT ALL.

Narrator:
THE RESULT WAS CARNAGE.

DURING A FIVE-MONTH PERIOD,
OVER 600 U.S. SHIPS,

TOTALING THREE MILLION TONS,
WERE LOST.

OVER 5,000 AMERICAN SAILORS
LOST THEIR LIVES.

Narrator: 18 OF THESE SHIPS SANK
IN FRONT OF FORT MILES

AT THE ENTRANCE
OF THE DELAWARE BAY.

IN THE INTEREST OF MORALE,
U.S. MILITARY CHIEFS

WOULD HAVE LIKED THE HUMILIATING
DEFEAT TO REMAIN SECRET.

BUT THE LOCALS KNEW SOMETHING
WAS HAPPENING OUT THERE

BECAUSE YOU COULD HEAR
THE EXPLOSIONS

AND SEE THE FLAMES AT NIGHT.

AND THEN IN THE MORNING,
YOU WOULD SEE THE OIL

AND THE FLOTSAM
THAT WOULD COME ASHORE.

AND THE FLOTSAM
THAT WOULD COME ASHORE.

IT WAS A DISASTER
OF THE FIRST ORDER.

THE GERMAN U-BOAT WAR AGAINST
U.S. SHIPPING ON OUR OWN COAST

WAS DEVASTATING.

IN 1942, YOU KNOW,
THERE'S JUST ABSOLUTELY

MIND-BOGGLING NUMBERS OF
AMERICAN TONNAGE SENT TO

THE BOTTOM BY GERMAN
SUBMARINES --

JUST SINKING SHIP,
AFTER SHIP,

AFTER SHIP
AS ITS EXITED PORTS

EN ROUTE TO SUPPORT
THE ALLIES.

THE GERMAN ADMIRALS
AND SUBMARINE SKIPPERS

REFERRED TO THESE EARLY MONTHS

AS THE HAPPY TIME.

AS THE HAPPY TIME.

Narrator:
THE AMERICANS HAD TO COME UP
WITH A COUNTER MOVE -- FAST.

THE CURIOUSLY LONG JETTY
AT FORT MILES

STANDS AS TESTIMONY
TO WHAT HAPPENED NEXT.

THE DECISION WAS TAKEN TO DEPLOY
THIS ENORMOUS MINEFIELD

ACROSS THE MOUTH
OF DELAWARE BAY.

500 FLOATING MINES
TETHERED TO THE SEA BED

TO STOP ANY GERMAN SUBMARINES
COMING UP THE DELAWARE RIVER.

TO STOP ANY GERMAN SUBMARINES
COMING UP THE DELAWARE RIVER.

Narrator:
THE 6,000-POUND MINES WERE
DEPLOYED IN THE DEEPEST CHANNEL

OF THE DELAWARE BAY,
WHERE SUBMARINES COULD LURK.

Dr. Wray: THE MINE
WHARF WAS 1,700 FEET LONG,

AND IT WAS OUT IN DEEP WATER,

AND YOU HAD A MINEFIELD
OUT IN FRONT.

THERE WAS A HUGE CABLE THAT WENT
ACROSS FROM THE DELAWARE SIDE

TO THE NEW JERSEY SIDE

WHICH BLOCKED
THE MOUTH OF THE BAY.

Dreiblatt: THE MEN IN THIS TOWER
ALSO WORKED TOGETHER

TO SPOT SHIPS MOVING
INTO THE BAY,

WHERE THEY COULD MAKE THE
DECISION TO SET OFF ONE MINE,

WHERE THEY COULD MAKE THE
DECISION TO SET OFF ONE MINE,

15 MINES, OR ALL 455

THAT CROSSED ALL THE WAY
ACROSS THE DELAWARE.

Narrator: WITH THE REMOTELY
DETONATED MINES IN PLACE,

FORT MILES WAS FINALLY ABLE
TO PROTECT WAR SUPPLIES

COMING OUT OF DELAWARE BAY,

UNTIL MAY 14th, 1945,

WHEN U-BOAT 858 SURRENDERED
AT THE PIER HERE,

EFFECTIVELY MARKING THE END OF
WORLD WAR II FOR THIS REGION.

EFFECTIVELY MARKING THE END OF
WORLD WAR II FOR THIS REGION.

AFTER THE WAR, THE GERMAN
U-BOATS WERE REPLACED

BY SOVIET SUBMARINES,

AND SO THE NAVY IS GOING TO
COME IN AND ACTIVATE

THE SOUTHERN PART OF

THE BASE AND INSTALL A SOUND-
UNDERWATER LISTENING STATION TO

LISTEN IN ON THE SIGNATURE OF
SOVIET SUBMARINES.

Narrator:
AND WHEN THE COLD WAR ENDED,

FORT MILES FINALLY CLOSED
IN 1991.

TODAY, THIS FAR-FLUNG FACILITY
IS PRESERVED AS A MUSEUM

TODAY, THIS FAR-FLUNG FACILITY
IS PRESERVED AS A MUSEUM

AND SERVES AS A STARK REMINDER

OF JUST HOW REAL
THE NAZI THREAT TO AMERICA WAS.

WE THOUGHT THE GERMANS
WERE COMING OVER THE HORIZON,

AND WE WERE PREPARING FOR THEM.

THE MEN AND WOMEN THAT BUILT

THIS FORT THOUGHT THEY WERE

DEFENDING LITTLE DELAWARE
FROM A GERMAN INVASION.

SO THE THREAT WAS REAL.

Narrator:
IN RURAL NORTHEASTERN SPAIN

LIES A CLUSTER
OF DESICCATED BUILDINGS

LIES A CLUSTER
OF DESICCATED BUILDINGS

THAT HAVE BEEN LEFT
HIGH AND DRY.

Bell: THIS PLACE USED TO BE
REALLY CIVILIZED.

THERE ARE BALCONIES,
A LOCAL WATERING HOLE,

A BEAUTIFUL, GREAT CHURCH.

Dr. Nusbacher:
YOU CAN SEE WHERE PEOPLE LIVED
AND WHERE PEOPLE WORKED,

WHERE PEOPLE WORSHIPED.

THE ONLY THING YOU CAN'T SEE
IS THE PEOPLE.

Selwood: THE OLD STONE BUILDINGS
ARE COMPLETELY CRUMBLING.

THE CEILINGS ARE REALLY
ONLY BEING HELD UP

BY HALF-ROTTEN TREE BRANCHES.

BY HALF-ROTTEN TREE BRANCHES.

Narrator: AT FIRST SIGHT,
THERE'S LITTLE INDICATION

AS TO WHY THIS PLACE
WAS ABANDONED.

Dr. Nusbacher:
WHAT KIND OF EVACUATION

GIVES PEOPLE THE TIME TO PACK UP
ALL OF THEIR WORLDLY GOODS

AND GO DOWN THE ROAD

IN HOPES OF BUILDING
A FUTURE SOMEWHERE ELSE?

Narrator:
THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THIS
SITE THAT DOESN'T ADD UP.

Auerbach: NORTHEAST SPAIN IS
A PRETTY DRY AREA.

Auerbach: NORTHEAST SPAIN IS
A PRETTY DRY AREA.

BUT THERE WAS WATER HERE.

SO, IT MUST HAVE BEEN
AN ATTRACTIVE PLACE

TO LIVE AT SOME POINT.

WHY WOULD ANYONE LEAVE?

Selwood:
THE PEOPLE WHO HAD SETTLED HERE
HAD FOUND A GARDEN OF EDEN.

BUT SOMEONE WITH AN EVEN
BIGGER STICK WANTED IT.

Auerbach:
IT'S A DAVID AND GOLIATH STORY,

BUT THIS ONE DOESN'T HAVE
A HAPPY ENDING.

*

Narrator: THIS IS THE ANCIENT
VILLAGE OF ESCO.

Narrator: THIS IS THE ANCIENT
VILLAGE OF ESCO.

FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS,
IT WAS A STOPPING POINT

ALONG THE THOUSAND-MILE
PILGRIMAGE ROUTE,

THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO.

Selwood: THOUSANDS --
MILLIONS OF CHRISTIANS

WOULD MAKE THE PILGRIMAGE
ALONG THIS ROUTE ON FOOT.

THIS PLACE, ESCO VILLAGE,

WAS A VERY WELCOME REST STOP
ON THAT PILGRIMAGE.

Narrator: ESCO LIES IN A RUGGED,
MOUNTAINOUS REGION.

BUT THANKS TO THE PILGRIMS
AND THE FRUITS OF THE LAND,

IT THRIVED WELL
INTO THE 20th CENTURY.

IT THRIVED WELL
INTO THE 20th CENTURY.

FORMER RESIDENT
JOSE LUIS CLEMENTE

REMEMBERS THAT TIME.

THIS SITE WAS
HIS CHILDHOOD HOME.

Clemente:
[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]

Translator:
THIS IS WHERE I WAS BORN.

I WAS HAPPY HERE.

I LIVED HERE FOR TEN YEARS.

I REMEMBER IT ALL VERY FONDLY.

YEARS AGO,
THESE RUINS WE SEE NOW --

THEY HAD A LIFE OF THEIR OWN.

THERE WAS A VERY STRONG
COMMUNITY HERE.

THERE WAS A VERY STRONG
COMMUNITY HERE.

AT THE BEGINNING
OF THE LAST CENTURY,

THERE WERE AS MANY
AS 260 VILLAGERS HERE.

Narrator:
AROUND THIS SITE,

LAND SUITABLE
FOR GROWING CROPS IS SCARCE,

LIMITED
TO THE NARROW VALLEY BOTTOM.

BUT THE RELICS OF IRRIGATION
CHANNELS, TERRACES, AND ORCHARDS

SHOW THE ESCO FARMERS
MADE THE MOST OF WHAT THEY HAD.

FARMING WAS CLEARLY
AT THE CENTER OF VILLAGE LIFE.

FARMING WAS CLEARLY
AT THE CENTER OF VILLAGE LIFE.

Clemente:
[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]

Translator:
PEOPLE LIVED OFF THE LAND.

IN THESE GROVES,
THEY GREW VEGETABLES,

FRUIT, ALL SORTS OF THINGS.

Narrator:
THE VILLAGE OF ESCO BLOSSOMED
BY VIRTUE OF ITS GEOGRAPHY.

Auerbach: THIS IS A VERY DRY
PART OF SPAIN,

BUT THIS PARTICULAR REGION
IS WELL WATERED

BY RUNOFF
FROM THE PYRENEES MOUNTAINS.

Selwood: SO, FOR HUNDREDS
OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS,

Selwood: SO, FOR HUNDREDS
OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS,

THIS VALLEY IS NICELY WETTED
BY ITS FAVORABLE GEOLOGY.

Clemente:
[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]

Translator:
THERE WAS A WATER CHANNEL

THAT BROUGHT
WATER FROM THE ESCO RIVER

AND THAT IRRIGATED
ALL THE ORCHARDS.

Narrator: BUT WHEN JOSE
WAS JUST TEN YEARS OLD,

SOMETHING HAPPENED TO CHANGE
THIS ANCIENT WAY OF FARMING.

THE VERY WATER
THAT WAS THE FOUNT OF LIFE

FOR THIS VILLAGE WOULD
ULTIMATELY BE ITS DOWNFALL.

FOR THIS VILLAGE WOULD
ULTIMATELY BE ITS DOWNFALL.

*

Narrator: IN NORTHEASTERN SPAIN,
THE VILLAGE OF ESCO

WAS ONCE HOME TO A TRADITIONAL
SPANISH FARMING COMMUNITY.

BUT IN THE MID 20th CENTURY,

SPAIN'S DRIVE TO MODERNIZE
THREATENED ITS EXISTENCE.

IT WAS THE HEIGHT OF THE REIGN

OF THE FASCIST DICTATOR
GENERAL FRANCO.

IN THE 1950s, SPAIN WAS
BEGINNING TO REBUILD ITSELF

AFTER A SERIES OF CRISES --

THE CIVIL WAR,
THE SECOND WORLD WAR --

AND THE DECISION WAS MADE
TO MODERNIZE THIS PART OF SPAIN.

Dr. Nusbacher: SPANISH INDUSTRY
STARTS TO DEVELOP,

AND THERE IS MORE AND MORE NEED
FOR WATER FOR FARMING,

FOR DRINKING WATER IN CITIES,
FOR POWERING INDUSTRY.

AND THAT WATER HAS GOT TO COME
FROM SOMEWHERE.

AND YOU CAN'T WAIT FOR THE RAINS
TO COME

AND YOU CAN'T WAIT FOR THE RAINS
TO COME

TO RUN A MODERN
INDUSTRIAL ECONOMY.

Narrator:
ESCO SITS IN THE YESA VALLEY,

AN OASIS IN A NOTORIOUSLY
DRY REGION.

HERE, SNOWMELT AND SUMMER RAINS
COURSE DOWNSTREAM.

IT WAS A PRIME TARGET
FOR ONE OF GENERAL FRANCO'S

AMBITIOUS WATER
INFRASTRUCTURE SCHEMES.

THE DECISION WAS MADE TO PUT
A RESERVOIR IN THE VALLEY,

THE DECISION WAS MADE TO PUT
A RESERVOIR IN THE VALLEY,

WHICH THEY DID
BY DAMMING THE RIVER

THAT RUNS RIGHT THROUGH HERE.

Narrator: IN 1960,

GENERAL FRANCO INAUGURATED
HIS PRIZED YESA DAM.

TOWERING ALMOST 250 FEET HIGH,

IT CREATED ONE OF THE LARGEST
RESERVOIRS IN THE PYRENEES

AND FLOODED 2,500
HECTARES OF LAND,

INCLUDING THE PRECIOUS
CULTIVATABLE PASTURES OF ESCO.

BUT GENERAL FRANCO'S IRON GRIP
ON THE PEOPLE OF SPAIN

BUT GENERAL FRANCO'S IRON GRIP
ON THE PEOPLE OF SPAIN

MEANT SPEAKING OUT
WAS UNTHINKABLE.

Clemente:
[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]

Translator: THERE WERE
NO PROTESTS OR ANYTHING

BECAUSE THEY WERE A POLITICAL
CRIME AND SIMPLY NOT PERMITTED.

HERE, THE PEOPLE WERE VERY
STRAIGHTFORWARD,

NOT CUNNING ENOUGH,

AND THEY DID
WHAT THEY WERE TOLD.

Narrator:
ESCO ITSELF WASN'T FLOODED,

SO AT FIRST, JOSE'S FAMILY
AND THE OTHER VILLAGERS

SO AT FIRST, JOSE'S FAMILY
AND THE OTHER VILLAGERS

THOUGHT THEY COULD SURVIVE.

Auerbach:
SO, THE WATER STARTS TO RISE,

THEIR FARMABLE LAND
STARTS TO SHRINK.

THEIR BREADBASKET
WAS BECOMING A BUCKET.

Selwood:
THEY TRIED TO SUSTAIN THEMSELVES
ON THE LAND THEY HAD LEFT,

BUT IT SIMPLY WASN'T ENOUGH
TO FEED EVERYONE.

Dr. Nusbacher:
BIT BY BIT, THE VILLAGERS SAW

THAT THEIR LIVELIHOODS

WERE GOING UNDER
THE SURFACE OF THAT LAKE.

Clemente:
[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]

Translator: THE RESERVOIR
FLOODED ALL THE RICHEST LANDS.

Translator: THE RESERVOIR
FLOODED ALL THE RICHEST LANDS.

IT WASN'T ENOUGH FOR ALL
THE FAMILIES TO LIVE ON,

SO EVERY ONE OF THEM

CHOSE TO LEAVE
AND LIVE SOMEWHERE ELSE.

Dr. Nusbacher: WATER FOR THESE
FARMERS WAS THE STUFF OF LIFE,

AND IT WAS WATER
THAT SNUFFED IT OUT.

Narrator: TODAY, JOSE HEADS UP
THE ESCO RESIDENTS' ASSOCIATION,

Narrator: TODAY, JOSE HEADS UP
THE ESCO RESIDENTS' ASSOCIATION,

WHICH CAMPAIGNS TO GET
THEIR LAND BACK,

BUT THEIR ULTIMATE GOAL
IS TO RETURN HOME ONE DAY.

Clemente:
[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]

Translator: IT TAKES ONE DROP
TO START A WATERFALL.

SO, IF I PUT DOWN A STONE
AND BUILD A HOUSE,

OTHERS WILL START TO FOLLOW
AND BUILD MORE HOUSES,

AND THE VILLAGE
WILL COME BACK TO LIFE.

Dr. Nusbacher: SPAIN HAS BEEN
A DEMOCRACY A FEW YEARS NOW.

Dr. Nusbacher: SPAIN HAS BEEN
A DEMOCRACY A FEW YEARS NOW.

SO, NOW IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE
FOR PEOPLE TO RETURN

AND MAKE NEW LIVES
IN THEIR OLD VILLAGE.

*

Narrator: IN KAWATANA
IN THE SOUTHWEST OF JAPAN,

STRANGE STRUCTURES
JUT OUT INTO THE BAY.

*

WHEN YOU SEE THIS AREA,
IT LOOKS VERY PEACEFUL --

WHEN YOU SEE THIS AREA,
IT LOOKS VERY PEACEFUL --

WOODED HILLS, LOVELY BAYS.

IT LOOKS LIKE MAYBE SOME PLACE
YOU'D GO ON A YOGA RETREAT.

ON THE SURFACE, IT LOOKS LIKE

A RATHER CHARMING JAPANESE
SEASIDE VILLAGE.

THERE'S A PENINSULA AT THE END
JUTTING OUT INTO OMURA BAY,

AND WE SEE THE REMAINS OF
BUILDINGS EMERGING FROM

THE TREES.

WE SEE A LITTLE HOUSE MAROONED
IN THE SEA,

AND IT'S HARD TO KNOW EXACTLY
WHAT THIS IS WITHOUT

GETTING CLOSER.

GETTING CLOSER.

Narrator: BUT AS TRANQUIL AS
THIS PLACE MIGHT FIRST APPEAR,

IN TRUTH,
IT CONCEALS A VIOLENT PAST.

Barratt:
AS YOU HEAD UP ONE OF THE HILLS,
YOU CAN SEE UP TO THE PEAK.

YOU GET THE MOST AMAZING VIEWS
OUT ACROSS THE WATER.

AND THAT, I THINK, IS THE CLUE
TO WHAT THIS PLACE WAS FOR.

Meigs:
THIS IS A VERY REMOTE LOCATION.

YOU DON'T SEE MAJOR TOWNS.
IT'S NOT A MAJOR PORT.

YOU DON'T SEE A LOT
OF OTHER BOATS IN THE AREA.

YOU DON'T SEE A LOT
OF OTHER BOATS IN THE AREA.

WHOEVER BUILT THESE BUILDINGS
HAD A REASON TO BE AS FAR AWAY

FROM OTHER PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE.

Barratt: WERE THEY DOING
SOMETHING SECRET?

WERE THEY DOING
SOMETHING DANGEROUS?

THERE ARE STORIES HERE
IN THESE BUILDINGS.

Narrator:
WHILE FEW CLUES REMAIN,

THIS SITE WAS,
IN FACT, CONNECTED

TO THE DEADLY ATTACK
ON PEARL HARBOR.

SO, WHAT CONFIDENTIAL WORK
TOOK PLACE HERE?

AND WHAT ROLE DID IT HAVE
ON THAT FATEFUL DAY?

AND WHAT ROLE DID IT HAVE
ON THAT FATEFUL DAY?

THE PEAK OF ACTIVITY
FOR THIS SITE DATES BACK

TO THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

[ SPEAKING JAPANESE ]

Translator: 74 YEARS HAVE PASSED
SINCE THE WAR.

BUT IN KAWATANA,
THERE ARE MANY PLACES LIKE THIS

LEFT OVER FROM THAT TIME.

Narrator: MURAI TATSUMI IS
A VOLUNTEER GUIDE IN THE AREA

AND FIRST BEGAN EXPLORING
THIS SITE AT A YOUNG AGE.

Tatsumi:
[ SPEAKING JAPANESE ]

Translator:
I HAPPENED TO BE BORN HERE
AND GREW UP AROUND HERE.

Translator:
I HAPPENED TO BE BORN HERE
AND GREW UP AROUND HERE.

SO, THIS WAS A GOOD AREA
TO PLAY IN.

BUT IT USED TO BE LIKE
AN OVERGROWN FOREST HERE.

NOBODY REALLY KNEW WHAT THOSE
BUILDINGS ORIGINALLY WERE.

Narrator:
WHILE THE HISTORY OF THE SITE
WAS NEGLECTED FOR YEARS,

FROM ITS EARLIEST DAYS AT
THE END OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR,

THIS LOCATION PLAYED
A VITAL ROLE

IN GROWING
JAPAN'S NAVAL PROWESS.

I THINK, TODAY,
MANY PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE

I THINK, TODAY,
MANY PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE

JUST HOW POWERFUL JAPAN WAS

IN THE FIRST HALF
OF THE 20th CENTURY.

Wawro:
IT HAD TAKEN OVER TERRITORY
ON THE CHINESE MAINLAND.

IT HAD TAKEN OVER A NUMBER OF
FORMALLY GERMAN ISLAND GROUPS

IN THE PACIFIC.

AND THEY WERE NEEDING BIGGER
AND BIGGER

AND MORE SOPHISTICATED
NAVAL FACILITIES

FOR THIS BIG OCEANGOING FLEET

THAT WAS GOING TO PROTECT
THIS GROWING JAPANESE EMPIRE.

Narrator: THE UNIQUE FEATURES
STILL VISIBLE TODAY

Narrator: THE UNIQUE FEATURES
STILL VISIBLE TODAY

BETRAY THE SPECIFIC PURPOSE
OF THIS FACILITY.

THE KEY THING ABOUT THIS AREA
IS THE PIER.

AND MORE IMPORTANTLY,
THAT SECTION AT THE END --

THE CUTOUT SECTION.

THIS SITE IS ALL
ABOUT THE WATER.

BUT WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT SHIPS
OR VESSELS HERE.

IT'S ALL ABOUT WEAPONS.

THIS WAS THE LOCATION JAPAN USED
TO TEST NEW TORPEDO DESIGNS.

Narrator: THIS IS THE KATASHIMA
TORPEDO TEST SITE.

Narrator: THIS IS THE KATASHIMA
TORPEDO TEST SITE.

SITUATED ON THE SHORE
OF OMURA BAY,

A LARGE INLAND BODY OF WATER,

THE JAPANESE NAVY HAD FOUND
A QUIET AND SECURE POSITION

TO ADVANCE
THEIR WEAPONS PROGRAM.

BUT HOW WOULD THIS SITE GO ON
TO PLAY A DEVASTATING ROLE

IN DRAWING THE U.S.
INTO BATTLE?

*

Narrator:
IN THE SOUTHWEST OF JAPAN

LIE THE REMAINS OF AN OLD
TORPEDO TESTING SITE --

A FACILITY THAT PLAYED A KEY
ROLE IN JAPAN'S PREPARATIONS

FOR ATTACKING THE U.S.
IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

[ SPEAKING JAPANESE ]

Translator:
HERE ARE THE MARKS FROM WHERE
THE MINE-CART RAILS USED TO BE.

THEY'D PUT THE TORPEDOES
IN A MINE CART

AND THEN BRING THEM HERE.

AND THEN BRING THEM HERE.

AND THEN HERE,
THERE WAS PROBABLY A CRANE.

THEY'D PUT THE TORPEDO
ON THE CRANE

AND LOWER IT THREE
TO FIVE METERS UNDER THE WATER.

THEY'D AIM IT AT A TARGET
TWO KILOMETERS AWAY

AND FIRE IT FROM HERE.

Narrator: ON TOP OF THE HILL
STOOD AN OBSERVATION POST

WHERE THE TRAJECTORY OF
THE TORPEDO COULD BE MONITORED.

SO THE WHOLE OF
THE INFRASTRUCTURE HERE IS

AIMING AT ONE THING,

AND THAT'S TESTING TORPEDOES.

YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO TRACK
THE THING.

YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO TRACK
THE THING.

WE CAN SEE THE OBSERVATION
PLATFORMS

WHERE NAVAL OFFICERS TESTING

THE TORPEDOES WOULD WATCH THEM
RUN ACROSS THE WATER AND NOTE

DOWN OBSERVATIONS ABOUT ROUTE
SPEED, DIRECTION, VELOCITY,

ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF.

AND THEN YOU'VE HAD SPOTTERS
OUT ON BOATS AS WELL.

A RISKY BUSINESS BECAUSE THOSE
TORPEDOES DIDN'T ALWAYS GO

WHERE THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE
GOING TO.

Wawro:
A TESTING FACILITY LIKE THIS --
THEY WERE DOING A DRY RUN

WITH ALL OF THEIR VARIOUS
TORPEDO TECHNOLOGIES.

TESTING THE VARIOUS FUSES,

TESTING HOW IT WOULD RUN
AT CERTAIN DEPTHS,

TESTING HOW IT WOULD RUN
AT CERTAIN DEPTHS,

TESTING OF WHETHER IT WOULD
EXPLODE ON IMPACT

OR IF THE FUSE WOULD EXPLODE
NEAR THE HULL OF THE ENEMY SHIP.

Narrator: THROUGHOUT THE 1930s,
JAPAN UTILIZED TORPEDOES

IN PURSUIT
OF ITS EXPANSIONIST AIMS.

BUT IN ORDER TO PERFECT
THEIR WEAPON OF CHOICE,

THE LAND-BASED FACILITIES
WERE JUST AS VITAL.

Tatsumi:
[ SPEAKING JAPANESE ]

Translator:
HERE YOU CAN SEE A CHANNEL.

THIS MUST BE THE WATERWAY.

THERE ARE WATER POOLS
FOR INDUSTRIAL WATER NEXT TO IT.

THERE ARE WATER POOLS
FOR INDUSTRIAL WATER NEXT TO IT.

OVER HERE, WE THINK THERE WERE
MACHINES FOR PROCESSING.

Narrator: LITTLE EVIDENCE
REMAINS TO DETERMINE

EXACTLY HOW THIS PLACE RAN

AND THE FULL EXTENT
OF THE WORK CARRIED OUT IN HERE.

BUT TATSUMI IS CERTAIN
OF THIS BUILDING'S IMPORTANCE

TO THE PROJECT.

Tatsumi:
[ SPEAKING JAPANESE ]

Translator:
TO FIRE TORPEDOES,

YOU HAVE TO USE AIR
TO BURN THE FUEL.

SO, IN THIS ROOM,
THE COMPRESSED AIR

SO, IN THIS ROOM,
THE COMPRESSED AIR

WAS PUT INTO THE TORPEDOES.

THIS WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART
OF THE PREPARATIONS.

Narrator: AFTER YEARS SPENT
PERFECTING THEIR WEAPON,

ON THE HORIZON WAS JAPAN'S
GREATEST CHALLENGE YET --

AN ATTACK ON THE U.S. NAVY.

TO HELP READY THEM
FOR THE ASSAULT

A SPECIFIC MODEL OF TORPEDO

WAS TESTED
NUMEROUS TIMES HERE --

THE TYPE 91.

THE TYPE 91.

THIS WAS A TORPEDO DESIGNED
TO BE DROPPED FROM AIRPLANES.

THEY SPECIFICALLY MODIFIED IT
TO WORK IN SHALLOW WATER

BECAUSE THEY HAD
A TARGET IN MIND.

THEY WANTED TO USE IT
FOR THE BIG ATTACK

THEY WERE PLANNING
ON PEARL HARBOR IN HAWAII.

*

Narrator: FOLLOWING
THE SUCCESSFUL ATTACK IN 1941,

JAPAN CONTINUED
WITH ITS TORPEDO CAMPAIGN

ACROSS THE PACIFIC THEATER.

ACROSS THE PACIFIC THEATER.

Meigs: JAPAN'S FOCUS ON
DEVELOPING TORPEDO TECHNOLOGY

WAS VERY SMART
BECAUSE, AT THIS TIME,

MANY NAVAL EXPERTS
WERE STILL THINKING

ABOUT BATTLESHIPS
AS THE PRIMARY WEAPON OF WAR.

AND BATTLESHIPS, IN FACT,
WERE ALMOST OBSOLETE BY THEN.

Wawro: THEIR STRATEGY WAS
TO KIND OF DRAW THE AMERICANS

ACROSS THE BROAD PACIFIC

AND WHITTLE DOWN THE STRENGTH
OF THE AMERICAN FLEET

BY TAKING OUT
THEIR BIG BATTLESHIPS

AND AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
WITH TORPEDOES.

AND AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
WITH TORPEDOES.

THE VAST MAJORITY OF SHIPS SUNK
IN THE PACIFIC DURING THE WAR

WERE SUNK BY TORPEDOES --
WHETHER FIRED FROM OTHER SHIPS,

FROM SUBMARINES,
OR DROPPED FROM AIRPLANES.

Narrator: WITH A REINVIGORATED
INTEREST IN THIS WEAPON,

THE SITE HERE BEGAN TO EXPAND
AS INVESTMENT FLOWED IN,

RECLAIMING LAND FROM THE WATER

TO TURN THE ISLAND
INTO A PENINSULA

AND EXPANDING THE FACILITIES
UPWARDS AND OUTWARDS.

AND EXPANDING THE FACILITIES
UPWARDS AND OUTWARDS.

ALL THAT INVESTMENT,

ALL THAT RESEARCH SHOWS JUST
HOW IMPORTANT

THE TORPEDO RESEARCH PROGRAM
WAS TO THE NAVY.

MAROONED IN THE WATER LIES
THE REMAINS OF WHAT WAS INTENDED

TO BE THE NEXT STEP
IN THIS FACILITY'S ADVANCEMENT.

Tatsumi:
[ SPEAKING JAPANESE ]

Translator: TORPEDOES WERE
BELIEVED TO BE THE BEST WEAPON

IN THE WORLD AT THE TIME.

JAPAN WASN'T THINKING ABOUT
LOSING THE WAR AT ALL.

SO, THEY NEED TO MASS PRODUCE,
AND THEY BUILT A FACTORY HERE,

SO, THEY NEED TO MASS PRODUCE,
AND THEY BUILT A FACTORY HERE,

WHICH WAS THE LARGEST ONE
IN THE COUNTRY.

THE PACE OF ENGINEERING
ADVANCING

DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR
WAS PHENOMENAL.

AND THIS EXTRA BUILDING
WAS FOR TARGETING TORPEDOES.

IT WAS FOR RESEARCH INTO
CUTTING-EDGE SONAR TECHNOLOGY.

Tatsumi:
[ SPEAKING JAPANESE ]

Translator:
THIS BUILDING IS CALLED
INVESTIGATING RECEIPT TEST SITE.

IT WAS A TESTING FACILITY
FOR SONAR

TO HELP ACCURATELY DETERMINE

THE ENEMY WARSHIP'S LOCATION
AND DISTANCE.

THE ENEMY WARSHIP'S LOCATION
AND DISTANCE.

Narrator: BUT FOR THIS SITE,
IT ALL CAME ABOUT TOO LATE.

Tatsumi:
[ SPEAKING JAPANESE ]

Translator: WE DON'T HAVE
ANY RECORDS OF TESTS HERE

BECAUSE, JUST AFTER TWO YEARS
OF BUILDING THE SITE,

THE WAR ENDED.

SO, WE THINK THIS WAS ALL
FOR NOTHING.

Narrator: ON AUGUST 9th, 1945,
THE ATOMIC BOMB WAS DROPPED

ON NAGASAKI,
LESS THAN 20 MILES AWAY.

ON NAGASAKI,
LESS THAN 20 MILES AWAY.

WITHIN DAYS,
THE JAPANESE SURRENDERED.

TODAY, [ INDISTINCT ] IS OPEN TO
VISITORS, SHEDDING LIGHT

ON THE HISTORY OF THIS ONCE
TOP SECRET SITE.

THIS PLACE IS SO QUIET,
SO TRANQUIL -- IT'S BEAUTIFUL.

IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT JUST
A COUPLE OF

GENERATIONS AGO IT WAS
A CUTTING EDGE OF

WAR TECHNOLOGY.

AND AN ANNUAL LANTERN FESTIVAL
HONORS THE MANY

JAPANESE TROOPS WHO DIED IN
THE PACIFIC WAR.

JAPANESE TROOPS WHO DIED IN
THE PACIFIC WAR.

Tatsumi:
[ SPEAKING JAPANESE ]

NOW WE PUT EMPHASIS ON

THE WAR IS SOMETHING WE
SHOULDN'T REPEAT AGAIN.

AND TO KEEP THE PEACE,

WE WANT PEOPLE TO COME AND SEE
THIS PLACE

AND THINK ABOUT IT CAREFULLY.