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80 years ago, a
war of an unprecedented scale
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shook our planet and changed
the face of the world.
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Let's go!
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Never had
war been so widespread,
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so brutal, or so destructive.
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A torrent of fire and steel,
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steeped in courage and cruelty.
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From the Pacific Ocean
to the Mediterranean Sea,
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from the deserts of Africa
to the Russian Steppe.
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The war broke up nations
and forged empires.
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It redefined our borders,
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our ideals, our fears.
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00:01:09,960 --> 00:01:13,353
The Second World War shaped
the world as we know it.
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This is the story of a war
that changed everything.
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In the USSR after the German
invasion five months earlier,
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millions of Russians were living in fear
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of the inexorable advance of the Nazis.
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The Germans were only 30
kilometers from the capital,
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but on November the 7th, 1941,
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Stalin announced in a radio address
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that the Red Army would proudly
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parade in front of the Kremlin.
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As soon as the event was over,
the soldiers left Red Square
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to head back to the front
at the gates of the city.
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World War II was having
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an ever greater effect on people's lives.
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Their futures depended on
the outcome of the conflict.
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In the war, competing
forces faced one another.
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Imperialist, Fascist,
Democratic, and Communist.
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The fate of millions of lives depended on
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one or other of them being victorious.
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Thousands of kilometers from
Moscow, in the Pacific Ocean,
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Japan was preparing a daring attack.
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If it succeeded, it would
change the course of history
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and propel America into the war.
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On November the 26th, 1941,
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a Japanese armada was heading towards
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the bay of Pearl Harbor,
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situated some 6,000 kilometers
from the coast of Japan,
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in the Hawaiian archipelago.
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Its aim, to neutralize the American fleet
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which was threatening Emperor Hirohito's
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desire for hegemony.
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He had allied himself
with Hitler and Mussolini
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to divide up the world between them,
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and his aim was to colonize Asia.
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The United States was worried
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and responded with economic sanctions
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and an oil embargo, hoping to slow down
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the Japanese war machine.
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In response to the rise of dictatorships,
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an alternative vision was taking shape.
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In mid-summer of 1941, American
President Franklin Roosevelt
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and British Prime
Minister Winston Churchill
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appeared together for the first time.
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They signed the Atlantic Charter.
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The text outlined the
principles of a new world order,
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the right of nations to
choose their government,
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the end of forced annexations,
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and the promotion of free trade,
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a model that was destined to spread.
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It was also the founding
document of the United Nations,
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which, after the war,
would bring the promise
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of peace and international security.
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Nevertheless,
by late morning-
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The United
Nations said it was a convoy
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to avert a human catastrophe.
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America was
living proof of this.
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Although not actually at war,
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it was supporting all the countries
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actively fighting the
dictators of the Axis,
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China, Great Britain,
and the Soviet Union.
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They delivered a massive $50,000 of aid,
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as well as tanks, aircraft, and weapons,
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but also blankets, food, and fuel.
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00:06:59,490 --> 00:07:02,763
Its worldview relied on
the triumph of capitalism.
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In the world to come, the United States
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would become the nerve
center of the world economy.
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In contrast, in the USSR,
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the Communist model placed all the weight
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of the war on the shoulders of the masses.
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At the gates of Moscow,
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reinforcements were constantly being sent
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to the Red Army to fight the Wehrmacht.
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One and a half million soldiers.
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A quarter of them came from Siberia
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and were accustomed to the Arctic cold.
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And half of them had
been freed from the gulag
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labor camps and sent to the front.
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00:08:09,570 --> 00:08:13,173
Each citizen was a vital cog
in the Soviet war machine.
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The USSR relocated 15,000
factories to the east,
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far from the territory
invaded by the Germans.
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Women worked there day and night,
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producing arms and munitions,
working at a fearsome rate,
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under the permanent threat
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of the Soviet system of labor camps.
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Propaganda made reluctant heroes
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of dedicated workers and soldiers.
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They were a reminder to their compatriots
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that victory and the greatness of Russia
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depended on their total commitment.
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The Wehrmacht came up against
another formidable adversary,
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the immensity of Soviet territories.
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Hitler's armies triumphed
in Poland, then in France.
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But Russia was 40 times bigger than France
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and 57 times bigger than Poland.
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The Germans underestimated
the logistical difficulties.
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Their supply line stretched
over 2,000 kilometers.
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The roads turned into
bogs and became unusable.
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In December, the winter
became the USSR's ally.
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The Arctic temperatures
immobilized men and machines alike.
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Vasily Grossman, a Soviet
journalist and volunteer recruit,
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was covering the fighting in
Ukraine in the Donbas region.
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He'd twice narrowly escaped
capture by the Germans
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since the beginning of the offensive,
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but the biting cold, so
familiar to Russians,
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gave him renewed courage.
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Facing him was a young German officer,
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Walter Schaefer-Kehnert,
23 years old, frozen,
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fearing he would die in the
snow that jammed his weapon,
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and the long nights that invited sleep.
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00:11:08,280 --> 00:11:12,119
More than ever, the war was
becoming a psychological test
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as much as a physical one.
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Troop morale was essential for victory.
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On December the 6th, 1941,
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the Red Army launched a counteroffensive
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and forced the Wehrmacht
to abandon Moscow.
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00:11:48,840 --> 00:11:50,969
This abrupt turnaround
marked the beginning
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of a change in fortunes,
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which put the USSR on
the side of the victors.
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The next day, on December
the 7th at 6:00 AM,
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Japan launched its raid on Pearl Harbor.
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00:12:26,700 --> 00:12:30,513
A first wave of 183
Japanese aircraft took off.
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00:12:48,270 --> 00:12:50,429
Radio silence.
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The pilots communicated by gestures
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to avoid their exchanges being picked up.
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The surprise had to be complete.
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In clear skies, Japanese
pilot Mitsuo Fuchida
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had his target in his sights.
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Eight American battleships
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lined up in the bay of Pearl Harbor.
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He sent the signal, "Tora, tora, tora."
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On the ground, Captain Eric Hackinson
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filmed the apocalyptic scenes.
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These images would change the
destiny of the United States.
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The Americans who believed
themselves invincible
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were attacked on their own soil.
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A huge shock, which would only
happen on one other occasion.
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What the hell is that?
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- Holy!
- Oh my God!
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Oh my God!
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Yesterday, December 7th, 1941,
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a date which will live in infamy.
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The United States of America
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was suddenly and deliberately attacked
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by naval and air forces
of the empire of Japan.
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I ask that the Congress declare
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a state of war has existed
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between the United States
and the Japanese Empire.
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It was one of the most
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important speeches in American history,
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and it marked a turning point.
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The United States military was
now involved in the conflict,
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and to protect themselves
from any further aggression,
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from then on, they became,
for a very long time,
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the world's police force.
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He has
toppled a bronze statue
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of Saddam Hussein.
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You gotta be more thankful.
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On December the 8th, 1941,
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the US Congress ratified
America's entry into the war.
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Within a few days, the course
of history had changed.
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December the 6th, at the gates of Moscow,
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December the 7th, at Pearl Harbor,
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December the 8th, in Washington.
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The USSR was already fighting
at Great Britain's side.
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America now joined them.
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00:16:59,790 --> 00:17:03,179
The two future superpowers
of the 20th century
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were now committed to fighting the Axis.
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00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:26,999
A paranoid Hitler saw proof
of a global conspiracy
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in the alliance between the
American and Soviet regimes.
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Before an audience of faithful supporters,
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he accused the Jews of controlling
the allied governments.
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His response was to extend the Holocaust
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to the whole of Europe.
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The methods to be used
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were discussed at
Wannsee in January, 1942.
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33 countries were affected,
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a total of 11 million Jews.
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The war rendered the unthinkable possible,
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genocide on an industrial scale.
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The Nazis would call
it the Final Solution.
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America, like the rest of the world,
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knew nothing yet of the
Nazis' genocidal project.
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After Pearl Harbor, the Americans united
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around anti-Japanese sentiment.
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♪ I a Japanese sap man ♪
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♪ Sneaking on with the dew ♪
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♪ Just a Japanese sap man ♪
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♪ I'm a little crazy too ♪
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Racist
propaganda allowed them
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to justify the severe repression
of Japanese-Americans,
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seen as the enemies within.
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120,000 of them suspected
of being enemy spies
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were interned in camps.
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The greatest democracy in the world
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would always have to deal
with the contradiction
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between respect for individual liberties
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and internal security.
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00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:17,429
The US was consumed by
a desire for vengeance,
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as well as by patriotism.
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00:20:21,630 --> 00:20:25,263
1,800,000 men were put on a war footing.
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00:20:27,330 --> 00:20:29,664
American society was changing.
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00:20:32,460 --> 00:20:34,649
The increasing need for manpower
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forced women out of
their homes and into jobs
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that had previously been reserved for men.
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In California, at Alameda
Naval Air Station,
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00:20:49,350 --> 00:20:53,009
a model production line
employee, Naomi Parker Fraley,
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00:20:53,010 --> 00:20:55,143
was repairing aircraft wings.
220
00:20:56,820 --> 00:20:59,849
With her blue overalls
and her hair held back
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by a red polka dot scarf,
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00:21:01,950 --> 00:21:04,233
she became the model for a famous poster.
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When the war was over, millions of women
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would fight to keep their independence.
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America was becoming
increasingly involved in the war.
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00:21:25,260 --> 00:21:28,199
Convoys filled with equipment
destined for the British,
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00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:31,090
the Chinese, and Soviets, sailed the seas.
228
00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:35,489
At the heart of this total war,
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one resource became more
highly prized than any other.
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Oil.
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00:21:42,660 --> 00:21:46,859
Essential for ships, tanks,
aircraft, and factories,
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00:21:46,860 --> 00:21:49,833
black gold kept the
war machine well oiled.
233
00:21:55,950 --> 00:21:59,163
The Allies controlled 98% of oil fields.
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00:22:02,100 --> 00:22:06,033
Dependency on this resource
dictated military strategy.
235
00:22:08,700 --> 00:22:10,859
On the Eastern Front, the Italians
236
00:22:10,860 --> 00:22:12,659
and Germans fought with the British
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00:22:12,660 --> 00:22:15,989
for control of the strategic
route of the Suez Canal.
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00:22:15,990 --> 00:22:18,719
In North Africa, the
Wehrmacht looked towards
239
00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:21,839
the Caucasus Mountains
and the oil in Baku,
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00:22:21,840 --> 00:22:24,003
one of the most important oil fields.
241
00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:29,729
The Germans had motorized their armies
242
00:22:29,730 --> 00:22:32,039
to an unprecedented extent,
243
00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:34,773
but had greatly underestimated
their need for fuel.
244
00:22:39,930 --> 00:22:42,809
In the race for weapons and resources,
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00:22:42,810 --> 00:22:44,373
America was in the lead.
246
00:22:46,470 --> 00:22:48,479
The Germans knew this.
247
00:22:48,480 --> 00:22:51,059
And so to weaken their
better supplied enemy
248
00:22:51,060 --> 00:22:52,979
and to seize its resources,
249
00:22:52,980 --> 00:22:54,659
they threw themselves headlong
250
00:22:54,660 --> 00:22:56,313
into the Battle of the Atlantic.
251
00:23:11,880 --> 00:23:14,159
Their submarines, the U-boats,
252
00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:16,503
tracked them as far as the American coast.
253
00:23:25,803 --> 00:23:27,389
They sent several hundred ships
254
00:23:27,390 --> 00:23:30,298
and 6 million tons of goods
to the bottom of the ocean.
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00:23:34,530 --> 00:23:36,659
To combat this threat, the British
256
00:23:36,660 --> 00:23:39,243
and Americans focused on
intelligence gathering.
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00:23:40,560 --> 00:23:41,909
Some months earlier,
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the British pulled off a significant coup.
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On May the 9th, 1941,
260
00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:51,633
two English battleships
attacked U-boat 110.
261
00:23:52,800 --> 00:23:54,869
Its commander, Julius-Fritz Lemp,
262
00:23:54,870 --> 00:23:56,939
gave the order to abandon ship
263
00:23:56,940 --> 00:23:59,639
and attempted to scuttle the submarine,
264
00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:02,013
but the explosive charges didn't go off.
265
00:24:05,340 --> 00:24:08,489
Second Lieutenant David Baum went on board
266
00:24:08,490 --> 00:24:10,829
and took possession of an Enigma machine
267
00:24:10,830 --> 00:24:12,153
in perfect condition,
268
00:24:12,990 --> 00:24:15,903
with its codes and vital coding documents.
269
00:24:22,980 --> 00:24:25,079
This discovery, among others,
270
00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:28,143
transformed the intelligence
war between the countries.
271
00:24:29,310 --> 00:24:33,179
Encryption, undercover agents, detection.
272
00:24:33,180 --> 00:24:35,223
Secrecy was a key weapon.
273
00:24:37,260 --> 00:24:39,329
Techniques were developing
at the same time
274
00:24:39,330 --> 00:24:41,399
as battles were being waged,
275
00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:43,600
and they would change
the result of the war.
276
00:24:44,550 --> 00:24:47,883
Intelligence gathering played
a vital role in warfare.
277
00:24:49,650 --> 00:24:52,439
President Roosevelt understood this.
278
00:24:52,440 --> 00:24:55,829
After Pearl Harbor, he created the OSS,
279
00:24:55,830 --> 00:24:58,949
a centralized intelligence
gathering organization,
280
00:24:58,950 --> 00:25:01,289
a forerunner of the CIA,
281
00:25:01,290 --> 00:25:03,539
because America was never going to be
282
00:25:03,540 --> 00:25:04,964
caught by surprise again.
283
00:25:17,520 --> 00:25:20,549
In the
Pacific, early in 1942,
284
00:25:20,550 --> 00:25:23,639
Japan was making the most
of the shock of Pearl Harbor
285
00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:26,313
to accelerate the pace of its conquests.
286
00:25:28,740 --> 00:25:30,569
Like the Germans in Europe,
287
00:25:30,570 --> 00:25:33,059
the Japanese wanted to
establish their empire
288
00:25:33,060 --> 00:25:36,513
across all the territories
previously dominated by the West.
289
00:25:38,700 --> 00:25:41,699
In January, 1942, Japanese troops
290
00:25:41,700 --> 00:25:44,703
struck the British colonies
of Malaysia and Hong Kong.
291
00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:51,809
Japan also took control
of the Dutch East Indies,
292
00:25:51,810 --> 00:25:55,109
now Indonesia, which was rich in oil.
293
00:25:55,110 --> 00:25:57,933
Then Burma, another colony
of the British Crown.
294
00:25:59,010 --> 00:26:00,599
In March, the Philippines,
295
00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:03,393
a protectorate of the
United States, collapsed.
296
00:26:17,250 --> 00:26:19,649
Japan claimed to be the good guys,
297
00:26:19,650 --> 00:26:22,903
freeing Asian people from the
yoke of white colonialism.
298
00:26:25,020 --> 00:26:29,759
In reality, the Burmese,
Indonesians, and Malaysians
299
00:26:29,760 --> 00:26:33,153
were forced from the domination
of one regime to another.
300
00:26:35,730 --> 00:26:38,369
for months, and in some cases, years,
301
00:26:38,370 --> 00:26:42,869
250,000 workers were forced
to build the Railway of Death,
302
00:26:42,870 --> 00:26:44,853
a line linking Bangkok and Burma.
303
00:26:50,430 --> 00:26:55,430
90,000 civilians and 16,000
prisoners of war died there,
304
00:26:55,710 --> 00:26:59,163
victims of tropical diseases
and inhuman treatment.
305
00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:09,989
According to a racist ideology,
306
00:27:09,990 --> 00:27:11,669
the Japanese believed they had the right
307
00:27:11,670 --> 00:27:15,093
to rule over other Asian
people they judged inferior.
308
00:27:19,614 --> 00:27:21,659
Over the course of the previous century,
309
00:27:21,660 --> 00:27:25,109
racial theory had become
part of the natural sciences,
310
00:27:25,110 --> 00:27:28,863
classifying humans into categories
like plants and animals.
311
00:27:35,310 --> 00:27:38,459
In World War II, it was used to legitimize
312
00:27:38,460 --> 00:27:40,649
the dehumanization of the enemy,
313
00:27:40,650 --> 00:27:42,543
as well as mass violence.
314
00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:05,789
In Asia, as in Europe,
315
00:28:05,790 --> 00:28:08,139
new empires were reaching their zenith.
316
00:28:12,570 --> 00:28:14,879
In spite of America's entry into the war,
317
00:28:14,880 --> 00:28:17,729
Russian resistance, and
the steadfast involvement
318
00:28:17,730 --> 00:28:21,393
of the British, Europe
entered into a dark night.
319
00:28:27,030 --> 00:28:29,463
Hitler pursued his plans for domination.
320
00:28:30,420 --> 00:28:34,469
The old continent wasn't yet
completely under Nazi rule,
321
00:28:34,470 --> 00:28:38,759
but his dream of an Aryan
Europe seemed to be coming true.
322
00:28:38,760 --> 00:28:43,229
The so-called superior
race ignored borders.
323
00:28:43,230 --> 00:28:46,679
Scandinavians, Dutch, Luxembourgers,
324
00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:49,499
Flemish, could all call
themselves German one day
325
00:28:49,500 --> 00:28:54,183
like the Czechs, Austrians,
and Alsatians, who already did.
326
00:29:02,040 --> 00:29:04,979
Annexed, occupied, and allied people
327
00:29:04,980 --> 00:29:07,829
lived as best they could
under the Nazi regime,
328
00:29:07,830 --> 00:29:10,379
where the same rules were imposed,
329
00:29:10,380 --> 00:29:14,189
the destruction of the Jews
and widespread looting.
330
00:29:14,190 --> 00:29:18,029
Behind the front, lands emptied
by deportations and murder
331
00:29:18,030 --> 00:29:20,733
were promised to 4
million German colonizers.
332
00:29:33,270 --> 00:29:36,033
The Nazis also engaged
in human trafficking.
333
00:29:41,190 --> 00:29:44,133
The von Oelhafens were
unable to have children.
334
00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:46,439
The administration gave them
335
00:29:46,440 --> 00:29:48,749
what they had dreamed of for years.
336
00:29:48,750 --> 00:29:52,949
A little Slovenian girl, Erika Matko,
337
00:29:52,950 --> 00:29:55,619
aged nine months, spotted by the Nazis
338
00:29:55,620 --> 00:29:57,899
because of her blonde hair and blue eyes,
339
00:29:57,900 --> 00:29:59,759
was snatched from her parents,
340
00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:01,503
to be given to a German family.
341
00:30:02,760 --> 00:30:04,842
From then on, she was called Ingrid.
342
00:30:09,210 --> 00:30:11,789
She wouldn't discover her true identity
343
00:30:11,790 --> 00:30:13,803
until a long time after the war.
344
00:30:20,070 --> 00:30:22,169
Like her, thousands of children
345
00:30:22,170 --> 00:30:24,779
with supposedly Aryan characteristics
346
00:30:24,780 --> 00:30:28,242
would be taken from their
families and raised in Germany.
347
00:30:37,350 --> 00:30:40,259
The Lebensborns, they were the embodiment
348
00:30:40,260 --> 00:30:44,885
of the Promethean project of
a rejuvenated Germanic empire.
349
00:30:56,430 --> 00:30:58,739
Nearly 15,000 Ukrainians
350
00:30:58,740 --> 00:31:01,413
were brought into the Reich
to be forcibly married.
351
00:31:16,830 --> 00:31:17,939
Even though the Reich
352
00:31:17,940 --> 00:31:20,579
had been guilty of widespread plundering,
353
00:31:20,580 --> 00:31:24,423
it still had much lower industrial
capacity than the Allies.
354
00:31:29,340 --> 00:31:32,849
Every day in France, 400 million francs
355
00:31:32,850 --> 00:31:35,609
swelled the coffers of
the occupying forces,
356
00:31:35,610 --> 00:31:38,909
which, along with the exploitation
of the French economy,
357
00:31:38,910 --> 00:31:40,563
kept the war effort going.
358
00:31:45,180 --> 00:31:47,913
French workers were also sent to Germany.
359
00:31:50,010 --> 00:31:52,383
And France wasn't an isolated case.
360
00:31:53,880 --> 00:31:57,569
Under Nazi rule, more
than 13 million Europeans,
361
00:31:57,570 --> 00:32:01,589
prisoners, deportees, and
requisition civilians,
362
00:32:01,590 --> 00:32:03,089
were reduced to forced labor
363
00:32:03,090 --> 00:32:05,879
in the service of the Reich's economy.
364
00:32:05,880 --> 00:32:09,179
In Germany, factories,
farms, and infrastructure
365
00:32:09,180 --> 00:32:11,853
were kept running by workers
from all over Europe.
366
00:32:14,310 --> 00:32:17,909
Poles, Ukrainians, French, Belgians,
367
00:32:17,910 --> 00:32:21,303
and Dutch underwent
deprivation and rationing.
368
00:32:25,724 --> 00:32:27,869
These years of sacrifice would leave
369
00:32:27,870 --> 00:32:30,599
an indelible mark on people's memories,
370
00:32:30,600 --> 00:32:32,729
and the countries that
were exploited in this way
371
00:32:32,730 --> 00:32:34,443
would take years to recover.
372
00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:46,919
An irresistible force was
driving everything in Europe
373
00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:48,333
to the brink of destruction.
374
00:32:49,470 --> 00:32:51,719
From one end of the
continent to the other,
375
00:32:51,720 --> 00:32:54,539
the Holocaust, the
extermination of the Jews
376
00:32:54,540 --> 00:32:56,729
which had been limited to the east,
377
00:32:56,730 --> 00:32:58,773
now spread towards the west.
378
00:33:03,780 --> 00:33:06,779
Local officials collaborated in raids.
379
00:33:06,780 --> 00:33:09,813
They identified Jewish people
by distinctive markers.
380
00:33:13,740 --> 00:33:16,953
An arm band in Poland,
Croatia, and Slovakia,
381
00:33:19,950 --> 00:33:22,679
a yellow star in Belgium, the Netherlands,
382
00:33:22,680 --> 00:33:24,273
and in occupied France.
383
00:33:25,740 --> 00:33:27,959
Families sewed them onto their clothes,
384
00:33:27,960 --> 00:33:30,110
unaware of the fate
that was awaiting them.
385
00:33:50,730 --> 00:33:55,079
In the Netherlands, Ruud
Roddenberg, a Dutch dentist,
386
00:33:55,080 --> 00:33:58,619
filmed the arrest of his
neighbors, Israel De Jongh,
387
00:33:58,620 --> 00:34:02,006
and his three daughters,
Rachel, Bernardina,
388
00:34:02,007 --> 00:34:04,503
and Henderina, from his window.
389
00:34:10,230 --> 00:34:14,249
He then filmed trucks
arriving, loading up furniture,
390
00:34:14,250 --> 00:34:15,843
and heading back to Germany.
391
00:34:24,030 --> 00:34:25,799
Seven days later,
392
00:34:25,800 --> 00:34:28,889
following along an
arduous journey by train,
393
00:34:28,890 --> 00:34:30,590
the family was murdered in a camp.
394
00:34:43,740 --> 00:34:47,609
The camp's gas chambers
were already in operation.
395
00:34:47,610 --> 00:34:51,359
When groups of old people,
children, and women arrived,
396
00:34:51,360 --> 00:34:54,783
if they were unfit to work,
they were murdered immediately.
397
00:34:56,430 --> 00:34:58,233
The others suffered forced labor.
398
00:35:01,380 --> 00:35:03,839
By the end of 1942,
399
00:35:03,840 --> 00:35:06,704
a million and a half
human beings had perished
400
00:35:06,705 --> 00:35:08,969
in the death camps in Poland,
401
00:35:08,970 --> 00:35:11,313
the most murderous year of the Holocaust.
402
00:35:22,560 --> 00:35:25,409
Railroad convoys
crisscrossed the continent,
403
00:35:25,410 --> 00:35:28,088
carrying their passengers to their deaths.
404
00:35:30,330 --> 00:35:32,193
The rails seemed to know no end.
405
00:35:36,810 --> 00:35:38,789
Meanwhile, the people of the Reich
406
00:35:38,790 --> 00:35:40,590
were living a life of plenty.
407
00:35:48,810 --> 00:35:51,869
In 1942, a German consumed
408
00:35:51,870 --> 00:35:54,753
4,000 calories on average per day,
409
00:35:57,150 --> 00:36:00,393
compared to 1,200 calories
for a French person,
410
00:36:03,090 --> 00:36:06,723
and less than 300 calories
for a Jewish deportee.
411
00:36:30,270 --> 00:36:33,089
Thousands of Germans
lived beside these camps,
412
00:36:33,090 --> 00:36:35,403
pretending not to know
their deadly function.
413
00:36:39,870 --> 00:36:43,979
Many profited shamelessly from
looted Jewish possessions,
414
00:36:43,980 --> 00:36:48,603
furniture, jewelry,
works of art, apartments.
415
00:36:58,290 --> 00:37:03,093
And later, clothes, shoes,
416
00:37:07,140 --> 00:37:07,973
and hair.
417
00:37:12,199 --> 00:37:15,299
One day, the artifacts stolen from victims
418
00:37:15,300 --> 00:37:17,343
would bear silent witness to the horror.
419
00:37:18,660 --> 00:37:21,089
Places of remembrance would display them
420
00:37:21,090 --> 00:37:24,359
to remind future generations
of the massive scale
421
00:37:24,360 --> 00:37:27,506
of a crime that shocked the whole world.
422
00:37:41,400 --> 00:37:43,153
In the wake of World War II,
423
00:37:44,010 --> 00:37:46,473
a collective wake up call arose.
424
00:37:48,270 --> 00:37:49,875
Never again.
425
00:38:03,270 --> 00:38:05,129
With the might
of the American military
426
00:38:05,130 --> 00:38:07,649
industrial complex now in play,
427
00:38:07,650 --> 00:38:09,663
the war would not be over soon.
428
00:38:13,260 --> 00:38:17,069
On April the 18th, 1942, in Hawaii,
429
00:38:17,070 --> 00:38:19,349
the Americans were
planning a lightning strike
430
00:38:19,350 --> 00:38:23,939
in revenge for Pearl Harbor,
the bombing of Tokyo,
431
00:38:23,940 --> 00:38:27,213
a distance of 6,000
kilometers from their shores.
432
00:38:30,090 --> 00:38:33,119
This would be accomplished
using aircraft carriers
433
00:38:33,120 --> 00:38:35,703
which had replaced
battleships in modern warfare.
434
00:38:36,840 --> 00:38:39,869
American technical prowess
enabled their bombers
435
00:38:39,870 --> 00:38:42,234
to take off from the middle of the ocean.
436
00:39:03,720 --> 00:39:06,633
The American air raid
rocked Japan to its core.
437
00:39:07,830 --> 00:39:09,869
The Japanese had previously believed
438
00:39:09,870 --> 00:39:12,299
that they were safe from harm.
439
00:39:12,300 --> 00:39:14,493
Humiliation combined with anger.
440
00:39:19,260 --> 00:39:22,139
But they still hoped they
could turn the tide of the war
441
00:39:22,140 --> 00:39:25,409
by striking Midway, the
most remote American base
442
00:39:25,410 --> 00:39:26,853
in the Central Pacific.
443
00:39:28,620 --> 00:39:30,779
The architect of the plan was the same
444
00:39:30,780 --> 00:39:33,663
as for Pearl Harbor, Admiral Yamamoto.
445
00:39:34,950 --> 00:39:38,609
He had a huge amount of military
equipment at his disposal,
446
00:39:38,610 --> 00:39:42,093
200 warships and 248 aircraft.
447
00:39:58,021 --> 00:40:01,079
This time, America was ready for them.
448
00:40:01,080 --> 00:40:02,909
The work of the intelligence agencies
449
00:40:02,910 --> 00:40:05,939
meant that they were fully
informed of the attack.
450
00:40:05,940 --> 00:40:09,479
Their pilots destroyed the
four aircraft carriers involved
451
00:40:09,480 --> 00:40:11,433
and all of the Japanese aircraft.
452
00:40:14,400 --> 00:40:18,723
In the future, espionage would
play a role in every battle.
453
00:40:34,350 --> 00:40:36,569
Thousands of kilometers away,
454
00:40:36,570 --> 00:40:39,968
the war of attrition in
the desert sands continued.
455
00:40:42,420 --> 00:40:44,699
The day after the Battle of Midway,
456
00:40:44,700 --> 00:40:48,209
Mussolini's troops and
General Rommel's Africa Corps
457
00:40:48,210 --> 00:40:50,073
headed towards the Suez Canal.
458
00:41:00,960 --> 00:41:04,139
There they would face the
British who, like them,
459
00:41:04,140 --> 00:41:06,839
were suffering from thirst, the heat,
460
00:41:06,840 --> 00:41:08,313
and a lack of supplies.
461
00:41:15,240 --> 00:41:17,819
These two armies had been
engaging in offensives
462
00:41:17,820 --> 00:41:20,489
and counteroffensives for months.
463
00:41:20,490 --> 00:41:22,199
Each town that was won
464
00:41:22,200 --> 00:41:24,520
was immediately won back by the enemy.
465
00:41:35,439 --> 00:41:39,479
At Bir Hakeim in June, 1942,
French Gaullist forces,
466
00:41:39,480 --> 00:41:42,059
two thirds of which came
from French colonies,
467
00:41:42,060 --> 00:41:43,859
confronted the enemy for the first time
468
00:41:43,860 --> 00:41:45,483
since the debacle had begun.
469
00:41:46,740 --> 00:41:48,449
They were outnumbered 12 to one
470
00:41:48,450 --> 00:41:50,714
by the German-Italian forces.
471
00:41:53,820 --> 00:41:56,193
They were forced to
flee across enemy lines.
472
00:42:05,113 --> 00:42:07,919
At the front of the column, Susan Travers,
473
00:42:07,920 --> 00:42:10,199
the only woman in the Foreign Legion,
474
00:42:10,200 --> 00:42:13,233
was driving the car of the
commander of the French forces.
475
00:42:15,840 --> 00:42:18,899
Determined to survive,
she drove at high speed
476
00:42:18,900 --> 00:42:20,519
in the midst of the chaos,
477
00:42:20,520 --> 00:42:22,473
dodging mines and artillery fire.
478
00:42:27,690 --> 00:42:30,629
Such heroism was a sign of a new spirit
479
00:42:30,630 --> 00:42:33,179
of resistance on the allied side,
480
00:42:33,180 --> 00:42:35,283
even if the road ahead was still long.
481
00:42:37,290 --> 00:42:40,379
After Bir Hakeim, the
Libyan port of Tobruk
482
00:42:40,380 --> 00:42:42,419
fell into German hands.
483
00:42:42,420 --> 00:42:44,519
Panic set in among the British,
484
00:42:44,520 --> 00:42:47,103
fearing the worst for
their Egyptian colony.
485
00:42:56,943 --> 00:42:59,609
Mussolini was rubbing his hands in glee.
486
00:42:59,610 --> 00:43:03,063
He wanted to take back the
ancient Roman province of Egypt.
487
00:43:04,350 --> 00:43:06,359
He set off for Cairo,
488
00:43:06,360 --> 00:43:08,673
where he hoped to make
a triumphal entrance.
489
00:43:10,200 --> 00:43:12,543
But it was to be a mirage in the desert.
490
00:43:21,000 --> 00:43:24,483
In reality, his empire
was already crumbling.
491
00:43:25,980 --> 00:43:29,823
Eritrea and Ethiopia had
been taken by the British.
492
00:43:31,200 --> 00:43:34,053
Libya was the last
Italian colony in Africa.
493
00:43:36,510 --> 00:43:39,603
And without Hitler, he
would already have lost it.
494
00:43:42,870 --> 00:43:45,449
The Fuhrer was making
considerable efforts,
495
00:43:45,450 --> 00:43:47,823
both militarily and politically.
496
00:43:49,110 --> 00:43:52,289
For months, he'd been trying
to stir up Arab nationalists
497
00:43:52,290 --> 00:43:55,889
in the English colonies
of Iraq and Palestine
498
00:43:55,890 --> 00:43:58,749
to weaken the British
Empire from the inside.
499
00:44:08,640 --> 00:44:12,539
He directed his support to
the great Mufti of Jerusalem,
500
00:44:12,540 --> 00:44:14,643
the main religious leader in Palestine.
501
00:44:17,880 --> 00:44:19,949
Meanwhile, the United States
502
00:44:19,950 --> 00:44:23,699
was extending a warm
welcome to David Ben-Gurion,
503
00:44:23,700 --> 00:44:26,200
the founding father of the
future state of Israel,
504
00:44:27,180 --> 00:44:29,399
the state which would see the light of day
505
00:44:29,400 --> 00:44:31,259
after World War II,
506
00:44:31,260 --> 00:44:34,079
at the same time as the endless conflict
507
00:44:34,080 --> 00:44:36,630
which is still tearing
apart the Middle East today.
508
00:44:38,400 --> 00:44:39,877
By the suicide bombing.
509
00:44:39,878 --> 00:44:42,926
Rocket fire by Hamas.
510
00:44:57,417 --> 00:44:59,249
For the time being,
511
00:44:59,250 --> 00:45:02,369
war was continuing in
the North African desert.
512
00:45:02,370 --> 00:45:04,863
But a turning point was
just around the corner.
513
00:45:06,660 --> 00:45:08,099
The British had managed to block
514
00:45:08,100 --> 00:45:11,639
the German advance in
Egypt at the last moment.
515
00:45:11,640 --> 00:45:14,459
In October, they inflicted
a decisive defeat
516
00:45:14,460 --> 00:45:17,219
on the Germans at El-Alamein,
517
00:45:17,220 --> 00:45:19,169
due in large part to their tanks,
518
00:45:19,170 --> 00:45:21,919
which outnumbered the
enemies by two to one.
519
00:45:21,920 --> 00:45:24,959
30,000 Germans were taken prisoner.
520
00:45:24,960 --> 00:45:28,354
The rest of Rommel's troops
retreated towards Tunisia.
521
00:45:32,460 --> 00:45:35,189
This was not just a military victory,
522
00:45:35,190 --> 00:45:37,503
but the beginning of
the Allied fight back.
523
00:45:54,480 --> 00:45:56,339
The Americans and British
524
00:45:56,340 --> 00:45:58,593
were planning a large scale operation.
525
00:46:00,870 --> 00:46:03,269
For months, Stalin had been demanding
526
00:46:03,270 --> 00:46:05,309
the opening of a new front
527
00:46:05,310 --> 00:46:08,247
to relieve the heavy burden
on the Red Army in Russia.
528
00:46:10,530 --> 00:46:12,689
The Americans were going
to engage their troops
529
00:46:12,690 --> 00:46:15,033
for the first time outside of Asia.
530
00:46:15,870 --> 00:46:17,999
Along with the British, they were planning
531
00:46:18,000 --> 00:46:20,703
a massive operation in North Africa.
532
00:46:22,440 --> 00:46:25,109
The landing of 100,000 men
533
00:46:25,110 --> 00:46:28,229
would force the Africa Corps to retreat,
534
00:46:28,230 --> 00:46:30,783
and thus pave the way
for winning back Europe.
535
00:46:51,510 --> 00:46:54,269
On November the 8th, 1942,
536
00:46:54,270 --> 00:46:57,539
two armadas set off for
Morocco and Algeria,
537
00:46:57,540 --> 00:46:59,403
which were both French colonies.
538
00:47:01,050 --> 00:47:03,573
It was the first joint Allied operation.
539
00:47:13,200 --> 00:47:17,249
Algiers was taken in a single
day, without bloodshed,
540
00:47:17,250 --> 00:47:20,519
due to the 400 French resistance fighters
541
00:47:20,520 --> 00:47:22,769
who were, for the most
part, Jews stripped of their
542
00:47:22,770 --> 00:47:25,143
French nationality by the Vichy regime.
543
00:47:26,640 --> 00:47:30,483
Assaulted on all sides, the
Vichy authorities surrendered,
544
00:47:33,060 --> 00:47:37,409
and the entire French-African
army, some 80,000 men,
545
00:47:37,410 --> 00:47:39,903
were finally able to join the Allies,
546
00:47:41,670 --> 00:47:45,201
a turning point which strengthened
the French resistance.
547
00:47:48,090 --> 00:47:51,903
In retaliation, Hitler
invaded the south of France.
548
00:47:56,220 --> 00:47:58,319
Thousands of kilometers away,
549
00:47:58,320 --> 00:48:00,573
his armies faced a massive task,
550
00:48:01,590 --> 00:48:03,783
which was to change the course of the war.
551
00:48:05,670 --> 00:48:07,799
Having failed to take Moscow,
552
00:48:07,800 --> 00:48:10,229
the Germans turned to
the Caucasus Mountains
553
00:48:10,230 --> 00:48:11,793
and its oil fields.
554
00:48:12,720 --> 00:48:15,561
On their way lay Stalingrad.
555
00:48:22,230 --> 00:48:24,993
The city that bore the
name of the Soviet leader.
556
00:48:25,950 --> 00:48:29,819
Stalin intended to defend it at all costs.
557
00:48:29,820 --> 00:48:33,057
He gave the order, "Not one step back."
558
00:48:38,801 --> 00:48:41,129
Inside the city, the fighting went from
559
00:48:41,130 --> 00:48:42,689
neighborhood to neighborhood,
560
00:48:42,690 --> 00:48:45,663
street by street, house by house.
561
00:48:47,370 --> 00:48:49,694
Hitler declared the victory was at hand.
562
00:48:51,300 --> 00:48:55,413
As for Stalin, he wasn't crazy
enough to fight over ruins.
563
00:48:56,940 --> 00:48:58,919
The more the Germans dug in,
564
00:48:58,920 --> 00:49:00,933
the more it helped the Red Army's plan.
565
00:49:02,430 --> 00:49:05,069
The decisive counterattack was ready
566
00:49:05,070 --> 00:49:08,523
and could well signal the end
of Nazi military domination.
567
00:49:12,480 --> 00:49:14,943
If the USSR won at Stalingrad,
568
00:49:15,990 --> 00:49:18,149
it would establish itself as the power
569
00:49:18,150 --> 00:49:20,763
that liberated Europe from the Nazis.
570
00:49:23,826 --> 00:49:28,826
For the Allies, the race towards
the endgame was beginning.
571
00:49:29,100 --> 00:49:32,763
It would pave the way
to the world after war.
45558
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